Another New Marathon in Kerry??Whos interested?

RobMarathonMan

helpisontheway wrote: »

There are plenty of races around Munster,theres something practically every weekend of the year.What gets on my nerves is anybody and everybody are organising races now either to make money for themselves or charities while athletics clubs are trying to operate on minute budgets.Its obvious Rob is in this to make money from this and as an athletics volunteer i would always question that motive.
From Robs posts its obvious he knows very little about marathons and maybe even running and athletics in general.
In saying all that i have no problem with the marathon itself,just the motive of it and also how it could be organised competently by a non runner[i assume].

I have been to numerous events,i have done the research and its not like I am just going to try set up this event without looking at how it can benefit others than just me.what i did today was just see peoples reactions to this event.i will meet all the requirements in making the event a pleasant run.i have been told there "isnt room for another marathon/half marathon event in kerry" and all i wanted to know was this true.i have a knowledge of running from my experiences and from volunteering at events up in dublin myself.and i am volunteering the weekend previous to the dublin marathon to help with setting up things and on the day running.running clubs can benefit from this by offering volunteers for one day so.perhaps not too much to ask in saying it could benefit the local community,charities,economy,tourism,businesses and most importantly it offers a new event to runners.

helpisontheway

RobMarathonMan wrote: »

I have been to numerous events,i have done the research and its not like I am just going to try set up this event without looking at how it can benefit others than just me.what i did today was just see peoples reactions to this event.i will meet all the requirements in making the event a pleasant run.i have been told there "isnt room for another marathon/half marathon event in kerry" and all i wanted to know was this true.i have a knowledge of running from my experiences and from volunteering at events up in dublin myself.and i am volunteering the weekend previous to the dublin marathon to help with setting up things and on the day running.running clubs can benefit from this by offering volunteers for one day so.perhaps not too much to ask in saying it could benefit the local community,charities,economy,tourism,businesses and most importantly it offers a new event to runners.

You have yet to answer my questions re your age and marathon/running experience?

misty floyd

You don't need me to tell you that this is a massive project for organisers as is training to run the actual race. You should give it as much thought and time as somebody planning for their first marathon.

I'm sorry original poster. The first time you go to advertise for this new kerry marathon, people will go and google "Kerry" + "marathon". They will probably find this thread, have a read through it. They will realise that over the space of a few posts and a few hours, decisions on dates (February? June?) and what event to run (full or half marathon) were made.

Perhaps I'm out of order but it feels a little unprofessional to me. I don't think a public forum like this is a good place for market research. You are leaving yourself open to lots of skeptical people fools like me, free to speak my mind (to a point)

I voted yes by the way. Yes I would be interested in a marathon in Kerry, in March. Right now if asked to sign up with a mate to do it, I'd say "no. I'm not filled with confidence and I've heard of too much poor event organisation resulting in very upset athletes".

Perhaps I'm over thinking this or have been watching too much of the Apprentice Best of luck with it.

How Strange

I didn't vote yes or no because I'd opt for maybe.

A Jan or Feb half marathon might interest me but I'm in Dublin so doing it would mean staying at least one night in a hotel. In which case the €50 entry fee is just too high.

I don't care if it's for charity or if I get a t-shirt, a medal and a goodie bag. I'd gladly forfeit t-shirt, medal and goodie bag for a lower entry fee. I've a drawer at home with race t-shirts and the medals are dust collectors. I'm not interested in participating in half marathons in Ireland that are run by private individuals for profit and that charge excessive entry fees.

I'd willingly pay €30 or whatever it is for the Raheny 5mile because it's for a club and they need the funds otherwise I'm keeping my money in my pocket and I'm training for the summer races.

HardyEustace

While there's a gap for a start of year marathon, it should be worth remembering that most people are utterly broke after Christmas so the lowest cost option will be the best.

