I’ve heard enough.  I saw it referenced on a couple of blogs and then on Twitter, but last night at the beginning of a group run someone started discussing this article in the Wall Street Journal written by Reed Albergotti titled, “Fast Times for Jobless Runners.”  Reed must have read the SeriousRunning.com blog on February 21st titled, “NYC Marathon Race Entry Fees Increase:  Running is Recession Proof” where I analyzed why Marathons are recession proof and why there have been more entries in this down economy when I stated:

“…a lot of people have more time to train now that they do not have jobs or are working less because the economy is slow.  What a perfect time to attain that goal you’ve always wanted to do.”

I’m so quotable that I quote myself.  Now I know SeriousRunning.com blog is not mainstream media, but I run down main street baby, and know the pulse of America.  Honestly, no one runs down Wall Street, running on gold sidewalks is terrible for your joints.  SeriousRunning.com serves a cult of readers that are intelligent, inquisitive, interesting, and in-tertaining.  How’s that for a little alliteration Mr. Probably Majored in English at some Private University…Street Journal?  Well I majored in Economics with an emphasis in deductive reasoning.  That’s how I determined that more people were running marathons in this bad economy because of job losses.  I know, I didn’t interview three people and get one statistic that said marathon race times are increasing, so irresponsible of me.  I’m just a blog, I’m not required to name my expert sources such as “Ray Gobis” or “Zach Goldman.”  Honestly though Reed, you don’t think the fact that marathon entries have gone up is a sign that more people are running marathons?  You’re right, it’s probably too directly related.  Maybe a statistic like this one from Running USA, the leader in statistics about the business running which states, “Record number of U.S. marathons with 1,000 finishers or more; ING New York City again the largest ever; record 19 marathons worldwide with over 10,000 finishers” would work for you.  Whatever though, quantifying statements is so time consuming.

At any rate, since I started this idea and discussion about jobless marathon runners, I’m going to take it one step further and finish it:  People who run long distances such as marathons are typically more wealthy than the general population; therefore, when they lose their job they can take time to accomplish other goals before immediatley seeking new employment.  Since statistics are apparently the “in” thing right now and I don’t have three random people to interview like Reed did, I researched the demographics of marathonguide.com users.  As you can see about 70% of visitors (also known as marathon runners) are over 35, have a college education or higher, and make over 60K a year.  Professionals that are old enough to have built enough wealth to not have to jump right into another job and also have enough education to be confident that they will find employment when they are ready to seek it.  That’s why there are more marathon runners in this poor economy.  Now, that’s what I call investigative journalism.  Actually I didn’t have to investigate too much, marathonguide.com and SeriousRunning.com’s demographics are almost identical which gives more validity to this statistic.  I feel so validated.

Honestly, all in all, decent article Reed.  I’m just jealous that even though we may have the same ideas and I plug away day after day researching and writing about all things running, you write one article and your ideas get talked about and discussed 100 times more because of the broader reach you have in the Wall Street Journal.  It’s ok though, I do it for the people.  I’m kind of like the Robin Hood of running.  Come run in my hood sometime Mr. Fancy Pants Reed Albergotti!

I was talking to some friends last night about the economy and the fear of many individuals about losing their jobs.  I told them a penny saved is a penny earned (I came up with that).  If you aren’t earning as many pennies as before, then save the pennies you’ve got.  Don’t spend and you won’t need money.  Even Americans are saving!  This from a country that consumes probably about 110% of their income.  In last quarter disposable income dropped by 1.5% but people have increased their savings by 11%.  How can they do this?  By not spending.  However, if you must spend, buy running shoes or purchase a race entry.

Your local 5K and 10Ks should spend less to stay profitable as well.  Smaller, local races are a lot of fun for all participants.  They are a great way to bring a community together, try to run a PR, and keep you motivated, but they should stay in that niche.  People run these races for different reasons than they do larger races and marathons, so why try to offer the same product?  In order for small races to maintain their revenue stream in a poor economy they must lower their entry fees.  Lower entry fees?  Wouldn’t that decrease revenue?  Maybe, but these small races need to understand their demand is elastic.  As people decrease their discretionary spending, running a local 5k road race is one of the first things to go.  It makes sense.  Running a 5k really isn’t a necessity, even for the most avid runner, especially when there is an almost perfect substitute available, running 3.1 miles on the road…for free.  How do you compete with free?  Get as close to it as possible.  Cut costs and offer a cheaper product, Sam Walton.

T-shirt: Why does every race offer a ‘technical’ T-shirt these days?  I personally like to receive them but I can’t imagine these T-shirts being cost effective.  If your race relies on sponsorship logos on your T-shirts, then use the traditional cotton T-shirts.  They’ve sufficed as fine clothing for about 90 years.  If you don’t have sponsors donating to cover T-shirt costs then think about cutting out the T-shirts all together.  Trust me, runners have enough T-shirts.

