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A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events.
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I'm not even sure IM is good for most people's health (mental or physical), plus it's expensive. I've never done anything longer than a half, and haven't done an actual tri in a few years. My main holdup on that is entry fee. This guy paid $891 just for entry into IMPC. Crazy. I'll continue to do endurance sports so that I'm fit and can randomly do FUN and CHEAP events. Tri continues to be boring and expensive in the face of events like the Birkie, Red Bull 400, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/...jByf6T6rHwqkOSJJ%3A6

"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5
Last edited by: boobooaboo: Jul 15, 19 12:12
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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why don't you come up with a format yourself and make it cheap? You are right about the branded races, its insane the cost, but at the same time if I had the money I would do them. However, I have yet to do a full distance and just signed up for a 70.3 this fall, but its a local race that cost me 130 bucks so to me its no different than some upper tiered marathons or even Nats.

Use this link to save $5 off your USAT membership renewal:
https://membership.usatriathlon.org/...A2-BAD7-6137B629D9B7
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [AlyraD] [ In reply to ]
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I do plenty of fun stuff on my own...but it's always different. No reason to stick only to Tri when I can do whatever I want!

"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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boobooaboo wrote:
I do plenty of fun stuff on my own...but it's always different. No reason to stick only to Tri when I can do whatever I want!

For sure. There is a certain rush from competition however.

And big events cost big money. I don’t think anyone is getting rich overnight. Staff, insurance, medical support, etc. You get what you pay for.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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While I agree IM is probably not healthy (on you body, mind, or relationships), finishing your first is a truly special life experience -- especially if you get lucky and have a good day (weather, nutrition, performance, etc.). You can say all you want about the power of Ironman's marking machine, etc. but there is a reason (having something to do with the experience itself, I surmise) that people eagerly tattoo a brand's logo onto their bodies.

Maybe consider raising money for charity (setting a high goal, maybe $5K?) and be open that you are going to use $1K of the proceeds to fund your entry fee?

I've never met someone who regretted doing the 1st Ironman. The Nth Ironman, is another story.... Just keep it in check and keep your real priorities front and center. It's easy to get sucked down the Ironman lifestyle rat hole, and the cost of that is more than financial.... but I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [wintershade] [ In reply to ]
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As a young person about to do their first ironman (and truly addicted to the sport at this distance), what are the drains on life you guys are talking about?

Gone with the wind

Instagram: palmtreestriathlon
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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boobooaboo wrote:
I'm not even sure IM is good for most people's health (mental or physical), plus it's expensive. I've never done anything longer than a half, and haven't done an actual tri in a few years. My main holdup on that is entry fee. This guy paid $891 just for entry into IMPC. Crazy. I'll continue to do endurance sports so that I'm fit and can randomly do FUN and CHEAP events. Tri continues to be boring and expensive in the face of events like the Birkie, Red Bull 400, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/...jByf6T6rHwqkOSJJ%3A6

I'm having problems analyzing your argument, sorry, I may be out of context.
Are you talking about IMs or triathlons in general?
Do you consider them unhealthy? For you or categorically?
Do you consider them boring? For you of categorically?
Do you consider them expensive? For you or categorically?

If the majority of your arguments are personal, I respect that.

For me, personally, I don't find 10-month long training cycles and 10-hour long races either boring or unhealthy. They're hard, but fun is in meticulous self-improvement. I don't consider IM super-expensive either. Probably on par with alpine skiing on per-year basis. They're not cheap, but thanks god, so far I can afford them without jeopardizing retirement savings.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [ask77nl] [ In reply to ]
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of course there are other distances as well. I can see the point somewhat of training for longer distance year after year can really beat up your body. It can also depend on one’s goals as well. I know plenty of people who just do sprints for fun and to stay in shape. They don’t really care about their time.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [ask77nl] [ In reply to ]
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Mostly personal arguments. Just “vocalizing” to a crowd that might understand. Most of my friends are not long distance multi sport athletes. I think the unhealthiest part of IM/Tri training is the monotonous training. Part of it stems from swimming. I spent the better part of ten years with the same weekly routine 48 weeks of the year. I don’t want anything to do with that anymore.

"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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It's tough to make broad generalizations about whether it's good for someone mentally or physically. Everyone's situation is different.

