Hadn't seen it, but I sure hope people are going into debt for coaching, the latest gear, and destination races. There are plenty of threads that show you can race competitively in the local space on mid-range equipment. The responses to the post provide plenty of examples of how to race triathlon without mortgaging the house.

I don't. I buy in cash. If I can't buy it in cash. I do not buy it. THAT being said if I see something I need in the future, there is a 95% probability I will have the money by the next charge card cycle, there is a wicked killer deal that would save me 40+%, and if for some reason I cannot take care of the bill then i can still handle the tacked on interest (say unexpected medical bill or truck in the shop), then I will buy it on the card.

I am still young-ish and saw a great deal on a felt IA. I had sold my other bike a few years back. I had cash in the bank. Was saving every month. I just have trouble buying "toys" that cost extensive money. My old man called and said do it since I can afford it, have the cash, wont notice that cash is gone since it just sat in an account, and if for some crazy reason sh*t hit the fan, I have some liquid assets I could get rid of rather quick.

THAT being said - I also bought a boat in straight cash (got it for 50% of its market value - currently prepping to sell it for double what I paid for it 2 years ago - thank you inflated used boat market). NEVER EVER buy a boat. Make a friend who has a boat. You think triathlon is expensive? try owning a boat. haha

Substitute any hobby or non-essential spending for "triathlon" and the conversation is the same.

It's now rare that I buy something that I cannot pay cash for if needed.

In recent history, I went to Hawaii last October because I qualified for the Xterra WC. I put most of it on my CC and had it paid off by Jan 15th, I felt bad about paying Dec and Jan's finance charge but is was a trip that was hard to pass up.

BOAT = Bust Out Another Thousand

That being said, not a chance I would run up debt for anything other than an asset worth well more than the level of debt (house, primary car, etc.). Even a boat would be a no-go for debt.

Wow... never gone to debt for any hobbies... well for anything other than a house... If I can't pay for it right now I obviously can't afford it. And if you're having mixed emotions... maybe there's something there you need to confront and clear up.

Reading that post reminds me of the main cause of divorce in general.... financial issues.... If her husband thinks spending in tris is expensive enough, once he gets into a nasty divorce he'll wish he dropped the spending and even some or most of the events a long long time ago...

One word. Prenup

I'll dip into my "emergency" savings if I know I'll have the money to replace it soon, but I also have a pretty significant emergency savings (like a year's worth). I've never gone into debt though. I have taken 0% financing deals, but I don't consider that the same as other debt when I have the cash to pay it off, but just taking advantage of the offer.

Right now I have a Felt IA I bought at a good price and am upgrading to Di2, getting new cockpit, brakes, etc.. I dipping into that emergency savings a bit while I still have my other bike for sale. But that's about as far as I go. I've actually quit buying parts until the bike is sold because I'm ~$800 past where I told my wife I'd go, haha.

How true do we think this statement is :

A 2015 survey conducted for the World Triathlon Corporation — the Tampa, Fla.-based organizers of Kona and other Ironman races — found that the average annual household income for Ironman participants is $247,000. USA Triathlon, the largest multisport organization in the world,


Sounds incredibly high from here in the UK - my Ironman pals are wide mix and I could only think of one or two who might be in that bracket. We also had students - so on less than a 10th of that 'average'.


Sounds like the husband is a bit of a fool to me.

Complete misnomer.

I bought a used 19' Maxum (bowrider) 19 years ago for $8500. It's on a lake and stored indoors over the winter. All I've ever put into it is new batteries and an occasional prop.

Spent countless hours with my two boys kneeboarding, skiing and fishing over the years. My 21 year old just took up wakeboarding behind it last weekend.

