Friday, February 3, 2012

Paying to Run

During marathon attempt #1 in Chicago, the plan was for my brother to meet me at mile 21-22 and run the last 3-5 miles with me. As I've mentioned a bunch of times before, I didn't make it past mile 15 so we didn't get the chance to run together. Afterwards when we were walking to the car to go home, he said that he wanted to run a half marathon race with me. Being the over planner that I am, once the dust of the marathon aftermath had settled, I immediately began focusing on my goals and fun races in 2012. I've sent my brother numerous emails with various different races ranging from a 5k to half marathon to see if he wanted to run them together. He hasn't responded to any of my emails, and I finally called him out on it yesterday. He said he does still want to run a race with me. When I started going over the various options, dates, and prices he interrupted me. "I'm not going to pay to run," was his response, as if this was obvious. I then asked "Why wouldn't you? You get a shirt, timing chip, medal... It is worth it!" He just said that he thinks its crazy to pay to run. He'll run the race with me, but he doesn't want to pay, doesn't need the medal... he just wants to run and finish a race with his sister.
My brother and I

I'm kind of torn on my thoughts. My brother is not a runner. I feel like non-runners just don't understand the lure of the race price and what you're paying for. I'm happy he wants to get out there and run a race with me, but I don't know how I feel about him not paying. I don't think it is fair to the racers that pay or for the race directors in general for people to just hop in. They get the benefit of the water stops, blocked course, bathrooms, etc. without paying those that put it together. Maybe it is just because I am a strict rule follower, but what are your thoughts on people jumping in to run an entire race without paying (this is totally different than running a few miles with your pal during a half or full marathon)? Does your opinion differ based on the size of the race? Local 5k versus giant urban race? (There are some sweet military discounts at the Fort2Base Nautical 10 Miler so it might be worth it for me to pay his way and we can finish it together...)

In other news, my work schedule has been absolutely insane this week and I haven't run a single mile since Monday. I'm going to try to squeeze in 2 on the dreadmill today during my lunch break. We'll see how that works out. I was happy to get in a lot of miles last weekend, and I'll probably do the same this weekend. Oh the joys of a full time job to keep me busy!

16 comments:

  1. I don't want to pay to run either! But I do. lol
    I understand your point of view on it. I agree but I'm probably more leniant if it's only like 1 time. But if he never wants to pay for a run, then no, I don't think that's right. And I wouldn't pay for him Kelly...He should suck it up...pay $20-$30 and run a 5k with you just to do it with you. It won't kill him.

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  2. I get what he's saying about "not paying to run" because you can run anywhere for free. However, you make a good point that you're not paying just to run; you're paying to run on streets that have been closed to traffic, water stations along the course, post-race bananas, bagels, bottles of water, race medal and the shirt, chip timing, etc. That stuff costs money. I wouldn't really mind someone jumping into part of a race as long as they don't take any of the stuff - no water, bananas, etc. And as long as the race wasn't overcrowded.

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  3. I love how people say running is free. Sure it is, if you don't care about shoes that won't screw with your joints, sports bras that keep you comfortable and timing devices to track your progress. I figure racing and running is still a pretty cheap hobby, even with all the extras.

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  4. Also we could spend our money on much worse things. Some people spend a lot of money on (non-running) clothes and shoes, or going out to nice restaurants, or getting the latest (non-running) gadgets and technology, or driving a car with fewer than 100K miles, etc. I've decided to scrimp on all of those things and spend my money on running-related stuff. I figure it's a pretty healthy splurge.

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  5. I just don't understand why you WOULDN'T want to pay... I'll see if I can convince him otherwise :)

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  6. Compared to other hobbies or sports where you need team members or top-notch equipment, I agree that running is on the cheaper side. I just don't think he gets what you're paying for. I shall try to do some convincing! Glad to know I'm not the only one that feels this way!

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  7. I mean, what if something happened in a medical emergency? No one would know what to do because he wasn't a registered participant? I would be with him the whole time but still... makes me nervous. He's never done a race before, I think if he paid, he would understand what you're paying for!

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  8. I didn't even think about that! Especially considering when you register, you sign a waiver. If you don't register and run on the course and something happens, you never signed a waiver, so does that mean you can sue?

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  9. There has to be some way in which you can't be sued if something happens to someone that didn't sign up for the race. Otherwise, it seems like every scam artist would be "twisting their ankles" on every street curb.

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  10. That's true, I'm sure any decent judge would throw out the case.

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  11. Did you get your run in at lunch?

    Very interesting post. I think if you are running the whole race, no matter the size, you should pay. No argument. I think if you are helping a friend, by running only a small part of the race, then you can bandit it for a bit... but not the whole thing.

    You said your brother is not a runner. Was he going to train for a HM?

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  12. What is the race was for a charity? Do you think that would "justify" it more? Even i cringed a little when i signed up for R'n'R, but if the race supports a charity that i care about, i have no problem signing up. Maybe if he though his money wasn't being "wasted"?

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  13. Nope, wasn't able to fit in the run, unfortunately. I did get my run in this morning, thankfully. :)

    I have no idea how my brother planned to "train" for the half marathon. I guess we'll find out...

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  14. I'd like to think so! I'm going to talk to him and see if we can do something along the lines of baby steps. TBD... Haha

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  15. you can go "bandit" to a race. I've heard of people doing it. Most races are so big they can't stop you from running. You just won't get any of the stuff of have a bib. So he could do that.

    I agree with gingerfoxxx - maybe pick a race for a charity he's passionate about?? sometimes charity races will reimburse you for your entry fee if you can raise over a certain amount. The race I did for DSF did that. Then it encouraged me to get out there and fundraise!

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  16. Hmm, that is definitely a good idea. I will have to bring up all these great ideas the next time I talk to him about it!

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