The Price of a Road Race

      One of my favorite things about running is just how simple it is. Yes, the gadgets are neat and the shoes are cool. Yes, the running-specific shorts and shirts are a plus, but you really don't need any of it. All you really need is a pair of shoes (or even just a good pair of feet), some shorts, and an open space. I don't have to go somewhere special. I don't have to make reservations. I don't have to pay a membership fee.  I don't need a permit or a license. I don't have to wait till certain parts of the year. I can just lace up, head out the door, pick a direction, and run wherever and whenever I want. And then when the act of running begins, it is just legs moving, arms pumping, slow breathing, and little concentration. It is simple, just the road or trail and myself. I am in no way saying that running is easy or that some of the flashy gear isn't helpful, because running is hard, even the "easy" runs and the right pair of shoes will make or break you. All I am really trying to say is at its most basic root, running is and should be simple.

     And after one has been running a while, it is only natural that one would be drawn towards the desire to race because no matter how "uncompetitive" you say that you are, you are really always trying to catch someone in something. It is only natural to want to chase or be chased. It is fun. It is exciting. And each person in their own way wants to know how they stack up against someone else. Most runners have had the experience of being out on a run and seeing someone in the distance running and have done everything inside themselves to catch and pass that person. I know I catch myself doing this even when I have headed out the door for just a quick pass around the block.

     It seems that since running is so simple that racing should follow a very similar thread. I think we all remember how easy and how fun it was to race someone during our elementary school days. You just pick somewhere to race to, line up, have some arbitrary person yell go, and then you sprint or run towards the agreed upon place. Or if it is organized, like the infamous 50 yard dash in PE, all the items are decided for you and all you do is run. As you age and progress in school, running becomes more complex, but at the same time it stays pretty simple. I coach varsity cross country and even our most competitive meets are as simple as everyone lining up, a set of instructions are given, a gunshot begins the race, all the runners head in the same direction over an agreed upon distance, and after a certain amount of time, the race is won and then everyone else finishes. And this brings me to the real point of this post: the rapid, rising cost of racing.

     As with most things, you can boil it down to money. And that is the real topic of this post. Several months ago in Running Times, my favorite running magazine, they had an article that was titled: The Price of Competition.  (If you want to read the article, click here) And it was as if all I had been thinking about in relation to running and racing secretly made its way into an article for the population at large to read. The article was written by Pete Magill. He is one of America's top Master's runners (a Master runner is anyone 40 and above. Pete Magill is 50 and is still running four and some change minute miles and 17 minute 5k's.) and he writes great articles for several running publications and each of the articles is full of either good thoughts about running or great advice for older runners, but really just runners in general. 

    

     In the article, Mr. Magill talks about how the price of road races has so greatly increased over the last decade that it is hard to believe. He talks about how he used to go to races during the running boom of the 70's and would pay $3 and get everything we now get minus the t-shirt, but now we pay $30. I wrote a little blog a while back about a similar idea, but it was less direct and Magill is better writer. Mr. Magill simply asks in his article what is one getting when you pay for a race and spend all the money to get to one when the whole act of racing is simple. The example he uses is how he signed up for a half marathon that cost over $100 and then paid for gas, food, and a hotel room and then ends up getting sidelined due to training and does not run the race at all, but rather gets well, runs 13.1 miles to a local Starbucks, orders a large coffee drink, uses the restroom he didn't wait to use, and all the for the price of $3. 

   

Mr. Magill racing college runners and beating them! He's the man in blue. 

      If Mr. Magill were not a well-known runner and talented writer, I would question his reason for writing and it would sound more like sour grapes, but if you read the article well, you can see the point he is making. He is simply saying that back in the 70's, a runner could go to a local race, pay a small fee and be guaranteed three important items: the race would start on time, the course would be measured correctly, and the runner would receive his/her correct race time in a timely manner. And this would occur all for a small fee. He notes that racing then was about racing and now it is about causes. But now you pay $30 and the race doesn't start on time, the distance is almost never what it should be, the results are almost never correct. And I couldn't agree more. 

