Latest / The Red Banner Race Report / Nathan Cremin, Montreat College

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Nathan Cremin, Montreat College · The Red Banner Race Report

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_03: Hello and welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_03: Today's guest is someone who is currently rewriting the record books and changing the face of the middle distance in the NAIA.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_03: If you've been following the circuit lately, you know the name Nathan Crumman.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_03: After starting out at Gardner Webb, Nathan made the move to Montreal College and has since gone on an absolute tear.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_03: We're talking about the 2026 South Region Indoor Athlete of the Year and the man who recently obliterated a 20-year-old national record in the Thousand Meters, clocking 221 at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, and later winning the NAI Championships by almost three full seconds.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_03: Whether it's the 600, the 800, or the thousand, is proving to be one of the most versatile runners in the NAI right now.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: Nathan will give us some insight into his training, his goals, life in Ireland, his native country, and what's ahead for this record-breaking runner.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_02: Nice to be here.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for having me.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: Well, let's start out getting to know you.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_03: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, obviously, you have a different perspective of where you grew up and then how you first got involved in running competitively.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: So I grew up in a village called Fionna in Limer City.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's like very out the way.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_02: There's not much to do there.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_02: So getting into sports was kind of the main thing.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: Kind of keep me distracted.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_02: So got into soccer first, really.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um that was that went on for a few years.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: Then about three years after starting soccer.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: I think I my parents got me into running.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_03: So how does an athlete from Ireland end up in North Carolina?
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_03: So what did that process look like for you?
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um it was a bit complicated.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_02: There was a few um few different places I could have went, but I never really wanted to stay in Ireland for college.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: It was always kind of the dream to come here, come to the US.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: Kind of just get out of my like get out of the same place I've been for 18 years.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I got I used an agency at first and then kind of branched off by using my own kind of emailing, emailing colleges, stuff like that, and ended up going to Gardner Web for the first two years.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, we can get into that in the future.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: Well, what was the biggest culture shock for you when you first arrived in the United States, especially in the collegiate system?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um when I first came here, there wasn't really too much that shocked me.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um on the US in general.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um we all watch US shows and stuff like that in Ireland, so like coming here I kind of everything was already in my head.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um I suppose the South the South is such like it was I don't know, I'd never really seen much about this out.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_02: And coming here was like it was a big shock.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's such a beautiful place, it's beautiful people here.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_02: Like the nicest people you'd meet, really.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_02: So that kind of shocked me, it really took me back.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_03: Did their accent Did their accent make it hard to understand them?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: Not really, no.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: I think it was the other way around.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: Gotcha.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh most people, yeah, just could not understand me for the first few months until they got to know me.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: And then my accent has kind of also also changed a little bit.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: I've kind of I speak clearer now, which is a good thing, I guess.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_02: Most people don't understand me when I'm talking to my normal accent.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_03: Well, how often do you get to return and visit Ireland?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um every at the end of every semester I'll go home.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_02: So for Christmas and for summer.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_02: So I get to go home for about two to three weeks for Christmas.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um but it like it's so short that it's kind of like you don't really get to do much when you're back there.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_02: Summer.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_02: When I go home for summer, it's the most enjoyable.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_02: Like because Christmas, it's you're spending so much time with family and then you have to leave again, it's kind of it's annoying.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_02: But then summer you get to settle down and kind of enjoy yourself.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_03: How long is your flight home?
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: Oh god, it's like it depends.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: If I have the layover, um like a straight flight is just six to eight hours, but then if I have a layover, it could take like it could be like a 20-hour travel day.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, but at the airport and then go again.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's a long, long journey.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, has your family been able to come to the US and watch you compete?
