| Some of the main ways to save are: - Volunteer for the event and earn discounted or free entry into the event. Often, you can volunteer one day, and race the next day if it’s a two-day event, or you can race one day, volunteer the next, and use your discounted/free entry into a future race. - If you have a group or team, or can gather a group or team together, some races offer discounts for this. Some will charge the full price up front, and then after race day, when the exact number of team/group members is finalized, they will issue each member of the team or group a discount in the form of a refund. - Check any special registration categories that you may qualify for, and ensure that you have the proper identification or documentation because race organizers will verify that you meet requirements on race day, and charge you the difference in registration fees if you do not qualify for the category you registered for. Many races have student discounts (with a valid, current student ID), military discounts (some are active duty only, some allow discounts for retired military and dependents, all with valid, current ID of course), and there may be other special categories that have discounted registration. - Keep an eye out for discount sites such as Groupon and Living Social for discounted race entries. There are other sites, but these are the main two that I’ve seen offer discount entries for a variety of races consistently. The downside with discount sites like these are that they often will not have entries for an event until the month or two before the event, which means you may miss out on cheaper prices for registering as early as possible. -Register early! In most races, the price increases the closer it gets to race day, so you should register as early as possible, AFTER checking out the rest of the discount opportunities first. Another note about volunteering: volunteering is a great way to see the race before you run, or if you’d prefer not to know what you’re getting yourself into before it’s too late to turn back, then perhaps volunteering after you run and earning a discounted or free entry into a future race is the right choice for you. |