How Much Does it Cost to Train for an IRONMAN? - Coach Tip Tuesday

How much does it cost to train for an IRONMAN?  

An IRONMAN is a Full Distance Triathlon, which is 140.6 miles long and consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run.  While all IRONMAN races are Full Distance Triathlons, not all Full Distance Triathlons are IRONMANs.  An IRONMAN is a brand-name for this distance of triathlon put on by a company called The IRONMAN Group.  The IRONMAN Group owns the largest number of Full Distance Triathlons in the world, which is why so many people colloquially refer to this distance as “IRONMAN”, whether the race is actually a name-brand IRONMAN or not.

Most endurance athletes are aware that triathlon isn’t the most inexpensive endurance sport to get into.  That being said, I’ve seen athletes be shocked time and time again over the years by just how much it actually costs to train for an IRONMAN.  The truth of the matter is this: While I do truly believe that anyone can become an IRONMAN and that anyone can do an IRONMAN 70.3, the reality is that some athletes might find that the cost associated with training for and racing an IRONMAN is too steep.

While there are many factors that do influence the total final cost of training for an IRONMAN for each individual athlete, there is a base amount that each athlete can and should expect to spend if they set a goal to do an IRONMAN.  It’s important to note that while a lot of IRONMAN Training Plans are written for 26 weeks or six months, it actually takes at least 12 months of training to properly prepare for the demands of an IRONMAN.  For the purposes of this article, I’m basing all calculations on a year’s worth of training for an IRONMAN.

This week’s Coach Tip Tuesday is the third in a series of articles 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 IRONMAN.

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

The Swim

In my experience, the swim is the hardest leg of a triathlon to train for.  There are a few reasons for this: A lot of triathletes are adult-onset swimmers, meaning that they never “really” swam (more than learning how to swim to save their life) until they were an adult.  Additionally, gaining access to a place to train for the swim can be really tricky.

Pool Access

Getting access to a pool to train in can be challenging, especially for athletes who live in rural or remote areas.  Pool access almost always costs money and almost all athletes will have to commit to traveling to a pool to complete this training.  (This makes the swim different from biking and running, which most athletes could do from home if needed or desired.)

The costs for pool access vary widely.  Access is usually given one of two ways: through a membership or through a fee-per-use.  Most athletes I’ve coached over the years have had monthly memberships at gyms or facilities that have pools.  The current average monthly cost for pool access is around $50.

Swim Gear

There are a few pieces of gear that are either required or really useful for swim training: a bathing suit, a swim cap, goggles, a wetsuit, and a swim safety buoy.  A bathing suit is technically the only piece of required gear here, but the other things do make training for an IRONMAN easier and feel better.

Bathing Suit

For the purposes of swim training, any bathing suit that you’re comfortable in will do.  I have found that bathing suits designed for training (made by companies such as Speedo or TYR) withstand the rigors of training and the chemicals used in pools better than bathing suits that are designed for recreational use (such as those sold at Target or Wal-Mart).  The average price of a bathing suit is $60, and usually one bathing suit will last an entire IRONMAN training cycle (12 months).

Swim Cap

A swim cap is a great piece of gear for athletes who don’t have shaved heads or super-short hair.  The cap protects the hair from the harsh chemicals in a pool and helps keep hair from getting tangled.  In open water environments, a bright swim cap makes a swimmer more visible to boaters and others in the water.  The average price for a swim cap is $15.

Goggles

Goggles really enhance one’s experience while swimming in the water.  Like bathing suits, there are goggles out there that are designed for recreation that are relatively cheap, but I’ve found that goggles designed for competitive swimming are the best choice for athletes training for IRONMAN races.  The average price for a pair of goggles is $25.

Wetsuit

While I definitely don’t think it’s absolutely necessary for all athletes to wear a wetsuit in a triathlon, the warmth and buoyancy properties of a wetsuit often do make the 2.4-mile swim of an IRONMAN race feel better for athletes.  Prices of wetsuits designed for triathlon training and racing range from $300-$1,000, but the average price of a wetsuit is $400.

Swim Safety Buoy

For athletes who train in the open water, a swim safety buoy is a must.  These buoys help swimmers be more visible to boaters and others who may be in the water.  Additionally, they can be used as a flotation device mid-swim, which can be comforting if an athlete experiences anxiety in open water.  Additionally, these buoys often have a pouch that athletes can store things (such as car keys or an extra pair of goggles) in so they don’t need to abandon something important like that on the shore.  The average cost of a swim safety buoy is $40.

