it's so incredibly hard to be a successful professional runner.
remember the scene in Once a Runner before Cassidy races that fast mile and Denton notices he has the "mental part" and isn't going to collapse from the pressure before the race even starts? Yeah, that part is rare and equally important as talent. Clayton Murphy has it. Centro has it. Wheating does not have it. Webb didn't even really have it
if you have the talent you need the durability.
if you have talent and durability, you need the mental toughness to train hard, race under extreme pressure and anxiety.
on top of all that, you need to be able to find the calm and separation from it all in all of the hours that you aren't training. which is a lot of hours
you need to be obsessed but able to somehow detach from it at times.
or just play video games
it's pretty amazing how Galen Rupp has handled it all these years. Maybe being married with kids is enough distraction, but he can handle the pressure and keep performing and winning medals.