Salary of these 'Elite' groups???

agip wrote:

Nick S is on the right track to get athletes away from the shoe companies - these sponsorship deals are basically charity - I mean does Ben True sell a single pair of shoes? He has zero clout.

Athletes need a piece of the pie - some kind of athlete-owned circuit where a participating athlete is entitled to a portion of the gate. Say the promoter gets 50% and the remaining 50% is spread among the athletes.

the flotrack throwdown is on these tracks - the athletes get a proportion of beer sales or ticket sales or whatnot.

For a long time I would have agreed that elite athletes don't help sell gear, but now I'm not so sure. Even as someone who tries to see through marketing ploys and who is pretty familiar with running gear, I still can't help but view a company differently based on whether or not they sponsor athletes; the company seems more legitimate, and more serious about the sport.

For example, when Hoka One One first emerged I thought they had the stupidest idea ever, but now, with their stable of athletes, I would consider buying their stuff. Conversely, I don't even know if Champion or Puma make trainers, because they don't sponsor any distance runners.

There are a lot of people buying running gear right now, but as more shoe companies come into being, the competition for a piece of the market will get tougher, and the greater visibility created by sponsored athletes will help a company in that competition.

Hoka's, try running in them...yikes! Too much sole. It's like running on a beach with that sinking in feeling. Your experience may vary and sincerely, I hope it does. Good luck friend.

A lot of people want to push the idea that most elites somehow make a decent living. Think about it, you spend 10 yrs or so working at a shoe store, barely getting your expenses covered, not able to save much, not able to pay into a retirement fund, and probably eating poorly due to lack of money. That's not a good living my friends. I would be damned if I made 50k in my 30s. Distance runners don't have any leverage when it comes to getting paid more. The power rests with the sponsors. "You're lucky we give you free shoes"... it's a s*** job. Running is best taken up as a hobby. You have to be quite dumb to pursue a professional running career.

10 years or so? Sorry, I don't think many do that.

Nike, Brooks, The Hanson Brothers, other club founders and shoe companies, that's who makes the money.

Whatever, 6 months is too long on that kind of pay. Sure, one could argue it's a life dream one should pursue if they wish but it doesn't change the fact that you will be poor.

Bank on it! wrote:

10 years or so? Sorry, I don't think many do that.

Nike, Brooks, The Hanson Brothers, other club founders and shoe companies, that's who makes the money.

RealityCheckTheRealOne wrote:

A lot of people want to push the idea that most elites somehow make a decent living. Think about it, you spend 10 yrs or so working at a shoe store, barely getting your expenses covered, not able to save much, not able to pay into a retirement fund, and probably eating poorly due to lack of money. That's not a good living my friends. I would be damned if I made 50k in my 30s. Distance runners don't have any leverage when it comes to getting paid more. The power rests with the sponsors. "You're lucky we give you free shoes"... it's a s*** job. Running is best taken up as a hobby. You have to be quite dumb to pursue a professional running career.

Haha! This might be the saltiest post ever on letsrun. Sorry you never broke 14 or 2:30, my friend. These people are living the dream, and do not live with the regret of knowing they didn't chase their passion when the chance was there for the taking. Enjoy your cubical and your white picket fence. You can keep it.

"We're all food for worms, boys." -Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society

Typical hipster response. I am 32 and ran 2:31 this spring. You can live the dream without a breadcrumb diet and 4 roommates. I am positive I can shave at least 10 more minutes of my marathon best if I ran for a living but those returns are very marginal when you do the cost/benefit. No one said you shouldn't chase your dream or that you need to give everything up to do so, but throwing away a good job opportunity out of college to go live in a high altitude tent and train away from civilization in hopes of getting your 5k PB down from 13:50 to 13:30 is just plain stupid.

Schtlo wrote:

Haha! This might be the saltiest post ever on letsrun. Sorry you never broke 14 or 2:30, my friend. These people are living the dream, and do not live with the regret of knowing they didn't chase their passion when the chance was there for the taking. Enjoy your cubical and your white picket fence. You can keep it.

"We're all food for worms, boys." -Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society

butthurt

It's a good thing money is the only thing that matters in life.

