I'd guesstimate $10-12K this year

over 25K?? wow, that seems excessive.

Counting the new bike ($2200) I bought last November, I was at around 4k for the '06 season. I only did 2 races due to an injury and knee surgery over the summer though.

for '07, here is what I'm planning on.

• entry fees ($6-700)
• travel (big chunk towards renting an RV for Wildflower) ($2000)
• specialized nutrition, i.e. cans of InfinIT, gels, bars, etc. ($300).
• misc bike stuff, i.e. tires, bar tape, a repair stand and some tools to complete my home workshop ($400)
• apparel...some new DeSoto 400 mile shorts, a pair of jammers and a bike jersey or 2. ($200)
• running shoes, 3 pairs ($300)
• masters swim ($240 for the year)

Just over $4K total. I don't have a coach. I only plan on racing locally (driving distance) this year and already have the major pieces of gear that I need. With the exception of race wheels, powermeter, and an aero helmet, that is. Which. depending on Uncle Sam and my tax refund, ight be in the cards this year.

Could I afford to spend more? Yeah, I could, but to your point, it would be to the detriment of other things in my life...i.e. kids pre-school, retirement/college savings, nice dinners out with my wife, real vacation (no racing), living in a nice house, etc, etc.

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__________________
JP

my twitter feed

This last 12 months it has been WAY too much!! Lessee:

new bike $2k

fitting + parts $250

saddle $100

trashed front wheel driving over it w/ car (w/ <60m on it :-p) $125

PT SL w/ cover, etc - $1300

new base bar - $75

tires/tubes - $150

Tri club membership - $200

Race entry fees, various - ~$1400

IMLP lodging, gas, food, etc - $800

replace fork after bike blows off roof of car going to IMLP - $425

new wetsuit - $400

Doug Stern swim lessons - $300

Health club membership - $360

Y pool fees - $300

race and training apparel - ~$400

shoes - $225

training plans/TP.com/CP software, etc - $350

625x HRM - $275

race/training nutrition (Infinit, recovery, Gu's, etc) - ~$600+

Travel to Kona, lodging, rental car, etc etc etc - $5k+++

Visiting Hawaii, competing at Kona - priceless*

(*although it took well over $15k to make this priceless thing happen)



Is it to the detriment of other things in my life? HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Well, yeah, I coulda plunked all that $ into my daughter's 529 plan, sure. But her Daddy woulda gone insane if he couldn't train. And her Daddy is an IRONMAN now too :-)

That being said, this was a one shot deal for me. '07 will be an IM-free (hence Kona-free) year for me, so the tri-related expenditures will be a tiny fraction of what I blew on it this last year. And, many of the larger ticket items are one-time capital expenditure purchases (bike, PT, HRM, wetsuit) that I will have for many years to come.

All things considered, it was a relatively "cheap" mid-life crisis management tool; much less expensive than a sports car and/or an extramarital affair and subsequent divorce :-)

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float , hammer , and jog

Not even close to your 25K but quite a bit when you add trips, although part of that can be considered under the "family vacation" category. Next year hopefully is a "new bike" year so that will add thousands to the equation but I personally are planning on doing less of the sprint races that are $50-60 each.

Peace

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"Bros b4 Hos, man" House MD

Team Aquaphor 06-08

I'm with Greg..although I haven't done an IM yet in any case, I search for cheap(er) races or package deals. I have a wife, two girls with way too many expensive activities, and other priorities for my budget, so I'm forced to be creative.

This year I paid $250 (I think it was) for a season package from Sommersports to race in Clermont. That included about 6 races (sprints and Olys), finishing with the FL Challenge half later this month. That was dirt cheap! When I can, I either drive down the morning of the race or stay in a homestay for $20/night.

Other expenses:

Used Calfee Tetra Tri: $500

race wheels (used Rev-Xs from the classifieds here): $200

PT Pro, complete with nice Bontrager Aero Lite rim: $500

Probably $500 in other bike expenses, including parts to build a new road bike that's not done yet. I did the 6 Gap Century last weekend on a 28 lb., $200 steel Windsor Leeds road bike.

