Bupa Great South Run - too expensive?

£40 entrance fee for a 10 mile race. Does anyone else think that this is just taking the mickey?

Comments

  • Yes, and believe me it is not worth it.  I did it last year as I won a place.  Not worth the journey to be honest.

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    Yes, I do.  I won't do events that charge silly money like this.

    There are plenty of other races which charge reasonable entry fees, I stick to those.

  • It'll sell out anyway I think. Its televised and well known and some people are prepared to pay for the big race feel. 

    Plenty of other cheaper races to do if you feel its too pricey. 

    (see the GNR threads and the London 10k threads too)

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭

    £4 a mile...  a bit steep for me.

    VLM is costing me £1.23 a mile  which is a great deal in comparison

    So much better to do a local race, I`m doing the Salisbury 54321 (50K) and that works out at approx 53p per mile (£17 entry)

    I`ve done the great south run and would not do it again unless i was offered a free place.

  • They do a great yorkshire run as well along the same lines it probably about right for the road closer's and also because you get a medal and a t-shirt but personally I wouldn't bother and far to expensive. Like above they know it will sell out regardless so no real pressure to keep the costs down.

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭

    I forgot about the ill fitting cotton T-shirt, I only wore mine once, to paint the garden fence as that was about all it was good for.

  • Hmmmm...you want to do a 10 mile race in the area..... do you:

    (A) do the Great South Run in Portsmouth for £40

    or

    (B) do the Lordshill 10 mile road race in Southampton the following weekend for £12

    Tricky choice image

    Yeah okay fine, if you only like the big events or live in Portsmouth maybe it's a better choice but otherwise it doesn't look like rocket science to me. Nutty price.

  • I'm Not sure what Bupa are paying for... They are certainly not subsidising the entrance fee!!
  • compo 1compo 1 ✭✭✭

    RIP of britainimage

  • Stopped doing this race years ago, when it was the same price as the London Marathon...but at £40....Total rip off and nothing special. Better off supporting other smaller , local races.

  • Loved it,did the Bupa Great South Run 2011,forgot how much i paid,but that's alot of money.I want to looking for a race in 2 months time in Somerset because i have only just made a serious come back into training.The Bristol Half Marathon sounded great but £35 heck of alot of money.Only work Part time so does not help with my budget.Love to do the London one day.The Flora London marathon 2000 was the last one i did.i think i paid £15.00 back then,but love to know how much it is now?

  • About £34 for london now i think? Problem is a lot of big races come all singing and all dancing in terms of goody bag's and water stations now so push's the prices up. Kids these days don't know they are born. God I feel old. image

  • £40 isn't much if you're only running one or two events per year. If you're doing one or two per month then it does start to add up. 

    I ran this last year - it was well organised, huge amounts of support, very flat course. I can see why it's popular. I probably won't run it again but that's mostly to do with the crowding on the course and the amount of time I spent getting in and out of the car park. I usually go for small / medium sized events.

  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭

    I've run it the past few years and the only reason I do is because of my mum. She loves the race and the friendly atmosphere and it's her 'main' race of the year. If it was me - it's too much hassle. The trains are crowded, the t-shirts are never there in the size you want and the 'secure' bag drop off - isnt really.

  • GraemeKGraemeK ✭✭✭

    They've taken over the Birmingham Half in the last year. Predicatably prices are up.

  • Predictable, but at £2.44/mile Birmingham Half still looks like bargain(-ish) compared  to the GSR. I will stop whinging about this now image

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭
    Cake wrote (see)

    Problem is a lot of big races come all singing and all dancing in terms of goody bag's and water stations now so push's the prices up. Kids these days don't know they are born. God I feel old. image

    Goody bags are usually provided by sponsors donating stuff, so little or no cost there.

    Water stations are usually manned by volunteers (running clubs, etc.), and many water companies will provide water if asked, so little cost there either.

  • Liverpool HM works out at £2.30 a mile and the Mersey Tunnel 10K £3.33 per mile. Not really an appropriate evaluation as the overall costs of delivering the events are based on different criteria and numbers taking part.

    As mid range events they both strive to deliver the best possible race day experience for all concerned. Both have different aspects and are different distances so pounds per mile is an odd way to assess.

    Bottom line is if you feel the entry fee is too much then don't do it!

  • Wilkie - water for Liverpool events now has to be purchased. Up until last year we were very well supported by Highland Spring. However, now we have to purchase. Despite many appeals it seems no one is prepared to donate water.

    We've stopped giving away Goody Bags as depite the perception they are not free. The content is your average bag is a waste of money and too many people expect a London type bag at any event. Can't be done which is why we have stopped using them. We now give out fresh fruit at the end of our events instead.

    Much better value.

  • I'm doing this run for the first time and travelling from London. Is anyone else doing the same journey or have any tips for best way to get there? Thanks!

  • Ooo err !! lots of negative comments about the GSR, am running it this year for the first time and yes it is expensive but as I live in southampton i figured I should make it a one off. Have run other 'big' races before and always enjoy the buzz so am looking forward to it . Was thinking of making the journey by train , how busy are they really? 

