The Fabulous Life of an Elite Runner
Many have written on the struggles — financial and otherwise — of breaking into professional track and field, but I find it especially eye-opening to hear of struggles (”barely getting by”) from the runner’s own mouth (or blog). Such is the case with Brianna Glenn in her most recent post on her blog, which she calls “My so-called FABULOUS Life.” Brianna tells the story of how she became an elite runner, including the financial struggles, the “forgetting how to run and jump,” and her strategy to get back into shape. Now, she’s seeking a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in either the LJ or 200m. (she has PBs of 21-11 and 22.91, respectively). Here’s hoping she fulfills her dream.
Brianna’s story is important for a number of reasons. One, because it dispels the myth that all elite track and field athletes immediately strike gold when they get a sponsor or begin competing professionally. Brianna was competing every weekend under an Adidas sponsorship and claims she “barely got by.” This is the former PAC-10 Athlete of the Year we’re talking about here!
Two, her story underscores the uniqueness of our sport. If you play basketball well, you’ll have scores of people helping you along the way, offering wise counsel on big decisions, giving tips for improvement. For many elite runners, the only ones watching out for them are themselves and a coach, maybe. Oh, and their mom and dad. This has been said before (on this blog, I think), but track is one of the only sports that doesn’t reward athletes financially based on the potential for success. In track, your paycheck is determinant on your placing well — preferably first — at big meets. And any sponsorships are determinant on, well … the same thing.
Being an elite runner might be the most difficult profession in sports. No knock against LeBron James, but he doesn’t have to schedule his own games, book his own travel, or convince Nike that he is definitely going to score 30 in order to keep his contract or get a paycheck. His celebrity was set in stone before he even graduated high school.