A runner’s scariest number?
Do you keep track of how much money you spend on race entry fees throughout the year?
I didn’t set a budget for the year, but I tracked race costs on a spreadsheet so it would be easy to add up when I did my end of the year race infographic. However, I didn’t actually do a sum command on the numbers until today.
Whoa! I was surprised. The total was higher than last year’s total. Even with several free entries, and not paying for as many entries for friends/family (that kind of made me sad), I did six more races, including an expensive half Ironman, so the cost went up. Interestingly, the average cost per race was only a bit higher.
Total cost and race amount subject to change by end of 2013
Anyway. I think it’s fun to look at the numbers (especially to compare between years!), and wondered if you track them too. I would love to hear your total (and amount of races) if you have it handy! I remember when I posted the infographic last year, a lot of people were afraid to see their total amount spent on race entries!
$880.43 may seem like a lot of money, but running is one of my favorite hobbies, and I like spending money on experiences (which turn in to memories). Plus… I have a part time job which lets me justify (to myself) spending even more in 2014. Speaking of that, I already have spent $155 for 2014 races! Let the fun continue!
Hmm, now that I am looking at this, I may have to add some more to the infographic, like cost per mile raced. That would be fun! And excuse me, while I completely geek out over pointless personal data. Ha ha.
Themocracy
How did you get a half for $14?!
It was $12 with a $1.99 processing fee.
Hey! Yeah! How did you do that?
That is just the cost of the South Shore Half! 🙂 http://www.badgerlandstriders.org/home/Races/SouthShoreHalfMarathon
Really need to add that to my list!
I’m hoping to do this race again in 2014! They even had snacks after the race!
And beer!
I think I am too afraid to add up my total.
Come on, do eet, do eet, do eet!
Just over $30 average entry fee is pretty dern good, I’d say! It’s hard to find a race for less than that anywhere.
I think so too! And we sure got lucky with that Spartan code!
If you include the after insurance bill for my PT so I could run Vets, my race bill is PRICEY this year. Scary pricey. Ick. Still trying to hide that one from Mark.
I love the idea of paying for race entries for others. I need to work on that.
PT doesn’t count toward this sort of race entry add up! Otherwise we could start adding all sorts of things, like the 8 pairs of shoes I have gone through this year. PT is important, too 😉
I love paying for friends/family, when I can. My dad always pays me back 🙁 He can’t take that Under Armour Cold Gear back though. HA!
Of all the things that I do budget for like crazy, I don’t track race entries. Though maybe because this was the first year I actually ran a significant amount of races. But if I want to do one, I find a way to do it. I did 11 races this year, I’d guess I paid between $500 and $600, which seems not too bad.
When I was adding my #s up and saw how much the Womens Half was, it made me wonder how the average race cost would differ for someone who does most of their races in the city (not saying you do). But you are estimating you paid somewhere around $50 a race?
That’s why I think the number is probably closer to $600. Or maybe higher. But I know a few off-hand were in the $30-$40 range, and we didn’t pay for the relay (or maybe Bob did – not sure, his friend’s wife registered the team). But then races like the Women’s Half and SF10 were like $70-$80. So probably a $50-$60 average. You know, for someone who is as obsessed with numbers as I am, it’s weird that I don’t have actual stats for this.
Do you think you will track it next year?
I’ve done 20 races and spent about $840 (I don’t have exact numbers, but its somewhere around there) That includes paying for 3 people’s races and getting one free entry.
I wish they were all the South Shore Half! 🙂
I don’t think I dare total up… I did 23 races + Ragnar. Suppose I could run a total off Quicken..just for kicks 🙂
OMG I love this! I remember reading your 2012 infographic right when I was starting my blog and was oogling over all the fun data! Haha, self professed nerd here…but honestly, that info is so dang cool! I think it also kinda shows how the cost of races is on the rise….
I have noticed that the price has increased for races I have done in the past. Too bad I didn’t start this spreadsheet until last year – I wish I had the data to compare!
I haven’t added up my total yet, but I will for my end of the year race graphic! I do know I spent $700+ on ONE race this year that I won’t even do till next year. Thanks Ironman. Although I will probably leave that out of this years recap and keep it for next year.
Triathlons are more expensive than running races so I usually end up spending more.
They totally are! The one tri relay that I paid for really drove up the total on my #s!