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_02: No, they haven't, unfortunately.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_02: They were here when I first came over to Gardner Web.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: They were here for the first week, but since that it's just it's kind of with them boat working, uh, it's hard for them to find time.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_02: Lights are also so so expensive, which doesn't help.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I guess the one thing that works in your favor is now we have technology that allows you to stream a meet.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_03: So if you have the internet, it makes it a little easier to watch.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_02: Definitely.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_03: Well, let's talk about your record, uh, the thousand meter record.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_03: You recently shattered.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_03: This was 20 years old.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_03: So it was from 2006, or excuse me, yeah, 2006.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: And so 20-year-old record, and and going into that race, um, you know, you had one of the fastest times in the country.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_03: So did you feel like a record-breaking performance was in the cards, or did that time kind of catch you by surprise?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, to be honest, when I are you talking about the one at JDL or the one of nationals?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you can talk about either, whichever you'd like.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the one at JDL was the 221, which to be honest, going into I did not expect that at all.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I'd ran 224 a few weeks before that.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_02: And that was like like that felt a lot harder than the 221 for whatever reason.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_02: I had the kick at the end, there was a uh redshirt freshman from Duke behind me who was chasing me the whole way.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: So that was I mean it was a fun race, but the 221, I kind of just went out there and coach uh coach told me what to to hit at each split.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I went a bit faster, which he he knows by now that's what's gonna happen.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I went out, I went through in about 152 and I felt great.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_02: I kicked on again and it just it just happened.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_02: I guess I even I nearly got disqualified because I was trying to jeer up the crowd a little bit at the end, which nearly got the record taken away from me.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_03: So really yeah.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was it was definitely unexpected.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_03: Did you feel that you were pretty confident in winning the national meet?
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_02: Uh yes, defin after the 221.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I was.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: The 224 when I ran that, I still kind of like uh there's a bit of work to do, but when I ran 221, I was like, okay, I gotta either decide now if I wanna just go for that at nationals or maybe try the 800.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_02: That would have been a bit tougher to win, in my opinion.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: There's some top guys in that.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_02: Not taking anything away from the guys in the 1k, there's some correct guys in that as well.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just fortunate enough to be I mean, fortunate enough to be able to perform at that 11 in the 1k right now.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: It's definitely my best event.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: Well, that's a good segue into our next question, because you've put up top times in all of the 600, 800, and thousand meter events in one season.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_03: So if you could pick from the three, which one of those distances do you feel is most natural to you or you enjoy the most?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um most natural, probably probably the 800, in my opinion.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: Because when I went to try on the the small enough track in North Carolina, there's not many meets.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: It's new enough.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um but when I went there and ran 148, it was like it j everything just fell into place, and it just it did not feel like a 148.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: It felt very smooth, very just relaxed under control.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I'd say that's the most natural.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_02: And it I've been doing it for so long that it's like it's ingrained in me now.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like an 800 is it's it is my main event.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I even if I was to try it a mile or something in the future, the eight I'd always come back to the 800.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um what was the other one you said most natural and and which one you enjoy the most?
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_03: I it can be the same if that's what you feel.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I don't think anyone enjoys an eighth.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_03: I agree.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_03: That was what event I ran, so I 100% agree with you.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's painful.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: The the one I most enjoyed was the 600 this year.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: The when I raced um Luis Peralta from Milligan, great, great guy.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_02: Honestly, I like I look up to that guy in terms of racing and the way he the way he executes his races and performs.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_02: He's a he's a privilege to race against.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: But that 600 race at GDL was just I had so much fun.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_02: Even though he did beat me in the end.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um both of us ran 117, which was just an outrageous time.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: I think that was I think it was four fastest ever for an Irish person, which and I did I didn't even realize we both ran that until I came back to my coach like 20 minutes later, and he told me the time.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_02: I was just so excited like with the race itself and actually having like Peralta coming up beside me and just making it fun.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: So that was that was definitely the most enjoyable.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we were a little sad that the two of you didn't go head to head at Nationals.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_03: We were hoping that might happen, but it didn't.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, it'll happen in outdoors.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um we're we're so close, like we're in the same conference, and I mean me and him talk all the time.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_02: He's great guy.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll both go out there and we'll race the 800 eventually against each other, and that'll be a cracker of a race.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_02: Like we're both gonna we're both gonna go for it.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_02: We've talked about it.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_02: And he he he's he's dialed in.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: He wants to go for it.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_03: That'll be exciting.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_03: I can't wait.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you were just named the South Region Indoor Athlete of the Year.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_03: That's the first time a Montreat runner has done that since 2022.