Is Professional Running a Good Career Choice?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to run professionally. But do I consider it a good career choice? Well, that depends. In this video I discuss who it might be a good path for.
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Just uploaded this from Florida! I'm on a delayed honeymoon with my wife, DM us your questions and maybe I'll get her to join me on a video next week!! I'm on Instagram here: instagram.com/nicksymmonds
Love your videos nick thanks for answering all our questions
What’s is Nick’s mental mind set like?
FLOORIDA... aye
@@byronmartin6303 my pleasure!
Carlos Lopez was struggling to make a national team in his 20’s and won the Olympic marathon (84) at 37 and 3 world cross country titles.
If anyone is on Strava, there is a club called "Run to the Sun" trying to run the distance to the Sun by 2030 (93,000,000 miles). We need YOU!
you got it
I'm in
Sprinter here. Enjoy my 3 miles a week😭
@@Hensley_Jb haha just same here but not really but ya same mileage but every penny counts toward the goal
I can’t find it :(
Honestly Nick I completely agree with your statements regarding needing bith talent and hard work. I’m a current D1 XC and Track athlete and I can promise you I have virtually no athletic/running talent. It was years of struggle that got me to where I’m at and I’ve always had to put in far more time and effort than my teammates and fellow runners to get to their level at times. Not trying to say you can’t accomplish anything without genetic talent because I feel I’ve done quite a bit because of my work ethic but alot of my teammates (love my boys) always mention how in high school they were running 17s and 16s in the 5k their first year of running or after no training. I remember when I started running I trained several months prior and barely broke 20. Even now I tend to have to run more mileage on my own and spend more time taking care of my body to run on par with them. As much as it can suck at times, my lack of talent that my Coaches and peers have told me for years now has honestly taught me alot about discipline and work ethic. Makes every victoy worth more.
What times do you run now?
He Nick thanks for all the great content
Thanks for watching!
You offer such great advice to young kids here. I wish I had someone like your guidance when I was young. My high school coach practically ignored all of us runners, he gave all this attention to the basketball players. So the runners were left to fend for themselves. But that was decades ago.
Now I am my son's most real coach (not running btw). And he almost achieved a state championship in his sport. Kids need a real coach / believer and parents who are their best fans and supporters. With that love they can thrive.
Hey Nick! Totally agree with you, that it is extremely rare that a +30 year old becomes world class at that stage of their career, but please check out Annimari Korte from Finland in the 100m hurdles. Retired more or less in 2014 at the age of 26 because of injuries with a personal best of 13.46. Came back in 2018 at the age of 30 and is now one of the best 100m hurdlers in the world at the age of 32 with a pb of 12.72! Pretty unique and amazing story !
Professional running is a rare opportunity and it's a total mystery if a person can do it.
It seems like it would be incredibly fun to travel the world, run beautiful trail's and see how far you can push your body.
Plus it must be completely exhilarating to compete with the best runners in the world. By surrounding yourself with elite athletes you'd also get an amazing education that few people have access to. That life experience would carry over into your long term career and daily life. You'd also be able to dominate your local masters race scene or if your body can't take running you'd have a huge aerobic base to apply to swimming or mountain biking or road cycling.
I'm 43 too and I've only recently came to running from mountain biking. Wow it's such a beautiful sport. I regret I never ran XC or track. It's still fun to see what I can do now though, every day you can become a tiny bit more graceful in your running form and that is also exhilarating! ✌️👊
I always think about what it’d be like to be a pro runner but i suck so I don’t need to worry 😂
Nicholas Wan same lol
HEY NICK HOW ARE YOU??
Day 3 of asking Nick how he is
I'm GREAT! Thanks for asking Bradley.
Love this honest vid, but also rooting for the 30 years old out there who's going to prove you wrong! haha
Thanks for this video! I’m still in high school but I’ve been curious about professional running recently and these videos really help show the good and hard parts about it. :)
Always great to see you uploading another video
Thanks for watching!!
