2006 Triathlon Spending

I used to work for the company that produces Quicken, the leading personal financial software,  so you think I would have some grasp of my personal financial situation.  But in fact I hardly keep track of where my money goes.   All I know is that 2006 has been really bad for my net worth, due in large part to all the triathlon related spending. 

So I was intrigued by a lengthy thread in the Slowtwitch Forum where numerous triathletes reported spending over $10,000 per year on triathlon related spending.  (Of course I have read that the average triathlete makes more than US$100,000 year so they can afford to spend far more than I can)

Some of my fellow triathletes seem to spend significantly more money on the sport than I can afford to and I decided to roughly calculate and categorize my 2006 triathlon spending using the reported categories  from Slowtwitch:

1. Coaching -  Jay $0.  Average for people with coach - $500
What???  I am supposed to pay for a coach?  Yeah, well it would be very nice to have the attention, but for any questions I am content to ask my expert teammates like Keren or Steve and Michael, or rely on the Gale Berhnardt and Joe Frey websites


2. Personal trainers / massage therapy - Jay $ 0    Average - $200
Ha-ha-ha-ha.   Another absurd indulgence.   Americans are becoming too rich and stratified.  People really need not be spending so much for unnecessary luxuries like some Pharaoh and his harem


3. Bike and Swim Equipment - Jay $400     Average $3,500
In 2006 I acquired bike cleats and pedals $190, bento box bike pack $30, swim goggles $25,  bike tubes $10, wheel repair $100, Other $35  
I have almost no possessions anyway (of any sort).   I live in a serviced apartment and all my worldly goods can fit in a small car (not that I even own a car).  I certainly don't spend much on bike equipment.  In fact, I don't know where some of the bike stuff I do own is - presumably some cardboard box somewhere.


4. Running Shoes -  Jay $125     Average $350
In 2006 and late 2005 I acquired two free pair of Asics, a pair of Nikes at employee prices and a pair of full-priced Sauconies, so despite the enormous mountain of running shoes in my closet, my running shoe spending has been low.


5. Apparel -  Jay $75     Average $400
I am supposed to BUY triathlon apparel??   I expect to just receive it at races, like the nice Saucony long-sleeve top we received at the Inagi Ekiden, the gloves from Jim Weissman, the sunglasses from Fabrizio, the zillion t-shirts I have accumulated over the years.  Socks and shorts are customary Christmas gifts.   I wear the same few clothes over and over and over anyway - whatever is on the top of my plastic bin of athletic wear.  The only things I have bought recently are bike booties and shorts.


6. Bike (amortized) -  Jay $250     Average $1500

I buy a relatively inexpensive $1,000 bike and keep it 4 years.   Other triathletes seem to be buying $3,000 - 5,000 bikes every other year.


7. Gel, Power Bars -  Jay $300     Average $300
I have heard this is an expensive source of nutrition.  But actually any source of nutrition in Japan is expensive, so I don't believe this is too much of indulgence.  Would spend almost as much on apples or carrots in Japan.   Thanks goodness my friend Martin Murphy ordered a huge shipment of vanilla creme Gel from the US.


8. Health Club / Masters Swim Fee -  Jay $480    Average $400
OK, I know for people in Tokyo, membership in the notoriously upscale Roppongi Hills Spa must sound wildly hedonistic.  But this most of the membership fee is actually built into my basic monthly consulting retainer and so the incremental costs are cheaper than travelling to a public swimming pool across town.


9. Triathlon /running event entry fees: Jay $1,175    Average $1,000
Wow, these entry fees are expensive (and it is not like the proceeds in the case of triathlons go to charity...)  This figure includes triathlons like NZ, Goto, Sado, and running events like Angkor Wat, Edogwara, and a few other small running events.  Sado was the most egregious - US$250 for a half-ironman.  Totally worth every yen though. 


10. Triathlon-related Travel:  Jay - $4,000     Average  $2,000
Hmmmm.  Well I really like to travel, and I used frequent flier miles to get to Nagasaki and stayed in budget accommodations.  Still Tokyo is an expensive place to travel from.  The long weekend train/boat trip to nearby Sado Island ($750) cost almost as much as the week in Cambodia ($900).  The US triathletes report to travelling to events and staying in their huge recreational vehicles, so their incremental trip costs are low, but their fixed overhead is huge.


11. Triathlon-related Coffee Consumption  Jay - $100  Average - $0
(another separate Quicken category)