Tipping Point

Recently I read an article about the decline in participation in marathons and half marathons. The author of the story did little to indicate why this may be, other than a glut of races. I will say, it's possible the glut of races out there may be a factor. I offer another  - cost.

Let's take a look at the cost of some races:

One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon - $75
Chicago Marathon $175
NYC Marathon $250
Disney Half or Full Marathon $190 for each
Community First Fox Cities Marathon $60

Clearly the bigger the event, the higher the cost. This does not include travel expenses for these races. Then there is the training programs, shoes, gear, etc.. The economy has been stagnant for a while, and while races have seen a boom in participation, there is a tipping point where it begins to decline, and I suspect that is starting now.

Note, the 500 Festival Mini Marathon, as of this writing, has not sold out. Typically it would have sold out after Thanksgiving. Are people not willing to pay the higher prices? Are they finding cheaper races? In Carmel, IN, they will have a marathon and half marathon a few weeks before the Mini. The marathon costs $75 and the half is $60. The Geist Half Marathon is after the Mini and the fee is $75, so roughly the cost of the Mini, but fewer people.

Now let's add the gear into the mix. Shoes two years ago averaged $100 a pair, now they are $110 a pair. Apparel has also gone up. The costs of racing now is higher once you factor the other items into it.

Of course I have no data, but more and more people are talking to me about lower priced shoes. Yes, there are still plenty of people willing to pay $150 a pair, but I am having more and more conversations about price. People are watching their wallets.

The costs of a race include a lot of goodies for runners. Ok, I still want my medal, but maybe adding a fee for the shirt, and making it an option might help. I know a large part of race costs go to the city for fire, police and street maintenance, can these be negotiated?

I have no answers. I am just putting out there that maybe race organizers, instead of making races bigger and better, need to focus on putting out quality, and working harder to make the races more affordable.

Charlie