I know more goes into setting up a triathlon properly. And honestly a lot (sprints atleast)of triathlon entry fees aren't too bad. $50 or so isn't so bad considering most 5/10ks are usually around $20-30. The problem comes from the insane price increase if you don't sign up months and months before. My 1st triathlon was $50 but a month before it went to $90.

I got my buddy to do a triathlon with a weeks notice. It was $90. His words were "F you Mark, I can't believe you convinced me to spend $100 to kill myself". But he loved the event (did better than me) and said he wanted to do more but wasn't sure at the large prices.

I wish the USAT or whomever sets the prices realized that a lot of people are kind of spur of the moment entries or want to train as hard as possible up to a certain point before they commit to a triathlon. I was the same way and waited until a month before my 1st tri before commiting.

The price jumps are just insane in triathlon.