UKC

I signed up for the run after being goaded into it by a workmate. I've never ran before and 10k (in my mind) seemed like a massive distance that would take a lot of training and a lot of dedication to do. I doubted I would be able to do it.

After a few weeks of running around the park in little bursts, I went out a ran 10k and managed it in just over an hour. Done it three times now and I'm getting closer to doing it in under an hour (but not quite).

At the time the entrance fee (£37) seemed like a good incentive and motivator - I thought it would stop me finding an excuse to wheedle out of the race. Now that I've found out how easy it is, I feel like a bit of a chump for paying it.

Thats all really. Just want to confess that I feel a bit dump for paying so much.

In reply to ThunderCat: Yep slightly extortionate - whats the goody bag like?
You could always spice it up dressed as Mr Blobby or something You might struggle to get a PB with all the people around.

In reply to JamButty:

Not sure...Kick in the teeth is, I work for Bupa so I thought we might get a discount. No chance.

I've considered fancy dress too and I'm open to suggestions. The Jimmy Saville lookalike kit is a no-no, as it the Human Centipede suit...

In reply to ThunderCat:

My training route takes me from my house to Styal Womens Prison. It's just over 5k there, so it's my official halfway / stretch / 30 second breather place. I didn't even get a single wolf whistle from any of the inmates.

In reply to ThunderCat:

All bupa events are hideously expensive, I just avoid them for that reason..

In reply to ThunderCat:

Seems hideously expensive. I would pay up to 15 for a 10k, provided that the course is certified (i.e. well measured).

In reply to StefanB:

I'm realising that now.

Ah well, it's paid for. Live and learn I guess.

In reply to ThunderCat: Im doing to Lincoln 10k in a few weeks which is £19 which I thought was quite reasonable.

In reply to ThunderCat:

I did the Trafford 10 this morning, fast flat course, closed road, high quality at the front and about 800 runners. Organised by Altringham Harriers with help from Sweatshop. £10 or £12 if not a member of a club.

Trafford and Salford on Good Friday are the events that club runners in the Manchester area do, very few club runners do the Great Manchester 10k, unless they are sub 31 minute guys with free places.

I got a PB this morning, 38:18, quite pleased with myself. Great Manchester 10k is Marathon money, in fact the London Marathon is £30.

In reply to ThunderCat:


Pretty sure there was a thread on this not long ago asking whether it was a serious race or not and how could it be justified. I think that all of these mass-event 10k races are overpriced but then (without wanting to sound elitist, which I'm definitely not), the OP is exactly the target market these events are going after.

You say you've worked out that 10k is not that hard with a bit of effort and you're absolutely right, but to most people who have never run it, it seems like a challenge, they're understandably slightly nervous and a large, well publicised, well-supported race helps deal with that.

If its your first race, it's not a huge amount to pay for the 'experience' so I say to you just go out and enjoy the day.

For seasoned runners, entering a race every weekend that is just way too much,which is why you don't see many middle pack runners entering.

Don't feel dumb. It's unknown territory for you, and a large part of that £37 goes on slick, persuasive advertising to get you to part with your cash. There will be lots of crowds and atmosphere which you don't get necessarily with lower profile races so make the most of the day.

In reply to yorkshireman:

Here is the thread from last year, you will have to forgive me getting grumpy in it!

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=506808&v=1#x6885566

I think a fair chunk of the money goes towards getting Gebreselassie to run and all the City Games stuff in the afternoon, although I expect both Bupa and the City Council chuck in a fair bit.

I just wish a lot of the people who do it realised there more events out there than this, the GNR, VLM and tough mudder type events, don't get me started on them!

In reply to ThunderCat:

For the cost of the entry you went from doing nothing to being a regular 10k runner, it opened your eyes to doing exercise and you are going to enjoy an event far more than you thought you would when you thought said event was worth £37. Sounds like you got a bargin

In reply to The New NickB:


I agree with you, but its hard to say this without seeming to put down beginners. Also, for many people who have never run a race before, it can be intimidating to turn up to a windswept fell-race with 6 specators and a dog, or a flat 10k on the outskirts of some god-forsaken industrial park on a Sunday morning where 95% of the entrants are pretty serious.

Hopefully the OP will see this as a gateway into a great pastime. If you can run 10km then you can pretty much do anything and he should feel confident enough now to start trying out where he wants to go next (fell, XC, fast-10kms etc, marathons, trail) without having to wait for the next big mass event.

