Did it ever occur to you that you would get a lot more participants if your entry fees were not so outrageous?
My wife and I passsed up a “first year race” last weekend that the entry fee was $45 per person. that is $90 for the two of us, and they didn’t even have the classes finalized a week before the race.
Please don’t tell me that the insurance is too great and you have to charge that much to cover costs.
I saw the sponsors for the race last week and there were a bunch of them. Where is their money going? Or is just enough to add their free advertising to the back of the “T” shirt?
One of the oldest and best races here in NC charges $7.00 for the initial race and then $3.00 for each additional one. For that you get a “T” shirt, and a drawing where almost everyone goes home with some sort of goodie. That race usually draws about 150 entrants.
They not only give a plaque for the first three places in a bunch of different classes, but they also give money prizes for the the first three places.
I got a letter from them last week that stated that between the sponsor donations and the entrants they were able to donate $5000 to the local 4-H club to send the kids that couldn’t afford it to camp.
I can name several others that charge less than twenty dollars and still give the same or better perks as the higher dollar ones.
I have conversed with a lot of newer paddlers this year that told me they would have been willing to drive to a distant race if the fee was lower, but have bowed out because of the cost.
In conclusion, I bet you would have a lot more entrants if your cost was between $15 and $25.
Cheers,
JackL
Another thing to consider
Later start imes when you have people driving from several hours away!
My all time favorite
was “Row, Run & Ride” in Miles city, MT. For an entry fee of only $25, there was a T-shirt (some years long sleeved) a no host mixer the night before and a fantastic BBQ after the race, with tons of homemade side dishes and free beer. The race began with an 8.8 mile paddle on the Yellowstone, then a 21 mile bike leg and finished with a 5 mile run. The runners even ran through fire hose fountains! They had both teams and solo classes, with all legs having a mass start. There were all sorts of prizes and nearly everyone got something. A couple of years, all got a really great mug. The race was put on by the local firefighters as a fund raiser for MD, but was canceled this year due to cut backs in firefighters. “Row, Run & Ride” was replaced by a motorcycle poker run. I made the last seven races and I’m glad I thought to take some pics. It was my once a year day.
I raced an expensive race last weekend
I raced an expensive race last weekend in Raleigh. The only reason that I went was because several fast K1 paddlers were going to be there so it meant that I was going to have the rare opportunity to chase faster paddlers and practice wash-riding as opposed to the usual solo time trials I get in FL races.
I too would like to know where the entry fee went. It was a USACK race and all USACK races that I have gone to (just a few so far) both sprint and marathon have had high entry fees. It might something with the USACK fee structure. That is one organization that really needs to develop its weekend warrior base in order to support the elite group. Widely scattered events with prohibitively high entry fees are not the way to do that.
On the topic of NC races…is there any info out on this year’s Lumber River 40 yet? I’m itching to make that run in my glass k1 with the kickup rudder. That river looks so fun on a map and from the road.
did you ask??
after having the experience of putting on a sanctioned USCF criterium and road race 24yrs ago I’m mighty shy about vilifying race promoters without facts. Maybe the pricey race in question is what happens when there’s no volunteers. Either way did you ask the race directors?
I’ve been to a few paddling races and there’s a segment of participants who view promoters as another business like McDonalds where payment carried expectations in service or products. Then again there might be some promoters who view the races as marketing opportunities without much connection to community.
The Lumber River 40 miler is…
Oct 1.
It is for C-1, C-2 and kayaks.
There is also a 10 mile Rec canoe and kayak race.
Hopefully we will get to meet you. My wife and I will be in our C-2 cruiser, (the good Lord willing and the Lumber don’t rise) too much like it did last year!
I doubt if there is a entry form yet, but e-mail
wlrmcduffie@nctconnect.com.
There is also a eight miler coming coming up on the Lumber in a few weeks.
Cheers
JackL
$400.00 for this race
The Yukon Quest is 400 bucks and the entries are still growing.