Accountability Scorecard
The Splits is our annual equity audit of the running industry. We score races on pricing, financial transparency, prize equity, inclusion, safety, and accountability. These grades measure the gap between what race organizations claim and what they actually deliver.
In a race, your splits tell you the truth: are you on pace or falling behind? We're doing the same thing to the running industry. The Splits audits marathons on data-backed evidence of where races excel and where they fall short.
We calculate entry fee vs. local minimum wage. A marathon is fair if it requires less than 10 hours of minimum-wage work to enter. We also score charity transparency and flexible pricing options (sliding scale, community discounts).
We evaluate safety policies, emergency cancellation policies, race director accountability, and whether runners can cancel without penalty if they face emergencies. We also assess codes of conduct and harassment reporting mechanisms.
We measure demographic representation (% women finishers, international participants, local participation), disability accessibility, and prize equity for underrepresented groups. We look at whether nonbinary categories exist and if Para athletes receive equal prize money. We also evaluate cutoff times—longer cutoffs are more inclusive and welcoming to all runners, not just elite athletes.