The Cost of Ironman

I have talked myself out of writing this blog a dozen times because I knew it would be a lot of work, and I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know how much money I spent on Ironman.  However, I am reminded of a coworker’s words before I went in to ask my former boss if I would be getting a raise: “You might lose sleep knowing, but you won’t lose sleep wondering.”  At the end of the day, I hate wondering.

I have tried to be as precise as possible in calculating these costs, but I’m sure I left something out and estimated incorrectly at times when estimating was necessary.  Some things (sunscreen, for example) were not included because they were simply too hard to quantify, but I still think this ended up being a pretty accurate representation of the direct costs of participating in an Ironman as well as the costs associated with training.

So just exactly how deep into my pockets did the entity of Ironman reach?

IRONMAN ESSENTIALS COST

• Ironman entry fee + 1-day USAT license + Active.com registration fee: $669.06
• United Airlines round-trip plane ticket from Little Rock, AR to Spokane, WA: $513.00
• United Airlines bag check: $25.00
• Spokane hotel (3 nights): $198.00 (my half; Daniel paid other half)
• Rental car (4 days): $135.00
• Food, gas, and miscellaneous for June 21-24: $130.00 (my half; Daniel paid other half)
• Blue Seventy Fusion wetsuit: $309.95
• Air Caddy (bike shipping container): $124.95
• FedEx bike shipping: Hot Springs to Spokane: $129.50
• FedEx bike shipping: Spokane to Little Rock: $131.75
• Ironman welcome banquet ticket for Daniel (mine was free with race entry): $32.03

TOTAL: $2,398.24

IRONMAN-ASSOCIATED COSTS

Entry fees for events to get ready

• Bass Pro Marathon entry fee: $80.00
• Arky 100 entry fee: $30.00
• HITS half-ironman registration fee + 1-day USAT license + Active.com registration fee: $94.12
• A2A marathon entry fee: $81.32
• Arklatex challenge entry fee: $35.00
• Tour de Rock entry fee: $35.00

Total: $355.44

Event travel costs (my half; Daniel paid other half)

• gas, food, and hotel for Springfield, MO trip (Bass Pro marathon): $160.27
• gas, food, and hotel for Ardmore, OK trip (A2A marathon): $215.44
• gas, food, and food for Marble Falls, TX trip (HITS half ironman): $137.00

Total:  $512.71

Fitness Clothing

• Ironman running shirts (2): $68.36 (on sale)
• Brooks running gloves: $17.99
• winter cycling clothes (Pearl Izumi full-finger gloves, Craft beanie, Louis Garneau long-sleeve jersey): $159.85
• Giordana cycling jersey and shorts: $126.00 (got a killer deal on this kit – about half price + free shipping)
• Nike swimsuit: $32.94 (great deal at swimoutlet.com)
• Pearl Izumi bike jersey, Castelli bike shorts, and Giordana bike gloves: $219.85
• Running Banana custom running shirt (Iron Rabbit): $35.99
• Headsweats M-Dot running hat: $19.42
• Champion sports bra: $19.32
• Sugoi Ironman tri top: $30.00 (on sale; I had to give it to mom because it was too small for me.  I looked like a busted open can of biscuits wearing it :-()
• Ironman finisher tech shirts (3): $87.79

Total: $798.19 

If you have seen me dress for work, it is obvious which clothes I spend my money on     😀 (and I wouldn’t have it any other way).

Shoes

• Mizuno Wave Elixir 7 running shoes: $107.96
• Asics Gel Kinsei 4 running shoes:  $170.95 (most expensive and least comfortable running shoes I have ever bought = FAIL; but they are very colorful and pretty :-D)
• Spenco Rx insoles (2 pairs): $47.98
• Nike Air Pegasus running shoes: $58.95 (got a good deal on a virtually new used pair on ebay)
• K-Swiss K-Ona running shoes: $51.44 (on sale for almost half-price)

Total: $437.28

Bike Maintenance/Assorted Gear

• CycleOps Trainer mat: $53.99
• tubes and CO2 cartridges: $37.45
• CO2 cartridges: $19.98 (got the wrong kind before)
• bike tune-up plus replacement parts: $184.82
• CO2 cartridge: $3.25
• Gatorskin bike tires (2), tubes, and chamois cream: $108.75
• bike tune-up: $85.00
• Shimano bike chain and Speedplay cleats: $78.97
• Ironman water bottle: $8.50
• ipod shuffle: $53.17

Total: $633.80

It would appear that I have a lot of flat tires, but I can only recall one during the whole Ironman training cycle.

