The Age Group World Triathlon Championship will be held in London in September.
Last year was my first year at the Age Group Triathlon Nationals which was held in Burlington, Vermont and therefore my first time qualifying for TEAM USA and I have been doing double back flips with excitement since then! I'm going for the experience and fun and plan on soaking it all in when I'm there! I was really hoping I could take my family with me but the costs keep adding up and at this point I'm just hoping to get enough together for me! I've bought a ticket, my hotel room is reserved, but I still need to pay for the hotel, for food, and to get my bike there. And to top it off the hotel room at Nationals is quite expensive and I need to save for that somehow as well ($800). Here is a breakdown of costs:
Ticket: $1,050
Race Entry Fee: $330
Team Suit: $315 (http://www.usatstore.com/ to order if you haven't done so)
Parade Package (optional): $295
Transportation in London:
$51 (34 pounds) for a return on the Heathrow Express which will leave the airport and take you to the tube where you can determine your cost at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2625.aspx.
$24 (16 pounds max) From Paddington to Queensway on the tube
$51 (34 pounds) for a return on the Heathrow Express which will leave the airport and take you to the tube where you can determine your cost at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2625.aspx.
$24 (16 pounds max) From Paddington to Queensway on the tube
Food in London: $300 ($50/day although guidebooks say you can make it on $30/day on a budget)
Bike Transport: $600 or possibly double using the airlines
TOTAL: $4365 OUCH!
Yes, I should have just booked a seat for my bike. Thanks to a local friend Mike Morris I have a bike box but United Airlines wants $100 to ship the box from my town to Washington, D.C. and then $200 from Washington, D.C. to London. So that is $600 round trip just to get the bike there and it could be double that if my bike in the box is over 50 pounds. I'm going to have to take a trip to our local airport to get some real numbers on how much this is going to cost. Some interesting news some of you may not be aware of is that Raceday Transport is working on getting bikes shipped fully assembled on a UPS cargo plane and delivered directly to your room for $500. This would be less expensive and less hassle. Unfortunately I envision myself now covered in bike grease in a little hotel room attempting to assemble my bike. However, I just learned that the UPS plane was being built for this type of transport and will have to go through too many tests and won't be available in time for London. Raceday Transport is still shipping bikes but not fully assembled. You would have to take your bike to a drop off location and my closest drop off would be in Richmond, Virginia which is about a three hour drive from here. To determine the cost of shipping your bike go to www.bikeflights.com. I'm afraid it is still less expensive to take your bike on your airplane but maybe by next year they will have a less expensive solution worked out.
The great news is that my father-in-law from the Netherlands is meeting me in London and he is splitting the cost of the hotel with me. It was tough finding a hotel! The TEAM USA hotel is being arranged by Polk Travel and they want $2,555 for five days at the Lancaster Hyde Park Hotel! That is WAY too much money to pay considering that it does not include much except for breakfast and transportation to and from the airport. Here is what their package includes:
5 night land package includes:
- Lodging in a Superior Room. Max 2 people. (1 Double bed (Full) or 2 Twin beds) from September 11-16, 2013
- Daily English breakfast
- One (1) internet connection per room
- One (1) London Eye ticket
- Airport meet and greet
- Airport transportation on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 (Must arrive into London Heathrow)
- Airport transportation on Monday, September 16, 2013 (Must depart out of London Heathrow)
- On-site Event Travel Management Staff
- PACKAGE PRICING: $2,555 USD
I was really looking for a quaint bed and breakfast but they were all full. I was trying to find something quaint with tons of historic charm and then I found it! The Royal Grande Hyde Park, London. It is right across from Hyde Park where the race is held, includes a massive breakfast, and it is loaded with that historic charm I was seeking. With my luck it is haunted and a ghost will tip my bike over in the middle of the night. Looks like the appropriate building for that type of thing ha ha.
If you haven't booked your hotel yet for London, don't panic. I started searching for a hotel by looking on a google map and calling hotels that looked interesting to me only to find out they were all full. But then I went to booking.com and found lots of great looking hotels close to the race site that have rooms available and for less than half the cost of the TEAM USA hotel. The TEAM USA hotel is north of Hyde Park but the athlete's village with international athletes is south of the park. If you are looking for a different travel package option, the International Triathlon Union is working with Nirvana Europe to offer packages and accomodation options: http://london.triathlon.org/accommodation.
Well with a family of five and me staying at home with the kids there isn't usually enough left over every month to save. Luckily I had some tax return money to help pay for part of the expense. I had hoped on attempting to save something but if it isn't one thing it is another! We took my old car in for inspection today. It's a 1995 Toyota Corolla and I'm pretty sure it will NEVER die but the garage did call and say it needed FOUR new tires. There goes $300 I hadn't anticipated this month but ok, the car has to pass inspection.
