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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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Runners only with dom Harvey and one of
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the baddest men on the New Zealand track
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at the moment Samuel Tanner morning mate
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how you doing getting nice and close to
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that microphone um Sam was just asking
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me who made the theme song
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it's this American kid on an app called
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Fiverr that's awesome yeah it's so good
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it's slaps hey it's a great tune yeah
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that's awesome I can't believe it what a
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kid hey um really nice to be in your
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house today getting nice and close to
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that microphone there we go how about
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that
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so I arrived at your house in papamoa
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um what's the nickname for it like um
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not Leisure land or what's that
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oh my God it is um it's the craziest
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place you've got a skate Bowl here three
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trampolines
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um how many three Caravans yeah yeah my
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brother's coding one so yeah he's doing
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one up and I don't know how many
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surfboards yeah I don't know either so
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you just you and you and your dad and
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your brother just build everything yeah
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yeah Dad's the dad's been the
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inspiration for that but um yeah it's
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pretty clever so he's been teaching us a
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fair bit over the years so you're um
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because of what you do with running like
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you're a
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I mean you're not nervous to do other
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things as in I'm thinking in particular
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the skateboarding and the trampolining
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yeah
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that I used it on the on the skateboard
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and The Traps
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um but no no I value
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um getting a good time and rather than
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just looking down yeah a good balance I
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think is pretty key to being a good
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runner so you you'll coach um like Craig
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Kirkwood he's never been like oh I'd
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rather you didn't do skateboarding or no
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he's pretty good he actually encourages
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me to do a lot a lot of it like he's
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like yep make sure you get your your
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cross training in and uh he's you know
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we used to joke about actually put
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prescribing surfing into my training
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into the actual training schedule I'm
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like oh sweet I gotta go first so like
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it's a must I'm like sweet gotta do it
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so um okay so let's talk about you so
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you're um how are you now 21 21 21
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fastest man in New Zealand over 1500
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meters correct yeah you rent a sub four
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minute mile when you're still a teenager
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yeah yeah first I think I think it was
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the first teenager um in New Zealand
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history to run sub for in the mile yeah
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it's [ __ ] insane yeah it's pretty
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nuts so you we how old were you when you
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started running uh I grew up running uh
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kids Athletics when I was like five
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right and and did that for fun um never
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trained or anything but then probably
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started training with Craig when I was
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17. and that's kind of a short of a
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little more extended as I did cross
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countries throughout school um got good
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got a um you know one national title and
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then got some creepy old dudes jumping
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into my inbox in uh on Facebook
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Messenger asking me if they if I want to
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come to the other side of the world and
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come visit them and I'm like what but uh
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oh no I like um yeah like American
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scholarships and things
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okay so you so you just um so so you so
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you're a kid and you're running and
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you're just naturally naturally good
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naturally fast is that is that pretty
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much the longest yeah yeah thanks mum
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yeah why thanks mum yeah oh mum was fast
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oh was she yeah mum was quitting pretty
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quick
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um and then Dad was probably pretty
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determined and did some longer
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triathlons and stuff just for fun
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um but yeah that's probably where I get
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it from so it's just sort of in the
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jeans yeah I'd like to I'd like to say
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so yeah but I feel like I'm like seeing
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the setup you've got here and the sort
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of the lifestyle you're living yeah with
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the skateboarding and the trampoline and
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the surfing I feel like you would have
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been good at probably any sport you sort
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of put your mind to yeah I was pretty I
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was admitted to Tim and Ken like um Dad
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would always say like oh he'd he'd like
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put himself you know make himself suffer
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and like how did he say something
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extreme like he'd kill himself before he
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came second and you know I'm like oh
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yeah probably true especially when I was
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younger like I was like oh I think back
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I'm like man how do I put myself in the
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box kind of a worse now but do you like
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that though do you like do you like um
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you like making yourself hurt yeah yeah
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it's a bit addicting
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um yeah yeah definitely yeah I feel like
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um because I had your
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um one of your training Partners um
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Hayden wild the triathlete on the
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podcast earlier this year and he was
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talking about how how hard like you guys
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push each other at training and and he
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said how you've managed to pull yourself
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back and do what your coach tells you to
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so your coach tells you it's an easy run
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you go easy yeah but do you guys just
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love juking it out and going handy yeah
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we often don't like like try to beat
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each other but we definitely push each
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other like there'll be mornings where
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we're just like one of us is feeling
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good and the other one's like kind of my
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suffering especially this is often how
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it goes in longer reps because I'll be
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feeling good at the start and feeling
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fast and so I'll push Hayden when it's
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speed and then you know at the end of
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the session he'll be like coming through
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with strength and I'll be like hanging
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on for dear life and then we'll both end
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up on our back you know on the grass at
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the end on you know like we do a 7 A.M
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session
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um on the road and so it'll be just be
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cooked on the grass afterwards and
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Craig's just like there taking a photo
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of us laughing at us you dick yeah so
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what makes um what makes Craig Kirkwood
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such a good coach
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oh he's just the best he's just the best
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I don't know he's got some magic magic
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fingers magic mind um but no he he
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really really cares for us um and so
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pays a lot of tension pays a lot of
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attention to our like life as well as um
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just training so not just training so um
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yeah he he's pretty good at prescribing
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stuff based off how we feel
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um and then he's I think he's just had a
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really
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um vast experience you know just with
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Triathlon with ultra stuff
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um with track you know went to uh don't
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let me screw this up uh
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Oklahoma University
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yeah not University of Oklahoma Oklahoma
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University
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um that arrivals you see sir you'd be
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insulted
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um so yeah he you know pull it pulling
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pulling from all of those different um
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areas he's
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he's just got you know and in post
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collegiately too like he's just been
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around some of the best coaches best
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agents
