Running a tab when going the extra mile

After watching my mother cross the finish line of the Medford Lakes Triathlon, I felt a lot of things. The top, enveloping feeling was pride that my mom set that goal and nailed it, followed by annoyance at a fresh crop of bug bites and then, as I watched people collect their bikes and helmets and swimming goggles and water bottles, relief that running is such a cheap sport.

Or is it?

When I started running in 2006, I did so in a pair of Target shorts, an old college t-shirt, and general-purpose sneakers. My first 5k cost $20.

Today, I could prepare for the $230 Avengers Half marathon with a $449.99 Garmin Forerunner 920XT GPS watch ($499.99 if I include a heart rate monitor), $185 Salomon hydration vest and $176 Nike Run X2 E running sunglasses while wearing a $64 gray Tracksmith tank top with TRACK stamped down the sternum, $49 calf-high Injinji compression socks that also enclose each individual toe in sock material, $150 Brooks Glycerin13 running shoes and $98 tights with sheer mesh panels on the thighs.

I left the brand name out of that last one on purpose because - well - what a ridiculous product. But they're out there, along with a mall's worth of pricey ways to part runners from their money.

Sporting goods in the U.S. brings in $50 billion a year, according to an August repot from IBISWorld, and the research company group expects that number to grow in the next five years as more people participate in sports, and are more health conscious.

That $50 billion number applies to all sports in the U.S, not just running. However, in Running USA's 2015 National Runner Survey, which looked at the demographics and habits of 15,000 runners, 42 percent of respondents said that they spent more than $110 for their last pair of running shoes. More than a quarter of respondents said they bought more than two pairs of running shoes a year. Nearly 10 percent said they bought six or more.

And that's not including everything else, like fancy watches and goofy tights.

Here's what I say to people who want to get into the sport but are daunted by all the bells and whistles they see on their already-running friends: Running can be expensive, but it doesn't need to be. Except for the shoes, I could keep running in the same exact outfit as I wore my first time out, but I chose not to because dri-fit materials are more comfortable, GPS watches let me set out on a run without a pre-planned route but still know how far I ran, I really like that $64 Tracksmith tank top and sometimes wear it when I'm not working out, and while running the New York City Marathon cost $255 it was one of the most powerful experiences in my life.

But I buy some dri-fit tanks from Target, score deeply discounted winter running gear in the summer, run $20 races (like I will on Monday) and opt for the $104 GPS watch instead of the $449.99 one. The only place I don't skimp is on shoes because the wrong ones or too-old ones mean injury, I really like talking to people at running stores, and I want to help keep them in business.

So can running be expensive? Yes, absolutely. But only if you let it.

Have a question for the On The Run panel? Ask it here or email us. Read more from the On The Run blog »