55. Nick Symmonds

Ali on the Run Show

Ali Feller

Fitness, Sports, Running, Health & Fitness

4.9 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 January 2018

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"I wanted to prove to everyone that all the sacrifices I'd made and dumb decisions I made were worth it." Nick Symmonds was a professional track and field athlete for 12 years, specializing in the 800 meters. He made two Olympic teams — the first when he was just 22 years old — and represented Team USA in Beijing and London. Nick, who lives in Eugene, OR, and is the CEO of Run Gum, retired from professional racing last year, and is now a proud, self-professed "hobby jogger." He made his marathon debut at the 2017 Honolulu Marathon, and is now training to break three hours in the 26.2-mile distance this spring. Here's what you'll get in this episode: — How Nick got into running (3:20) — When he realized he could make a career out of running and the life-changing training decision that launched his professional career (5:20) — Nick's advice for mastering the 800m (8:45) — What it's like competing at the Olympics (11:00) — When he was "the most nervous he's ever been for a race" (12:35) — How Nick developed his mental strength and overcame "the rollercoaster of emotions" (14:00) — The sacrifices he made to become an Olympian (16:45) — How he made the decision to retire in 2017, and how he felt the day after his retirement (17:45) — Why he wanted to run a marathon (20:45) — Why he says the Boston Marathon pisses him off and "is B.S." and that running it would be going against his core beliefs (26:00) — The Run Gum story (30:00) — What Nick sees as the biggest problems in professional track and field (35:00) — Nick's take on doping in professional sports and lifetime bans (37:00) — The latest on Nick's love life — plus how he ended up on a date with Paris Hilton (40:40) Follow Nick: Instagram @nicksymmonds: https://www.instagram.com/nicksymmonds/ Twitter @nicksymmonds: https://twitter.com/NickSymmonds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nick.symmonds/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeXJQ2GQh4BoRuAEkteU0Wg Website: https://www.nicksymmonds.com/ Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliontherun/ Twitter @aliontherun1: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Spread the run love!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Alley on the Run Show. I'm your host Alley Feller and today you are
0:09.0	listening to Episode 55. Today's guest is one of the funnest, most
0:13.9	personable runners in the business. Please join me in welcoming to the show Nick Simmons.
0:19.8	Nick is a recently retired professional track athlete who specialized in the 800 meters
0:24.6	and represented Team USA at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. He retired last year and
0:30.4	now Nick is all about the marathon. So in addition to talking about how he became a professional
0:35.3	runner, despite hating running for a while, we also talk about his mental toughness and
0:40.3	the sacrifices he had to make to be a professional athlete. Plus we talk about his recent marathon
0:45.3	debut at Honolulu Marathon, including what the pain actually felt like, and when exactly
0:51.7	he decided he was going to sign up for marathon number two. Nick is currently training
0:56.2	to run a sub three hour marathon this spring and make sure you're following him on Instagram
1:01.0	at Nick Simmons because he is going to announce his race of choice next week. As always, Nick
1:06.6	is super candid in this conversation and opens up about everything from doping and professional
1:11.0	running to becoming CEO of his company RunGum to, yes, his current relationship status.
1:17.2	So if you've ever wondered if those rumors about Nick dating Paris Hilton or true, I've
1:21.4	got you because I asked and he answered, plus I threw about 20 brand new sprint to the
1:26.6	finish questions his way, 19 or so of which will definitely make you laugh. So on your marks,
1:33.1	let's go.
1:34.3	Awesome. So Nick Simmons, welcome to the Allie on the Run Show. I am so excited to have you
1:41.4	here.
1:42.4	Yeah, thanks for having me.
1:43.3	We start off the show like you in theory start any good run, which means with a warm up.
	...

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