2007 Oregon TwilightJan 26, 2012 by Christopher Kelsall
Nick Symmonds Q&A - OwnYourSkin
Nick Symmonds Q&A - OwnYourSkin
© Copyright - 2012 - Christopher Kelsall
Nick Symmonds is one of the fastest middle-distance track and field athletes in America, specializing in the 800m and 1500m distances.
He won seven NCAA Division III titles in outdoor track. In 2007, he won the 800m race at the Prefontaine Classic. On June 30, 2008, Symmonds won the 800m event at the U.S. Olympic Trials that took place in Eugene, Oregon. He finished in 1:44.10 and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Symmonds grew up in Boise, Idaho, and was educated at Willamette University, which is located in Salem, Oregon. Recently Symmonds has made the news by auctioning off a part of his body on eBay as a place for businesses to advertise their brand with temporary logo placement. Symmonds created a campaign through his very popular blog posts at Flotrack.org titled, I'm Tired of the USATF and IAAF Crippling our Sport and OwnYourSkin. He also created a facebook group, which boasts well over 6,000 members.
Symmonds argues that the international governing body of track and field, the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) rules around athlete sponsorship are draconian and dated. The American governing body, the USATF following the IAAF's rulebook have also been steadfast. That is until recently, where Symmonds indirectly scored a victory for the athletes, hence his successful auction bid on eBay.
Symmonds took time out of his busy schedule to discuss training, racing and his protest to support his fellow athletes.
Christopher Kelsall: The 800m must be the deepest of all track and field events. You have run 1:43.76, which at some major events would end up getting you a medal, but can just as easily be not good enough to get out of the semis; the allure of the 800m to you, is it about its competitiveness?
Nick Symmonds: I find the 800m so alluring because it is an unforgiving event. There is absolutely no room for error. Often, it is not necessarily the fittest person that wins the race, but the person with the best tactics. This can be frustrating on the world level where a fraction of a second separates the top 20 competitors. However, if you are anyone other than the favorite, you have to love the fact that anything can happen and anyone on the starting line has a fair shot of winning the race.
CK: One of your goals is to improve in the 1500m. How much faster than 3:38.18 do you feel you are capable of?
NS: I do enjoy the challenges of running the 1500m; it is so much different than the 800m. I have said before that I feel the biggest jump in athletics is from the 800m to the 1500m because it is the jump where most athletes go from running positive splits to aiming for negative splits. Last year I ran my PB of 3:38.18 off of 800m training. I feel that with a slight shift in training I am capable of running under 3:35.
CK: I would assume that training for the two events is almost exactly the same. Is it just a matter of getting into more events at that distance? Will we see you racing the 1500m more in the near?
Read the rest of the interview at Athletics Illustrated
Nick Symmonds is one of the fastest middle-distance track and field athletes in America, specializing in the 800m and 1500m distances.
He won seven NCAA Division III titles in outdoor track. In 2007, he won the 800m race at the Prefontaine Classic. On June 30, 2008, Symmonds won the 800m event at the U.S. Olympic Trials that took place in Eugene, Oregon. He finished in 1:44.10 and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Symmonds grew up in Boise, Idaho, and was educated at Willamette University, which is located in Salem, Oregon. Recently Symmonds has made the news by auctioning off a part of his body on eBay as a place for businesses to advertise their brand with temporary logo placement. Symmonds created a campaign through his very popular blog posts at Flotrack.org titled, I'm Tired of the USATF and IAAF Crippling our Sport and OwnYourSkin. He also created a facebook group, which boasts well over 6,000 members.
Symmonds argues that the international governing body of track and field, the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) rules around athlete sponsorship are draconian and dated. The American governing body, the USATF following the IAAF's rulebook have also been steadfast. That is until recently, where Symmonds indirectly scored a victory for the athletes, hence his successful auction bid on eBay.
Symmonds took time out of his busy schedule to discuss training, racing and his protest to support his fellow athletes.
Christopher Kelsall: The 800m must be the deepest of all track and field events. You have run 1:43.76, which at some major events would end up getting you a medal, but can just as easily be not good enough to get out of the semis; the allure of the 800m to you, is it about its competitiveness?
Nick Symmonds: I find the 800m so alluring because it is an unforgiving event. There is absolutely no room for error. Often, it is not necessarily the fittest person that wins the race, but the person with the best tactics. This can be frustrating on the world level where a fraction of a second separates the top 20 competitors. However, if you are anyone other than the favorite, you have to love the fact that anything can happen and anyone on the starting line has a fair shot of winning the race.
CK: One of your goals is to improve in the 1500m. How much faster than 3:38.18 do you feel you are capable of?
NS: I do enjoy the challenges of running the 1500m; it is so much different than the 800m. I have said before that I feel the biggest jump in athletics is from the 800m to the 1500m because it is the jump where most athletes go from running positive splits to aiming for negative splits. Last year I ran my PB of 3:38.18 off of 800m training. I feel that with a slight shift in training I am capable of running under 3:35.
CK: I would assume that training for the two events is almost exactly the same. Is it just a matter of getting into more events at that distance? Will we see you racing the 1500m more in the near?
Read the rest of the interview at Athletics Illustrated