Race Entry Fees
- By Doug Kurtis
Free Press Columnist

Marathon entry fees now range between $50 and $100.   The Detroit Free Press Flag Star Bank Marathon entry is $75 through September 1st . When compared to fees for competing in major golf, fishing or bowling tournaments, entering a marathon is still a good bargain.

Budgets for big city marathons can run in the millions of dollars. Doing some quick math; at $75 a pop times 10,000 runners could leave a race $250,000 short or more.

It becomes obvious that without major sponsors large events wouldn't exist. In-kind sponsors also help defray the costs of things like finish line food, water, energy drinks, advertising, promotion and media coverage.

Providing police and DPW assistance to close off roads is no easy task. Fewer and fewer cities are donating these services. Implementing 26 miles of street security can be a drain on any city but its officials are also aware of the benefits a marathon has to the community. Major marathons make a huge impact on the local economy.   Studies have shown that tax revenues can reach into the millions.

There are significant costs associated with a marathon that often don't register with most participants.   Take the cost of equipment for example. Runners want more than a chalk line across the start and finish. To create a 10,000 plus participant event, race directors need entertainment on the course and that means scaffolding, generators and sound systems. The cost of port-a-johns can be larger than the entire budget of a small race. Then there is truck rental to transport everything.  

Some events like Dexter Arbor or the Boston Marathon require busing and a large outlay of cash to do so.   As an event grows so does the cost of things like insurance and printing brochures. Web design and on-line entry comes at a cost. As more and more runners find it easier to sign up this way, mailing costs will be reduced. Some races have reported postage expenses well over $50 grand.

Scoring runners by popsicle sticks is long gone. Chronomix timing doesn't cut it either. Computer timing chips is a must and it takes a little bite out of the entry fee.

Some races have attempted to cut costs by making the T shirt an option. This may work for smaller races with few sponsors. For medium races it becomes riskier when race day entrants amount to fifty percent of the field. If you order too many T's the budget takes a big hit. Order too few and runners complain. For big races, it's usually not an option since title sponsors are paying to have their logo prominently placed.

It takes an entire year to plan out a marathon. Most marathons require paid full and part time staff as well as key volunteers connected to the running community to help gather thousands of volunteers needed to conduct the event. Again marathoners tend to forget that volunteers aren't pulled from a rabbit's hat. If you've thought about being a bandit in a race you would think twice if you knew how much work went into putting on even the smallest of events.

Contact Doug Kurtis at Detroit Free Press, 600 W. Fort St. Detroit, 48226