Let's GO JOHN RANKIN

it's jon.

A 3:54 does not seem that fast anymore for a US miler anymore. When Webb does not make the team somebody like Rankin gets pushed even further back.

He needs to bust at least either a 3:52 mile or 3:33 1500.

Well it said his P.R. was 3:52.7 but I'm not sure when that time is from. Seriously though, if you get dropped by your sponsor and have to work at Denny's ( a bit cliche really.. there has to be a better diner or restaurant for tips ) to make ends meet you might want to consider using that degree and moving on. What a tough sport to try and make a living though.. I guess I never imagined that if I had been All-American, won Pac-10's and been talented enough to run 3:52 or 1:47 that I would still need to do what he does just to follow a dream.

He didn't get dropped.

His contract expired and Nike (his employer) didn't offer him a new one.

That's business.

You are correct.

I think it is an interesting character study to compare Rankin to Torrence and their clearly opposing views on what they "deserve".

Once again, how does a college graduate, this time a UCLA grad, with the tremendous networking available for Bruin athletes and alumni, end up working at Denny's?

I do not sympathize with the making ends meet BS. I have been in his shoes and have used my degree to generate more income to live a reasonable life while pursuing my dream but also maintaining a career.

However, I applaud him for going after it until 2012. Rankin was one of my darkhorses for the 2008 team and if he puts together a solid training block leading up to '12, he can compete for a spot on the team. He is very talented.

Good luck, Jon.

i dont see the need for milers/mid distance guys to NOT work some sort of job.

I'm getting very tired of these sob stories. Would it be so difficult for him to be a substitute teacher, thats an easy $100 a day. He's probably not running more than 70m a week so its not like hes pushing the envelope like a marathoner doing 140m a week.

as someone said, hes piss poor at using his resources from ucla and maybe its time to move on.

Torrence gets a bit more since he is younger and has more upside at this point. In 3-5yrs and he will be in rankins spot. guys like this our a dime a dozen. dan wilson, charlie gruber, grant robison....jesus richie boulet ran as fast and he wasnt a miler.

Sometimes you just get a McJob because it's flexible and doesn't require a big commitment. You were in his shoes how exactly and what exactly did you do? College graduates are everywhere these days and are not something special. Businesses don't want to hire and train people like they used to much less runners trying to go pro. Why don't you guys make up a resume similar to what you had upon graduation and try to get a job and see how easy it is. Try to apply for a job at McDonald's or a bank teller job. See if it's really easy to get these jobs.

shortncurlys wrote:

Would it be so difficult for him to be a substitute teacher, thats an easy $100 a day.

I don't know about his qualifications but in my state it requires a sub certificate. You can't just jump into it just because you have a history degree. And it's pretty competitive. Maybe he doesn't like kids.

shortncurlys wrote:

as someone said, hes piss poor at using his resources from ucla and maybe its time to move on.

I went to a similar school and know that the career 'resources' do nothing for you if you have a humanities degree (even if they could do the same things as a crap business degree kid) and no experience. Alumni do anything either generally. They don't give a crap about unconnected (and black) students.

Yes, it is pretty easy to train to run 3:35.

A guy training for a 2:20 marathon is putting in way more work, pushing the envelope.

Because the amount of miles you run is the only factor in how hard you are training.

Waiting tables is an easy way to get the training in but it is not the best thing to be on your legs for hours at a time while you are training.

He's in a tough spot.

I highly doubt any of you were in Rankin's spot as none of you ran a 3:52.7.

I don't care who you are, if you have a college degree you can work someplace better than Dennys.

A few of my friends have done this kind of idiot crap... working some pizza job and laying low. 40 hrs a week is 40 hrs a week; you may as well have the money too.

J h wrote:

I admire this guy for still going even though nike did him dirty

How did they do him dirty?

I'm sure he can work at a better place than Denny's, and he will after his running career ends. But like someone pointed out, there's not much commitment when working at Denny's, and it allows more time to train like an elite athlete. Maybe he should've stopped, but I don't think there's anything wrong with going after a dream of making the olympics when it is somewhat of a possibility. How many of us have been able to have that chance? This is his last shot at doing something that 99.999% of people never will. And if he had a more demanding job, it would probably force him to not train the way he wants to. I know milers aren't doing as high mileage as marathoners, but there's still a lot more strength work involved, and that takes time. And he probably has to prepare of cook most of his meals to make sure he gets the best possible nutritional benefits. That takes some time as well. He probably needs to get an adequate amount of sleep every night, and that takes more time out of the day. He is giving himself the best possible chance to make the team, even though the odds are against him. And to do that you need a full commitment. Other things can not get in the way. Keep in mind that there are guys ahead of him with an advantage because they have contracts that support them enough so they don't have to work at Denny's. If Rankin chose a better job, it would put him at even more of a disadvantage against those guys in training. And remember it isn't just the training, he has to live the lifestyle that goes along with it. The eating, the sleeping, the not going out and getting wasted...he has to live it if he wants to have the shot. My prediction? He won't make it in 2012. But you never know. Who expected Christian Smith to make it in the 800 in Beijing?

actually, they offered him a contract (albeit one that was basically a "bonus" contract in essence) and HE decided that he was worth more, so he told them "no thanks."

thus, being w/out sponsorship was his choice and who know how much longer strands will pour money into this, after all running is very low on the totem pole for strands.

that said, all the best jon, i wish you well in 20min, kick some butt.

lugnutz wrote:

He didn't get dropped.

His contract expired and Nike (his employer) didn't offer him a new one.

That's business.

Precisely. It just shows the Moron Brothers ignorance and bias that they choose to paint Rankin as the victim.

As others have pointed out, why the hell would a UCLA graduate work at Denny's? Surely there are several running stores in the area that would be happy to employ Rankin. He could sit behind the counter all day and read about himself on letsrun.

In the suburbs of Chicago, Vicki Redican, 52, has been unemployed for almost two years, since she lost her $75,000-a-year job as a sales and marketing manager at a plastics company. College-educated, Ms. Redican first sought another management job. More recently, she has tried and failed to land a cashier’s position at a local grocery store, and a barista slot at a Starbuck’s coffee shop.

Substitute teaching assignments once helped her pay the bills. “Now, there are so many people substitute teaching that I can no longer get assignments,” she said.

“I’ve learned that I can’t look to tomorrow,” she said. “Every day, I try to do the best I can. I say to myself, ‘I don’t control this process.’ That’s the only way you can look at it. Otherwise, you’d have to go up on the roof and crack your head open.”

You make more money waiting tables than being a clerk in a running store.

Wake up run. Hang out. Eat lunch. Train at 3:00. Work 6-11 and have cash.

Saturdays- hard workout in the morning and then maybe double shift.

You keep your normal training schedule and can train with a team.

I did this for 3 years after college to make it to the Olympic Trials.

There are different approaches but the schedules work out well.

You need at least a two hour block of time in the afternoon to change, warm-up, work out, warm-down, drills, strength work, shower. And that doesn't account for commute time.

I am sure a lot of people have different stories of what they did to make a living while training full time.