Liz Robbins (author of A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York) has an article in the New York Times about the rising entry fee for the 2009 New York City Marathon. From the article:
“As much as we’d like not to raise the prices, it was necessary at this time,” said Mary Wittenberg, the president and chief executive of the Road Runners.
Wittenberg estimated that the organization’s cost per runner “is easily more than $250.” The entry fee was increased even though organizers realized the economy could worsen, Wittenberg said, and the marathon’s costs — such as cancellation insurance, liability insurance and special promotions for the race’s 40th anniversary — could rise.
The article also cites some interesting numbers:
Of the approximately 83,000 people (including automatic qualifiers and charity group runners) paying the $11 fee in 2008, 53,146 gained entry to last year’s race. After cancellations and deferrals, the 2008 race had 38,832 starters.
The article goes on to note that other races, such as the Walt Disney World Marathon and the Boston Marathon, raised prices as well.
