Check it out. Is TrailWonk taken? https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharingOriginally Posted by Just Bill
Does it work?
As Just Bill described in detail, not so much. The big $$$$ regarding hiking of any kind? Writers. Bryson likely tops the list. But historically, writers (of some type) have been the vast majority of those able to make any real money off hiking the trail(s) - hiking (even fast) itself ain't enough. Bryson's and Ed Garvey's stories did well, as did Colin Fletcher's works. Add Ray Jardine, Cheryl Strayed, AWOL, and Wingfoot did okay. I'm probably missing a few, but you get the idea. Winton Porter made a good living at Mountain Crossings. But short of those, and not many of them even made anything approaching "generational wealth", the trail and hiking isn't a gold mine of any kind.
This is where our current subject, Kathryn has a leg up in some sense. She's already written a number of pieces, mostly article length, but she knows how to write. And that's where the money is.
I used to play a lot of golf. The only reason there is money in Golf is because of TV. The AT will never be televised in any significant way (other than a few weird documentaries here and there). Hiking would be an extremely boring televised sport, don't you think? I can see it now, "The Hiking Channel." Zzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzz.
I helped crew for a fkt attempt a few yrs back. By a world class ultra runner.
About all the runner had was shoes etc from extremely well known outdoor athlete sponsor. This person was one of their sponsored athletes.
That and $1.29 will apparently get you a cup of coffee.
Relied on friends for resupply/aid stations
Sponsor donated a person to coordinate the attempt.
Everyones expenses ...nada
Wouldnt spring for satphones either, we had nonexistent cell reception mostly
At one point I hiked 2+ miles so I could relay a text to coordinator.
The runner had a book deal in the works about it
Due to adverse outcome, it was d.o.a.
But they are still living the dream.
Competitive elite ultra runners have a lot in common with surfers, or ski bums.
Hell, some are all 3.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 04-26-2017 at 21:01.
What was your trail name? You aren't the nut we met in Caratunk who did the HMW in two days are you?
June 18th finish...man.
if she's got a friend, tell them to slap her; high five once, then in the face.
Take a few days off, don't get in a car again and start over.
Not saying it looks great, but that looks better.
This^^^
I'd add that maybe 500 golfers in the world make an actual living playing golf. And the bottom half on that list aren't making more than most plumbers. Not a negative - successful skilled trades people do rather well, but it isn't a gold mine. The money in golf is in equipment and apparel, which has a parallel in hiking in that sense. The difference? Endorsements by "the players" aren't a big part of the hiking industry as they are in golf. I don't see that changing, as hiking isn't a competitive game endeavor for the casual participant. There's no scorecard, no winner or loser (hopefully all winners). Nobody is hiking to see who buys beer at the turn.
Cottage industries do well in hiking, as the technology required to produce a product doesn't involve foundries and large manufacturing equipment. Mostly, it's fabric and sewing skill. But it still isn't easy to grow a cottage hiking business into a mainstream business - witness Golite.
I would prefer watching hiking to golf, personally
Golf is successful, because anyone with a little $ can do it, it takes no athleticism, no stamina. 12 or 90 yrs old, all good. Can do it anywhere. And that suits most people. Mass marketing to very large consumer base. Much affluent older as well. Doing it well, of course is endless pursuit for most. It frustrates them just enough, to keep them spending money. Too easy or too hard, they would quit. Just right.....coincidence?
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 04-26-2017 at 22:18.
Golf was huge before TV. In 1946 Ben Hogan won over 42grand on the pro tour. Do you have any idea how much 42 grand in 1946 would be today? Yeah. More than $500,000. And guess what there wasn't in 1946? Golf on TV. There was TV, but not much, and no golf. The reason there has always been money in golf is that it is a rich man's game, played at country clubs, with millions of dollars in wagers going on daily.
I could go down the list of sports without TV to blow up your argument, but it is pointless. Widespread TV coverage of sports was a late 1950's phenomena. Look at the money made by race car drivers, jockeys(they get a percentage of the purse), baseball players, golfers and football players before TV and then extrapolate to today's dollars. Oh yeah, airplane racing was HUGE before TV. Same with powerboat racing. Any idea how much the skipper for the winning America's Cup boat makes? And sailboat racing is SUCH a popular TV sport....lmao.....but it IS a rich man's sport!
And finally. Remember boxing? How many millionaires were there before TV? Plenty.
Do you know what drove the money in sports before TV? Take a guess.
Gambling. Golf, boxing, baseball, football, horse racing, auto racing. All their popularity was based upon the public wagering on them. Remember the Black Sox scandal?
Pretty sure TNF is paying Alex Honnold six figures for signing with them. It's a multi-year deal, too. Pretty sure Lindsay Vonn is pulling down 7 or 8 figures in just endorsement money. Just look at how popular downhill skiing is on TV.....it isn't.
