Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 157 Issue 157 - March 2023 | Page 68

From the Ed ’ s Desk … From the Ed ’ s Desk … by SEAN FALCONER
RACE CALENDAR

Looking for a Race ?

South African athletes are blessed with an incredible number of running events , including not only road and trail running , but also many other running-related disciplines , so check out SA ’ s most complete running calendar , featuring two months of upcoming fixtures , and get your entries in , all right here !
– COMPILED BY NICOLE HAYES

From the Ed ’ s Desk … From the Ed ’ s Desk … by SEAN FALCONER

No Sponsor , No Race

To put it bluntly , putting on road races is bloody expensive these days . Race organisers are faced by a long list of absolute ‘ must-haves ’ that quickly add up to a considerable bill , including event permits , health and safety measures , provincial federation levies , traffic officials , timekeeping costs , venue hire , refreshments , prize purse , etc . And for various reasons , entry fees simply do not cover all of that , so one of the unavoidable truths is that road races must have a financial sponsor , or they will not happen .

Let ’ s use a simple example to illustrate the problem . If a race charges R100 per entry and attracts 2000 entries , then the income from entry fees will be R200,000 . However , if the race costs total R400,000 , then that race is only economically possible if a sponsor comes on board with a cash injection of another R200,000 . If a sponsor cannot be found , that race either has to double its entry fee , or the organisers must cancel , because continuing will bankrupt the running club ( or in some cases , the event company ) that organises that race .
The problem , as I see it , is that the ‘ manufacturing costs ’ of the product we call road races are not matched by the ‘ selling price ’ charged to its buyers , the runners , through entry fees . Now any businessperson will tell you that when your costs far outweigh your income , then you have a problem , because your business will inevitably fail when your cash reserves dry up … and that ’ s where many road races currently find themselves : Absolutely reliant on cash sponsors to survive . However , sponsors are thin on the ground right now , given the economic situation in SA , and entries are way down , for the same reason , so races are struggling still more , and we face the real possibility of seeing more and more races getting cancelled , unless this absolute reliance on cash sponsors is not addressed .
Run It Like A Business
The obvious business solution would be to charge runners more in entry fees , but we ’ ve seen the massive pushback that races such as Two Oceans and Comrades received this past year for doing that ! Organisers could also cut out some of the non-essential costs , like medals , or reduce the number of refreshment stations , but that also results in a backlash from the running community . Meanwhile , some provincial athletics federations in SA actually limit entry fees , according to a set distance / fee structure , in order to make the sport accessible to those of lesser financial means . This sounds like a noble sentiment , but it effectively forces events to run at a loss , unless they can find a company willing to spend some of its advertising / marketing or corporate social investment budget to pay for the race .
Now , I ’ m not saying that I am against sponsorships of races ( or clubs or athletes ) – I am all for corporates putting their money into the sport , because it benefits everybody involved , including this magazine ! But I am against an artificial entry fee cap , be it enforced by a federation or demanded by the market , that literally ignores costs , and forces organisers to risk running at a huge loss .
So , what ’ s the solution ? I don ’ t have the answer to this question , but I do think that we need to be talking about it . And sorry to be blunt again , but I think the running community also has to be a bit more realistic about the costs of road races , and must either be willing to pay a bit more in entry fees , or expect slightly less from organisers should they refuse to pay more . If they don ’ t , they may see some of their favourite races disappearing form the calendar .
The Modern Athlete Race Calendar is compiled by sourcing info from various platforms , including provincial calendars , online entry portals and event companies ’ sites . Thank you to all the organisers , administrators and volunteers that make this sport tick .
68 ISSUE 157 | www . modernathlete . co . za