Accurate Timing: I’m definitely into accuracy.  I like to know exactly what time I ran…plus or minus 5 seconds.  However, these smaller races don’t need chip timing.  I know it is more convenient for compiling and distributing race results, but you can do this manually like it has been done for 80 years.  The main benefit to chip timing is accounting for the difference in the race clock and your actual time.  In smaller races this is usually within 5-10 seconds if you are a serious runner.  It is already an unwritten rule, faster runners start close to the start line, slower runners line up in the back.  Look, your runners are already lining up in order of preference for an accurate time!  Without you saying or doing anything.  Now, that’s an efficient market!

Food and Beverage: This can be minimal.  Some bagels, bananas, Gatorade and water.  Try to find somewhere that sells older baked goods for cheaper priced bagels.  Runners don’t care, they are just trying to replenish their energy.  If you live on a tropical island, climb a tree and get some bananas for free.  Ok, so really I don’t know how to get cheap bananas other than by climbing ladders and jumping barrels, Donkey Kong.  However, you can also save money by making Gatorade in large coolers with the mix.  You can even make money on your refreshments by serving and charging for a recession proof product:  alcohol!  Everyone will remember your race as a good time for sure!  Well, hopefully they’ll remember.

It’s time to streamline.  Become more efficient.  Create value.  Trim the fat and run a cheap 5k.  You’ve got this runner’s support.

It’s time again for the 18th Annual Running the Blues 5K Run & 2.5K Walk in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.  The event is being held on April 4th at 9:00 am this year and coincides with the Springing the Blues festival weekend, as per usual.  This isn’t your normal 5k race mainly because the whole course is on the nice, flat (as opposed to a hilly) beach.  I recommend running barefoot.  Even though the tide will be down, there is no promise that you won’t be running into the wind so watch where you are spitting.  If you aren’t extreme enough to run the 5k on the soft sand then you can still enjoy the beauty of the beach and participate in the 2.5K walk on the beach.  I did some research on Match.com and found that “walks on the beach” was an activity that 96% of singles enjoy.  So if you’re not a runner, at least consider impressing the opposite sex by walking on the beach.  You’re so sensitive and I dig that about you.  You need to register for this race TODAY by sending a mail in entry postmarked by the 28th or registering online before April 1st for the price of 17 dollars.  Everyone knows that’s a steal for a cool 5k like this.  The T-shirt alone probably costs that much.  Also there is race day registration available but then the price goes up to 20 dollars.  It’s a bad economy, go ahead and register now and use that 3 dollars to get yourself a McDonald’s Value Meal after the race.  You earned it, you just ran 3.1 miles!  Or walked 2.5K, still something to eat a Big Mac about.

The event is hosted by Performance MutliSports Event Planning and Production which is a really cool organization.  Performance MultiSports organizes a variety of races and promotes healthy recreational opportunities in NE Florida. Performance provides athletes of many sports a way to meet, train, and socialize together, while giving back to the community, as it produces sports events for a variety of other non-profit organizations.  They put on all kind of races like adventure, running, bicycling, triathlon, duathlon, kayak, and multisport events all over Florida.  We all know that running is the best sport you can participate in, but it’s great to get out and challenge yourself with some new activities and races.  You have to keep challenging yourself if you want to truly be extreme.  I’m thinking about doing a kayak race.  How cool would that be?  Pretty cool.  You can check out their event calendar to see all the different events you can participate in.  There’s also a plethora of links available on their website if you want to learn more about these different activities. However, don’t click on the Running link, it may give your computer the flu or some other sickness.  They have bicycling resources available too but not necessarily mountain biking, but you already know where to go for that. You’re so renaissance and I like how your resume reflects that.  You’re hired!…to run the 18th Annual Running the Blues 5k Run & 2.5K Walk.

You don’t live in Florida?  I don’t care, this 5k is a destination race for sure because it goes along with the Springing the Blues festival which is a free, three-day, ocean front concert.  Run a 5k on the ocean in the morning, then chill out with a free oceanfront Blues festival the rest of the day.  Sounds like the perfect vacation for this economy!  Some of the performers include Regi Blue, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin Malcolm, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band and many more.  I honestly don’t know much about the Blues but Downbeat magazine rated this festival as one of the top 50 Music Festivals and Southeast Tourism Society named it one of the top 20 destination events.  See, it’s official, the Running the Blues 5k Run & 2.5K Walk is a destination event.  Make it you’re cheap vacation destination!  Where else would you go in Florida anyways?

No where other than Jacksonville Beach.  Go ahead and take your shoes off and relax…after running 3.1 miles of course…with our without shoes.  Don’t you want to earn all the beer you’ll consume watching blues all day afterward?  Beer that you earn tastes almost as good as free beer!  Almost.

