Who Paid Scott Jurek When Race Prizes Stayed Small?

From sponsors, not from the prize check. On Backpacker Radio, Scott Jurek says a few ultrarunners pick up $5,000 at one race and $10,000 at another, and that this is still not a living. Prestige events such as the Western States 100 and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc keep drawing the best athletes without a big purse, because a win or a start there is what helps someone land sponsorship and endorsement money. He calls prize money the icing. It covers costs while the athlete is on the way to getting paid by sponsors. His wife, Jenny Jurek, is on the episode too, talking through his Appalachian Trail record and the crew work around it.