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um especially in track and field
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um so yeah it's just good because I've
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had um I've had another guy on the
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podcast called Arch jelly who was like
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the lifelong coach of um John Walker who
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did the same distance as you yeah
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um do you do you feel like your
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relationship I mean it's probably hard
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to tell from where you're sitting now in
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the age right now but do you do you from
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where you're sitting here and now do you
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can you see him being your lifelong
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coach yeah I think so yeah totally
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totally we never get to the point where
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where he comes to you and says listen
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I'm sorry Sam I've done everything I can
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you need someone else now yeah no I I
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know I think that um you know kind of
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like Ron is with Nick Willis I think
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that Craig will be for me like we're
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going to probably get to the point where
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he knows you know he's going to be my
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coach hopefully forever and unless I do
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something stupid and he starts to hate
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me I don't see why that would happen
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maybe I fall off skating or something
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well I think the whole world would hate
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me then but um
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anyway
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um yeah that's what I was getting at
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before like there's um I don't know I I
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don't feel like you you seem to
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necessarily feel it or maybe you've just
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got this ability to block it out but
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there'd be a lot of people like high
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performance sport people that are
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seriously [ __ ] off if you break a call
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away yeah yeah I think so I'm like you
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know what if I fall off like get over it
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I'm like I'm not having to deal with it
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I love running I'm addicted to it so
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it's uh yeah it's definitely yeah
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whatever it is what it is yeah so what
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is um what is your addiction with
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running uh like do you is it just
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because you're you're good at it that
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you enjoy it so much or what partly man
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I like I can go for a long run and uh if
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you get rolling I'm just like oh I just
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sometimes the Melissa my wife comes for
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a bike with me while I long run and I'm
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like oh man I love this sport like I'm
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just flying sometimes we pass bikers who
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were like oh I feel a bit bad I think
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this bike is here biking into a headwind
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and I'm like see yeah because What's um
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what would be like an average um week
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for you an average week of training what
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does it look like in terms of K's
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probably uh you know between 100 and 120
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um maybe if I'm racing maybe a little
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less but uh that's probably
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um where I'm at at the moment there's
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probably some more room for growth I
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don't know what naughty tricks Craig set
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up his sleeve for next year but uh
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um yeah this this is the first time of
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the last two weeks that he's he's pulled
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out the old uh double workout and I'm
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like oh you're psycho who doesn't double
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work out what do you mean like so two
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workouts in a day yeah so one in the
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morning one in the afternoon yeah and
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what does each session look like oh well
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the the last two weeks we've done it um
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without giving away too many Craig
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Secrets we've done a strength workout in
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the morning and so that'll be like a
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Tempo six you know four or six k
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um like not like a light Tempo either
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like it's pretty fast
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um you know like three minute case or
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below
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um and then in the evening we've got
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like some brutal speed stuff that I'm
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like man Craig this session would be
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hard without the speed stuff without the
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strength in the morning I'm like oh my
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goodness so yeah so whatever it's been
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really good though for strength and
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um hopefully It prepares me well for
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worlds yeah so it's a win of the world
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so they pre-commonworth games or post
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Commonwealth Games yeah free pre-com
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games uh 16th 17th and 19th of July okay
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so we're recording this in um late June
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so you've got the worlds I mean what's
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more important are they both equally
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important well I think it depends who
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you are
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um for me I think like worlds is a
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bigger deal
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um but com games is a bigger deal in New
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Zealand's eyes okay why are the world's
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a bigger artist because it's just the
00:10:12
world right you've got especially in
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distance running like you're going to
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get more probably more media if you win
00:10:18
World Championships um in terms of like
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us media and growth like public figure
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growth I guess
00:10:25
um than a few win comp games because but
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in New Zealand you know you're going to
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get probably on the news if you win com
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games 100 which is like yeah maybe
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hopefully
00:10:34
yeah yeah so um yeah so what is the
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expectation going to these events like
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you're probably at like Peak Fitness now
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um like have you have you discussed it
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with uh you know your Craig coach or
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have you got a feeling about how you're
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going to go uh I'd like to like
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I've been I've had a good season so far
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I've went to the US for five weeks
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um of April May
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um and so that was fun
00:10:58
um but I beat a couple of quite a few
00:11:01
good guys really really high quality
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world-class athletes and so it's going
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to be exciting to race you know them as
00:11:08
well as other guys who I haven't raced
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yet um on that world stage
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um and so I I want to make the final
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like I didn't um necessarily meet my
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expectations in Tokyo last year or maybe
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not my expectations I didn't really have
00:11:21
any but
00:11:22
um more so my ability you know reach my
00:11:25
potential I want to say um and so that'd
00:11:28
be nice to to make the final and you
00:11:30
know if you know never know with the
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1500 you could come away with the middle
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like if you're on the right the same
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Race 10 different times I could meddle
00:11:37
once and not even make the final you
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know nine other times which is like the
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craziest part yeah there's so much I
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wanna I wanna I wanna ask you about this
00:11:44
first of all I guess um like what's the
00:11:47
difference for you between a good racing
00:11:49
address in terms of what's a what's a
00:11:51
what's it like a dream time scenario and
00:11:53
what is totally [ __ ] the beard in
00:11:54
terms of time yeah yeah yeah all right
00:11:56
well a dream like this year so so John
00:11:59
Walker's New Zealand mile record is 349
00:12:02
and I want to break that
00:12:05
um whether it's this year Craig reckons
00:12:07
I can do it this year and so if I get in
00:12:09
the right situation
00:12:10
um on the right race I'd have to be a
00:12:12
mile obviously but um 349 would be or
00:12:15
348 because that's pretty sure it's 349
00:12:18
like oh
00:12:19
um so 348 would be like crazy and I'd be
00:12:22
like just ecstatic with that I'm just
00:12:25
like whoa that was crazy
00:12:27
um but in terms of 1500 I would like to
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run low 330s
00:12:32
um and
00:12:34
crap in the bid would be like I don't
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know
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if I ran 350 for something oh
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embarrassing but uh yeah I mean it could
00:12:43
be technical yeah yeah that is true
00:12:46
that's you're still like rolling you're
00:12:47
still flying yeah in fact I'm just I'm
00:12:49
just trying to think so um if you do a
00:12:51
mile that's like four laps of the of the
00:12:53
track yeah uh if you and me start at the
00:12:55
same time even that's only four laps you
00:12:57
would literally lap me well how long
00:12:59
have you in a mile in but well right no
00:13:02
I haven't but I could I reckon um I did
00:13:04
some 1K repeats last week in like 320.
00:13:07
oh no oh and I reckon you'd give me
00:13:10
you'd let me I'm nice
00:13:13
oh I don't know because you'd run five
00:13:15
minutes
00:13:16
yeah would you run five minutes
00:13:18
what is that it's a it's a for the mile
00:13:21
so the four laps five minutes roughly
00:13:23
75. yeah five minutes maybe just over
00:13:25
five minutes 75s
00:13:27
yeah yeah
00:13:33
that's why um I've been asked to go on
00:13:36
some like like 5K events which is like
00:13:38
12 and a half laps or the 10K events on
00:13:40
the track not with not with like good
00:13:42
guys like you but just like I mean good
00:13:44
guys good guys but not but the the fear
00:13:46
of being left is just too great oh yeah
00:13:48
that's why I don't do any 5Ks yeah yeah
00:13:51
I'm like I could jump out of world class
00:13:52
five can get lap twice like especially
00:13:55
because my 5K PBS oh we're nearest like
00:13:59
craziest you know they're running like
00:14:00
12 something 12 50 something yeah what
00:14:02
would you do for five thousand like
00:14:04
you'd definitely be sub 14. oh I mean
00:14:06
technically my pb's only like 14 10.