Bathing Suit: $60

Swim Cap: $15

Goggles: $25

Wetsuit: $400

Swim Safety Buoy: $40

The Bike

The bike leg of triathlon is - by far - the most expensive leg to train for since it requires the purchase of several pieces of gear, most notably the bicycle itself.

Bicycle

The bicycle is often one of the largest single costs for triathletes.  While technically any bike would do, the reality is that having a road bike or a triathlon bike is going to make training for and doing an IRONMAN easier.  I don’t think that triathlon bikes are necessary to do an IRONMAN (though since triathletes are notorious gear heads, many athletes get upset and argue with me when I say this), but I do think that at least a road bike is necessary to do an IRONMAN.  This is especially true since IRONMAN races have very strict time limits; a heavy mountain bike or hybrid bike is going to increase the risk that an athlete won’t make the bike course time cutoff.

Pricing for road bikes varies widely based on the materials they’re made out of, what their components are, and more.  A new bike can cost as little as $1,000 and as much as $15,000.  The average price most IRONMAN athletes spend on a bike is about $3,000, so that’s the number I’ll use for the purposes of our calculations here.

Bicycle Accessories

There are a number of bicycle accessories that are necessary to train for an IRONMAN.  

Helmet

First and foremost, a helmet is required in all triathlon races.  It also should be worn every single time you ride a bike outside or off of an indoor trainer.  All helmets sold in the United States have the same protection factor (meaning that a more expensive helmet is not a safer helmet).  A $60 helmet will protect your head the same as a $300 helmet will.  Any variance in price is due to the materials the helmet is constructed out of, how well it is ventilated, how aerodynamic it is, and more.  Prices range from $60-$300, but the average price of a helmet is about $100.

Bike Pump

A bike pump (preferably a floor pump) is a must in order to make sure that your tires are at a proper pressure.  Road/triathlon tires will lose their pressure within a day or two, so checking tire pressure before each ride is a very good practice.  The average price of a bike pump is $40.

Flat Repair Tools & Supplies

If you ride outside, you will get a flat tire.  Not might, will.  It may take a long time to happen to you, but it will happen.  And when it does, you need to be able to change it where it happens so you can get back on the road to riding.  Spare inner tubes, CO2 cartridges, and a hand pump are good supplies to carry with you while you’re riding for when this happens.  The total cost of these supplies is about $60.

Bike Maintenance

Over the course of an IRONMAN training cycle, your bicycle will undoubtedly require maintenance.  If you’re lucky, it will be minor maintenance, such as a tune-up.  But due to the amount of miles covered on a bicycle in IRONMAN training (it usually averages out to about 3,000 miles per year), it’s more likely that you’ll have to replace parts as they wear out.  You should budget at least $300 per year for repairs and maintenance to your bicycle.  That being said, it’s very possible you'll need to spend more if your bike has expensive components that need to be replaced as they get to the end of their useful life.

Bike Fit

A Bike Fit is appropriate for anyone who rides a bicycle, but it’s very necessary for athletes who are training for an IRONMAN due to how much time they spend on the bike.  The purpose of a Bike Fit is to make a person as comfortable and efficient as possible on a bicycle.  A Bike Fitter takes body measurements of an athlete, observes the athlete riding the bike, and makes adjustments to the bike to help make the rider as comfortable as possible.  All athletes who train for triathlons or cycling events should get a Bike Fit at least one per year, and the average price of a Bike Fit is $200.

Helmet: $100

Bike Pump: $40

Flat Repair Supplies: $60

Bicycle Maintenance: $300

Bike Fit: $200

Cycling Shoes

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A lot of athletes, especially when they are new to the sport, don’t realize that there are cycling-specific shoes.  I remember seeing cycling shoes for the first time when I started training for triathlons and thinking that they looked goofy and that I would never wear them.  Boy, was I wrong!

Yes, it is possible to ride a bike with flat pedals and regular shoes or sneakers.  However, I’ve definitely seen that riding with shoes specifically designed for cycling is best for athletes who are doing long-course events like IRONMAN.  Too many athletes cheap out on cycling shoes because they don’t realize how significant they are; the main point of consideration for a lot of athletes is price and they’ll pick any shoe just because it’s on sale.  However, there are important features that athletes should consider when buying cycling shoes.