Ditto on the medals and the t-shirts! The men in my family have a fine selection of t-shirts from various races where the t-shirts are either enormously large or they've run out of small sizes.

tunney

RobMarathonMan wrote: »

after it is up and running well then i would look to take a slice of the profits but for year one and two atleast money will be pumped back into the event to make it better.thats the plan.money will be raised for charities through the runners and clubs that supply volunteers for the on day running of the event will get something in return also:)

I'd much prefer if people just said "not a penny from this race will go to charity but we'll encourage people to collect sponsorship"

--amadeus--

In light of a couple of PMs and to throw some comments in...

Everyone wants a greater range of races in Ireland. More races at half marathon and above would be brilliant. Off road and trail races are also in high demand. And naturally the cheaper the better.

But a lot of the things that experienced runners are happy to leave out (t-shirts, medals, goody bag) are the things that newer runners value. So any event has to understand it's target market and price accordingly (experienced = lower cost = fewer add ons; newer runners = more add ons = higher cost)

What no-one in the running community wants is for "entrepreneurs" with minimal experience or connection to the sport to spot a "gap in the market" and start creating events to fill them, all accompanied by media fanfare and hype. Imagine a Glastonbury type festival organised by someone who thinks Daniel O'Donnell is cutting edge music - it would be a disaster; what the punters want and what they get would be totally at odds. Same with marathons - unless you have a good background in the sport it is very hard to appreciate just how much goes into organising one.

And the running community is ridiculously small and close knit. Word spreads very, very quickly and if there is a suspicion that an event will be badly organised then every runner in Ireland will know it.

tunney

--amadeus-- wrote: »

In light of a couple of PMs and to throw some comments in...

Everyone wants a greater range of races in Ireland. More races at half marathon and above would be brilliant. Off road and trail races are also in high demand. And naturally the cheaper the better.

But a lot of the things that experienced runners are happy to leave out (t-shirts, medals, goody bag) are the things that newer runners value. So any event has to understand it's target market and price accordingly (experienced = lower cost = fewer add ons; newer runners = more add ons = higher cost)

What no-one in the running community wants is for "entrepreneurs" with minimal experience or connection to the sport to spot a "gap in the market" and start creating events to fill them, all accompanied by media fanfare and hype. Imagine a Glastonbury type festival organised by someone who thinks Daniel O'Donnell is cutting edge music - it would be a disaster; what the punters want and what they get would be totally at odds. Same with marathons - unless you have a good background in the sport it is very hard to appreciate just how much goes into organising one.

And the running community is ridiculously small and close knit. Word spreads very, very quickly and if there is a suspicion that an event will be badly organised then every runner in Ireland will know it.

QTF and same for the triathlon market.

gaffo7

just wondered what relevance his age is helpisontheway!

baza1976

helpisontheway wrote: »

There are plenty of races around Munster,theres something practically every weekend of the year.What gets on my nerves is anybody and everybody are organising races now either to make money for themselves or charities while athletics clubs are trying to operate on minute budgets.Its obvious Rob is in this to make money from this and as an athletics volunteer i would always question that motive.
From Robs posts its obvious he knows very little about marathons and maybe even running and athletics in general.
In saying all that i have no problem with the marathon itself,just the motive of it and also how it could be organised competently by a non runner[i assume].

Not in the tipp/limerick/clare.......... I know cause I'm always looking... I'm not saying there are no races on but they are far and few between. Thats why I'd be up for this.

helpisontheway

gaffo7 wrote: »

just wondered what relevance his age is helpisontheway!

It means alot if he is under18!!!

RJC

A half marathon will get you a good profile in the first year. Lots of people want to try off-road and trails and a marathon might be too much for them to bite off at a first go. The 10 mile series in Cork/Waterford runners will stretch to a half marathon if it is on in mid-February or mid-March.


There is a gap for a marathon in the first 2 months of the year. A typical marathon runner will go into a few months of base training/recovery running and starts getting bored around December. A mararathon before St. Patrick's day is a better idea than a May marathon. Also, cooler weather is much much much much better for the competitors.

RobMarathonMan

misty floyd wrote: »

You don't need me to tell you that this is a massive project for organisers as is training to run the actual race. You should give it as much thought and time as somebody planning for their first marathon.

