IM on a budget
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Sully800 posted 12 weeks ago.
Well the race will cost $500, and you'll probably need to get plane tickets and a hotel for a couple of nights. So you're looking at about $1000 just for the race weekend
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Iron Dan posted 12 weeks ago.
I would say that the biggest thing equipment wise would be to get a bike. With swimming and running, you can pretty much get by with a pair of goggles and a pair of running shoes. The bike doesn't have to be anything special, but even a fairly cheap road bike would be much better than a mountain bike. This would be much more efficient and save you a lot of energy for the run. I would suggest looking for a used road bike of craigslist or something along those lines.
On the clothing front, I would suggest getting a pair of tri shorts. This is really all you need unless the event forces you to wear a shirt. You can get by with having just the one pair of shorts and they work well for all three disciplines.
With coaching, I would suggest getting a swim coach more than any other discipline. With cycling and running, it is easier for me to read what changes I need to make and implement them than it is with swimming for some reason. Even a few lessons with a swim instructor will make a big difference in the long run. You can also bypass the tri-coach and follow a training plan that is found online or in a book somewhere. This will save you a lot of money especially if you goal is just to finish.
You don't really need to do any events leading up to an IM. They can be beneficial as markers in your progress and can boost your confidence, but they are not required. And lets face it, if you are trying to do it on a budget, you can save the race fees and invest them into something like a bike and host you own individual event if you need to.
On the nutrition front, you can save a lot of money on gels and blocks if you eat things like Fig Newtons or Pop Tarts. The give you close to the same nutritional breakdown and can save you a lot of money. Just make sure to try them out in training first.
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kylie posted 12 weeks ago.
I'd recommend looking at the tri clubs in your area. Yes, it is a cost, but you get a number of discounts elsewhere that can be helpful. We get a running shoe discount that pays for a year's tri club membership in a pair of shoes. We get bike discounts about once a year, and often have boxes of gels and bars given out at meetings. It's also a good way to meet up with a group of locals in the sport -- which can bring the sale of their used goods, etc.
And IM is a great experience -- and there are cheaper events than mentioned about out there, they are just Iron-distance instead of Ironman, and often have a smaller crowd. But they can be just as amazing of a day.
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DSmith posted 12 weeks ago.
Have a friend who was in the same situation.
1. Borrowed one of my bikes, we are the same size.
2. Borrowed Zipp 404's from another friend for the race.
3. One of his parents friends had a vacation house they let him use a mile from race start.
4. Picked the closest Ironman which was Fl. and drove instead of flying.
5. Used a training plan that I had used the year before from my coach.
6. Local running store gives 15% discount on all items to our run group.
The only big cost he had was the registration.
Good luck. Any money spent on an Ironman is well worth it. You will not forget the experience for the rest of you life.
582
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735 days
tsilcyc posted 12 weeks ago.
Where are you located? Like Kylie mentioned, there are iron-distance races like Vineman, Grand Columbian, and The Great Floridian which cost less than an actual Ironman race. You can find iron-distance races here:
http://www.trifind.com/iron.html
Maybe there's one nearby so you won't have to incur travel expenses.
Another route could be to go through Team in Training. You have to raise money but you get entry and coaching out of the deal.
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Leroy Bonkers posted 12 weeks ago.
I've had two friends recently get very nice bikes on Craigslist for less than $850 (both full Ultegra, name brand, etc.) I don't think Ironman brand races will even allow you to use a mountain bike. So a bike is priority #1.
You might also pick a race in which a wetsuit is illegal or not neeeded. You don't want to jump in at some Canadian race up near the north pole and think "I'll just be tough".
653
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199 days
TriSooner posted 12 weeks ago.
Since everyone has talked about the bike already, I will add other costs you need to consider. IM is way more expensive than, say, a marathon. You know the entry costs, flight, hotel, and associated direct travel costs. There are other 'hidden' costs, too. You need to consider:
1. Increased food consumption during training (you may think this is silly but if you are training 12-18 hours a week, your grocery bill will up);
2. more wear-and-tear on your bike and so you'll have more maintenance costs (ie, tuning, tires and tubes add up) so learn to do your own maintenance;
3. Skip the pre-IM race entry fees (if you use races as training on the weekends, all of those little bike rallies and shorter tri's add up);
4. Shipp your bike to IM (assuming you fly, you have to get it there and airlines charge extra for it, or you can ship it FedEx, UPS a bit cheaper)
5. Assemble your bike yourself (if you have it shipped to the race site, they assemble/disassemble it for you . . . for a fee);
6. Wetsuits and wheels can both be rented, so dont' feel like you must have that $300 suit or the Zipp 404/disk combo;
7. Pick one that is driving distance (but gas may not be cheaper than airfare anymore)
8. Do NOT stay at the race site hotel. IM CDA and IM WI had four night min., $400 a night ($1600!)
9. Don't rent a car if you fly. Ironman triathletes can be picked out of any crowd at any hotel near the race site. I took a shuttle from the Tacoma airport to CDA and bummed rides all over town. Just ask. Any athlete (or their mom or girlfriends, which are EVERYWHERE) will give you a ride.
10. Skip the coach idea (sorry) and gym memberships. A coach is nice, but a luxury, and if you are doing this on a budget I don't see how a private coach fits into this. Go with a free online training program.