00:14:09
right
00:14:09
um but I did that early October and I
00:14:12
was kind of uh I was pacing my mate
00:14:14
Russell and so that was that was fun um
00:14:16
but I think Craig thinks I can be like a
00:14:19
1320 guy probably God there's there's
00:14:22
not a pack run in the world on a
00:14:24
Saturday morning that you wouldn't win
00:14:25
no yeah probably not
00:14:27
will you um do you ever like oh
00:14:31
um yeah so talking about the the 1500
00:14:33
100 meters like at the commonwealth
00:14:34
games in the world games
00:14:36
um like how much that goes into it on
00:14:38
the day like if you're if you're there
00:14:40
and you're at Peak Fitness and you know
00:14:41
you can run a good time is the uh sort
00:14:44
of like a certainty that you'll Podium
00:14:46
or is there still a lot of luck that
00:14:48
goes into it in the strategy of the race
00:14:49
oh yeah it's I think it comes down to a
00:14:51
lot of experience but man I think as a
00:14:53
youngster you're kind of fluking it
00:14:54
sometimes say like you're like oh we'll
00:14:57
just play the play my cards like this
00:14:58
and see what happens
00:15:00
um but so you just to roll the dice and
00:15:04
be like oh well nope didn't make that
00:15:06
one
00:15:07
um but yeah so I think you can prep and
00:15:09
you can understand
00:15:11
um you know who's in your race what they
00:15:13
are likely to do and study it as well as
00:15:15
you can that's one thing I've been
00:15:16
working on um with Craig especially like
00:15:18
becoming more of a student of the sport
00:15:20
and because in the past I'm like hey I'm
00:15:22
just running it's like it's just running
00:15:24
it's one foot in front of me it's kind
00:15:26
of a lame sport when you think about it
00:15:28
like just we just like especially track
00:15:31
on it you're on circles aren't you you
00:15:33
run for three minutes and go nowhere oh
00:15:34
yeah in terms of um in terms of the
00:15:36
spectator sport I reckon it's the most
00:15:38
boring thing yet if you have run those
00:15:42
distances yourself and you know what's I
00:15:44
feel like it's like golf I used to hate
00:15:45
watching golf yeah I started playing
00:15:47
golf myself and you realize how
00:15:48
difficult it is you can watch golf yeah
00:15:52
no but you when you've had to go
00:15:54
yourself and you realize how difficult
00:15:56
it is oh totally you have a new
00:15:57
appreciation of what these guys do dogs
00:15:59
are so hard it's the same with them like
00:16:01
Track Running isn't swatching people run
00:16:03
run and run a track but when you've run
00:16:04
that distance yourself
00:16:06
um and you you know how slow you are and
00:16:08
comparison it gives you a new
00:16:10
appreciation oh totally yeah like I was
00:16:12
even thinking about that with the the
00:16:13
old marathon world record I'm like man I
00:16:16
couldn't run oh maybe I could run 5k at
00:16:19
the same Pace as the marathon world
00:16:20
record like that's ridiculous some guy
00:16:23
I'm a professional Runner and some other
00:16:25
provisional Runner is doing what I could
00:16:27
do you know four times yeah oh you you
00:16:30
could you could hang on to keep Chucky
00:16:31
for a while couldn't you could hang on
00:16:33
to cryptographer 10K it's made it longer
00:16:35
maybe maybe 10 guys yeah 10ks maybe you
00:16:38
get two through 10K but it wouldn't do
00:16:40
much longer than that you know it's
00:16:42
crazy it's crazy that's a quarter of
00:16:45
what he's doing he's doing it four more
00:16:46
times after that yeah so okay so so the
00:16:49
1500 meter race so it's um like three
00:16:51
and three quarter laps how do you like
00:16:53
how do you is there a set way to run it
00:16:55
yeah well like or do you do you go on
00:16:59
with a game plan like right don't set
00:17:00
the pace let someone else set the pace
00:17:02
yeah yeah sometimes I think it's
00:17:04
different if you're racing tactically or
00:17:06
you're racing
00:17:07
um like time trial like a tactical
00:17:09
Championship race
00:17:11
um you know I just listened to Craig yes
00:17:13
coach kind of thing but uh he often just
00:17:16
says um excuse the language don't [ __ ]
00:17:18
it up that's what he says this is like
00:17:21
one thing that he says to me every
00:17:23
retire and I'm like sweet like the times
00:17:26
you know the times that he hasn't said
00:17:27
that I have screwed it up and I'm like
00:17:29
oh man what does he mean [ __ ] it up like
00:17:31
go out too hard everything right what do
00:17:35
you mean don't yeah I'm like okay great
00:17:36
like cool
00:17:38
um but he uh go out too hard you know
00:17:40
lead for too long like start kicking too
00:17:44
early just like don't get boxed and you
00:17:47
know like because you could get books
00:17:48
then you could kick too early and get
00:17:50
run down you could lead and fatigue
00:17:53
yourself and then get mowed down the
00:17:54
last 200
00:17:56
um but yeah pretty much you don't want
00:17:58
to be the guy who is being out kicked
00:18:01
you're gonna be the outkicker right and
00:18:04
so so that you're talking about the last
00:18:05
maybe 200 to 400 meters yeah yeah
00:18:07
totally yeah so yeah it depends what The
00:18:10
Field's doing how fast there is the race
00:18:11
is where your position is but um yeah I
00:18:14
think I go into it just with like a bit
00:18:16
of an open mindset and just go all right
00:18:18
let's just see how this first 100 meters
00:18:20
is and see if I get to where I want to
00:18:22
be if I get to where I want to be
00:18:23
sometimes it's easier the game plan can
00:18:25
kind of just roll out and you just
00:18:27
defend moves and make moves when you
00:18:29
need to to get to the right place
00:18:31
position yourself well
00:18:33
um but really the whole race is just
00:18:35
positioning yourself up until the last
00:18:37
400 meters so that you're in the right
00:18:38
spot with 400 meters to go so that
00:18:41
you're either on the shoulder or at the
00:18:42
front
00:18:43
um and if you can do that then you've
00:18:45
got a good chance of winning so right
00:18:47
yeah so how much feels easy as the first
00:18:50
lap easy it's not the first 200 meters
00:18:52
yeah well well Nick Willis actually says
00:18:54
and I totally agree with him if you run
00:18:57
a 1500 perfectly it's pain-free it's
00:19:00
effortless and I'm like oh like I found
00:19:02
I think about the times where I run my
00:19:04
fastest times it's been the most
00:19:06
effortless race and you don't even think
