In an ‘ask me anything’ Q&A on Runner’s World, 800 metre man Nick Symmonds spoke of his ambition to break records, and revolutionise track and field.
Symmomds, who won silver at the 2013 Moscow World Championships, took a chunk out of his week to respond to fans, and Vinco Sport captured the best bits.
The Oregon based runner has been a dominant force in American middle distance running for several years, but Moscow was his first major medal.
The 29-year-old set his 800 metre best, one minute 42.95 seconds, at the London Olympics, and has now set his sights on bettering the USA record for the event.
“I will be focusing on the 1,500 metres up to and through the 2014 USA Outdoor Championships. After USA’s I will use the added strength that focusing on the 1,500 metre has given me to attack the 800 metre American record,” Symmonds spoke.
“For me, 2014 is about breaking records. I want to break the indoor and outdoor 1,000 metre American records, as well as the indoor and outdoor 800 metre American records.”
The men’s 800 metre indoor and outdoor records are currently held by Johnny Gray, and stand at one minute 42.60 seconds, and one minute and 45 seconds.
Just 0.35 seconds separates Symmonds’ personal best from the outdoor record, a margin the American will be confident he can diminish with the belief he gained from Moscow.
On the revolution of track and field, the 29-year-old has a clear vision of what he wants to be done to the sport.
“I have a lot of plans for the future of the sport of T&F in the USA, namely creating a product (track meet) that is more enjoyable to the average fan,” the American said.
“I think that T&F is an amazing, beautiful sport and that the masses would find it very interesting if only it was packaged a little differently.
“For years now I have been encouraging shorter meets, sales of alcoholic beverages, and the placing of wagers. If you have ever been to a horse race (or the Zurich DL meeting) you know how important all of these aspects are to building a fun atmosphere.”
Symmonds added: “I have shared these plans with the people capable of implementing them, but alas my ideas have fallen on deaf ears.
“This is my biggest obstacle, convincing people to try something new. The current model is broken, but people who are making comfortable salaries are scared of trying something new to fix the model lest they loose their comfortable salaries.”
The American’s ‘out there’ ideas have not been silenced by the IAAF or USATF, instead Symmonds reported he was told he had “no idea what he was talking about.”
Other interesting responses from the Q&A:
Competition strengths and weaknesses:
“In competition, my strengths are being able to make quick, confident decisions. This is especially important in the 800 metres. My weakness is my lack of speed; in almost every single world class 800 metres I run, I have one of the slower 400m PRs.”
Life after running:
“I do have a ton of respect for my competitors because I know how hard they are working. I have done a little colour commentary work over the years and see myself getting more involved in that when I am done competing.
“I am also very interested in entrepreneurial business. A large part of me wants to stay involved in the politics of the sport of T&F so we can continue to try and make it bigger, better, and more lucrative for the athletes.”
Best and worst aspects of being a professional athlete:
“The best part of pro T&F is being the CEO of my own business; at the end of the day I am in total control of my future. The worst part about pro running is dealing with idiot, myopic administrators that are more concerned with padding their own pockets than growing the sport.”
Biggest sacrifice:
“The biggest sacrifice I have made in my career would be personal relationships. The amount of time you have to commit to be great at this sport is very tough on relationships.”
You can see the full thread of Q&A’s here.