    Thanks

  • Haven't done GSR for several years cos, although it used to be one of my favourites, when they increased the field and put up the price to £30 (a few years ago) I decided it overpriced and likely to be overcrowded.

    Ian - trains are probably your best bet but aim to get an early one. Unless they've done something sensible like providing park and ride I really wouldn't recommend travelling by car. All approach roads get jammed from quite early, parking can be a nightmare and trying to leave at the end was even worse.

  • ian lowe 16 wrote (see)

    Ooo err !! lots of negative comments about the GSR, 

    That's 'cos this is the whinging, tight-fisted GSR boycotting thread image

    There is also a nice, pleasant GSR loving thread;

    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/events/great-south-run-2012/186624-3.html

    It's all about balance innit image

  • I think that £12 to run around a park that i could do myself for free is too expensive. It depends on what you enjoy.

    I like small, friendly, low key races that i can turn up on the day, and there's no fuss, no bother, no spectators and no excitement, but it's simply enjoyable.

    I also like the world's big races. I love the mounting excitement and atmosphere as you gather with thousands of like-minded people. And there is an intense focus on the event which makes the tension, excitement and pleasure even greater. You know you are taking part in something quite extraordinary and special. Events like the World's Biggest 10 Mile Race (in fact one of the Top 30 races in the world of any length) don't come along every day. £40 to take part in one of the world's top races? See, I think that's cheap compared to £12 for a local event nobody's heard of, and cares nothing about.

    One of the marathons I most enjoy is Beachy Head. Us runners have heard of it. Non-runners have not. People find out I run marathons, and they'll ask what I have run. I'll say Paris, Amsterdam, London - and they're interested. i say Beachy Head, and they just give a polite smile.

    When I got into London friends and relatives were so pleased for me, and loads came to watch me on the day. That never happens normally! Even my wife has given up on attending runs.

    The big races draw an interest and excitement that is difficult to measure in finacial terms.

    I just got my race pack today. And that's another thing I love about the big races - the big glossy magazine! I mean, I also like turning up to the school hall on the day and just joining the queue at the tressle table. But I also like just going out on my own for free. I like running. Training runs. Local events. big races. I like it all. It's a great hobby. And, compared to many, very cheap. Even the big races are cheap.

  • Some charity is offering late entrance for £3 without a requirement to raise any sponsorship, suspect this may be a sign that the price will be going down next year image

  • Hmmm ST I'm not sure if you are mentioning £12 races in response to my comment or that's just coincident, but for the record the Lordshill 10 mile race is a road race, around country roads, it's not in a park. Just like the GSR, just without all the crowds and the excessive price tag.

    If £12 is too expensive for a local race no-ones heard of what is a good price? I must be living in an expensive part of the world as don't think I know any races over 5 miles which would be under £10 around these parts. But I guess if it was laps around a park it might be cheaper ( and bloody boring). 

    Have many non-runners ever heard of the GSR? Really? image I've got family and friends who live in the Portsmouth area and I don't think even they know anything about it. They know there's some fun run or something or other going on so it's a bad day to go into town but that's it. London Marathon, yup sure. Possibly the GNR, but no more. If I was looking for validation from others over my pick of races I would of given up a long time ago.

    I also love the atmosphere of big races,  I like going out on my own for free. I like running. Training runs. Local events. big races. I like it all. Your right, it is a great hobby and yes compared to many, very cheap image. Even some big races are good value.image

     

     

     

     

      

    But I still think the GSR is a flipping rip off image, and I doubt they will drop the price just fewer charities will buy places next year. 

    Enjoy though image

  • Hi Chimpster. The £12 to run around a local park is something I have paid for fairly recently. Actually, we ran around the park three times, and then found out that the organisers had got the distance wrong, and we had run slightly less than 10K. That was £12 thrown away!

    £12 seems a common price. And local parks are common locations. I have run in Battersea Park and Hyde Park and Greenwich Park with a number of organisers for a range of prices. Some of those have been great fun. The New Years Day run around the Serpentine is a great start to the year!

    I think it is important to keep an eye on the money when entering races, and to look for value for money. I fully expect to pay more for the bigger races and the longer races than the small, short, local ones. But how do you really measure value for money? I don't think you can accurately do it by judging a bunch of grapes against a bottle of wine, and observing that the wine costs more than the grapes!

    I did the Nice-Cannes marathon last year. Lovely race. Can't remember how much it cost, but I felt it was value for money as there were lots of goodies, including a rucksack which I now use everyday. During the race I encountered a man who was running the course for free as it went along public roads. He said it was OK for him to do it because he wasn't making use of the water stations, etc. Fair enough. Me, I'm happy to pay for the organisation, the stewards, the first aid, and the t-shirt and medals and refreshments, and the Expo, and all the other things that are part of it. That man could have run that course at any time. That he chose to do so on the same day and at the same time as the organised run showed that he wanted to be part of it. But he didn't want to pay. Fair enough. Each to their own. But I wouldn't do that.

     

     

  • ian     roads get  busy   i park in gosport and catch the ferry  then a 10min walk   -  its easy to get in and out of gosport  compared to portsmouth

  • Looks like it was created in the main forum rather than attached to the event itself, so it doesn't appear when you look at the event - but the main thread for this event is here.

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