Sprint, I wouldn't pay more than $100. Olympic, my limit is $150ish depending on location/swag.

$200 for a sprint is insane!

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Strava

I'm racing a $120 olympic in a month but there's no way I would pay more than that except for a huge race. At this same race the sprint is $110 which I find ridiculous.

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Wow, just wow. For $200 that'd better be one helluva sprint.

Are you in SoCal by any chance? I have noticed escape tri series Olympic race here (surf city) $200+, yet Philadelphia at $120. Wondering if we are paying some sunshine tax

The New York City Tri Oly is $400 this year!!! I have raced it in the past, and I live here so it's a nice race and convenient, but absolutely, no way I am paying that for an Oly.

Local races I would probably pay up to $200-250 for an Oly, but that's very borderline and it better be one of my favorite races.

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Strava

Kona 2017 was $925USD + USAT FEES. $1300CAN!

IMAZ was $1065CAN for 2018 when all fees added in

Whistler is $725CAN right now. A steal for USA athletes with 30% currency transfer in American favor thats about $500!

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@rhyspencer

I wouldn't use NYC Tri as an example. The overhead cost to put that race on has to be astronomical compared to any other race. Yes, I think its pricey and that has kept me from registering, but think about all the infrastructure in NYC that has to be accommodated and paid for.

$200 for a sprint is insane. I thought I had it bad here in Long Island with $130+ for a sprint. I am also on a tight budget race wise, so I try to pick a couple races each season and register early.

I think you are paying "what the market will bear" in So Cal. Here in the outback of America (eastern Tenn), I can still register for a May 18 Oly dist tri this month or in March, for $60. We're not living with the super cool kids but there are advantages to living in "fly-over country". :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

All depends. If it is a very well run race, with great conditions (closed road?), and end of race amenities...then the price can reflect that. But if it isn't "polished"...then it needs to be cheap.

Kona is definitely one of those exceptions for me at least.. I'm fine paying more for a world championship, something that you have to qualify for, ETC. But a local race being priced that high is crazy to me.

$400 for the New York Triathlon is absolutely bonkers!

I am located in Southern California, so maybe there's a sunshine tax, but there are still plenty of races down here in the reasonable price range. For example, I can do the MDot Superseal Olympic in a couple weeks for a hundred fifty bucks. I don't understand why a small brand would charge 30% more than an MDot...

And I am glad to see that other people think it's crazy too. Makes me feel a little better.

Living in SW Michigan we have decent pricing. I've pretty much decided I'll pay about $50/hr for a race. Less for the rinky dink and a little more for a top quality product.

Right... well, the question was "how much is too much", i.e. my willingness to pay, which is independent of the fixed costs associated with a race. If the overhead is so high that it requires a $400 entry fee, you better have a venue so unique or enticing that participants are willing to pay that price (assuming it's not a championship race). Given that it's not sold out yet (and it used to be a lottery system) I would be willing to bet that they are near the ceiling of what the market can bear.

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Strava

In SoCal, you have numerous things working against you:

• Municipal and police costs are significantly elevated relative to other states.
• You have some of the most restrictive uses with regards to volunteer labor, which has brought on typically more 1099/W-2 staff to be able to work these events. (Note: does not apply to races put on by 501(c)(3)s).
• See above, but for the timing company.
• Last and not least, but it's what the marketplace will pay and allow the RD to make a reasonable profit.

NYC is its own nightmare. There's a reason why IMNYC the second time around was going to be damn near $1500.


The cost of race production, period, is going up. Most races operate on relatively thin margins, so that escalation is going to be directly eaten by the consumer.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Fair enough.

I want RDs to be able to survive and make a living, because without them we won't have races. However, isn't it kind of a downward spiral if the cost increases to the point where middle class, even upper middle class athletes, can't afford entries?

I think it raises the question of why not do bigger Fields with a lower entry cost. It seems like some races are aiming to do smaller field with a much higher entry cost, but that does nothing to grow the sport, and in fact sends it in the opposite direction.

