Why does Hobbs Kessler even bother with running?

The legendary Diaz brothers combine MMA with triathlons

Fasterest wrote:

Pull your head out if your arse and check back into reality.

You know which name nobody in the U.S knows??

Galen Rupp.

Seriously.

The best US distance runner.

More people know the name Alex Honold now than Rupp.

Ask your average American who Matt Centrowitz is and you'll get a blank stare.

Tony Hawk? "Skateboarder dude"

Alex Honold? "Badass climber dude"

Galen Rupp? "Dunno....is that my neighbor??"

OK, so no one knows who Rupp is. But in any given year, he can choose to run one race and get a six-figure appearance fee along with whatever he wins. Literally one race. If he runs more, he makes more. And it's not just Rupp. There are plenty of guys who are certainly not household names (who knows who Evan Jager is) who make good money from sponsorship and appearance fees.)

So you know who Alex Honnold is. Who is the second-best American rock climber now? The fifth-best? The tenth? Do you think anyone who is not a rock climber knows their names? And the problem for them is there is no Chicago Marathon of rock climbing. Alex Ondra wanted to climb a 5.15 on his first try-- one of the most difficult things you can possibly imagine. He has sponsors but he didn't get an appearance fee when he showed up to the crag... or when he spent two plus years when he tried to do it. And when he finally did it, he didn't win get $100,000 at the top like the Chicago Marathon winner gets. He got a hug from his girlfriend and a hike back to the car. It was the equivalent of setting the world record in the marathon and his prize money was $0.

zxcvzcxv wrote:

First, there are accidents. Second, if you call it free, there is the implication that it is actually without any ropes, right? The word 'solo' means alone, not without any ropes. So, free solo, to use the terms correctly, would mean that you were climbing without ropes or partners. Free would mean climbing without ropes. Of course, I defer to the misleading technical terms here. But I defy you to find top climbers always using ropes in training and not trying out the free solo once they master a certain level with ropes. However you slice it, it's a lot more dangerous to climb than run.

No. Free is opposed to aid climbing. Aid means you are pulling on gear at times, rather than using your fingers/body. For instance, if you put a hook on a 1 mm wide feature than you can't grip with your fingers, that's aid climbing, not free climbing. Free climbing can be done with or without ropes. Soloing means climbing without a rope. Free solo means free climbing with no rope - what you mistakenly thought what "free climbing" means.

Yes, there is also rope soloing as 113 described.

Wow! Excellent dialogue here guysz, I'm amazed this many climbers are on here as opposed to just Mountain Project. About the money side of things, ai think we just don't know. We don't know how much pro climbers make. I know they do some ads, particularly alpinists, but they may get paid less than runners. They certainly can get free gear easily though, I have college friends who have gotten free black diamond gear. I will say though that running is so much more painful than climbing, and results in a skinny physique (unless you're a badass miler). Whereas rock climbing puts you out in some of the most beautiful places on the planet in a crazy vertical environment and you get a badass muscular physique. If I were Kessler, I would try and get a sponsorship in climbing and running. You can easily train for both at the same time, since climbing injuries and running injuries rarely affect each other. He could focus on running, climb hard on the side, and have lots of sponsors. Seems badass to me.

His name is Adam Ondra, not Alex. But otherwise I agree. Climbing is a difficult sport to make living. Much harder than running.