On rising race registration fees

I remember the first race I joined. It was 2009 and the race cost me P500 for 10K (I think 21K was P600). I didn’t think much of the cost, but at that time it was expensive compared to other races. The additional cost was attributed to disposable timing chips, which were being used for the first time at that race. Fast-forward a couple of years, and the same race is now priced at P1,050 for a 21K!

Yes, that is the sound of my jaw dropping.

Although oil prices have risen, the cost of living hasn’t doubled. Timing chips/strips are now standard in all the big races, but last year a chip-timed race only cost P750 thereabouts. So, what’s driving the increase?

It’s not as if the number of races has decreased, causing a scarcity of supply versus the demand. In fact, with so many companies and entities mounting their own races (even if their product has nothing whatsoever to do with running), you’ll be hard-pressed to find a weekend where there are no races being held.

And even with the rising registration fees, more runners sign up for every race set before them. I’m now going to clamber up onto my apple box and attempt to explain what may be happening here.

The easy way out is to blame the organizers and sponsors for pricing the races. But there are a few other forces at play here, too. Forces named you and me.

You see, every time you or I signed up for a race that was slightly more expensive than the last one, we showed the organizers that the running market could tolerate paying that much for a race. Every time you or I noted some small failing of the race organizers (hydration, marshaling), they had to boost their efforts to cover that hole for the next race, which costs money. Every time you or I complained about the lack of post-race activities or freebies, the race organizers had to increase their efforts in getting sponsors to provide these, which could decrease the monetary support to pay for the actual race.

This is not to absolve the organizers and sponsors from their hand in the matter. They acceded to our demands for chip timing, hydration every kilometer, abundance of marshals, overflowing loot bags. They spoiled the runners, creating huge expectations that can’t be met without additional funding.

Sponsors have a choice: they can absorb the costs, or they can pass them down to the consumers — that’s you and me. It really depends on why they’re holding the race in the first place. Organizing a race is not an altruistic deed; of course people involved would like to make money. But I think that early in the running boom, races were counted as part of advertising cost; a “loss leader“. Nowadays they’re more overtly about making money regardless of whether there is a charity beneficiary.

There is also another hidden cost for races: road access permits and fees. Cities and developers have realized there is money to be made in charging for the right to use their roads and lands in a race, and some areas have doubled their asking fees in the past few years. (Tsk, tsk, tsk!)

Yes, that is the sound of my heart breaking.

The running boom hasn’t been all bad; whether it’s just a fad or part of a changed, healthy lifestyle, more people are into running and getting fit.

Here’s what you and I can do as responsible runners. Pick a major race a few months in the future that you are willing to spend for, and train for it. That will be your A race. You may or may not choose to participate in other races leading up to it, but only as tune-ups to help you determine where you’re at in your training. These are your B races.

Running is free, but racing is not. So pick your battles — I mean, races — wisely.