And, if you don't do the thru, you can't write the book(unless you are that #*$& Bryson). And, the books make money. You also trade on your rep in getting work, like guiding, coaching, expedition leading, etc...
I know outdoor athletes that are sponsored and/or have endorsement dealios. They all also have jobs that are a direct result of their outdoor accomplishments. They would not have those jobs without them. Those jobs pay well and they get to do what they love. Money from writing is bonus for them, and most of them DON'T write for money AT ALL. Are any of them "rich" from their outdoor accomplishments? A few. Are most of them in homes they own? Yep. Driving 40K SUV's? Yep. Traveling the world for free? Yep. Could they have done it without their outdoor athletic achievements? Nope.
Didn't Stein Erickson make enough money from skiing way before TV to get in on Deer Valley?
LD hiking is a current fad with the general public and the publicity level is getting up there. To say there isn't $$$ in LD hiking only means that somebody needs a better agent....literary or otherwise...
And an athlete that signs a sponsorship vs. an endorsement deal is selling themselves for cheap....IMHO. Speedgoat may be sponsored by Hoka, but he damn sure is getting an endorsement deal for his shoes. That usually involves money upfront and possibly an ongoing percentage of sales(royalty). Same with Skurka and his SkurkaBrick(tm) with HighSierra. Let's hope Skurka got his $$$ on the front-end....
You are right!
Wait.
What?!?
Look at the interest in following this FKT attempt, eleven pages as of now, 30 pages last year for Karl's record, etc.
More walking, less talking.
Well, yes but, its pretty much the same five guys posting over and over again. A few years ago I recall reading an article by Matt Carpenter about awarding larger purses to the winners of long distance trail races so that they could commit to full time training and achieve more impressive times. I also recall someone pointed out that prize money follows viewership and interest not the other way around.
Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
In rough order:
If we know who the person is we rehash briefly how much we like that person.
If we don't know who the person is- we debate/trash/defend that person.
Assuming it's worth talking about then we talk a little about the hike itself.
Those who hate FKT's jumps in to trash FKT's. So that debate rages and criss-crosses back an forth until those people move on or become interested.
Those who are mildly interested or confused about the whole thing ask questions, those get answered, those answers get discussed, and more questions persist.
The folks who generally only "tune-in" for speed hiking catch up with each other and say hi.
That usually burns up the first 4-10 pages of an FKT thread right there... eventually the attempt might even start!
If the event starts we hem and haw about that a bit... though most of the haters are gone by then... a few will spring back up and a page can be lost clearing that up.
Since there is literally absolutely nothing to talk about when you get a minor milage update once per day in a roughly 60 day event... the thread turns into the general FKT water cooler and anything and everything related to FKT's gets discussed and rehashed like a bunch of pent up fantasy football players watching the NFL draft.
If it's looking good then much like a bunch of typical sports nerds a spreadsheet will be created and minutia will be discussed in painful detail.
Assuming failure- the talk will still continue much the same and generally unaffected by the FKT itself for a good few weeks after- then those who tuned in for FKT season will move on or wait for the next one.
Assuming success- There still isn't much to talk about in the middle 2/3rds of the event.
If you're NOBO- you get a good start or you don't. IF you're SOBO... we hang on till about Maine Junction.
If you're NOBO- we tune in around Maine Junction and actually get hopeful if you hit southern Maine on pace.
If you're SOBO- It's mostly filler until the smokies once you cleared Vermont.
That is only from a spectator point of view... so to speak. There's some good days, or bad days... but if it is a success as whole you get through it more or less on track.
Finally several pages of well wishes, atta boy/girl, congrats and similar will occur. They will be sprinkled with a few comments involving a "Stunt" "Discgrace" and trail founders performing violent gymnastics in their graves... but mostly that will blow by in the shuffle.
This year I think we did pretty good thus far blowing through most of the preliminaries and even moved on to the money topic and a few things not covered before.
The haters were somewhat limited and that died down faster than usual. People were generally respectful and remembered there is a human and fellow hiker actually trying this at the end of the day.
But as far as that comment about five guys posting over and over- that's total BS
Yer sooooo meta, dude.
Outstanding synopsis!In rough order:
.....
But as far as that comment about five guys posting over and over- that's total BS
Nope, was planning on though. But Slam was a no show so we decided to do it in a much more leisurely 2 and 3/4 days.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/201...html?camp&camp
had to look that up... you kids and yer talky stuff.
#stilldon'tgethashtags
Welcome aboard!
Wayne
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Eddie Valiant: "That lame-brain freeway idea could only be cooked up by a toon."
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Yep. Spot on summary of how these seem to play out ad nauseum.Outstanding synopsis!
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