So many of these things aren't scalable costs. There are fixed costs and those that are scalable. Anything over a sprint gets really wonky, especially when it comes to permitting and police costs. You might have more people, but you might eat all the additional cost by the increase in police cost (which is usually billed in four hour blocks at either double or triple OT. You're welcome!). Want to pass some of the blame around? Go to town hall and start screaming about the cost of permitting and police costs for events.

Also, can you guarantee that you're going to deliver the same athlete experience? Can your course handle the additional people?

I'm not doubting that we should try for larger event sizes when we can. But there are also significant reasons as to why you might be looking at events with much smaller participation caps.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Most race directors would probably like to have their race bigger. But its up to the consumer.

I volunteer at an event and the numbers keep coming down so the revenue is down, however the cost keeps going up. We are a not-for-profit and use to give away a lot of money. This year we barely broke even. Planning for a smaller race next year (being realistic) and to your point - there are very few costs that vary. (SWAG is a small part of the cost and we give away "nicer" stuff.) We'd love to be where we are a few years ago in terms of participation.

I go with on average less than a $1 a minute per minute of race time. 5k’s get wonky at that price but most everything else fits in there. If it’s more than that it better have a good reason to be that much. I.e. downtown NYC I get that. But that’s normally my price range to look at.

Depends. I hit a hard 'no' with the entry fee for Escape From Alcatraz tri... $750US?! Nope. Especially when you can do that iconic swim for way cheaper in other races (I paid $175 for a swim-run). Mind you, I paid ~$250 for an ITU draft-legal sprint in Mtl and was ok enough with it to enter again this year.

I paid $390 for the Augusta 70.3 and felt physically ill afterwards.

I would never pay more than 50 Euros (must be around 60 dollars) for a sprint race. Sprint races around here in Germany (at least in my region) are around 30 Euros. I can do half distances for around 100-150 Euros. And I wouldn´t pay more than that. Prices are crazy in the US.

Short distance (Oly and shorter): $100
Half: $200
Long: $300

There are exceptions and reasons why these numbers can be higher, but large numbers definitely make this an activity that happens once or twice a year rather than a regular sport.

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

FWIW, that Oly in Philly did used to cost more. I think the price is trying to sway us to sign up for a race where the swim is cancelled 50% of the time.

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

When I started this we used to be endurance athletes who did triathlon because it was an endurance sport. 200 is too much for a sprint. A sprint should be a nice way to have fun for a few hours. I just was looking at cross country ski races and you can do alot of 50K races that are close to an airport where you can stay near the start line in a reasonably priced hotel. Race cost is about 150 dollars for a real experience. Trail running and next gravel triathlons. Maybe races where you can camp close to start line. Just have fun.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Yep, I applied and was not selected for the lottery system, but my friend was. I think the race was ~$250 that year (2010 or 11) and at the time, the most expensive thing I'd consider for that distance and yes, due to the seeming coolness of the location. I went up to spectate and the logistics were such that I had no interest in signing up afterward. The race didn't look quite cool enough in person to make up for the pain in the butt factor. Check in at one place, pay for parking. Bike drop another place, pay for parking, race morning, pay for parking. Parking that wouldn't accomodate a bike rack, by the way - she had to take it off the car each day (which meant putting it and the bike inside the car and she's lucky this was possible). All for a race with a 7 mph float down the Hudson with a pool noodle. There is zero chance I'd pay $400 for that. $400 was a steap but consideration-worthy price point for Alcatraz. NFW at $750.

