WHY THE PRICE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ‘GRASSROOTS’ AND ‘NATIONAL’ EVENTS?
Adrenalin rolls onto a race venue early in the week in a full size tractor trailer, and the transformation begins. The difference between a grassroots 24 hour race and a national one is course tape strung between survey sticks versus metal barricades. It’s banners hung between trees versus 30-flags lining the transition chute. It’s a soapbox versus an elevated stage. It’s a single-speaker microphone versus a mega-wattage PA sound system. “People look at the cost of events, and I would challenge them to consider that a 24 hour race is a Friday, Saturday, Sunday event, and for a promoter like us, we’re bringing the event to the biggest, best trails,” says Dorland. “Smaller promoters are working with trails in their backyards and don’t have the same costs associated with putting them on.” “People want to keep driving the price point down, and I’m not trying to say ‘oh poor us promoters’ but you look at the price per person for a weekend event, and people on a team are only paying
