Willingness to Pay for Nontraditional Attributes Among Participants of a Long-Distance Running Race

Abstract

Adding value-driven attributes to sporting events has the potential to increase long-term financial growth for organizers of large sporting events. This study identifies which attributes are most valued by long-distance runners who have participated in Göteborgsvarvet, one of the world’s largest long-distance running races. Runners’ willingness to pay (WTP) for these attributes are calculated based on a choice experiment with data from 1,178 respondents. The primary findings are that (1) runners have the highest WTP for detailed stage time reporting and (2) there are significant variations in WTP among various segments.