Roam if you want to

My entry fee for the Boston marathon was $40 (US) more than the US citizens paid.  If I get into the NYC Marathon my bill will be around $50 (US) higher than that of the star-spangled runners to my south.  I’m not one to begrudge the ever-increasing costs of races.  I get that race directors can charge whatever they want for their race and if people want to run they will, otherwise they will stay home.  I get that race entries fees typically do not cover all race expenses and that many race costs are heavily subsidized by sponsors.  While I can appreciate a bargain race entry as much as the next person, my decision about a race is not typically based on the entry fee (erm, within reason I suppose), but more on my perceived value for the money.   A race like the NYCM would be a once in a lifetime event for me and given the scope of this mega-marathon I would expect higher fees than for a 500 person trail run outside of a major urban centre.  I get that it must cost a small fortune to orchestrate a race the size of New York or Boston.  I perceive that I get a lot of value from these events.  Moreover, strictly from an economic perspective, for these big ticket events (and they are full-fledged events, not just simple races) demand outweighs supply and sky-high entry fees have not cooled interest.  I assume there is some theoretical tipping point for fees, but it sure hasn’t been hit yet. 

Plus I rationalize away the expenses associated with running/racing by reframing them in terms of investments in my health – and I firmly believe that my health is worth a little investing.  I also add in a dash of denial.  I haven’t added up my projected race entry fess (never-mind travel costs) for 2009 because I’m pretty sure they will equal a nice trip to a warm island.  I do not want to confirm this theory;  this would be bad information to have at my disposal when I’m frozen solid next January.

When it comes to running I (for the most part) accept race fees as a necessary evil.  I do, however, wonder about double-priced race entries – one price for national and one price for international.  Obviously the higher international fee is not a deterrent for me; but the extra $40-50 is not an insignificant hit to take, especially when you factor in the exchange rate (which never seems to be in my favour).  So my issue is not with the fees per se, but with the international surcharge.  I just don’t understand how the extra cost is justified.  No explanation is ever given for the price discrepancy, as though the reason is obvious. I especially question this practice for races that specifically market themselves as international events and include invited runners from around the world.  In my mind there is no need to charge more – international runners are a goldmine for races and the local communities.  Even the most frugal of travelling runners brings tourist dollars into the area, much more so than the typical local runner.  We fill hotels, restaurants, sight-seeing buses (we need to save our legs for the race) and places of interest, and we buy all that over-priced race gear to advertise our travelling ways.  When I enter a local event my race-weekend spending spree amounts to a subway token or some metered parking and maybe a post-run brunch. 

So why do some races charge more for the international runner?  I’m all for paying my fair share, but more than my fair share?  That is a harder pill to swallow.  Not all races charge an international premium, so it seems that marathoners-of-the-world only cost more in certain cities.  Are foreign runners more costly to get from start to finish?  Do we drink more than our allotted share of Gatorade (air travel can leave one dehydrated)?  Do we greedily gobble extra gel packs?  Are we in need of extra policing at intersections?  Do we use more than four safety pins per bib?  Why do we cost a dollar per kilometre more?  I guess those darn rabble-rousing, double safety-pinning, over-hydrating out-of-country runners are hurting the bottom line.

 Title Ref:  B-52′s – Roam.  From the album Cosmic Thing.  1989.