Nick Symmonds races random people on Pre's trail

He's the only guy in track and field who has ever had sex. Ask him, he will tell you, bro. It never occurred to other runners to hit on girls, until Nick thought of it. He has a lot of other original ideas. You think Run Gum is a good idea, bro. Man, I bet he's got some beauties kicking around that genius head of his. Probably mixtures of honey and Kit Kats that allow you to run for 5 days, or a comb that doubles as starting pistol. Do you know he went to college...that makes him smart. No one on this dumdum board probably havs a degree. He is also a CEO. Some people (suckers, right?) work their whole life to become a CEO, or even a pathetic VP of Global Development at a Fortune 500 company. This guy just stepped off the track, and ka-pow-o.....he's raking in that sweet caffeinated gum money. Chew on that. Maybe you should start trying to come up with some ideas too, sheeple, instead of trying to bring him down.

Modern Drunkard wrote:

LPN Nurse wrote:

Plus he scores hella girlz.

All 36 year old men still brag about scoring chicks, but the difference is that he's the only one who can actually do it. ---and you can't.....

No, he doesn't. Remember that time Paris Hilton shot him down? Furthermore, if a 36-year-old man child is "bragging about scoring chicks," he needs to re-evaluate his life.

So, here we have an athlete who:

Is personable

Is talented

Can have fun (beer mile, etc.)

Has no doping violations of note

Is generally wholesome

Knows how to be when around kids

Who also has World Championship and Olympic credibility and started his own business, while still being comfortable being self-deprecating in a playful way around real people in the real world.

This is the consummation of the person who should be an ambassador to the masses to re-popularize track and field.

Essentially, he IS Prefontaine, but friendlier.

And people hate Nick, why???

He used to be a track superstar.

Now he is performing stupid immature stunts to get clicks and likes.

He's a Pre wannabe., and a poor one at that. A quote of his: "I've never considered myself a runner. Running was a business of mine and a great way to market products."

He's a guy who only wants attention. The causes that he took on tended to be more about himself than about the issue at hand. What has he really given back to this sport... that wasn't tied into making a buck or self-promotion? Making clickbait commercials doesn't count as giving back. There was a lot of" look at me...look at me." in anything he took a stand against. Pre, though he had an ego, seemed sincere in his convictions and the fights he fought.

Why isn't he an ambassador to the masses? Simple: he's not THAT likable. He had an agent who created fake dates with Paris Hilton. When people got good at the beer mile, he quit doing them. When he couldn't run a fast 100m, he cherrypicked a ski shoe record.

Should athletes do more to market themselves? Yes

Is Nick Symmonds stunts adding value to how athletes are perceived? Meh

I'm not buying this rhetoric.

Especially in your justification that Steve Prefontaine had conviction as if to suggest that Nick Symmonds is weak.

The truth that few of you will admit is that, in sports or entertainment, many of you gravitate to the unadulterated, edgy, moody a-hole.

What do I mean?

If Nick Symmonds had jumped on a Harley and spelled run gum on a random field, causing people to gasp and wonder who that guy was, many of you would be talking about the personality of Nick Symmonds.

If Nick had suddenly become the next Lou Ferrigno and threw an automobile over the Mexican border wall, many of you would be talking about how bad a** Nick has become.

Prefontaine talked a big game but didn't beat Viren and yet people love him as if he was an Olympic champion because his attitude was gold medal over the top.

What does it come to?

If you truly don't like and don't respect Symmonds, it is more of a showcase of how shallow your scopes are.

Many of you picked on Symmonds' weight in the past.

Many picked on Symmonds' appearance

Many picked on Run Gum.

Many pick on Symmonds' perceived lack of maturity.

Nick was an accomplished runner who parlayed the accomplishments into a business.

If you want to pick on immature businessmen, let's play. Let's talk about businessmen Walt Disney, Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Fred Rogers, Captain Kangaroo, Mel Brooks and many others whose "immaturity" made them relatable across generations.

Can you really find anything Nick has done wrong besides doing actions and being someone you don't like?

When Nick passes, he'll have been his authentic self. Will you have been yours?

Meh.

Loved the vid! Found myself smiling the whole way through it.

kmaclam wrote:

Loved the vid! Found myself smiling the whole way through it.

+1

I smiled through the whole thing too. Nick seems like a good and personable dude. Keep doing what you're doing, Nick.

By the way, I hardly ever post on this website, but the critical and negative posters in this thread are so tiresome. Pretty easy to sit back and criticize isn't it? Hey losers, read this:

Imagine how creeped out was the little girl, who probably doesn’t know track terminology, when Nick yelled out

“I’M GONNA SIT ON YOU!”

That was awesome. I'd race an Olympic athlete for giggles anytime. My favorite part was the 'sit and kick' line.

LPN Nurse wrote:

$100...I thought he was rich

thats how the rich stay rich

Ok, you got me. I'm usually pretty good at detecting sarcasm, but obviously yesterday I was off. Well done, good sir or madame.

It’s simple he’s trying to promote a product. Whether or not you like his personality is individually up to you.

One thing I would suggest for his business approach is to be more up upfront with the run gum promotion. Maybe a run gum sign or attire that gives it a professional look. Also make it clear that he’s a former pro runner/Olympian promoting run gum. Personally I don’t think I would let my kids race some random dude on a trail no matter how nice he seemed.

Maybe you’re not allowed to solicit on Pre’s Trail and that’s why it was done in that way. However that brings up an issue as to whether this whole thing was business ethical.