My friend ran his first 5k in 30:41, he now runs 16:49 for the 5k. Just shows that talent doesn’t mean much if you put in the work.
Ex XC and track runner turned competitive cyclist here. Been watching your career for a long time. Love your positive attitude man
Hi Nick, great vid. Jo Pavey (Uk) got 3rd at commonwealth games 5000m and won European 10000m at 40. Then made Olympic Games team at 42 where she finished 15th in both the 5000m and 10000m. She was also planning to make her 6th Olympic Games at Tokyo this year at 46!
Kim collins ran his first sub 10 at 41 :)
I’m 22. It’s not my career choice, but I’m making a lot of progress in a short amount of time in my 6 months of training seriously. Who knows, in the next couple years I could realize I have that ticket, otherwise, I’m down the career path of electrical engineering. That being said, I’d much rather run up mountains every day for Salomon or something 😂
Nick this year i tried out cross country and it was hard at first then i found your 2 channel's and you motavated me to work my hardest and i just wanted to say thank you.
Don't know if Nick will see this comment but there IS an exception! British Marathon runner Steve Way!
At age 32 he weighed over 100kg and smoked 20 cigarettes a day. He entered a marathon to lose weight and after 3 weeks training he ran 3:07. Given the circumstances this is a freakishly good time! 2 years later he ran another aiming to break 3 hours and ran 2:35!!! After that he just kept getting better and at the age of 40 he competed in the Commonwealth games and ran 2:15!! This was the 5th fastest time in Britain that year and the fastest British time ever for his age group.
I ran with our club team out of college and my best 2 years in a row I made $6,000. From races and worked full time. This was that timeframe in the 90's. Just to give another perspective
A sprinter who hit his peak in his 30s was Kim Collins. I agree though that it is rare to see someone new pop onto the scene or improve in the sprints 100-400m after age 30. And on for the 800-Mile I’d say it’s rare to see improvements from long time athletes after the turn 32/33. Nick Willis break 3:30 and 3:50 after age 30 but an already well established runner.
Thanks for not forgetting about ultra running, it's usually forgotten by most of the running community.
The lottery is a perfect way to explain it. I played on a national ranked soccer team in high school and nobody went on to play pro. I know a lot of “fast” athletes when I ran track and none ran in d1 college. I think people are watching your videos racing people now and don’t understand how fast you were in your prime.
The the most important thing to learn from this is try your hardest but if you’re not recruited junior year of high school you would need huge improvements senior year to get noticed for college.
This is so true. People have no idea what kind of athlete it takes to turn pro in most sports. When I was in college I played pickup games of basketball against future NBA players. They wouldn't even be trying and they would dominate excellent players on the court. It was unreal to watch. One time I got jumped over Vince Carter style. The dude literally jumped over my head. I was a decent athlete but holy shit, there are levels to it and until you see it up close, you have no idea.
What I would suggest for young runners (because you know, I have it everething figured out, of course a random commenter knows it better than someone with experience in the subject):
Don't do anything that could ruin your hopes (like smoking, serious injury, becoming overweight), but at the same time don't go all in on it (yet), because if you haven't won the lottery, you don't wanna end up miserable (so do stuff like studying well etc.).
I appreciate how Nick said a person needs some level of talent because it seems to be overlooked
Great video! My times when I was 13 and 14 showed that I had great potential but I didn’t have the best time in high school lol, hopefully there’s hope to walk on in college! In any case thank you for the content it helps me put my thoughts about track into perspective!
The odds of someone turning pro and making a long term 'real' living is very low. But I would encourage anyone with that kind of talent to try. Your advice to 14 year olds is fantastic!
Thanks for the motivation, I want to be a pro sprinter and I’m training hard at 13 years old so I need some motivation
And my soccer coach called me flash
@@Ninja_07_ Good luck to you! Playing sports like soccer and basketball can really help you develop foot speed.
