Question:I have been training for the Portland Marathon and I don't mean to
complain about ANYTHING - I have been working hard and am truly
looking forward to it.
What I'm wondering is why is it so much more expensive than other
marathons? It costs $60 to register. On top of that it costs another
$15 (I think) if my training partners and I want to register as a
"team." (We won't - why should we?) The Pasta feed the night before is
another $12.
Answer:
I have been training for the Portland Marathon and I don't mean to
complain about ANYTHING - I have been working hard and am truly
looking forward to it.
What I'm wondering is why is it so much more expensive than other
marathons? It costs $60 to register. On top of that it costs another
$15 (I think) if my training partners and I want to register as a
"team." (We won't - why should we?) The Pasta feed the night before is
another $12.
And the most inconceivable fact is that it will cost me *another* $5
if I want to register as a clydesdale - why? I'm not going to spend
another five dollars just to have somebody put an asterisk next to my
name on the final results.
For fun I went and checked how much other marathons held on the same
day cost and all of them were between $30 and $45. The marathon held
in Portland, Maine, for example, is $30 and the proceeds from that one
go to a children's cancer fund. The Portland, Oregon marathon doesn't
appear to be a fund raiser for any primary charity and . . . . . it
is sponsored by Nike!
The Portland (OR) Marathon is the "best organized" marathon and has a
terrific training clinic for runners that live in Portland (I am five
hours away). The clinic costs $80. Also - all race finishers receive a
t-shirt, a medal, and (I think) a rose.
I am not complaining - just wondering,
As far as entry fees, it could be a lot worse: The Honolulu Marathon
this year is $72 for non-residents of Hawaii.
Probably part of the reason why Honolulu is so expensive is that:
(1) It is one of the top ten marathons in terms of finishers.
(2) Hawaii residents get special subsidized rates ($37, plus a special
early-bird entry period in April where residents paid **$10**).
(3) starting this year, runners use the ChampionChip (which probably adds
about $8 or so to the cost).
