Nick Symmonds: The Athletepreneur Journey From Olympic Running to Run Gum

Jan 12, 2021

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“I want you to develop a taste for winning,” says Nick Symmonds, one of a kind athlete, YouTube sensation, and two-time Olympian.

Nick has forged his own interesting path from a modest and unlikely athletic beginning to the very pinnacle of international elite sport, and competed for the United States in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, and was the World Championships silver medalist in the 800 meters in 2013, and the second fastest American of all time in 1:42.95. A New York Times feature article described Nick as, “The most outspoken, polarizing, and essential American track and field athlete of the past decade. As a runner, his preferred style was to sit and kick. As an activist for athletes’ marketing rights, as well as an advocate for gay rights and gun control, he operated from the front, a loud, bold provocateur.” One official nicknamed him, “Team USA’s official pain in the butt.”

These days, Nick works as an “athlete-preneur,” utilizing his passion for fitness to inspire clients to become “the kind of athlete that has so many tools in your chest that you can win no matter how the race goes. Whether it’s rainy, sunny, or windy, you always find a way to win.” Still, Nick is careful to not focus too much on the “winning” aspect of the outcome and points out that it is possible to be “too dedicated.” Instead, he emphasizes the importance of keeping your approach to training light-hearted enough that you still enjoy yourself. “For me, it’s less about the competition, and more about just having fun with fitness: staying fit and inspiring others to have fun with their own fitness.”

Nick has also built up an impressive resume in a very short time, in the mountains specifically, and he is currently working on collecting all 50 state high-points! He’s also publicly expressed his desire to climb the 7 Summits, the tallest mountain on each continent. And when he isn’t running or climbing, he can be found working on the business that he co-founded in 2014, Run Gum. Nick’s goal with formulating Run Gum was to have an energy product that you can easily keep in your back pocket for whenever you need it most. He serves as CEO for this fast growing energy company, and in this episode, you’ll learn all about what inspired him to start Run Gum, the clean ingredients it’s made of, and why it’s not just for athletes, but really, for anyone and everyone in need of an easy energy boost. Be sure to check out his awesome YouTube videos here, and enjoy this conversation about the importance of having a balanced perspective in your approach to fitness.

TIMESTAMPS:

Brad introduces his guest who is a great Olympic runner and promoter of track and field sport. [01:25]

For Nick a daily workout is kind of the glue that holds everything else together. [04:33]

One commonality that all the good coaches have is patience. [07:15]

A coach really sets the culture on a team. [11:54]

Because Nick developed his running in a small community, he built up the confidence of how good he was. This would probably not have happened had he run in stricter competition. [15:06]

His coach told him to develop a taste for winning. [17:17]

Confidence cannot be understated or undervalued. [19:41]

Sometimes you just stop thinking about time and just focus on racing and the time will come. [22:14]

After breaking his PR in the race, he was depressed. [25:59]

Now with racing behind him, Nick is known as the YouTube guy. [28:32]

All three medalists from the 2012 men’s 800 were injured in the 2013 season. [30:56]

The New York Times article quotes that Nick was the USA’s official pain in the butt. Why? He knew where all the money in the sport was going. [31:05]

Why does he think the athletes have not been able to band together as a force and try to advocate for fairness and for better compensation? [33:00]

Maybe a benefit from the COVID is that the whole Olympic movement has been disrupted. [37:22]

How did the Run Gum thing get started? [39:18]

You really have to understand the money part of your business model to have it succeed. [42:39]

Know what you are good at and know what you are not good at. [46:36]

What words of wisdom does Nick have for the young athletes? Have fun but focus on where you want to go in life. [53:53]

What is in the future for Nick? His YouTube videos are growing in popularity. [57:55]

LINKS:

QUOTES:

“Become the kind of athlete that has so many tools in your chest that you can win no matter how the race goes. Whether it’s rainy, sunny, or windy, you always find a way to win.”

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