I won the pair of shoes he gave away! Thanks again Nick and everyone follow this legend!
i had the lottery ticket. up to 8th grade i was always the fastest kid in PE; even faster than the kids that grew up playing soccer, and that was with no training other playing a few sports for fun. but there was no one to push me and now i'll always wonder how good i could've been as a soccer player or track sprinter.
Nick Thanks for giving me the courage to keep pushing towards the top
Thanks for the video. One current exception to the over 30 norm is the incredible 36 year old Keira D’Amato who this year was 15th at marathon trials, ran 15:04 for 5k, 31 low for 10k, then just broke American record in the 10 miles! But yes, an exception for sure. She didn’t start back training (post college) until she was 33 post 2 babies.
One question I’d love to know was what happened to the other top D3 runners in college whilst you were. Did any of them turn pro, or are you an exception to the norm?
Hey Nicky! In Mexico we have an interesting case of a good runner who started not very young. I think he is a good exception. His name is Martin Mondragón.
He was a distance runner who won LA marathon.
Anyone can be a good runner with hard work and RUN GUM
Run gum = run good
Great video as usual. I always wonder about all the people that have that ticket and didn't know. You could be stood behind the first sub 9 second 100m sprinter in the coffee shop.
Kiera D’Amato is the only one I can think of who is having their best years in their 30s, yeah she is a marathoner but she also ran the Olympic standard 5k, American 10 mile record etc and she is 32 I believe
Even though I know running may not be the smartest way to go, but I love running so much and im getting pretty good at it so ima just send it even though I may lose money out of it. Ima just see where this goes 🤷♂️
I’m glad you are being honest to your audience. It probably would have been much easier to just say it’s great since you love the sport, but you stayed by the truth and facts. Thank you.
Here are some people who reached their best success after 30 on the track. (Who were already pro).
Nick Willis New Zealand
-Broke 3:30 for 1500m for first time at age 31 and then PB'd again at 32
-Earned bronze at 2016 olympics at age 33 (only other olympic medal was silver in 2008)
Ezekiel Kemboi Kenya
-Won 2012 Olympic Steeplechase gold at 30
-Won 4 World Championship titles in a row, the last two being at age 31 and 33 (after coming 2nd 3 years in a row at ages 21, 23, 25)
-Broke 8 Minutes in the Steeplechase at age 31
Honorable Mentions:
The Ageless Bernard Lagat (Kenya, later ran for USA)
-Ran 3:32 for 1500m at age 35
-Broke 13 minutes for first time in the 5k at 35
-Earned silver at World's at age 36 in the 5k in 2011
-Again ran sub 13 for 5k at 38
Félix Sánchez Dominican Republic
-Olympic gold at 35 in the 400 hurdles
He earned 0 Global medals after the age of 29 until winning gold at the 2012 olympics a couple weeks before turning 35. Fun fact, he won the race in 47.63 for the 400m Hurdles which is the exact time down to the hundredth that he won gold with 8 years prior in the 2004 Olympic Games
-Hadn't broken 48 seconds in the 4 Hurdles since he was 27 the year of the 2004 games. Somehow he came back to form 8 years later to again run sub 48 in the semi finals of the 2012 games and then again in the final.
Kim Collins 100 meter bronze, 34 -35 years of age.
Justin Gatlin, World champion in 2017 100m and silver medalist in 2019 . 38 in 2020
How long did the effects of altitude training last you while having your track and cross country seasons?
I really like the questions you answer on this channel. You answer the questions that most people are too afraid to answer. Thanks for the amazing content!
He said "hard work and TALENT" and I checked out
I’d love to be a pro runner but I’m 32 and my 5k pb is over 23 min and ran 10k only twice ever. I still dream tho 😂
The most realistic video I have seen
I’d like to add as a former high level sports coach. Anyone who works hard over multiple years will get “paid”. They will have a lifetime of reaping many dividends from their hard work. I coached many elite athletes. The ones who worked the hardest are still successful in everything they undertake. If you know you didn’t work as hard as you could have it might handicap you if you don’t give it all you have. Income will come. Maybe not in the sport but all of my high level athletes are successful today because of the work ethic they learned thru training diligently for years.