So I read in a New York Times Article this morning that the NYC Marathon is raising its registration fees about 17 dollars per entry.  That’s about a 10% increase.  The New York City marathon is a non-profit organization who says they are just trying to break even this year with the entry fee increases.  I guess the entry fees received from participants who apply, but do not get awarded a race number in the lottery system, doesn’t generate enough revenue to cover the cost of them NOT being able to run the race.  The Disney marathon in Orlando also increased their entry fees by 20 dollars this year.  If it’s a poor economy, wouldn’t they decrease race entry fees to entice more price conscious runners to participate?

Nope.  So far this year, marathon and half-marathon races are seeing record race entrants in places like Miami, Houston, and Phoenix, but race promoters are gaining less revenue. One problem is that race entries do not cover the cost of putting on a race; a large portion of the revenue comes from corporate sponsors.   For instance, the NYC Marathon’s race sponsor through 2010 is the embattled Dutch financial services company ING (who sponsor a number of other large races).  Poor preforming or bankrupt corporate sponsors don’t seem to bring in very solid revenue to race promoters.  Weird.

But race promoters are also saying their expensives have gone up.  I had a phrase when I had just returned home from Iraq and was trying to finish separating from the Army, while also applying to grade schools and find a job.  When people would ask me to hang out or do something for them I would say to myself, “Everyone just wants a piece of me.”  I have found in these poor economic times everyone seems to want a piece of us, the consumers.  Gas prices are rising because OPEC isn’t getting enough revenue from our decreased consumption.  Universities are increasing tuition because they aren’t getting the alumni donations they were used to.  Sports players still demand lucrative contracts so  sports ticket prices have had to increase to cover the loss of the amount of fans at games.  When times get tough, everyone wants a piece.  Possibly vendors and service providers now want a piece of marathon promoters.  Why are they going after marathon’s?  Because the amount of race entrants seems to be recession proof.

Why are marathons recession proof?  Well first off, the only cost to a participant is running shoes and an entry fee.  Possibly more people are goal driven in poor economic times.  I imagine a lot of people have more time to train now that they do not have jobs or are working less because the economy is slow.  What a perfect time to attain that goal you’ve always wanted to do.  Marathon runners usually have high annual household income so they aren’t as price sensitive.  I may look further into whether or not marathons are recession proof.  The allure of accomplishing difficult goals will always be demanded.  Plus, it impresses people at job interviews when you put on your resume “marathon running” under interests.  However, in one interview I had the interviewer begin to talk about his extensive marathon running and training.  But when my PR was a good bit faster than his was he kind of got “over” the interview.  I guess it’s like the Army, you always want to be able to out run those you are in charge of.

Let’s pull this country out of its economic slump one marathon mile at a time!  Yes, we ran!

Yesterday I was sent two separate articles from friends about running in a poor economy and began to think about how running is affected by it. This is something that I have thought about many times before not only because I am a runner, but also because I am an economist who enjoys getting value out of every dollar. Some of the reasons I enjoy running so much are that it costs nearly nothing and you can do it where ever, whenever. I have never understood people who spend sixty dollars a month for gym memberships when the streets and trails or free. Maybe it’s a social experience for them.  Maybe they do a lot of weight training; I do push-ups and sometimes I even find a bar so I pull myself up above it, over and over again.  It’s pretty hot.  No matter how we exercise though, we can all agree that even in a poor economy it is very important to stay healthy and look your best.  At your job interview you want to look like you have the endurance to work those long hours don’t you?  I thought so.  One often overlooked reason it is important to stay healthy in a bad economy is that exercising is preventive medicine; keeping you from paying high health care costs later. A study found that those who worked out twice a week for 2 years saved 1,252 dollars in health care cost over those who exercised only once a week. Likewise, people who are overweight by thirty pounds typically spend between 5,000-21,000 dollars more on health care than people of average weight.  Not only do they have to spend more money for food, but also on health care costs!  Unbelievable.

Running is also a relatively inexpensive sport. I run almost everyday and it barely costs me a dime. However, there are two aspects of running that can become expensive:  running shoes and participating in races. Running shoes guard against injury and thus may save you money in the long-run (no pun intended). Remember, I value every dollar, and spending a bit extra for a good pair of running shoes is well worth it to me. However, before you spend a premium price for running shoes you want to make sure they are the right pair for you.  On this site at there are detailed descriptions along with runner’s reviews of running shoes to help you make the right decision for you.  You’re welcome.

The other major cost to runners is participating in events.  This cost is a personal judgment call depending on how much money you need to save and how valuable running certain events is to you.  In times like these I continue to participate in the events that I have a tradition of participating in but typically do not try new events or run in the random 10k just because I live near it.  You can decide which races are worth the price based on other runner’s reviews.

You can stop Running out of money and Recession Proof yourself!  Now who’s up for some McDonald’s dollar menu?