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_03: And um, you've had to work through some challenges and I think a few injuries, if I'm correct.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_03: So what has been the hardest thing that you've had to overcome and and how did you do that?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, the last two years haven't been the smoothest for me running-wise.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um definitely been a challenge, injuries, like just it seemed to be like every February or March, like twenty February 20 March 2024.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_02: I got a big back injury, it took me out for nearly a month, so I could barely walk.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it was sciatic on my left side, left lower back.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: So that took me out for my first first season.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_02: Got back pretty strong.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I've never been able to really get up to the standards I've put myself to until this year.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_02: Uh last year I had a foot injury that happened out at South Carolina.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_02: Out first outdoor 800 I was doing that year.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_02: I was on pace for a pretty good time and was going around the last bend and just felt something it felt like my shoe blow blew apart going around the last bend and ended up tearing the fascia ligament on the bottom of my right foot.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_02: So it's been it's been tough.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um that obviously then puts a strain on you mentally, and you know, you can go down some dark paths if you're like if you're not if something's not going right in your sport, like it it can lead you down some dark places.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: But I've been lucky enough to have a great support group around me.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh my parents, my girlfriend, uh teammates, they've all pushed me to get back to the level I I'm at right now.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh even further than the level I thought I could get.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, it's been definitely been a struggle, but I mean, you gotta struggle in this sport to get better.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_03: So while you moved from a D1 school to the NAIA.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: So what sparked that change and that decision for you, and how do you feel that the environment where you're at now has contributed to your you know improved performances?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I spent two two years at Gardner World.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: Uh nothing against the school at all.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_02: Great school.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: Great great people there, I met some of the best people I know going there.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um good coaches as well, solid coaches.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_02: They recently had a guy go to Nationals for the shop, Quinton Peterson.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_02: So that was great to see.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: But in for me, it was more mentally, I just needed a change.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um it wasn't working for me there athletically or mentally either.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_02: So I just needed needed to take a risk and Mantreet actually well coached them took the risk with me, if anything, to be honest.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um took me on, uh saw the potentially having me, so what I could do and how my work ethic and the love I have for the sport uh took me in, trend, trained me for the whole winter, and we are where we are now.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_04: Mm-hmm.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_03: Well, what is a typical workout look for you um when you're preparing for you have a very specific blend of sprint and aerobic capacity?
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's pretty unique.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_03: You're a very unique racer.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_03: So what do you do that helps build that?
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, what's something that it's kind of a workout that you are, you know, it's your go-to.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_03: You feel confident when you're done.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I won't get I won't get too into, I don't know if coach you want me to get too into.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_03: You don't have to give your secrets away.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_03: That's totally understandable.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: I'll try, I'll I'll I'll give I mean he won't he won't mind.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's fairly basic.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um so we mix we mix threshold and speed pretty good.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_02: I'll say that he has it down to uh down to a T with the way it works.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_02: So I do double thresholds, I do them I was doing them twice a week in the winter.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_02: And now it's just once a week on Tuesdays.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_02: And it's it nothing really changes in them.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_02: It's always kind of the same session in the morning, similar, kind of shorter, uh bit quicker, but still threshold in the evening.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_02: And it's been like it's been like that for like the past uh however long I've been here.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: But it it works.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: Double threshold is it's hard to master, but if you have the right um science behind it and you sp specify it to the person, you can definitely um definitely change an athlete completely.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's definitely worked for me.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_02: I I was always kind of I was I was good aerobically when I was in Ireland.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_02: I trained more like a sprint-based 800 meter runner for the time I was at Gardner Webb, more like a 400 runner.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um but aerobically I was always good, so double threshold really spurred that on even more.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_02: The consistency of it just it all blended like perfectly together.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_02: And then then on Thursdays will in like introduce a bit of I wouldn't say 800 specific, more kind of just sharpening and making sure you're not losing that that little bit of speed you need for the eight.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so it'll be like 200s, like the basics, like 150s, stuff like that.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_02: Never not many reps, but uh you're gone you're gonna flat out 90%.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_02: Longer rest as well.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: And then the rest of the week is kind of just taking it easy, I guess.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_02: Just resting, recovering.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Fridays you have a bit more threshold, but just a little bit faster.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_02: I wouldn't say I'd said VO you're delving into VO2 at that point.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_03: But it it it's you have to at this point, it's getting late in the season, so you gotta get a little bit specific, but not not to be uh you don't want to kill yourself either, so speaking of being specific, um the races that you do are very tactical, usually.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_03: Positioning is really important, sometimes more so than fitness at times.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_03: So would you consider yourself a take it from the gun kind of runner?
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_03: You you like to be in the lead, or do you prefer to let someone else lead the race and then you know have a kick at the end?
