Henry Rono training for masters mile record. PART II

Very good points. Henry, your running should be an enjoyable hobby first, and you, being HENRY RONO!, could certainly supplement your income with appearances, etc. Your name will always be worth something. It probably isn't realistic, as you are finding out, to earn a decent living off of just your name, (as good a name in running as could be found.) You will probably find that you may enjoy your running even more when the pressure to make money from the sport is eliminated. I heard from some of your Kenyan acquaintances that you are a teacher by training. Teaching and coaching would be a perfect livelihood for someone with your credentials.The high school track kids you run with can certainly relate to you. You may not have the luxury of running 2 or 3 times a day with massages and naps, but most of us don't have those luxuries either!! I hope you continue your pursuit of running excellence, Henry, but you have to be thinking about a permanent and meaningful career to allow you to run. It can be, and has often been, done. Good luck, Henry, we are all pulling for you to succeed. STEVE

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

I do believe that many of the well intentioned posters are contributing to a dream that may have little basis to reality. If people really want to help Henry they would encourage him to pursue a career in work first. At age 55 running should be a hobby that he pursues in his spare time. What is Henry going to do when he is 70? That is only fifteen years away. Discussion of shoe contracts, negotiations for appearance fees, selling t-shirts, and coaching for income all seem surreal to me.

you are right. Henry needs a dose of reality. Unless some millionaire is going to pay him to just train for a masters career, (and we know distance runners are notoriously NOT rich), then he needs to think more about a career and a job 1st and his running career, 2nd; though I think he needs to shut it down for 10 days and just get treatment for his hamstring; maybe cross train on an eliptical or stationary bike and start a serious diet to lose those last 20 lbs. Yes, this is tough talk; but all this "Henry you are wonderful"....."Henry, whatever you do is great"...type of talk isn't helping him.

I got someone today working on my coaching job,she lives in Spokane we went the same college together WSU.She thinks I can coach a small college and kids can learn alot.It is very good for the young people.After sitting down and listening to me,she told me I have been through hell. I deserve some thing in return in which should be a college job.

She is now looking for it as we speak. She will let me know very soon after she finish seaching for across the continent of USA.

This lady has the same ideas you guys have and she a Lawyer too.

Henry

Henry:

I have something important to share. I have an idea about how you can begin to make some money--the money that is due you.

I'm going to share with you something that I did about a month ago. In the past month, it has given me hundreds of dollars in unexpected income.

What you need to do--and you may need help from a computer geek--is to register with PayPal and set up a merchant's account. Get it verified--meaning, connect it with a checking account, whatever checking account you use to pay your bills.

Once you've done this, go to the PayPal website and go to the page that contains the HTML language for the PayPal "donate" button.

Copy this HTML and paste it into your own website--the first page of your webpage.

Write a little copy that goes before it: "If you'd like to help support my dream of setting the over-55 mile record, here's a place you can contribute to the cause."

When people hit the "donate" button, it takes them directly to the PayPal website. They can then fill in whatever amount they care to fill in.

All this was a mystery to me, until somebody spelled it out. So I tried it. I had been contributing to a particular website in a very public way, and hadn't asked for a penny. People told me I was a fool for not asking for donations. I was suspicious of PayPal, frankly, but I went ahead.

Man! The response was amazing. One guy--a rich guy--has given me two $100 donations in the past three weeks. People gave $50, $25, whatever.

I GUARANTEE you that if you find somebody to help you do this, you will reap the rewards. You need to make it EASY for well-intentioned people to help you.

Once you put that "donate" button in place, people from ANY PART OF THE WORLD can come to your website and, in a matter of seconds, give you money.

The money accumulates in your PayPal account. Once you're "verified," which takes about a week, you can withdraw some or all of the accumulated cash from your PayPal account whenever you want.

I've made hundreds of dollars in the past month.

Please consider doing this. I'm very, very serious. If you create a space within which all the people who love and respect what you're doing can contribute to the cause, THEY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAUSE.

Henry: if you get this paypal thing set up, I will gladly send you $100 as a thank you for the thrills you provided us 29 years ago and the inspiration of today. Of course, I agree with your lady-lawyer friend and the 'face reality' posters who are encouraging you to get a career/job going, as you need to support yourself for the next 20 plus years. The running might actually come easier to you with that financial pressure and stress relieved.

count me in... wrote:

Henry: if you get this paypal thing set up, I will gladly send you $100 as a thank you for the thrills you provided us 29 years ago and the inspiration of today. Of course, I agree with your lady-lawyer friend and the 'face reality' posters who are encouraging you to get a career/job going, as you need to support yourself for the next 20 plus years. The running might actually come easier to you with that financial pressure and stress relieved.

Thanks count me in...

Henry

Henry - Sir - you need an agent to take care of your needs!

There are countries in the Middle East Gulf States who would take you on as a coach. Track and road running is gaining in importance in Qatar, Bahrein, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia. There are already many Kenyans running for Qatar, and if you can accept the Muslim lifestyle (no more drinking beer!), you will do well there, and reap big financial rewards.

By the way, I find it incredible that a person of Henry's stature and past history is left to beg left, right and center for money....that is very sad indeed, and an injustive.

ghost

christophe_moulton@yahoo.ca

The 337 day of training phase:At 4:30 am strength training Team Rono Gym P90X chest and Back for 52 minutes.After that at 6:15 am the youngsters takes me up the hill called Team Rono Hill for 72 minutes after all of that this morning I had it up from the head to the toe.

I feel great after dinner,I'm sure I will sleep great tonight.I'm still sore from Bloomsday 12k race on last Sunday.

