NYC Marathon Registration opens on January 2nd.

Finally! Registration for the 2012 NYC Marathon will open on January 2nd. Signup will be open until April 23rd. Unlike Boston or Chicago, applying early isn't crucial, but you might as well do it right away so that you don't forget. Entry fee for the lottery is $11 and the race fee (drum roll please) is $255!

The runners paid $155 in 2008 and $171 in 2009, which NY Times found a bit steep. The cost rose to $185 in 2010 and to $196 in 2011. Obviously, NYRR was following the golden "10% rule" in the past (don't increase your mileage more than 10% per week), but this year they decided to go for a %25 increase.

This increase wasn't unexpected after the $128 price tag for the 2012 NYC Half Marathon. The half marathon boomed last year to become almost as popular as its big brother, which incited the lottery controversy and then the new guaranteed entry rule (more about this in the next story). Thus, I was hoping that the big price jump was just a response to the demand that "went through the roof" to quote NYRR website and the marathon, which is more stable in terms of demand, wouldn't see the same increase. Clearly, I was wrong.

But why? Do people all of a sudden have more money to spend on races?

In a Runner's World article NYRR CEO Mary Wittenberg estimated the cost of the race to be about $450-$500 for each runner (August 2011, Inner Workings: Race fees. Unfortunately, it is not available online. I had to go through my archives). The cost breakdown for the NYC marathon has not been provided, so it is hard to fact check this, but considering the road closure fees, including five bridges, police overtime fees (there could be a further increase in this), transport, setup, cleanup and general organization, it doesn't sound outlandish. The more likely explanation is that the race organizers are finally showing the actual costs to the runners. So, demand is still the reason. The NYC marathon was always sold out, but the organizers must finally feel comfortable enough that there will still be enough people clamoring to run NYC at this price point. My, "OK, maybe I don't want to do this right now" point was $300. I am willing to pay $216 (member price) for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I don't know about 2013.

Of course there is also the other side of the equation, fees from the sponsors and such. If you think of the extreme situation, the NFL or NBA players don't pay to play a game. Of course their organization fees are minimal (and often subsidized. The NY Times article about NYPD fees discusses subsidies too). Also, the games are shown on TV and people pay to watch them live. I don't think I will live to see the day when the sponsors will cover the whole cost of a distance running race, but my hope is that as the sport becomes more popular, the fees will find a (lower) balance. In fact, the end of the recession might push the cost from the runners to the companies and we might see a slower increase in the future. (or maybe the runners could carry donation buckets like street musicians)

A final word to NYRR. Breaking the 10% rule every now and then is OK, but please don't make it a habit. You wouldn't want to get a runner's knee, would you?

And to the runners. At this price, this experience is still a good deal.