I definitely wouldn't. I ran around 40 races this year. I DNSed one due to oversleeping, but that's it.
I forgot when I wrote that that I didn't get to run NYC this year either, oops! But I still would not buy race insurance. That is a one-time thing and if I bought race insurance for every even for every marathon it would add up fast. I can just keep the money I save from not buying insurance and then magically find it when my race gets canceled - that way the race insurance folks don't get to profit off of me.
Chief Unicorn Officer
Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54
I probably wouldn't buy it even if it was available.
Hubby and I we have each done over 40 races in the last 3 years alone. Most of them fairly local, some
between 6-8 hours drive and a few we have flown to.
For the ones we have flown to we buy insurance for the trip but not race insurance.. Mostly our destination
races (except Boston) are chosen because we are going to that area and find a race to do while we are
there. So even if there was a running injury we would be going on the trip anyway.
10 years of racing and almost 100 races and I have never DNS'd, DNF'd or had a race cancelled. Been
pretty lucky so far I guess!
It never even occurred to me that this kind of insurance existed, and I doubt I'd buy it. And if it is anything like the pet insurance that rooked me, it probably won't really pay for some of the stuff you'd like it to cover.
Specific to the title of the thread: yes.
Active.com is now offering it in most of my registrations.
Having said that, we get at least 1 hurricane a year and we don't even have insurance for the contents of our home (just on the house). So, my answer is it's not worth it.
Damaris
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I never have, and probably never will. My days of running in super expensive overcrowded destination races are likely over--I much more enjoy and plan to stick with smaller, and more local races which either 1) don't offer insurance or 2) aren't so expensive that if something happened, I'd feel really bad about losing my entry fee.
Agreed. I've done a few destination races, but all but 1 coincided with a work trip, where I would have been in the area regardless. I have also been fortunate enough to live in cities vs. small towns, where there are an adequate number of races to keep me busy throughout the year. I have never heard of 'race insurance', and the skeptic in me thinks that this is just one more money making debacle supported by large marathons. Race insurance, a fee to track runners on your phone, blah, blah....this is all getting really dumb.
Jane
I'm not sure if I'd bother to buy it or not. I don't know that it would be worth my time and energy to fight with the insurance people to get $50-100 back. In the event of a trip, the registration fee is such a minor component, that it would be the least of my worries. Also, if it is a minor injury keeping me out, like my ITBS flaring back up, I'd spend as much money to go to the doctor and get proof that I was injured as I would get back from the insurance.
I'm not sure if I'd bother to buy it or not. I don't know that it would be worth my time and energy to fight with the insurance people to get $50-100 back.
In the event of a trip, the registration fee is such a minor component, that it would be the least of my worries.
Also, if it is a minor injury keeping me out, like my ITBS flaring back up, I'd spend as much money to go to the doctor and get proof that I was injured as I would get back from the insurance.
This.
NYC and Disney are exceptions on expense, not just for the race but if you are not local the getting there.
Never run, if you want to never run, don't start because you'll never stop.