What does it cost to be a triathlete?

The answer to this varies depending on if you’re an average Joe athlete like myself and Rachel or if you’re a primed athlete going for world success. 

I’ve been wanting to write something for a while now as its a question that seems to get asked a lot. 

I then read this interesting piece on The New York Times website titled “When Amateur Ironmen Pay for the Elite Treatment“. It’s worth a read!

What caught me eye straight away was the amount estimated that Marc Blumencranzhad paid for his Kona race. Not talking entry fees specifically, but more the $100,000 he spent on the event, which included having his coach, massage therapist and physiotherapist there on hand with him on the build up and for the event. $100,000!!!

I do understand that if you want to be the best at something, it can cost money. The best / lightest kit is generally more expensive. Nutritionist, coaches and training centre bills can all add up! But… The focus of this article was on amateurs. That’s a lot to invest! It led on to discuss alpha dogs and all that…but that’s another story 😉

The next part that stood out, was the average household income of Ironman participants was $247,000. USA Triathlon, quoted as the largest multisport organisation in the world, says the average income for all athletes including those at shorter distances, is circa $126,000. *

That’s a lot of money. I wonder if a similar study had been done in the UK/Europe? I can’t find one after a bit of googling. 

So… Where does that leave someone who wants to get into the multisport world? How much does it cost? 

Obviously, if you have a little bit more disposable income, you are more inclined to spend it, so each individual’s own circumstances (or mindset!) will dictate what they spend. 

Here’s how it worked for me.

But let’s look at the basics, what do you need for a triathlon? 

Entry fees 

They can go up and down depending on the event you want to enter. If you want to just try it out and get a taster to see if you like it or not, find a non major event, think local and you can find them for around £20 (if not less!). Book early enough and you’ll get the early bird rate often saving 10-20%.

The Swim

It depends if you’re participating in a pool based tri or open water (lake/sea/river) event. If pool, well you only need a pair of boardies or some speedos but if you’re heading into open water, depending where you are in the world, you’ll need to get a wetsuit. Buying new will on average set you back a minimum of £100 for a basic model and of course as prices rise, so too will quality, comfort and performance. You’re best bet is to check all the usual eBay type sites, or trawl the web / tri stores to see if they’ve got any end of season or ex demo / hire stock for sale. You can get pretty good previous years models for a good discount and possibly only used a few times. Win. Win.

The Bike

Now I hadn’t owned a bike for about 15 years and this is the one bit of kit I really wanted to get right (for me). In reality, you can compete with any bike (‘m not sure how many triathlons have been completed on a Brompton however 😉 you like (as long as it complies with the rules!), but if you can afford it and want to be competitive, either with yourself or others, the more you spend the lighter and more efficient it will be – just like anything really. So you could spend £50 on a gumtree bargain or you could spend £5,000+ on a featherweight bike with wheel combo to match. You need to decide what’s right for you.

If you’ve never taken part a tri before, it’s not advisable to go all out and spend a fortune on the best tri bike available (though if you have the cash, why not?), just grab what you can and give it a go. I bought a cross bike so that when not tri training, I could use it on slightly rougher than road conditions too.

The run

This bits pretty easy… Get some running shoes and you’re sorted. Just make sure they’re comfortable and if possible, get measured up properly. A lot of running stores now offer the full testing suite so you can get that perfect fit.

Clothing

Something I’ve looked at a lot! You could get lost spending a small fortune on clothing. From winter essentials like gloves, jackets and thermal layers to compression socks, pants and tri tops & suits. Again, in reality as long as you can wear it under your wetsuit or not be naked from the pool (typically no nakedness rules apply – including top halves for men!), you can wear it. 

The only bit of kit I invested in early on was a decent pair of 2XU undershorts with padded chamois so that I had a little bit more comfort on the bike and it soaked up some of the water form the swim. I bought a 2014 version, brand new for about £19 and it does the job perfectly.

I’ve also recently bought myself a tri top, as I wanted something properly fitted for under my wetsuit and well, it was a present to myself after progressing past my training goals!

There’s so much other kit you could buy. As I mentioned earlier, it all comes down to how much money you have to spend. But, if you look around, you will find some great deals. For example, I’ve been wanting to do some heart rate performance monitoring but didn’t want to spend loads of money on the tech. My friend Paul just found us some great hrt monitors for £12. Bargain!

The final quote in the New York Times article I thought most poignant to finish on here too was this:

*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, says the average income for all triathletes, including those at shorter distances, is $126,000