Entry fees generally don't bother me. It costs a LOT of money to put on a safe, enjoyable race and I appreciate that. If you plan well you can register early and get the lowest prices to mitigate the issue a touch. Yes, full IM prices for WTC are high, but you get what you pay for, and thinking about the cost to produce those events makes my head spin. So I get it.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [ask77nl] [ In reply to ]
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For instance, training for the Red Bull 400, I got to do some shorter, higher intensity training. Hill repeats and the like. It was fun and I got in really good shape doing something I wouldn’t otherwise do, AKA intensity and vert!

"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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boobooaboo wrote:
I'm not even sure IM is good for most people's health (mental or physical), plus it's expensive. I've never done anything longer than a half, and haven't done an actual tri in a few years. My main holdup on that is entry fee. This guy paid $891 just for entry into IMPC. Crazy. I'll continue to do endurance sports so that I'm fit and can randomly do FUN and CHEAP events. Tri continues to be boring and expensive in the face of events like the Birkie, Red Bull 400, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/...jByf6T6rHwqkOSJJ%3A6

What a strange post

There are plenty of shorter tris less than $100

But you say you haven’t done tris for the past few years because of the cost

And you start off by saying you don’t even know if it’s healthy lol

Weird.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [palmtrees] [ In reply to ]
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palmtrees wrote:
As a young person about to do their first ironman (and truly addicted to the sport at this distance), what are the drains on life you guys are talking about?

There are a fair number of good threads here about this topic. Here is one I started some time ago, which has lots of useful advice. https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...over%20life#p6860726

Basically, racing Ironman competitively generally consumes something like 15-20 hrs week of training time, many additional hours on related activities which can add up in a hurry (researching gear/races/etc., maintaining bikes, "slowtwitching" as my wife calls it) and it's among the more expensive hobbies one could take up (cheaper than sailing and race car driving, but more expensive than running or pick-up basketball). As you get older, you will have more demands on your time and/or people who'd like to think it's their right to exercise control over your spending, which can lead to obvious problems.

But for now, enjoy the freedom young grasshopper!
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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Get a mountain bike and don’t look back ;)
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [wintershade] [ In reply to ]
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wintershade wrote:
While I agree IM is probably not healthy (on you body, mind, or relationships), finishing your first is a truly special life experience -- especially if you get lucky and have a good day (weather, nutrition, performance, etc.). You can say all you want about the power of Ironman's marking machine, etc. but there is a reason (having something to do with the experience itself, I surmise) that people eagerly tattoo a brand's logo onto their bodies.

Maybe consider raising money for charity (setting a high goal, maybe $5K?) and be open that you are going to use $1K of the proceeds to fund your entry fee?

I've never met someone who regretted doing the 1st Ironman. The Nth Ironman, is another story.... Just keep it in check and keep your real priorities front and center. It's easy to get sucked down the Ironman lifestyle rat hole, and the cost of that is more than financial.... but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Your answer seems sound to me and I hope he acts on it. He's sounds like he's able to finish one and maybe just burnt out afterfour years of training. Good encouragement.

Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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boobooaboo wrote:
For instance, training for the Red Bull 400, I got to do some shorter, higher intensity training. Hill repeats and the like. It was fun and I got in really good shape doing something I wouldn’t otherwise do, AKA intensity and vert!
.
Why weren't you doing intensity and hills in your triathlon training? The only limitation to training is your imagination.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [palmtrees] [ In reply to ]
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palmtrees wrote:
As a young person about to do their first ironman (and truly addicted to the sport at this distance), what are the drains on life you guys are talking about?

They're just a bunch of cranky old men and women. Do your IM and have fun with it.

Training 15+ hours a week is a lifestyle and if they don't like doing it they should do something else that makes them happy.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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boobooaboo wrote:
I'm not even sure IM is good for most people's health (mental or physical), plus it's expensive. I've never done anything longer than a half, and haven't done an actual tri in a few years. My main holdup on that is entry fee. This guy paid $891 just for entry into IMPC. Crazy. I'll continue to do endurance sports so that I'm fit and can randomly do FUN and CHEAP events. Tri continues to be boring and expensive in the face of events like the Birkie, Red Bull 400, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/...jByf6T6rHwqkOSJJ%3A6

In my experience triathlon is somewhat expensive first year versus what I’d likely be doing if I wasn’t doing triathlon.

Once you buy your gear other than race fees it costs almost nothing.

70 percent of my leisure time is cost free. Riding bike and running is free. Swimming costs about 10 USD per hour

IM race fees are a lot but not much more than I’d spend on a vacation day, sometimes less.

