RUNNING

Why Runners Run

The Atlantic CEO and American record-holder Nicholas Thompson will discuss family, aging, and the enduring appeal of running at an Oct. 9 Writers Institute event

By Mike Huber

Nicholas Thompson has a wife and three kids, a very busy job, and a passion for running.

Nick, 51, is one of the nation’s top masters runners. At age 44, he ran a marathon personal best of 2:29:12. He is also the American record holder in the 50K for both the 45-49 and 50-54 age groups.

As CEO of The Atlantic, he oversees one of America’s most influential magazines. Before joining The Atlantic, he was editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and led the website team at The New Yorker. He often runs in the early morning or late evening between his Brooklyn home and Manhattan office.

Nick will discuss his acclaimed memoir “The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports” at 7pm Friday, Oct. 9, at the University at Albany. The event is presented by the New York State Writers Institute and cosponsored by Albany Running Exchange. Josh Merlis, president of ARE Event Productions, will moderate the conversation. 

Most runners spend their 40s trying to hold on to the fitness they worked so hard for in their 20s and 30s. Nick got faster. His new book explores that journey, and he weaves in stories of remarkable men and women who have used the sport to transcend some of the hardest moments in life.

At its heart, “The Running Ground” is the story of Nick’s relationship with his father, who introduced him to running at an early age.

Nick ran his first mile at age five to connect with his father while his family fell apart. Running became a way for father and son to spend time together, and later a way for Nick to better understand his father, a serious runner who completed a sub-three-hour marathon in 1982.

“My father lived a messy, complicated life. But he gave me running,” he writes. “Running became one of the ways I learned to understand him, mourn him, and avoid becoming him.”

The memoir has earned praise from some of the biggest names in the sport. Ultrarunning legend Kilian Jornet wrote, “More than a book about running, it’s a deeply human and beautifully written story of honest introspection where Thompson illustrates how the simplest sport can help us navigate the most complex terrain of our own lives.” 

In a recent podcast interview with CITIUS MAG, covering track & field and running culture, Nick explained why running remains such a powerful force in his life. “My view on running is that it’s the simplest sport. But the fact of that simplicity opens up the possibility that if you think about it deeply, it can be a tool to help you understand the really important and complicated stuff.”

That’s what makes “The Running Ground” different from a typical running book. It’s not a technical book on form or a memoir of Strava splits and workouts. It’s about why runners run.

[BEGIN EVENT BOX]
Nicholas Thompson

​University at Albany – Recital Hall, UAlbany Performing Arts Center

1400 Washington Ave, Albany

Free and open to the public. No registration required. 

Books will be available for sale and a signing will follow the conversation.

More info: nyswritersinstitute.org

[END EVENT BOX]

Michael Huber (mhuberny@gmail.com) is communications manager for the New York State Writers Institute and a longtime adjunct professor of journalism at the University at Albany. He previously worked for more than 20 years at the Albany Times Union.