Pay for Your Race

I'm a runner. I'm not a fast one, and not even a particularly good one, but I run regularly, and I've competed in several races since I took to the road. In my last race, a race with many, many runners, I witnessed my first bandit, and have been fascinated ever since. A bandit, in running circles, is a person who participates in an organized race without registering or paying an entry fee. Without a timing chip or bib, bandits take off from the starting chute with all of the other runners, and run the race. Why would someone choose to "bandit" a race, and why should anyone care? Nearly every race out there takes place on public trails and roads, so bandits have every right to run, right? Technically, I suppose that's true, but there's a whole lot more to the story.

It's understandable that some runners might wish to avoid paying the entry fees associated with a race. I recently paid more than $80 to run in a single event. That truly hurt my wallet, but I really wanted to run the event, and that's the price you pay. What do these fees pay for, anyway? Race entry fees pay for all of the things that make the event possible to begin with - permits, aid stations, bibs, timing services, and goodie bags - this and more comes out of the race entry fees. Additionally, the majority of races help to support a sponsoring organization or charity, like a local running club, medical charity, or foundation. Regardless of the beneficiary, race organizers work hard to see that the event goes well, and depend on entry fees to get it done.

Financial concerns aren't the only reasons that a runner might choose to go rogue. Some runners like to use organized races as training runs for future races, believing that the noise, crowds, and other runners will prepare them for their target event. As they are not seriously competing" in the event, these runners believe that they need not pay to participate. Other bandits are new runners who wish to see what it's like to run in an organized race. As they want only the experience, and don't care about an official time, they feel justified in running as bandits. The last common motivator for a bandit is support - perhaps they have a friend running the race, and while they don't wish to compete, they do want to strap on their Asics and keep their friend company for part or all of the race.

So a few folks decide to run as bandits - does it really matter? Folks in the running community come down on both sides of this argument, but most feel that it matters quite a lot. If a runner goes to the effort of running the official course along with competitors, they clearly see some value in the event, whether they want an official time or not. Regardless of why they wish to participate, they ought to pay, just the same as the rest of us. Beyond ethical arguments, bandits do have a tangible effect on races. By taking advantage of aid stations, volunteers, and medical services, bandits limit the access of paying runners. Further, by crowding the course beyond the expectations of race organizers, bandits may actually effect the finishing times of true competitors. Many feel that if a runner is going to run any portion of an organized race, they owe it to the other runners on the course to do so legitimately. In a very real sense, bandits are stealing.

Ultimately, the running community is full of warm, kind, and forgiving people. In all of the races I've attended, both as a spectator or a competitor, I've never seen a bandit hassled or asked to leave. What I find surprising though, is that this is an issue at all. The rogue runners must have all of the will, stamina, and heart of the rest of us - if this is the case, how can they bring themselves to steal from us? The world may never know.