00:19:08
about it you just lap lap done you know
00:19:10
and you're like well that was quick
00:19:12
um I I don't know if it would be the
00:19:15
same if you're running
00:19:16
four or five for six minutes for the
00:19:18
1500
00:19:20
but you know it may still you know
00:19:22
you know for a little longer yeah
00:19:26
for me I like I don't really get the
00:19:28
chance to think about it but usually you
00:19:30
don't you don't hurt until you know if
00:19:33
you get to like 800 and you still feel
00:19:36
good that's probably a good sign right
00:19:37
right and you can kind of afford to hurt
00:19:39
the last two minutes yeah um but if
00:19:42
you're hurting in the after the first
00:19:43
lap oh boy it's gonna be a long time
00:19:46
a long day but yeah it's still so short
00:19:48
but you're just an absolute agony for
00:19:51
that uh for that second half of the Run
00:19:52
oh yeah yeah yeah yeah but it's good so
00:19:54
so the commonwealth games
00:19:56
um what would a medal mean to you
00:19:59
I don't know like to be honest the
00:20:02
Commonwealth Games hasn't been really
00:20:03
something I dreamed about I just always
00:20:04
wanted to go the Olympics
00:20:06
um but probably because I didn't really
00:20:08
watch the Commonwealth Games that much
00:20:09
as a kid or did you not one I don't know
00:20:12
I feel like it's a kiwi thing I feel
00:20:13
like it is a kiwi thing I like I watched
00:20:15
necron and a couple of things but I
00:20:16
didn't like
00:20:17
sit down like I did for the Olympics and
00:20:19
like watch you know all the Rugby World
00:20:22
Cup even and just like watch the whole
00:20:23
thing you know like it wasn't something
00:20:25
I'd have the TV on like oh we got the um
00:20:27
the lawn bowls today you know like what
00:20:29
I wonder the edge sorry about the
00:20:32
lawnmowers it's actually really fun and
00:20:34
hard really hard but yeah I don't know
00:20:38
so I hadn't really thought about it that
00:20:39
much but it would be you know the more
00:20:41
I've grown up and the the further I've
00:20:43
developed and running I'm like man uh a
00:20:45
commonwealth games meter would be just
00:20:47
like a dream come true because you're
00:20:48
just like that's a Commonwealth Games
00:20:49
medal you can't nobody can take that
00:20:51
away from you you know somebody said the
00:20:53
other day or I read that records can be
00:20:55
broken but you know championship titles
00:20:57
they can't never be taken away yeah I
00:20:59
mean half the life yeah I mean unless
00:21:01
you've taken drugs and got caught but uh
00:21:04
you know hopefully that never happens
00:21:06
[Laughter]
00:21:07
um
00:21:08
and um so so like where are you where do
00:21:12
you think you're placed like you look at
00:21:14
the rest of the people in the field and
00:21:15
you you know what their time saying you
00:21:17
know what your time is
00:21:18
um all going well on the day
00:21:20
are you a chance what yeah I think so
00:21:23
like maybe not my PB wouldn't say so
00:21:26
right now
00:21:27
um there's a lot of guys who are ahead
00:21:29
of me who have you know more potential
00:21:31
than me according to our times
00:21:33
um but you know some people might have
00:21:36
picked for their trials some people you
00:21:38
know which is kind of now
00:21:39
um June you know middle of junish
00:21:42
um and so they might have picked for
00:21:44
their trials just to make their team
00:21:45
whereas I have the luxury of being able
00:21:47
to just not lie about that and just peek
00:21:49
purely for worlds and comms and so
00:21:52
um you know they may be in 330 shape now
00:21:55
I'm like I need to be in 330 shape and
00:21:56
you know what state would you what state
00:21:58
would you be in right now oh I don't
00:22:00
know three probably three thirty four
00:22:02
three thirty three so probably 334 shape
00:22:05
right I think once they do a little bit
00:22:07
of a tune-up maybe 335 shape tune-up
00:22:10
happens and it changes quite a bit so
00:22:12
maybe I'll be down to a 330 shape in a
00:22:14
couple weeks God you've got to be so in
00:22:16
tune with your body don't you oh yeah
00:22:18
it's it's pretty crazy like you you I'm
00:22:20
understand at some level you you kind of
00:22:23
flop a switch and then understand where
00:22:25
like what 28 feels like and what 30
00:22:27
feels like and 30s if you're running 30s
00:22:30
in a race you're running too slow you
00:22:31
know for 200s if you're only 30s you're
00:22:33
like I need to pick it up because I'm
00:22:35
way off the pace because you need to be
00:22:37
running 28s realistically like
00:22:40
if you're running 28 you're on Pace for
00:22:41
a fast time
00:22:42
that is quick
00:22:44
I don't think I could Sprint that fast
00:22:45
14 point 400 no I think I'd be slower
00:22:48
than that how can you be good you've got
00:22:50
the legs how would you go um against uh
00:22:53
Zoe Hobbs in a handy oh you know I was
00:22:56
actually talking as though oh that's so
00:22:58
embarrassing I was talking about Zoe the
00:22:59
other day um after oceania's and like we
00:23:02
should set up a race just for fun
00:23:03
because like no no media nothing because
00:23:06
I don't want the media to be there
00:23:07
because I probably I'd definitely get my
00:23:09
butt kicked
00:23:10
um but I'm like I'd actually like to
00:23:12
race the Sprinter girls just because the
00:23:14
Sprinter boys had to just be sad like I
00:23:16
just get smoked spat at the back but I
00:23:19
am like unofficially ran like 11 flat
00:23:21
the other day
00:23:22
um like what did Zoe do the other week
00:23:24
what's her time like 11
00:23:26
09 she's a beast she's so fast it's
00:23:30
scary you're like whoa my goodness
00:23:41
so out of the blocks she could put five
00:23:44
meters on me she could put two meters on
00:23:45
me she could put 10 meters on me and I'm
00:23:47
like it depends if I like come out all
00:23:49
Gumpy and like but um yeah if I get a
00:23:52
good blocks out then I probably should
00:23:54
probably beat me by a couple meters but
00:23:55
I mean I don't know I think she'd smoke
00:23:58
me yeah yeah she's amazing she's amazing
00:24:02
um
00:24:03
you mentioned Nick Willis before so this
00:24:06
is the crazy thing so it feels like an
00:24:07
um the distance that you do 1500 meters
00:24:10
um so I'm of an age where I was born in
00:24:12
the 1970s so I remember the John Walker
00:24:13
era yep and then and then there was a
00:24:15
little bit of a gap after the amazing
00:24:16
