First, normal people do not want to become an Ironman. And I
was normal, once. (But that changed. (Eventually.))
A couple of years ago, when I started doing sprint triathlons and Olympic
triathlons, I did not want to do an Ironman. I did not think it would be
possible for me to ever do one.
But you warm to the idea. Slowly. After a couple of Olympic
triathlons you think: I can do an Ironman 70.3. And after you ride that particular
dragon, your blood really starts flowing. Next thing you know, you’re on your
way to a 140.6 mile race.
That’s the typical progression. Some people may have grand
aspirations and spontaneously decide to do an Ironman, but the vast majority of
people work their way up the triathlon ladder. For me, it took almost four
years. The first three, I did not want to do an Ironman.
Second, regardless of your fitness level, becoming an
Ironman is a daunting, time-consuming, and very thankless process. In terms of
training hours, from Week 1 through Week 24, my beginner-level program resulted
in: 60.25hrs of swimming, 77.5hrs of running, and 109.25hrs of biking. For a
total of: 247hrs of traditional training.
In addition to the swim / bike / run hours, there were some
(but not enough!) strength and conditioning hours that I neglected to record. I
spent several hours per week stretching, rolling, compressing, elevating, and
doing sauna/cold dip therapy to recover. Call that 2.5hrs per week for an added
60hrs. And there is no precise way to know how much time I spent
driving/preparing for training, but 5hrs per week is a safe bet. So that’s
another 120hrs.
Total time between training, travel, preparing, and
recovering? At least 427hrs. Or roughly an extra 20hrs a week. In addition to
the usual demands of work and family. Normal people do not want to become an
Ironman!
Finally, becoming an Ironman is an expensive proposition.
Just entering the race, with insurance and pictures, is going to approach
$1000. And unless the event is in your backyard you have to drive and stay and
eat in a town that is booked solid and commanding top dollar for hotel rooms.
So that weekend alone is going to set you back maybe $2000, including racing.
Remember all those hours of training? Such activities require
fuel for your body. A lot of fuel! It was not uncommon for me to spend $25/day
on the weekend on fluids such as GatorAde Endurance during activities, and
PowerAde Zero or protein before and after activities, as well as solids like Strawberry
Huma and Stinger Waffles during the longer sessions. Conservatively, that’s $50/week.
For upwards of 24 weeks. Or a guestimate of $1200 on fuel for training.
In addition to racing costs, travel costs, and fuel costs
you’re likely going to spend money (lots of money!) on hardware like your bike,
your helmet, your shoes, and your swim gear. You are almost certainly going to
double your grocery bill because you’re burning tens of thousands of EXTRA
calories per week. And you’ll be VERY lucky if you don’t have some sort of
medical costs, if only bulk purchases of Ibuprofen.
All in all, it took me several years of thinking about it,
then almost 500 hours of serious preparation, and I’ll be happy if it only cost
about $5000.
But, I am an Ironman! And I’m far from normal.
