RISING COST OF RUNNING

This photo was frm my 1st race in 2009, Larian Bomba, which was my 1st race when I decided 2 take up running as a sport. The entry fee was RM20, the race number was printed on a piece of white cloth, there was no timing chip & the medal was 4 the 1st 100 finishers only. It'd be another 5 yrs be4 I managed 2 get the finisher's medal. It remained one of the most competitive events in Msia & the fee remained at RM20 to this day.

During the early yrs of my running, there wasn't tht many events, U can find running events 4 as low as RM40 for 21km (HM) category. Most participants were there 4 the racing & most importantly, U won't find tht many ppl stopping 4 selfies in the middle of the race!

Fast fwd 2 2015. Most races will hv electronic timing. There's a lot of events 2 choose frm, sometimes there were 2-3 events on the same date. & to attract participants, organizers started 2 hv events with themes (superhero run, Hello Kitty run, etc). Running hv become social events, so much so tht those who came 2 race sometimes were frustrated by runners stopping to take selfies, groupies, etc. & events started 2 become expensive. Some charge RM70 for 10k events. Goodie bags hv become thinner & smaller, some dun even give goodie bags. Some even charge up 2 RM90 for FM.

One of my frens who runs casually said tht nobody forces anybody 2 enter these races. Very true. It's up to the runner. But back in 2010-2013, I can afford 2 enter races just 2 prepare 4 my target races. But now I really hv 2 pick & choose which event 2 enter. I've nvr really entered all events under the sun. But now I've become a bit picky. 10k races below RM60 & I really pick races tht I know or hv run be4. I use 10k races early in the season 2 build up speed. Same with some HMs.

The quality of the organizers hv also become suspect. They seem 2 be more interested in riding on the popularity of running events than taking care of runner's welfare. Some dun provide enuff water at water stations. My advice is to study the route well & know how many water stations r provided. Better still, bring Ur own water.

The surge of running events shud be a blessing 4 runners in the country. I just hope tht organizers are not just interested in raking in profits & neglecting the core aspect of running events: to provide great platform for runners. Let's hope we won't see a repeat of Energizer Night Run 2010.

Livestrong. Run stronger.