When I lived in the UK I used to find the race finder on fetcheveryone.co.uk invaluable. There's a whole range on there so worth a look.

Finally, races are great for testing yourself and adding a bit of sociability, but the beauty of running is you can just go out and do it where or whenever you want - so keep doing that and you'll be happy for the most part.

In reply to Tyler:


I think I can find peace with that attitude. I'd tried running once before, did about 2 mins and gave up but this gave me a target and got me out there slowly increasing my distance and stamina.

I'm starting to enjoy it.

And the other posters are right - to a non runner, any sort of organised event is extremely intimidating so the chance to do it amongst a mass of similarly untrained people is a bit reassuring.

I'm starting to like the thought of doing something a little of the beaten track now, off roads / pavements and in the countryside somewhere so yes, it's definately been a decent gateway event.

Cheers all - I'll let you know how the actual event goes.

TC

In reply to Tyler:

Agreed, you'll have saved £37 in beer alone.

Bemuses me, but there's clearly demand. Different demographic really. There's a gazillion cheaper/free races around if you tap into the listings or club network.

What cheeses me off slightly more seriously is that big name sponsors like Asics are gravitating towards supporting these events because of the better exposure. We lost their sponsorship this year for our club Half, because they're putting all their efforts behind the Great Run series. Like they need the money. No backing for grass roots events.

In reply to SteveRi:

i can see why that would cheese you off.

If you ask the big sponsors what their view of the grass route is and they will all tell you that they like to support it. yet push comes to shove and the marketing manager will always have a limited budget which they will see as better invested in the popular events.

In reply to ThunderCat:

40,000 other runners seem to think its £37 well spent.

Its a closed road city centre event on IAAF ratified course. Thats a serious bit of cash being spent on road closures, policing and traffic management services.

Hell...you even get the Great City Games the day before to watch for free! Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Jason Richardson, Felix Sanchez dont run for free these days you know.....

In reply to ThunderCat: I think it depends..

I think 30 quid for the snowdon race is OK.. others I've paid a 5 quid for and been left unimpressed.. but at 5 quid its not a huge loss

For the odd race paying more is fine. However i've also paid $100 for a disastrously badly organised race.. with no prizes..

I recently did a small town marathon, think it was 30 euros entry, and won 100 euros..

But in the states I've done 2 half marathons for 100 euros with 100 plus in both and recieved no prize money/prizes for winning or being top 3.. If in the top 3 I expect the prize to roughly cover the entry fee.. more if you win.. just about if third..

So 100 euros for a 30 euro race was great..

If you do a bad race, like this one, say so.. call organisers out for it. These aren't volunteers. It's professionals making a living out of runners, which is fine, but they should expect both sides of the coin.. money and congratulations for a good race, complaints or a lack of runners next year if bad..

A few are coming in for purely commercial reasons but I think they'll fail in the end..

In reply to IainRUK:
Iain, I think it would be pretty unfair to call the Great Manchester Run a bad race. It's the second bigget 10k in the UK behind the London 10K.
Last year saw circa 40,000 entries.
The same company run the Great North amongst other events and they are organised and managed with military precision.

What's your 10k time? Good prize money in this race but you'd have to toe the line with Heile this year

In reply to tom290483: Its what they say.. so they should say their opinion. Thousands do it, not everyone will be pleased, but with high entrances fees come high expectations and also I think the right to have an opinion. I just think the right to comment comes with high entry fees.

I've not done it (Manchester).

I've no issues on paying high entrance fees. I've paid $160 for Boston Marathon and thought it a bargain. I've paid $100 and thought I was ripped off..

It'll be interesting to see how Manchester Marathon recovers from bad press the other year.

In the UK I've not done too many city events, I suppose the biggest marathon was Loch Ness and I thought that well organised and a professional approach..

I do think 40 quid for a 10k seems a lot though. I'd expect half that for a big 10k. The US races were generally much more than the UK so I'm used to high entry fees.

But its market forces. NY is now something like $350.. but it fills up so market forces dictate its a fair price. Boston at $160 made my question entering but on the day the organisers went above and beyond to make it pass safely on one of the hottest days in its history. I just couldn't praise them enough. They even had nurses walking the streets questioning runners who were laid all over city centre recovering..

In reply to tom290483: oh 10k poor.. 33:50 or so.. doubt it will go much lower, may get to sub 33.. but doubtful TBH..

In reply to IainRUK:

Poor? You're such a ****. Mine is 1hr 2 mins.......

