Running for More Than a T-Shirt

Running for More than a T-shirt

My co-workers at Children's Hospital Exercise Lab are runners. Go figure. They are not just recreational runners. They are competitors, road racers, marathoners and half marathoners. They incessantly search out and discuss their next event and often plan vacations around their next race.

One of our co-workers happened to just finish two minutes before the bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon. What an experience; thankfully she was okay.

I used to run races, mostly 5 or 10Ks. My favorite race had always been the Broad Street 10 miler and I still do the Susan B. Komen Mothers Day 5K walk.

I decided to give up racing altogether about three years ago due to some orthopedic issues. However, I am revisiting the idea of trying to find a race both my 13 year old daughter and I could do. We are thinking about a short Mud Run. You know, the ones where you crawl on the ground under barbwire, jump over a wide variety of other obstacles and run through mud swamps, puddles and fields, get hosed off at the end and stay and listen to music and possible enjoy an ice cold beverage as part of the perk.

What really surprised me though were the entrance fees to most of these races. Understandably, the costs that go into promoting, creating and servicing these races are huge: traffic, electronic equipment, security...but, $75-85 to run three miles in the muck and mud? It is less for kids, but still seems a bit down and dirty pricing.

Back in a day, a 5 kilometer (three mile race) would cost about $15, which included all the water you could drink and a memorabilia T-shirt. I had quite a collection for some time.

Most running races served a purpose, often as a charitable event to raise money or awareness using volunteers, donations and sponsors to help defer the cost of the events. Nowadays, event planners and race organizers are providing “entertainment valued” races that attract all kinds of entrants to not just race but hang out for the party afterwards.

Half marathons (13.1 miles) and full marathons (26.2 miles) like the Rock and Roll marathons have shown the largest increase in costs starting around $50 and going up to well over $250 - $300 for the 30,000 racers in the New York City Marathon. (Note: In its inception in 1970, the NYC marathon attracted 127 runners at a cost of $1 to run the race.)

Despite the high cost of these competitions, the more popular ones are getting sold out in record times. As we all know, running in itself is FREE, but even if you go out to run five miles on your own, don’t expect someone to hand you a cup of water every few miles nor get a commemorative T-shirt to boot when you get back to the house. The competition in itself is fun and honestly is the reason most people run

My sister Trish and her friends just completed the Newtown Square Mud Run. (Cost $40-50  if register early).  She said it is a “must do for my  Bucket List Fitness. As for my daughter and I, it may be worth the extra dollars to do a mud run together at least once. There is one coming up in August in the Poconos. Just like anything else, you are paying for the life experience and bragging rights to say, “Hey! Been there, done that!”

Contributor Annie Linton, M.Ed, is a Pediatric Clinical Exercise Physiologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, owner and program director for GrowingStronger,