personal Finance Story

Last year a good friend of mine came to me and made a very direct proposal. It went something like this, “Hey, do you want to run a marathon?” I had not run competitively since high school, and I was about 10 - 15 pounds out of shape so naturally, I said yes.

Thus began a four month training regime. I jogged countless miles, sprinted many intervals, and capped each week with a grueling ten plus mile distance run.

Along the way, I started spending more and more money on this new hobby. The spending was contagious. Once I had bought the next new item I so desperately needed, another item quickly popped into my mind. Below is the run down.

Two Pairs of Running Shoes

A word to the wise here. Running shoes are running shoes and last years models are just as good as this years but are just cheaper. I bought last years model on sale at a Dick’s Sporting Goods for around $30.00 each.

Cost: $70.00

Two “Technical” Shirts and Other Clothing

For those not in the know, a technical shirt is one of those fancy light weight breathable fabric shirts that fancy athletes wear. After your first ten mile run in a cotton shirt, you notice very quickly why these things are important.

I also needed cold weather running gear as the weather turned cooler in the later portion of training.

Cost: $70.00

Water Bottle Carrier Set

During my training, I would need lots of water. It was very important to stay hydrated at all times. In order to do the longer runs, I would need to carry my own water supply. I bought a water bottle carrier that was specifically designed for road runners. It had a few extra pouches to hold keys and cell phones too.

Cost: $50.00

Race Entry Fees

I ran in several local races as a primer for the marathon. I ended up running in a 3 mile, a 4 mile, a 5 mile, and two 5K races. The average entry fee was $25.00 each which included a tee shirt, after race refreshments, and sometimes a prize raffle.

The big expense was the marathon itself, which weighed in at a whopping $100.00.

Cost: $225.00

Food and Beverages

Throughout my training there were several steady purchases of additional or slightly different food. I was eating more calories to sustain my level of exercise. I also made a point to acclimate my body to the specific brand and flavor of sport drink offered at the marathon water stops. They let the runners know in advance what would be offered. It happened to be lemon flavored which is not my favorite.

Cost: $80.00 (Guessing, about $20.00 per month extra)

A Polar Heart Rate Monitor and Foot Pod Combo

Here is where I got a little crazy. My training partner had this amazing fitness watch. It read heart rate, detected your pace, determined your distance and collected and cataloged all of your running data in it’s memory banks. You could even upload your workouts to an online running diary where you could see, in charts and graphs, your progress.

It was expensive though. $150 for the watch and an additional $130 for the foot pod. I did not actually spend this money myself but I made it very clear to my special someone, that I would just die if I did did not have one for my birthday.

Cost: $280.00

TOTAL MARATHON COST: $775.00 (over only four months!)

Thank goodness that the marathon was close enough and I didn’t have to get a hotel.

The end result was very rewarding. I managed to complete my marathon in under four hours. I am very proud of my accomplishment. From a financial point of view though was it worth the $775.00? That is a lot of money for many people and I spent it on something comparatively frivolous.

There lies the truth, fitness is discretionary spending for most families. This would apply to any kind of money spent on keeping in shape like gym memberships, exercise equipment, and the like. Families that have additional money to spend each month are going to have better opportunities to remain fit. It is a sad reality but it is reality none the less.

All that aside, running is a financial vice that I will never be ashamed of. Sure, I spent $775.00 in four months to run around in a circle for four hours, but I know plenty of people who wouldn’t be able to make it past mile 3. It is a guilty pleasure that really isn’t all that guilty.