NYC Marathon scalpers
TEXT OF STORY
SCOTT JAGOW: The New York City Marathon is Sunday. A record 93,000 people applied to run in it, but only 50,000 were accepted. That’s created a black market for those coveted racing bibs. Marketplace’s Amy Scott reports.
AMY SCOTT: At the pre-marathon expo, Phil Wilkinson picks up his number and a computer chip that will track his race time.
To get here Wilkinson raised money for cancer relief in the UK.
PHIL WILKINSON: I had to raise a minimum of 2,000 GBP. That’s about $4,000.
That’s one way to qualify for the New York Marathon. Another is to enter a lottery.
Or you can buy your way in. On the website Craigslist you’ll find dozens of injured runners trying to sell their racing bibs and marathon hopefuls seeking to buy them.
This woman, who wouldn’t give her name for fear of getting caught, paid $350.
RUNNER: It’s just one of those things I always wanted to do. I’ve been training really, really hard for it. And I just really think I can do it.
She risks getting banned from New York races for life, and she won’t get the glory of seeing her own name next to her finish time.
Now, all she has to do is run 26.2 miles.
In New York, I’m Amy Scott for Marketplace.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
