KEY POINTS:
They've trained all year for the Auckland Marathon, but now many would-be competitors are having to dig deep into their pockets just to reach the start line.
The November 2 event sold out last week and tickets have surfaced on Trade Me.
Bidders were last night prepared to pay as much as $400 for a full marathon ticket which had cost $106.
Half marathon tickets were fetching as much as $175, up from their original $89.
Successful bidders will have to stump up $25 to have the registration changed into their names.
Last year the runner cap was raised from 7000 to 7500 but has been reached two months before the annual event.
The cap was introduced as a safety precaution as the growing field struggled to negotiate the opening stages of the race, from Devonport Wharf, down Lake Rd, and on to the motorway, Auckland Marathon general manager, Stephen Brown, told the Weekend Herald last night. However, plans were in place to increase the cap next year.
He said organisers could do nothing to stop scalpers buying tickets and selling them for a profit, as it was not illegal.
But marathon organisers would be very supportive of any moves to ban scalping, Mr Brown said.
Although many potential runners were last night willing to pay the extra dollars to get a shot at running the gruelling event, others perusing the auction were livid.
"Why would anyone pay that for a ticket to run a marathon. I would not just on principle. People just ripping others off. The reserve should be what you paid for the ticket," Trade Me user "anniemack1" said of the $400 ticket.
"Dude, you're a leech!!" another user said.
The seller, "glen204", said: "It's about supply and demand. However, I see that I may have priced myself out of the market as other people are stupidly offering a lower amount."
