How Much Does it Cost to Train for a Half Marathon? - Coach Tip Tuesday

How much does it cost to train for a half marathon?  

My experience as a coach working with hundreds of athletes over the years has shown me that very few - if any - athletes can accurately answer this question.  Even fewer can give an accurate answer to how much it costs to train for a half marathon off the top of their head.  There are very real costs that come along with setting a goal like running a half marathon, and it’s important that athletes understand these before they commit to it.  I’ve seen many, many athletes over the years be shocked by how quickly the costs add up in training and then make choices to avoid or eliminate some important elements due to cost.  Understanding what it costs to train for a half marathon ahead of time allows athletes to  go into training with eyes wide open, and as such, it allows them to make wiser and more thoughtful choices about how to spend their hard-earned money throughout training.

There are many factors that can influence how much it actually costs to train for a half marathon; the accurate answer to this question honestly is “It depends.”  That being said, there are some base costs that all athletes training for a half marathon will incur, and it’s these base costs that we’ll be exploring and listing out.  This week’s Coach Tip Tuesday is the second in a series of posts that are an effort to provide athletes with an accurate range of what they can expect to spend if they train for one of the four most common long course endurance events: a marathon, a half marathon, an IRONMAN, or an IRONMAN 70.3.  This week, we’re focusing on the half marathon.

All prices referenced in this article are current as of the time of this writing (August 2024).‍

How Much Does it Cost to Train for a Half Marathon?

“Running is cheap and easy because all you need is a pair of sneakers.”  

As I talked about in my post about how much it costs to run a marathon, that statement is one of the most misleading things that athletes say.  While running is usually less expensive to get into than other endurance sports (such as triathlon), there are more costs associated with training for a half marathon than just a pair of sneakers.Race Entry

Races charge entry fees, and half marathons are not an exception to this.  The price of a half marathon race entry varies widely; the race’s location, size, and level of support are the main factors that influence pricing.  The averagehalf marathon entry cost is approximately $100, but prices can be as low as $40 for local, grassroots races and as high as $250 for major half marathons such as the Walt Disney World Half Marathon.

Something important to note about half marathon entry fees: It’s not uncommon for a marathon to also offer a half marathon on the same day.  And it’s also not uncommon for the entry fee for the half marathon to be very similar (within $10-20) to what the entry fee for the marathon is.  A lot of athletes question this and don’t think that it’s “fair” that they have to pay almost as much as the marathoners pay to run “only” half the distance.

Race entry fees are a reflection of the total cost incurred by race organizers to operate a race.  In many cases, the length of the race is one of the last factors that influences the cost of operating the race.  There are base costs associated with putting on a race such as a half marathon or marathon which include (but are not limited to): insurance, parade permits for road closures, police and security, medical staff, aid station supplies, race swag, on-course and post-race entertainment, and more. 

The length of the race impacts some of these costs, but many of them are basically a base set price no matter what distance the race actually is; this is especially true if the race organizers use loops of the same route or course to add/create distances of races to offer participants (such as running a half marathon loop twice to offer a marathon distance in the same event).  The costs associated with road closures, police/security, and medical are especially significant.  

I’ll use my favorite race, the Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run here in Syracuse, New York, as an example: There are approximately 100 intersections that the race organizers need to control in this 10-mile race.  No one - and I mean no one - who is running the race observes and fully appreciates that they are running past more than 100 interactions that are closed and controlled in this 10-mile race because the race organizers are that good and keep the course safe and controlled.  However, doing this job properly comes at a high cost; the race organizers need to pay for barriers or police at each and every intersection for several hours, from before the race begins until after the course closes.  And if you don’t notice details like this, that honestly means that the race organizers have done their job and done it exceptionally well; the real work that goes into organizing and putting on a race is mostly invisible.  That being said, that very real work does cost very real money, and that cost is passed along to athletes in the form of race entry fees.

Race Travel

Traveling to race at a half marathon is not uncommon, and the fees associated with travel are separate from race entry fees themselves.  Costs of travel to half marathon races vary widely based on a variety of factors including the destination itself, the mode of transportation, etc.  I’ve personally spent $0 to travel to a half marathon (because it was local and I could sleep in my own bed) and as much as $2,000 (when I raced at the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World).

That being said, the average amount I’ve spent on travel to half marathons over the years has been about $1,000, so that’s the number I’ll use for the purposes of calculating an average cost to train for a half marathon.

