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cole13 wrote:

I've been researching different options for post-collegiate or sub-elite runners who want to continue training seriously to make it to the elite level and began thinking of different possibilities. I don't anything about the business side of this, but what if running stores began hiring runners of this caliber as their employees and instead of regular wages they provided them with shoes, group housing, a nominal stipend for food, etc., and the ability to take time off to race, maybe even travel expenses on case-by-case basis. The runners could then train together and race in company uniforms and by having an actual group they could more easily gain access to college facilities, sponsorships, and cheaper housing costs than they could alone. Is there anything like this currently happening in the states or elsewhere? Would it be a plausible model or would this sink the store financially?

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funny wrote:

yikes. You must have not been a financial guy in college.

Think about everything you just suggested a running store provide. Now quantify it. Put rough estimate dollar amounts next to each item. I will take one of your points and show you why no running store owner in their right mind would do this:
Flights to and from meets: Say you are flying to Palo Alto via San Fran for Payton Jordan to run the "B" section of the 5k (since you are sub-elite and the A race is for sponsored pro's and top collegians). You fly from the NYC area. Flights to SFO from EWR are $700 round trip (lowest found price on Kayak). Seems ok, right? Fly out for a weekend, and fly home. Pretty typical stuff when you're in college. Now, compare that with the normal part-time employee a running shop employee gets: $10-11 per hour with no benefits. The owner could have literally had someone work close to 70 hours, or 2 weeks, for the same price they paid you just to fly! Now, throw in the hotel, food on the trip, car/van to drive you from San Fran to Palo Alto (you ain't walkin'), plus entry fees, and you have one hell of an expensive weekend.

I work in the running industry. I do this every single day. I have to tell people that they have no clue what they are asking for costs somebody money. Just because you are a 13:50 5k guy, doesn't mean you are entitled to sh1t.

You are on to the right track, though. Work at a running store and live with other runners. You live in a cheap part of town and train together and split the rent as best you can. I know lots of guys that are chasing times and work in running shops while living in a group house. they live off of free shoes from reps, and get some race entries paid for by the shop.

Also, a common misconception that sub-elite runners, and graduating runners have is that the general public gives two craps about what name is on the front of your singlet. You aren't the magnificent marketing tool that you may think you are. Lots of people in the races either A) go to that local shop and say, "cool, that's where I get my shoes and fuel belt!, or B) go to another shop, or don't go to tech running shops at all. Another point, the shop's name is on the front of your singlet. You are racing amongst elites. The people that you are "marketing" to are minutes behind you and don't care what you're doing. 90% of a tech running store's business comes from joe jogger. They are the ones that come in to be fit, but gels, buy inserts, buy BOB strollers, buy general STUFF. Racers come in, expect stuff for free/cheap, and once they find something that works, claim they're poor and buy on line. YOU are the worst customer to a running shop. Unless you are hyper-active in the local running community and stick around the post-race party for a long time, you are not doing that running store owner a lick of good.

Work at a shop, get free stuff from reps, live a monk-like existence, and get fast. If it doesn't happen within a couple years, get a real job and just clean up at the local road races.

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