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February 3, 2025 15 mins

Have you ever wondered how your choice of accommodation can make or break your race weekend experience? Join me, Richard Gleave, as I share my personal adventures navigating the world of ultra running on a budget. From the camaraderie of camping near the race venue to the plush comforts of distant hotels, each option offers unique advantages and challenges.  Balancing race weekend excitement with financial responsibility can become a skill every back-of-the-pack runner can master. Discover essential budgeting strategies covering accommodation, transportation, meals, and gear to enhance your race experience without overspending.

• Exploring accommodation options between camping and hotels 
• Pros and cons of camping at race venues 
• Comfort and convenience of hotels while navigating costs 
• Transportation savings through carpooling and public transport 
• Meal planning to avoid overspending on food 
• Budget-friendly approaches for acquiring gear 
• Recap of key budgeting strategies for race weekends

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome again.
I very much appreciate you guysstopping by.
You are, of course, listeningto Choose to Endure, the show
dedicated to theback-of-the-pack runners, where
we share stories, interviews,gear and training tips specific
to the tail-end heroes of theUltra universe.

(00:22):
My name is Richard Gleave.
I have been running Ultras nowsince 2017.
I've taken on and finishednumerous Ultra distances, all
the way up through 220 miles atthe moment, and I am unashamedly
a member of the back of thepack, just like many of you guys

(00:46):
out there.
When I first started runningraces, budgeting for the full
race weekend really wasn'tsomething that I had thought a
whole lot about.
I, like you, was probably morefocused on the training, making
sure my gear was right, lookingthrough the race, checking off

(01:07):
where the aid stations were andreally just making sure I got to
the start line in one piece.
But as I got more into thesport, I quickly realized just
how much time and money can comeinto play, especially for those
bigger races or those racesthat are a lot further from

(01:28):
wherever it is that you live.
In fact, it's become a prettybig factor in how I choose races
and what I can or can't do froma logistical perspective.
So today we're tackling thetopic of budgeting for race
weekends from camping versushotels to meal planning and

(01:53):
other creative ways that youmight be able to save and
stretch your dollar.
So whether you're planning foryour first race weekend or
you're looking for any kind oftips really to make your next
one more affordable, I've gotyou covered.
As ever, I'll also share somepersonal stories and lessons
that you know I've learned overthe years, so stick with me.

(02:15):
We'll get right into it afterthis, discover raw, inspiring
stories from runners who've beenright where you are.
This is the Choose to EndureUltra Running Podcast With your
host he's English, notAustralian Richard Gleave.

(02:38):
Okay, so the first majordecision for any given race
weekend from a budgetingperspective is where are you
going to stay before and after arace?
Your options, I have foundanyway, will typically boil down
to either camping on the frontor back end or maybe booking a

(03:00):
hotel or motel, and I think bothcan have their pros and cons.
For camping, that is by far themost budget-friendly option,
especially if the race offersfree or subsidized camping costs
at the start or even at thefinish line.

(03:20):
It also gives you the addedconvenience of being close to
the race venue.
It's cheap, it's right there ontop of the action and usually
when there's camping involved atthe start and finish line,
there's a great community vibein the build-up to and the

(03:41):
finish of whatever event you'reat.
On the con side, though,camping, depending on your
comfort level, may end up beingless comfortable, especially if
your mattress breaks or you getsome very unpredictable weather.
And, of course, the amenitiesin some of these places state

(04:02):
parks or wherever you arecamping may not always be up to
scratch, so you're leavingyourself a little bit open,
unless you do your researchahead of time, to whatever is
there at the campsite.
You're kind of at that mercy.
For one race, I'll give you agreat example.
I camped out at the start linewith a group of other runners in

(04:24):
amongst bison, and they werejust roaming around.
That wasn't the biggestchallenge for me at that
particular race, though it wasreally really cold that night.
It was actually quite warm inthe day, and then it got super
cold and really windy at night,so my tent was buffeting around,
I didn't have the right gearbecause it wasn't expected to

(04:46):
get that cold, and I had anabsolutely miserable night the
night before a race, whichobviously isn't ideal.
Having said that, though, thecamaraderie around that campsite
that we were at and the savingsthat I made against going to a
hotel and then having to drivein in the morning because I was

