How much is your calf worth? Setting your price without underselling or overreaching

In short Your price is a threshold: you get offers from campaigns paying at least that much, you receive the campaign's full pay, and Leg Up's commission is paid by the brand, on top.

First, how your price works

When you add a race in "My races", you choose the zones you rent out and set a price for each, from €5 to €1,000. You can change them up to race day (a zone already committed to a campaign stays rented, obviously).

On their side, a brand launching a campaign sets a pay per runner, the same for everyone. Its offer goes to runners who match its criteria and whose price doesn't exceed that pay.

In practice:

• your price is a floor, not a price tag. You ask €12 for your calf, the campaign pays €15: you get €15;
• set too high, it doesn't penalise you, it just puts you out of the running for campaigns that pay less. No offer, no notification, a polite silence;
• you lower your price while a campaign is open and drop below its pay? You get its offer, as long as its deadline hasn't passed.

And when a brand sets up its campaign, it sees how many runners match the pay it offers. A reasonable price is one more calf on its counter.

The zones, and what they're worth to a brand

A brand doesn't buy skin, it buys pictures. What matters is what the photos show.

• Calves. The classic. Seen from behind in the pack, side-on in course photos. Thin, muscular, hairy, smooth: we love chicken legs like any others, and so do brands. You can rent the right, the left or both.
• Forearms. They go up under the finish arch, and that's often the photo everyone keeps. It's also the only zone you can see yourself while running.
• Shoulders. Very visible in a vest, much less under a T-shirt. A covered shoulder is a poster locked in a cupboard: factor that into your price and your kit.
• Thighs and cheek. They exist too, for creative profiles.
• Forehead. The most photographed zone, and the most committing: the hardest to hide at the office on Monday. Presumably fewer runners offer it, which can justify a higher price.

Every race has its rules, and some ban zones. If a zone is banned on your race, you won't be able to rent it there.

What raises your value

Within a campaign, everyone gets the same pay. Your value is therefore the number of campaigns you have access to and your chances of being picked when the brand chooses its runners. The higher those two are, the more ambitious your price can be.

• The race. A big race attracts more photographers and spectators, and in principle more brands.
• Social posts. If you agree to post, you set an extra fee per post, for example €5, shown on your profile. Some campaigns only go to runners who post, and follower counts are verified by connecting your account.
• Training consistency. Connect your running apps (or import your exports): some brands filter on activity, like "ran at least 3 times last month".
• A good gallery. Your cover photo is highlighted to brands. A finish-line photo beats a blurry shot of your pasta.
• A complete profile. Bio, club, city. Your sports profile (level and, if you wish, sex, height, build) stays optional and private: filling it in makes you visible to campaigns that filter on it, leaving it blank is entirely your right.
• Reliability. Your race history shows your sponsors and the status of your proofs. A runner who always sends their proof gets noticed. So does the opposite: too many missing proofs can lead to a warning, then a suspension.

The crazy price, and why to avoid it

€1,000 per calf is allowed, and we admire the confidence. But for you to get an offer, a campaign has to pay at least that. Your €1,000 calf will wait patiently, nice and warm, for someone to notice it.

The method that works better: start at a reasonable price, see what offers come in, adjust. You have until race day to change your mind.

Renting several zones

On a given race, a zone can only be rented to one brand. But nothing stops you renting your calf to one and your forearm to another. Your left and right calves can even work for two different brands: they don't talk much anyway.

Two rules to know:

• a "both calves" campaign looks at the sum of your two prices. At €15 per calf, it must pay at least €30 to find you;
• a "one calf, either side" campaign looks at the cheaper of the two.

Keep a bit of skin for yourself, though. Beyond four brands, you're not running a half marathon, you're on a promotional tour.

Goal "entry paid back": a worked example

The figures below are examples, not market prices. You make the market, by setting your price.

Imagine a half marathon whose entry costs €40. You rent:

• your right calf to a neighbourhood bakery, whose campaign pays €15;
• your left forearm to a meditation app, €12, plus €5 extra for a social post, so €17;
• your left calf to a local start-up, €10.

Total: 15 + 17 + 10 = €42. Entry paid back, with €2 left for the post-race coffee.

On one condition, of course: each campaign must take off (reach its minimum by its deadline), and you must start, finish and get your proofs validated. A runner who doesn't start or drops out isn't paid. "Entry paid back" is a goal, not a guarantee.

And Leg Up's commission?

Leg Up takes a 20% commission, but it doesn't come out of your pocket. It's added to the brand's budget, which pays the runners, the commission, tattoo delivery if any, and VAT on those fees. You receive the campaign's full pay.

So there's no need to inflate your price "to cover the fees": there's nothing to cover.

Once your proof is validated (by the brand, or automatically if it doesn't answer within 5 days), your pay goes to your payout account. Your bank details are entered directly with our payment provider.

The tax reminder, not funny but useful

What you earn on Leg Up is income, to be declared. Leg Up passes the required information to the tax authorities. To find out how it applies to your situation, check with your tax office. A well-managed calf is also a well-declared calf.

Every mile counts. Now every calf too.