Wednesday, March 23, 2011

$$$ Adding up the Numbers $$$

Wednesday, March 23, 2011  at 6:21 PM
So Jennifer and I have been adding up the numbers, Number Signs that is, and we've decided to make a few changes to our race schedules this year.  Why are these races so expensive?  Is it the goodie bags?  I doubt it.  Is it all the staff?  I thought most of the people were volunteers.  Is it for the insurance?  But I thought I signed my life away on the waiver.   Oh well.  I guess I don't need to whine about how expensive it is and either suck it up and pay the $$ or just rearrange this year's schedule.

The first change that we're making is on Leon's World's Fastest Triathlon.  It looked like it was going to be an awesome tri, but it was a little pricey.  I think it would be well worth the money if you had the cash and wanted a super nice race.  For the two of us (knowing our budget and the other events we'll be doing this year), we decided that it would be a little too much money.  First of all, just registration was $125 for this olympic distance triathlon.  Secondly, the water's going to be freezing cold, so we'd have to do something about wetsuits.  Since there are two of us, this race started to get out of hand.  So we did a little switcheroo.

We found another olympic triathlon that is roughly the same distance away.  It's called the Bear Lake Traithlon and is up in Miskogen, MI --about 1 hour and 45 minutes away.  We're even thinking about taking our camper up to the KOA campground that is super close, so we can make it a whole weekend trip.
Don't worry, it's got A/C, so we'll sleep well the night before.  Anyway, this triathlon is only $65 for registration.  That's half of the cost.  Then, we're figuring out the whole wetsuit thing.  It looks like it's about $45-$50 to rent a suit.  I'll be doing at least 2 triathlons this year including the Steelhead HIM, so it might just be smarter to buy one for me.

Yesterday, I was searching for a wetsuit, and I found one that got pretty awesome reviews for an entry level suit.  It's made by Xterra and is called the Volt.  Here's the link to the website (HERE)  It sounds like a pretty awesome deal for $99.  I'm talking with a guy on Craigslist about his Quintana Roo wetsuit, so we'll see what pans out.

The other money saving change that is going to happen this year is my marathon.  I had wanted to sign up for the Chicago marathon, but it's pretty steep too.  Now the race is sold out, which I'm ok with, but I've got to find another marathon that I want to run.  Any suggestions?  I've thought about the Detroit Free Press Marathon.  It looks pretty cool.  I guess I just need to read a bit more on some other options.  If you've had a good experience with a marathon, let me know what you think.

On a training note, I hit the bike pretty hard yesterday (on the trainer of course), and ended up riding for two 30-minute sessions.  The second session rocked, and I came out of the saddle stoked.  I can't wait for summer and dry roads, especially since it's been pretty nasty here the last few days.  Today is rainy, so I'll probably spend some more time on the trainer.  This weekend is going to be psycho with a weekend intensive for school.  I may even have to push my 11-mile run to Monday.

Thanks for reading!

8 comments:

Ironman By Thirty

It sure is an expensive hobby :)

I can't say enough good things about the Grand Rapids Marathon. It is comparable in price to Detroit. I've heard mixed things about Detroit, but I'll probably do it sometime just to have the experience of running in two countries during a race.

As for a wetsuit, it sounds like buying is the way to go. For my first ever wetsuit, I bought a $50 Body Glove wetsuit from MCSports that was more designed for body surfing and whatnot. It worked well for the first season, but I ended up upgrading to an Xterra. You'll have to keep an eye on Xterra's website and FB page because they will often put the Vortex3 on sale for over 50% off. I don't think they offered the Volt when I got mine, but I got the long-sleeve Vortex3 for $150 and they had the sleeveless for $100 at the time.

Love you little camper!

Matty O

Welcome to triathlon. This sport ain't cheap. Heather and I both compete as well, trust me, 2 bikes, 2 of everything!

Yes, buy the wetsuit. You will want to do a couple open water swims before steelhead anyways and you should always practice in your gear PRIOR to race day :)

Cut some old peoples lawns and save up haha :)

Jon

Like what Kevin and Matty-O said...welcome to the $$$ pit! I just stopped tracking how much I was spending as long as I was staying within my budget. This sport has become my lifestyle, so there ya have it.

I think a lot of the $$$ is spent on road closures and police support @ intersections. Also post race food is another biggie.

tri like mary

It's got to be the swag. Those shirts have to be EXPENSIVE!! ;-)

The Detroit Free Press Marathon is awesome. Great turnout, cool venue that covers two countries, an underwater mile and best of all, seriously nice shirts. If you check out the website I think the race registration is still reduced too. I'll be there!

Unknown

A couple of things:

-Races can be outrageous, but I think it's smart for you to find some cheaper ones because they are out there! :)
-Xterra makes great wetsuits and they always have sales on them.
-The Columbus Marathon is great. Cheap, flat and the weather is always nice :)

chris mcpeake

Nice to see that there are still some races that dont cost a bizzillian dollars. Cool blog

Amber

How cute is your camper! Maybe the price goes towards safety and permitting?

99$ for a wetsuit seems like a good deal. Its the thickness enough for the weather? Will you be able to use it over and over?

KC (my 140 point 6 mile journey)

Good workouts even if relegated to the trainer. I admit, i like using the trainer ...sometimes, like if it is too windy outside to get a decent ride in. I bought the full xterra wetsuit last year for $150 and it has worked real well for me and didn't break the bank. Speaking of breaking the bank, good for you with budgeting the races. The cost of tri's is outrageous so i try to do as many non IM branded races as i can to keep the costs down. Love the 4runner. Is that a 2001 or 2002?

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