you must be joking wrote:
5K finishers expect a medal? Wow. This is a natural consequence of pre-school "graduation" ceremonies.
Out of curiosity, how much are you charging for this event?
That's how I felt too. We charge $25 for early registration, $30 for late or day of. It's a non-profit race (RDs take no fee, all proceeds after expenses go to charity), and for the entry fee you get a long sleeve t-shirt, post race breakfast catered by a local company (more than bagels and bananas), and nice prizes (including random awards) donated by local businesses. It's a very grassroots event.
I have a feeling we're going to see local races like mine go the way of the dinosaur. People are looking for the "event experience" like one would get at a Rock'n'Roll-type event. Mid-range races that have entry fees in the $20-40 range can't offer the "ammenities" of these larger races. It used to be about the race, now it's about all the ancillary, meaningless stuff (medal, bands, etc.).