Runner money saving tips | Free physio, cheap kit & coaching

[@hamba1998]

I really can't recommend volunteering at races for free entries enough - this has saved me hundreds of pounds, plus you generally have an amazing experience!

[@FloraBeverley]

Aw this is so good to hear! 🤗

[@bikesandlaces]

Thanks for sharing, another good tip for shoes is find a brand you like and get an older model. Great checking in with you. :)

[@SustainablyVegan]

Definitely really helpful! I did the same thing with hiking poles...trying out friends a few times before committing !

[@FloraBeverley]

So sensible! 🙌

[@fatrunner]

Fantastic video, lot of KZbin channels encourage us to spend money so it's great to see someone trying to help us save 🤣. My top tip is when you find a piece of clothing that works well for you, buy another one. I have a cheap pair of shorts from Decatlon that I love and they don't make them anymore. I've wasted money since buying different shorts trying to find ones as good. Wish I'd just got a second pair at the time. When I found a ronhill vest I absolutely love, I snapped up a second one very quickly. Now I just rotate the two vests and they are pretty much the only tops I wear unless it gets super cold and I need short or long sleeves.

[@FloraBeverley]

Yes this is such a good tip and ice done it before too with my favourite shorts. Most annoying thing when a shop stops selling your favourite pair!

[@davebroom7]

As a parkrun run director I can highly recommend going to your weekly free parkruns.They are great for pushing yourself or just taking it easy (for recovery) and joining with other like minded people. My parkrun is totally flat and is a fast course so we get loads of tourists for that very reason. I never buy 2nd hand shoes, just too much of a risk for me. I will always buy shoes that are discounted and more often are end of season. Same for other kit too and I will never pay full price. I have run for 20+ years and I certainly buy more running clothes than normal day to day clothes. My normal clothes are normally falling on me before I throw them away. I too avoid big races due to the cost. I try to stick to local running club races, I find there are plenty of them and plenty of people to get a good mix. Mine are normally a max of 1000. Although I don't eat solids on my runs I do love a peanut butter and jam sandwich but my wife calls me a freak for eating it so glad I am not the only one in the (freaky) club!

[@Jon-hb6gx]

A lot of parkruns have gotten quite toxic sadly. Absolutely love the concept but the reason you are getting 'tourists' is because a lot of runners are PB chasing. This is not an issue per se but there are so many optimising their training to beat their neighbours and the parents from the school run (etc.) at a local 5k in the park. I got pulled over by two guys after a race once, accusing me of taking it too easy as I was able to sprint really hard at the end! I'm actually a sprinter who likes to do longer runs as well but, to them, everyone is trying to be an elite parkrun cult member or whatever. A few rotten apples just make it a bit unbearable. Also, I run with my 2yo son and people moan at me for having the running pram. It's a lovely concept but it's grown legs. I much prefer running on my own (sometimes with a child in a pram) or with friends. I agree with you re clothes. More and more I am buying running clothes which can be worn casually before and after runs (and even work at home in and join meetings).

[@suvonnedunning1044]

I love the idea of the nautral foods because gels can be very expensive at times. My biggest expenses are shoes, luckily my go to ones right now are a older model so I can order them on the outlet sites and they are way cheaper. A good tip for here in the US, most insurance companies give a discount for running watches. I recently needed a new Garmin and my insurance gave me 25% off which is awesome.

[@joefaifer]

Great video. Completely agree with all of these tips for saving money. Always take advantage of end of season sales, and when a new shoe is coming out, last years version will go on super sale!

[@FloraBeverley]

🙌 yes so true!