I pay $80/mo for the YMCA, but that's a family membership and my whole family uses it regularly, so I consider that cheap. I swim at the YMCA and at a free city aquatics center that's near my work.

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Kendall Frederick

Orange Park, FL

As a member of said tri-club, as well as a 22 y/o grad student, and having done this sport for the past 6 years.. if you want to make it a priority, money should not be an issue.
I pay for all my own racing/training/equipment, however I have been lucky in that my parents do well enough to pay for my tuition through undergrad. I have several good friends who do not have that however, and still manage to make it work. I rarely go out drinking, I eat well, but stay away from most junk food (costs alot), have a reasonably cheap apartment, worked every summer of university, as well as having a part time job during the school year. My parents contributions to my triathlon career have been a $400 bike when I started (grade 11), and race fee's till grade 12, as my graduation/birthday present they paid for an airplane ticket so I could go train in victoria for 2 months.
I have managed to upgrade my bike twice since then, both time buying a used bike, and selling my old one, but its still not top of the line.. 2004 cervelo soloist with 9 spd ultegra. I have a coach who helps me on a pro-bono basis, I swim on the university swim team, run on the cross team, and bike with the locals..
- I have seen many beginners with crappy (in terms of this board) bikes, and I don't think its a question of ego, I just think its a priority thing..
My totals FYI..
national center fees (6 weeks)- 200
race entry - ~250-300
OAT fee - 40
Running shoes - touching on almost 600 now
Bike equipment - new cassette, chain, 4 tires - 140
1 running short/2 pairs socks/gloves/toque - 80
3-4 things of gatorade powder
10*oatmeal to go bars - 50
can't think of anything else.. I usually buy everything on sale, no special nutrional stuff..
I guess I'm saying that if you make it a priority, it can be done.. thats all

Oh, one other factor, for those of us who are self-employed, is how triathlon affects our income.

In my case, I have started to admit that it negatively affects my income. One, I am training more, and working fewer hours, thus reducing income. Two, I have cut down on conference-going and meeting-going, in order to free up both more time and more money for triathlon. Conferences, for me, are a way of meeting people who might hire me in the future. So, that will affect my future pipeline of income.

Not saying it was a good business decision. It was a BAD business decision. But, after you work for yourself for a few years, you get freaking sick of focusing on your business. You just want to invest in yourSELF. That is what the triathlon has been about - a rebellion of sorts. Me before my business.

I don't know how I could spend $25k on this...or any other hobby. Between races, airfare, and bike maintenance, I figure around $2k.

I guess it all depends on how much one wants to have the best gear, coaching, and equipment. I'm comfortable on my bike and have no desire to change. I'm not good enough to merit race wheels and other such equipment that can marginally improve performance. But I could see if you got an uber-bike, race wheels, aero helmet, computrainer, coaching, hi-end apparel, did a bunch of races...you could spend a lot more.

This season, I anticipate spending around $500:

• Triathlon Wetsuit: $200
• Running Shoes and other clothing: $100
• Entry Fees: $160
• Parking at races and expos: $20
• Triathlon Club Membership: $20

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"Real winners aren't content with yesterday's victories"

Doing two Iron distance races in the past two years has cost me dearly... I'd say between 2003 - 2006 I've spent close to 20k that includes a new 5k bike back in 2004... Has it be detrimental to anything else... the answer is yes... My wife believes that if we can afford to due IMLP with the whole family then we should be able to do a Disney Cruise with the 3 kids.... My response to that... We just spent the vacation money on IMLP;-) However, the wife may divorce me if we don't book that trip soon.

2007 season I will be racing on a budget... No new "toys"... I have everything and more. I will be sleeping in a tent at Mooseman & Timberman... I'll be sneaking into YMCA's to swim... Basically, I'm shooting for less then $1000 which will be race fees, gas, camping grounds.... Gels/Gatorade/Cliff Bars may put me over that number....

I wish all bicycle retailers could read this thread, as some of them "still don't get it. Although traithletes use Quicken to calculate their expenses, they are very liberal in spending $$ on this sport.

