So I'm a recent (male) college grad with PR's of about 15:00 for 5K and 70:00 for half marathon, and I'm curious about the world of gear sponsorships. I know that my times are far from attracting anything in the way of a real pro contract, but I want to know what options there are for a guy like myself to get things like free shoes/ race entries.
It seems like plenty of people slower than myself are getting shoes from the companies (through ambassador/ "product testing" deals), but I'm not sure what steps one has to take to land a deal like that. Running 70 MPW can get pricey, and a few free shoes here and there could help.