Galway Bay Half Marathon

limerickleader

Anyone have any info on this? It's on in early October. I saw it mentioned on runireland.com and it sounds interesting. I'm hoping to do either Longford or the National Half but might do this one as well.

Just wondering a) if this is the first year of it and b) judging by the course description how tough will it be?

Go raibh maith agaibh...

http://www.galwaybayhalfmarathon.com/

tisnotover

seems to be an extesnsion of galway bay 10. ran that one two years ago+was disappointed with course:

a lot of the route was open to traffic, so you had to run on footpaths, concrete is not good for legs!
running along the prom in galway was a disaster.loads of people walking along as usual, but no part of it sectioned off for race!

But that was the first year of it....haven't ran it since, but a lot of the 13.1mile route looks very similar to the 10mile

Munster_Gal

The hill in the middle of the course does not look one bit nice!
I'd almost be up for it but not sure i'd be able to manage two half marathons in as many weeks - I'll see how the 10miler goes I think

Actually ... Just seen that it's €60 to enter... might have to rethink that one! We're in a recession ya know!

jinka

60euros to run in between walkers and prams ! Love Galway but come on!

Get the organiser on this and ask him why he is charging 60e
Love to hear the reasons....Hope its no the "going to good causes hash we normally get"

tisnotover

jinka wrote: »

60euros to run in between walkers and prams ! Love Galway but come on!

Get the organiser on this and ask him why he is charging 60e
Love to hear the reasons....Hope its no the "going to good causes hash we normally get"

didn't check price, but 60euros, they can fe*k off...

come down to cork instead+do the cork2cobh 15 mile in October or the half marathon in Blarney in september, much better value at these two!

Munster_Gal

God I thought I was the only one that was gonna think it was totally overpriced!

littlebug

and worse... there's also a 10k incorporated into it which is also 60 euro :eek:

It is a good cause... I'd love to do it but 60 for a 10k really is too much!
http://www.galwaybay10.com

osnola ibax

The prices of some events would really put you off. It just goes to show you what great value the adidas race series is. Lovely venue, great atmosphere, three races including a half, three free functional t shirts plus a bonus fourth and a gear bag, and all for €45, absolute class.

jinka

Its funny.. I had to take apx 40per cent cut in wages/bonus etc like a lot of people im sure and yet race organisers (not all mind!!) seem to think its ok to put the price up and generally RIDE us rock solid( as Damien Richardson)- ex cork city manager so elegantly put. For people who do the odd event its ok and they probably dont know any better , but for seasoned campaigners its frustrating.

Munster_Gal

littlebug wrote: »

and worse... there's also a 10k incorporated into it which is also 60 euro :eek:

It is a good cause... I'd love to do it but 60 for a 10k really is too much!
http://www.galwaybay10.com

Oh now that really is ridiculous!!

jinka

Well then, why dont we all start bombarding them with emails re the overcharging etc and see what comes back.

now let me see " going to a good cause blah blah-deja vous...zzzzzzzzzz

brutes

This race has been the Galway Bay 10 http://www.galwaybay10.com/ for the last number of years, not sure why its changed to a two headed event now as ten mile is a good race distance. Route was always good and fast on paper but lack of road closures and traffic has been a problem.

Re the entry fee, if you read the GB10 website, all funds go to Cancer Care West, and have done since it started. It was always 150 e ( at least) to get in , and this resulted in entries being mainly charity focused , fundraisers walking or getting around etc, so the entry fee has come down a lot from last year!.

Speaking as a selfish competitive runner who would never bother and have no interest in raising funds for charity to race, and having stumped up 150 in previous years just to run it, cos its down the road ( my one good deed in the year! ) its a welcome drop in entry fee. Agreed it seems steep on first glance, but thats the background

The race/route could be a very good one if done right, hopefully the numbers will bump up this year.

limerickleader

Cheers for all the feedback.

Hadn't seen the entry fee - jaysus - 60 euro for a 10k??!?! good night and good luck!

catweazle

Maybe I am wrong here and too suspicious by halve, but I did the Achill half marathon as well this year, first time distance runner and I was surprised that they can price the run up the same or more than most triathlons. Surely there is a lot more expense in running a triathlon between transition areas, safety in the swim etc etc.

Is there somewhere they give breakdowns of what they give the nominated charity after the event, do the organisers take a huge cut of it themselves before passing on token money to the charity.