I'm sorry original poster. The first time you go to advertise for this new kerry marathon, people will go and google "Kerry" + "marathon". They will probably find this thread, have a read through it. They will realise that over the space of a few posts and a few hours, decisions on dates (February? June?) and what event to run (full or half marathon) were made.

Perhaps I'm out of order but it feels a little unprofessional to me. I don't think a public forum like this is a good place for market research. You are leaving yourself open to lots of skeptical people fools like me, free to speak my mind (to a point)

I voted yes by the way. Yes I would be interested in a marathon in Kerry, in March. Right now if asked to sign up with a mate to do it, I'd say "no. I'm not filled with confidence and I've heard of too much poor event organisation resulting in very upset athletes".

Perhaps I'm over thinking this or have been watching too much of the Apprentice Best of luck with it.

I will explain why there was questions about date etc.
Originally i was going for the 26th of june.half and full marathon,then i was advised that in such a time people wont be able to do all the events open to them.so then i see what would suit people best so they could do this event along with all their usual favourites.it was just seeing what suited people best you know.perhaps not the best idea to do it in a public forum but it did get me the answers from you the runners to when and what would suit you all best.it was about giving you all what you all wanted/thought was needed.
Thanks for all your opinions and suggestions

bagus

helpisontheway wrote: »

In saying all that i have no problem with the marathon itself,just the motive of it and also how it could be organised competently by a non runner[i assume].

Innocent until proven guilty.
And if charities will benefit then it's got to be a good thing.

Rob, there is plenty info/gripes on this forum about disastrous new events in 2009. Check them out and try and avoid the mistakes made by those events.

The March date sounds good.
It's a beautiful place. If you build it, they will come...

helpisontheway

bagus wrote: »

Innocent until proven guilty.
quote]
Proven guilty im afraid as admitted by Rob in a PM.Ive asked him to post it in the public forum but he still hasnt.Can i post his age and athletics background Mod?
Believe me lads this is a wind up to an extent.He is serious about it but its the same thing as me being dillusional thinking i could actually run in a marathon and do it competitively tommorow having never ran more than 1 mile in my life[I was a sprinter by the way]!

--amadeus--

helpisontheway wrote: »

Proven guilty im afraid as admitted by Rob in a PM.Ive asked him to post it in the public forum but he still hasnt.Can i post his age and athletics background Mod?
Believe me lads this is a wind up to an extent.He is serious about it but its the same thing as me being dillusional thinking i could actually run in a marathon and do it competitively tommorow having never ran more than 1 mile in my life[I was a sprinter by the way]!

Nope, PMs are Private and cannot be republished without both parties permission I'm afraid.

It's a bit harsh calling it a wind up - from what I understand he is deadly serious about trying to get this off the ground, so it's not a wind up in that sense. How realistic the chances of it happening might be you guys can judge for yourselves but the usual rules apply - if you disagree then attack the post not the poster.

rigal

helpisontheway wrote: »

bagus wrote: »

Innocent until proven guilty.
quote]
Proven guilty im afraid as admitted by Rob in a PM.Ive asked him to post it in the public forum but he still hasnt.Can i post his age and athletics background Mod?
Believe me lads this is a wind up to an extent.He is serious about it but its the same thing as me being dillusional thinking i could actually run in a marathon and do it competitively tommorow having never ran more than 1 mile in my life[I was a sprinter by the way]!

So what if he is under 18 and doesn't have a long distance running background. If he has the drive to do this along with support from others then maybe it could be a success? I've been to events that were organised by experienced older runners and they were a mess.

I understand that a lot of races are organised solely for profit but if you don't like the idea of that then don't enter the race - it's your choice.

RobMarathonMan

helpisontheway wrote: »

bagus wrote: »

Innocent until proven guilty.
quote]
Proven guilty im afraid as admitted by Rob in a PM.Ive asked him to post it in the public forum but he still hasnt.Can i post his age and athletics background Mod?
Believe me lads this is a wind up to an extent.He is serious about it but its the same thing as me being dillusional thinking i could actually run in a marathon and do it competitively tommorow having never ran more than 1 mile in my life[I was a sprinter by the way]!

