The Atlantic’s Nick Thompson on His New Book, Running Fast, Why We Run, and LetsRun.com

Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, former editor-in-chief of Wired, 2:29 marathoner, and daily LetsRun visitor, joins this week’s LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast to talk about his new book, The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports (buy it here).

Thompson shares how he went from a decent high school runner to running 2:29 in his 40s and setting the American record for 50K in the 45–49 age group. He opens up about the mental breakthrough that unlocked his improvement, lessons from surviving thyroid cancer, and how running helped him understand his complicated relationship with his father.

Nick talks about why we run, how it fits in our life, and also he tells wild stories about getting fired from 60 Minutes after 59 minutes and being kidnapped in Morocco. Plus some business advice for LetsRun.com, and his thoughts on today’s top track stars.

Bonus: Join the LetsRun.com Supporters Club for a year and we’ll send you The Running Ground for free ($30 value) + a free LetsRun.com shirt. You get all the LetsRun content, a bonus podcast every week and savings on running shoes.

Buy the book at Amazon here or support independent booksellers here.

• 00:00 Get The Running Ground for free by joining the LetsRun.com Supporters Club
• 02:00 Introducing Nick Thompson
• 03:56 What inspired The Running Ground
• 05:57 Nick’s realization and running breakthrough
• 09:31 His complicated relationship with his father
• 19:32 Balancing running with life and career
• 23:00 Training and staying injury-free with the Alexander Technique
• 30:42 Reflecting on Stanford and early running years
• 34:00 Moving to ultras and the joy of trail running
• 36:58 Getting kidnapped in Morocco
• 40:38 Fired from 60 Minutes after 59 minutes
• 46:20 Nick’s thoughts on today’s track and field stars
• 54:04 Nick’s advice for LetsRun.com and navigating the AI era
• 1:00:18 Wrapping up and how to get the book free
• Email podcast@letsrun.com or call/text 1-844-LETSRUN podcast voicemail/text line.

Bonus: Join the LetsRun.com Supporters Club for a year and we’ll send you The Running Ground for free ($30 value) + a free LetsRun.com shirt. You get all the LetsRun content, a bonus podcast every week and savings on running shoes.

Buy the book at Amazon here or support independent booksellers here.

Check out the LetsRun.com store. https://shop.letsrun.com/ We've got the softest running shirts in the business.

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