Parker Valby says she quit after SECs

IMO this is the biggest stress factor that prevents good college runners from sticking with the sport. It's often a massive gamble (can't predict future performance, injuries, pay) while the job market can be unforgiving to people who don't start a career right away. The sacrifice is not worth it for most.

Hard to believe the scammers would stay on the phone with her for that long. After her 40th "like" in the first 3 minutes, anyone else would hang up in horror.

I guess all the pains of running and then additional constant nerve pain is taking a toll on her. Nerve pain is constant and running isn't what increases my pain. Sitting especially in a car is more aggravating. Far as I know there's never been a cure just specific treatment to keep the pain to a minimum. But I do understand her wish to run pain free. Hopefully she learns to cope and continues pressing forward to a successful run career. She has the talent.

Did he pay for his schooling or did you? If he did, I applaud him.

Often with these issues the right treatment is the cure. The problem is finding a professional who can work through the complexity of the problem. After many years of trying different approaches and treatments, I finally got to the bottom of a chronic pain issue I was dealing with for more than a decade. For someone with her talent it's worth the effort of exploring every avenue.

It's very simple - anytime you get a phone call asking for ANY personal information, you hang up and report/block the number. If it's something serious, they will send a formal notification. If you are not sure, ask them who they are (they often don't have a great story), who they are looking for (they often don't know your name), and how you can verify they are who they say they are (they never can). This will always lead you to the same conclusion. There is a black and white formula for this stuff, but I get that some people may simply not have any experience or knowledge when it comes to scammers.

This ^^^
Without personal experience, understanding is impossible. Nerve pain manipulates the mind. At first, its sudden and excruciating onset shocks you as any injury would, but you endure and focus on healing the injury. However, as spasms of pain continue , anticipation creeps in. This anxiety exhausts the mind, constantly ready for the next wave of suffering.

Even a step further- if you get a call from ANY number you don't recognize, don't pick up.

If it is important they will figure out another way to contact you.

She won NCAA 5000m with Tuohy absent because she got enough time off to partly heal. She took the time off because she was fed up and quitting. That's not good coaching. That is all health and talent. Had Palmer had a major role in her success, it would have been in tracking down the proper physical therapy, getting her off of the x-training machines at the root of the overuse nerve problem she likely has, and getting her to take time off to heal not to quit.

He got a great job offer than made sense.

But he also abandoned her.

Both things are true, career decisions are tough and complex, can't have it all.

Don't be an obtuse hypotenuse.

Eggzactly, whereas, this may not be much of dilemma for young athletes in East Africa.

I hope she can get with some specialists and get the nerve issue resolved, she seems to have alot of talent and with consistent running training she can get into the 14:30-14:40 range for 5000M.

She should just switch to triathlon since she is also a swimmer. It would probably be healthier for her in the long run.

This ^, she's running exactly the same times under Palmer & Solinsky, just a different field for outdoor 5000.

She has been dealing with this injury since she got to Florida. She has had access to all the top sports meds, physios, etc. for treatment and resolving this injury has pretty much gone nowhere. Very easy to see how she would consider quitting when her two years of collegiate running have been marred by injury with no sign that things will ever improve.

Financial scams have become very sophisticated these days. I know a very sophisticated and experienced attorney who was scammed out of tens of thousands in a phony client scam. Valby may have been targeted because her DOB was probably on the internet. It is understandable that she got taken as there is virtually no financial security education given to college students who are all having their first experiences with the credit/banking system.