Hellooo! I just wrapped up dinner and was going through emails when I saw this press release that I wanted to talk about with you 
(random picture to fill the sad void of appropriate images related to this post)
So, if we were friends in real life I’d call you right now and be all like, “Hey, what are you doing? Have you gotten your hangnail fixed yet? Anyway. Did you hear…”
Active Network and Allianz Global Assistance (insurance co.) are teaming up to offer runners race insurance on their race. Soon when you register for a race on Active.com you will have the option to buy “race insurance”. Registration Protector would be available to would-be-racers registering on Active.com.
“With Registration Protector, a participant who misses an event for a covered reason such as an injury, illness, job loss, transportation delays, military/family/legal obligations, and more can get their registration fees reimbursed.”
I think it’s a good idea, but I want to know how much it will cost (the press release didn’t say). I register for a good number of races each year and that would really add up if I bought insurance for each race! I think I might choose it if it was a race that was far away or I was recovering from an injury and was signing up on a whim? 
Question: What do you think? Would you buy race insurance? Do you buy travel insurance?
{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }
This insurance idea kind of annoys me because so many races are now moving (if not already moved) in the direction of policies stating no refunds/no switching/no deferring. Now that insurance may be an option, it basically gives race directors an extra reason to OK that policy. That being said, it is a good idea, given the price because it seems these strict policies are already mostly in place.
Meh, no way. I guess I like to live dangerously.
At the rate I get injured, I’d consider it, depending on the cost though.
que bonita!
oh that’s interesting!
Like you said, it’d be interesting to see how much the insurance costs? For someone who races a lot, it might be worthwhile.
I personally don’t race enough to buy it though!
Interesting- thanks for sharing!
I would LOVE to have insurance for Ironman events. At $600+ per event and registration a year in advance, it would be nice to get a refund if injury hits.
After having an appendectomy in Puerto Rico at the tail end of a cruise (honey moon!) I ALWAYS buy travel insurance! We were stuck in the hospital in PR for 12 days, and the travelers insurance was incredibly helpful. I’d consider race insurance for the bigger, more expensive races, or destination races, if the cost is reasonable.
Ah! That is a scary story. Hope you’re back to 100%
Ah yes, I’m all good, it was 10 years ago. But you wanna know what was freaky?! When they started the surgery I wasn’t completely under!! Moral of this story is buy travelers insurance, be wary of cruise food and be sure the anesthesiologist knows what he’s doing! In all fairness, the care I received in Puerto Rico was FAR better than most that I’ve received here in the US (besides the anesthesia incident, of course) and cheap!
Whoa. Insurance makes me mad! Being an adult sucks. I guess the races i’ve done have all been less than $50.. so if I’m out the money, not a big deal. It seems a bit like a money grab to me.
No way – I’ll never buy any type of insurance again from Allianz. They’ve ripped me off once before so there is no way I’ll ever do that again!
I might get insurance because there have been a few times when I wished I could cancel my race right before. I’ve stuck with it each time and made it work, but still. Or allow us to get our money back in the first place!
I think race insurance is a smart idea for events that sell out early. Would have been a big help for NYC… I bet race insurance will add $10-15 per entry.
I would be interested in knowing what the cost was! I don’t think it’s a bad idea especially if you have an injury..etc. and aren’t able to run the race. All though I have to be honest with myself, when push comes to shove I’d be at that race no matter what!
That’s a tough one! I’ve only ever not done two races; a Big Sur 21 miler one year and the Disney one this year. I sold my bib this year since it was so local and could handle the transaction, but it definitely would have come in handy with the other one. I’m not sure, honestly, if I would ever pay for it; I always end up feeling so guilty/annoyed when I check out that races are so expensive I’m not sure if I’d purposefully add to the cost. That is if I ever run another long race
Yes, especially for faraway or out-of-town events.
I probably would depending on the registration fee. I recently paid for the Surf City full marathon (my first full-mary) and gulped at the thought of an injury or something keeping me from it and losing $100+. But it would depend on the cost of the insurance.
Definitely would consider it!
Good luck in LV–I can’t wait to see the re-cap.
We have a runner’s association here and if you get a membership it includes race insurance of some sort, not quite sure how it works!! I have travel insurance through work, but if I didn’t I would probably buy it, i’m scared of the US health care prices!