To the OP:
Maybe up to $125 for a sprint, but I'd feel ripped off.
Maybe up to $175 for an oly. (I skipped Philly in it's near $200 price point years).
I think halfs should be capped at $250. Mdot is not worthy of what they charge and my recent registration for OOB was nausea inducing, but a team event so I did it anyway.
$400 for a local full (but not with start/finsh line 50 miles apart!). I did B2B at a higher price b/c I signed up 10 days out but at it's initial price of $375 was worth every penny and then some, RIP to a great event)

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

I don't think there is a good answer here. People will pay what they will pay. I don't but some people seem to think it is ok to spend a ton on a certain race. I guess we have different ideas what a race experience is worth. Some are buying an experience. We used to pay $20 for a century ride, now it is a Grand Fondo and it gets a couple hundred.
I still blame the movie Bucket List for driving up the demand on some events. I would guess the Hawaii Ironman would fill at $5,000 or more a pop if you didn't have to qualify. I know most of my friends bitched that "ironman" (there was only one at the time) was a whole $100 when it moved to the Big Island. That did seem like a lot of money then.
I know the market will get what it gets, always does. Just like anything else some peoples treasure doesn't mean much to someone else. I still always liked the Mom and Pop events more than the big time ones. I still laugh and have fond memories of some races I have done on a local level with sort of sketchy logistics. Like we did a 10k run that was a straight out race. Ran to the RDs car parked in a cane field finish. Then after a few beers from the RDs trunk, we figured out we were exactly 10 k from our car with only our feet to get us home.
I suppose the bottom line it is only money we complain about. 1st world problems, that one is.

Even though I’m not broke, (I’d consider myself in the middle class) entry fees are the sole reason I quit triathlon. It just got out of hand and was not worth it.

I still remember and miss the good old days when we could race venues like Vineman 70.3 for $250 or less.

That said, marathons like NYC are $300 now, so there’s that..

If people stop paying the fees, they will start coming down.

The end.

Same here. Not sure what is driving prices, does not seem to be demand as there are many races without full fields and they are taking longer to fill up.

Organisers always say they make nothing, so assume it is regulation. Races while not always loved by locals tend to bring a lot of activity for a week where there would otherwise be little economic activity. Residents tend to get upset at road closures.

Either way there are people choosing to do other low cost or no cost events, bike races, local run races, park runs or just competitive local bunch rides. Triathlon could consider this as more and more of us choose not to put our dollars into these high price events

In sweden we only have one im-distance and that is ironman Kalmar. The reason i have not done it yet is the entry fee. There are several non im-branded 70.3 races here that cost about 150$ and that is where i think the limit should be...

I've signed up for all my 2018 races in advance. Here's what I paid:

Local Sprint $60
Rev 3 Quassy Olympic $173
IM 70.3 Lake Placid $307

I consider the last 2 "marquee" races, so I'm ok to pay more for those. There are other olys and halfs in the New England area for less money.

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"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

I agree with some of what you're saying re how differently various people value experiences.

Wanted to add, I'm not against all point to point races or those with quirks. I guess it's a combo of understanding the full logistical challenges ahead of time and how my undies are sitting at the moment if I didn't have that understanding - whether in a twist or not.

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

very important topic, as a younger athlete registration fees are very important in terms of which races i go for each year.

with so many races out there, i think it's tough to assign a ceiling price to a race based on distance. i agree that on paper, over 100 for a sprint race is steep, but last year i finally bit the bullet and did escape the cape sprint in NJ...if you arent familiar with it, swim starts with jump off the cape may-lewes ferry. registration for the sprint was around 180 i think...but was it worth it? YES. best race experience i've had in a good 2 or 3 years. if youre reading this and considered that race and bailed for any reason - go for it and don't look back.

as it appears that most races don't make a boatload of money, and it's a matter of overhead costs for the most part, it is just a matter of each person determining whether the reg fee is worth the experience.

fun game: dream up your perfect sprint race. mine would be within driving distance from a place i could stay for free (my house, friend/family home) a swim in a perfectly clear, clean, calm lake, rolling hills bike on closed freshly paved roads with decent scenery, and a mostly or perfectly flat trail run (and on a SATURDAY! why aren't more races on SATURDAY??). would i pay 200 for a sprint race like that? 300 if it were an oly? i think i might.

but i bet we can all think of sprint races that we wouldnt pay more than 60 for. and those races have their place as well, don't get me wrong i love a good small local sprint - but its a matter of weighing the experience of each race and deciding whether you'd pay.

