NY Times Article

Pretty good article.  This kind stuck me as a stretch, "The average Ironman spends $22,000 a year on the sport.”  I was born at night....but not last night!  Based on the average bike (biggest single ticket item) I've seen at IM, I don't think most come anywhere near that much.  Maybe some do but "average"?  No way.

Interesting to see "1.2 million triathletes".  Presumably that is US triathletes....so with a US population of 307 million, that puts us in a group of about 0.4 % of the population.  Pretty insignificant.

~Mike

Why do you 'hate to day it'? 

I too fit many of the generalizations.....'cept the part abot spending $22K a year on triathlons!

~Mike

I haven't done an Ironman, but I've done about 35-40 triathlons over the past 10 years. I doubt I've spent a total of $22,000 on triathlons in that time, let alone in a single year.

Do these people buy a new everything every year?

It's the NYT, from everything I have seen they don't seem to be big on checking facts in their sports stories.

Cool article,  I guess I have something to look forward too in about 4 years when I enter the 40's my salary will get to $175,000, sweeeeeeet.   

"Triathletes are a discerning group of alpha consumers, with $175,000 average salaries"

Man I might just get a tri-bike tomorrow just knowing this great fact.

MAMILs....   "Middle Aged Men in Lycra"......    like it!

Is that guy in the opening photo sighting in a pool?

Some of the points of the article were decent, but they definitely need to do some fact checking. I know that triathlon is an expensive sport, but I am a teacher and definitely do not fit their criteria. Maybe 1/3 of the salary and expenses, and this was my first year, so expenses are on the high side.

Maybe if you do 6 ironman events each year, and include travel expenses, then costs can climb quickly.

I fixed that for you.  I trust the Enquirer as much as the NYT

hehe...I work with that guy. NYT must have a connection witih pittsburgh area triathletes, this is the 2nd pittsburgh area tirathlete featured in a lead photo for a tri story in the past year.

Because I'm a unique and special snowflake!  I am really!

fixed it for you!

 

I just started this year and tried to get everything pretty cheap.  My big purchase was my road bike for $1800 off ebay.  Other than that, I thought I hadn't spent much.  When I made the list (pump, shoes, pedals, wetsuit, goggles, sneakers, tri-food, entry fees, hotel rooms, tri shorts, cycling shorts/tops, socks, etc)- it quickly topped $4,500 just in the last 6 month- I couldn't believe it.  

The $22K number came from the KSwiss marketing guy.  It's just a quote, not a piece of research by the NYTimes.  Take it for what it's worth.  I'd imagine that there are plenty of people who easily blow that much on the sport.

That $22K number sounds right on to me.  

 

I think the initial investment can be high, no doubt, but many of these items do last more than a season. I agree marketing guys love big, round figures tho!!!

avg income etc sounds about right. Most likely they meant 'household income'. I read another article about exactly this about 5 years ago. They pegged household income about 125k. Somewhere in the middle is the truth for the avg athlete in prime earning years.

I snicker at how much some people pay (or say they pay) for shoes and coaching.

I wonder why the article never bothered to mention all the women who do tris? In addition to making it seem like all triathletes are rich, it makes it seem like they're all men. I wish they'd do an article that shows the wide variety of people of all ages, both genders, and all economic levels who do tris, AND that makes it seem like a more down-to-earth, accessible sport. Sure you can spend a ton of money, but you can also go cheaper. This article would make non-triathletes feel like it's too exclusive and expensive for them to even think about getting into.

The article I'd like to see is one that mentions that no one at your first sprint is gonna care if you have a used, old bike and wear shorts and a t-shirt for the bike and run: just show up and join the fun, get fit and be happy. Any age, any size, any job (not just executives), come on in.

o.k. I'm a dork. I practice sighting in the pool. I have larger goggles and I always wear a watch while swimming. I also decided to do a triathlon after watching the Olympics. Only it was the 2004 games. I did my first tri at 30 not 40 and my household income for this year is around $110,00. This story isn't too far off for me. I've never done an IM and doubt I'd ever spend 22K a year to do it.

maybe if you factor the clothing, the "healthy" food, shoes, travel, bike, sign up fees etc..


MAAAAYBE they could stretch the number

Let's be generous:

Carbon tri bike with nice wheelset, Speedplays, etc:  $5k
Wetsuit:  $1k
Running shoes, biking shoes, trisuit, goggles, gels, powerade, etc: $1.5k
Personal coach:  $5k
First class airfare to 3 IM events plus hotel:  $6k
Pool fees, gym fees:  $1k
Weekly massages: $1k
Race fees (3 IMs) :  $1.5k

There you have it!  $22k a year!  :-)  Oh, you have to donate all this stuff to charity each year.

~Mike

Yeah, I've yet to see any sort of analysis (anecdotal or otherwise) that places the average triathlete's household income under $115K per year, generally higher.  And based on the 300+ participants on the corporate tri team my wife is part of, we definitely aren't talking about the employees who work security at the parking lot gates or who clean the executive johns.  The team is overwhelmingly middle management to executive (including the CEO, who races once a year), even from a major corporation with nearly 150,000 employees in nearly every profession from finance to fire protection to food service.

On a one-by-one basis, of course there are going to be any number of struggling single moms and college kids in tri...but when you look at the population as a whole (as the marketers who get interviewed and/or quoted in these sorts of articles do), the demographic is very upscale and inclined to spend.  Anyone pretending otherwise is...well...pretending.

I've always prided myself on low budget triathlon:  In 3 1/2 years in the sport, I've never had a coach, never flown to a race, never had to pay for bike transport...I own a bike under $2000, no race wheels, no aero helmet, cheap pedals, trainer under $200, cycling and running shoes both under $100, most expensive wetsuit purchase was $149, no power meter for the bike, etc., etc..

Until very recently, our household income was well under $100K.  I've still spent over $16,000 on athletics (including travel) over that time--most all of it related to triathlon.

And I absolutely guarantee that I'm somewhere on the low end of the spectrum, at least when you look at people who participate at the HIM and IM distances.

The math to $22K doesn't work out. Simple as that.

To get anywhere close, you have to buy all new equipment, have a high end gym membership, do personal coaching for $500 a month, and then travel first class everywhere.

Silly.

I'd also toss in an SRM power meter, and, what the heck, a ZIPP PowerTap Disc just for the sake of double checking my power #'s.

But to really excel you need to have your tri coach and also work with a specialized swim, bike and running coach.  In addition to all the money you spend on the healthiest, freshest and most organic high quality food you have to hire a nutritionist to tell you how, when and how much to eat it.  Let's not forgot the monthly bike fits to make sure that you're in the most comfortable and aerodynamic position because of the micro-changes you've made in your fitness.  Massages were included but what about chiropractors and physical therapists?  You should also probably spring for a professional gait analysis at one of those fancy shmancy running laboratories.  Oh, and time in the wind tunnel!

Because we all do that.