Hmmmm I’d say that if the insurance were a reasonable price, I’d probably consider it because I have a tendancy to register VERY far in advance. Example: I registered for a 15k in October that won’t happen until March.
You look so pretty in that picture…and your hair = amazing!
I think I would buy race insurance if it would cover my travel and hotel expenses if I was travelling abroad for a race. I wouldn’t do it for any races here in the UK. Most halfs and marathons that I’m doing seem to be around the £30 mark and are within driving or train distance, so I don’t think it would be worth it.
Monica, you look STUNNING! That needs to be your next FB profile pic.
I recently registered for the Charleston Marathon in January and they offered race insurance for $4 through 365competitors. I opted not to buy since I am only doing the half marathon and it wasn’t very expensive ($50). It also only covers registration refunds due to sickness or injury. If the race was more expensive and/or a tougher event (full marathon, ironman, etc.) I would probably get the insurance as long as the cost was reasonable.
Interesting- I wonder about situations like Hurricane Sandy which cancelled the NYC marathon. Would it just cover entry fees or also include travel expenses (that’s where most people lost big $$)?
I think it’s a great idea! I just bought race insurance for the Colorado Marathon – it was only $7 so totally worth it. Last month, I couldn’t do the MCM because of the storm and it would have been nice to get that registration fee back.
I think I would buy it if I were signing up for a big race such as a marathon that was pretty far away. I wouldn’t if it were for shorter races.
I obviously have health and car insurance and if I had dependents I would do life insurance. But other than that I never by insurance. Maybe it’s poor foresight on my part, but I’ve never had a case where I think “if only I’d paid for that insurance!!”
The answer to the question would completely depend on the cost of the insurance. In most cases, if the race is out of town, I would still take the trip if I could. I usually plan the trip and then find a race. For local races, they are cheap enough that the insurance wouldn’t be needed.
The Kidless Kronicles
I just signed up for a 5k yesterday through active.com and race insurance was offered….it was $7 for this one not sure if that is a “standard rate” of it depends on the cost of the race. I declined, but thought it was a neat option. Love your pic! Purple looks great on you!
I am very inujury prone so, depending on the cost, I would consider it
Call me anytime! I’d love to chat with you about hangnails, and the such.
Nay, I don’t sign up for high dollar races. Now, if I was a serious runner (like you), running marathons that cost big bucks, then yea, I’d probably pay the extra for insurance. Maybe. Okay, probably not. Do you buy vacation insurance? I think I did once .. but usually not. Too frugal = cheap!
Call me, we’ll talk.
Serious runner? Ha! The only thing I’m serious about is dessert
I just signed up for a race and would have been interested in buying insurance because it was nonrefundable. Some are pretty pricey, and it would be nice to have the option to back out if I need to.
For me it would depend on the cost. I would probably do it for a bigger race, more expensive race, or if it’s a distance I’m not quite sure about at the time but want to register. I could have used it for Chicago this past year.
With the price of races sky-rocketing, I can’t even think of adding to them. I remember when we walked up and registered for races the same day. (old school)
I registered for a 5k just yesterday through Active and the insurance was offered for $7.00. The race was only $20 and is this weekend, so I opted out. Not sure I would get it for shorter/cheaper races, but might consider it for longer distances/more expensive races.
I think it’s actually a really great idea. I wish I was the insurance company that thought of it! I wouldn’t do it for every race, but for one months away or a destination race it would give me a lot of peace of mind…
On the flip side, I wonder if people would be less committed to their training knowing they could get reimbursed if they suddenly get “injured.” It would be interesting to see if actual race participation percentages start to drop if people feel like they have the freedom to opt out…
I was just injured in the middle of marathon training and I’ve had to drop out of races due to injury, so yes, I think it’s a great idea. I realize many races have a no refund policy, so I’m not sure how that would work with the races that have that policy in place. I assume you would still get your fees back… Kinda the point of insurance!
I also think though, the higher the cost of the race, but more interest I would have in purchasing insurance.
Have fun in Vegas! I feel like it was yesterday that I was reading all of the reviews about the race (careful with the water!). I can’t believe a year has passed!
I drank the water last year and was fine. I’m not fancy.
