Is this how much it actually costs to prepare for a marathon?

How much does that fall goal marathon end up costing in the end?

The answer to that question isn’t nearly as cut and dried as runners might think. While the price tags for marathons across Canada and the U.S. span quite a range, some sources were able to put an actual price tag on the 42.2K race. And for those who think they got a wicked-low entry fee, consider that the costs of said marathon start well before arriving on the start line.

We did some poking around to round up the numbers from a few trusty resources. So what was the bill for that fall marathon PB?

RELATED: New York City Marathon souvenirs you won’t receive with your entry fee

Last year, a writer at The New York Times asked herself the exact same question. After putting in the training for her sixth marathon, she asked herself what kind of toll that would take on her bank balance. She added the numbers up. Her total? U.S. $1,600 (CAD $2,008). Consider that since it was her sixth crack at the distance, she already had accumulated much of the gear and accessories needed to carry her through.

She arrived at this total for her 18-week training period after consulting with a finance professor to confirm which costs to track. Curious to tally up your own? Add the following dollars: your race fee, the entry costs of any races run as fitness tests, gear, extra food, training coaching services or manuals, gym memberships, laundry fees, specific running fuel. Those are the obvious ones. Don’t forget post-race meal or partying spending, sports massages, race travel costs, recovery tools and opportunity costs (cash you would have earned had you not been training). 

Earlier this year, Health magazine also explored the costs of committing to a marathon. That publication estimated that that number could easily be pushed above $5,000 if, say, it was a runner’s first marathon or if they were to pay top dollar for every step along the way. In their case, they also included headphones, recovery tools and hygiene items like anti-chafe products.

Of course, with talk about costs, many runners may think about the most famous high-cost event: the New York City Marathon. Time examined the costs specifically related to running the New York City Marathon in an article last year to add up the bill to a total of U.S. $1,057.50 (CAD $1,328). Speaking of the NYC Marathon, Fortune got curious about the personal finances of marathon runners too (albeit, in 2012). In their article, they listed the average household income of runners who flocked to the big city’s marathon as sitting at $130,000. 

A recent Big Sur Marathon also reports that of their 10,500 runners, 31 per cent reported having a household income of U.S. $150,000 or higher. 

Of course, there are ways to spend significantly more or less than these above numbers. Staying local, for example, reduces the bill dramatically and some entry fees are dirt cheap – MEC, for example, charges just $10 and has events across Canada. 

What did you spend on your fall race? Was it higher or lower than these findings?