John Walker and then Nick Willis came
00:24:17
along and held that that crown for a
00:24:19
bloody like Nick Willis has been around
00:24:21
since then till now your your entire
00:24:23
life yeah yeah and and now it feels like
00:24:26
um literally why it's our life yeah yeah
00:24:28
yeah it really is he is it's incredible
00:24:30
yeah what's he done he said like sub
00:24:32
four minute miles over 20 years yeah
00:24:34
every year for 20 years I read a big
00:24:36
article online about it so it's about to
00:24:38
get up and do that every year for 20
00:24:40
consecutive years it's just mind-blowing
00:24:42
I am it's it's crazy I'm like I'm fine
00:24:45
this year will be my fifth year and I'm
00:24:46
like oh man Nikki just making it hard
00:24:48
for me to break that record
00:24:50
there's just so many miles
00:24:52
it's tiring me up thinking about it you
00:24:55
know like but yeah he's incredible and
00:24:58
it's just longevity just shows how much
00:25:00
of you know how how much he loves
00:25:02
running to be honest that's that's
00:25:03
really what it shows because a lot of
00:25:06
guys you know they start to they start
00:25:08
to taper or they start to get a little
00:25:09
older than like get injury and they're
00:25:11
like ah you know maybe that's me done
00:25:12
and then they just pull the pin but he's
00:25:14
just like no I love running I want to do
00:25:16
it as long as I can and I'm like that's
00:25:18
so awesome and you know him and Kelly
00:25:20
Slater surfing like Kelly Slater's 50
00:25:23
now and just you know one what 30 years
00:25:26
apart as first and
00:25:28
um whatever pipe number pipe pipe
00:25:31
Masters right right and I'm like those
00:25:33
you know those sorts of athletes he's
00:25:34
just like wow you've got to take your
00:25:37
head off to them yeah and there's um
00:25:38
another one who's got Cameron Brown the
00:25:40
uh the Iron Man he's totally he's just
00:25:42
turned 50 recently and he's still
00:25:43
cranking ranking it
00:25:45
dominating so um what's your
00:25:48
relationship with Nick Willis like or
00:25:50
what was it like and what is it you know
00:25:51
he's obviously accepted now that you're
00:25:53
the you're the upstarter yeah that's why
00:25:55
it's kicking his ass was it weird in the
00:25:57
beginning like was there a like a
00:25:59
jealousy thing on his pad or nah nah
00:26:02
never which is super cool it could have
00:26:04
totally been there I'd never even
00:26:05
thought about that he made it so so
00:26:06
natural it was cool
00:26:08
um but I suppose you know when you're
00:26:09
getting older as an athlete that day's
00:26:11
going to come yeah I guess so and
00:26:13
especially because he was probably oh
00:26:15
maybe like 36 when I
00:26:18
first beta might beat him in 800 the
00:26:20
week after he smoked me at 1500 but the
00:26:22
bittersweet Part about the 1500 was that
00:26:24
he dragged me through to break his own
00:26:26
New Zealand record right I was like wow
00:26:28
I was like thanks Nick
00:26:29
um but he was so stoked and he was so
00:26:31
genuine about it it was just amazing you
00:26:33
know so I was just like oh this guy's so
00:26:35
cool he's such a cool mentor and you
00:26:36
know I looked up to him for up to him
00:26:38
for years but never had the opportunity
00:26:40
to actually meet him and so when he came
00:26:41
to New Zealand I met him and
00:26:43
um you know then I went to Belgium and
00:26:45
talked with Steve Wallace's brother was
00:26:48
um with us and so I talked on the phone
00:26:49
to Nick and and then uh Tokyo came
00:26:52
around and or a couple more races I
00:26:53
think I saw him at
00:26:55
um we hung out chatted and you know
00:26:57
watched a movie or something
00:26:59
um but then Tokyo came around and I got
00:27:01
to spend you know the most part of a
00:27:03
month probably with him
00:27:05
um and you know he got to give me some
00:27:07
advice and give me some tricks and tips
00:27:08
and uh
00:27:10
yeah a bunch of stuff and so
00:27:12
what's sort of like tricks and Taps like
00:27:14
what can he ah here's a stitch up one
00:27:18
right so I mean I totally should have
00:27:21
known this this was like real amateur
00:27:23
but um Nick post race tells me there's
00:27:28
one thing that if you're in a race and
00:27:30
someone's on your shoulder and you want
00:27:31
to get out of the box you just put your
00:27:33
hand on their hip because it's not it's
00:27:35
not illegal you're not like pushing them
00:27:36
but just put their hand on you I'll put
00:27:38
your hand on their hip and just apply a
00:27:40
little bit of pressure and they do it
00:27:43
like a fend like a fin but they just
00:27:45
Glide outwards and I tried it I'm like
00:27:47
what the heck this is awesome and but I
00:27:50
tried it after the Olympics and I'm like
00:27:53
Nick you should have told me this before
00:27:54
the Olympics I'm like that would have
00:27:56
saved my you know campaign but I was
00:27:58
like I wasn't grumpy um yeah but it was
00:28:01
I was like it says is this like a a tip
00:28:05
that you will use going forward
00:28:06
potentially yeah definitely if you need
00:28:08
to get out and and somebody's you know
00:28:10
boxing you in you're like I gotta move
00:28:12
man like I'm ready to go if you're gonna
00:28:14
hold me back and you're not moving or if
00:28:16
you're going backwards I'm going
00:28:17
forward's sake see ya yeah so because in
00:28:19
in cycling
00:28:21
um you know there's a there's a Peloton
00:28:22
situation and uh yeah like if you're not
00:28:25
pulling your weight and get going out
00:28:26
front like the other cyclists will like
00:28:28
you know tell you off or yell at you
00:28:29
yeah does is there talking on the track
00:28:31
or no gas to talk no sometimes like I I
00:28:36
this this last five weeks or so uh five
00:28:39
races um I four s's four or five
00:28:42
whatever
00:28:43
um I got pretty vocal at some stage
00:28:45
because I was obviously chasing the time
00:28:47
and I'm like guys we're here to run like
00:28:50
come on let's do it like let's work
00:28:52
together like we're not we're not here
00:28:54
to just muck around and like yeah I know
00:28:58
it totally was but I like I got it I
00:29:00
don't know like I love all the boys but
00:29:02
sometimes I feel like when you wherever
00:29:04
the gun goes off nobody's friends they
00:29:07
must be like easy for you ten are we
00:29:08
going as hard as we [ __ ] can yeah
00:29:11
maybe but uh yes I don't know sometimes
00:29:14
some words just want to win you know
