Is it really worth being a professional distance runner in the USA??

Sydnee Maree. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. He turned out real good.

OK, now I think you are just a troll because you just named athletes with rich families and/or rich wives. Trust me, none of those 3 athletes have anything to worry about.

Trex123 wrote:

I feel bad for guys like Ryan Hall, Adam Goucher, or Jorge Torres because unless these guys come from a rich family or have wives who have great jobs, what can these guys hope to live on into their 50's? They made the sacrifice to run "professionally" (I put it in quotes because what does it really mean to run professionally and make high school wages) but what will they do later in life after their bodies age.

The runners that you are worried about are intelligent adults who are perfectly capable of making their own career choices. I know that you believe that you are the only one thinking things through while everyone else simply drifts blindly through life, but I'm sure that Ryan Hall and all the other pros have put just as much thought into their career choice as you have put into yours. The fact that they have made different career choices than you does not mean that they are wrong.

Also, consider that guys like Hall started out their careers making a whole lot more money than they would have made going into an entry level position in their field. Even if Hall did end up selling shoes for a living after retirement from running (which he won't), he might still have greater lifetime earnings than if he had simply entered the workforce and quit running after college.

Henry Marsh is doing pretty well. He is involved in a very successful, guedo-attracting, pyramid scheme.

Bob Kennedy seems to be doing well. Three or four running stores in the Indy area. I think his wife makes a ton of money, though (lawyer).

G-50 wrote:

Bob Kennedy seems to be doing well. Three or four running stores in the Indy area. I think his wife makes a ton of money, though (lawyer).

I wonder if these guys picked rich wives on purpose.

I like how you assume these guys make lavish earnings. If we were in Ethiopia I would be totally convinced if you were talking about Hali Geb because he's actually made tons of money. But we're in the USA and Ryan hasn't won many races.

Suck it Trebek wrote:

Henry Marsh is doing pretty well. He is involved in a very successful, guedo-attracting, pyramid scheme.

Someone wouldn't shut up about that juice so I bought some.

You are going to pay Marsh.

I know I included that one but he actually had a pretty successful career until he decided to screw it up himself...

European wrote:

I know I included that one but he actually had a pretty successful career until he decided to screw it up himself...

I also said American runners...

I am sure you can do some research yourself and find all the Americans - feel free to extract the Americans off my list..

It sure beats having a real job.

European wrote:

I am sure you can do some research yourself and find all the Americans - feel free to extract the Americans off my list..

I don't think you get what I'm talking about. You point out a handful of world renowned high profile distance runners.

I'm talking about ALL the American distance runners in-between who've signed contracts for who knows what, but who won't really ever win a major meet that would be considerable enough to live on on a daily basis.

Yea 10 guys in the history of distance running actually made a living after their retirement. But what about the the hundreds or thousands in-between? Do they continue living with their mothers picking weeds in the back yard because they chose a to run instead of nurturing their degrees and professional skills?

I bet most of them regret not building their professional skills to lead a decent life. Either that or they were handed down money from family or they married someone who work on their professional careers to lead a sustainable life.

I take offence to your implication that leading a "decent life" means someone must make a lot of money. There are many ways to enjoy life that do not require spending.

There are several major things that you need to ask yourself when choosing a career. Is it personally rewarding? Is it financially rewarding? Is it bettering me as a person? Is it helping others?

Everyone goes through different phases of life and must choose their career based on such questions. When someone is young, and has less financial responsibilities(family), it is an ideal time to do work that is personally rewarding. If you go the other route, make a lot of money while you are young, it is more difficult to leave that career because people tend to "live to their means".

Many skills are transferrable. The ability to improve is perhaps the most important skill to develop and professional runners know how to do this.

OK, I will give you my story.

I am American.

I was not a "professional" runner but I ran 4 additional years after college until I was 26 and ran in the Olympic Trials at 1500m.

Ran for Reebok Enclave for a bit and with NYAC.

Lived with parents during that time.

Adjusting to finding full time work and supporting myself was tough. College degree was 4 years old so it wasn't a quick transition to the workforce.

Waited tables for a bit. Worked as an office admin for a bit. Sold cars for a bit. And then got an entry level accounting job when I was 30, almost 31.

I am 40 now.

I went on to get married (she wasn't rich), get my CPA, have two kids and two houses - one I rent out and one I live in.

Since I wasted 4-5 years after running not finding a career I could have run until I was 30 and had the same life I have now. And if I were elite that would have meant competing in 3 Olympics.

Jason Pyrah (1500 runner who made Olympics in '96 and 2000) works at a big hospital as a physical therapist. He seems to be doing great.

They all have college degrees and many have "Olympian" on their resume. Plus, many pro runners are minor celebrities that could get semi-executive level positions at athletic apparel companies like Nike.

I feel that no one has gotten the point of the original question. The point is not to look at the top 10 percent of american pro runners, but instead look at the rest of the pack. Look at the guys and girls who don't place top 5 at USAs but fill out the pack. They all have small contracts. I am an ex-pro runner with multiple top 8s at USAs and Oly trials. I had to make a choice, chase a dream or get started on my life. I know way too many pro runners who refused to move on with their lives because they did not know how to let go of running. They had spent a decade or more training and competing in their respective events and the thought of leaving it scared the crap out of them. I always felt sorry for them. I have no regrets leaving the sport as a competitor. Yes I did leave it earlier than I could have, but no one wants to live on scraps. Nothing is more pathetic to most people than the 29 year old who gets last in his race at the national championships. Plus, the field has changed significantly in the last few years. Being a pro runner today means running faster than ever but getting paid less. No one cares if you run a 335 1500 unless you are an 18 year old freshman. There will be BALLER guys that do not make the Olympics in 2012. The US is just loaded and will be for a while. My opinion is for runners to be happy with their own choices. But I also feel that most of them aren't realistic with their own physical limitations and stay in the sport because they don't know how to let go. Hope this offers some firsthand insight.

Trex123 wrote:

Ok...a handful of athletes in the WORLD who have made successful careers. These are WORLD renowned athletes and not your Adam Gouchers or Jorge Torres who signed minor contracts.

I don't think athletic success and outside career prospects are so closely related. For some athletes like Seb Coe, visibility might help them launch a career in politics. But for others, it probably doesn't matter because nobody really knows who Galen Rupp is. So in that case being successful might actually hurt you because you've spent more time pursuing it.

The answer, to me, is obvious: go to law school or business school. it's not like 100% of law grads get jobs but a hell of a lot of them do and you can get 6 figures after not that long. That's Jenny Barringer's plan, I think. In that case, if you're an Adam Goucher or a Bobby Curtis, running in your 20s, you can still enter law school and graduate in your 30s. Tons of people do mid-career transitions like that, so you wouldn't be at a big disadvantage. Not one you couldn't overcome by kissing ass and working hard in your first firm job, and not going on and on about your past athletic success, because nobody cares.