Race Registration Fees (You get what you pay for)

You forgot to add the cost of permits, traffic saftey equipment (cones, signs, etc.), and police support to monitor traffic at intersections.  To me, those are the biggest "hidden" costs.  You'd be amazed at how much it costs to lay out 100-200 cones on the road.

Here's what I'd like:

well marked, good/fun/whatever course(USAT Cert)

chip timed

great volunteers

adequate on course aid

That's it. Keep the shirts, the swag bag, the free samples, the wetsuit strippers (they are all volunteers anyway), the post race fluff (it's too crowded and the lines are too long anyway), and everything else. Just give me a good race, simple. After the race I'm more than happy to go find my entertainment at a local bar/restaurant with my mates which is what we always do, even when the race has a big after race party. 

We ain't cheap....cones are heavy.

I was surprised to learn that at least for some of my local races, my county pays for the police overtime -- not the RD/ race organization.

It may be hidden in the permit fees,  and those fees are frequently dependent on if roads are completely closed, intersections manned by Officers, etc.  Most county/municipal govts. are not in the business of paying overtime if the money can be recouped.  The other deal is, depending on the day and time of the race, OT may not be required. (Sunday morning races are pretty easily staffed with normal manpower)

Our permit fees are always race dependent.

Not disagreeing what what you said, but I (my own personal preference, I'm sure it's different for others) honestly much prefer more races be like the $125 affair.

I don't need most of the fancy features, and I would actually much prefer a race that you can wait till a reasonable 3-4 weeks prior to race day to sign up for, just in case you have unforeseen injuries, illnesses or other life circumstances. In running events, you can usually find such other races, but its' def been harder to find triathlons that fit the bill without a ton of travel in comparison.

How do you "volunteer" to get paid.  I know that sounds sarcastic, but that's not the intent.....we do the same job and I'm wondering how that works with budgets.

Being involved with govt. budgets, I can tell you that it's highly unlikely that your county is not recouping the OT pay for you guys through permit fees. 

It's govt. money.....your department budget comes from the county....it's ALL accounted for.  My department doesn't get money from RD's either....but our OT budget, which comes from the local govt., is based on past and anticipated needs.  No, your department doesn't get money......but your department doesn't operate outside the county budget....and they get paid, believe it.

Totally disagree with you. Maybe in your sample size of two, but I have seen, participated in, and officiated several half-iron distance races in this region that include most of the things on your list, some even better (swag, food, support, atmosphere) than the WTC races I have worked. It depends more on the quality, dedication, and profit motive of the race management than the entry fee per se. WTC charges a premium on their race that has nothing to do with the quality because they can, because of the establishment of the brand and the willingness of the triathlete herd to pay.

Although not at the 70.3 level, I proved this myself by directing a sprint triathlon providing all of the amenities you list for <$50 when other sprints in the area were charging $85. We grew participation from 140 to 340 over the two years i directed the race and raised thousands for our nonprofits each year.

There is truth in there.  We spend our year taking the kids to race the youth/jr elite series.  No awards past overall podium, no schwag, closed courses, pro level transitions areas, ambulances on scene, plenty of aid stations.....75.00 per race....and only 300 kids max.  Somehow they are able to provide TOP NOTCH races.

I'm not comparing a sprint to an Ironman, I'm comparing independent halfs in the region with the WTC's in the regions that I have worked. It was two HIMs you compared in your OP, right? I threw out the sprint that I was RD for as a comparison to other local sprints at significant higher costs as an example of how a well-run race can be put on at a significant lower cost. I understand a sprint is at a smaller scale than an Ironman, which is why I compared it to other sprints.

Your questions:

Did your race donate money to charities for volunteer groups? Yes. All of our net proceeds went to non-profits. My Rotary club and the site's HOA provided tremendous volunteer support and were beneficiaries of the race.

Did your race have the required amount of lifeguards on the water? Yes, and then some.

How many vehicles gas did you have to pay for to setup, run, and breakdown the race? The race did not pay for any gas. All volunteers, primarily from the local triathlon community, to setup and tear down the race.

How many individual permits did you have to pay for? None that I know of. The local community embraced the event and didn't charge for permits, not sure that they have a mechanism to do so. We did pay a number of policemen to work the major intersections, paid an ambulance and paramedics to be on site, etc.

How much equipment did you need t rent and what was the cost? Not so much. How much equipment does it take to run a sprint? We rented the racks, timing company put up the fencing, timing mats, finish line. We rented tents, tables and chairs, bought all our signage/ You have any specifics you want to know about?

Most of this is similar to other area sprints, though I feel we did things a lot more efficiently, engaged the community, and didn't have the motive of maximizing profit.

If you could find me a HIM for that price with all the quality, and safety then I would agree with your disagreement, but not with a sprint. The two HIMs that readily come to mind in this region are Oilman Texas (formerly Ironstar) which charges $161 (was $105 when I did it), and River Roux Triathlon.