Gabby Thomas on the Biggest Misconception About Track Runners: “Professional Runner Is Not Even a Real Term

Gabby Thomas, the three-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter, has addressed a major misconception about professional track athletes. The belief that once you turn professional, you receive a steady salary like athletes in other sports. She explained,

“There is no like league that you’re going into where you get a salary. In fact, professional runner is not even a real term”.Thomas emphasised that many people misunderstand what it means to be a professional runner.

Noting that “anyone can kind of say they’re a professional runner, you could go for a jog outside and say you’re training for the Olympics and call yourself a professional to be honest.” 

Gabby Thomas also highlighted the financial realities affecting the athletics scene. Revealing that professional runners often pay out of pocket for coaches, agents, and training facilities. Which can be significantly more expensive than when they were amateurs or in high school.

For instance, Thomas shared how her first sponsorship and endorsements with New Balance played a bigger role in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Stating that it enabled her to compete at the event.

Beyond financial misconceptions, Gabby Thomas has also spoken about the physical demands unique to sprinters. She revealed that she only runs a mile once a year as a “gut check”. To test her mental toughness. Admitting, “No, it’s challenging for us” sprinters to run longer distances because their training focuses on explosive speed rather than endurance.

This sheds light on another common misunderstanding, that all track athletes train similarly or that sprinters regularly run long distances.

Meanwhile, Gabby Thomas’s candid insights challenge widespread assumptions about track athletes. Underscoring the specialised nature of sprinting and the complex, often costly path professional runners navigate beyond the track.

Gabby Thomas’  sentiments echo Grand Slam Track CEO Michael Jackson. Jackson recently revealed that the main reason for his Grand Slam Track event was to help curb the financial difficulties that athletes face.