Nate Riech On His Comeback From A Brain Injury To Win Paralympic Gold And Looking To Add More In Paris
The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show
CITIUS MAG
4.9 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 31 August 2024
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"The most pivotal moment of my life was when my doctor sat me down as kind of an exit interview from the hospital… He said, ‘Nate, you’re never going to walk without a limp, competitive sports are not in your future, and you're not going to graduate high school. I still get a tingling sensation all over my body just saying it. For me, I could take this one road that's pretty flat and I won't fail a lot and I'll just listen to him. Or I could take this winding road and I could fail a whole lot. A lot of tears were shed, for sure, but I could end up on top of the podium at the Paralympic Games, or I could achieve something that I'd always dreamed of. I was always a really big dreamer, so I decided to take that route. I got out of the hospital on Sunday and went to school on Monday. It was almost like a new life."
Nate Riech won gold in the T38 category for the 1500m at his first Paralympic Games in Tokyo and is now back to defend his title. He is also an Asics-sponsored pro athlete and won the gold medal at last year’s World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
In this episode, he shares his career story including the story of when he was 10 years old and an accident on a golf course changed the trajectory of his life. He was diagnosed with a brain injury that affected the right side of his body. He comes from a super athletic family that includes NHL players and Olympians, which only motivated him even more to set out and write his own legacy in the Paralympic movement. He also shares his hopes for carrying the momentum from the Olympic Games to the Paralympics.
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Nate Graywolf Riech | @nategraywolf on Instagram
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
ASICS: It’s no surprise that many of Asics’ top athletes have been racing in the MetaSpeed Edge and MetaSpeed Sky. They're both lightweight, responsive, and built to help you fly. Head over to Asics.com and check them out because your next PR may be a few clicks away.
OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com.
HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST
💻 Visit CITIUSMAG.com for more podcasts, articles, videos and more. Track and field storytelling all in one place.
🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or comment/follow on Spotify.
🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CitiusMag/
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Citius Mac podcast is presented by A6. Our team had an absolute blast in |
| 0:06.0 | Paris thanks to the support of A6. While we were out there I had the chance to |
| 0:09.8 | run a marathon at the end of our trip and I chose the A6 Metbeats Sky Paris. I also wore these when I nearly clocked a |
| 0:16.8 | half marathon PR in May back at the Brooklyn half. So here's what I love |
| 0:21.4 | about these shoes. The Meta Speed Sky Paris features a full length carbon plate positioned closer to your foot which leads to some better bounce out of the foam. |
| 0:32.0 | A6 has developed a Piva style foam |
| 0:34.0 | called Flight Foam Turbo Plus, |
| 0:36.0 | which offers an 8% greater energy return |
| 0:39.0 | over its predecessor. |
| 0:40.0 | This means a softer bouncer ride that saves your legs. As I was |
| 0:45.5 | clicking off the miles in Brooklyn and Paris, the key was stability and |
| 0:49.7 | efficiency and this shoe provides all of that. The Metas Speed Sky Paris is also among the lightest |
| 0:55.8 | racing shoes on the market and they weigh in at 6.4 ounces for a size 9. Every ounce counts when you're racing against the clock. |
| 1:04.8 | It's also no surprise that many of a six's top athletes have been racing in the Metaspeed |
| 1:08.8 | edge and the Metaspeed sky. |
| 1:10.6 | They're both super lightweight, responsive, and built to help you fly. |
| 1:14.8 | Head on over to a6.com to check out the Metasfeed Sky. |
| 1:18.0 | Trust me, your next PR could be just a few clicks away. |
| 1:22.0 | Thanks to A6 for their support of Sidious Mag. |
| 1:25.0 | Hello everybody and welcome back to the Citius Mac podcast. |
| 1:30.0 | I'm Chris Chovith and this is my show where I chat with some of the biggest names on the track, |
| 1:33.8 | on the roads within the coaching ranks and across the running industry. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from CITIUS MAG, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of CITIUS MAG and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.