The Cheap Athlete Balances Financial Frugality and a Passion for Running

Today I’m going a few easy miles with one of the most frugal runners I have met.

The Cheap Athlete Himself

He embraces his frugality fully, to the point where he goes by the moniker of cheap athlete online.

C.A. is a serious athlete though. He is an Ironman, Boston Marathon Qualifier, former Division I swimmer, and a daily bike commuter.

Seriously, it just made “cents” to bring him on the show today. hehe

A Method to the Cheap Athlete Madness

C.A. has been frugal for most of his life. And after seeing his sister in law retire at the age of 44, he became very interested in the idea.

After visiting a website run by the king of frugality, Mr. Money Mustache, the rest was history.

Every decision C.A. makes requires an in-depth analysis of the cost to benefit ratio of each item.

There are corners to cut everywhere. C.A. has found ways to pinch pennies in every aspect of the sports he participates in.

C.A. will even utilize credit card rewards to the fullest.

He opens a new card every few months to accrue miles/point to use to travel to his various destination races.

Today’s episode is sponsored by:

Use Code DizRuns to Save 15%

Low Price Trumps All?

For C.A., it’s not always about finding the cheapest option on the market. The Cheap Athlete will spend a little more for items that will last longer than the cheapest option.

The Cheap Athlete willingly spends a little more for items that will last longer than the cheaper option.

However, there are many items that runners spend their money on, where C.A. thinks lower cost options are equal in terms of everything but cost.

One area that C.A. questions is the idea of buying speed.

Instead of buying the top of the line gear to shave a few seconds off of your pace, maybe try training a little harder?

In the end, it is all about perspective. If you have no regrets about your purchase, then that is the goal.

If you have no regrets about your purchase, then spend your money however you see fit.

Ultimately, it’s all about being happy when investing your money for the products that you choose to use.

Contrary to popular belief price and performance are not always correlated. Click To Tweet

Want some strategies to pinch a few more pennies? Head over to C.A.’s website!

Give the Cheap Athlete a follow, check out his Twitter.

Thanks to the Cheap Athlete, you can get an extra discount at Running Warehouse with the code FB15D. 15% off of any clearance items.

Mentioned in this episode

• Blue Ridge Relay
• Ragnar Wasatch Relay
• Mr. Money Mustache

As Always, I’d Love to Know What Stood Out to You From this Episode! Let Me Know Your Takeaway in the Comments Below!

 Want to Support the Continued Growth & Production of the Show?

Check out the support page for ideas and suggestions of ways you can help me grow the show. And remember, not all support involves money. Some of the best ways you can show your support are 100% free.

Subscribe to the Show

Never miss another episode of the Diz Runs Radio by subscribing to the show, and for my fellow Apple fans out there, it’s never been easier now that the podcast app is native on the new operating system. iPhone/iPod/iPad users click here. Android users click here. SoundCloud users click here.

Please Give Me Some Feedback!

Take the 6 question listener survey to help me shape the future of this podcast.

Register for a Free Race Training Plan

Every month, I’m giving away a FREE training plan for the race of your choice. For details/information, and to sign up, just click here.

Join The Tribe!

There’s always room for more members of the tribe! Both the Facebook group and the email group provide opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else. The Facebook group is still small, but it is a great way to connect with fellow runners and foster community amongst like minded individuals. The email group is THE way to stay up to date about future guests on the show, as well as getting some other freebies and offers that aren’t available to anyone else. If you’ve got questions about either/both, just let me know!