The shoes represent one of the three contact points an athlete has with the bicycle itself.  (The other two are the hands/arms and the butt.)  The interface between your foot and the pedal of the bicycle determines how powerfully and fast you can move that bicycle, which means that shoes are critically important for getting you to transfer as much power/energy as possible from your legs into the bicycle to propel it forward.

Cycling shoes are stiffer than normal shoes or sneakers.  Stiffer is better in cycling because we want to reduce how much the foot is bending/flexing around the pedal; less flexion in the foot means that there is a better power transfer.  Additionally, too much flexing (which is what happens when you wear sneakers or running shoes to ride a bike) can cause the foot’s muscles to become fatigued and can cause numbness and/or cramping.  The longer the ride, the more likely this is to occur.  The stiffness index of a shoe does impact its price; the stiffer the shoe is, the more expensive it will be.

Cycling shoes can range in price from $120-$450, but the average price is around $300.  While this likely seems expensive to athletes (especially compared with the cost of running shoes), cycling shoes last far longer than other types of footwear; it’s not unusual for cycling shoes to last 8,000-10,000 miles if they’re well-cared for.  As such, it’s worth spending the money on a good pair of cycling shoes that fits and functions well; the return on investment per mile or for the time you’ll be using them is actually excellent for their lifespan when you break it down.

Alongside cycling shoes, I recommend that athletes training for IRONMAN ride with clipless pedals.  There are various styles (Look KEO, SPD, SPD-SL, and Speedplay are the most common).  There are many reasons why clipless pedals are a great choice for IRONMAN athletes, but one of the main reasons is that they help keep the foot locked into the optimal position for pedaling with the metatarsal heads of the foot bisecting the pedal spindle.  (Contrary to popular opinion, the ability to pull up on the pedals is not a reason why clipless pedals are advantageous.)  Clipless pedals range widely in pricing, starting around $70 for basic pedals and going all the way up to $1,200 for clipless pedals that have an integrated power meter.  That being said, the average amount of money most athletes spend on clipless pedals is around $100.

Cycling Clothing

While it’s possible to ride a bike with any clothes, you’ll be significantly more comfortable if you wear clothing designed specifically for cycling when you ride a bicycle.  Cycling-specific clothing is made from technical, moisture-wicking fabrics that are designed to keep you cool, reduce friction, and be functional.  Cycling jerseys contain pockets where you can store tools, fuel, and more.  Cycling shorts contain chamois, which is a padded insert that is sewn into the shorts.  In addition to keeping seams in more optimal locations (aka not in contact with the saddle itself), the chamois provides a cushion barrier between the bones that are resting on the saddle, which increases the rider’s comfort.

Depending on the season and where you live, you may benefit from additional clothing items such as gloves, long-sleeved jerseys, cycling jackets, and full-length cycling tights.  The average price of common cycling clothing items is as follows:

Cycling Jersey: $110

Cycling Shorts: $90

Cycling Socks: $17

Sports Bra: $65

Cycling Gloves: $35

Cycling Jacket: $150

Sunglasses (Non-Prescription): $30

Indoor Cycling Trainer

No matter where you live, if you’re training for an IRONMAN, you will likely benefit from having an indoor cycling trainer.  An indoor cycling trainer allows you to ride your own bike indoors, which can be advantageous in seasons when the weather doesn’t allow outside riding.  It can also be a benefit to athletes who need to do their workouts at times of day when it’s dark and it’s not safe to be outside.

A lot of athletes make the mistake of thinking that any indoor stationary bike or spin bike (especially the Peloton bike) is sufficient when athletes need to train indoors for cycling.  This is not true; indoor stationary bikes, spin bikes, and Peloton bikes are not the same bike that you will be riding in your IRONMAN, so they lack that specificity.  It’s vitally important to train the position you’ll be riding in the race.  Athletes who have disregarded my advice on this have struggled mightily when it comes to improving their cycling.

Indoor cycling trainers can be “dumb” (meaning that they do not have any connected, electronic features) and there are versions of indoor cycling trainers called “smart trainers” that do have connectivity to allow athletes to simulate the feeling of riding real courses while indoors.  Indoor cycling trainers can also be “wheel-on” (meaning that you connect your entire bike to the trainer) or “direct drive” (meaning that you take off your back wheel and use a cassette on the trainer itself rather than your own wheel).