00:29:16
which is totally fair enough but I'm
00:29:17
like I don't care about winning
00:29:18
sometimes I just want to run fast yeah
00:29:19
especially if it's not a championship a
00:29:22
championship in a championship
00:29:23
everything you know everything goes yeah
00:29:25
absolutely
00:29:26
um okay so yeah so let's talk about the
00:29:28
Olympics so you went to the Olympics
00:29:29
last year in Tokyo
00:29:31
um you qualified last year as well so in
00:29:34
a way I guess the covert thing for you
00:29:36
was a leasing because it gave you more
00:29:37
time to qualify yeah heck yeah yeah
00:29:39
there are so many blessings that came
00:29:41
out of covert it was ridiculous like I
00:29:43
got to got to come home what was it this
00:29:45
was like 2020 when covert kind of hit I
00:29:48
guess yeah and then so I came home did a
00:29:50
whole year of pretty much base of Base
00:29:52
training you know and then I proposed
00:29:54
and got engaged so that was sick
00:29:56
um and then so I had this like awesome
00:29:58
like family
00:30:00
stuff going on and then awesome training
00:30:03
that was just building a massive base
00:30:05
that carried me through for a season
00:30:07
that was way too long like I probably
00:30:09
shouldn't have raced that much but it
00:30:10
got me qualified you know
00:30:12
um then started 2021 ran a couple fast
00:30:15
races qualified Olympics you know around
00:30:17
the Olympics ran a couple of Collegiate
00:30:19
races before then
00:30:21
um but yeah without that I was you know
00:30:24
to be honest 2020 for the Olympics
00:30:26
within it was a very long shot yeah on
00:30:28
terms of qualifying in terms of
00:30:30
qualifying right right but so I probably
00:30:31
wouldn't have gone but I suppose like
00:30:33
pros and cons because because it was the
00:30:34
later year you got to go but also it
00:30:36
sounds like it was a pretty shitty
00:30:37
Olympic experience in there yeah you
00:30:40
didn't get the full look I mean you will
00:30:42
in your lifetime I'm sure totally it
00:30:43
wasn't like the full Olympic experience
00:30:45
no no yeah but for me I I kind of look
00:30:48
at it like I'm fortunate because a lot
00:30:50
of athletes you know who may have given
00:30:52
up you know they may be in their late
00:30:54
20s or early 30s and they've just
00:30:56
qualified for their first Olympics and
00:30:58
maybe that was their only one you know
00:31:00
and I'm like oh that kind of sucks
00:31:02
because that may be the only one
00:31:04
and that's that's it whereas for me I'm
00:31:07
like that was my first one I'm like and
00:31:09
that was awesome I'm like I'm like I
00:31:11
don't know what I think everybody else
00:31:12
is saying I'm like I'm at the Olympics
00:31:14
I'm like a you know like a puppy I'm
00:31:16
just like you like yeah nothing like I
00:31:19
can't contain my excitement
00:31:21
um and so a lot of people probably were
00:31:23
like man Sam chill out but you know I
00:31:26
was I was stoked and and so now I'm
00:31:28
looking forward to what more there could
00:31:30
be yeah right right more a more normal
00:31:32
Olympic experience and it must have been
00:31:35
um what what happened to you in the
00:31:36
Olympics in the 1500 meters how did you
00:31:39
get on oh I ran well like I um was
00:31:42
actually proud of the way I felt in the
00:31:44
race but uh like I kind of just wasn't
00:31:47
aggressive enough essentially like I
00:31:49
should have
00:31:50
um I went into the race a little like
00:31:52
not I was not nervous which is really
00:31:54
silly like I should have been nervous I
00:31:55
should have put more pressure on myself
00:31:57
to be honest because I like pressure
00:32:00
um
00:32:01
and so I yeah I kind of got off the line
00:32:03
well but then kind of just found myself
00:32:05
up like at the back of the pack or a box
00:32:07
den and I was like I couldn't really
00:32:08
move
00:32:10
um and so I was just like uh what do I
00:32:12
do and anyway I got through got through
00:32:14
the race and ran the last 300 meters
00:32:16
really well like my last 300 was the
00:32:18
same as
00:32:19
um you know the top two or so of of my
00:32:22
race yep um so if I was at the front at
00:32:24
that time I would have made it through
00:32:26
like probably comfortably yeah but the
00:32:28
fact is I wasn't there and that's what
00:32:30
happens if you run your restaurant right
00:32:32
and so
00:32:33
yeah I I crossed the line and was just
00:32:36
like so so in awe of where I actually
00:32:39
was I was like wow I'm at the Olympics
00:32:41
and for me I was not even the slightest
00:32:44
but disappointed because I'm like you
00:32:45
know what so many people give up their
00:32:47
whole life are unpaid and you know give
00:32:50
up everything to make the Olympics and
00:32:52
sometimes they don't even make it you
00:32:54
know like they give up money time years
00:32:56
of like not having a family and then
00:32:58
they don't even make it and I'm like man
00:33:00
I can't be I can't be grumpy at my
00:33:03
performance I'm like what a dick if you
00:33:05
were like you're like I'm at the Olympic
00:33:07
[ __ ] game
00:33:11
that's awesome like I'm twinning yeah
00:33:14
and um it must have been um
00:33:17
I I don't know if you guys could even
00:33:19
hang out or whatever but um so your
00:33:20
training partner Hayden uh he won a
00:33:23
medal in the triathlon yeah did you guys
00:33:25
get to see each other and enjoy that
00:33:27
moment over there yeah yeah because we
00:33:29
crossed over for one day and so it was
00:33:32
there
00:33:33
oh early August I think that's roughly
00:33:37
what I'm thinking roughly the day yeah
00:33:39
early August um I think his race was
00:33:42
maybe the 31st of July or something so
00:33:44
we crossed over because of the way the
00:33:46
um the village kind of covert rules were
00:33:48
you're allowed them there for 48 hours
00:33:50
after your event
00:33:51
um and so we crossed over for 24 hours
00:33:54
we hung out we got to have a hug and eat
00:33:57
dinner together and then uh pretty much
00:33:59
see you later you know which was crazy
00:34:01
but we got a photo at the Olympic rings
00:34:03
which was pretty cool
00:34:04
um but yeah it definitely gave me some
00:34:06
motivation to run well but I just didn't
00:34:08
quite execute it oh no they must have
00:34:10
been crazy here you are basically like
00:34:12
two more or less kids oh yeah from the
00:34:15
you know from from Tauranga Baya plenty
00:34:17
and you're at the Olympic Games and