Sure it's weathered, but besides Netflix, its the second best investment of my life ;)

Agree 100%. Most of the gear they try to sell us is all garbage anyways. $32 for a tub of salt? Thousands of dollars for a new bike with an 11th cog on the rear and electronic shifting? No thanks, give me a real game changer (like aerobars) and I'll open my wallet and buy one either used or on sale. I'm in the upper echelon for both income and net worth for my age and I race on a 2012 Cervelo P3 that I bought used from ST classifieds, with race wheels I bought used from ST classifieds, with an aero helmet I bought from ST classifieds and I choose races within driving distance that I can drive to in my 2011 Honda Civic. When I shell out the big bucks it's for income generating assets (real estate, stocks) that earn me money while I'm training....that's right, I'm getting paid while I'm swimming/biking/running and I'm not even fast!

To the original post, she needs to divorce that guy before he puts her in the poor house for life. If it's not triathlon, he will find another way to run up debt.

Why no mention of gofundyourself? #dreamsrpesky

hahaha! exactly, right? no boat for me in the future.

I hate you. I have a 2008 boat and motor. Knew the prior owner (wealthy guy and he took GOOD care of it). I do most all the mechanical work myself but good lord - maybe it is the salt water ocean that it is in and things just corrode and go to sh*t but ive put thousands into that thing haha

I am taking a VERY long time to prep and sell it haha I really don't want to get rid of it. I can afford it but it just makes logical financial sense to part with it and get another later down the road when I make more.

Yeah, no, I try to buy used, deals, I don't generally do more than 2 or 3 tris each year... so I try not to go overboard. I just got myself a Felt IA10 frame (used) and I sold a couple guitars and currently selling my other tri bike to make it up for the cost. I try to be very careful of not spending money that is needed for my family and essentials.

She asks "Question is, is this normal in this sport? All his friends make a significant salary so I don’t really believe him when he says this is normal. Any insight would be greatly appreciated."

I think it's normal behavior for selfish, ego-driven assholes, and triathlon has it's share of those. As do all sports, of course.

I'm amazed she has accepted it this far!
Who is stupid enough to go into debt for tri? Especially someone that is clearly not gonna accomplish anything!

I can't believe I'm saying it, but I actually now really believe that the figure of mean $127,000 (somewhere like that) annual income for the typical USAT triathlete, is an accurate number.

I can almost guarantee it's a LOT higher for IM participants as well - would love to see that figure!

I have mixed emotions every time I buy something discretionary, triathlon related or not. Is triathlon expensive? Yes, but I spend a lot less on other nonsense (booze, eating out, etc.) than my peers as a result.

This woman's husband is foolish. You don't go into debt to buy toys, whether you are married or single. He is also doing it all wrong. Are massages essential for triathlon? YES. You travel to a race and your spouse meets your every need for the weekend and then cheers you on for hours during your race. You then treat them to a massage (or something to that effect). If you cannot afford the race AND the treat for your spouse you can't afford the race. It is married triathlete 101.

I agree that it's stupid to go into debt for tri. But, so many people go into debt for trivial things that it's not a surprise this guy is doing it. Go to your bike or tri shop - they all offer financing now. Go to your dentist - s/he offers financing on your dental work. I'm looking at buying an Amazon Firestick ($30) - guess what? Financing offered!

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Attacking this day with enthusiasm unknown to mankind.

I’m not going to go so far as to say that people shouldn’t finance tri stuff, but try to keep yourself out of major debt. Sounds to me like this guy is constantly going overboard. You hear a lot about “if you can’t afford it in cash” but this generally comes from people whom have a significant amount of cash to spend. In short it’s all about scale. If you finance a $2500-$3000 bike and ride it for ten years that’s probably cool. Even if you add on some flos and an IM every year. Not all of us can throw around thousands like it’s cool. But if you start going into the $5k range on a pair of zipps with coaches, 2+ IMd a year then it gets out of hand.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

Justification for single life.

I'm at the point in my life that I can buy what I need to race so it would be easy to judge. When I was in my 20's putting a tri bike on a credit car and paying it off is something I would have done. It sounds like this guy is all in with IM races and travel and massages etc. No way I would continue to accrue debt like that, even when I was a kid. He could get by much cheaper than he is which is what makes it all seem so unreasonable. He has a bigger issue in that his wife sees it as a problem and he doesn't seem to be owning up to it.

300 dollars a month on coaching, means people are sacrificing paying down mortgages