Episode #48: Ben Rosario, Coach of Team NAZ Elite

05/10/20 • 55 min

Ben Rosario is the founder and head coach of Team NAZ Elite sponsored by Hoka, but he has done it all in our sport. He's competed in 2 Olympic Marathon Trials, finished 2nd in the US Marathon Championships, owned a running store in St. Louis, directed meets and events, and coached athletes of all levels. He, of course, coaches 4 of our prior guests from this year including Scott Fauble, Stephanie Bruce, Kellyn Taylor, and Olympic Trials Champion Aliphine Tuliamuk.

Having seen the sport of running from all sides, Ben brings a sharp and unique perspective to a host of important topics from how you innovate in marketing as a team to how you create a better culture for clean sport globally. Kara and Chris lead this episode starting with Ben on his beginnings and early inspirations in the sport. We talk about how and why he became a coach, how he developed the strong team dynamic at NAZ Elite, and of course, what it was like to cheer on his athletes to incredible finishes at the US Marathon Trials including Aliphine's victory.

Then, we turn to his perspective on clean sport from his time as an athlete to what he believes needs to be done to truly make a difference in the fight against doping in our sport. Finally, we cover his team's approach to the current pandemic and what they are doing to stay ready for the delayed Olympics next year, including some fun ways that fans can engage in their journey.

Ben is making big waves in our sport through Team NAZ Elite. He is direct and to the point about how to make our sport cleaner and more inspiring for all levels of athletes, and we are proud to help elevate his voice.

Previous Episode

Episode #47: Jim Ryun, First High Schooler to Run a Sub 4 Mile

With this week's guest, we shift from a legend in the hurdles to a legend in the mile as Shanna and Chris interview Jim Ryun. In 1964, Jim Ryun burst on the track scene at the age of 17 by running the first sub-4-minute mile by a high school boy. He did it after only 2 years as a runner, and then just a month later, he would earn a spot on the US Olympic team for the 1964 Tokyo Games. Of course, that was just the beginning of a storied career that included 3 Olympic Games, an Olympic Silver Medal, and 6 world records.

In this conversation, Jim talks about what led him to try cross country in the first place, a hard first practice that almost made him quit, the teammates that kept him going, and of course the turning point where he realized he might be pretty good thanks to the wisdom and foresight of his coach. He shares the stories of his first Olympic experience in Tokyo as a 17-year-old and then the come-from-behind silver medal in the 1968 Games in Mexico City, including an apology that would come later from a Kenyan competitor in the same race. He discusses his attitude toward doping including when he first became aware of others using performance enhancing drugs including rumors of blood doping involving Lasse Viren from the 1972 Games.

Beyond the accolades and the talent, Jim gives us a window into what made him the athlete he was on the track through his faith, his incredible support system, and a work ethic that was fostered by a coach that really cared. Jim was a fierce competitor on the track, but you will hear a humble and gentle spirit in this interview that will bring a smile to your face.

Next Episode

Episode #49: Lindsay Crouse, Journalist for the NY Times

In this episode, we dig into the story behind the stories as Shanna and Kara interview NY Times journalist Lindsay Crouse. In 2019, Lindsay helped break two of the biggest stories of the year, one with Alysia Montano and Allyson Felix on maternity rights for athletes and the other with Mary Cain on her abuse while training with Alberto Salazar at the Nike Oregon Project. Both stories drove critical conversations and paved the path for change in the areas of #dreammaternity and #fixgirlssports. Interestingly, breaking these stories is not Lindsay's main job at the NY Times, and at least one of these stories took nearly 6 years to tell.

In this episode, Shanna and Kara dig into Lindsay's circuitous journey to live her dream in working for the NY Times, while pursuing a parallel dream to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the marathon. Lindsay talks about her childhood aspirations to attend Harvard even though no one from her town in Rhode Island ever had. She discusses her early running career and how she ultimately earned a spot at Harvard to both run and study for her future in journalism.

The path to the NY Times was far from straightforward, however, as Lindsay moved to New York City and had several other jobs before landing her NY Times opportunity. Even then, she had to rely on her own entrepreneurial spirit and instincts to find and tell these important stories, including an initial off-the-record conversation in 2014 with Shanna and Kara on her treatment by Nike during pregnancy.

Finally, Lindsay shares the painstaking and thoughtful work required to verify facts, confirm information from sources, frame the conversation, and ultimately to tell the stories in a way that will resonate with readers in order to provoke much-needed conversations. The work isn't easy, but Lindsay does it well and with integrity. We can't thank her enough for simply giving athletes a platform to tell the truth and to use their voices to drive change in our sport.