The style and features of indoor cycling trainers determines their pricing; indoor cycling trainers range in price from $300-$1,200.  The average amount spent on an indoor cycling trainer is around $500.

The Run

There are a few costs specifically associated with training for the run leg of a triathlon.  The two most notable are running shoes and running clothing.

Running Shoes

When it comes to training for the run portion of a triathlon, running shoes are the most important piece of gear that athletes will need.  Most athletes will cover 600-1,000 miles in their training runs as they train for an IRONMAN, which means that they will need at least three pairs of running shoes in training, and possibly more.  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 time and time again how athletes are tempted to try and “get the most miles” out of their shoes, especially when the costs of training are expensive.  That being said, the risk of not replacing your shoes on time is real, and injuries do happen as a result of neglecting to do this on time.  Track how many miles you have on your shoes via a platform such as Final Surge, Strava, or Garmin Connect, and replace your shoes when their life expectancy is up.

Running Clothing

The clothing you wear while running will make a significant impact on how comfortable you are and therefore on how much you enjoy the experience.  While yes, you can technically run in any clothing, you will absolutely have a better training experience if you run in garments that are moisture-wicking, technical, and designed specifically for running.  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

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Everything Else

Race Entry

Races charge entry fees, and IRONMAN races definitely charge entry fees.  As I’ve talked about in the past, entry fees reflect the costs that are incurred by the race organizers.  Triathlons in general are extremely expensive to put on because of their nature of having three different sports.  IRONMAN races are even more expensive due to their scale, organization, and the level of support that they provide to athletes on course.  The current average price of an IRONMAN entry is $900.

Race Travel

Travel is almost always required for IRONMAN events.  While shorter triathlons are more common locally and running events (especially shorter ones) are common, there are not that many IRONMAN events.  As of August 2024, there are just 42 IRONMAN events worldwide.  (For comparison, there are more than 800 marathons and thousands of half marathons held worldwide each year.)  As a result, the chances of having an IRONMAN race that you can sleep in your own bed for is exceptionally rare. (To date, after 10+ years of coaching IRONMAN athletes, I’ve only coached one athlete for whom this was true.)

Obviously travel costs can vary widely depending on many factors, including the destination, the accommodations, method of travel, etc.  Over the years, the athletes I’ve coached have spent an average of $4,000 on travel related to their IRONMAN race, so that’s the number I’ll use for the purposes of this calculation.

Tri Kit

A Triathlon Kit (more commonly referred to as a Tri Kit or a Tri Suit) is a special type of apparel specifically designed to be worn for all three legs of a triathlon.  It is constructed of fabrics that dry quickly, has a chamois to make riding a bicycle more comfortable, and has pockets that can be used to store fuel or other things.  A Tri Kit makes it possible for an athlete to swim, bike, and run without having to change in between disciplines.

Pricing on Tri Kits varies widely based on several factors, but it is a really worthwhile investment; it actually does make the process of transitioning from one leg to the next in a triathlon much easier.  The average price for one Tri Kit is $230.

GPS Device

A GPS device designed specifically for training for triathlons is a very worthwhile investment for athletes who are training for an IRONMAN.  This device allows athletes to track their workouts, follow structured workouts, measure progress over time, follow turn-by-turn directions on courses during workouts, and more.  While it’s technically not necessary to have a GPS device to train for an IRONMAN, I have observed that having one really enhances an athlete’s experience in training since the device can take over a lot of thinking, calculating, and measuring that an athlete would otherwise have to do without one.

There are cycling-specific computers that some athletes train with (including me), but for athletes who are getting into the sport, I recommend a device that can track multiple sports, such as a Garmin Forerunner device.  Other devices such as a cycling computer can be acquired later on if the athlete decides they want to have them, but having a single device that can track all three disciplines (including a triathlon itself on race day) is the way to go if you’re new or if funds are limited.  The average price of a GPS device that can be used to train for all three disciplines of triathlon is $600.

Hydration

One of the most underappreciated and neglected aspects of triathlon 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 training and with hydrating beverages (aka sports drinks).

On the bike, bike bottles are the most common way to hydrate.  When it comes to the run, handhelds, waist belts, and running vests are the three most common types of running vessels that are used.  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.  Bike bottles are usually around $20 and 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.  Dehydration impacts performance severely and carrying regular bottles in your hands while you are running gets old very quickly.  

