In the last week, a slew of high profile women have announced they'll miss the 2018 track season as they are pregnant. Being a new parent myself, I thought to myself, "Do they get maternity leave? Do the shoe companies still pay them?"
Anyone know. I think an agent told me a few years back that most do not get paid - they just might get an extra year on the deal. Like if their deal expired in 2019, they wouldn't be paid in 2018 but would be paid in 2020.
I've left the agent a VM but thought I'd also try to crowdsource the answer.
If you are a female pro and want to talk on or off the record, soot me an email robert@letsrun.com or give me a call at 844-LETSRUN (844-538-7786).
Maternity leave for runners? Do the companies pay the big stars while they are out giving birth?
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do you or do you not support maternity leave for runners?
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You seriously have a number using LETSRUN?
That's really frickin awesome -
Is it a cellphone or landline?????
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If letsrun ever has a female employee, will you offer maternity leave? What about for the dads?
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I'm impressed wrote:
You seriously have a number using LETSRUN?
That's really frickin awesome
I want a phone number that says LoneStarXC. Do you have to pay extra for that?? -
You should contact Kara Goucher. Seems she likes to share a lot.
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I'd imagine in most countries (Europe) where being a pro runner is just the same as any other job, paid maternity leave would be a basic human right.
Not sure about somewhere with as fucked up a healthcare and lack of holiday system as the US though. -
LoneStarXC wrote:
I'm impressed wrote:
You seriously have a number using LETSRUN?
That's really frickin awesome
I want a phone number that says LoneStarXC. Do you have to pay extra for that??
You can get free numbers from google voice. Then you can set them up to forward to your phone if you want. This is probably what they did, it is what I did for my business.
If you want it to spell something specific, it may be a while before you find an area code with that available, if at all. Plus "LoneStarXC" is more than 7 digits, which makes you pretty much stuck with the LON as your area code (566), which really makes it unlikely that your desired number is available. 566 is also a special area code, which could work both for and against you. I think it is more likely to be available, but i think it might be more difficult to register, and not in googles options. -
Except most runners over here aren't pros. There are a handful on large multi-year contracts, but most struggle to get gear deals and cobble together some minor sponsors and funding and gear.
You would have to look at whether their funding from their federation would be cut or continue, also a lot of sponsors treat sponsorship like freelance work.
Running aside, your mat leave still depends on your contract (short term or permanent), and after a certain window of time your permanent employers don't have to hold your position. Freelance obviously doesn't guarantee anything. -
Leave wrote:
I'd imagine in most countries (Europe) where being a pro runner is just the same as any other job, paid maternity leave would be a basic human right.
Not sure about somewhere with as fucked up a healthcare and lack of holiday system as the US though.
Not necessarily.....I think in the UK even government funded athletes can be treated as self employed so would "enjoy" none of the statutory rights affored to employed workers (sick pay, maternity pay, paid holiday etc.) and I imagine (bit don't know for certain) that athletes funded through private sources would be treated the same (i.e. as a contractor). -
Here is a quick read that covers the basics.
https://fairygodboss.com/career-topics/maternity-leave-101-basic-things-you-should-know
What we do not know is if these Runners are company employees or contracted workers.
Can some one who is in HR chime in on this?
I will always stain your shirt
The Real Meatball -
a couple of years ago I was reading the blog of a Canadian athlete and off the top of my head I'm going to say it was probably Hilary Stellingwerff but that may be wrong, and she was having problems with her national association funding because she first fell pregnant and claimed some benefit or other, but then got injured and her pregnancy counted as an injury which meant that she was unable to claim funding whilst actually injured. If I remember correctly, she took them to court and won, but so much time had passed that she retired from athletics anyway.
http://www.runhilaryrun.ca/#blogs
cheers. -
I imagine most runners get a base salary and then bonuses based on performance in races right? So wouldn't it stand to reason they get their base salary still, but no bonuses from missed races?
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Maternity leave isn't really for giving birth. That typically doesn't take a year.
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Here's a thought - create a "like" button on some posts. Like FB. For instance, some of these posts are hilarious, but I really don't want to reply.
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Has to be Oiselle and Lauren Fleshman, no? They've paid her handsomely for a number of years where she produced two babies and something like a 15:50 best 5K. (OTOH she dominates most Olympians in Twitter followers, which you could argue counts for more.)
