Can you make decent money running 14 minute flat 5ks?

No

why not

No, not decent money. You might win a few road 5ks here and there but nothing big. With today’s shoe technology, 14:00 on the track probably won’t even get you in the top 100 yearly list in the US. With how things have been going lately you’d have to be under 13:20 runner to be competitive enough to make a decent earning and even then…

You won't run 14 flat. It's just not likely. You should definitely try to though. Good luck.

My PR is only 14:30 but I earn $175k per year. You can earn a nice living regardless of how slow you are.

Depending on where you live it could be a nice supplement to your regular employment.

I had a relative who was 14-14:15 about 10 years ago and he said he would pick up a few hundred to a couple thousand every once in a while. You have to take into account travel expenses. But, you can drive somewhere and get a cheap motel room for $89 and win $500- $1000.

Based on genetic potential i think i might get around there after just a yr of training have a 70 V02 max. Increasing mileage slowly and added in core and noticing great results. No injuries at all. My goal is to break 16 this year.

Did you make a living through running or some other way

You are 2 minutes and 43 seconds away from a 14 minute finish.
Let that sink it.

That's a lot.

You might get under 16 but anything else is highly delusional.

Running 14:00 is multiple levels above 16:43. If you have a 14:00 in you, you probably would be under 15:30 even with minimal training. Even with so many people running under 13:30, it still takes rare talent to run 14:00.

Regarding your actual question: if you're in 14:00 shape, you can probably pick up a few thousand dollars a year if you pick your races carefully. More if you focus on 10Ks and half-marathons (there aren't that many 5Ks with decent payouts).

Getting there is hard, though. Definitely no guarantees if you're starting at 16:43. But it's certainly fun to try, as long as you enjoy the journey and don't worry too much about the ultimate endpoint.

You can earn some occasional spending money, and some chotskies, traveling around to regional road races, but that's about the extent of it. You might also occasional get your picture in the sports section of the local newspaper, or light local television coverage on the rare occasion.

I'm not sure you could even finance van life.

Ive got a race in a couple of weeks when its done will keep you updated possibly might run 16.15 but itll be 90 degrees

Just as counterpoint... my first couple of 5K road races, in the summer after college track seasons, were ~16:05-16:10. I was a ~4:00 1500 runner at the time, with a few years of training under my belt. I eventually got under 14:00 on the track.

If the OP's training is crap, and if he still has some physical maturing to come, then it's hard to know what his ceiling is. But yeah, the odds are certainly against it.

Gonna take it more seriously i think and slowly get up to 50mpw because my mileage is very low. My 1st 5k was actually last year 36 mins so its already been quite a journey. Getting to 14 mins is the ultimate long term goal I feel I have it in me.

Still have some physical maturing to do haha. Started puberty late. Congrats on the amazing times btw.

My PR is not so fast but I have run 16:12 and have made $80,000 racing some years. You just have to pick the right races..

How are you planning to make money?

There were 238 college runners in the US under 14:00 in the 5000 this year. 423 under 14:15.

not any more. You used to be able to find races with 100-500 for a win at nearly every distance. Now-a-days barely any races offer prize money or even comped entry unless you are truly elite. I'll run 15:30 5Ks or even sub 1:10 halfs and at best get a gift card.