Every time I watch these surfing or climbing documentaries they are filled with self described dirtbags who basically live out of a van, tent, or on friends couches to just get after it every day. Are there any of these people in the running community?
I guess the main difference is that you can train anywhere in running while climbing or surfing you need to be in a specific spot (many of which are quite expensive to live in).
Every time I watch these surfing or climbing documentaries they are filled with self described dirtbags who basically live out of a van, tent, or on friends couches to just get after it every day. Are there any of these people in the running community?
I guess the main difference is that you can train anywhere in running while climbing or surfing you need to be in a specific spot (many of which are quite expensive to live in).
Mo Trafeh couch surfed in flagstaff and Morocco when he was competing. Burned every bridge he could and overstayed his welcome. This habit plus doping didn’t endear him to people.
Every time I watch these surfing or climbing documentaries they are filled with self described dirtbags who basically live out of a van, tent, or on friends couches to just get after it every day. Are there any of these people in the running community?
I guess the main difference is that you can train anywhere in running while climbing or surfing you need to be in a specific spot (many of which are quite expensive to live in).
Engels tried it (still does?). He had/has the red and white winnebago. He once managed to somehow park it inside the track at Lewis and Clark college down at the 100m start before the Portland Track Classic before coming out like a pro wrestler to go run the 1500m (which to his credit he won).
Every time I watch these surfing or climbing documentaries they are filled with self described dirtbags who basically live out of a van, tent, or on friends couches to just get after it every day. Are there any of these people in the running community?
I guess the main difference is that you can train anywhere in running while climbing or surfing you need to be in a specific spot (many of which are quite expensive to live in).
Engels tried it (still does?). He had/has the red and white winnebago. He once managed to somehow park it inside the track at Lewis and Clark college down at the 100m start before the Portland Track Classic before coming out like a pro wrestler to go run the 1500m (which to his credit he won).
He comes off as a fake dirtbag to me. Got a Nike contract and definitely had his own place - just liked giving off the van life/redneck vibe. What am I thinking more is guys who are dirt broke therefore doing it out of necessity.
Yup. Both nobodies and sponsored runners. Sponsorships are not all equal. You can be sponsored and dirt poor. There are some who choose to live in vans, but, how much do they make? Zach Miller is a North Face athlete and lives out of his RV and Krissy Moehl has some sort of sponsorship but lives out of her van. There are very few ultra runners who make enough money from a sponsorship that they can afford to not work (or side coaching thing or have a YouTube channel etc.).
There are some. You'll find them in places like Flagstaff and Boulder. Its logistically harder to do than say surfing or climbing which is why there are fewer than in those sports.
I guess all the examples are basically minor-leaguers because dirt bagging without any real aspirations would be pretty lame as a runner. Like, you never(?) run into people living in a van to run 2:30, but the equivalent is very common in skiing for ex. Maybe it’s because shredding powder for a couple years sounds pretty fun, vs grinding away crushing intervals on a HS track and napping.
He comes off as a fake dirtbag to me. Got a Nike contract and definitely had his own place - just liked giving off the van life/redneck vibe. What am I thinking more is guys who are dirt broke therefore doing it out of necessity.
It's not about doing it out of necessity. It's doing it out of love of the outdoors and outdoor activities. You can have a contract, you can also be brilliant, like Chouinard or Tompkins (founder of Patagonia/Chouinard Equipment /Black Diamond and The North Face, respectively).
I watched a video of a founder of a flip flop company and he makes a lot of time to "be a dirtbag", but also a talented designer (education and skills/experience designing various outdoors equipment) and good enough to run a company that has a work to support play philosophy - no doubt inspired by Chouinard.
Not saying that all dirtbag are brilliant, but passion, not being poor isn't the uniting factor.
Probably not a well known name around here but Jack Kuenzle (holds most of the iconic North American one day FKTs). Unsponsored, Couch surfs and drives a van around to sleep at high altitude and ski/run mountains all day. Talks on some podcast about sneaking into ski resort parking lot to sleep at even higher altitude in prep for either the Shasta or rainier or denali FKT, I forget.
Probably not a well known name around here but Jack Kuenzle (holds most of the iconic North American one day FKTs). Unsponsored, Couch surfs and drives a van around to sleep at high altitude and ski/run mountains all day. Talks on some podcast about sneaking into ski resort parking lot to sleep at even higher altitude in prep for either the Shasta or rainier or denali FKT, I forget.
Every time I watch these surfing or climbing documentaries they are filled with self described dirtbags who basically live out of a van, tent, or on friends couches to just get after it every day. Are there any of these people in the running community?
I guess the main difference is that you can train anywhere in running while climbing or surfing you need to be in a specific spot (many of which are quite expensive to live in).
Do dirt bags often road whore? Do they sometimes bandit? I get loving your sport but that is a hard way to live. Long as they don’t complain about their conditions, I’m fine with it.
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