60 euros for Achill over 2000 runners = €120,000, no roads closed off, i would imagine the town council are very obliging to the organisers due to the tourism it attracts as regards car parking, police etc. We got a medal, t-shirt, banana, burger, snickers and some water for that money. I have no problem with this if I knew for certain that most of the profit was going to the charity

60 for Galway as well seems outragous when it looks like no roads closed off, is mentioning a charity involved in the run a license to charge what they like and justify it when someone questions it

Once again I dont want to tar everyone with the same brush here, but I am sure their are some organisers making a lot of money out of this

belcarra

http://www.runireland.com/events/2009-09-06/coastal-charity-challenge
Louisburg to Westport coastal Half Marathon. Only €40 and it all goes towards Mayo Mountain Rescue team...their website should be enough to convince that they don't throw cash about!!
Seriously though, should be a good, scenic course and good value/great cause.

As for the Galway race, personally I think the cause is worthy and from what I can tell I'd be happy that the entrance fee mainly goes towards the charity (Apart from overheads obv!). I don't get the vibe from them that they are a commercial event a la Clontarf Half a few weeks ago. (Having said that, I still think the choice is with the person to participate or avoid and probably would have done Clontarf if available!).

Ultimately, it's nice to have the choice of these runs available. If you are looking for no frills distance running try the West of Ireland marathon series...4 full marathons for €60!

downser

For the Galway Bay Half-Marathon the initial €60 is the cost to enter the event. This is the entry fee - none of this money goes to charity.
You can also choose to give money to charity on the sign-on page - if you do so you must pay €120 - & €60 of this goes to charity. There are 5 or 6 charities that you can choose from.

spurscormac

With just regards to the route - its a nasty looking one.
Its through Knocknacarra & up the back roads where I live, and believe me, those hills are not in the slightest bit nice, very undulating and will be testing.

Having said all that, its so close to me it would almost be a shame not to run it, but it would be a step up in distance for me, so I might decide sometime in December whether or not to run it. €60 is steep, but I'll consider it.

As regards the Luisburgh-Westport run, that would be a much flatter course, though its only just over a month away, so would need to up the training distances to get it in.

kayakmoss

The Galway half would be a good testing run but if they're not closing the roads it will be a disaster!
Some of the roads are tight enough and with cars on them too it wont be enjoyable.....:mad:

JUSTONE

Just say an ad that says you get the following for your €60 - finishers medal, Underarmour technical tee, water, goodie bag, chipped time, refreshments after and drinks vouchers!!!!!!!!!!

jinka

Price is crazy. !!

kayakmoss

Did anyone hear whether the roads are going to be clsoed or what??

catweazle

dont know about the roads being closed but i am boycotting it, 60 euros for a 10k road race is a joke, the event organisers are fleecing people.

I would expect they think they will get the runners anyways as it is a charity race

jinka

They love to give you "its for charity" if you complain. This sort of race will attract the mini marathon brigade and I would urge real runners to give it a miss. A better idea would be to charge 20e max with the option of giving more. I mean for fcuk sake there are the guts of 500000 on the dole. Still if they get the numbers they will justify it no doubt.

El Director

i wanted to do both Galway half and Achill half but couldn't believe the prices. Surely it would be better to charge a minimal entry fee and give everybody a sponsorship card to fill.

There was a triathlon in Galway last may, it was 8o euro to enter, 20 went to a charity, there wasn't even a t-shirt! Again i think a sponsorship card would have been the way to go.

Enduro

Lads, as downser said....

For the Galway Bay Half-Marathon the initial €60 is the cost to enter the event. This is the entry fee - none of this money goes to charity.

So the sponsorship card option is exactly what is happening. None of the 60 euros is going to charity. It's all going to the organisers.

littlebug

60 euro fee for a 10k is ridiculous. I also emailed last week to ask about the starting time for the 10k which wasn't obvious on the webpage (this was when I thought at least some of the 60 was going to charity) and I got no response. Poor form.....

catweazle

I got a reply from the 10k charity Cancercarewest her details are

Sharon Fitzpatrick
Cancer Care West
Ph: 091 545000
E: sharon@cancercarewest.ie

there is conveniently no contact details for the 1/2 or full marathon websites or none that I could see.

She basically confirmed that the "event organisers" are charging €60 per entrant whether it is 10k, half or full.

I then told her I would have been happy to pay €60 for the 10k entry if I knew that any profits would also go to the charity but I am not going to line some event organisers profits who is not only screwing entrants but also the charity out of money.

There is no way there should be a €60 charge for a 10k race. I take issue with the €60 in general for all three races but i could live with it for the half and full marathons. The charities should look for an alternative "event organiser", from what I hear from my friends is that a lot of people are refusing to run at these prices.