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um recently it's been more take it from the gun and just go.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I have so much confidence in my ability right now that's like, okay, if I go, the chances of someone else going is pretty slim.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_02: And even if they do go, it's like okay, there's gonna there's gonna be a point at for both of us where we're gonna hit a wall.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_02: And it's I I'm confident enough in my ability that it's probably not gonna be me.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_02: So the reason yeah, the most recent races have been pretty just go for it.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_02: I'm expecting an outdoors with a 1500 meters next Thursday at rally.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_02: It's gonna get more I'm gonna have to delve more into the tactics a little bit.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um not taking it, not taking it from the gun, just kind of practicing them.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_02: Coach has been uh he's been big on me wanting to practice like tactics and races and just like getting used to the championship kind of uh tactics.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: But it's just the way it's been for this indoor season has just been gonna go out and time trial it's see how we do.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_02: But it's it's interesting because most of my uh younger when I was around like 12, 13, 14 when I was coming up, I used to be a big fit and kick guy and never take it from the go.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: Like even up until I was 18.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um but since coming to college, it's kind of changed around a little bit.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_02: So I'd like to get into some just more races where I'm not taking it from the go.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_02: It'd be interesting to see how it how it goes.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_03: Well, with your times, I mean you're now the one the others are hunting, right?
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_03: You're the one with the target on your back.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_03: Do you enjoy that position?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, if you're in the lead from the gun, do you want to be there?
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_03: And how has your mental preparation changed now that you are expected to win?
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um I yeah, I d I do like it.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: I I do like taking it from the go and having that pressure on me.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um it definitely can get into your head mentally if you if you don't prepare right for it.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um like if you go into some races and like you don't act or treat yourself like you are the best in that race, then I mean someone's probably gonna think they are in that race and go take that from you.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_02: So you gotta in my opinion, you always gotta think you are the best in any race.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: Even if you aren't statistically wise, like you gotta go into that race and think on the line there's no one better than me.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um just go for it.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_02: I mean if you die you die, like who cares?
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_02: You're you you're it's it's you're running around the track, like no one's everyone's gonna remember their own race over your your race.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_02: Just go for it and be confident in yourself, like treat yourself like treat yourself with a bit of respect, but um, but also treat the others with a bit of respect because most people I'd hope are gone into the race with that mentality.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: So I d I do I do like I love the mental side of the sport, like um it challenges you so much that you're training races, like you gotta be strong mentally.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I'd I'd say I definitely like the pressure of it.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you've had a lot of success in a relay as well.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_03: Your distance medley relay did very well.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_03: So how does your mindset change when you're running with your relay team versus when you're chasing your individual title?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um when I'm with when I'm in a DMR, I feel like I want I want to win even more.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_02: It's because like Yeah, it's great.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_02: You win individually.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like you have your own success, but when you're with like your team and they're all relying on you too, like you there's something about it that just makes you want it more.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um which is why I was pretty disappointed getting four S nationals.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um kind of honestly blew up in that arrest.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_02: It kind of cost them a little bit.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_02: I kind of put a little bit of mud blame or put the blame on myself.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_02: When I was a bit too hot.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_02: It was part of the plan, but uh I had a great 1k and then turned around and ran 301 and got out kicked at the end, so that was pretty disappointing, but like it happens, whatever.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so uh the DMR definitely Yeah, I just I really want that DMR title next year.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um so does the whole team.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_02: Like we we work so great together and we have such a great bond here, like uh yeah, we gotta we gotta get that next year.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I think you can give yourself a little bit of grace because you know you did run other races too.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_03: So it would be understandable if you were tired.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, yeah, but Stad uh Ryan Stade also ran a 3K, an hour and a half before that, and then turned around and ran 415 in the mile, I think, in that same leg.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_02: I mean he's he's a different he's a different beast.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_03: I was gonna say it's a different kind of um body that can do that because I don't know that that's necessarily typical of most runners.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's he's uh he's an animal.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_02: I love trying with that guy.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_03: Well, after your historic indoor season, what is the big goal on your radar for the outdoor season?
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, what are you setting your sights on as your focus?
