Race Entry fees

Hi there. If you enter races, how much are you prepared to pay?  My first one, to be held this Saturday cost £12. I have no idea of this was good or overpriced But I wanted to have one to focus on and it was the soonest I could do. 

I realise that some of you will advise to just run outside for free so I'm really only asking those who willingly pay to enter races! 

A friend suggested we do the Great South Run and the entry fee is a whopping £41!! I thought this sounded a lot (I do appreciate the huge efforts which go into organising these things, as well as the costs involved). This is also for 5k so it seems a huge difference from my Big Fun Run. 

I'd like to hear your experiences please. Perhaps you could tell me why you bother entering these races, especially if it's not done for a charity (my friend sometimes just enters them for fun, no fundraising involved), seems an expensive hobby so there must be a good reason for it. Atmosphere? Meet with people you 'talk' to on forums? get a different experience? Better timings?  Please tell all!

«13

Comments

  • mathschickmathschick ✭✭✭

    I enter races because it is fun and gives me something to aim for. I wouldn't pay £41 for a 5K though, I can do 5k free on Saturdays at park run. I probably havven't paid more than about £20 for a race. 

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    £41 for a 5k, seriously?! I don't think I've paid more than about £30 to enter any race (and that would be half marathon and longer), though I would for a marathon as it takes more organisation and also needs the roads to be closed for longer. I might stretch to £15 for a 10k, but it had better be good.

    I do it because I like to be competitive, and I want to improve my times, which is easier to do in a race environment (and also officially recorded).

  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭

    I think 41pounds is just silly for a 5k, but thats Bupa events  for you.  When they get that big, the costs are for road closures, stewards etc, and then theres the profit the organiser demands from the race.

    A local 5k here would be 6.50, a 10k around a tenner. Half marathon £15-30 and I entered the Marathon last week for a pound less than the Bupa 5k!

     

  • Yeah, I thought 41 quid was steep too but thought I'd check in case you all said wow that's cheap, guess not! Can't understand why as its a well known and advertised  event by BUPA. Also, it's either 5k or 10 miles which is a bit far for me to fathom at the mo, maybe 10k is next, but thats over £60 AND you have to be an elite runner to qualify!  You do get a meddle, T, goodie bag though. 

    Maybe someone on here has experience of this race event?

  • Ha, as I typed and sent my reply above, so Mr Puffy's came in which gives more explanation!  Thanks, Mr P!

  • Running is very cheap compared to most sports and hobbies.

    Marathons might be ??40 or so but for that I get months of training free !

    At the most I would do two races a month - often none as I'm training for one.



    Race cost is often a small part. Travel and accommodation is always more expensive.



    There are race options to suit all pockets. Often cheaper ones are nicer races.
  • Meant MEDAL! Darned predictive text!

  • Caerphilly held its first 10k today.......full road closures affected the whole town as it was all on road.....they had water and bananas and the hundreds of marshalls.....the goody bag was a cheap kit bag and a medal and some nutra grain and leaflets with money off local attractions etc.........and it was only £8......

    managed to get loads of non club runners which was brilliantimage

  •  
    seren nos wrote (see)

    Caerphilly held its first 10k today.......full road closures affected the whole town as it was all on road.....they had water and bananas and the hundreds of marshalls.....the goody bag was a cheap kit bag and a medal and some nutra grain and leaflets with money off local attractions etc.........and it was only £8......

    managed to get loads of non club runners which was brilliantimage

    Good stuff!

  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭
    seren nos wrote (see)

    Caerphilly held its first 10k today.......full road closures affected the whole town as it was all on road.....they had water and bananas and the hundreds of marshalls.....the goody bag was a cheap kit bag and a medal and some nutra grain and leaflets with money off local attractions etc.........and it was only £8......

    managed to get loads of non club runners which was brilliantimage

     

    No cheese? image

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    I'd do it if there was cheese instead of bananas.

  • The Great South Run is notoriously expensive, I cant see how they can justify such high costs.

    For me races shouldnt be about making a profit, its all getting too corporate for my liking.  Big business gets involved and big prices are the outcome.

    I wont pay more than £2 per mile.

    Remeber your local 5km park run is free and on every saturday image

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Which 10k is 60 quid????? That's rediculous.



    I did the great south run once as I got a free entry from work. But wouldn't do it again even for free.
  • Did my first Parkrun yesterday and really enjoyed it. I just liked the idea of going to an event, meeting up with others and (depending on the size and scale of the race), having a good crowd to cheer the runners on. To be honest, I like just running for the sake of it but I'd like to step it up a bit now and again, have something to focus on, and see different parts of the country. image

  • at the end of the 10k they were handing out leaflets for the cardiff one which was £22 minimum.I handed the leaflet  back saying i wouldn't pay those prices.

     

  • and just noticed we hadb a water bottlers in the bag as well...a bright orange one with the 10k logo on image and a couple of pens and a wrist band and a gelimage

  • Millsy, it is 10 MILES for £60. Don't know why they say 5K but then 10 miles!  What didn't you like, said you wouldn't do again?

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    I was too tight even to pay £60 for the Brighton marathon, let alone a 10-miler.

    Laine, I totally agree about the atmosphere, crowd support etc. all being good things, which you might be more likely to get at a larger event. But it's also worth having a look at the events section of this website where people have written reviews, because they're likely to mention crowd support or lack of it and you might find some well-supported races that aren't as expensive.

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    It was far too crowded for my liking. Far too many people overestimating how fast they are and being too slow for their pen. I wasn't inspired by most of the course. It was also a pain to get to by public transport(which was ridiculously overcrowded)

    There is usually a train that goes from Salisbury straight to Portsmouth but for some reason not one to get you there in time for the start on this day do many changed required.



    If you live locally it may be worth it but I've found my Local 10 miler is 100 times better and about 25% of the price.
  • People need to say fun you and fun your stupid charidee and fun your corporate race and their big profits. But what do they do. They say yes shove in in harder big boy. Oohh did they have a nice goodie bag. Nice t-shirt. Yeah I will pay 70 pounds as long AS LONG AS I GET A FUCKING TWIX IN MY BAG AT THE END!!!

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    I don't like twixes.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    There's always someone out there who'll treat £50/60 as loose change and they'll never think of £25 for a 10k as much money, if any at all.

    For me its £10/12 for a 10k

    £15/18 for a 10 mile

    £20 for a HM

    Sod marathons.

    🙂

  • I've never got a goody bag with a Twix in it.

  • I don't like twixes either

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    A 10 k near me is sponsored by Lidl and the goody bag comes full of chocolate. Although its the Lidl version of a Twix.
  • I organise the St Thomas' 7 www.stthomas7.org.uk I charge £9 and £11 and all runners get a wicking T, medal, 6 pack of Poveys Staffordshire Oatcakes, bottle of water and choccy bar.

    Good value is the feedback I've had for a 7 mile run

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    That's great value. If it wasn't so far away I'd sign up.

    Shame about the annoying pop up adverts on the site though.
  • Best value race I went to was the 2nd outing of the love life love running festival. £10 for a hilly XC and three nights camping. Now it is £10 for the race and £10 for the camping.

  • Millsy - which race is that ? I'm easily swayed by chocolate.
Sign In or Register to comment.