Over 3000 people expected to run the 10k alone 3000 x 60 = 180,000, nice money for

The €60 entry fee includes:

• Race entry
• Water, first aid stations and toilets
• T-shirt/top
• Finishers Medal
• Light refreshments after the event
• Entry to the après event (details to be confirmed)

Sorry to go on about this just that I was looking forward to run this and now I am brassed off about missing it over my principles

Johnnio13

Was signing up this morning until I saw the price.
Not a chance I am paying 60bucks for 47mins of running.

And to re-iterate any profit above the 60€ is going to CCW - the rest is as Catweazle has posted.

I don't mind paying up to €25 for a 10k if there is some organisation but there is none that I know of in Galway.
Roads are still open, traffic along route, walkers etc....

Even the Bupa 10k is getting pricey now.

kennyb3

Enduro wrote: »

Lads, as downser said....



So the sponsorship card option is exactly what is happening. None of the 60 euros is going to charity. It's all going to the organisers.

they should be ashamed of themselves... in my opinion making out that its €60 because its going to charity

jinka

I hope linda Naughton picks up on this disgrace. A worrying trend too.

footing

jinka wrote: »

I hope linda Naughton picks up on this disgrace. A worrying trend too.

See article in the Herald on Thur 24 Sept on this very matter. Like most of the posters, am fascinated that it is the vastly overpriced races that get the numbers. As for the BUPA 10k (mentioned earlier); it was and still is overpriced and set a trend for extravagant entry fees jumped on by the Connemarathon people. Since a lot of their entries come from abroad, they know the entry fee is only a small part of their expenses for a nice weekend away (that's my theory anyway).
One pal of mine does the naughty thing. If races charge too much and he still wants to run them, he simply doesn't pay. Not too sure about that - but the fact is that if races charge too much, they shouldn't be supported.
PS: Has anyone noticed that the Simon 8k is asking people to raise Eu150 for their race this year? That's on top of an entry fee (can't remember the details but it's at www.funrun.ie).
In the past, Simon charged a minimal fee, knowing everyone would give them more. Now they've got fancy-pantsy PR and marketing people in and are going the way of the commercial races. It would be interesting to know what PR companies charge - I sure as heck don't want my donations going to pay them.

aburke

footing wrote: »

As for the BUPA 10k (mentioned earlier); it was and still is overpriced and set a trend for extravagant entry fees jumped on by the Connemarathon people.

http://www.greatrun.org/Events/Information.aspx?ctid=137&id=7 wrote:

History and Tradition
The Great Ireland Run is the country’s premier 10k run and was first staged in 2003.

http://www.connemarathon.com/results wrote:

2002 results

footing wrote:

Since a lot of their entries come from abroad, they know the entry fee is only a small part of their expenses for a nice weekend away (that's my theory anyway).

The largest group of Connemathon entrants comes from Dublin

footing wrote:

One pal of mine does the naughty thing. If races charge too much and he still wants to run them, he simply doesn't pay.

If I think it costs too much, I simply don't take part - how about that for an option?
If I want to run the route, I make my own way there, provide my own refreshments, medical cover, arrange my own Garda cover, arrange my own insurance, arrange my own road closures[If I can get them] ...

but the fact is that if races charge too much, they shouldn't be supported.

True. Its a free market, clearing price is determined where supply meets demand [a bit of a simplification, obviously]

footing

History and Tradition
"The Great Ireland Run is the country’s premier 10k run and was first staged in 2003."
... self-praise is no praise - especially when it's only blah concocted by Nova International's marketeers and PR people.

Still when you think about it, there aren't many 10k runs around (apart from the women's mini marathon).
Off-hand, I can think of only one - the Dunshaughlin 10k. Now there's a great race - going 30 years and organised by the local community like it was a party in their own house.
Any others worth recommending?

meathcountysec

Off the top of my head..

Athenry 26th Dec
Navan 26th Dec
Aware 10k 12th Dec
National 10k April?
Lakes 10k

footing

meathcountysec wrote: »

Off the top of my head..

Athenry 26th Dec
Navan 26th Dec
Aware 10k 12th Dec
National 10k April?
Lakes 10k

Don't know why I forgot the Lakes 10k - sounded like a great day out.
Aware 10k - why are charites given permits for period of the year already stuffed with races? Donore now has to shuffle the Jingles Bells 5k around the calendar every year because of two extra races given permits in the Dublin area for early December.
National 10k - wary of anything with the word "national" it it; a touch of the zieg heils about it. Not that they're bad races.
Athenry - good race I hear but expensive.
Navan - thought it was 5 miles?

aburke

footing wrote: »

Athenry - good race I hear but expensive.

€20 last year, €18 if registered before Dec 1st.
This inclued a decent souvenir, our now famous[ish] wolly hat.