Pretty picture of you! I guess I’m willing to take the risk…
I agree that the concept of runner’s insurance is really cool! But I’m hesitant only because I imagine the price for it isn’t that cheap.
My rules are that insurance is only for situations when you cannot “self-insure”. Basically I insure anything so expensive that I wouldn’t have savings in place to cover it. Life insurance, long-term disability, health insurance, and liability auto insurance. Things like these are important because they could bankrupt your family or at least put you tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Losing $100 on a race fee, something that is non-essential to begin with, isn’t something I would insure.
I live dangerously. No race insurance or travel insurance for me!
My thinking behind not doing race insurance is that I don’t sign up for a race unless I can afford to throw the money away. So, if I don’t do the race, I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything.
Kinda sounds like another way for active.com to collect more money. With bigger races you can always sell your bib and recoup your expenses. If insurance is $7 per race and you run 10 in a year, that’s another $70 you’re paying for races
Monica,
I know this is a running and food blog but could you please, please, please tell us how you get your hair to look like that!? I love it!
FWIW, I recently saw race insurance for $7 for a half marathon which had a registration fee of $70. I won’t buy it becuase it’s a local race and I’m waiting until the last minute to sign up to see if I’m conditioned for it by then.
Interesting && something I have never really considered before….Thanks for sharing!
I don’t think I would buy it, just another expense. I like to use my own guilt as race insurance. Telling myself, “Hey you signed up for this and shelled out $120 and told everyone you were running it so get your arse in gear and train and show up. Don’t suck.” Something like that.
Pretty pic, love your hair!
I looked on the allianztravelinsurance.com website and it only costs $7. After what happend with the NYC Marathon, I would say yes to big races and no to $20 races.
Random comment: I am a fellow ginger. You always look so gorgeous in photos. If you ever run out of blog topics I would really appreciate a make-up tutorial!! Or hair, you hair always looks great too…
Do all races offer race insurance? If I signed up for a really expensive race or one I had to travel to then I would probably get it
I signed up for a race this morning and they offered insurance for $7 on active.com. I clicked no when they asked if I wanted it.
For any race I was either traveling to or paying around $100 I would buy it.
You have to be kidding me. Paying insurance for something like a race is just a rip off…just like most warranties on electronics. Just makes me shake my head at yet another way for companies to rip people off.
I just signed up for a half and the insurance was $7.00.. I didn’t get it because the race is this sunday, but I am prone to injuries and would totally do this to give me peace of mind. I signed up for races in 2010 and 2011 that I couldn’t race in and was out the money. Better safe than sorry sometimes.
I think it seems like a good idea-but I wonder what happens when you have to actually prove why you missed the race. As long as claims aren’t denied, it’s probably worth it.
I’m not sure about race insurance but have got to know about your makeup and skin care routine! Your face is glowing! You look dynamite. I can never achieve that “glow” look, is there a secret?
I never buy extra insurance when it’s offered (I live on the edge, lol) but the way I see it, if I register for a race, then I try my hardest to get there on time, ready, etc. If I can’t make it then it’s probably a huge deal, not just something I just blew off and would;t even mind the lost registration.
It would depend on the cost and also what you had to do to prove that you had a “covered event” – last year at this time I had a horrible virus/death plague and I couldn’t travel to DC to run the Hot Chocolate 15K (sounds like I didn’t really miss out, though….) I would have loved to get reimbursed for that, but how do you prove that you’re sick??
Good luck in Vegas!
Checked out their site. It doesn’t cover travel, just race fee. Also doesn’t cover weather (except if your residence is inhabitable because of a natural disaster).
I would only consider insurance for a big destination race, and only if it were more complete coverage that would cover my travel costs AND cover the event of natural disasters. (I’m hurricane prone. Its a wonder I wasn’t signed up for New York, because that would totally happen to me.)
So basically, yes on the insurance, but no on this particular insurance. Not worth it. I wonder if trip insurance can also cover race fees in the event you are going to a destination race. Hmm…
Race insurance would make it easier to cop out I think. If you know you’ll be reimbursed it would be a whole lot easier to make excuses not to run it!
365Competitors.com has been doing this since 2011 and most of the races have it as “complimentary” where you don’t have to pay $7.00 like with Active.