An Amateur Calls out Elite runners

Rojo, you really hit the nail on the head with your statement that "Guys run cause they love it until they get on scholarship . . . and then suddenly it's hard not to think about money." That's exactly how it felt for me to be on an athletic scholarship. As a freshman, I started the season as the top runner on my University of Utah team, but then got injured and never got anywhere near back to where I was. Suddenly I felt worthless and ashamed at getting, essentially, tens of thousands of dollars as a failure. Running no longer felt like a joy, but a job at which I was performing miserably. It really takes time to get out of that mindset that you have to be great or you're a failure. Most of us will never be great, and it takes time to crush those dreams. Sad and brutally honest, but true. However, I wouldn't trade those years of dreaming, and I still love running, even as a much slower man in my 50s.

I texted Clay earlier, and told him he's getting some hate for his blog post on Letsrun. His only response, "Eh, I've been called worse things by much better people."

Former Teammate number 3 wrote:

I texted Clay earlier, and told him he's getting some hate for his blog post on Letsrun. His only response, "Eh, I've been called worse things by much better people."

He's getting no hate from me. I understand him. Been there, done that, years ago. He'll be here, doing this, before he knows it. Nothing but the best to him.

I wonder why Clay doesn't talk about a guy like Nick Symmonds who has done more to promote/elevate the sport any other runner since Pre?

I believe he was just joking. I'm not sure if he scans Letsrun or not.

Former Teammate number 3 wrote:

I believe he was just joking. I'm not sure if he scans Letsrun or not.

Well, let him know we're pulling for him. Wink, wink.

WILL HE COME ON LRC AND SHOUT AT US IN ALL CAPS?? JUST WONDERING.

Even your nickname is in all-caps. He won't do that, no. But he WILL come here in disguise. Just hinting.

DARKHORSE1 wrote:

WILL HE COME ON LRC AND SHOUT AT US IN ALL CAPS?? JUST WONDERING.

It's possible he'll come on here talking about how loving and tolerant he is while making extremely homophobic statements; that's his thing now.

victory > love wrote:

That's complete BS from a hobby jogger. Elite athletes run to WIN. When they can't WIN they quit running. Only pathetic losers "love to run". Champions love just one thing, and that's to WIN.

Of course, a winner's mindset is incomprehensible to a loser like you.

I know you're trying to troll me, but you serve me with the opportunity to illustrate my point.

Just yesterday I ran a quick 400m in a workout, not fast enough to compete at the distance but well under 60, and hit a split differential of less than 1s because I started more conservatively than I needed to. So I charged unstoppably through the last 150m holding perfect form, losing no cadence, and swatting aside the tentacles of acidosis like a freight train plowing through a herd of frightened jackrabbits.

Nobody saw, nobody heard, it wasn't even a good rep since it was badly paced. But it was well worth it because it was fun.

Few outside the sphere of organized competition - high school, college, elite, i.e. nearly everyone over age 23 - ever stay in sub-60 shape because they don't enjoy it. If all those sub-50 kids liked running 400's, they'd keep doing it and stay sub-60 for life. Even Johnny Gray didn't, and he's barely over 50. Look how big and fat he is

Sure he was a winner once - but is he an athlete now? Golf, maybe.

Those who truly enjoy athletics rarely specialize in one thing, either, just as people who enjoy eating rarely just put one thing on their plate. Nobody with a broad range of athletic talents is going to give it all up to become the best bird-limbed 120 pound marathoner.

Former Teammate number 3 wrote:

I texted Clay earlier, and told him he's getting some hate for his blog post on Letsrun. His only response, "Eh, I've been called worse things by much better people."

Is he saying that even Jesus thinks he's an as*hole?

Former Teammate number 3 wrote:

"Eh, I've been called worse things by much better people."

So sorry that we are not good enough to be loved by his imaginary deity.

N. Symmonds > R. Hall wrote:

I wonder why Clay doesn't talk about a guy like Nick Symmonds who has done more to promote/elevate the sport any other runner since Pre?

Uh... isn't that kind of obvious? Just think about what he said about the anti-gay law in Russia.

I've went back and counted up all the posts that were in favor of Clay. Then, I added up the posts that were against him/not in favor of his article.

He has an astounding low approval rating of a measly 35%.

Factoring in Letsrun's standard haters of anything but atheism, anyone with an opinion, let alone if they have a pulse, they're hated... Factoring all that in...

The kid's actually has the highest approval rating for Letsrun since Bill Rodgers won the Boston Marathon!!! Considering Letsrun did not exist till 20 years after that, he's sitting pretty well!

Even Wejo likes him!

Seems like Letsrun found their Golden Child.

clear thinker wrote:

I've went back and counted up all the posts that were in favor of Clay.

I've "GONE" back and...

clear thinker wrote:

The kid's actually has the highest approval rating for Letsrun since .

Jason Rexing's approval rating is currently at 98.7% after hovering over 99% for a few years.

hulohoop wrote:

Disgruntled much?

http://okathletes.com/2014/07/28/an-open-message-to-elite-runners/

Rambling, poorly written drivel. Thinly disguised religious preaching. Holier than thou condescension. Full of grammatical errors and non sequiturs.

So- just above average for the LR community.

For the vast, vast majority (and I include myself, a 4:08 high school miler), competing in track and cross country at the college level or beyond makes little sense. While I was privileged to have a track scholarship, and certainly put in the effort, competing at the Division 1 level made no sense given my academic goals. Yes, I was able to finally achieve the academic goals, but college athletics added 4 or 5 years to my adolescence, and it caused me to start later pursuing activities which made sense for the remainder of my life. My perspective may be skewed - I was a very good student - but then again, there any number of very good students who post here with the same kind of skills.

I look at the top 10 from high school class. All except me are involved with teaching, coaching (or a close variant thereof). I think that is fine so long as they are happy (and I believe they are). And everyone should not aim for, or desire, a big money, high prestige career. But in retrospect I really wish that running remained just a high school activity for me. Again, it would have been the right choice.

I don't think those striving to be elite

are by and large narcissists. They are single minded, well, because you have to be. I do think that if those pursuits mean living off your parents, well, ugh. I was on my own since age 18 and did not have any such option, but just the thought of it makes me recoil. Heck, if running is a means to express yourself, fine - but there is no better way to express yourself than by becoming an independent adult, as soon as possible.

Delusional amateur wrote:

Interesting rant by a young rudderless runner who has yet figure it out yet. He's not alone , nothing has really changed over the years , b runners as Clay will never make the so called money. Truth be told its never been there and only a very small percentage do make a living off the sport. Its unfortunate Clay doesn't appreciate the talent he has or make the best if it for himself and not worry about the so called elites. Some elites give back some don't , thats life.

Winning and winning big goes a long way in the sport.

I ran on the Farm Team back in the day. I found the "A" runners to generally be kind an welcoming (along with being self absorbed, but you have to be a little putting in that kind of work). However the "B" runners were generally rude a-holes who were fighting for table scraps. Fairly nice on an individual level as soon as you got a few together the pack mentality set in and every insecurity and self-absorbed behavior came to the surface.

I'm guessing this behavior is common on sports, even more so at the true ly professional sports. I can only imagine what training camp is like in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, etc.