For $220, Richmond Marathon runners can get a massage, mimosas

Not Paul Layne. The 54-year-old software developer from Raleigh will park his car in a reserved spot, and he’ll use a private restroom in a warm, heated building. Then he’ll sit and sip on coffee until the race begins.

“Having that private bathroom is amazing,” Layne said.

Layne is one of roughly 125 runners who purchased the premium package for Saturday’s Richmond marathon, half-marathon and 8k. For $220, participants get their own parking, bathrooms and private breakfast before the race begins.

And once they cross the finish line, that’s when the fun really begins. The VIP experience includes an omelet bar with mimosas, lemonade with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, beer from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and a massage — all inside a heated tent. There are tables, chairs and rooms to change clothes. When the VIPs are all partied out, they can ride a shuttle back to their cars. They take with them a special gift, a Hydro Flask coffee mug.

Meanwhile, regular runners have to sit on the grass eating pizza and warming themselves with blankets.

The premium package is yet another way Americans have prioritized experiences over products. And it’s a mechanism for Richmond Sports Backers, the nonprofit that operates the marathon, to maximize revenue from one of its largest events.

For years, Layne figured the hospitality suite was too expensive. He’d cross the finish line, walk straight to his car and drive back to Raleigh. Then last year, to celebrate his 10th consecutive Richmond marathon, he decided to cut the check. He left a changed man, realizing he could have been drinking post-race mimosas for years.

“You really don’t know until you’ve experienced it,” Layne said.

Big-city marathons have offered exclusive experiences for years. Richmond’s event, a mid-sized race, added its own around 2018. The river city already has America’s friendliest marathon, said Megan Schultz, chief operating officer for Sports Backers. The premium package “takes it to the next level.”

A decade ago, there were few upgrades available. Runners paid their entry free, which now starts around $85, and maybe bought a hoodie with the race logo.

Now, for $40, you can pick up your bib on race day and skip the pre-race expo. For $20, you can get your name and time engraved on your medal. For $10 more, the engraving will feature a personalized message.

“It’s a special day. Big goals are achieved,” Schultz said. “To be able to commemorate that further is something we’re always looking for.”

Fueled in large part by millennials, Americans are shifting spending from possessions to live experiences, whether it’s $10,000 for Taylor Swift tickets or a plane ride to Europe. It’s being called the Experience Economy, and experts say it’s a part of today’s Instagram culture.

Add-ons also boost Sports Backers’ revenue, which depends on turnout at events. There will be roughly 21,000 participants across the three races on Saturday, a Richmond record. That makes the marathon event slightly smaller than the Monument Avenue 10k, Sports Backers’ biggest race. Revenue from programs accounted for about 75% of Sports Backers’ $7 million in revenue last year, according to a federal filing.

For Kristine Carleton, having the premium package means peace of mind — there’s less to worry about before the race starts. She skips the pre-race meal in exchange for her own breakfast of a bagel with almond butter, coffee, a multivitamin and hydration fluids.

The warm, indoor waiting room is clutch for Carleton, 51, who lives in Tampa. She is a full-time athlete, sponsored by a handful of nutrition, hydration and clothing companies. But she pays for the premium experience out of her own pocket, and she buys it whenever she travels for a race.

“It’s not cheap,” she said. “It’s not for everybody, but if you can do it, I highly encourage it.”

For $80, marathon participants can bring companions to the hospitality suite. Carleton’s husband, Jeff, who is from Midlothian, will tag along on Saturday to enjoy the coffee and bagels.

Carleton will run the half marathon, which she said is already a great event, even without the heated breakfast room.

“It’s low drama,” she said. “It’s very well-organized.”

The premium experience tends to draw an older crowd of runners, said Layne, the software developer from Raleigh. It caters to runners who do not enjoy wearing running shorts in 50-degree weather or climbing the hill from Brown’s Island on sore feet.

At the pre-race meal, Layne takes a few doughnuts and protein bars in an effort to load calories. He skipped the post-race massage last year but hasn’t ruled it out for Saturday. His wife, Raene Wang, purchased the companion package, so he won’t celebrate alone.

Layne has run 40-plus marathons, and Saturday will be his 12th straight in Richmond. Not only is Richmond an easy drive from his home in Raleigh, there are always plenty of spectators and kids sticking out their hands for high-fives. At other races, you can go miles seeing without seeing a human observer.

“It’s like returning home,” he said of running Richmond.

He loves the marathon so much, he pays his entry fee the day the race goes on sale. That means on Monday, he expects to get on his computer and sign up for the 2025 race and secure his private bathroom.