Share the Wisdom Wednesdays (on Thursdays): Part Fifteen

Unrelated.  I took the tags off my pants last week, wore them to work, washed them on Friday, and meh... but at least now I own them forever.  Pants.  Not the future, but a future that I am prepared for if it ever happens.

Now back to our irregularly scheduled program.

I don't think this really belongs here, but everyone should know about it, so whatever.  This week, Pisgah Productions let fly the following announcement on FaceBook.

"Pisgah Productions was formed with the idea of creating challenging, AFFORDABLE, and community-building events. Racing should not be for just the 1%!!! With this in mind we have cut the entry fees to the 2015 Pisgah 111K and 55.5K in HALF!!!
$60 for 111K (~70 miles) of the best trails Pisgah has to offer. $30 for 55.5K. Fully stocked aid stations! Professional mechanical support! Sag wagons! No navigation skills required! 111K May 16th. 55.5K May 17th.

(Our generous sponsors make this possible! Thank you Liberty Bicycles and The Hub!!!)"

I don't know why, but I had to read that twice to get my head around it.  $60 for a race ran on the original 2012, incredibly demanding course.  Winning times back then were around seven hours... about that of some respectable hundies out there.  The top three weren't slouchers either (Sam Koerber, Dave Wood, Sideshow Garth "Buju Banton" Prosser).

Winners winners, burritos dinners.

The course?  Dag nasty.

Sorry.  Wrong profile.

Yes, I had a hand in the choosing the route.

Yes, that climb from the 75k mark makes the Soul Crusher from the Shenandoah Mountain 100 look like a wheelchair ramp (IMHOMO).

Eric "PMBAR Honcho" Wever is giving the credit of the price reduction to Liberty Bicycles and The Hub/Pisgah Tavern.  They must have been very generous.  The last time I ever did a non-Pisgah Productions race even close to this in magnitude for a price that was in the same ballpark woulda been back in 2004 ($80).  That same race is now $150 (if you're one of the first 200 people to enter, the last 100 people will pay $180!?).  Supply, demand... I get it.  I can't bag on successful promoters wanting to earn a living.  The market speaks for itself, and if someone can get that kinda money... bless them.  Look at Leadville for the best example of this genre of racing.  I don't get it, but hundreds and thousands of other people do. 

I'm not saying that I've never let myself get butthurt about rising entry fees or a disappointing payout.  I've just lived and learned enough to quit bitching.  The entry fee, I know about up front.  I either feel like the race is worth it or not.  The payout?  If the promoter is up front about it, so be it.  If they're not, feel free to send them an email asking about it... if you have some expectations of that sort.

Team Robot covered this topic already earlier this month anyways.  You wanna complain?  Start your own successful race that people climb all over each other to get in.

But I don't entirely get why Eric did the racers a solid and dropped the price of two of the best races I do all year.  Oh yeah, did I mention that the 55.5k is only $30.  That's what most XC races cost nowadays.  Whatever you do, don't think the 55.5k is half as hard as the 111k.  The winners are coming in around five hours, so this might be the most pain you can get on a bike for the money... and experience some of the most amazeballs Pisgah trails you can ride.

So why is this "Share the Wisdom" worthy?

If you are looking for one (or two) good race(s) to enter in 2015, look no further.  $30 to get your finger wet or full-fist it for $60.  Either way, you'll get your money's worth.  Neither race is a chip shot by any means in terms of difficulty.

BUT....

Fully stocked aid stations! Professional mechanical support! Sag wagons!

With all the money you're saving, you can pop for some camping across the street or get a room nearby.  SRSLY.  Everybody needs to get to Pisgah this May and be a part of the suffering.  EVERYBODY.

The only, and I mean the only thing I could ever complain about would be that I have to bring my own hot sauce for the post-race burrito.  Somehow, I endure.