00:34:18
whatever's a [ __ ] medal I know and
00:34:20
we're both of the same coach too yeah
00:34:22
you're like man that's a testament to
00:34:23
Craig's coaching yeah yeah like like yes
00:34:26
we're both like two naturally gifted
00:34:28
athletes in terms of jeans but like
00:34:30
realistically he's developed us and
00:34:32
given us the confidence and the ability
00:34:34
to
00:34:35
um to just send it and just
00:34:38
definition I feel like in training
00:34:40
that's what we do and we're just like we
00:34:41
just like full soon let's go yeah we
00:34:44
don't have Hayden on the podcast he um
00:34:46
he there was a saying that he used maybe
00:34:48
a dozen times about it's something like
00:34:50
blowing the doors off hi he said it over
00:34:53
and over again yeah yeah he's good at
00:34:55
that so um so so you said you weren't
00:34:58
nervous
00:34:59
what do you mean you weren't nervous we
00:35:01
just relaxed before the Olympics yeah I
00:35:03
was so stoked like do you ever get
00:35:06
nervous yeah I totally get nervous yeah
00:35:07
like some someone else how do you what
00:35:10
do you mean how can you definitely get
00:35:12
nervous but you're not nervous at the
00:35:13
Olympics oh I don't know I was just like
00:35:16
so I think I think it's a pressure thing
00:35:18
like I'm like at the Olympics I'm like
00:35:20
well I'm at the Olympics I'm probably
00:35:22
not the worst here but I'm like probably
00:35:24
like realistically I don't know how good
00:35:27
a shape up I mean I I did back my shape
00:35:29
I was like I'm in good shape but anyway
00:35:30
I get what you're saying so there was no
00:35:33
sort of expectation no no expectation
00:35:34
and so I was like this is kind of cool
00:35:37
uh let's just see how it is and on the
00:35:39
start line if you rewind and watch the
00:35:41
tape I'm like
00:35:43
um like the only one of the satellite
00:35:44
just like thumbs up like fully smiling
00:35:47
up okay guys almost like waving deep
00:35:50
you're like oh I'm at the Olympics like
00:35:52
what the heck am I doing here
00:35:54
um and so that was pretty crazy but uh
00:35:56
yeah so me and then Nick was actually
00:35:59
this album the other one doing the same
00:36:00
thing he actually made the semi-final
00:36:02
which is awesome
00:36:03
um but he was also like yeah like hi
00:36:05
Darcy hi lucky his kids
00:36:07
um and so that was pretty cool
00:36:09
um to the the two kiwis were just the
00:36:11
ones stoked and happy on the start line
00:36:13
and um also two Christian dudes too so
00:36:15
it was pretty sweet to just like oh yeah
00:36:17
no a bit different and uh stand out a
00:36:19
little bit which is which is cool
00:36:21
yeah that is cool I was actually going
00:36:23
to ask you about the uh the religion
00:36:24
thing because you you got um you got
00:36:26
married at the beginning of this year
00:36:27
yep your to your partner Melissa you're
00:36:29
both very young so I wondered if you
00:36:31
were religious yeah yeah yeah we got an
00:36:33
awesome church uh down down the road
00:36:35
called curate
00:36:36
um led by Joel and Katie melgate
00:36:39
um awesome passers love them and just
00:36:41
super stoked to be a part of that and
00:36:42
yeah was it like a Catholic Church
00:36:44
Christian church right right
00:36:47
um and yeah so we're just amazing
00:36:50
teaching we just finished that um a kind
00:36:53
of seven week series uh called the
00:36:55
emotionally healthy discipleship um
00:36:57
which is just like so good it just
00:37:00
provokes some really good discussion
00:37:01
around like
00:37:03
um growth and being a person really like
00:37:06
right not not just like Christian
00:37:07
attributes or aspects but like just
00:37:10
really cool
00:37:11
um like ways of living and like ways
00:37:14
that we would better represent Jesus and
00:37:16
represent um you know who we are as
00:37:19
Christians and I don't know just be
00:37:21
better people right that's cool right
00:37:22
because I I was I was raised um
00:37:25
um like in a Catholic Family and we went
00:37:26
to church every weekend but maybe it's
00:37:29
different now
00:37:30
um but it was really boring where'd you
00:37:32
go on a Sunday and we had to wear
00:37:34
horrible dress up scratchy clothes
00:37:36
um there was some old priest that was
00:37:38
just mumbling away that had no Charisma
00:37:40
you'd have to kneel down on these wooden
00:37:42
wooden benches for a few minutes at a
00:37:44
time in your knees would be sore is it
00:37:46
still like that now is the church you go
00:37:48
to a fun one with their bands and yeah
00:37:49
no we our um you know they they do I
00:37:54
think they Pride themselves and I would
00:37:55
if I was them um but here I have an
00:37:57
amazing worship team and they actually I
00:38:00
think released an album and it was like
00:38:02
number one on the New Zealand
00:38:04
um like I don't know if it's a religious
00:38:06
whatever
00:38:08
um category but in New Zealand Music
00:38:09
Awards and so they won like the the best
00:38:12
music album for the year or something
00:38:14
right which was really cool um and so
00:38:16
they just awesome atmosphere
00:38:18
um really laid back you know anyone's
00:38:21
welcome frustrate they get given a free
00:38:23
coffee and stuff and food sometimes and
00:38:25
yeah it's just it's really cool yeah is
00:38:27
it a big part of your life yeah
00:38:28
definitely yeah where does it we raised
00:38:31
this way is this how you were raised as
00:38:32
a yeah
00:38:33
yeah uh yeah so your whole family is
00:38:34
religious yeah they we didn't go to
00:38:36
church like
00:38:37
oh we did
00:38:40
them not religiously though not like
00:38:45
Global bashing or anything as a kid
00:38:46
you're just like you we were definitely
00:38:48
given our own opportunity to
00:38:51
um decide to decide and and express
00:38:54
whatever we want them to you know kind
00:38:56
of thing
00:38:57
um and so that was really cool and then
00:38:59
we went to BC Christian School which was
00:39:01
just like really cool
00:39:02
um and it like a lot of people think
00:39:04
it's so sheltered and whatever but it
00:39:07
actually like it was in some ways but
00:39:09
just like really good for growth and I
00:39:12
know good morals and taught you you know
00:39:14
how to be a decent member of society in
00:39:17
a lot of ways well that's I mean that's
00:39:18
the thing like if um like I
00:39:21
I would say I'm atheist now but the
00:39:24
message in the Bible is basically don't
00:39:25