Ironman Germany (July 6, 2008)
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Gnat posted 12 weeks ago.
Here's other ways that I have saved money doing triathlons:
- bought an old rental wetsuit instead of new (half the price and fits great)
- trained for 1/2 ironman using Gale Bernhardt's book "Training Plans for Multisport Athletes" instead of a coach - you can buy it online and you can also buy her waterproof "Swim Workouts in a Binder" for probably $20 each
- masters swim program in my town is only $50 for eight weeks including the cost of the pool
- paid for a one shot deal of one-on-one training sessions for swim technique and bike spin analysis that helped heaps rather than a monthly online training program which can only tell you which drills to do and not whether you are doing them right - better use of money I thought
- one thing you shouldn't skimp on is two (one getting cleaned while using the other) good pairs of bike shorts (I found this out the hard way) but you can get decent workout clothes at places like Costco or Sports experts (the specialty running stores rarely have sales!)
- make your own training camps and races if you've got some training buddies - tend to push myself more if I train with people that are faster than me
- my husband and I camp with our '78 dodge camper van at every race rather than hotel it
- sewed my own fuel belt for less than $10 rather than buying one for $45
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1010 days
Ultrarunner posted 12 weeks ago.
I'm in the same boat. I love the challenge of the iron distance but I am also paying a mortgage and daily expenses so I try to function on a budget. #1 get a used road bike, #2 Forget the coach, that's what we are here for, #3 try to convince some other poor soul to do the race with you and split the travel expenses.
I have done an IM event (Florida 2003) and it was amazing, but I had more fun and experienced the best volunteers and crowd support at Redman (iron distance) in 2006, half the cost. Do an IM event if you must, but if you are just wanting to tackle the distance like me, find an iron distance race and save half your money.
The race is just the finale to all of your training. Enjoy the celebration.
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298 days
psychosyd posted 12 weeks ago.
Find all of the free advice you can get. Run with a club and ask for tips/someone to look at your technique. Join a master swim!!!!(very important and generally inexpensive) Ride with a group. coaching is not necessary to finish an IM. If you are keen you can find all of the info you need (filtering through to seperate the good from the crap is another thing!)
Definetely buy used for your first tri/road bike. Just make sure you know what size you need. As said before, drive if you can, mooch/share accomodation if you can.
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thegman posted 12 weeks ago.
Heaps of good ideas. Thanks.
I live in Wellington New Zealand, only 4 hours drive from the IM venue, so it's definitely that one for me. It's also the 25th Aniversary in March 09 (2 guys have completed all 24 of them to date!) so should be a pretty big event.
A second hand bike will definitely be it for me, although I hadn't considered the maintenance costs.
I've been eating like a horse in the last couple of months since training for a 1/2 and was amazed to see how much the food bill went up. Luckily I've got a couple of young kids so could blame them :)
I'm liking the idea of one shot deal of one-on-one training sessions for swim technique and bike spin analysis, and also the idea of joining a club. I bet there is a hell of a lot that you experienced folks would be happy to share with newbies like me so a club seems like the perfect place to meet like minded people and pick their brains.
Ongoing coaching and gyms seem to be pretty big costs so it'll be good to avoid those. I've seen lots of free training plans online, and am surprised at how much they vary. Every one has a different approach so I guess it's just a case of finding one that sounds like it fit's my style / philosophies and going with it. Any tips on choosing a training plan?
A couple of other items I thought of:
Heart rate monitor - lots of talk on here about them. I've never used one but can sure see the benefits. Does anyone rely on just the perceived rate of effort (?) scale, or is HRM a must?
Indoor trainer - the weather here is good enough to cycle all year round, but Sept / Oct / Nov is windy and wet season here just when I should be doing serious base work. Wind and rain just ain't much fun in my books so I reckon an indoor trainer might help me clock up more miles. I might look into borrowing or hiring one. Have seen a few threads about them so will look back over those.
IMNZ is in March 09 so that leaves a lot of training time between now and then, but I would hate to go into it and have some unforseen problem. I learnt a hell of a lot (about cramp and nutrition) from the 1/2 I just completed, so am pretty keen to do some more events between now and then to learn from. There is an Olympic distance series here in Wellington, but I might have to try and stretch the $$ to a another 1 or 2 halfs to really test myself and feel mentally ready. I would be absolutely gutted to train for 9 months then be in pain from cramps for 12 hours of an IM race.
Thanks again for all the ideas.
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Socket posted 12 weeks ago.
I don't think the HRM is a must. I have one and I use it mainly to find out how close I am to keeling over, or if I'm pushing too hard on the bike before the run part of a brick.
Good luck!
My dream/goal is to complete a full IM and I'm part way there having done an Olympic distance and 1/2 IM already. To date both of these have been done on a mountain bike (with road tires), in my boardies, and carrying a backpack with spares, food, and drink. It's great for crowd support but no so good for efficiency :(
I'm not yet so hooked that I want to dedicate every breathing moment to this sport (but I could see that coming one day...). I simply want to push myself hard and be satisfied that I did the race as best I could.
So knowing this, what would you say are the priorities to spend money on to go for the full IM, and how can I do it on a bare minimum of $$?
I'm guessing a road bike is up there, as is appropriate clothing
What about coaching (my technique sucks in all 3 disciplines)?
Experience doing more / other events in the buildup?
Specific nutrition / supplements needs?
What else?
Thanks