Tuesday, April 26, 2011

A Triathlon Deal You Can't Refuse

Triathletes, have you schwaggled? If you have yet to find your way to these deals for the endurance set, today's the day to get your credit card out and try, or tri, depending on how you look at it. Schwaggle is Active.com's answer to the Groupons, Living Socials and Dealfinds we find in our inbox on a daily basis. Except this time instead of finding savings on restaurants, spa services, yoga and whatever other business has decided to drum up new clientele by offering a unique deal, you can save on race entries and endurance products (I think it was just last week that Schwaggle told me I could buy Gu gels at a discount). And today's deal is one that any triathlete might want to consider: savings off race registration for Leon's World's Fastest Triathlon. Instead of paying the usual $140, you can save 40 percent and score an entry for $78. If you live in the Midwest, there aren't many triathlons that cost less than this, unless you registered months ago when the organizers offered pre-season discounts.

Face it: triathlon is expensive. Not just the gear--yes, we know how the wallet empties after buying the wetsuit, the bike, the spare bike parts, the running shoes, the outfit options--but also the registration fees. You know how you grin and bear it when you plunk down $30 for a 5K, $45 for an 8K or $110 for a half marathon (yep, that's the cost of Chicago's Rock 'n' Roll race on August 14)? The fees are even higher for triathlons, especially when they're around Chicago--I always choose Michigan's Motor City Tri in an effort to get a race in without breaking the bank, but that's another story. Take the Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon ($160), the Racine and Steelhead 70.3 races ($2 ), Hy-Vee ($150), and a few others that I'm blanking on at the moment, not including Ironman's hefty $575 price tag. So if you could save a couple of bucks on a race, wouldn't you do it? I know I would.

The other thing to take into account: Leon's triathlon is supposed to be pretty darn good. It disappeared from the race circuit for a few years, but it came back in 2010 with a flat, fast and closed (often a rarity in the sport) course that received positive reviews. It once held regional and national triathlon championships and was broadcast on ESPN. It's Indiana location isn't too far from home for those who live in Chicagoland, Indiana, and even Michigan and Ohio. It's held on June 5, perfect timing, in my opinion, weather-wise since we're usually lucky enough to have a warm but not sweltering first Sunday of June. And apparently this year, the race is going to have a Frank Lloyd Wright-styled building as the finish line--that might even be reason enough to participate right there.

So what are you waiting for? Read more details about the race here or head straight to the $78 deal. The clock's counting down...four days to go until this deal is done.

Photo grabbed from usatriathlon.org.

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