Which Ironman did you decide on? 🙂
Wisconsin! That way my family can come (and they better). Plus Kelly is doing that one too so I will have a familiar face there to freak out with.
Awesome! Did you volunteer this summer so you could get in? Or is there another way to register?
This is very interesting. My number of races and costs would be significantly lower than yours. I feel like I barely raced at all this year! I don’t have a list to look at but 2 half marathons, 2 5ks, one 15k… yep, only 5 races this year but three of them were PRs! I think the total cost is somewhere around $200.
Thanks for making me ponder this.
I don’t have official numbers but I did a quick count in my head. For 3 marathons (all big cities), a half (city), and 2 5ks (smaller) and Ragnar (which i got a deal on) I think I ended at ~$580. This was a really light year in racing for me, but none were free and almost all were high cost. Oh well, worth it. This year I have races planned already, but more of them are “small town” races.
Does my cost get offset in having fundraised >$1,000 for my charity relay? 😉
Also, I’m still in denial that I spent so much money on a treadmill, but I do use it….
Oh, and now I’m thinking of travel expenses. I raced in 6 states (CA, WI, IL, PA, MI, VA) only 1 in my home town and spent well under $150 for all the travel.
Oh shoot, I missed another half too. It was a pricey one over $100 and totally sucked.
Next year!
It’s really interesting when you start to look at all the #s, right? I didn’t even look at travel costs or money fundraised (I did a bit for the lung run). It would be fun to run ALL those numbers!
And if big city races are your thing, no shame in paying more for them! 🙂
Definitely a number that I’d like to NOT tally, especially with a half-IM race thrown in the mix. As you noted yourself, those are pricey! Tris are significantly more than running races, so that ups the fees. In addition to the race entries, I think about all of the other ‘stuff’ that goes along with them – and then it really becomes an expensive “hobby”!
I don’t want to know. LOL I don’t mind spending money on races, though, because I’m pretty selective and only do races that are for charity, plus, my health (mental and physical) is worth investing in! 🙂
When I was researching races this summer I realized every single one I had done, even the more commercial ones, had some sort of charity component. Do you only do the ones that are put on by the charity?
I keep track of those numbers as well. Although, I have already paid for several races that I will run in 2014… So I would need to pull that data out for just a 2013 cost. Then again, I paid for some 2013 races in 2012.
Oh, man. I kind of want to add it up but I didn’t track it all year so figuring it out now might be a pain. I probably have all the receipts in my email, though. I have a separate folder just for race receipts 🙂
I did 22 races, two of which were free. It’s kind of slow at work today so maybe I’ll see if I can add up the costs!
I was going to suggest you do it on a slow day at work. And for next year you can track it as you go 🙂
for 2014 add gear…I have been buying gear like crazy
I wonder if I spend more on gear than on race entries! I end up buying a ton of shoes each year.
This year was a wash, but now I am intrigued and want to keep track for 2014! To be honest, the only time I panic about race prices is when I am dropping hundreds of dollars on a marathon – and then not running it:)
I didn’t even think about races people paid for and weren’t able to run! That hasn’t happened to me in a few years. So frustrating when it does, though!
That would be fun to see cost per mile raced for sure! I’d say you haven’t spent that much money. It’s not bad! My most painful race fee was Chicago, which I didn’t even get to run.
I didn’t even know you were registered for Chicago! How did I miss that?!
Do you get free entries for the Rev3 events now?! 🙂
I added it up quick (may be of by 5 or 10 bucks). My total was $390. For 15 races, including 2 marathons. Not too shabby! Granted, I won one marathon entry and my crazy friends paid for the other, so…
That’s $26 per race. if you take out the 2 marathons and the entry that someone *ahemyou* paid for, it was $32.50 per race. Still! I think I did pretty well this year!
That is REALLY good! Make sure John sees that number. And totally compare it to mine when you tell him about it. LOL!
Think I did 7 races for a total cost of $22.20. Six were free/comp entries. One race was a DNS as I was sick, rest I did finish. Now to figure out 2014 and see what freebies I can get.
I spent about $400 for a Rock ‘n’ Roll TourPass which gave me access to all of their races this year. I ran 14 races and definitely got my money’s worth. Now, I did travel to those races and I do NOT want to know how much I spent on airfare and hotel.
The tour pass is such a neat idea! Ha ha, it would be interesting to see how much all that travel cost! 😉