Possible to survive off Minimum Wage while training for Olympics?

If you find a cheap place to live and some like minded roomates it is totally possible. But why not work at a running store and make a couple bucks more.

Sure it's possible. But it's also possible to work a full time job that pays much more and still train well.

Runnin' and Bummin' wrote:

Is it possible to work maybe 30 hours a week minimum wage while training for the 2020 Olympics? I have no drive for anything else in life except running fast and want to know if it’s possible to survive off 30 hours a week of minimum wage and road race winnings. If I could just work 10-4 at McDonalds and put in 20+ miles a day on the pursuit of the Olympics I would be the happiest man alive, but is it possible to even support myself doing that?

Im 18 years old. Fast but not exceptionally fast. Willing to put in the maniac miles similar to Cam Levins though. Looking forward to all the criticism I will receive on this thread.

You're 18? Go run in college.

mdmd wrote:

Sure it's possible. But it's also possible to work a full time job that pays much more and still train well.

Personally I can't fathom hammering 20 mile days and working a stressful 8 hour job day after day. But I can definitely see myself able to put in 6 hours a day at a stress-free job.

run in college, then use your degree to get a job that pays a bit more, you could still work part time if you want to, and chase your goal. By the way plenty of people work full time careers, 40 hours a week and put in 20 miles a day.

As long as you are cool with living at home, yes.

The problem is I have no motivation for anything aside from this. A Chris McCandless "Into the Wild" type of attitude on life. The only desire I have is to be happy and free of stress. The way I feel like I can achieve that is if I chase my running dreams.

Try waiting tables or bartending. The pay should be much better then minimum wage.

Here is a 2012 piece on a 2:30 marathoner who bartends while hoping to get to the 2016 trials.

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/running-bartender

I will take you to my high altitude camp in the mountains. Once there you will get incredible training and only have to work a little in the harvesting field. But don't you dare touch one of my 12 twelve wife/daughters!

Join the AIR FORCE choose an MOS(military occupational specialty) ez on the physical work maybe an x ray tech

http://www.indeed.com/forum/job/x-ray-tech/x-ray-tech-civilian-x-ray-tech-military/t122035

So after 4 years you will have run as much as you want saved up a boar load of money have a marketable skill and the GI bill if you want to go to college

Charlie wrote:

Join the AIR FORCE choose an MOS(military occupational specialty) ez on the physical work maybe an x ray tech

http://www.indeed.com/forum/job/x-ray-tech/x-ray-tech-civilian-x-ray-tech-military/t122035

So after 4 years you will have run as much as you want saved up a boar load of money have a marketable skill and the GI bill if you want to go to college

That's a solid idea

Robert Paulson wrote:

Try waiting tables or bartending. The pay should be much better then minimum wage.

Here is a 2012 piece on a 2:30 marathoner who bartends while hoping to get to the 2016 trials.

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/running-bartender

Bartending, are you freaking kidding me? Yes, that is conducive to the kind of sleep patterns required to be an elite athlete.

We're not talking about the pipe dreams of a 2:30 marathoner, we're talking about the Olympics.

OP, plenty of athletes survive off of minimum wage and go to the Olympics. Look at pretty much any thrower in this country.

mdmd wrote:

Sure it's possible. But it's also possible to work a full time job that pays much more and still train well.

What he said.

Amy Yoder Begley worked 2 part time jobs when she made the Olympic 10k..

But, seriously, go run in college.

Dennis Reynolds wrote:

Robert Paulson wrote:

Try waiting tables or bartending. The pay should be much better then minimum wage.

Here is a 2012 piece on a 2:30 marathoner who bartends while hoping to get to the 2016 trials.

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/running-bartender

Bartending, are you freaking kidding me? Yes, that is conducive to the kind of sleep patterns required to be an elite athlete.

We're not talking about the pipe dreams of a 2:30 marathoner, we're talking about the Olympics.

OP, plenty of athletes survive off of minimum wage and go to the Olympics. Look at pretty much any thrower in this country.

Sorry I wasn't thinking of bartending at places open until 3am but rather at restaurants,etc where closing is at 11 pm. An no we are not talking about the pipe dreams of a 2:30 marathoner but rather the pipe dreams of an 18 year old who sounds like he has never run for 2 1/2 hours over any distance.

Agreed. Go to school, kid. You likely aren't going to get as could as you could get on a good college team.

If you really can't do that, I agree with the military option.

Working at McDonalds for years and chasing running dreams is going to put you in a big, lonely hole later in life.

If you are serious about giving the Olympics a shot and really do not care about anything else, why don't you consider going to kenya, like these guys did

http://vimeo.com/28837689

You can live in Iten on minimum wage, not high on the hog but enough to train, survive, and pay the coaching fee for a workout group.

Long term you are really putting all your eggs in the running basket if you do this, so if you do not make the Olympic team or get a big shoe contract you would have really put yourself in a big hole, even a bigger hole than working in a minimum wage job. Your 5K time will probably be better with this option than a minimum wage job plus training on your own would produce.

A more sensible approach would be college or the military though.

College and the military are unnecessary. After 4 years of working, you should be making more than $40k unless you're doing something wrong. Starting off with a minimum wage job will be just fine if that's what you want.

It is possible. Please get yourself a coach by the way and try to stay with him until 2020. The coach is to tell you what not to do most of the time, opposed to what to do.