(05:06):
right there by the start line,basically totally made it worth
it from that perspective.
And, of course, as I said, Ididn't have to worry about
driving in the dark throughunfamiliar roads to the start of
the race in the morning.
So, pros and cons you might alsochoose a hotel, and that is
obviously going to be morecomfortable, standard amenities

(05:30):
that you can rely on, especiallya breakfast.
Most hotels offer a free, atleast continental, breakfast for
you to take advantage of, ifthey start the breakfast early
enough to where you can get outand still get to your start line
.
Breakfast early enough to whereyou can get out and still get
to your start line.
The comfort of a hotel can be abig advantage, especially if
you're traveling really far.

(05:50):
And, of course, you're going toget a good night's sleep before
the race, which, in someinstances, is really crucial.
Especially if you're going onone of these multi-day races,
getting a good night's sleepbefore you kick off on a three
or four night run is reallycrucial.
It's also great for families.
If you're traveling in a familygroup or with other runners,

(06:12):
you know you can still have thatcommunity feel, even in a hotel
.
On the flip side of hotelsthough, obviously they're a lot
more expensive than camp venuesor at least they can be,
depending on which hotel youpick and they're often
relatively far from the racevenue You've still got to, like
I was saying before, get up anddrive to the start line, usually

(06:35):
at night, maybe it's dark,maybe you're unfamiliar with
where you're going, especiallyif the weather's bad, if it's
icy or really cold.
There's cons to staying in ahotel.
I mean, I have stayed in hotelsfor bigger races, especially
like 100 miles.
That's when I really knew Iwanted a shower and a
comfortable bed after the fact.

(06:55):
So I've stayed in hotels afterand that's been really handy.
You just crash and sleep for awhile, you can get up, you can
shower, it's pretty comfortableand if you're really interested
in the hotel option you mightconsider in order to save money.
Maybe you can split the costwith friends or other runners if
you get a double occupancyspace.
So there might be ways to dohotels as well.

(07:18):
All right.
So transportation is another bigexpense.
We talked about driving to therace, especially if the race is
far from home, so here are sometips to cut costs.
It's really easy a lot of timesto carpool with other runners
if other people are going fromyour location.
This allows you both to savemoney on gas and you can enjoy

(07:43):
connecting with other runnerssitting in the car chatting away
on the way to the race.
Another option might be to usepublic transport or shuttles, if
they're available.
Some races like Cowboy when wedid that they offer race
shuttles from nearby cities orparking lots.
Those are really cool.
Definitely advise takingadvantage of those if you can

(08:07):
find a race doing it.
That really helps.
If you're solo, by the way, anddoing these longer races,
getting a shuttle to the startline from a hotel or getting a
shuttle from the finish back tothe start after the race if
that's the way the logistics ofthe race are set up can be super
helpful.
From a flight perspective,really try to plan ahead if you

(08:31):
know you've got a race thatyou're going to have to fly to.
If the race is far away, try tobook flights early.
Look for budget airlines.
The earlier you can get aticket, usually the cheaper it's
going to be.
But definitely look around onExpedia If you've got points.
I've used points to fly toraces before.
Plan ahead for flights if youcan For a race in another state.

(08:54):
I have coordinated a carpoolwith two other runners from my
area.
Not only did we save on gas,but the long drive gave us a ton
of time to swap race storiesand share tips.
Food is another way.
Costs can spiral out of controlon these weekends if you're not
careful.
But a little planning there canreally go a long way too.

(09:16):
A couple of things you mightconsider Firstly, bring your own
food, pack your snacks, packyour breakfast items, pack your
race fuel.
Ahead of time might choose toeither cook at the campsite or
at the hotel you're staying at.
If you're camping, bringyourself a portable stove for

(09:36):
hotels.
Look for a hotel that you knowwill have either a kitchenette
or a fridge or maybe a microwaveincluded in the room.
That way you can bring foodwith you or buy food there to
actually cook in the roomwithout having to go out to eat,
which is, generally speaking,going to be a more expensive

(09:56):
option.
And then you know, if you'relike me, I like to plan a
celebratory meal too for afterthe race.
You can do that withoutoverspending.
For example, at a recent racepre-race, I pack those instant
oatmeal packets for breakfast,which are easy.
You just boil some water.
Usually you can do that in thehotel room and add them in.