[@aadrien666]

Awesome video! Definitely going to try Runna because I can't be bothered to plot out 12+ weeks of training and I'm not trying to spend a bunch of money on coaching either! I can also second the nutrition tip on expiration dates! I had a big bag of tailwind drink mix that I completely forgot I had and I used it a few months after expiration date and it worked and tasted perfectly fine! In terms of "Kit" savings, I always look for when new shoes or GPS watches are going to be released since most stores and dealers will introduce discounts on the previous model as soon as the new stock arrives. My local running store also always does 40% off one item on black Friday, so that's a great time to pick up the race day shoes that I know aren't cheap. For races, although it isn't a huge discount (it's still something though!), being organized and planning ahead really helps! Many of the races I've entered in Canada have "early bird" pricing and the price gradually increases the closer you get to the actual race date. I've seen the cost of a few races go up at least 30% between the time registration opens and the week prior to race day.

[@FloraBeverley]

These are all great pieces of advice, thank you for sharing! 🤗 can't believe I forgot about early bird pricing - especially over a multi day ultra the difference 30% is huge!!

[@kerricappy4890]

Do you have Sri Chimnoy races in the UK? They are much cheaper than the bigger races. Plus you get free pancakes at the end 😋

[@FloraBeverley]

Oooh I'm not sure but free pancakes sounds dreamy! 😍

[@kerricappy4890]

When running companies are introducing a new version of their shoes, typically in May, they will will have sales for the original versions with substantial savings. I never pay full price for my running shoes. Also the less popular colours are often on sale at any time. As long as they are not white, I'm not fussy about colour as for me and I would say most runners, it's function over fashion.

[@FloraBeverley]

totally agree!

[@jungtao]

For trainers I look for last years models. Great vid!

[@jodibeck]

I have jumped in head first into the Runna app and will be using it for training for Tokyo marathon. I have watched your Tokyo videos. Thanks for these they are helpful.

[@FloraBeverley]

Ah amazing!! Happy to hear it 🤗🤗🤗

[@arjanvanderzwan537]

Thanks Flora! This is awesome. As is the dog!

[@debrascott8775]

I use regular food only, suppliments and gels and things are just not appealing to me. Off to try Runna!

[@FloraBeverley]

🙌🙌🙌

[@mathiasdonoso5768]

Lots of good points, you can also save on race cost by watching the facebook page of the organisers, sometimes people who cannot attend for whatever reason sell their entry at a discounted price. I don't agree that the mandatory kit has to be expensive though, a first aid kit/blanket cost little and can always come in handy in other situations. Waterproof trousers don't have to be expensive either.

[@FloraBeverley]

That's true, but taped seams waterproof trousers that work are never cheap (unless they're secondhand!)

[@mathiasdonoso5768]

@@FloraBeverley pretty sure I got some from Trespass for about £20 and they served me well for hikes and cycling too. Now high quality waterproofs are expensive that is true (but worth every £!)

[@manuel_877]

Hi Flora and all the runners. Interesting video. Here is my like. A nice week for everyone. ☀️🏃‍♂️🌦

[@davesharratt917]

I've recently stuck a whole variety of running items to my xmas wishlist - full price range from socks / gels / resistance bands through kit like shorts / tshirts / hydration vests right up to shoes and sports watches. Also tracking a few items for price ahead of Black Friday sales just in case and to ensure I know what I want before any impulse purchases.

[@FloraBeverley]

That's great idea! Yeah Christmas is easy if you have a runner in the family 🙈 always stuff we want!

[@Kelly_Ben]

Great video! I'm a huge fan of secondhand gear, it allows me to buy like-new top quality gear at a fraction of the price, and I know I'm helping cut down on manufacturing pollution/ waste. Otherwise I'll buy on clearance. I'd really love to volunteer at races; even without the free entry, it's a great way to help the entire sport. Imagine the cost of races if they had to pay everyone because no one volunteered! And some of my favorite race memories involve amazing volunteers. I'd like to do the same for others. I'd really love some more ideas for "real" food for ultras, to avoid the expensive gels.

[@FloraBeverley]

Totally agree about volunteering! It's such a great idea. Thanks for watching 🥰

[@garthhume]

Great tips

[@brianwakem7258]

Join a club. Many clubs will enter you into cross country and track meetings for free. Most also give some level of coaching for free too.