I use to be an avid racer, every weekend if I could find a race within a couple of hours. If not I would just do a 10k, or 5k if that was the only thing. Then I noticed two things; prices going up to ridiculous levels, and races disappearing. First it was the duathlons that started becoming a rarity. Then the sprint tris started disappearing. In addition, local 5ks started to be priced at unimaginable levels; $75 for a pink ribbon 5k, $75 for a 5k to support fresh water in a third world country (noble causes, but didn't attract many participants). Add on the USAT membership or event fees, the extra charges for online registration, the additional charge for a dri-fit t-shirt (ok for that one), and it just becomes too expensive to do more than a handful of races.

The entry fee for the NYC marathon is $295, so that entry fee doesn't seem that outrageous in comparison. I'd much rather do a five-borough marathon in NYC than a tri in NYC so I would pay the marathon entry fee but not the tri entry fee.

Entry fees are seriously hurting the sport, no doubt about it. Compared to other endurance sports it's so much more expensive ! When you factor in equipment pool registration it really narrow the potential entrants. The fact most races are for profit organisation is not doing any good, which in my opinion shows the limit of capitalist ventures in sport when they predate traditional associative structures.

I think the extra costs to even train for triathlon added to the costs of a race make it even worse. For running all you need is some clothes and shoes so very cheap to get into so even a $250 race fee isn't terrible considering you also don't need to spend any money to ship your bike/bring it on the plane. For triathlon you need a bike (any bike but still a cost), a pool to train in, then added running stuff on top of the crazy entry fee makes it way less appealing to do.

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This assumes that there is room for margins compression. If the margins are razor thin and there is no support from the gov't budget (ie tax breaks, etc), the event will simply fold and the capital will be redeployed somewhere else.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Then explain to me how association can pull moutain bike races for 10$ or even 130km sportive for 40$ here in france and then you could not have an ironman below 600$ because margins are too thin ? When they use so many volunteers ? Margins are very good or management is very bad. Already non branded IM are half that price, but most get bought by IM or another private race organisator at some point and fees rocket up.

do you swim and run a marathon during your $10 mtn bike race? does it get run with a consistent branding and merchandising on several continents? does it invite pro athletes? does it have a sizable media relations staff? etc.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

I get that it's more complicated to run a long distance triathlon and i'm ready to pay multiple time the price for that. The problem is the lack of alternatives less "pro" less "branded" organisation but with reachable prices. In the end in long distance triathlon there are not many alternatives and there are very expensive.
In the end actual prices are simply too steep for most.

I think that I agree with the prices being too steep. It does reduce the competitiveness of the races. I did read that they run some races at a slight loss - like Kona etc.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

I pay 75-100 for and olympic and 150-200 for a half from the local race directors. Then I will pick one race that I really want and register early for that and hopefully keep the cost as low as I can. This is just a hobby. I can't justify dropping $1000 just on race fees. Better to spend that on a family vacation and keep my wife happy. Then, I can continue to train.

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https://www.strava.com/athletes/23685202

I'm not sure I'd pay over $75 for a sprint. I pay ~ $150 for a 5 race local sprint series. That's a special one day deal on the day of the last race of the year. It's a no frills race but well run and fun. I might go as high as $150 for an olympic but prefer closer to $100. Half distance and full distance are tough as I understand it's hard for race organizers to manage a course and pay the fees required to keep roads closed or at least paying police to direct traffic for the length of those races. So for those I can understand the higher price. I just try to create a budget for my race year. Then look at the races. Prioritize them. Then see what I can afford. Last year I had an expensive year with an IM so this year I won't be doing any big expensive races.

I haven't paid more than $60ish for a Sprint here in Arizona. There was one recently where 6 months out the fee was $100...no way dude. I paid $120 for LifeTime Tempe and paid $370 for this upcoming NYCTri...painful, but my GF qualified for the Championship race. And we are traveling to it of course.