Running Shoes

Without a doubt, running shoes are the most important piece of gear in half marathon training.  Over the course of a typical half marathon training block (16 weeks or four months), most athletes will cover 300-500 miles in their training runs, which means that they will need at least one pair of running shoes in training, and possibly two pairs.  Neglecting to replace running shoes on time is one of the most common reasons that runners and triathletes sustain training-related injuries.

On average, running shoes last for about 350-500 miles.  How long they last is a matter of physics; the shoes are absorbing 5-7 times the body weight of the athlete, so the heavier an athlete is, the faster their shoes will break down and the more frequently they will need to be replaced.  The average pair of running shoes costs $150, but prices of running shoes can range from $120-$300 depending on the shoe’s features.

I’ve seen how this cost prompts athletes to try and get “as many miles as possible” on their shoes, which often means that they are waiting until the running shoes are past their useful lifespan to replace them.  Believe me, the cost of an injury is much more than a pair of running shoes.  Track how many miles are on your shoes by using a platform such as Final Surge, Garmin Connect, or Strava and replace your shoes on time.

Running Clothing

The clothing you wear while you’re running is something really important to consider.  Yes, you technically can run in any clothing.  However, you will be much more comfortable and will probably enjoy running a lot more if you run in technical, moisture-wicking fabrics and garments that are specifically designed to be run in.  Common running clothing items include: tops, bottoms, socks, sports bras, and head gear.  Depending on the season, you may also benefit from items such as gloves, jackets, or sunglasses.  The average price of common running clothing items is as follows:

Running Shirt: $60

Running Bottoms: $90

Running Socks: $17

Sports Bra: $65

Running Visor: $30

Gloves: $20

Running Jacket: $100

Sunglasses (Non-Prescription): $30

Hydration

One of the most underappreciated and neglected aspects of training is hydration, despite the fact that managing hydration is one of the three most important things that endurance athletes can do to help their training and performance.  Water is free (if you get it from a tap), but there are costs associated with hydration vessels that enable you to carry water with you while you’re running and with hydrating beverages (aka sports drinks).

‍Handhelds, waist belts, and running vests are the three most common types of running vessels that are used by runners while they are running.  The prices of these items vary depending on a few factors; their capacity and how they are constructed are the main things that drive pricing.  Prices range from $30-$200 for a running-specific hydration vessel; handhelds tend to be the cheapest and running vests are the most expensive.  While this price range might seem  broad and expensive, hydration vessels designed for running are absolutely worth the investment.  Believe me, carrying a plastic Poland Spring water bottle with you and fumbling with a twist-off cap while you’re running gets frustrating and old very quickly.

My experience over the years has shown me that most athletes default to not carrying hydration with them during training runs, even if they know better.  Hydrating with plain water would absolutely be better than not hydrating at all, but plain water on its own doesn’t replace the electrolytes that are lost during exercise, and thus it’s not truly a hydrating in-workout beverage for athletes.  

I recommend consuming something that does actually hydrate the body during exercise (aka a sports drink such as Skratch Hydration).  Sports drinks are formulated to replace the electrolytes lost during exercise, to balance the osmolality in the body’s gastrointestinal system for good nutrient absorption during exercise, and to help the body perform better in training and recover after a training session.  All of this means the body adapts to and recovers from training better when it is sufficiently hydrated, which leads to enhanced performance over time.  Simply put: If you neglect hydration during your training, you will never reach your full potential in a half marathon.

You should by hydrating every single workout.  (Yes, every single one, even if they’re “only” short workouts.)  Depending on your sweat rate, if you are properly hydrating all of your workouts, you will use an average of 7 servings of sports drink per week, which means you can expect to go through at least 112 servings of sports drink in an average 16-week half marathon training cycle.  The cost for this number of servings is approximately $110.

Workout Fueling

In addition to consuming hydration, athletes who are training for half marathons need to be consuming fuel at regular intervals during workouts that last longer than 90 minutes.  It’s important to note that workout fueling is separate and distinct from an athlete’s daily nutrition; daily nutrition needs/requirements generally increase alongside an athlete’s training.  As an athlete’s training volume rises, their need for nutritious food also rises, which means that they will consume more food, which in turn increases the costs associated with daily nutrition.  That being said, this cost is very hard to actually quantify.
Workout fuel, however, can be quantified a bit easier.  When it comes to workout fuel, athletes have so many options to choose from; right now, athletes have more options than ever before.  Items such as bars, gels, waffles, and chews are specifically made to be easy to consume while running and to be easy to carry while running.  Pockets in one’s apparel can be used to store workout fuel, or athletes can use items such as running vests or waist belts.

