Image putting in the miles, making the sacrifices, keeping the faith, then earning that dream outcome: a chance to race for your country. But then image this caveat: you’ll only get this chance if you pay for it.
CA Notice at Collection Ben Connor, who was quite literally asked to pay the price for being selected to represent Great Britain in the half marathon at the 2025 European Road Running Championships.
Faith Kipyegon Break 1500m World Record road, on the track and for cross-country, turned down his spot to race at this year’s Championships—which will be held for the first time in Brussels and Leuven later this month—due to participation fees of up to £1,100 (about $1,440) imposed by British Athletics.
As per British Athletics’ policy, those fees cover attendance costs such as accommodation, travel, uniform, meals and staff.
Connor, who became the British 10,000-meter champion at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in 2019, took to Instagram to articulate why he’s turned down the opportunity—despite having worked so hard to attain it.
“BA [British Athletics] are asking for a significant athlete contribution which up until a few days ago was an unknown amount and although England Athletics have offered to subsidise this for their athletes, which I’m sure many are grateful for, I feel it is wrong,” wrote Connor, who competed in the men’s marathon at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“Representing your country is a privilege and in athletics is earned via a qualifying process, which whilst not always perfect, gives everyone the same chances to gain selection,” continued Connor. “Representing GB shouldn’t come down to who can or cannot afford to pay for it. Coming from a working class background, I don’t like the potential precedence being set where people, especially junior athletes of the future, don’t have the same development or competition opportunities because of finances.”
In a statement, UK Athletics (UKA) wrote that athletes were aware of the costs involved when they first expressed their interest in competing in the Championships—and that these costs were likely to be under £500 (about $655). It also noted that increasingly more competitions are being created at an international level and that “it is impossible for the sport to fund all teams.” As such, “UKA feels it is better to give athletes opportunity to compete than opt not to send teams at all.”
Does this response compensate for the costs involved? For now, it’s up to Great Britain’s top-ranking athletes to decide.
Rachel is Runner's World UK's Senior Content Writer, covering all running-related topics from training advice and gear reviews to race reports and elite runner profiles. Formerly a Website Content Editor and Content Manager at London Marathon Events and The Running Channel respectively, Rachel is well-versed in the running scene and understands what it takes to put on some of the biggest running events in the world. A 2:50 marathoner, she would much rather run 26.2 miles than race a 5K and has currently completed 11 marathons, including five of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors in a sub-3 time. She now hopes to run the Tokyo Marathon to complete the set and become a Six Star Finisher.
