Affordability of this race

[Dylan]

My names Dylan and Im 19 and I live in Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains..

I think this race is an amazing idea and i am seriously considering entering it but why do i have to pay to run in such an event? You'd think we would be raising money for charity or something but paying 200$ + spending 500$ or so on equipment is a bit ridiculous i think...?

Im sure the race costs alot to put on but it has plenty of sponsors. I think putting such a steep entry price on this race is going to put people like me and in fact most people off competing, which is a shame because its a fantastic challenge by the looks of it!

Thats my two cents!

Dylan

P.S

theres no rule about NOT running SOME of then race is there??

[Ed]

Hi Dylan,

I've done a lot of organised races over the last 20 years or so.  The cost of entering can be expensive. But so can the cost of organising the race. They are a lot of hidden cost that the competitors never really see or understand.

And a lot of these things are run as a business so the organisers are trying to make a living/profit, just like any other business. Not sure what the commercial aspect of this race is. But likelyhood is the organsiers are after a profit and not doing totally out of the goodness of their hearts. (correct me if I'm wrong mr/ms organisers?) Bit if you look at it like any other business/product it seems more reasonable.

Personally I'm peeved I can't afford a new GSXR 1000 sports bike and Suzuki won't give them away for free or the dealer won't drop the price by a few $1000,  but that's the real world we all need to make money to live. Same with a lot of races.

that's my 3 cents :-)

[Elizabeth]

I'll throw my 4 cents in for what it's worth!

I did this race last year and I'd hate to think that any of the "stuff" that was out there in 08 was not going to be there again this year - there was plenty of food, drink, course markings and support etc.  So with sponsors (or not) this was extremely well run, especially considering it was also the first event (and I hope they made money too).

I have participated in 7 Ironman events at a cost of around $650 each (taking me around 13hrs)

Sydney Marathon costs $150.00 (say 4 hours)

Keeping in mind the amount of organisation required for this event I reckon $ for $, km for km, hour for hour the entry fee is pretty reasonable.

If you want an event raising money for charity, do the one run over a similar course the fortnight before - details at http://www.wildendurance.org.au/

Otherwise save up and do it - it's an amazing event!

[maurice]

I had logged on to talk about a differant topic, but felt compeled to add my 2 cents. I am travelling from Adelaide to do this run , the entry fee is the least of my worries, i am more worried about if my training is ok . Mount Lofty is like a small hill compared to the Blue Mountains and at this stage it still hurts to run up. What i wanted to know has anyone got any idears on trail running shoes . I normally run in nike shoes( i like how soft under foot they are) but trail running shoes are a lot stiffer. Is they a differance in brands, which are the better brands.

Thanks

Maurice