       Now please do not think I am or Mr. Magill is  raging against charity races or that we do not want people of all running talents to show up to race because that is neither what Mr. Magill writes about and that is not what this post is about. I am simply asking the same question: "Why has racing become so over-priced that people like me that actually just want to race can almost no longer afford to do it?"  Or, "Why has the simple act of racing become so expensive, less accurate, and so complex?" 

     I will give a couple examples from my own meager running career. I ran my first non-school race in 2003. It was a local 5k and I paid $10. I got a t-shirt, water, Gatorade, fruit, a bagel, and a trophy for coming in 4th place. Most 5k races now start at $20 and some go for as much as $50-$60. And I ran my first half marathon, The Seaside Half Marathon, in 2007 and I paid $45. Today, that same race costs around $105 while offering the same amenities to the runner. This last example really highlights Magill's point: what is the runner really getting for all that extra cost when all the runner really wants to do is to race over a chosen distance? I feel that the quick is answer is nothing. 

    Racing has become big business with many races, especially half marathons and marathons, leading the way on outrageous prices. Several companies, most notably, Competitor Inc. have created series of races where they promise seemingly everything, but the actual race itself. Competitor Inc.'s "Rock and Roll Race Series" advertises a party atmosphere and charges as much as $125 without food, hotel, travel, etc. Last year, the NYC marathon cost almost $400. I have several acquaintances that ran last year's Savannah marathon and their total price tag for race weekend was somewhere around $500. 

   And this has caused me to choose not to race. And I feel I am not the only one to choose this way. In the years 2007-2010, I ran 30+ races, but in the last three years, I have run less than 10 races. This is not due to my lack of training, but rather due to the price. I do not see this changing anytime soon and why would it if countless hoards are willing to pay. Please know I am no way against racing companies making money. And I am no way wanting those hoards to stay home and quit running. I am elated that so many people are running. I love it. I wish everyone ran. It would be great. I just want running and racing to be simple again and much less expensive.

     So, where does that leave a person who wants to run and who wants to race, but doesn't exactly feel like throwing down a couple hundred dollars for a race weekend or actually doesn't have it to throw down? This is where I do not agree or align with Mr. Magill. I think there is hope and a chance for proactive runners to do something about it. I will give three suggestions or examples of items or events where I see great glimmers of hope for the runner with a budget or for the runner who is tired of paying ridiculous amounts of money to run.  And here they are:

1. A lot of track clubs around the country offer a variety of races and racing opportunities throughout the calendar year where you can race for either free due to a nominal club membership or a very small fee. My local running club doesn't do this, but the Atlanta Track Club does and have always done so. The picture above is from their very popular summer track series where any individual can race the 3000 meter race or do other events for $1. And you can race about 10 races throughout the year for free or for rates no larger than $10. I think this is a great option and participated as a member for a year and got way more out of the club than my $35 fee. I ran a couple free races and even got my sister and dad into a race for free. 
2. Host your own race and make it an event. This can be done for a nominal price that can be shared amongst the people you invite. And it is a great way to have a get-together that is much different than the usual. It does take some planning, but is very easy. Mel and I did this last December and it was a huge success. We hosted what we titled, "The 1st Annual Hot Cocoa Invitational". We advertised through Facebook and charged nothing except that we asked them to bring a treat to share. I mapped out a 5k course and marked it with chalk and homemade signs. I borrowed a race clock from a XC coaching friend of mine and some water coolers from the school I teach at.. I got free race numbers from Road ID and they even sent us 6 gift certificates that Mel dressed up and we gave out as prizes. We had around 25 people participate and everyone seemed to have a great time and altogether, we probably spent a total of 3 hours prepping and $25. 
3. My third suggestion is almost the same as my second. Bring back the cheap race that focuses solely on racing and do it for a cheap, cheap fee. I know this can be done. All that would have to be done is gather some people that want to race, decide or agree upon a course and distance, make sure the course is well-marked, have someone start the race and time the event, yell out finishing times when folks cross the finish line, have someone record these times, have different people bring a cooler of water and paper cups, and have each race be apart of series of races and at the end of the series give prizes to the top three or four of the top finishers. Races could be held at public parks so you would have access to a restroom. Running clubs used to do this all the time and some still do.

Let's do some of these! 

Happy reading and running,

    David