Shock! Horror!

[SeanC]

Bewl Water Half Marathon/Marathon had 500 entries on Saturday. Entry fees £26/£36. Most people not affiliated to running clubs, event has only been going for 2 years.

I'm sure the comparatively high entry fees at BOC this year do have an impact on attendance for today's orienteers, especially those used to lower entry fees and those who were umming and arring anyway.

But what about new people attracted to the booming running scene. We seem to be missing out completely? They don't seem to fussed about shelling out the same money for a muddy run round a lake, you didn't even get a map.

[mrmoosehead]

Is it something akin to football vs other field sports?
Anyone can play football. Get a ball and kick it. Other field sports require kit, training, facilities, structure

Anyone can run. Pair of shoes, off you go. Orienteering is specialist. Limited times and locations, relatively difficult to start off, perceived difficulty - run as well as read a map?

[awk]

Yes, but how often do they enter races? Talking to people at the Bradford 10k, most are not competing every week, and those that are are used to considerably cheaper races: Jack Bloor Race tonight cost a fiver.

[SeanC]

How often do you enter BOC?

[Roger]

Someone from my running club came along to our summer evening event tonight. We didn't discuss the entry fee (up to £3 now), but she was amazed that one person - and a student at that - had planned the courses, checked out the sites, printed the maps, 'made up the clues', 'put out the bags' and taken the entries. And was then going to get the bags in. And that someone else had drawn such a detailed map. She wanted to give the map back, so that it could be reused.

We get a lot for our money.

[mrmoosehead]

We get a lot for our money.

Amen to that. We are blessed with the level of commitment of volunteers in orienteering.

[roadrunner]

Yes, but how often do they enter races? Talking to people at the Bradford 10k, most are not competing every week, and those that are are used to considerably cheaper races: Jack Bloor Race tonight cost a fiver.

I don't know if I'm typical, but I enter about 16 running races a year; however, I know of the odd few in my club that do a marathon every couple of weeks. Most of the ones I enter would cost £15 or so, some as much as £40. Hardly any are as cheap as £5!

[Glucosamine]

And dare one say it ... parkruns on a Saturday morning have no entry fee ... albeit operate on local volunteers and national sponsorship.

There does seem to be an inflationary trend in some community races - what was till recently a fiver on the day is often turning into £15, sometimes in advance. Don't begrudge fundraising for a good cause, but chip timing and medals don't do anything for me. Given the cost of travel, I'm conscious that I now pick and choose more than once I did. Next local race I've entered is £4 (£6 unattached) with free beer at the finish.

So while local O-entries are good value, high entry fees for bigger O-events are now, with travel, a significant disincentive for me.

[PhilJ]

agreed, tonight there are 2 local O events and on the weekend a choice of 3 fell races, plus park run on saturday - i would travel the country going to events but recently (last 2 years) have found that i travel less - main reason petrol costs and entry fees, why travel 150 miles for the same level of competition on your doorstep. Yes its nice to compete in different areas but unless there is lots of EVO then local is now becoming the default.

[mrmoosehead]

Plus I have chance of winning at local events...

[roadrunner]

... chip timing and medals don't do anything for me.

Chip timing helps the organisers as much as (or more than) the competitors - have you tried manually timing a race with a few hundred runners, trying to write down numbers as they cross the line?

Of course, the same is true in orienteering - remember the days of checking soggy cards for the correct punches!

[Kitch]

Doesn't it all come down to infrastructure ?
big race - more infrastructure required - more expense.
Due to the cost of the infrastructure itself and also the fact that the complexity involved often requires some paid organisation effort.

[PhilJ]

Due to the cost of the infrastructure itself and also the fact that the complexity involved often requires some paid organisation effort.

Like a full time paid BO event co-ordinator?

[graeme]

big race - more infrastructure required - more expense.

Not necessarily.

£50 gets you 5 races at RacetheCastles. More infrastructure, better areas, stronger field.

Bigger race? I certainly hope so, but will be interesting to see whether people are really concerned about the high prices at BOC, or just like sounding off.

[DJM]

Like a full time paid BO event co-ordinator?

Neither full time nor, for much of the time, paid ... if you're referring to the JK