Yes I am under 18 and dont have a marathon running background,would be hard to have one as you must be over 18 to enter most marathons.You cant determine my ability and competence based on age and background.I am the one that came up with this idea but I am only one person of the team of people working on this.I have been at numerous events and volunteered at events up in dublin.Most recent the half marathon and will be at the full coming up shortly helping out.
I am learning more and more as the people I have on my side know athletics inside out and someone that has successfully organised a marathon event,that person is giving me mentoring so everything he did I will have done,any of the mistakes made i wont make.These people have done all this before.I totally understand that people could be skeptical about privately organised races but dont discriminate because of age and background.By calling this a wind up its clear to people you are discriminating because of age etc but its okay they can judge my motivation and the events potential for themselves.
I am completely motivated and driven to make sure this works out and you will see this.I believe in the teams ability to deliver a well thought out and organised half marathon event.People have been appreciative for what I am trying to do so to stay positive and motivated is the key and not let this kind of judgement bring down the event.

helpisontheway

Rob what happens if you dont get a permit?
What happens if you are denied use of Killarney national park?
What happens if the Kerry clubs wont support you?
Where will you as an u18 get the start up capital?Mom and Dad?
To the marathon runners on here would you seriously pay an entry fee for a race run by a child? If so im going to send a group of the juveniles i coach out to organise a race to pay for their training costs for the year as at least the profits will go back into the sport and not some teenage entrepeneurs pocket!

RobMarathonMan

helpisontheway wrote: »

Rob what happens if you dont get a permit?
What happens if you are denied use of Killarney national park?
What happens if the Kerry clubs wont support you?
Where will you as an u18 get the start up capital?Mom and Dad?
To the marathon runners on here would you seriously pay an entry fee for a race run by a child? If so im going to send a group of the juveniles i coach out to organise a race to pay for their training costs for the year as at least the profits will go back into the sport and not some teenage entrepeneurs pocket!

You've got me so underestimated,I have already ticked those boxes but thats fine.All the more reason to prove you wrong and show you it can be done.And on the thing of being run by a child thats not what I am or act like.If i was a child i would be having a full out arguement with you about the way your speaking about this,I am simply taking it on the chin and moving forward. The event isnt being run by a child,once again I am stating I am just one person in a team of people.Its not an individually run event,now that cant be done.

thirtyfoot

This sounds like a good idea but the OP is wrong in believing that this will benefit clubs simply by their members volunteering. I can't see how it will be of benefit to clubs or the wider sport unless you pay the clubs good money for their volunteers and this would eat into your margins substantially. Also, a donation to the AAI is honourable but again in the reality of the situation how much will this donation be and how many years will it take before you are in a situation to make the donation. How much would you pay a club say for 10 of their volunteers for the day? If you do get permission to run such big numbers through a National Park then you could think also of making it a broader event with underage races etc and letting kids experience the opportunity. That might be seen as more beneficial to the sport even if you won't be having such a big margin on kids races (you'll probably lose money!!).

No problem in people trying to make money out of a race (well I do but thats another matter) but saying it may benefit the clubs and the sport in general as a selling point and a positive when in reality it won't will rankle with many club people who are already getting frustrated with their inability (through no fault of their own/their own fault/the AAIs fault) to capitalise on the running boom.

Best of luck with the venture but be carefull how you sell the idea that it will benefit clubs and the sport in general as that will p*ss people off if you pretend to be altruistic in relation to clubs yet are just another race entrepreneur.

Would you have any motivations in getting involved in mainstream athletics - the competition structures are in dire need of fresh blood and new ideas from someone of your age and there would be no doubt of the benefit to the sport ?

Woddle

My own 2 cents for what it's worth, I would have no interest in a marathon in Jan/Feb, too cold for all that training.
As regards his age, 18 is young and would normally not instil confidence in us older folks but I for one wish I was more proactive at that age. Also I have no problems with anybody making a profit from a race as long as the race is of good value and of excellent quality. There seems to be a vibe that you should be in athletics for the love of the sport, I agree but if you can contribute to the sport and make money out of it win win (I'm still figuring out how ).
My advice to Robmarathonman is not to be the front man of this venture, do your work in the background if possible as your age will put people off, personally it would put me off especially given that it's your debut so to speak but I do wish you all the best.


