The Epic is a fantastic event and is really well marketed and promoted thoughout the world. It is a MTB event that is uniquely South African and is recognised worldwide. For that - there unfortunately there is a price. The Epic is a business and was run at a loss for the first couple of years, so to some degree, startup costs and prior losses have been recouped over the last few years. BUT on reading this thread I read the article on the mountain bike forum and looked at the increase in costs per rider from 2004 (R3,900) to 2011 (R14,500). Even allowing for a generous CPI+5% annual inflation adjustment, the Epic should be costing approximately R8,000 per rider..............My only conclusion for this is that the entry fee has been ramped up at a rate that was driven by the perceived value of the event. The availability of Epic tickets and the struggle to sell them is not new - this has been a factor since 2008. I think that as the event becomes more expensive, people are no longer willing to buy a late ticket and take a punt on riding the event with only a few weeks training. If I were to do the Epic again, I wouldnt enter through the normal channels, but I would train and then wait until this time of the year and make a cheeky offer to pick up a ticket at a heavily discounted rate. If you can afford it - do it - it is a great event! Personally, I wont do it again unless they move it back to the original format from Kysna to Cape Town.
