The "True" Cost of Running

There was an interesting piece on public radio's Market Place yesterday about the "true" cost of running -- the opportunity cost that reaches beyond the price of shoes, entrance fees, boxes of gels, orthopedic appointments, gas, and lodging (oh, the lodging!). The economist, a Wharton professor training for the Marine Corp marathon, put the true cost of his 16-week training plan at several thousand dollars when you consider the time taken away from other important endeavors, which largely appear to be related to work.

One can only imagine the opportunity cost he and his colleagues would put on a Western States 100 training plan. Get Mr. Krupicka to stop running and it would seem we could easily pay for health care reform.

Yet, in a surprising turn, the piece comes around to what we all know: The numbers don't really matter; the opportunity cost doesn't really matter. What matters is simply that we love to run, because in the balance sheet of our lives, running will always keep us in the black.

Story Link: If You Run the Numbers, It's a Good Time (APM's Market Place)