Nico Young Shares His Journey: NAU & Newbury Park, Lessons Learned, Dealing With Pressure, & Being One Of The Best Runners In The Country

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In episode fifty-four of The Running Effect, I have the great privilege of speaking with Nico Young. Nico is undoubtedly one of the greatest prep stars that America has ever had. In high school, Nico cemented himself as one of the greatest high school runners ever (in my opinion he's the greatest). In just his senior year, he went undefeated all year and won NXN setting a course record along the way despite horrible conditions. He was also excellent in the classroom with a 4.68 GPA. Excelling both academically and in running, Nico won the 2019-2020 Gatorade Boys Cross Country & Track and Field Player of the Year. An award reserved for only the best of the best. Due to the pandemic, Nico never got the chance to compete his senior year track season which makes his high school career accolades all the more impressive!

After Nico graduated high school, he then went onto attend Northern Arizona University (NAU). At NAU, Nico has only continued to flourish. Within just two years, Nico is one of the top runners in the NCAA. Last summer Nico qualified for the US Olympic Trials placing 9th in the 5k final beating a handful of professionals. He has also placed top-ten at multiple NCAA championships and helped his team win team titles.

Nico currently holds the US High School National Records in the 2k & 3k and US U20 indoor and outdoor 5k records.

Many people see the results, but don't see all the work that went into the result. In this episode, we try to unpack Nico's successful career the best we can! We do a big deep dive into Nico's career from his start in the sport in fifth grade to his future in the sport. We talk about pressure, having a "process over outcomes" mindset, working on the mental side of running, working with two amazing coaches in his career (Mike Smith and Sean Brosnan), NCAA Championships, what makes NAU special, and so so much more!

It was an absolute pleasure to talk with Nico and get a deeper understanding of his journey in this sport! I can't wait to see what the future holds for him. The saying "The sky is the limit" is truly the case for Nico Young.

Nico's high school coach encapsulates just how special Nico is with this quote, "I don’t know when I will ever see another athlete with Nico’s talent or ability to push himself beyond his limits along with the curiosity to see how truly great he can be. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete."

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S H O W N O T E S

Nico's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nico__young__/?hl=en

Nico's NAU Profile: https://nauathletics.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/nico-young/5448

A Great Article on Nico: https://www.vcstar.com/story/sports/2021/06/23/18-year-old-nico-young-complete-memorable-freshman-year-olympic-trials/5324855001/

Another Great Article: https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2020-02-20/la-sp-nico-young-gatorade?_amp=true