Living in a van and running-smart thing to do?

Being a road whore is doable, but you are probably better off pursuing a career in your degree field. Otherwise you risk becoming the 30 year old living in his parent's basement working at a shoe store that goes out and runs XC nationals every year (knew a guy just like this that used to hang out around the team in college). Don't spend too much time not pursuing your career or nobody will look to hire you. Plus, where would you get the money for the van?

Kenyans/Ethios will poach most of the good paying races. But give it 6 months or a year and get it out of your system.

Do it while you can! Stay on BLM land to keep costs down if you are in the western US. Also read Into the Wild.

I think it's a great idea, seriously. There are going to be naysayers and trolls that will try to put your idea down on these boards, but most of them are just old men or cynical pricks who never had the guts to chase a dream.

Here's my advice. 1) a Mercedes Sprinter Van is expensive. For example, 2010 passenger models (dsl) with over 100k on the clock are doing over $10,000 at the wholesale auctions. Now keep in mind, these vans are Mercedes products, so they carry Mercedes price tags for service work. With six figures on the odometer, you are bound to be replacing parts sooner than later, and those parts and labor are costly. When you factor that in with the fact that you need to convert the damn thing into a living space, well, it may have just been better to rent an apartment in Colorado or Oregon for a year. You'd actually save money.

My advice would be to steer clear of German made stuff and stick to Domestic Conversion Vans. Not only will you find them for less, but they will cost less to maintain. That will allow you to budget more for the conversion, which is ultimately what you want to spend your money on.

2. This has to do with training. You can't get GREAT without a community of training partners. So throw out any "once a runner" ideas of reaching Olympic Dreams solo like a Quentin Cassidy. If I were you, I would fix up my van and drive out to the Pacific Northwest or Colorado in search of thin air, rolling hills, and a bunch of like minded athletes willing to forgoe the "real" world in favor of something far more fleeting. Not only will that keep you motivated, but it will make you a more hardened distance runner. Need proof? Check out Kenya or Ethiopia. Those guys train in massive groups year round. And the results speak for itself.

Godspeed Dude! Live by faith, not by fear...

2/10

Give away: "maybe a Mercedes sprinter van", and "is this a smart idea?"

Is the van down by the river?

Of course, how would you bathe otherwise?

not the real jamin wrote:

2/10

Give away: "maybe a Mercedes sprinter van", and "is this a smart idea?"

Running smaller races to win money was the death nail for me.

You are much too generous - 0/10

What's your degree in, any chance you could still work in the field while doing the vanlife thing? IMO, if that's what you feel like you want to do then go do it. Too many people keep looking to everyone else to help them decide what they should be doing to make their own happiness. You are the only one that knows.

You won't make any prize money...

I live in a south Texas town that hosts a 10,000m road race every February. We are four hours south of San Antonio, but the city pays out over $30k in prizes for the top three every year (split between both genders). That amount also includes a smaller award for top three Americans, if they were not top three overall.

While majority of the over 8000 entries are from the local population, there were more "elite" Kenyans competing in the race than there were prize money places. In the end it typically takes sub 29:15 to take third...and this is not an easy place to get. Usually an American breaks into the top three here, but never more than one. Even still, I think the third American this year was 5th overall and only made $500 and ran around 29:30. I imagine a similar paying race closer to major airports would have insane amounts of competition.

I would do it. But I would get a smaller pickup with a camper shell. You can daisy chain some car batteries together and get a solar panel to recharge them ..to get plenty of juice for lights etc..

Why are people so mysterious here sometimes? Can't you just say "I live in Brownsville" or "I live in McAllen"? Why not provide a link to race results to back up your claim?

[quote]Sliding Scale wrote:

I live in a south Texas town that hosts a 10,000m road race every February. We are four hours south of San Antonio, but the city pays out over $30k in prizes for the top three every year (split between both genders). That amount also includes a smaller award for top three Americans, if they were not top three overall.

[quote]

I won $35 for running a 6:20 mile 4 weeks ago.

Yeah if you're young I'd say go for it. Travel the country and enjoy it. Obviously not a long term thing but YOLO, the only time to do this for you in life is right now. Most people who are working are not saving any money anyways. They live paycheck to paycheck. They work then spend and have to work again to spend it again. The van thing would make these people jealous. Go for it.

I was working at a bike shop in college, and a kid I'd run against in high school XC a few years earlier came rolling in on a bike, towing a trailer, full of "camping" stuff, and he looked like he'd been out in the woods for weeks.

He was living under a bridge miles outside of town, and planning to ride bike races for cash moving forward. No idea whatever happened to him, sorry.

Did it work out for you, OP?

I imagine this would be very difficult to do this exclusively on running income. I've met people who've pulled it off with other sources of income (trust fund, freelance writing, art (music, painting, photography), bull riding circuit, website development, and under the table laboring), but it's gotta be tough off of race earnings alone.