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Dec 22, 2011

What's it worth? plus Giveaway winner!

5 miles on the schedule today...done!

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The winner of the Hyland products is......Penny!!!  Penny from Pink Hat Runner!  Congratulations.  Send me your e-mail and I'll get the folks at Hyland to send you your packet.

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As I continue to determine what races to run next year, I always contemplate the cost and whether it's worth it to run the event.  I know most of you race and some do an unbelievable amount of racing but I usually can't justify doing that much(I thought 12 last year was a lot so I could not imaging 50 races)  I know I've talked about this in the past but these are things that go through my mind when considering races:

1)  How far away is it?  Most of the races I have done have been within an hour drive.  You have to ask yourself how far are you willing to drive.  I'm willing to go farther for a marathon than a half marathon.  Save for a half marathon vs. a 5k.
2)  Would I need to stay overnight in that city?  I have not had that issue yet but am considering that right now.  Is it worth spending $100 on hotel plus food plus gas to get to an event.(and I know that is inexpensive)  But....I could run another couple races with those funds?  Also, there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed the night before the marathon. I was able to run Bayshore in Northern Michigan because my cottage is only an hour away - a real bonus.
I be happy to stay here before a marathon
3)  Is the course worth it?  If I think the course is going to be a good one, then I'm willing to drive farther to it.  For example, I'm running the Glass City Half Marathon in Toledo.  That will require me to probably get up a 3am to be ready for the race packet pick up.  I'm willing to do that because the course sounds really nice and it runs through a University and finishes in a stadium.  Fun!

4)  Is there a race that same day closer?  I have that issue right now.  Grand Rapids is about 3 hours away.  Detroit is my hometown(30 minutes away).  I wish they were not the same day but now I have to pick one.  I have run Detroit so Grand Rapids is attractive but it also means staying overnight(see #1 & #2)

5)  What is the cost?  That certainly plays into things.  Detroit is $60 for the FULL!  That is an incredible value for what you get.  Some of the half marathons I'm looking at are more than this.  I was surprised to see the costs of major marathons like Chicago and New York.  Everyone who runs these say it's worth it but it seems a little like being taken advantage.
6)  What's included in with the race?  What do I get for my money?  I'm sure many race directors have thought long about this one.  Medal, race packet goodies, shirt(cotton or tech? - brand?), expo or no expo, finisher certificate?, other giveaways.  I got socks for my first marathon with their name on it - cool.

7)  Have I run it before?  Do I want to run it again?

What are your thoughts?




Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!
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5 comments:

  1. coach dionDecember 22, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    Let me tell you that the running seen in South Africa could almost be the best in the world. Yes I will have run 50 races this year and the total cost to me will be under R 3000.00 ($1 = +_R 8.00) and bar the Swiss Mountain race I didn't travel longer than 40min to get to a start. (and there are guys who run a lot more than I do!!!) Another bonus is most on the races are enter at the start races, so all you have to do is wake up to decide to run.

    I hope you find a couple of great races to run, have a great Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JeffDecember 22, 2011 at 9:23 AM

    I always have to define "success" for a given race. If I'm looking for a PR, I might not want to invest $300 for the NY Marathon, but $60 for Detroit (that's crazy cheap!) would be no problem. If I fail in Detroit then it was $60, some experience and I have the cash to run somewhere else (especially if I didn't stay overnight) relatively soon. NYC though is $300 and an overnight stay. I can't really justify putting more money down on another race to meet that same goal. If I just want to run for fun and the experience of a course (which I think you pretty much HAVE to do at NYC), then I'm more willing to drop a little more cash.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PennyDecember 22, 2011 at 11:31 AM

    I know what you mean about cost. Some of those races are expensive. Some of use have to watch our budget. Good Luck on your schedule for 2012.

    Hey Jeff at work now I will email you with my address later today. Thanks for a great giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  4. PaulDecember 22, 2011 at 12:10 PM

    Re: the costs of big(ger) city marathons.

    Don't forget that the costs of hiring the local road maintenance, police and emergency crews to deal with the barriers , directing traffic, etc is probably much bigger in these places...it's a much bigger task and the salaries are higher because the cost of living is higher.

    But running down normally hyper trafficated streets in a big city *is* pretty fun ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. mark matthewsDecember 22, 2011 at 4:19 PM

    You don't take nothing with you but your soul and your memories.

    ReplyDelete

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