If the same question were to be asked on a Road Bike forum, instead of calculating carbon fiber and $500 entry fees, they would be adding up the jars of peanut butter and jelly they spent for their nutrition as their big expenses.

Hooray for the likes of Mission Bay who caught on to this whole triathlon thing early on!

the funniest thing about my sepnding habits is that they compound. i might not have bought race wheels, but after a new bike they didnt seem expensive any more. same for different nutrition, tires, a fuel belt, or whatever other crap i decided i 'needed' that week. i cant imagine how many times i have said "i spent 400 on the race, what $XX for this YY". i thought skiing was expensive...

Great after reading this I think I need a second job. It looks like I'll be doing about 3 - 5 out of state races next year. I was thinking about getting a tri bike and race wheels. Add in all the other junk I buy and I could spend 6-8k easy.

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~~~ ><)))))))))))))))))))))))*> ~~~~~ ><}}}}> ~~~~~~
Marc

http://www.triformore.com

[reply]Entry Fees: $160 [/reply]

Wow.

Here in northern CA, that buys, what...One to two races a year?

I'm trying to be better, sign up for affordable races run by outfits such as Sky High and OYM.

But, just one half ironman or Escape from Alcatraz puts you over the $160 mark around here.

That's so true.... After spending 5k on a tri bike, dropping 1k on a road bike frame was a drop in the bucket... Dropping $400 on a wetsuit this year didn't seem that crazy... but 3 years ago spending $125 was a lot of money... It's marketing at it's best.

This was an expensive year, but next year will probably be similar if I get a new road bike (Soloist?) and or cross bike.

entry fees (~ $550)

travel (~$1500)

specialized nutrition gels, bars, etc. (~$600).

misc bike stuff, i.e. tires, tubes, Cyclops trainer, chain, aerobars, 3 race wheels, bike shoes, pedals, cassette, night lights, some tools ($2700)

apparel...including winter wear. ($330)

running shoes, 3 pairs ($300)

YMCA fees ($360)

P3C ($4600)

10 hours per week training plus extra for travel/logistics.

My kids are out of the house and I now have more time to get fit. No detriment except for less time with my wife. This last two years have been exceptional. I feel much more alive and excited about life since loosing 50 pounds 4.5 years ago and getting in great shape. The competition is great and helps keep me motivated.

   I'm going to focus on tri this year, and it is extra painful when coming from MTB racing. Even in local mtb racing you win merchandise in beginner and sport classes and get cash payouts in expert. The little sprint tris I have done left me with 75-85 dollar entry fees and a plexiglass award. Thanks for making me question why I am doing this again. :)

Ditto - I don't want to know.

This last two years have been exceptional. I feel much more alive and excited about life since loosing 50 pounds 4.5 years ago and getting in great shape. The competition is great and helps keep me motivated.

PRICELESS!!!

Spent a "butt load" on coaching in times past (swimming on deck private with a really GOOD coach), tri specific coaching with a World champ personally, lots of running shoes, and a FREE BIKE & CLOTHES.......but when it ALL comes down to it....best money spent is on good food and balance in life. Great bed sheets have always facilitated a good nights sleep and THAT is important to athletic performance!!!!! Food, sleep, and relaxation to balance good old fashioned HARD FRIGGIN WORK.

The money is not a problem. I've spent a lot but I'm single with no real obligations, and it was worth every penny to get healthy again.

Time is the real issue for me. There were periods this year when I trained 15+ hours / week, plus the travel time of getting to places to train. It was great, but I'm reevaluating my decision to do IMAZ next April because of what it will cost me to train for that race. My academic career is at a rather critical point, and I think my IM plans will have to be put on hold if I want to make it to the next level.

Then again, the training really helps with the job stress. I'm currently trying to find the right balance.

