Kammala wannan jumla: 1978 ya kasance shekara mai mahimmanci a cikin "wasanni masu sha'awar" a gaba ɗaya da kuma hanya ta musamman. A cikin shekarun da suka gabata, 'yan wasa suna tawaye da iyakokin kuɗi na matsayin su na mai son. Suna son su iya karɓar kyautar kuɗi a fili. Bayan wasannin Olympics na 1972, fitattun 'yan wasa da yawa sun kirkiro kuma sun yi tsere a cikin kungiyar ƙwararrun' yan wasa ta kasa da kasa, wanda hakan ya sa suka rasa cancantar gasar Olympics. A lokaci guda, miliyoyin Amurkawa sun yi farin ciki da Frank Shorter
1972 Olympic Marathon nasara da kuma aka shan a guje hanya races, wani sabon abu da aka sani da "Running Boom". A shekara ta 1978, tawayen 'yan wasan ya haifar da Dokar Wasannin Amateur na 1978, ta karya dokar kungiyar Amateur Athletic Union ta tarin wasannin da suka yi mulki da kuma maye gurbin kungiyar masu gudanar da wasannin motsa jiki ta Athletics Congress, yayin da wakilan cikin gida na bukatun IAAF da IOC ke tsayayya da hanyoyin bude kofa don ƙwarewa a kan tasirin kasuwancin da ke son cin gajiyar shaharar wasan. A cikin Gudun Hanya, an kafa sabuwar ƙungiya da ake kira "Association of Road Racing Athletes" (wanda aka sani da ARRA) don ƙirƙirar kewayon tseren hanya na ƙwararru. Daga cikin wasannin haya 6 na kewayen ya kasance Lasse Viren Finnish Invitational, yana ba da $ 30,000 a cikin kyautar kuɗi.