[@FloraBeverley]

That's cool to know! Yes the coaching is great, I should have added that 🙌

[@weihu2510]

Hello! What are you training for in 2023?

[@FloraBeverley]

TBA! Longer stuff

[@Kindacutehuh]

Get some cheap shoes. Simple as that! Don't buy in to that pseudo- tech talk about better soles and material in the $100 shoes!

[@philstone2610]

Going to a specialist shop, using their equipment and expertise to find what shoes work for you and then buying those shoes elsewhere is out of order. These shops struggle to make ends meet and should not be treated how you suggest. Shame on you Flora

[@FloraBeverley]

I understand your point, but unfortunately not everyone can afford new or full priced clothing. Should they just not be able to run? I wouldn't have been able to start running when I did if I'd had to shop in store, I just couldn't afford it. Should income be a barrier to entry for runners?

[@philstone2610]

@@FloraBeverley I would not wish for financial constraints to restrict anyone who wishes to run. However, I would not want to encourage people to waste business peoples time with no intention of paying for the service they receive. Perhaps an honest approach with future commitments would be a better way.

[@FloraBeverley]

@@philstone2610 perhaps, yes. Its a difficult one, because I also believe that everyone should be entitled to good shoe advice. I give out as much free advice as I can on this channel for that exact reason, although ofc I'm not an expert on shoes. For better or worse, I don't think my reach on this channel is enough to make a difference to the income of a store, but if I can help someone take up running when they thought they couldn't afford it then I am not going to feel bad about that.

[@Kelly_Ben]

I understand both sides, and am fierce in protecting not just my wallet, but my local small merchants. I will often go make use of their stock and expertise, then buy whatever I CAN afford there, and the rest elsewhere cheaper. It's a happy compromise for everyone.

[@FloraBeverley]

@@Kelly_Ben I do this for independent brands too!

[@vic6820]

Become a barefoot runner 😀

[@davesharratt917]

Very tempting. With shoes, sports watch and race entries being three of the big costs it does seem like running barefoot, wrist naked and solo would really cut this back to an accessible sport.

[@FloraBeverley]

@@davesharratt917 😂😂😂

[@vic6820]

@@davesharratt917 Once you try it, you'll never go back.

[@timeonfeet]

Great tips Flora. This is something that isn't covered enough so good to see you talk about it 👍

[@joefaifer]

Very true, any hobby can get overly expensive. Good thing there are sales racks!

[@FloraBeverley]

Thank you! Yeah I think it's sometimes quite hard to get an 'in' into running to learn all this stuff.

[@yponac]

Trainers are probably the biggest expense I have. Having gone through 700km+ in my trainers I recently had to buy a second pair this year, so that adds up. Clothing isn't cheap either if you want decent quality and now that it's getting cold you need more layers which adds to the costs. As far as savings are concerned, I found a pair of trainers that worked well for me (which I bought in a proper store, so expensive), but the second pair I just bought online at like half the price (most likely as they're last years model too). I think I'm going to keep an eye on the price of the shoes online and once they drop I might just buy a third pair to have once the second one runs out. For people in countries where Amazon is a thing, you can use camelcamelcamel (yes, 3x camel!), it tracks amazon items and will give you a notification once an item drops down to a price you've set.

[@joefaifer]

Agreed. I try to think ahead and buy end of season sales like Flora said. I once got a very nice Merino Wool shirt for $30 and it's lasted me a really long time

[@saintsaens21]

Clothing is cheap. Simple t-shirts cost 3€ and shorts 6€ at Decathlon. When it's cold I throw on a 3€ neckwarmer, an old shirt or sweatshirts, a rainproof top (7€ sale) and voila. Reliable trainers at the same shop can be bought for 35€, probably less though. Running can be for cheapos, I've got to a 40 minute 10k being a cheapo and I won't change :)