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so next week, next tour is uh it was originally gonna be an 800, and that was gonna be the fast opener for the 800, but we've we've had a different path.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna do the 1500, and we're gonna try.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna try run pretty fast.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_02: I'm seated at 348, so I'll be in the heat with some pretty solid guys.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um but honestly, we'll probably go for about 343, 342.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_02: See how that goes.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_02: If I blow up again, who cares?
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: At least you tried, right?
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_02: At least I haven't raised the 1500 in about four years, so I'm gonna go for it.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_02: If I don't race 1500 for the rest of the season, so be it.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um then next week or no, I'm off the week after that.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_02: Then I think the next big one would be Wake Forest.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_02: Uh doing the 800 there.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: So that that meet was pretty stacked last year.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_02: There was a few guys around 147, 146, I think.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_02: Guy from my oil conference ran 148 there.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_02: So that would be an interesting one.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm hoping for 147, 146.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think I have the capabilities to do that.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: Going off the one I ran in indoors, so just gotta keep consistent with training, everything like that.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_02: And then honestly, I'm not really racing too much outdoors.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_02: I have a few other meteors there at Asheville, and um I honestly can't remember the ones after Wake Forest.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_02: It might just be those three and conference in nationals, and then I'll go into the summer after that, hopefully run some big times, obviously, at nationals, and then go home.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um get into the circuit, have a few races lined up for Ireland, some big races there with some 145 guys, hopefully, 144 guys will be in the heats.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_02: And then I'll have Irish nationals at the end of July, which I want to go try and it's bold of me to say that I want to go try and at least get podium or even I don't know, shock have shock a few people and get first, you never know.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if anyone would be shocked.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_02: Well we've got we've got a few good guys.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_02: We've got um Keenan McPhillips who can afford at worlds and round 142, so but we'll see how that goes.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I mean, is one of your future dreams to represent Ireland at the Olympics?
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, definitely.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_02: That's been the dream since uh I started at this sport at seven.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I got into watching Mo Farah racing at the London Olympics.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_02: And ever since then that's been yeah, I want to go there and represent my country and wear the Irish thinglet.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_04: That would be amazing.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_02: It would be, yeah.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_02: But gotta get some get through some tough people to get there.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_03: Well, it's a journey, right?
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_03: All the steps that get you there.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_03: It's part of part of the journey.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I did say to my husband before this podcast, I said, I would love to see this guy run a 1500, so hey.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_03: Sounds like you're you got it on your schedule.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_02: Next week.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_03: Well, be excited to see how it went.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_03: And like you said, if you blow up, hey, at least you tried, right?
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_03: Not every race is great, trust me.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_02: Well I hate going into oh sorry.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_03: Oh no, go ahead.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_03: You you're good.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_02: I hate going into races and not um feeling like I put my all into it.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_02: So either if I don't blow up, then I clearly didn't put everything I had into it.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: And hopefully I blow up after the line, and that would be that would be great.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_02: Not before.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's always the goal, right?
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_03: Well, let's chat a little bit about just you as a person.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, what is your fuel of choice before a race?
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_03: Like what do you eat?
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_03: What do you like to take?
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_03: What do you, you know, what's your favorite thing?
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_03: Are you superstitious about that?
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um I've had my yeah, uh some of the guys who are uh on my team are gonna be laughing at this uh when when they listen, but I'm a big fan of monsters, monster energy drinks.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_02: Oh boy.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I'll have one of them in the morning, one of them in the evening, about an hour before my race.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_02: So uh that would be that's my that's my main fuel.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_02: And that and obviously everyone's taking the now Morton bicarb.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_02: That's been a big, a big help in these races, like recovering and stuff like that.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_02: But snacks wise just pretty picky.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: Bananas, the usual energy waffles.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_02: I never really dove out other than that stuff.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_04: Do you have something you really like after you're done working out or a race?
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_02: Oh.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they're gonna be laughing at this again.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Papa John cheese.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_03: Wait, do they have those in Ireland?
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_02: They don't.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_03: I was gonna guess they did not.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_02: That's why I'm a big fan of them when I'm here.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_02: I try to eat as much as I can when I'm here because I don't get them when I go home.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, that was my next question.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_03: What is one thing from home you really miss or wish they had in the United States?
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_02: Food-wise or just in general?
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_04: Uh either.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um-wise, probably I don't know, really.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: You I mean, you can't be your mother's cooking, so it's uh my mom's dinner.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_02: I do miss that a lot.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_03: Do you prefer the weather of North Carolina or the weather interrain in Ireland?