I thought this might be a wind up so I delayed posting, really hope it's not

RobMarathonMan

Tingle wrote: »

This sounds like a good idea but the OP is wrong in believing that this will benefit clubs simply by their members volunteering. I can't see how it will be of benefit to clubs or the wider sport unless you pay the clubs good money for their volunteers and this would eat into your margins substantially. Also, a donation to the AAI is honourable but again in the reality of the situation how much will this donation be and how many years will it take before you are in a situation to make the donation. How much would you pay a club say for 10 of their volunteers for the day? If you do get permission to run such big numbers through a National Park then you could think also of making it a broader event with underage races etc and letting kids experience the opportunity. That might be seen as more beneficial to the sport even if you won't be having such a big margin on kids races (you'll probably lose money!!).

No problem in people trying to make money out of a race (well I do but thats another matter) but saying it may benefit the clubs and the sport in general as a selling point and a positive when in reality it won't will rankle with many club people who are already getting frustrated with their inability (through no fault of their own/their own fault/the AAIs fault) to capitalise on the running boom.

Best of luck with the venture but be carefull how you sell the idea that it will benefit clubs and the sport in general as that will p*ss people off if you pretend to be altruistic in relation to clubs yet are just another race entrepreneur.

Would you have any motivations in getting involved in mainstream athletics - the competition structures are in dire need of fresh blood and new ideas from someone of your age and there would be no doubt of the benefit to the sport ?

Yes i appreciate your opinion/suggestion/advice
Dont get me wrong I am not selling the event on the point that it will benefit clubs and if i have come across with that i apologise,If they give volunteers then with the resources i have i will try give back or at least take care of the volunteers.How much that will be given cant be decided until how much support the event receives.
I am very interested in your last question,what kind of involvement do you suggest i could get involved in to help out?And what kind of ideas could I give?

helpisontheway

RobMarathonMan wrote: »

You've got me so underestimated,I have already ticked those boxes but thats fine.All the more reason to prove you wrong and show you it can be done.quote]
See i know for a fact you dont have a race permit as i attended the last Kerry County Board meeting and your race was not proposed.Therefore you do not have a permit,you may have applied for one but that doesnt mean you will get it.
Killarney National Park-I will take your word for it.
Clubs-Believe me you dont have the support of the clubs that i can guarantee.[Therefore will very unlikely recieve a permit]

RobMarathonMan

Woddle wrote: »

My own 2 cents for what it's worth, I would have no interest in a marathon in Jan/Feb, too cold for all that training.
As regards his age, 18 is young and would normally not instil confidence in us older folks but I for one wish I was more proactive at that age. Also I have no problems with anybody making a profit from a race as long as the race is of good value and of excellent quality. There seems to be a vibe that you should be in athletics for the love of the sport, I agree but if you can contribute to the sport and make money out of it win win (I'm still figuring out how ).
My advice to Robmarathonman is not to be the front man of this venture, do your work in the background if possible as your age will put people off, personally it would put me off especially given that it's your debut so to speak but I do wish you all the best.


I thought this might be a wind up so I delayed posting, really hope it's not

Thanks for your input.Makes perfect sense and I appreciate the advice.

thirtyfoot

RobMarathonMan wrote: »

,If they give volunteers then with the resources i have i will try give back or at least take care of the volunteers.How much that will be given cant be decided until how much support the event receives.

'Taking care' of club volunteers won't be enough I'd imagine to garner clubs' support. One of the main reason spouted for lack of growth in Irish athletics is the shortage of volunteers in clubs to look after coaching, recruitment etc so getting volunteers from a club without the organisers of a race having a close relationship with a club or being members of that club will be like getting blood from a stone I'm afraid!

RobMarathonMan wrote: »

I am very interested in your last question,what kind of involvement do you suggest i could get involved in to help out?And what kind of ideas could I give?