I really love your content..best channel out there. I am a distance runner pursuing a pro running career being the first one from Malta🇲🇹
Congrats Nick and your better half. I must have missed the news on a previous vid.
Bernard Lagat is DEFINITELY an exception. He won the trials at 41
Great video Nick. Honesty is the currency of youtube.
Do sprinters, jumpers, long distance runners and throwers all make the same amount of money or does one group make more
Per the heading of the video "Is professional running a good career choice?" I think the answer is....it depends how fast you are!
Thanks so much for all your advice nick!
Could you do a video about which colleges offered you a scholarship?
Agreed!
Thanks for the advice Nick I’m a freshmen in HS and my dream one day is to become a pro runner and also become an Olympian I’ve always wondered if this was good career path
Keep going you got it, one day at a time!
Nick do a video on why you dropped out of 2015 worlds and give us a little more insight on the rules regarding athletes and sponsorship rights
Nick what are your top running performances that you have seen or the runners/performances you look up to most?
Thats why I don't plan on it but ill still plan to do marathons though my life and work on other things
It'd be interesting to hear about your mindset in the latter part of your career - post 2013 when you were more prone to injury and what the trigger was that made you realise it was time to retire from professional running.
Did you ever consider trying longer distances, like the half marathon or full marathon. I know the at speed drastically goes down for most people in their 30s but it should be possible to prepare for long distances with the proper training. I can understand if athletics had taken its heavy toll by then both physically and mentally.
Might be late but he ran his first marathon shortly after retiring
@@why8308 yeah but not as a professional, I was asking about him trying longer distances on a world class/olympic level
Perfect timing for this video I was just wondering if this is something I’d like to do for a job.
Hey nick I love your videos so you have any tips on running in winter. It’s around 35 degrees everyday where I’m from right now. Also I love to lift weights can I lift weights and still be a good runner
Thanks for making these great videos!
At the intro, I thought he said "It's time for another ass kick."
And I got a bit worried there. Maybe future shirt idea?
Exception: Lopez Lomong. He’s 35 and running better on the track than ever before
Again great content, great explanation.
hey man! awesome content .Love from India
Omg, I'm in Florida too. Lol this humidity and heat is killing me.
Wow can we trade? Dallas texas here
It’s a good career choice if you’re talented enough to win races
Nick I would love to talk to you sometime this latest video has me more motivated than ever thank you
lol “ yeah I made 7 figures “ 😂
Is running on trails with a camera for videos for people to watch on treadmills make you a pro runner?
Wait a minute?
no
Haha Justin gaitlin compketely debunks your age argument nick.
Thank you so much for this
kim collins he ran 9.93 at the age of 40 in 2016(he was born in 1976)
can you make a video describing what "natural talent" is in running?
Basically you just have to keep winning. As a 15-16 year old, you just have to realize you are in the best group, not necessarily the best. And your best group is not a pushover compared to other schools and people you compete against. At the age of 18, you have to be good enough to get a some kind of offer to run at a university, or a coach who sees potential in you if you are in another country to train you to the next level. From the age of 18 - 21, you start training very seriously and see if you have that genetic ability to be one of the best in the world.
Top 5 racing venues, excluding Eugene lol
Nick, what's your take on Justin Gatlin? He is one of the most competitive people I've ever seen, also the guy who did it all in his mid to late 30s, but still a cheater with drugs.
I know how you feel about drug cheating, would love to hear your opinion.