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, definitely North Carolina.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, I was guessing, but I didn't want it with a seawoman.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_02: Definitely North Carolina.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: Ireland has some of the worst weather you'd ever see.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_02: I think it rained for it.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_02: I think it rained every single day up until last week.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_02: So every single day for this year it's rained.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_03: So if if someone was going to visit Ireland, what would be the best time of year to go?
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'd say August.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_02: But you you'd have to get lucky.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_02: You'd hope you'd want to hope there's a heat wave there, because if there isn't, it's gonna be just it might be lashing rain, like even if it is the summer.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_02: You we usually get like periods of two weeks where it's uh two weeks of January week where it could be max like 80 degrees, barely.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_02: But that's that's really hot for us.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_02: Like every once the sun comes out, like everyone rushes to the beach, even it might even be like 70 degrees, 60 degrees, we're all going to the beach.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_02: So I'd say August and just hope there's a little bit of sun out.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I also have to ask you this because yesterday was St.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_03: Patrick's Day, and it's a really big deal here in the United States for various reasons that I don't think are related to the original St.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_03: Patrick.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_03: So how is that celebrated in Ireland?
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's celebrated, alright.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't say it's celebrated the same way as it is here.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: That was my question, yeah.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, most people it's just an excuse to go to the pub, really.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um go out and have a few drinks with the lads.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_02: But uh here it's here it's been it's definitely it's definitely celebrated here as well, but they they go all over it here.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's it's kind of mad.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um like I seen the parade.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_02: I was in Wilmington uh last week, Wilmington, North Carolina.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_02: Uh for spring break with my girlfriend, and they had a they had a parade there, but they had um they had Scottish kilts and everything and English flags in the parade, and I was like, I don't know how they'd feel about this back home.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_02: It was definitely interesting.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I had to ask because I thought I don't I don't think it's quite the same, but yeah, that was my that was my assumption.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um well what is your favorite hobby or pastime when you're not running?
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_03: What is something you enjoy doing outside of athletics?
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um well it takes up so much time that it's like it almost becomes your life.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_02: So when I do get a chance to kind of wind down, I just honestly I'll just spend like a few hours in the cafeteria with the the lads on the team just talking about random stuff like that.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_02: We might stay there for sometimes we stayed there for three or four hours just talking.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then we go up and go to sleep.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_02: That's usually most of my days, just train in the morning, go to class, train, go to dinner and just talk for about three hours and do some homework maybe when you go up to the up to the room.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_02: Other pastimes, I really don't have many now that I'm thinking of it right.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you are a student and an athlete, so I can understand why your time would be taken up by other things.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a bit uh yeah, I'm a bit of a born guy, honestly.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_02: Well there's not much not much I do.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_04: Well, what are you studying?
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_02: Uh business management.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, kind of I've always been interested in uh taking over business and starting a business myself, so wanted to do that as my degree and kind of get away if I was doing exercise science my first year, but I just kinda wanted to get away from my whole life being surrounded by running and sport and just have something that I so yeah, I guess business would be another pastime.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: I do enjoy it.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_02: I love doing like I love accounting, as weird as that is to say.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_02: Like I love the class and everything like that.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_03: It's not weird at all.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_03: If that's what you enjoy, awesome.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: Well, what is one unique fact about you that people might not guess?
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_02: I guess uh I was a pretty good soccer player when I was younger.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_02: That that might be that might be something, even though I did I talked about that earlier, but yeah.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like soccer players make good runners.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I suppose.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um if I mean if I wasn't doing running, I'd be doing soccer.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_03: All right.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_03: Well, Nathan, it's been great to chat with you.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_03: It's one thing to see the times on a result sheet, but hearing you in person and the mindset and the grit that goes into your racing puts it into a really interesting perspective.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_03: So we're gonna be watching closely as the outdoor season kicks off.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_03: And uh whether you're tasting more records or another natural podium, we know it's gonna be fast.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_03: Well, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_02: No problem.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for having me.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for tuning in to the Red Banner Race Report podcast.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_03: I can't wait to feature more cross-country and track and field athletes from the NAIA, so stay tuned because it might just be you.
• 35:33
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• 35:37
  SPEAKER_03: You can find the Red Banner Race Report podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other major media players.
• 35:45
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• 35:48
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