$115 (only because I forgot to pay $105) for the local race called CactusMan...basically the same course as LifeTime Tempe.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Parris Island sprint triathlon this year in South Carolina: $60. Good race. For an extra fee, maybe they'll get a drill sergeant to belittle you as you exit the swim. (That would probably be money well spent for me.)

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Michael

Parris Island ~ and if you're a first time triathlete, you can race for free...how bout that for building the sport!!

It all depends on where you are as to what is reasonable. Racing in a larger metropolitan area tend to be more expensive as you have less available space and more traffic (requires more personnel), driving up the prices. And then you have what is the expected cost, which tend to be higher in metropolitan areas, simply races are accepting a higher cost.

I would say $100 for a sprint is about my pain point. Above that and it better be something very special (a destination race for example could entice me to pay more). I wouldn't pay more than about $150 for an Oly. Forget 1/2 and IM... not my racing.

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"Suddenly the thought struck me. My floor is someone elses ceiling"-Nils Ferlin

Dus only, so pickings slim:

Sprint up to $80 no problem
Oly up to $100 no problem

There are $120 Olys up here, I've got to talk myself into them

I agree with your post entirely. The race fees, the bike cost, the wetsuit cost.....It has all past my point of comfort. I did get injured and I am temporary out of this sport, pursuing ICF canoe/kayak marathon and sprint racing. My return to triathlon is going to solely depend on this madness ending. I payed $880 for 2016 IMAZ. Local races, Sprint and Olympic, $120-150, I payed for number of 70.3 races, 15 in total in the last years at a $250-300. It is done.
Just look at this site. Equipment advertisements for $15000 bikes, dude is writing an article here on used Woodway deal over $6000, $1200 Freak of Nature wetsuits, $1000 aerobars......completely out of touch.That is where industry and marketing have gone. The participation is on decline. Let's sit here and figure this out, why North American membership keeps eroding......
I know people will chime in below, you have cheaper options. True. However, constant bombardment with high end equipment adds, high end equipment reviews, high end race fees project the image of a snob sport that we have come to be known around the world for.
This is also a decent household income wise in my case, pilot-engineer and pharmacist with grown kids.
Done ranting.

Ditto on the sprint and oly. But I would qualify that I will only pay $150 for a premier Oly. E.g., I used a discount code last week to get into St Anthony's for about $140. But I would only pay up to $120 for an odd-distance "international" triathlon with mostly a local draw. Another thing; over the years, my price points for local races seem to be pretty inelastic as I am getting diminishing marginal returns for doing the same race multiple times. By contrast, I rarely repeat 70.3s and IM venues and will pay up to $300/$800 for those, but those tend to be destination races.

One last point. Sometimes, my pricing for an event is based on the relative value to other options at the same venue. E.g., if I have a choice between a sprint distance and olympic distance, I don't expect the oly to be twice as expensive as the sprint especially if you are just doing a double loop of everything, yet I see that often. I registered for the Gasparilla 15K this month because the Gasparilla 1/2M is more than twice expensive. Assuming no sell out, expo pricing for the 15K is $55, but the half-marathon is $115 ... more than twice as expensive for less than 4 miles of additional racing -- those last 4 miles cost $15 each! Makes no sense...I chose the 15K this year.

Sprint and olympic I cringe at more than $100. There are certain races I am obligated to do but if not one of those I'm not paying more than $80 for a sprint and probably $120 for intermediate. Granted, I have a wife that races too so I look at entry fees as x2. Meaning, I don't want to pay more because a $120 race is going to cost me $240.

I believe some sports (mountain bike, cyclocross, XC skiing) have a cap on entry fees for national/international sanctioned racing as a way of making sure that cost is not keeping the field from being competitive. But getting shelled 5-10mins into the race and lapped out 30min later doesn't sound very impressive at the water cooler on Monday.

Even mom and pop events around my area are trying to charge $120 for a "long distance" course that loops around a large pond. Everyone wants the money grab.

Coincidentally that race and the other that RD bought are now out of business.

You are right. The market gets what it gets.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
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