The Aware 10km is €20
http://www.aware.ie/register/christmasrun.php

Lakes 10km €28
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055604709

National 10km is €12 [I think] Can't find link.

Navan 10km - Can't find a price.

So the Athenry 10km is neither cheap nor expensive in comparison to the other races mentioned.

footing

To me anything over a tenner is too expensive (don't want goodie bags t-shirts, etc), but in fairness to the Lakes 10k the entry fee was Eu18 (Eu28 if you wanted yet another technical tee).

Poirot

20 Euros for the fantastically organised (although perhaps marginally oversubscribed) Dublin Half-Marathon in the Phoenix Park last weekend Vs 60 Euros for something that looks not near as organised doesn't work in these days of austerity.
Get a grip Galway and reduce by at least 50%.
On another note, congratulations to the organisers of the Dublin Half-Marathon. It was a wonderful event, in great surroundings, and perfect weather!!
I'm signing up for 2010 !!

aburke

footing wrote: »

To me anything over a tenner is too expensive

Please tell me which events you have done this year which cost €10 or less - I am genuinely interested.

aburke

Hi Footing,
You seem to have missed the point of this reply
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=62296523&posted=1#post62280652
I'll admit I didn't spell out clearly my points.

The Connemarathon didn't 'jump on' the BUPA idea of 'high prices'.
The Connemarathon started in 2002, which is BEFORE the Bupa run started.

Regardless of where people travel from [the largest group of them come from Dublin as I pointed out], we're conscious they fork out hard-earned money for the event, and we feel that value for money is provided.

Some agree, and they come back every year.
Some don't.
You don't have to search hard on this forum to find opinions either way.

littlebug

Some (if not all) of the mayo league races were less than a tenner. 5 is in my mind for the Carrowmore 10k but maybe I'm remembering it wrong. Small field, no goody bag or medal, just water en route and damn nice sandwiches and tea in the local hall afterwards.:) I have to say I love the buzz of a big race though and would happily pay 20 euro for a 10k. I actually wouldn't have minded paying €60 for the Galway Bay 10k if I thought €40 of it was going to charity.
What was Streets of Galway - 25? They can't possibly claim that this is costing more than twice as much?

As an aside I'm looking forward to my new woolly hat on Dec 26th.:D that alone is worth the fee :pac:

blind_hurler

aburke wrote: »

Please tell me which events you have done this year which cost €10 or less - I am genuinely interested.

West waterford run a good few races for around 8euro entry..

GER WYLEY SPORTS/NIKE SUMMER SERIES

was a ten race series and the majority were 8euro entry.. and were all very well run

footing

* Phoenix Park 5k Trail Series - Eu10 up front for a three race series or Eu5 per race. Fantastic value, lovely atmosphere, tea and goodies after. Yet they got only between 30 and 50 at each race - people seem to think you have to pay big to get a great race.
* BHAA races are only a tenner and they're the best going; next one is the Teachers Cross-Country in Castleknock College on Sat Oct 11.
* Meet & Train Women's races are Eu7 per race.
* Hill races are Eu8 (I think?); orienteering events are Eu7 (less for unwaged).
* Just got a flier for a series in Killarney that will cost Eu5 per race.
The good value races ARE out there! They may be small, but who wants to stand for half an hour on an over-crowded start line?

littlebug

footing wrote: »

stand for half an hour on an over-crowded start line?

if it means that there are hundreds of people finishing behind me as opposed to being paddy last or nearly last in a small race then I'm happy to stand for half an hour occasionally. I've avoided a small race 4 miles down the road from me and driven an hour to a different one for that very reason.... there's more of a feel good factor in the big races (for runners of my calibre ). However GalwayBay10 are just ripping the arse out of it IMO.

footing

littlebug wrote: »

if it means that there are hundreds of people finishing behind me as opposed to being paddy last or nearly last in a small race then I'm happy to stand for half an hour occasionally.
I'm one of those paddy-lasts; you get great encouragement in the smaller races, which is much appreciated. Plus you're not surrounded by the socially autistic;) wearing earphones.

aburke

footing wrote: »

* Phoenix Park 5k Trail Series - Eu10 up front for a three race series or Eu5 per race. Fantastic value, lovely atmosphere, tea and goodies after. Yet they got only between 30 and 50 at each race - people seem to think you have to pay big to get a great race.
* BHAA races are only a tenner and they're the best going; next one is the Teachers Cross-Country in Castleknock College on Sat Oct 11.
* Meet & Train Women's races are Eu7 per race.
* Hill races are Eu8 (I think?); orienteering events are Eu7 (less for unwaged).
* Just got a flier for a series in Killarney that will cost Eu5 per race.
The good value races ARE out there! They may be small, but who wants to stand for half an hour on an over-crowded start line?

