Racing Your Legs Off...Without Breaking the Bank

In the past two years I have run over 35 races and this year I am aiming to run at least 14 more.  Many of these were half marathons which meant they carried a higher price tag. While I love to run and racing, we have not yet figured out to grow a money tree in our backyard so I need to be mindful of a budget.  There are a few tricks I have learned over the years and from talking with other crazy dedicated racers that I thought I would share with you!

Go local...I have managed to run all of my races in the past few years all within two states, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  I have done this partly because we have such an amazing wealth of races in this area, but also because by staying local I am able to avoid high travel costs like air fare and hotels.  Each race that I do I am able to either stay at home, my parents' or with friends.  If you plan your races within a certain distance, you can maybe pay more for the race since you're saving on other costs.  I can understand that New England is rare since you can really cross 4 states in about an hour while you could drive for 4 hours in other states and never leave it!

Know early...Yes there are races that I register for late in the game but most of them I register for early in the year.  I pay attention to when registration opens for races, often times by getting on their email list, and am able to get a bib at often times half the price.  For example, I am running the Newport 10 Miler this April but registered for the race in October saving me $20!  It may not seem like much but over the year of races it adds up!  Pay attention to when prices increase and get in before the hike!

Stay alert...Some races will offer deals if you register for them at certain times in the year.  Trimom Productions hosts many races in Rhode Island including one of my favs, Jamestown Bridge 10k!  Each year around New Years they offer half off all their races for about a week.  Again you save $15 here or there but BOOM I just saved you $40!  Last year I registered for 2 races for the price of one...and loved them both!  Also Groupon will occasionally have deals for race registrations.  I scored one for a race in Jamestown and ended up paying $20 for a $60 race! 

Pick a winner...I usually pick one race that I am going to break the bank for a year.  This year it is the Ragnar Cape Cod.  It is pricey for me but I am so wicked excited to do it!!!  If you are on a race budget, pick a biggie and then divvy up the money amongst other races.

Represent...Some races need ambassadors, like ZOOMA, or are interested in having people talk about their race on social media in exchange for a race entry.  Fellow ZOOMA ambassador Dani gave me great advice to just email race directors of races you really want to do but may be out of your budget and ask if they would trade an entry for social media coverage.  The worst that can happen is that they can say no.

Crack the code...Keep alert for race codes that can give you money off of your race entry.  A great example is if you use the code CCAMB8 when you head on over to register for ZOOMA Cape Cod in September you can save yourself 10%....you like how I did that?! 

Any advice you would add?  Do you have a race budget?