In reply to ThunderCat:

I watched my wife run the bristol 10k a couple of years ago - her first race. it was a really great atmosphere and inspired me to get out running too. My first race was a small club-run event, it was nice, but i came pretty much last, with a time of 55 mins.

I kind of wish i'd waited and run a bigger event with more new runners in it, not just for competitive reasons, but for the atmosphere.

Im also in the manchester 10k this year, it will be my first big event, i cant wait! and like others said, 39 quid isnt really that much so long as it gets you a bit fitter, and changes your attitude to cardio-type exercise.

In reply to ThunderCat:

£2 + £2 per mile is my rule of thumb for what I'm prepared to pay for a road race.

In reply to The Norris:

Well that's the attitude I'm taking. It's made me 'get' into running and I'm starting to enjoy the experience (and already reading what people write about off road stuff...maybe the tough mudder is a bit out of reach at the moment, but you get what I mean)

I love the fact that it's changed me from thinking "I could never manage a 10k run" to "this is going to be a doddle...whats next?"

I was in manc centre a couple of years ago when the race set off and the atmosphere and noise was amazing. It'll be good to actually be a part of that.

So, fickle as ever, I'll retract my opening statement about feeling like a bit of a chump for paying the fee.

In reply to ThunderCat:


What happens to the money?

In reply to Blizzard:

Not sure. Wardens I guess, traffic control, policing, advertising, marketing freebies, goody bags, entertainment.

But I guess it's a business and there's some profit to be had along the way.

In reply to Blizzard: I doubt they make that much.. policing will be a lot, plus wages for the organisers. It'd be interesting to know, but I'd be surprised if it was much. They will also pay for the top runners to attend (T&S + wage) plus winnings.

In reply to ThunderCat: I've not run the Manchester 10K, however I have worked at it several times and the atmosphere is huge! I think that's part of what you pay your money for. If you are relatively new to running, a good atmosphere will help take several minutes of your current PB. Bupa are very slick at putting race's on, and whilst they aren't my cuppa tea are a great introduction into running and racing.

Keep training, turn up on the day, DON't wear headphones, talk to people at the start, relax and enjoy running on closed roads, without having to worry about traffic, where you are going or anything else...

Come back and let us know your PB.

In reply to IainRUK: A lot of these big races run very close to the line. They have to cover all the policing, stewarding, road closers, first aid, insurance, the lot. Shutting a town/city centre down for a day isn't cheap and the councils charge a fortune for the privilege.

In reply to ThunderCat: Is it a lot for a race? YES

Is it lot for getting you to change your lifestyle? NO - absolute bargin

In reply to Snax: Yeah, pretty short sighted by authorities when you think of the benefits of health..

One thing the US do well, and I don't think it would work here.. is early starts.. so the town centres can be clear for shopping later..

Most big city marathons start at say 7 or 8 am.. in the UK it's 10 or 11 am..

But in general the US clubs train much earlier than we do.. in Texas 4 or 5 am meets weren't unusual in the summer.. coolest part of the day.. even in Philly it was 8:30 am on a Sunday.. yet Eryri would meet at 11 am for sunday runs.. there's just a difference in attitude. I don't know many clubs who meet so early like in the US but once used to it, its great as your day is then free.

In reply to IainRUK: I do a lot of work for various Ironman type events and they always start early although they normally need to with a 17 hour cut off. It's a long day for me, often at the start line 3 hours before they start...

And yes a massive short sightedness on behalf of the authorities, as the OP displays the benefits of these kind of events = a healthier lifestyle.

I'm trying to change my training routine to early mornings, as then its done and I can sleep at work/don't need to worry about training later or head out for a second run in the evening, but it's hard when you aren't used to it...

In reply to Snax:

City Council pour huge amounts in to it!

In reply to tom290483:

As good as Iain is, he would need a sub 32. I know a few guys who run it as elites, it is a pretty good event for them.

In reply to The New NickB: I'm not saying that manchester City Council don't put money in to the Manchester 10K, as the 10K is only part of a bigger event, however in most cases the race organisers pay a huge amount of money for the privilege of using the city/town centre locations.

In reply to The New NickB: it doesn't seem much but high 33's to even 31's is a big gap... never mind to sub 30..

In reply to IainRUK:

I know it is a huge amount Iain, I have known good athletes go from 35/36 to 32/33, but all the sub 31 guys seem to be naturals and work hard.