I usually stay positive and think it's just all going to work itself out. I mean, I have a ticket and my suit ordered, right? The hotel room is booked even if it isn't paid for. So I'm going. It might be the worst diet scenario in the world once I get there but surely this will all fall into place. And then when I was feeling a bit panicked over the costs my friend Kate Fisher out of Richmond, VA contacted me. She is a fellow triathlete, super star, mom, and quite business savy. She started a company that I think it is the best thing since baked bread or ebay anyway. She started a company called swichio where you can buy, sell, or trade your swim, bike, and run gear.
She asked me if I wanted to be an ambassador for them and help represent their company. I was thrilled when she asked because I think it is a GREAT idea. My basement is full of STUFF. Bike stuff and tri stuff sitting there collecting dust. But what is even better for me is she offered to pay me for every 50 people who register on their site. While it is only open to folks in the United States right now, it doesn't cost to register and you can hook up with your Facebook friends so they can see what you have to sell and you can buy from WHO you KNOW. This is a place where bikers and runners and swimmers can unite to see what each other has for sell or where we can get rid of that stuff collecting dust! AND, you can buy, sell, or trade from people you know, and there is a big chance that if it isn't somebody you know, it is probably the friend of somebody you know so you can always ask about their trustworthiness or how they took care of their gear.
She asked me if I wanted to be an ambassador for them and help represent their company. I was thrilled when she asked because I think it is a GREAT idea. My basement is full of STUFF. Bike stuff and tri stuff sitting there collecting dust. But what is even better for me is she offered to pay me for every 50 people who register on their site. While it is only open to folks in the United States right now, it doesn't cost to register and you can hook up with your Facebook friends so they can see what you have to sell and you can buy from WHO you KNOW. This is a place where bikers and runners and swimmers can unite to see what each other has for sell or where we can get rid of that stuff collecting dust! AND, you can buy, sell, or trade from people you know, and there is a big chance that if it isn't somebody you know, it is probably the friend of somebody you know so you can always ask about their trustworthiness or how they took care of their gear.
So, fellow triathletes, you see when I am out there asking you to register on swichio it is because I really need help getting to London or at least paying for my hotel, getting my bike there, and eating. I know alot of you have been receiving continual e-mails from me but getting people to register has been like pulling teeth. Tough work but I really believe in swichio. It is there to help us and it's a great place for us to connect. If you haven't already done it and you would like to contribute towards me getting to London with no monetary contribution, just go to www.swich.io and put "kimberly" in the promo code when you register. After ALOT of hard work I only have about 70 people registered. This is only for folks in the United States right now however. I have almost 300 "friends" on Facebook and we have a decent sized triathlon community but out of those "friends" only 70 have registered. This only takes 60 seconds and doesn't cost you a thing and would help me immensely. To help me just go register and make sure "kimberly" is in the promo. Thanks!
Updated information on the Age Group World Triathlon Championship is available at http://www.usatriathlon.org/audience/team-usa/london-2013/contents.. This includes event and travel information. I'm super stoked and know it's all going to work out!
I didn't blog for a couple of weeks. I got busy during Mother's Day Weekend and had a great time with my family but then last week I came down with the flu. Taking time off to be sick is no fun and I worry about getting behind in training. I did however catch up on sappy Hallmark movies and rented Cloud Atlas since I spent most of the weekend in bed. On Mother's Day we went hiking at Smith Mountain Lake State Park, went to a restaurant on the lake for lunch (Mango's Bar and Grill), and visited a new brewery there at the lake called Sunken City Brewery. The lake is man made and they flooded the towns below so they named the brewery after the towns that lay below the lake. I had a yummy IPA there called Red Clay IPA. After that we had my aunt, uncle, and grandmother over for Mother's Day dinner. It was really a fun family day!
I'll leave you with a bit of Mango's Bar and Grill ambience from Mother's Day with live entertainment from Tim Martin.
So London here I come! To help me get there don't forget to register on swichio and put "kimberly" in the promo if you are living in the United States that is!
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| Arie, Eva, Thijs |
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| Me and Rob at Mango's Bar and Grill |
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| Mother Lucy and kids (Thijs, Arie, Eva) |
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| Hiking at SML State Park, Rob, Aunt Emily, Uncle David, my mom and the kids |
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| Arie and Thijs hiking |
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| Arie |
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| Thijs |
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| Smith Mountain Lake Brewery |
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| At Sunken City Brewery |
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| Family over - Great Grandma, mother Lucy, Eva, Thijs, Aunt Emily, Uncle David |
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| My Grandma Frances Nadine, I'm named after her! |
So London here I come! To help me get there don't forget to register on swichio and put "kimberly" in the promo if you are living in the United States that is!
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