Nutrition

• 4 boxes of GU energy gels: $102.14
• box of Clif Shot Bloks: $30.94
• GU gels (3) and Gatorade mix: $12.00

I did not include any other real food (non-“sports foods”) that I ate or drank during training – mostly on the bike.  Waaay to hard to quantify all of that.

Total: $145.08

Souvenirs/Miscellaneous

• Ironman books (2): $27.67
• Bass Pro marathon photo + frame: $30.48
• A2A marathon photo + frame: $27.37
• Ironman beach towel (HUGE) and support crew T-shirts (2) for mom and Daniel: $96.21
• Ironman store (custom T-shirt for Daniel, chrome auto emblem, M dot dangler, refrigerator magnet): $66.74
• Ironman store (T-shirts (2), keychain, mug, welcome mat): $137.47
• Ironman gear: $46.00 (I cannot remember what this was!)

Total: $431.94

Medical/PT

• Trigger Point foam roller: $35.99
• chiropractor visit: $53.15 (waste of money)
• massages (2): $50.00
• co-pay for MD office visit (shingles): $30.00
• co-pay for shingles antiviral medication: $15.00

Total: $184.14

TOTAL IRONMAN-ASSOCIATED COSTS:  $3,498.58

This does not include gifts I was given and thus did not have to pay for: Ironman books, Castelli arm warmers, Zoot running shorts, Wigwam socks, and probably more I don’t remember.

IRONMAN ESSENTIAL COST + IRONMAN ASSOCIATED COST = $5,896.82 GRAND TOTAL

Hmmm…I could have bought a really nice new bike for that.  One with Ultegra Di2, internal cable routing, and carbon cranks…

Nah.  Becoming an Ironman > New Bike

Do I feel guilty about spending this much money on my training and racing?  Not at all.  I wasn’t taking anything away from anyone or neglecting my bills.  Friends and family still got birthday and Christmas gifts.  My car was not neglected (as if!).  I still saved some money most months.  This is what makes me happy, and it’s an investment in my health.  I can’t think of anything else I would have spent that money on that would have brought me as much satisfaction and fulfillment.

I definitely bought more gear this year than I normally would, and I did go a little iron crazy with all the souvenir-type stuff; however, I will be able to use most of the gear for years to come, and there’s only one first ironman.  Triathlon is an inherently expensive pursuit, and despite how it might look, I am really pretty reasonable in my purchasing habits.

COULD IRONMAN BE DONE “ON THE CHEAP?”

If I were to do another iron-distance race, I could save money in the following ways:

• Enter a non-M dot event: $325 for Redman Oklahoma or $150-300 for a HITS race, depending on how early I registered (-$344.06 to $519.06)
• Would not need to purchase a wetsuit (-$309.95)
• Would not need to purchase another Air Caddy (-$124.95)
• If the race were within driving distance (say Oklahoma City), bike shipping would not be needed (-$261.25), plane tickets would not be needed (-$513.00), there would be no bags to check (-$25.00), and a rental car would not be necessary     (-$135.00).
• If driving, the hotel stay could probably be limited to 2 nights (-$132.00)
• Skip the welcome dinner (-$32.03)
• Fuel costs would be higher if driving (+$100.00).

TOTAL: $512.00 (HITS) to $687.00 (Redman)   

Wow.  That looks a lot more reasonable.  However, for my first one and maybe only one, I’m glad I went all out.

But really, whether doing Ironman cost $500 or $5,000, I know the true cost: PRICELESS.