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Apr 2022
11:00am, 7 Apr 2022
17,606 posts
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larkim
OS - yes, absolutely.
As an annual "treat" for onesself, not beyond what people might expect to pay for a great experience. So no obligation on anyone to stump up for an event like Manchester, but it does put that "big city" experience out of the reach of some runners for sure.
Maybe there's scope for some form of charitable venture to procure expensive race entries for those who struggle financially to help with inclusivity? A sort of bursary or similar? Would be quite a challenge to administer, but an endowment from a well heeled ex elite with a passion for inclusivity might make it work.
At the end of the day these events are commercial operations, and I've no issue with that. But it would be nice to see something done to avoid the big events being the exclusive haunt of the well off.
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Apr 2022
1:10pm, 7 Apr 2022
1,595 posts
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Vixx
I went with the £78 entry as I am intending on entering the Half marathon too.
I had an email from Sports Tours a few weeks ago with guaranteed entries for Chicago, and the entry fee for the race (specified outside of the hotel costs/no mention of flight costs) was £425.
I looked at the ballot price (as I have unfinished business from Chicago 2007) and if you get in as an overseas entrant it's $260.
So it's choices really, and I've chosen to do Manchester at the higher cost, but I'll bet next year's Brighton will go up further than that.
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Apr 2022
1:39pm, 7 Apr 2022
17,611 posts
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larkim
I hadn't realised until I did some Companies House stalking that the Manchester Marathon is ultimately owned by ASO, the company that owns the Tour de France and a whole load of other major sporting events (quite a lot of cycling, Paris Marathon, Dakar Rally).
Human Race Ltd is the direct company, that's owned by Human Race Group Ltd which is owned by Amaury Sport Organisation.
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Apr 2022
1:41pm, 7 Apr 2022
4,306 posts
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Nelly
They could do an exclusive "lounge" with maybe a higher toilet / runner ratio, or a bag drop right at the start / finish. Limit the access to those sorts of things...
They used to have a Corporate Relay/Marathon that included just that, in the Pavilion at Old Trafford. I persuaded my office manager to enter teams 2/3 years on the trot, and so enjoyed the benefits... In fact one year was when they first moved to the cricket ground and they had the baggage fiasco (one small opening to hand out bags, and people queued for hours to get their belongings), so I was very thankful the Corporate runners baggage storage was elsewhere and I was in and out in no problem at all.
It is a lot of money, I totally agree. Taunton Marathon (same day as Manchester) was £25... It does make London look a bargain.
IMO costs are all relative... because of where I live, the total cost of the Manchester Marathon race experience (excluding trainer, gels etc) is only ~£60-65. It would probably cost me 3-5 times that to run London or Taunton when you factor in travel, hotel, restaurant food etc. So, the benefit Manchester has is that it has a very big catchment area of people who are within commuting distance on race morning. The benefit London has is they get significant revenue for sponsors and charity places, that allow them to effectively discount GFA and ballot entries.
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Apr 2022
1:47pm, 7 Apr 2022
17,612 posts
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larkim
And the thing everyone forgets about London is that the surplus (over and above paying their costs, which may or may not include paying their directors competitive salaries) becomes charitable funds for London projects in the main. People get up in arms about London's cost, the amount of charity places, the cost of charity places etc etc but always seem to miss that basic point. Unless I'm missing something?
Agree about the relative costs thing.
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Apr 2022
1:56pm, 7 Apr 2022
1,648 posts
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Big_G
Some selective quoting there Nelly as I was saying that the other majors made London look a bargain  I wasn’t particularly having a dig at Manchester. Marathon running is a hobby of mine and I accept I have to pay for entries, hotels, flights, etc.
Larkim, the entry fees for London are attractive compared to the other majors, regardless how they make their money. I’d suggest that they could easily double the entry fee and they’d still be vastly over subscribed.
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Apr 2022
2:01pm, 7 Apr 2022
17,613 posts
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larkim
Yes, agree with that Big_G. They could happily sell entries at £100 a pop and have no trouble selling them I'd have thought. (F)GFA runners might baulk at it perhaps. I wonder what the real supply / demand price point would be if they sold the places to the open market without bothering with the ballot.
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Apr 2022
2:24pm, 7 Apr 2022
4,307 posts
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Nelly
Some selective quoting there Nelly as I was saying that the other majors made London look a bargain.
Sorry I certainly didn't mean for it to come across as selective quoting... I was just trying to use a single quote to demonstrate why both London and Taunton are more expensive options personally than Manchester, despite the more expensive entry fee.
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Apr 2022
3:33pm, 7 Apr 2022
263 posts
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Forrest Jooligan
Taunton is on open roads hence much cheaper to put on.
London was set up by a runner for runners - it has evolved into something much more than that but still retains that side to it too by having the F(GFA) places, remaining very competitively priced & normally hosts the national Marathon Championship.
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Apr 2022
3:44pm, 7 Apr 2022
1,649 posts
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Big_G
Forest, yeah, I know I was just throwing it out there as an example of a race that’s cheaper, alongside the other examples I mentioned of more expensive races. I’ve no problem with Manchester. I was in it this year but had to DNS due to family stuff. I originally had flights booked (the flights were later cancelled by the airline) and a hotel for 3 nights, so the race fee was only a part of it for me anyway.
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