To me it’s 30 percent talent and 70 percent hard work. Issac Makwala started track and field at a late age
That indicates talent
@@volodyamihaelovich4576 That’s true. He was a scorer player first
Hey Nick I got a question
I'm still studying at my university and heading to my second year next year ......and I have this opportunity of getting an internship of what I'm studying which is accounting , so I'll have to balance my schooling career with internship, ....the other offer is that I want to pursue my athletics because it's my passion .....so do you think it will be okay to balance your schooling career with your internship or your passion for running ?
I think we will see an odd group of "pro", i.e. sponsored, runners emerge who are really influencers who are above average (but not elite) runners a la Zach Levet or Spencer Brown
I saw this comment on instagram and I thought this would be a good video guess he read my mind lol
yo i’m 14 better listen up to the beast of the 800
Just got back from a 4 mile run lol
Well😔there goes all my hard work
Thanks alot nick😔😔i quit
Ayo another Second Channel uploadddd
No it's NOT a good career choice---you win you make $$, you lose you don't eat.
My girlfriend in college placed 10th in the Olympic marathon winning several big one's too----she made $455,000. as a Nike sponsored pro over roughly 8-9 years, then hung em up.
She had no life outside running.
Training 2-3 times per day--infinite gym preparation---constant physio , message & chiropractor visits. Mood swings galore depending on fitness status. Obsessing over diet & 10 hours sleeping plus constant naps.
Traveling all the time.Some pleasurable some horrific! Always adjusting to time zone changes.
There are plus'es & minuses-but, we all know top tier runners statistically have short careers in juxtaposition with their useful life spans.......
I'm not a pro but, I still run 12k every single day w much enjoyment after competing successfully for decades ( although not @ her level) She's currently dreaming about years gone by & hoping to 1 day be able to put 1- 12 kilometer run together! As a professional pianist I played my entire life( 63,000 hours worth& counting) no retirement necessary. Still performing& playing 4-5 hours daily before running ( conquering the most beautiful & hardest compositions every written. Pianist get continually better---runs get progressively worse( based on time) so........
You tell me ----what is the wise choice?
Mr Nick Symmonds. When can I race you!
Hey Nick, what about if you just want to be a great runner as an adult without worrying about the money. Is it possible to win a medium race (any of several hundred major city marathons for example) or will a single pro just crush you every time? Something like London might always be won by a pro, but what about something that is won in the 2:30 range (2018 San Diego was a 2:33:25)? Can you get that fast without being a pro assuming you have some talent and work hard?
Do you thinks it’s unfair how runners and other Olympic athletes get paid less then other professional peoples like NFL and NBA players
Justin Gatlin 38!
What's the most fave race u ever watched ?
Yifter the shifter
Nick you need to get on Strava
How do you know if you have good genetics? As a long distance runner I know that I have good genetics but I don’t know how it compares to elites. It may not even be close.
Do you not compete in races? You find out pretty quick that way.
@@BB-bq2zd Yes I do. But I have no idea how hard everyone else trains. It’s not like I’m competeing internationally where you know for a fact everyone trains to the maximum. Some may be training far less than me and running the same times and I wouldn’t know.
@@HSpartaL Talk to the people you race. Do you not have team mates to compare your levels or training or fitness? I knew I was more talented than the others on my track team because I did not train as hard as them but come race day I could beat them. Wish I had trained as hard as they did though. While they were maximizing their talents, I was not.
How do you breathe while running and is it possible to limit some running cramps?
Hey nick what was it like starting your pro running career ?
To stay injury free should I do squads 2x pw 3x15reps with low weight all year?
Lopez Lomong!
Hey Nick, I want to make it in the 1500, I’m a freshman in high school, what’s a good time I should aim for to be on pace to get to that elite level
You should be at least running sub 3:50 at the end of highschool and around 3:35 at the end of college to have a great shot at international level
@@NamiseSports ok thanks! I’m running the mile this year so I wanna get it to a under 4:30 this year
@@ZurtleGaming If you are running sub 4:30 mile as a freshman, that is a good start.
How's y'all's day been???
Hey nick! Do you think 5'7'' is too short for 800 and 1500m?