Races don't make money

Posted on 02/11/2008 at 01:04:18 PM by David Patt

That's true.  The President of the Springfield Road Runners Club (SRRC) reminded race directors, at a February 9 training session, that races are usually not good fund-raisers.

David Patt, of Association of Running Event Directors, explained that entry fees don't cover costs and that most runners show up to run, not to donate. 

The race, though, can serve as a vehicle to attract others who will donate - walkers, sponsors, donors, cause-related supporters.  There are a number of ways to raise funds from these groups, but the entry fee is not one of them.

SRRC members produce a number of events, including the Lincoln Memorial Half-Marathon, Abe's Amble 10k, and Women's Distance races. While some race directors hope to generate funds for a cause, many simply hope to break even. 

Posted in Money
2 Comments
Posted Feb 11, 2008 5:48 PM by crossn81
I couldn't agree more. I directed a race for a Girl Scout council for 3 years. It was more about 'friend-raising' and publicity, especially for the health programs we were trying to start at the time.
Posted Apr 04, 2008 8:43 AM by Joe Bails
I tend to agree, with at least one exception. The Mahomet Half Marathon and 5K in August generates a large amount of revenue for the Mahomet Area Youth Club each year. Last year, we brought in nearly $12,000 to the youth club. The race is the club's second largest fund raiser each year. Not all of the money comes from registrations, as we feel that we offer both races at a very good price to runners. We have many sponsors and a title sponsor that bring in the largest percentage of revenue for the club. We have also been able to keep our expenses down by working with local Mahomet businesses. I know that this is rare to find a race that has a revenue to expense ratio of over 2 to 1 but we pride ourselves in being able to do it on a yearly basis.

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