I'd say reconnect with your club. Get involved at that level and offer your service at club, county, regional, national level. Or, contact AAI and say you would like to offer something regarding competition etc on a voluntary basis. Contact details would be on the website.

RobMarathonMan

Tingle wrote: »

'Taking care' of club volunteers won't be enough I'd imagine to garner clubs' support. One of the main reason spouted for lack of growth in Irish athletics is the shortage of volunteers in clubs to look after coaching, recruitment etc so getting volunteers from a club without the organisers of a race having a close relationship with a club or being members of that club will be like getting blood from a stone I'm afraid!



I'd say reconnect with your club. Get involved at that level and offer your service at club, county, regional, national level. Or, contact AAI and say you would like to offer something regarding competition etc on a voluntary basis. Contact details would be on the website.

Good recommendation, I will contact the local trainer involved that i know,He is the munster rep as well on the athletics board so he will know what I could be useful for.

Racing Flat

My answer to the original post would be 'No'. There are already too many marathons and indeed races of all distances. Better coordination of these by a fixtures secretary would be better than introducing new races.

RobMarathonMan wrote: »

This route has all different kinds of terrains..........I think the route appeals to every type of runner you know,it has everything.

I don't think a hilly or off-road/multi-terrain route would appeal to any runner hoping to run a personal best, probably a large proportion of your target audience. the people who are going to run a marathon are:

1) first timers - people who wake up and say 'I always said I'd do a marathon before 40, this is the year - I'm going to do the marathon'. In this country, for the first-time or non-runner the 'the' in 'the marathon' stands for Dublin. That's the way it is and nothing is going to change that for the foreseeable future. Perhaps once tis first timer starts talking about his plans runners might say - 'Why don't you do the new one in Killarney?' Some might go along with that, most would rather go with the experience of a big city marathon - running with more than 10,000 others, through the city with people cheering on all the way.

2) people trying to do as many marathons as they can as quickly as they can - those trying to join the 100 marathon club etc. These will efinitley run your marathon but their won't be too many of them. we could probably name them now for you, but you're probably not talking more than 50 or so.

3) people trying to improve on a previous time. I imagine this group makes up the majority of any marathon field. Very few of these will do your marathon - they will want guarantees that it is a fast course and until they see results and get feedback they probably won't go for it. In any case, they will probably go for London, Berlin etc. or Dublin if travelling abroad isn't an option.

4) people who just like running so go out of their way to select scenic marathons, or different marathons just to do a new one and often base holidays around teh marathon. These may well do your marathon. However, theer probably aren't too many of these - a few hundred? However, this is the group that you could possibly cash in on the most. I imagine Killarney will sell a marathon held in Killarney. So if it was me I'd target marathon runners in America and Europe to try and maximise numbers. This would be very expensive, but if it was to take off...

RobMarathonMan wrote: »

if all goes well i would donate to A.A.I.

I'm not sure if the AAI could accept a donation from a race organiser - raises all kinds of potential conflicts of interest. I can see it now...'Yes Mr. Great Run, we did receive the 100,000 and yes, yes, you can have the race at the end of July - we'll move Nationals. No, we won't issue any other race permits 6 weeks either side, and yes we certainly will tie Olympic qualification into your race and pressurise our high-performance athletes into running. I can see no problem with you charging a 100Euro entry and we'll do all we can to promote the race.'

RobMarathonMan wrote: »

i would be aiming for 1000 runners on year 1

I reckon a few hundred might be more reslistic - I suppose you could see how many runners similar marathons got in their first year to get some idea...

HardyEustace wrote: »

And yes, no goodie bags, no rubbish-y extras, no extravagant promises, just a well run, good value race would be brilliant.

QFT

What the organiser hopes happens...'What a great race! Oh yes, there's the goodie bag - OMG flavoured water - I love that! And a powerbar energy protein thing - they'll really aid my recovery, best get that into me. Oh look at the t-shirt - isn't it lovely! Bet it's a perfect fit too - the 10,000 of us all look much the same size don' we? Oh, look at those blister plasters - they'll be great for my feet. There's the medal, can't wait to get that framed and up on teh sitting room wall. What's this - oh great a load of flyers for other arces - handy to plan my future, wouldn't have known there were any other races on only for that. A cereal bar! That'll be lovely on the way home.'