I would blow much more money on drinking and eating out and other crap if I wasn't doing triathlon.

Compare it to golf.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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I ride MTB primarily now (Utah). Though I spend plenty of time falling off of it and hurting myself.

As to the poster who asked about training - focusing on a goal can end up shoehorning you into a certain type of training. The hill repeat I was doing for RB400 were max effort - HR up around 190 type of thing. A few times a week.

Point is...my imagination needs a kick in the pants sometimes! That’s where my original post comes from I suppose.

"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [palmtrees] [ In reply to ]
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palmtrees wrote:
As a young person about to do their first ironman (and truly addicted to the sport at this distance), what are the drains on life you guys are talking about?

i race the first ironman held in kona. in 1981. i'm as enthusiastic about triathlon now, at 62, as i was at 24, when i race that race in kona. the swim included.

i'm enthusiastic about the training, the racing, the traditional stuff, the new fangled stuff. no-draft tri, DL tri, gravel tri, swim/run, you name it. i'm in.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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The cost was one of the factors that scared me off of triathlons. I'd lurk on slowtwitch and see threads on paying $300 to have someone tell you how high to put your seatpost, or which of your many $7000 bikes would you choose for a hilly course on an overcast day, and the like.

But then I literally ran into a triathlon last summer. During a long run, I went through the bike leg of a triathlon and the run leg ran an out-and-back on the same trail I was running and I encountered most of the field at some point. There were frumpy ladies on hybrid bikes and fat guys on WalMart bikes. I thought "I can do that".

Still there's a lot of sticker shock as I looked into triathlon: the bikes first of all, but also bike computers, and power meters, and indoor trainers, all of which I didn't know existed 3 months ago, and other stuff... Plus entry fees and travel to races. It does seem like triathletes spend A LOT of money.

I'm coming from the ultrarunning world where all you need is a $70 pair of shoes a couple times a year.

I'm actually surprised to see people balk at race fees. From an outsider's viewpoint, those entry fees seem small compared to everything else.

But I registered for the same sprint triathlon I ran into last summer. The entry fee was $60. I've paid more for ultras that frankly had very little infrastructure. I've also done ultras for free that had great support and lots of food.

Anyway, the entry point if you don't want to keep up with the Joneses isn't that high. I'll be riding my rusty 1977 touring bike and won't have a wetsuit or an official triathlon leotard thing or biking shoes. But neither will some others. Looking at the photos from last year's race, quite a few did have aero bikes and special triathlon stuff, but quite a few didn't.

Just being involved doesn't seem that expensive.

Likewise, the time commitment is whatever you make it. If you want to be competitive, it'll take a lot of time, but so does just about any other sport.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [HardlyTrying] [ In reply to ]
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I have a love/hate relationship with WTC, but just a love relationship with triathlon. To do one full branded Ironman with hotel and everything is about the same as the associated costs of all my other races (fees, and travel). But no one is forcing me to do anything, and there’s also other full distance triathlons out there if I want a cheeped option. I do hate that WTC took over a local half and tripled the price for putting on exactly the same race, so I exercised my option of not doing it. The big issue for me is supporting local races, but sometimes wonder if they’re not getting out of control (charity 5k entry fee of $75 is a little out of my range).
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [wintershade] [ In reply to ]
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I agree competitive racing takes a lot more time. But you can do an IM on far less training. I did my first ironman 2 years ago and probably peaked at 15 hours. Overall I may have come in avg 10 hours/week. Maybe. Of course I'm no where near FOP. If I make it to top 25% in my age group I'm pretty excited. I could make the time for 15-20 hours per week training but I would be absolutely miserable. But that's just me. Others obviously spend way more time training. certainly triathlon is expensive if you want to be competitive. But if you're not worried about FOP you can certainly cut a lot of costs. But what fun would that be ;)
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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Entrance fees are certainly a factor for the branded events. Luckily, registration for the race I do each year opens around December. I tell my wife that registration for the race is my Christmas gift.

I think a few of the full distance branded events are offering payment plans.
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Re: A continued conversation on monetary cost of IM/Tri...and boredom with Tri events. [boobooaboo] [ In reply to ]
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I feel like no one takes PROs into consideration when dealing with race fees. Local events have a small trophy or gift card for the winner while Ironman needs a decent prize purse. People love watching Sebi and Frodo fighting one Frankfurt and love seeing people out their body through hell to compete in Kona but they don’t realize that $750K prize purse has to come from somewhere.
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