The Triathlons That Keep on Giving

Wouldn't you want a pass like this for triathlon? Credit

Being a triathlete is expensive. And I'm not talking about the gear though that'll set you back a pretty penny if you're aiming to match some of the sport's top dogs. It's the race fees that really start to hurt the wallet.

Think about it. How much did you pay for the last 5K, 10K, half marathon, or marathon you signed up for? My answers: $30, $40 (and that was the day before), $43, and $100-something. And how much did you pay for the last triathlon you did? If it was the Chicago Triathlon, you could have paid more than $150 if you were one of the last people to register. I get it: Triathlons are longer events, more sports are involved, which take up more space and create greater logistical challenges, and more calories are burned, and unless it's Ironman (minus Louisville), you're not all going to start at the same time.

Triathlons are expensive. And to be honest, those fees only increase year after year. The first time I did Ironman, I paid $500 something, and when I paid for the one I'm about to do, it was $675 once all the processing fees were added. Can we say ouch on the wallet?


But Revolution3 Triathlon doesn't want you to go broke registering for races--or they're sweetening the pot to encourage you to race more and commit in advance. That's what I gathered from reading about the Season Pass they're going to be offering for all of the Rev3 2013 races.

For $1,200 the Season Pass grants the pass-holder an entry into every Rev3 triathlon race--there are 10--held in 2013. But what makes it so appealing is that you don't have to race every one of those races: The pass-holder can give, or transfer rather, their race entry to a friend or family member to use. And you're not limited to only racing one distance--Rev3 offers Olympic, half-Rev (70.3 miles) and full-Rev (140.6 miles) distances as well as relay and aquabike competitions. Or as Rev3 suggests, a group can buy the season pass and then divvy up the races or fight over the favorites. The only catch is that you can't register for a race and then defer until 2014.

Can we say steal of a deal even if you don't do all 10? Yep! It's like the Epic Pass (the $659 season pass that grants you unlimited skiing at the seven Vail Resorts) but for triathlon.

Now the toughest part is figuring out how to get to the Rev3 races. But at least they're in ideal vacation locations. Who wouldn't want to ride roller coasters at Cedar Point (and without the massive lines) or splish and splash at all of the water parks in the Wisconsin Dells? Or how about Williamsburg, Portland, Maine, South Carolina and Florida? I'd vacation there, and maybe with a little research I'd find more reason than racing to head to Knoxville, Quassy (Middlebury, Conn.), and Maryland.

Photo grabbed from dpstyles™ at flickr.