Why are people like Alexa Efraimson or J Hasay still running?

Tragically bad advice. The 'experiment' (lack of NCAA participation) works. It works consistently and repeatedly. The results are often referred to as the record book. Show me a WR longer than 400m currently held by someone who has ever even watched an NCAA race.

For his book Sub-4, Chris Lear interviews El G's coach, who calls the NCAA 'a waste of time' for a mile or 1500 specialist. He admits it is OK for sprinters.

The evidence - one could use the term 'race results' - would suggest the NCAA has a derogatory effect. Some of you may state that Rupp in his prime or Fisher now are behind precious few runners at important finish lines. However, most who are in front of 'First American' stars either conciously shunned the NCAA or were blissfully unaware of it.

If you are not willing to state your argument to Haile G if you meet him in person, please do not use this nonsense here.

I don’t see either one as being a bad choice. The training will be similar in either scenario. Mary was attending school at Portland State so her schedule was no different than for a collegiate runner.

Millions of slower people in the world run.

I hope that world class runners don't stop. Why woukd you want that? Do you want Ingebrightsen and Hasan to enter the NCAA?

A combination of contractual obligations ($$$) and delusion that they're one training cycle away from getting back to their old level.

People saying they "enjoy it" are missing this point imo

I run every day because I enjoy it. I’m a shell of my former self and slow AF.

I don’t even know why this site still exists

Plus all his comments on the women's chests and butts...

All jokes aside, I would not want HS XC coach anywhere near kids.

Good questions!

It's telling that every time we discuss this topic, we ignore the fact that few non-American athletes follow the same path as Americans. As you point out, very few Europeans run for a college. You'd think their experience would be relevant to these discussion, but evidently, you'd be wrong.

Alexa was ruined by her HS/pro coach who pushed her to go pro and was an awful coach. She should have run 3:55 easy.

Jordan was ruined by not eating enough food, but at least she had some time in the sun.

They both need to stop.

How would an exhausiting college schedule have made Effraimson faster?

Didn’t Alexa win a BU meet just last year in 4:29? She looked strong doing so and I thought she was making a return with the UAC

Posters are weird. These two women earn more than 95% of Letsrun posters and they enjoy what they are doing. I guess every poster should quit their job and stop running.

At least if you go pro you end up with a big pile of cash. Do you think Drew Hunter would have gotten any where near as much money if he went pro as a fragile 23 year old whose ceiling looks to be maybe making an occasional team as he did as an 18 year old where the sky was the limit?

These days though, nobody should go pro unless they are making teams. They should sign some NIL and get the best of both worlds.

so losers like you can get triggered that they get paid to do the sport you love even though you can't even win 10$ at the local fun run.... GTFOH

Hasay and Alexa are still running because they have dream same as most of us once did. Just because they are professionals doesn’t mean they don’t have those dreams of winning the Olympics and setting records, the same dream that every runner has had a few times (your lying if you say otherwise). Just because there struggling doesn’t mean they gave up. If there able to get paid following your dream I don’t see why you wouldn’t take it.

Europeans, Australians, Kiwis, Kenyans, and Canadians have done well with college running. Josh Kerr, Nick Willis, Ollie Hoare, Nick Willis, Bernard Lagat, Paul Chelimo, Sally Kipyego, and Mo Ahmed all attended US colleges and have won medals. Even Morceli attended college briefly in the US. The support system you have outside the U.S. is quite different from here. But it is arguable that the NCAA both helps and hinders, burning many out when a private club system that was just as extensive might do better.