Many professional runners eke out a hodgepodge existence. Sure, superstars can make six figures annually in prize money—and a lot more in endorsements and appearance fees. But athletes who aren't bold-faced names cobble together a living from small shoe contracts and odds and ends like coaching and working at running stores.
Now, a growing number of American road races are offering prize money for top American finishers and bonuses to Americans who reach specific goals (like qualifying for the Your Guide to Age Grading). Professional runners who aren't at the pinnacle of the sport are finding the money helps them train more and work other jobs less.
Heather Kampf, the U.S. one-mile road champion in 2012, 2014, and 2015, says the prize money allows “blue collar” runners like her to stay in the game.
“I'd like to say that we are all intrinsically motivated and race hard simply because we want to do our best,” Kampf says. “But it certainly helps to kick it in for that final stretch if you know placing one spot higher might also have a dollar amount attached.”
Identifying how much elite athletes make is challenging, because most sponsor contracts are confidential. But road race prize money is public. The 2015 USA Track & Field Running Circuit gave out $687,900—one of the largest totals in the circuit's 20-year history. Runners can earn prize money at 12 championships, plus the circuit awards $100,000 in bonuses to those who score highest in points earned throughout the year. And many hosts of U.S. championships will add to the pool from their own funds, as the Peachtree Road Race did when it hosted the national 10K championships in 2014. It shifted its prize pool to American finishers for that year only.
Working the Hard Roads
USATF championship races aren't the only places athletes earn cash. In 2014, road race earnings by Americans totaled nearly $4 million ($1,946,648 for men and $2,037,405 for women), according to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (ARRS).
The top U.S. male earner on the roads for 2014, according to ARRS, was—no shock—Meb Keflezighi, Running Shoes & Gear. Molly Huddle topped U.S. women with $120,000. The surprises come further down the list, with some runners who aren't exactly household names: Christo Landry, who earned $70,400 in 2014, was second, and Tyler Pennel was fourth with $45,400. On the women's side, Shalane Flanagan ($70,359) was second, but fourth and fifth were Lindsey Scherf, who took in $40,245, and Brianne Nelson, who won $35,868.
Download Training Plans, Nelson was second with $65,716, and Sara Hall was third with $48,755. Jared Ward was the top man with $105,166, followed by Ben True ($84,500) and Sam Chelanga ($66,500).
Andre De Grasse Wins the Mens 200 Meters in Tokyo Olympics this year. But they are earning a solid living by winning or placing regularly in lower-profile races around the country.
A few races that discontinued prize money now feature it again, and more are shifting funds to U.S. racers. The Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa, Florida, for example, reintroduced a prize purse for its half marathon in 2011 after eliminating it in 1997. In the past, the race offered an open purse aimed at attracting world elites; now American runners vie for a piece of a $30,000 pie. Gasparilla also offers a $10,000 purse for local runners.
“We knew that we could not compete with some of the major half marathon prize money races,” says Susan Harmeling, executive director. “At the same time, we wanted to help our American athletes with their development. They're working full-time so they can train. We were hoping the prize purse could contribute to their livelihoods.”
Is It Working?
At Gasparilla, the 2015 half marathon became a battle of big names: Olympians Dathan Ritzenhein, who took home $8,000 for the win, and Abdi Abdirahman ($3,500), who came in second. But less-heralded runners Brett Gotcher ($2,000 for third) and Fernando Cabada ($1,000 for fourth) earned a payday, too. Prize money was equal on the women's side, where Olympian Jen Rhines won, but Neely Spence Gracey and Heather Lieberg were second and third.
After dropping all prize money in 2013, the Rock 'n' Roll series reinstituted a new prize structure in 2014 that includes a U.S. only, year-long Half Marathon Grand Prix with total prizes of at least $25,000 per gender, including $15,000 for the top man and woman. “As these prize pools get bigger and bigger, you can't help but pay attention,” says Brendan Reilly, president of the sports agency Boulder Wave, noting that his American athletes, like Cabada, are starting to target these events.
In 2015, for the first time in its history, the Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, offered a $23,000 U.S.-only prize purse, going five deep, with the top American man and woman garnering half as much ($5,000) as the overall winner.
The Chicago Marathon gives a $2,500 bonus for athletes who meet at least the Your Guide to Age Grading “B” standard of 2:18 for men and 2:43 for women, and the California International Marathon makes similar payouts for trials qualifiers. Chicago also gives bonuses for top American finishers, from $10,000 for first to $1,000 for fifth.
Sarah Crouch, 26, had a breakthrough performance at the 2014 Chicago Marathon with a 12-minute PR. She finished in 2:32:44 as the seventh woman, earning $9,000, in addition to the trials qualifying bonus.
Crouch is sponsored by Reebok, but she also coaches and writes for Active.com to make ends meet. The bonuses, she says, are “a wonderful thing for runners who are right on the cusp of being able to make a living in the sport.”
Grateful Athletes
Races that embrace the American field usually give top-notch treatment to them, Kampf says, pointing to the Mental Strategies of American Record Holders. (The organization also puts on the Liberty Mile.) “[They] pay us to go speak with kids and help us earn a living, and help us use our stardom—so to speak—to improve their community,” she says. Kampf, who is sponsored by Asics, coaches high school track and cross country and works at a running store. Groups like Pittsburgh “give [runners] the opportunity to not be working five jobs and running,” she says.
Will the trend toward American-only prizes continue? It depends on whether races and sponsors think it's good for business. Athletes are convinced it is.
“Most elites at least partially base their racing schedule off of potential prize money,” Crouch says. “We have to. For the average American pro runner, the runner who isn't winning world championships or even U.S. championships, the runner who isn't blessed with a generous sponsorship fresh out of college, living paycheck to paycheck—which means race to race—is a harsh reality.”