An athlete’s pacing and the duration of their workouts in training will significantly impact how much workout fuel costs.  In addition, which type of fuel the athlete chooses will also impact the total cost of workout fuel in training. That being said, based on the average half marathon finish time (which is about 2 hours, 2 minutes) and on an average price per serving, the average cost of workout fuel for 16 weeks of half marathon training is $45.

Coaching & Training Plans

Many athletes choose to follow a training plan or to work with a coach as they train for a half marathon.  Both of these options have costs associated with them, and these costs vary widely.

Half Marathon Training Plans

There are a wide variety of different Half Marathon Training Plans available for athletes to purchase that are pre-written and “ready to go”; this means that these plans are available for an athlete to use as soon as they purchase them.  Plans like these are specifically designed to help athletes train for the half marathon distance.  They are often written and sold based on an athlete's experience level (such as Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced) and on the type of metrics an athlete wants to leverage during their training (such as effort, heart rate, or pace).  Occasionally, a Half Marathon Training Plan is written with a specific race in mind, but this is less common for half marathons than it is for marathons.

Beyond these base elements, there isn’t any individualization in these types of training plans; Half Marathon Training Plans are generic and are not personalized for an individual athlete and their specific goals.  Because of this, this option is the cheapest way that athletes can get guidance for half marathon training; the average price of a 16-Week Half Marathon Training Plan is $40.

Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plans

Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plans are designed, written, and personalized specifically for an individual athlete.  Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plans account for so many things, including: the athlete’s goal race, the athlete’s experience level, the athlete’s training preferences, the athlete’s goals, the athlete’s personal schedule, the athlete’s injury history, and more.  

A coach meets with an athlete to discuss their goals and what things they want accounted for in their Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plan.  Then, the Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plan is written for and delivered to an athlete.  Once they receive their Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plan, the athlete goes and follows the Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plan on their own; there isn’t any feedback or guidance given to the athlete once the plan is written and delivered.  Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plans are nice options for athletes who are self-motivated and who don’t want or need to work with a coach on a daily or weekly basis, but still want to have a customized training plan to follow to help them reach their goals.

Because they are individualized for each athlete, Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plans are more expensive than “generic” Half Marathon Training Plans.  The average cost of a 16-Week Custom-Built Half Marathon Training Plan is $400.

Performance Coaching

Performance Coaching is the highest level of coaching, communication, and personalization that an athlete can get while training for a half marathon.  All of the same things (the athlete’s goal race, the athlete’s experience level, the athlete’s training preferences, the athlete’s goals, the athlete’s personal schedule, the athlete’s injury history, and more) are taken into account for an athlete on Performance Coaching, but there’s even more specificity and detail with this training option because athletes have unlimited communication with their coach throughout all of their training.  Additionally, training is designed and written one week at a time (versus several months at a time) and can be adjusted on a very granular level (even daily) depending on how things are going in training and what things are happening in an athlete’s life.

Because this service has such a high level of personalization and communication, it is the most expensive Coaching or Training Plan option that an athlete can select.  The average cost of 16 weeks of Performance Coaching is $1,000.

Total Half Marathon Training Costs

As you can see, once you list out everything that you either need or that is very helpful to train for a half marathon, the costs do add up.  Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as “get a pair of sneakers and go.”  Here’s the total average amount you can expect to spend while training for a half marathon, broken down by category:

Race Entry: $100

Race Travel: $1,000

Running Shoes: $150

Running Clothing (One Outfit): $412

Hydration Vessel: $100

Hydration Beverages: $110

Workout Fuel: $45

Coaching & Training Plans: $40-$1,000 (Average: $400)

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Total Average Cost to Train for a Half Marathon: $2,317

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Low Average Cost to Train for a Half Marathon: $957

High Average Cost to Train for a Half Marathon: $3,917

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These calculations do represent averages, and the truth that I’ve observed over the years is that athletes usually end up spending more than these totals when they are training for a half marathon.  They might want more than one pair of shoes, more than one outfit to run in, they might join a gym or work with a strength coach, they might purchase other gear, etc.  

The Bottom Line

Training for a half marathon isn’t an inexpensive undertaking, and it does cost real money.  However, I hope that seeing these costs laid out doesn’t deter you from training for a half marathon if that’s the goal that excites you.  Instead, use this information to make wise and thoughtful choices about how you’re spending money throughout your training that will help set you up for success.