Yeah, you're not being realistic Schtlo, not even close. If you don't have it, after giving it a shot, move on. I never broke 14, came close to breaking 2:30. His post is not salty, far from it. Guys who hang on in there late 20's after barely breaking 14 get what out of it? Try, of course, but if it ain't there, it ain't there. Chasing your passion is fine, but it's only realistic for a very, very few...Hall, Ritz, Webb, Meb, Rupp, etc...They made the drop to the next level. Sorry that you couldn't understand his post, but regardless I'm sure he still runs and is enjoying his white picket fence. Honestly, you sound like you're trying to justify your own poor choices.

It's each to their own how we live our lives, if pursuing their dream of running and possibly being broken, or going into a career job and earning $$$ but thinking what if I did gone pro for couple of years.

Back to main reason for this thread, what kind of salaries or contracts do these athletes, fringe or superstars, get? People in the know, friends of these said athletes, etc, must know ball park figures. Example what would the 3 guys recently out of college joining NAZ Elite be on? Or what about Matt Hillibrand, Drew Windle to Brooks Beast? Or Emma Bates to BAA?

Obviously everyone can make their own choices in life, but pursuing is one thing, being realistic is another. If it ain't gonna happen, then...I recall hearing that Brian Diemer received around $40,000 a year back in the athletic west days as did Donakowski, but that's from people directly telling me and they could have been wrong...Malmo might know. Regardless, I can't help you with the rest of salary questions for runners now a days, but I'm sure it's decent enough to give it a shot...for a few quick years:)

curiousrunning wrote:

It's each to their own how we live our lives, if pursuing their dream of running and possibly being broken, or going into a career job and earning $$$ but thinking what if I did gone pro for couple of years.

Back to main reason for this thread, what kind of salaries or contracts do these athletes, fringe or superstars, get? People in the know, friends of these said athletes, etc, must know ball park figures. Example what would the 3 guys recently out of college joining NAZ Elite be on? Or what about Matt Hillibrand, Drew Windle to Brooks Beast? Or Emma Bates to BAA?

Yes, this post has entered butthurt territory.

I know you don't want to hear the truth but you already have a critical piece of information to know what the ballpark is: many are selling shoes on the side or some other meaningless job. Those working a side job obviously are only getting the basic benefits including free shoes, training and access to an ice bath. The luckier ones may receive free massages and travel/lodging for a big race. How about those not selling shoes on the side you might ask? They are likely getting a stipend and housing... I say stipend because it's an insult to call $40k/year a salary. The top top American names are making more of course, but then are stuck under the control of psychos like Salazar and in jail at Nike headquarters. It's a raw deal unless you are blindly in love with the sport that you are ok with paying to keep running, which when you look at opportunity costs is what all these runners are doing.I can't tell you how many runners I know who ran high 13:50s/low 14s who gave up a good employment opportunity in the field they majored in to keep training to hit the Olympic trials standard years down the road. Conversely, I know a girl at a top investment bank who hit the standard last year and isn't on a breadcrumb diet. If you're an intelligent person, you only make that kind of sacrifice when you have proven to yourself that you are headed to that elite level. You know this because you will have already run sub 13:30 and won an NCAA title or two before you graduate. Everyone else are peons making excuses for not getting a real job.

curiousrunning wrote:

It's each to their own how we live our lives, if pursuing their dream of running and possibly being broken, or going into a career job and earning $$$ but thinking what if I did gone pro for couple of years.

Back to main reason for this thread, what kind of salaries or contracts do these athletes, fringe or superstars, get? People in the know, friends of these said athletes, etc, must know ball park figures. Example what would the 3 guys recently out of college joining NAZ Elite be on? Or what about Matt Hillibrand, Drew Windle to Brooks Beast? Or Emma Bates to BAA?

A couple things....

I know a lot of people with college degrees not making $40k.

Is working while running fast too '80s? Wasn't Rogers a teacher when he first ran Boston?

Alan

Ron Clarke had a full time gig plus his training. Why don't you get an office job and do it that way. It's not that hard.

Ron Clarke had a full time gig plus his training. Why don't you get an office job and do it that way. It's not that hard.

Way less than they deserve for the work involved.

I heard somewhere that Fleet's multi-year contract was 1 Million because he had multiple Ncaa titles. But i'm guessing that'd be a 5 or 6 year deal.