My experience over the years has shown me that most athletes default not carrying hydration with them during training, even if they know better.  (If we’re lucky, they might carry a little bit of hydration, but it’s often an insufficient amount.)  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 an IRONMAN.

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 12 servings of sports drink per week as you train for an IRONMAN, which means you can expect to go through at least 624 servings of sports drink in a year.  The cost for this number of servings is approximately $560.

Workout Fueling

In addition to consuming hydration, athletes who are training for an IRONMAN 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 will increase.  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 riding and running.  

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 IRONMAN finish time (which is about 13 hours, 30 minutes) and on an average price per serving, the average cost of workout fuel for a year of IRONMAN training is $700.

Coaching & Training Plans

Almost every athlete who trains for an IRONMAN follows a Training Plan or hires a coach.  In fact, over 40% of the athletes who train for IRONMANs decide to work with a coach (versus following a Training Plan on their own).  Both of these options have costs associated with them, and these costs vary widely.

IRONMAN Training Plans

There are a wide variety of different IRONMAN 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 IRONMAN 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, power, or pace).  

Often, IRONMAN Training Plans are written with a specific race in mind; race course profiles do change how athletes should be preparing in training.  For instance, an athlete training for IRONMAN Lake Placid (which has a lake swim and is very hilly) will need to train a lot differently than an athlete who is training for IRONMAN Maryland (which has a salt water swim and is a flat course).

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Beyond these base elements, there isn’t any individualization in these types of training plans; IRONMAN 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 IRONMAN training; the average price of IRONMAN Training Plans that cover a year of training is $200. 

Custom-Built IRONMAN Training Plans

Custom-Built IRONMAN Training Plans are designed, written, and personalized specifically for an individual athlete.  Custom-Built IRONMAN 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 IRONMAN Training Plan.  Then, the Custom-Built IRONMAN Training Plan is written for and delivered to an athlete.  Once they receive their Custom-Built IRONMAN Training Plan, the athlete goes and follows the Custom-Built IRONMAN 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 IRONMAN 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 IRONMAN Training Plans are more expensive than “generic” IRONMAN Training Plans.  The average cost of a Custom-Built IRONMAN Training Plan that covers a year’s worth of training is $1,300.

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Performance Coaching

Performance Coaching is the highest level of coaching, communication, and personalization that an athlete can get while training for an IRONMAN.  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 a year’s worth of Performance Coaching is $3,100.

Total IRONMAN Training Costs

As you can see, once you list out everything that you either need or that is very helpful to train for an IRONMAN, the costs add up, and they add up quickly.  Here’s the total average amount you can expect to spend while training for an IRONMAN, broken down by category:

Swim

Pool Access: $600

Bathing Suit: $60

Swim Cap: $15

Goggles: $25

Wetsuit: $400

Swim Safety Buoy: $40

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Bike

Bicycle: $3,000

Helmet: $100

Bike Pump: $40

Flat Repair Supplies: $60

Bicycle Maintenance: $300

Bike Fit: $200

Cycling Shoes: $300

Clipless Pedals: $100

Cycling Clothing: $497

Indoor Cycling Trainer: $500

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Run

Running Shoes: $450

Running Clothing (One Outfit): $412

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Everything Else

Race Entry: $900

Race Travel: $4,000

Tri Kit: $230

GPS Device: $600

Hydration Vessels: $140

Hydration Beverages: $560

Workout Fuel: $700

Coaching & Training Plans: $200-$3,100 (Average: $1,300)

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Total Average Cost to Train for an IRONMAN: $15,529

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Low Average Cost to Train for an IRONMAN: $13,400

‍High Average Cost to Train for an IRONMAN: $22,400

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These calculations do represent averages, and it’s been my experience that athletes spend more than these averages. Between wanting extra gear, more than one outfit to train in, needing bike repairs, and more, athletes end up incurring additional costs throughout their training.

The Bottom Line

Training for an IRONMAN is expensive.  There just isn’t any other way to say it.  While it’s absolutely a wonderful and worthwhile goal to set, it does cost a lot of money to pursue the goal of becoming an IRONMAN, and I think it’s really important to have open and honest conversations about this reality.

By understanding and confronting the true costs of training for an IRONMAN ahead of time, athletes can make informed, thoughtful choices both in their goal setting and throughout their training to help give them the highest probability of successfully crossing that finish line and becoming an IRONMAN.

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