Value for money?

[Scott]

I ran in a running (non-orienteering) four-man relay with Kerno at the weekend. We won(!), beating several of the local running clubs, which should hopefully do a bit for the image of the sport locally.

This relay was organised by a commercial organisation. I'm going to tell you a bit about it and I would like you to have a guess at the entry fee (no googling to cheat!). After people have had a couple of days to guess I'll say how much it actually was, and how I think it compares for value for money with "ordinary" orienteering events.

The relay was run over roughly 45 miles on public footpaths. It was for teams of four, each running ~11miles - the legs were slightly uneven as changeovers had to be accessible by road. (There was also an option for an individual to run the whole 45 miles, but I think we can ignore that for the purposes of this discussion.)

The race has a mass start (which happened 15min later than scheduled). Each team had one SI card lent to them for the duration of the event, and there was an SI box to punch each changeover to give splits for each leg, and an SI box at the finish.

Each team was also given basic tyvek bibs with team numbers and sponsors' logos on.

No maps were provided.

At each changeover there was water and some unidentified sports drink available from canteens (no cups!), along with assorted basic energy foods (malt loaf, biscuits, haribo, banana). There was another station roughly at the mid-point of each leg, which just had water.

The members of every team that finished got a (very) basic memento and a t-shirt, along with a bottle of some recovery drink provided by the sponsors. The three fastest men's/women's/mixed teams got some very nice medals - big heavy shiny lumps of metals, rather posher than the standard BOF-issue medals.

No splits were available at the finish as the organisers couldn't get the printer to work. 48 hours after the end of the race, there is still no sign of results on the web.

Teams were encouraged to raise some sponsorship money for a designated local charity, but this was optional and as far as I'm aware the event was organised on a commercial basis.

The entry for the relay filled up several months in advance of the race, and there was a waiting list in operation.

I don't think the race was registered with any NGB - presumably the organisers had arranged their own insurance.

All in all, I think putting on this event would have been well within the capability of any small orienteering club.

So, how much did it cost?

[ba-ba]

£150 per team.

Last week I bailed on a local fell race as it was a fiver for entry!
There's another £5-one this week - only going as the top 65 get a free T-shirt!

[Red Adder]

I don't think its so much about value for money (sound like costs are probably in £ 5-£10 pp range) - more what the market will bear (ie waiting list for entries).


Orienteering has for many years become addicted to a low cost (high value ) model based on the labours of many volunteers. Its going to be difficult to change - partly I suspect that as a willing volunteer I (and many many others) don't then expect to pay a lot as we have already contributed in kind.

[Spookster]

It sounds like it should have been £40 to £50 at most, but was actually double that!

[SeanC]

Not to hard to find the answer Scott. Everyone else has guessed wrong.

The event might have been easy for O clubs to organise, but what about the marketing and publicity?

[graeme]

The event involves a 72 mile course through some of the most beautiful countryside in England. You will be given a map and accompanied by one of the most knowledgeable guides for half of the course. A current member of the National Orienteering Team will meet you at 11pm and accompany you for five hours, carrying anything you want him to. At 4am another current member of the National Orienteering Team will be waiting ready to assist you over the final part of the course, again pandering to your every whim. Six other expert fellspeople will also be on hand to assist. Splits will be provided at each of 42 intermediate points

The price is not listed in your table.

But you can do a similar route without any assistance for just £150 next weekend (weather permitting) http://www.10peaks.com/faqs.php

Our sport runs to different morals. Don't knock it.

[Copepod]

Considering the whole point of the event was to raise funds, it seems reasonable to charge an upfront fee, to cover costs and ensure at least some funds go to the charity, even if teams don't raise any extra money. A completely different aim to putting on an orienteering race.

For comparison, Race For Life, has been raising money for Cancer Research UK (before the creation of CRUK, for one of the charities that joined together) since 1994, with women running or walking 5km (now some 10km routes as well) to raise money for and awareness of women's cancers, plus getting more women more active, a known protective behaviour against some cancers. Every participant pays £14.99 to join, plus are encouraged to raise extra money. Participants get a warm up routine before strting and a goody bag after crossing the finish line. Most seem happy with that, particularly those new to running.

For another comparison, there was an Open 12 race in North York Moors last weekend, costing £260 per pair if entered less than 45 days before event or £220 per pair if entered more than 45 days before event. Competitors got proper bibs, tea urns & water jerry cans or tap at start and all transitions, SI timing, chemical toilets at overnight campsite, transport on board steam train, zip wire in the dark, marshals at appropriate locations, ropes technicians for water sections and rock climbing, climbing ropes ready rigged with belay devices attached, properly prepared maps for each stage (3 maps printed on XE waterproof paper), control descriptions in ziplock bags, professional photographer etc. Particants had to supply their own food, bikes & helmets, climbing harnesses, helmets etc. No free T shirts, but team number bibs can be used as running vests after race.

Perhaps I'm too used to orienteering, but if I don't take home a map & control descriptions, an event doesn't feel quite right.

[Scott]

And the answer is (drumroll)... £120, or £40 per person. To address Copepod's point, my understanding was that none of the entry fee went to charity, only the additional money raised, although I could be wrong about that. I have some further thoughts but will stick them over in the O-job thread, which has gone off on a similar tangent.

[greywolf]

The relay was...for teams of four

And the answer is (drumroll)... £120, or £40 per person

[Scott]

This is probably why my year as OUOC Treasurer was not a huge success