Henry

This thread has been great in motivation but i find it sad Henry is seeming to get more bitter about his situation and not getting any money. He's damn lucky to be getting what he has off his name for achievements he did 30 years ago. I hope he finds a job where he can continue to train and share what he has with young athletes instead of having running be his job.

This quote by him is almost laughable: "I deserve some thing in return in which should be a college job."

At best he can train some younger runners on the side and serve as a cautionary tale for generations to come. He may of been taken advantage of but it takes more than that to end up where he did. Its great he seems to have overcome his problems but why should agents, shoe companies and sponsors come out of the woodwork and offer him anything? He had his chance years ago.

Henry - do you have an agent, for your professional needs?

If you don't have one, you need to get one. There are several avenues you could take.

1. Coaching track/cross country

2. Community work, showing people how you beat a very serious addiction problem (alcohol abuse)

3. The lecture circuit, talking to schools, Colleges and Universities about your life, running, and the transition of a great athlete to the harsh realities of life in America post sports startdom

4. Tour Guide for tourists (Americans etc) who wish to visit Kenya and gain insight into Kenyan elite runners and the way of life in Kenya, etc.

Henry - there are many avenues you can take. You do not need to peddle t-shirts on e-bay - that is sad.

ghost

coach:

christophe_moulton@yahoo.ca

wow the mods are really on this thread.

I think its great Henry is healthy, running, helping others and seems to have beaten his addiction.

Henry, why do you insist on living off of handouts and appearance fees though? You have an education so you should be capable of getting a job. Also, why do you say you are owed at least a college level job? Maybe a wording error but there are many many people looking for coaching jobs. Usually they dont want to hire just coaches....you need to teach.

bitter wrote:

wow the mods are really on this thread.

I think its great Henry is healthy, running, helping others and seems to have beaten his addiction.

Henry, why do you insist on living off of handouts and appearance fees though? You have an education so you should be capable of getting a job. Also, why do you say you are owed at least a college level job? Maybe a wording error but there are many many people looking for coaching jobs. Usually they dont want to hire just coaches....you need to teach.

The 338 day of training phase II. 90 minutes recovery run this morning with youngsters.They run for 85 minutes and I did my 90 minutes I get even that way with them.

Yes! Mr Bitter,I have two degrees from WSU a BA in general studies and BS in general psychology.I'm working on number three degree, a BA in English language in the process of finishing the Olympic Dream book at UNM.

They have a coaching job opening here at UNM.I did send my Resume and a letter of intent and interest.I'm waiting for them to respond.I have been applying coaching position at UNM for the last 7 years but they never call me for an interview.

Coaches come and go in this University and I meet them, but they never bring me to work with them for part-time position. I don't know;however, I have an idea why I have been avoided by employment companies and the leaders of these industries.Because of my poor life background and media attention.I remember been fired from several companies because of media attention.

What is motivating me now to start my website:www.team-rono.com and RonoRun.com is because of all of these experiences.It is so good to start your own thing,than walking around looking for a job and people make fun of you.I hate to be turn down.I hate walking around and looking like a fool. I'm a simple person with my craft work of running.

Anyhow I have this person in Spokane,she is a Lawyer working for my interest finally at this age in time.

Henry

Henry, please hold your head high and do not worry about the very few people that may make fun of you. Many of us admire you just as much for what you are doing now with your life as we did when you were setting world records. You have inspired me to get back out on the roads and lose a little weight myself and I am sure you have inspired many others to do the same. You are winning in life so please be happy about that and don't get discouraged.

Henry:

The

www.team-rono.com

website is fantastic! I'm a fan. I hope everybody here will check it out.

KudzuRunner wrote:

Henry:

The

http://www.team-rono.com

website is fantastic! I'm a fan. I hope everybody here will check it out.

Thanks KudzuRunner

Henry

Hello Henry!I hope you can heal up the hamstring and train normaly again.I never doubt that you can beat the record.

johan wrote:

Hello Henry!I hope you can heal up the hamstring and train normaly again.I never doubt that you can beat the record.

To Johan

I want to set up Henry Rono training camp this summer in your city.What do you think of that? Please let me know.My training camp takes off this summer begin June 10-17,2007 here in Albuquerque,New Mexico for one week.

I want to do same in Sweden and I need your input on this.By the way my hamstring is coming along with mind very slowly.

Henry

Earl wrote:

Henry, please hold your head high and do not worry about the very few people that may make fun of you. Many of us admire you just as much for what you are doing now with your life as we did when you were setting world records. You have inspired me to get back out on the roads and lose a little weight myself and I am sure you have inspired many others to do the same. You are winning in life so please be happy about that and don't get discouraged.

You are right! I shouldn't worry about these few people while there are people who knows the importance of physical-fitness, racing and the world are routing for me.You hit the nail right on it.

Thanks

Henry

Henry: I hope you are taking some time off and getting daily treatment in order to let your hamstring heal. Sometimes you just have to take 1 step back, in order to move 5 steps forward. I don't want to see you trying to run through a strained hamstring which won't heal, then you will never really improve all summer. Be smart! (I know you are). We're pulling for you. Also: I think alot of the stress you have now, due to not having a job and paying your bills, etc., can lead to sickness and injury. It's true. I think when you have a job and can pay your rent and electric bill, then your stress will be lifted off your shoulders and you will run happy and injury free. Stay strong! Hey, did you see that picture of your old teammate Josh Kimeto and Craig Virgin in the new Track and Field News? The picture was taken at the World X-C meet in Mombassa, Kenya.