How do sub-elites financially support themselves?

I wonder the same. I suspect that most of these sub elite runners are decently fast but most probably not enough to qualify for perks like travel reimbursement for races if even a comp entry. But I definitely agree with the OP, hats off to those that have made sacrifices, most of them financial. I work a full time job with a middle class income level, no kids to support, would consider myself a moderately “competitive” runner but nowhere near sub-elite, but there’s still no way I could sign up for that many major races and afford to travel to all of them.

They receive manah from heaven.

Fool, they work just as any another schmuck does. That fact that you can't do it because you lack the discipline does not make it impossible. They are called blue collar runners.

They avoid Bitcoin and invest instead in stocks and real estate

Possible answers:

1) One or more are trust fund kids.

2) One or more are not necessarily trust fund kids, but parents decide to fund the dream.

3) One or more is supported by a spouse or significant other.

4) Possible successful gambler and/or day trader. [This is highly doubtful.]

5) A half a dozen individuals live Spartan lives in a small rented house. Everyone works a part-time job. All share everything.

6) Engage in illegal activities. [Less likely than true.]

Well, let me tell you, it's been a tough road since CL personals and backpage was shut down.

I work a 9 to 5 and have a wife and kids. My wife also works and runs and we both spend plenty of time with our kids and each other. It's really not that hard, most schedules are very manageable if you just have some time management skills.

I go a long way on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...

I used to work 12 hours a day in seafood industry ran at lunch and after work

I wish I had more support for shoes race fees and travel

FYI was right ahead of elite women runners ie Joan Benoit grete Waitz and just behind the elite level men ie Bill Rodgers Alberto Salazar

I believe I could have gotten up to elite level men with real support

The running shoes race fees and travel are the big thing

Sleept in my car a lot when I was lacking housing

Wish this country had universal basic income grant for housing food medical insurance

Safety net for all men women black white yellow rich poor

Sleeping in my car sucked...have to live with fear of homelessness my entire life (and that was when I was working full time job).

Still have nightmares about homelessness

Worked since I was 16 every crappy job I could find too...caddie, fish industry commercial seafood, processing plants, computer software, dishwasher temp.

Had race times better than elite level woman and just at back of elite men ie 2:19.

Think I could have run sub 4:00 min mile and sub 8:00 3,000 if I had better support coaching when I was younger (I didn’t know how to really ask for support help but I also was in a bad environment with coaching staff that was

Too focused on short term results for the institution rather than long term results for runners)

Was school record holder in Xc at the hs I attended...Xc...not far off world record in the mile and 3,000 m in college with poor coaching at d3 school...also have elite level stats as an open water swimmer...good stats in other track and field events

With better support I think I could have gotten to the top.

It’s been a real struggle...the running is great the rest of it is hell...the worst is the fear of homelessness.

I don’t go to movies bars watch tv spend money on clothes or much of anything except food. Wear my shoes until they fall off my feet...all my clothes have holes in them...I can’t afford a car or gas...use coupons.

I wish I had gone into US coast guard or Navy and had a career serving my country.

Earlier poster hit it. Some have assistance from parents or spouse and the others work part time and live on nothing.

Amen, brother! A huge factor in achieving success is the opportunity. Some people don't realize how good/bad others have it and talent in this increasingly uneven playing fields keeps slipping into the cracks. I myself am sub-sub-elite and only had a spike in performance when I slipped into a consultant role. Then I could charge clients more an hour and work less with a little money in the bank from two decades or working TOO much.

With that said, these guys should get into tech. Learn to write code and work part-time for $60/hr instead on $10/hr.

A great number of us are professionals working a full time job with family obligations. It all comes down to time management and priorities.

I'm sub-elite/elite in my mind. Qualified for the past couple USATF outdoor championships with the auto standards as well as relatively high finishes at USATF road championship races. I work 40 hours a week at a career job that I went to school for. Meet with people to train a couple days a week. It is really not that bad. In my opinion it would be kind of a waste of time not to be productive for my future at this point in my life. Running doesn't take 8-10 hours a day. More like 2-3 hours or I'll give your maximum 4 hours if you're doing a ton of rolling out and stretching and getting massage and all the stuff that doesn't directly fall under the 'workout' category. You do have to have good time management though. You've just got a window of a couple hours before work and a few hours after work to really get the training in. If I didn't have a regular job I'd be able to sleep in and run whenever I was ready.

The major benefit about working the regular job is that I don't have to be stressed out about making damn sure I run fast and win a ton of prize money. I run because I enjoy the competition, if the race goes well that's great. If it doesn't, my livelihood isn't hurt at all.

Great example of doing both is Martin Hehir who's in medical school, and Brogan Austin who just won USATF marathon championships while working as a project manager. There are many others that are just under the radar, never winning the USATF titles, but always in the main pack and occasionally finishing really high.

If you can't figure out how to balance running around a full time work schedule you either have (1) poor time management, or (2) are not making it a priority

If you're into work at 8-9 and out by 4:30-5 you have all evening to get your training in. If you like 30' morning doubles still possible if out door at ~6:30.

If you work second shift then you have hours in the morning to get everything done you need to.

Make it a priority and make sacrifices and you will find time.

You can pick and choose regional-level races where you can actually compete for prize money, provide online coaching services and/or train a running club, get shoes and other gear by being some sort of 'brand ambassador'. This way you can manage without having to get money from non-running jobs and without rich parents. I guess that would be a tough scenario to actually pull through for a high cost of living place like Boulder! You'd better move somewhere cheap. If you have a home you could sell or rent out at your original location, that's also pretty neat.

Great post. I feel like the OP is greatly overestimating how many sub-elites are running full-time or almost full-time. Most that I know of have a job or are in school and simply prioritize running in their free time.

If all else fails they can always get a job. That's what everyone did in the amateur era. I'm not sure why people think you can't do this. Bill Rodgers best marathon when he was working as a special ed teacher was 2:09:55. His best time as a professional runner was 2:09:26. Ron Hill ran 2:09:28 working as a textile chemist. Derek Clayton was a draftsman, I believe, when he ran his 2:08 and 2:09. How many of today's pros in the West run those kinds of times? Sure, it's a more pleasant life if you can concentrate fully on running and maybe just do 20 hours a week in a running shop or something but working is no reason not to run seriously.

I work full time, about 50 hrs a week M-F. Double most days and have no social life during the week. I'm not the norm but some of the individuals do work full time. Others work part-time, scrape by on running or get support from others.

Until the 80's, athletes had to have amateur status to compete in the Olympics so even elites had to support themselves. Those with families had to work full-time and single guys could get away with working part-time. Pre, for example, worked part-time, lived in a trailer and received food stamps.

There were always complaints about the U.S. not having a system to help out the athletes like the communist countries did.

Phil Coppess worked full time in a factory when he set the Twin Cities Marathon record at 2:10.05 and when he won Chicago beating Frank Shorter. His PR is faster than Shorter's. These Iowa runners have always been around. Maybe Iowa natives will go 1-2-3 in the 1500 next year, Houlihan, Schweizer, Simpson.