How to Train for Your Triathlon without going Broke

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It’s Triathlon Training Season, People!

Grab your goggles, your bike, and your running shoes! Oh, and your swim cap, your helmet, and your sunscreen. And don’t forget your wet suit and your tire patch kit.

Triathlons are intimidating enough without worrying about all the gear. And expensive enough! Just the entry fees for classic-distance triathlons range about $120 to $450!

While prepping for my first tri, I seriously underestimated the amount of gear needed and how expensive it all is (those of you following this blog may be noticing a trend…). But triathlons are awesome and shouldn’t be limited to just the trust fund class.

Never fear, Savings and Sangria is here to help with your triathlon on a budget. Let’s break it down by event. First up, your swim!

Your Swim:

Swimming is more than just goggles. The big expense here is the wet suit. You might be tempted to skip the wet suit, as I was. But remember, the swim is almost always first, so it’ll be 6 or 7 am and you’ll be cold. Depending on the event location and time of year, the sun might not even be up yet for your swim. One practice swim out in the elements should convince you of the importance of the wet suit. Unless you’re somewhere tropical. In which case, good for you, you just saved some cash! $50-$60 should cover a decent shorty suit (that’s a short suit with short sleeves as opposed to ankle-length with full sleeves).

Getting back to those goggles, they aren’t expensive, but they’re really important, so you don’t want to go bargain basement on these. If you don’t have goggles with a good seal, you’ll be swimming blind. And really, it’s hard enough to see what’s going on while swimming in a group of athletes. So you’ll need a good, reliable pair, which you should be able to find for $10-$15.

Then you’ll need a swim cap. I hate swim caps and have never found one I like, so I stopped worrying much about it, and decided to go cheap here. Besides, most triathlons give you a bright neon swim cap in your swag bag to wear on race day anyway so the lifeguards can see the swimmers easily. You can spend $6-$10 on a cap, but sometimes you’ll find goggle sets with a cap included, which I think is the way to go.

Here are our picks for best budget swim gear:

Your Bike Ride:

Of course, the bike itself is the big-ticket item here. But I mean BIG ticket item. Who knew bikes were so expensive! This is a big problem if you’re competing in your first-ever tri. Because, who knows, you may decide after the event that the sport just isn’t for you. So you don’t want to drop heavy cash on something you’ll use for one season.

My best advice for newbies is to find a friend willing to let you borrow her bike to train and compete. If you love it, great! You can buy a bike for your next race.

If that’s not an option, avoid the bike shops ($$$!) and go straight to Amazon to purchase a general road bike (ie, not a triathlon or racing bike). Road bikes are hundreds or even thousands less than racing bikes. They won’t go as fast, and they’re heavier, so they’re a little harder to maneuver in and out of your transition area. But, if you’re not a world-class triathlete, you’re probably just looking to finish the race, not win it, so a road bike will do just fine. Expect to spend $200-$250 for a basic road bike. Which sounds like a bargain when you consider tri bikes start around $1,000.

Of course, the bike isn’t your only expense. You’ll need a tire patch kit. While training, I average a punctured tire 1 out of every 6 rides. Seriously. What if that happens on race day? You need to be able to patch and continue. In fact, your best bet is to buy an all-around bike repair kit for $10-$15. In addition to the tire patch kit, it comes with a swiss army knife of bike repair tools so you’re ready for whatever goes wrong.

And you’ll probably need a car mount system to transport your bike to and from the race. Maybe even to and from better training grounds than your back yard. The budget racks run $30-$40. This is another expense you can avoid completely if you can borrow a friend’s. Don’t forget a $10 bike lock if you’ll need to leave your bike unattended.

And, of course, you need a helmet. Most races won’t even let you compete without one. $20-$25 should do it.

Here are our picks for best budget bike gear:

Your Run:

Finally, an easy one! Running shoes and you’re set. You know the rule: no new running shoes on race day. Get your shoes at the beginning of your training so they’re well-worn and comfy for the event. Budget $50-$100 for your running shoes.

Your Transitions:

There are a few odds and ends you’ll need while transitioning from one event to the next, like a towel, sunscreen, and sunglasses or a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes for the bike and run. But you probably already have these items lying around the house. And you’ve spent enough money at this point anyway 😉

Do You Need a Tri Suit?

Now, what to wear for the whole event…? You’ve probably seen the fancy tri suits. They look like thin wet suits, and they have tush padding built-in for the bike ride. They’re awesome!

But they’re expensive. Especially because you need a high-quality suit to give you enough support and hold everything in place while you run. Those cheap tri suits just won’t cut it, so you would need to spend about $150-$300 for a comfortable tri suit. If you have money in your budget for it and plan to compete in multiple triathlons, then yeah, it’s probably worth getting one.

But if you’re new to triathlons or just don’t have the extra cash, it’s totally skipable. I recommend wearing bike shorts and a sports bra under your wet suit, then throwing on a tank or tee when you take the wet suit off in transition.

Actual Total Costs:

Did you notice how fast all those expenses added up?! Everyone’s total costs will be different, but here are my actual numbers as a real-world example:

More Tips to Save Money on Your Tri

1. Book Early. Like several months to a year in advance. Event fees increase closer to race day.
2. Check small town events. A Lake Havasu City event will be more reasonably priced than an LA or Vegas event. Active.com is the best site for finding and registering for races.
3. Check for promotional codes. As with any online purchase, google search “promotional code” or “coupon code” for the event and/or the organization selling tickets.
4. If you’re new to triathlons, consider starting with a Sprint Tri. It’s a shorter version of the traditional tri, so it’s ideal for beginners, and it’s less expensive. I’ve seen sprint tri entry fees as low as $70.
5. Train independently. If your goal is simply to finish a tri, you don’t need group training memberships or a swim coach. A few YouTube videos and lots of practice hours will get you through it.

So you’ve got your gear budget, and you’re good to go! All you have left to do is train intensely for the next several months, then compete in a physically demanding race that will leave you exhausted, sore all over, and so very proud of yourself 🙂

Feel Like Sharing?

I’m really curious about other triathletes’ total costs. Anyone else keep tabs on their triathlon expenses? Or have any other tips to save money on a tri?