What might happen to grumpy people - not me, honest....'What a sh1te race. Can't believe they put back the start 15minutes to wait for the people who couldn't get there on time. Totally messed up my warm up. And I can't believe they had no gels or bottles for the drinks - no wonder my face is all sticky and I feel a bit light-headed - better get something to eat out of the goodie bag. Oh for f*ck sake - a squashed power bar. Again. Why do they always put those in? Sure I'd better have some, I need it. (one bite later...) Oh for f*ck sake, why do I always make that mistake. They're horrible and it's all over my teeth now. and why won't it dissolve, no matter how long I chew it just won't go down. Better wash it down with something. Oh for f*ck sake. Flavoured water. Who drinks that? What else is here - t-shirts too big as usual, at least I can give it to my dad to paint the house. The inside of the house that is. Blister plasters - well they don't work. At leats there's a bar - oh it's only a cereal bar, maybe herself will have it when we run out of biscuits. Oh, a medal - pity I'm not 10 anymore. Come on, let's go, I'm not waiting around for the presentation - they're never on time. And make sure you save your watch time, becuase the results probably won't be up any time soon.'

RobMarathonMan wrote: »

it will be a privately run event,but will have associated charities and clubs that will benefit from this you know.

If it's a private event, why give any to charity, clubs or the AAI? This will only reduce your profits. Don't give this money away, charge less, you might get more runners due to the reduced price so you'll make more profits. I've absolutley no problem with someone making money out of a race - no need to apologise for this or try to 'make good' by helping out clubs or charities. I pay for most other things in life, so why not pay for a race. You set your price and I'll decide whether it's value for money - if so, I'll run, if not, I won't.

helpisontheway wrote: »

It seems a bit ridiculous that eveybody and anybody can start up some type of a race to make a few quid these days.

Not in a free economy. What is ridiculous is anyone who pays 50/60quid for a race and then complains it was too expensive. Supply and demand and all that...

--amadeus-- wrote: »

But a lot of the things that experienced runners are happy to leave out (t-shirts, medals, goody bag) are the things that newer runners value. So any event has to understand it's target market and price accordingly (experienced = lower cost = fewer add ons; newer runners = more add ons = higher cost)

How about this for a solution. We all pay 60quid for the race. Then at the finish line you get the option of 40quid back, or a goodie bag? They could also then have a t-shirt stand, a flavoured water stand, a blister plaster stand etc. so that those who went for the 40quid back option, could still buy some of the goodie bag items that they might actually want?

bagus wrote: »

And if charities will benefit then it's got to be a good thing.

To enter you have to be 18 though. Therefore, entrants are old enough to decide for themselves if they want to donate or collect for charity - doesn't need to be tied into a race, no?

groovyg

Think you are being a bit harsh about the fact he is under 18 -I don't expect him to put on a one man show and organise it all by himself - if he has the support of others and a local running club it go off with out a hitch.

I was reading about this guy in the Times a few months back - setting up his own company with his bro in transition year.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0813/1224252501479.html

You can't tar all teenagers with the same brush.

Maybe best to organise a half marathon first to see how it takes off. You don't want to end up with another Galway bay marathon fiasco.

The number of marathons that were put on this year, with the the marathon series that was run over in Galway and Connemara during the summer and the two trail marathons in North and the new Dingle marathon - it has certainly added alot more choice to whats on around the country.

nerraw1111

Best of luck with it.

Beautiful part of the country.

Comments about his age are ridiculous. Play the ball not the man. There are kids doing great things in Ireland, be it organising art exhibitions or live gigs.

I think Helpisonitsway is far too harsh on the idea. He hasn't suggested anything positive or how the OP can achieve his ambitious plan.

It may or may not work. But don't slate the guy simply for trying or to suggest that being young is a barrier to organising a race.