There should be a distinction between someone who makes his living by winning races and someone who gets paid to train, whether by a shoe company or mom and dad. A real pro makes his money by winning big races, not just running time trials.
When Max King was done on the track, he made more money as a runner by doing one Spartan Race ($50,000) and switching all his sponsors to companies in the "outdoor" gear side of the industry and dominating on the dirt. Was he not a "pro runner" to you?
We are counting down the podium from the US Mountain Running Championships! Last week: Joe Demoor, #3. This week: Max King, #2. (Stay tuned for next week!)
When Max King was done on the track, he made more money as a runner by doing one Spartan Race ($50,000) and switching all his sponsors to companies in the "outdoor" gear side of the industry and dominating on the dirt. Was he not a "pro runner" to you?
If someone made a million dollars doing Ultramarathons but had only 14:10 5km speed, would they be "professional runners" to you guys? The answer is literally in the definition of the two words.
p.s. Max King was like 7th at the OT in the steeple but didn't earn money through running that year. Was he a profession then? Did winning the 100km world championships at a time when he could not make US nationals mean he was no longer a professional runner? Even though he was finally earning good money?
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
We have to draw the line somewhere and this seems like the perfect opportunity. Any (healthy) runner who cannot qualify for USAs in their main event can no longer describe themselves as a pro runner and their pro card should be pulled. Does not seem to be a big ask - not even asking them to make the finals or anything.
I agree with the basic premise; however, the one data point does not take into account a lot of variables. Btw, back in the day, lots of athletes qualified for nationals and didn't receive a dime.
Nick Symmonds’ (and other successful YouTubers and influencers) bank account disagrees with you.
Pro means making money. There are several slow pro runners that are making WAY more $ than the few that will make a US team. Most of them would get destroyed by fast runners. Some of them don’t even race.
Nick Symmonds was 1:42 800 guy in his prime. He's literally making bank now because of his youtube channel and not from PRO running.
I agree that the sport would benefit from a more clear outline of what makes someone a pro runner. My friends who are not involved in the sport are always asking me what makes someone a pro or not and it can be hard to explain to someone who knows very little about the sport.
With that being said though, going by the OP's suggestion, that would leave some pretty big time runners being stripped of their pro status lol. I like the initiative, but maybe take it back to the drawing board.
I agree that the sport would benefit from a more clear outline of what makes someone a pro runner.
Why? How does anyone benefit from that? What really should be addressed is why top level athletes in this country have to get jobs as baristas until they crack the top .01%. It's embarrassing the the US gives no support to its athletes. And the lucky ones are still independent contractors who have no leverage in negotiating their contracts. You can't even begin to compare it the the MLB, NFL or NBA because those are all run as monopolies — they actually have exemptions under anti-trust laws — that share profits amongst all the teams. They at least have minimum league salaries and a modicum of athlete protections. Running is a joke financially. Why anyone with a college education would continue in a running career in the US is beyond me.
Maybe check your facts since Chelanga raced Bloomsday and Bolder Boulder not to mention world cross plus some track.
And in 2022 (not 2018) he raced 18 times in the roads.
Can someone answer my question?
If Chelanga wins three rando road titles - 20km, 15km and 10 miler - but doesn't have a OTC next year, does that mean - by this definition - that he is no longer a pro runner?
When Max King was done on the track, he made more money as a runner by doing one Spartan Race ($50,000) and switching all his sponsors to companies in the "outdoor" gear side of the industry and dominating on the dirt. Was he not a "pro runner" to you?
Why do people keep bringing up ultra, trail, marathoners, etc when the thread is clearly about the track? I guess you could argue the same premise could apply to the marathon though.
Bad news for lots of Under Armour and ZAP Endurance athletes…
All of ZAP's current athletes have qualified for the UASTF Champs or Olympic Trials. Apparently, you don't know what you're talking about.
Simply not true (8/11 with 6 in the marathon) and of their 11 athletes only two made a dime on the roads in the last 6 months, and only one of those occurred in a competitive race.
A pro runner is supposed to be an athlete that makes a living from his/her running career regardless of success at the elite level. The bad news is that very few runners make enough money to really call it a career and the immense majority has to work PT jobs to continue the impossible dream. An average construction worker likely makes more money than 95% of pro American runners.
But that was my point about all the people making making more money on the roads and trails and Instagram as runners than "pro runners" who run 13:29 in the 5km do.
I have no love for Dean Karnazes, but was he a pro runner? He made like 1 million dollars one year by running around America.
p.s. I didn't see the part where it said only track runners can be pro runners.
All of ZAP's current athletes have qualified for the UASTF Champs or Olympic Trials. Apparently, you don't know what you're talking about.
Simply not true (8/11 with 6 in the marathon) and of their 11 athletes only two made a dime on the roads in the last 6 months, and only one of those occurred in a competitive race.
My mistake on van der Els, he has yet to make USATF or the trials, but everyone else on the team has. Some of them multiple times. That's 10 out of 11. Not only that but they, including van der Els, actually get paychecks for running. If you are running for a living then how are you not a professional?
p.s. I didn't see the part where it said only track runners can be pro runners.
That because the original post didn't specify that he was only referring to the track. The goalposts keep getting moved when people call them out on their BS.
I think we're talking about current OT. If you made the trials in 2012 and haven't come close since it shouldn't count....... and what does that have to do with my point?? Apparently you don't know what you're talking about.
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