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there was no one chasing us... distance is its own reward.

as another member of the said team, you make a very astute comment about the females showing up on clunker bikes. we definitely do have some girls on some tricked out rigs, but the majority of our team is just raw talent and hard work on borrowed equipment or entry level bikes.
the guys are a different story, you'd be amazed who's riding what, even as students. interesting theory on the egotism in this age group, but the point stands true, esp. at races like IMC/Kona - holy shit tricked out rigs in the <24 AG.
i, like dave, have been lucky to have parental support for tuition, this frees up a lot of extra cash for buying stuff for racing and riding. bought 2 race bikes myself, as well as 2 commuter bikes (different cities). have been paying my race fees for the past 3 years (parents paid the first IMC race fee in 03, they were as excited about it as i was). i've been really really lucky to have my parents help out with room and board for most of the bigger trips (denmark, kona, IMC), but it's a pretty self-sustained habit. they covered everything growing up (hockey/football/t&f/waterskiing/snowboarding/etc), but tri was a post-HS involvement for me, so unlike a lot of the KOS athletes I've met back home, i'm pretty much solo in terms of capital investment. there are some <17 year old kids back home riding zipps and tricked out rigs...very supportive parents ;) (like Sergio M's son, it's a question of priorities and sport of choice).
and to second dave, it's not terribly hard to live cheaply as a student. pretty much all of my disposable income goes towards sport, i hardly drink, and rarely go out. it's great that many of my friends (almost all now...it's becoming a cult) are on the tri team, so we can hang out while keeping fit for free instead of going out to get smashed and spending $60/night drinking...

one of the things that I think also has to be mentioned about this sport is how cheap it is in comparison to many other "white collar" sports (and tri is definitely a white collar sport). the g/f sails...you can't buy boats for <5-10k, and those aren't even the big boats. other friends horseback ride...any idea what a good horse costs/year?
as a coach once said, this sport is like nickels and dimes compared to many.

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"Anyone can work hard when they want to; Champions do it when they don't."

next year should be cheap...no IM's, and free road racing ($60 club fee covers ALL my road races)

in previous years:(cdn)
tri bike - 3500
road bike - 2200
powertap - 1700
IMC - 3200 (4 times, including charitable donation 2 years)
IMC room and board: 4000 (three years)
Denmark Trip: $15000 (3 people, 2 weeks)
Kona: 3000 or so...still sorting that one out
Local Races: 400/season
Bike Gear: 2000+??? (not really sure...it just kind of accumulates)
Commuter Bikes: 700 (and adding...still parting up one of them)

then there are the assorted travel costs, time costs, nutrition, and a whole whack of other stuff that i wouldn't even think to add in normally.

that said, i've got co-workers at the hospital that paid $50k last year to become a member of a golf course, and then pay $5k in annual dues for <30 games...
i think we get the better end of the deal

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"Anyone can work hard when they want to; Champions do it when they don't."

I'm one of those fortunate women whose children are grown and prospering. My husband is fine & happy in retirement. I have free time for the first time in my LIFE! So we got a second place in Florida. Most of my big expenses were incurred this past training season. New bike $5K, that was the big one. Fees for 2007 already paid (HIMFL, IMFL). So next year should be easy, mostly for the coach $150/mo (he's good), swim coach $85 a session (she's great too), nutrition lady $$??? i dunno yet, gym memberships in one state or the other $50/mo, winter running clothes for up north, and the other big one is airfare per month to get down to FL, maybe $200 or so. Standard 40 hour week at the office, so no lost income like the self-employed guys (ouch that must hurt.)

You young college kids, I don't know how you pull it off. I didn't have two pennies to rub together when I was in grad school/law school. But this lifestyle sure beats my mom's post-kid years back in the 70s ... valium, Homemakers' club, and waiting for my dad to come home from work.

Scary to think about, especially since I'm 23, was unemployed for three months this year, and made minimum wage for the other months ... but in 2006:

Club/Association Fees: $120
Running Shoes: $400
Cycling Equipment, etc: $500
Other Equipemnt/Apparel: $300
Nutrition: $110
Race Entries: $800
Travel: $350
YMCA: $720

Total: $3300 ... not that bad to pursue your passion for an entire year.

Still, needless to say, my savings were depleted significantly. Hopefully 2007 will not be so expensive and I can't start saving for real-people things (like a house, etc)!