(10:16):
You can pack some sandwichesfor the lunch and I brought a
couple of pre-made dinners whichI could heat up at the hotel in
the microwave in the hotel room.
I still enjoyed a post-raceplant-based burger at a local
restaurant, but I didn't end upspending a fortune eating out at

(10:37):
all that weekend and I waspretty pleased with that From a
gear and race expenseperspective.
Where to save and where tosplurge, there are some smart
ways.
You can borrow or rent gear.
If you need a headlamp ortrekking poles, usually you can

(10:57):
reach out to friends, checkrental options.
You can check in with runnergroups.
They often have folks thatmight have an extra, or you may
know some folks who you run with.
Maybe they have an additionalheadlamp or poles.
If you need poles but don'twant to go buy them for a
specific race and you don'tthink you're going to use them
again afterwards, make sure youstick to the essentials.

(11:19):
Focus on what you truly needfor the race.
Also, look out for sales.
Look for those deals on shoesand clothing and gear.
Well before race day, before myfirst 50 miler, I borrowed a
friend's trekking poles insteadof buying my own.
They worked out pretty well andby the time I was ready to

(11:41):
invest in my own, I knew exactlywhat I was looking for and I
was able to find them used oneBay.
The black carbon Z-poles.
They're pretty good.
I still have them.
Actually, they're working outfantastic.
But yeah, I bought themsecondhand on eBay and they have
been a terrific investment andI don't think they would have
been any better or I would haveused them anymore if I had

(12:02):
bought them new.
So I'm pretty pleased with thatparticular purchase.
So, to recap, here are four keystrategies that I'm going to
suggest for budgeting your raceweekends.
You may have more.
Number one chooseaccommodations that fit your
needs and budget.
Fit your needs and budgetCamping for cost savings, hotels

(12:30):
for comfort.
Number two save ontransportation by carpooling
where you can, using raceprovided shuttles where you can,
or booking flights early asneeded.
Number three plan your mealsahead of time in order to avoid
overspending on food by goingout to eat pre-race and after
the race.
And number four, be smart aboutyour gear.

(12:54):
Look to borrow, rent andprioritize essentials over
one-time splurges.
If you know you need somethingfor a race and you don't have it
, or you don't want to buysomething new, find someone
either before the race or evenat the race in some cases, where
they have shops set up that aregoing to sell items at the race

(13:17):
location itself.
You may be able to prioritizeyour essentials in order to not
splurge.
I'm sure there are others, butif these strategies resonate
with you and you're ready totake the next step in your
training journey, keep theconversation going.
Do you have a favorite strategywhen budgeting for your race
logistics that hasn't beentouched on here and you think

(13:41):
others should know about ormight benefit from?
If so, join the conversation.
Feel free to share in thecomments or on any of the social
media pages for the podcast.
As the old saying goes, twoheads are better than one, right
?
While you're out browsing theinternet, don't forget to

(14:02):
subscribe to the show as well.
That way, you get notifiedevery time a new episode drops.
If you haven't forget tosubscribe to the show as well,
that way, you get notified everytime a new episode drops.
If you haven't had a moment todo so yet, please also consider
hitting follow, maybe even rate,the show.
Leave a review if you're gettingsomething of value, and that
way you're letting others know.
That would mean the world to me, and your support helps grow

(14:24):
the podcast, helps connect morerunners to this pretty awesome
community and spreads the wordto those who could benefit from
the information that we'resharing here.
You can find us on Instagramand Facebook at Choose to Endure
, or, if you choose, visit usanytime at cho at
choose2endurecom, where we havea fantastic blog going as well.

(14:47):
By the way, if you'd like tocontribute to the blog, reach
out to me.
I'm always looking forinteresting new articles to add
on the site and as a bonus, youget highlighted.
I would love to hear from you,whether it's just to say hello,
to suggest a topic or maybe evento suggest a story.
You can email me directly atinfo at choosetoendurecom.

(15:11):
Interacting with listeners,just like you, is one of my
favorite parts of doing the show, and I would love to hear what
you have to say.
So until next time, run long,run strong, keep your budget and
keep choosing to endure.
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