Money, money, money...

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Triathlon is an expensive sport, and it is getting worse. Apart from all the equipment, competition entry fees have increased a lot.

Who is going to World Championships? The best athletes, one hope, but the reality is that lot of accomplished athletes are prized out. Travel, bike transport, hotels, entry fees, national kit fees, it mounts up. If it is overseas, it can get really bad, easily 5k US dollars for a single person. 

Entry fees for regular races have also increased in the last few years. It is now at a level where I really think twice if I want to take part. Often it is cheaper to sign up early, but you never know if you will be healthy and available on the day and usually, there are no refunds.

I have given up on two half Ironman races after signing up early and then, one year, I had shingles and the next year, I had Covid just before the race. In the first case I lost all the money (over 400 US dollars) and in the second case I lost about 300 dollars after I had signed up 6 months early for access to "refund" and possibility to postpone. I guess I did not read the fine print as the refund was minimal, and the postponing was for the same year. With a planned October race, how many race options did I have left for the calendar? None within a reasonable distance.

Example of race entry fees: Kerrville Triathlon Sprint: sign up 6 months in advance 149 dollars, Quarter Distance 189 dollars and over 200 dollars closer to race day.

Ironman Texas was sold out 5 weeks before the race but special entry for 1475 dollars was available. It is expensive to wait and see if you will be in shape to compete.

Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in two months' time is a cool 775 dollars with no real refunds.

But here is a real bargain: Ironman 70.3 Texas in a week can be got for a paltry 399 dollars! At least I usually know 1 week ahead of time if I am in shape!

CapTex Tri Olympic distance in Austin in two months is 229 dollars.

L'etape Tour de France de San Antonio bike ride/race charge 250 dollars for 100 miles 3 weeks ahead of time.

A regular park fun run 5k day of entry is usually 50 dollars.

If you do one or two big races a year, it might not be a big deal, but if you race about once a month, it is definitely a noticeable expense for most people. I understand that the organizers have tons of expenses, and much staff are volunteers. I do wish deferrals and refund policies were a little more generous though. I also do not need a participation medal and a T-shirt.


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