I’ve talked about the Tar Heel 10 Miler a number of times around here. I was on the fence about going when I wrote up what I thought things would cost to participate. Then I committed! And I was able to actually train to the point where I felt like I was ready physically.

And then, of course, because this is how these types of things happen, I came down with a nasty case of food poisoning five days before the race! It was a dark couple of days and I wasn’t sure I was going to feel up to driving down to Chapel Hill, let alone running in a 10 mile race. Spoiler alert: I was able to fully rebound and I completed all 10 miles on race day!

So, I decided to write up a race report (kind of like how I did when I ran the Color Run in Philadelphia a couple of years ago). This time, the write up comes with a twist of budget breadown!

Race Report

Before I get to the budgeting details: race report! (Well, mostly I want to show off how beautiful Chapel Hill is.)

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Before the race, my graceful host and friend Louise decided she wanted to do experiments. I sat around while she did science-y stuff and tried to continue hydrating to make up for my very dehydrated week. The race started at 7:20am, so all of this science was going on at like 6:30am. Talk about dedication!

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We were blessed with a drizzly and overcast morning. It was super humid as a result, but thankfully it wasn’t too hot.

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Like every race, the roads were pretty congested for the first few miles. Once I made it to Mile 1, I knew I could make it the following 9.

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Finally! The sky started to clear up! With the cleared up skies, the humidity dropped drastically. It was fantastic! At this point, I was feeling good, but started to feel some rubbing in my shoe. Thankfully, after I stopped to adjust it I had no issues for the rest of the run.

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The Old Well! One of the landmarks on UNC’s campus. Thankfully the crowds had thinned enough for me to get a good picture here.

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The fire department had a presence. Yes, fire trucks are Carolina blue in Chapel Hill.

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Louise’s boyfriend Nik came out to cheer us on!

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Eventually, I finished. Of course, I was too burnt out by this time to take any pictures until I was in line for snacks and water after crossing the finish line.

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We made it! Louise and one of her friends ran the race together. I (slowly) finished quite a bit behind them… BUT I FINISHED! Woooo!

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To celebrate, we all went out for some drinks at Top of the Hill that afternoon. With our race bibs, we each got a free beer!

Budget Report

So, how did my spending compare to what I thought I would spend on this trip?

Race-related Costs

Race-related costs were things that I paid for as a result of being part of the race itself: training, gear, race entry, etc. I spent:

• Energy Chews & Sports Drink: $16 (purchased 3 energy chews and 3 bottles of Gatorade)
• Cross-training: $0
• Gear: $0 (I didn’t end up buying new shoes ahead of race day)
• Race fee: $35 (I paid $70, but received 50% back due to a health subsidy I have at work)

Total race-related costs were $44. I estimated that the race-related costs would be anywhere between $100 and $230. I ended up spending much less because I didn’t spring for new shoes and I didn’t take my 50% subsidy into account when I estimated the cost.

Travel-related costs

Travel-related costs were the ones that I incurred because I was traveling to Chapel Hill. I spent:

• Fuel: $47
• Parking: $8 (I parked at work on Friday so I could quickly get on the road)
• Lodging: $0 (I stayed with Louise!)
• Friday night food: $15
• Saturday morning breakfast: $13
• Celebratory drinks and apps: $18
• Saturday dinner: $13
• Sunday brunch: $16

Total travel-related costs were $130. I estimated that my travel costs would be somewhere around $175, so I came in under my estimate for travel as well! Also, can we take a moment to note how CHEAP food at restaurants is in Chapel Hill? No wonder I spent so little in grad school.

Total Costs

Overall, I thought I would spend somewhere between $335 and$395 to do the Tar Heel 10 Miler. I came in wayyy under estimate at $174 for the weekend and race-related expenses. Not too shabby!

What do you think? Isn’t Chapel Hill beautiful?