Depends on you and the weather. The race retreat now includes early access to the expo (I believe that is still a perk) and some people find that to be worth it alone. You can't get to the race start any later in the day, and still need to do the march from the waiting area to the actual start line well before the start. While it's helpful if it's cold/wet to stay dry before that point, you will still most likely have at least 30 minutes outside pre start. I can't find its worth the cost, but that's just me.