I live in the north east of England, next to Newcastle. Most road races that have an entry fee usually have prize money. The bigger the race, the bigger the money, the bigger the competition.
It's not a pro circuit. I've never ran a 10k road race, usually raced indoors during the winter or the odd xc. My brother and training partner are pretty good and focus on road/xc and pick up anywhere from Ł20 - Ł200 a race.
It's hard to say how much can someone make, athletics is definitely the wrong sport if you're in it for money. A lot of professionals still have full time jobs.
Only problem with running is you can't grind it out each day like you can with poker. You need proper rest/training prior to a race and some recovery time afterwards. Also can't really be in peak racing-shape all year long.
Still a fun sport, though. I raced competitively in high school but lost interest in the sport once I realized my chances of running in the NCAA were slightly out of reach, which would mean I'd have to compete in Canada.
OK, last year it was Stephen Amell's jumping pull-ups that amazed me. Then JJ Watts 60" vertical jump. But this, to me, is beyond both of those. How impressive is this?
After finally getting over a torn rotator cuff and bad lower back I think I am going to really start focusing on the bodyweight stuff. It feels less vain than lifting weights (just how lifting weights feels to me a bit), is more fun, has a much higher cardio and core impact, is easier on the joints and also looks **** cool when you can do stuff like planche press ups and the human flag.
Great thread and when I am going to start properly will post routine and goals etc