Cool!
Thanks for that.
For the record I'm involved in two events which cost less than €10
The Magic Mile: €5
http://www.athenryac.com/magic-mile-meet-dangan-galway
Galway 5km series: € 25 for 6 races [Tech tee inc]
http://www.athenryac.com/galway-5km-series-2009-announced

meathcountysec

footing wrote: »

Navan - thought it was 5 miles?

Definitely 10k. Same course was used for national 10k last April.

Cost around €12 or €15.

Its my last chance to break 1 hour for a 10k this year. Hope it doesn't come down to that late in the year:eek:

locteau

by the way for info, the cheapest marathons are €20 and organised by Connemarathon and there are 14 of them.......just for the ones who did not know.

I would be interested to compare the fee and cost involved between a €10 club race to a €60 private race.

Why not looking at this together ?

clubs :Vs Private organisation:
Insurance= how much for a club VS a business ?
Volunteers= free from clubs ? is business give donation etc... ?
Timing= done manually by club mates ? or by timing equipment ?
Staff= is club need staff for set up etc... ? How is business pay their staff for living, how much do they need to live of one race or two a year ?
Office= club can operate from homes of members and mates don't usually claim work at home. Where is business do their work from ?
storage= is club can store signs etc.... in club mates sheds ? where teh business store their stuff ? Is
Ambulance /guards= is it cheaper for a club than a business ?
Equipement= are club mates provide most of the stuffs ? is Professioanl need to invest the money or rent the equipment ?
Expenses /admin= club guys drive for free ? who pays the professional ?
website= usually done volunteerly by club mate, so how much for a business

These are not affirmation but just questions, that maybe shows a difference from running a club event to running a business event.

That we want a goodie bags or not, and want to take part or not etc...is not relevant because they are personal taste. What is relevant is more about understanding why things are different or more expensive.

I don't say it is right or wrong and yes I believe some events are too expensive, but sometimes and I say sometimes, there is maybe reasons we don't know.

catweazle

You raise some good points there Locteau, but you havent factored in economies of scale in this particular race. I can understand a club race that has 500 entrants and a business race that has the same number will have different costs.However last year there were over 3000 runners in the 10k race alone, it is probably safe enough to assume with the running boom currently on there will be at least the same amount if not more, factor in the half marathon and full marathon going on as well and I would hazard a guess that there will be closer to 4000/5000 runners this weekend at 60 euros a head. The bigger numbers in the race surely the cheaper it should be per entrant. I would imagine the business like any other business can drive down the price of timing chips, equipment rental etc due to the sheer volume that they need.

Have they confirmed that the roads are closed, i hear they arent, this will also save the event organisers a packet.

pgibbo

I am just back from registering at the so called expo for this event. Very disappointing and definitely a bit of a farce. My registration email stated:

"
Race Pack Collection & Expo Details


Race Pack collection & Expo will be held in Elverys Sports, Headford Road Retail Park, Galway from 11am to 9pm on Friday 2nd October and 8am to 10am on Saturday 3rd October. Please printout this e-mail and present it at registration.
Please note there will be no registration at the start/finish line.
The Race Pack will include race number, timing chip, safety pins, technical t-shirt, Apres drinks vouchers and gym sac.
The Elverys Sports Expo will include:-

• Free gait analysis testing
• Free Maximuscle samples
• Chance to win a Polar RS300X running computer with a GPS sensor for speed and distance measurement
• Free MP3 player with every purchase of Asics footwear
• Extension of Elverys Sports current promotion for the event so there will be 26.2% off running footwear, running clothing and all men’s clothing (tagged items only).
• The Elverys Sports Galway Bay Half Marathon commemorative t-shirts and jackets will be available to buy also at special reduced prices."

There was no gait analysis on offer and no one manning the area where the analysis takes place.
There were no free samples provided.
No indication of entry for the raffle and a chance to win the Polar RS300X. I did notice at the till when buying something that you had to purchase two items to enter a draw for this device. I assumed all race entries would be entered into the draw.
Wasn't too impressed with the t-shirt either. Feels cheap even though it is under armour. The Ron Hill ones from the 5k series in Galway are far superior. needless to say I will not be signing up for this event again. Rant over.

danburke

I ran the half marathon today and to be honest it was a bit annoying that the prom was not closed off..

Its not fair on people to expect them to get out of the way of a 1000 runners just cause you've decided to route them that way..

Nearly got hit by a car on the Clybaun Road which is always nice! The footpaths are not a nice place to be after 9 miles of suffering

For 60 euro entry fee I don't really see where my money went to be honest..