be an [ __ ] isn't it yeah that's what
00:39:27
it all boils down to yeah yeah um so if
00:39:29
it brings something into your life that
00:39:31
um that brings value to it then I think
00:39:33
that's a good thing yeah I mean totally
00:39:34
and I've like had some you know pretty
00:39:37
crazy experience this is a bit of a
00:39:40
story so once I uh we're playing Nerf my
00:39:44
brother and I were playing this well
00:39:45
there's a good as good stories start
00:39:47
we're playing Nerf um Nerf wars and uh
00:39:50
we he's like partially blind in one eye
00:39:54
or probably mostly blind in one eye
00:39:56
incredibly talented but like at skating
00:39:58
and stuff yeah from from birth or yeah I
00:40:01
think it's just like a lazy owner just
00:40:03
like it's got 10 Vision right right so
00:40:06
um anyway I shot him in the face and he
00:40:08
got pretty you're pretty mad because he
00:40:09
was breaking the rules
00:40:11
um so I shot him in the face and he's
00:40:12
like oh and then he got grumpy at me and
00:40:14
we got into a bit of a fight
00:40:16
um but then I punched him and I don't
00:40:18
know punch him in the head or something
00:40:20
and uh and I broke my knuckle like real
00:40:23
bad and like you probably see it there
00:40:25
but like see on my right pinky knuckle
00:40:27
was like oh yeah yeah yeah it was like
00:40:30
super broken mum's like haha natural
00:40:31
punishment and I'm like oh thanks mum so
00:40:34
she didn't take me to the doctor for a
00:40:35
day and then it was real swollen the
00:40:37
next day she's like okay let's go
00:40:39
um when anyway I got it checked x-rayed
00:40:41
it was like broken
00:40:43
um so I went to school and my mates
00:40:45
actually prayed for my hand and they
00:40:47
prayed for it first time second time
00:40:49
nothing happened and they paid for it a
00:40:50
third time fully healed like that click
00:40:52
of the fingers from like full pain like
00:40:54
in a like splint buddy strap to the bow
00:40:57
other finger to like full healing I'm
00:40:59
like well that was crazy all right you
00:41:02
know and for me that was like wow that's
00:41:04
pretty cool that like so that's
00:41:06
definitely something you don't see every
00:41:07
day and so I was like what like you're
00:41:11
speechless you're just like oh thanks
00:41:14
guys I guess
00:41:17
shot shot Legends like this can you get
00:41:20
the same crew to prey for a gold medal I
00:41:22
know totally is you know you want to
00:41:26
come over and uh Jesus will be like
00:41:27
sorry man I don't work on favors like
00:41:29
that yeah he's like I'm not a genie
00:41:32
um which is totally true but you know
00:41:33
yeah so so how did you meet your wife
00:41:35
did you meet her through church
00:41:37
um at school
00:41:38
I've got Foster you've been hitting all
00:41:41
the story buttons today
00:41:42
um she we actually went to kindergarten
00:41:44
together
00:41:45
um and then so we went to the same kindy
00:41:48
and then so you knew each other as do
00:41:50
you remember each other at Kinder no I
00:41:52
don't really remember just through
00:41:53
photos or through stories for your
00:41:55
parents like parents knew each other
00:41:56
kind of thing yeah
00:41:57
um and they're at the same time or
00:41:59
whatever but then we went to BC together
00:42:02
um so that's um Bethlehem College yeah
00:42:04
yeah sorry um and then yeah met there
00:42:07
hung out for a couple years started
00:42:09
dating end of high school and then I
00:42:12
went to University in Washington and
00:42:14
then uh
00:42:15
you know on the athletic scholarship and
00:42:17
we did long distance for a couple years
00:42:19
and then yeah was that hard yeah it
00:42:22
sucked but it was really good like it
00:42:24
was good for us in a lot of ways one one
00:42:27
like maturity like it allowed us to be
00:42:30
have a lot of time for like individual
00:42:32
growth which was so important because
00:42:34
you could be like one of those like
00:42:36
cheesy little teenage couples were just
00:42:38
like ah they're kind of cute but like
00:42:39
awkward kind of cringe but we like we
00:42:42
never wanted to be there we wanted to
00:42:43
just like be adults and be
00:42:46
um you know as mature as possible so it
00:42:49
was really good for our growth because
00:42:50
we got to do our independent thing
00:42:52
um but not have to worry about the whole
00:42:54
drama of dating and whatnot and so that
00:42:57
was really great and she's the coolest
00:42:58
girl ever she's a teacher at Bethlehem
00:43:01
college now amazing yeah so she she
00:43:04
didn't actually think she was gonna
00:43:06
um ever go back there
00:43:08
um not because you didn't love it but
00:43:09
just because she wanted to work in a
00:43:11
public school and um
00:43:14
yes the opportunity came up and she just
00:43:17
loved it and so she's like oh this is
00:43:18
cool
00:43:19
um and so yeah that's where she's at the
00:43:21
moment so how are we when you start
00:43:23
seeing each other what was it like 13 14
00:43:25
no no like 17 17. oh okay because I had
00:43:28
Joseph Parker on the podcast he had a
00:43:29
similar thing he met his um now wife and
00:43:32
baby mama uh at school when they're like
00:43:34
13 14 and they've sort of been together
00:43:36
ever since
00:43:37
but were you in similar classes like
00:43:39
going through the years at Bethlehem
00:43:41
College yeah yeah yeah and did were you
00:43:43
thinking through those years like 13 to
00:43:44
16 oh she's she's a bit of all right
00:43:46
yeah she's she was always fun and I was
00:43:49
like yeah that's kind of fun like this
00:43:50
could be kind of cool
00:43:52
um and then how come nothing ever
00:43:53
happened in those early years like um
00:43:55
the school dances and things like that
00:43:56
uh you know other girls
00:43:59
I'm just kidding no no
00:44:01
um no I don't know we're just we're just
00:44:04
kind of uh
00:44:05
yeah I suppose I was I was very much
00:44:07
focused on having fun and doing my own
00:44:09
thing
00:44:10
um and I like I'm a boys boy but not
00:44:13
necessarily in the sense that I'd go to
00:44:15
parties and stuff I'm like I'd rather
00:44:17
have a bunch of boys that would come
00:44:18
surfing with me at 7am you know like
00:44:21
just like get up early and not stay up
00:44:23
late and so that actually has really
00:44:24
helped my running because I've been able
00:44:27
to just focus on to you know the morning
00:44:31
um a little puppy out there oh should we
00:44:33
let him in uh yeah go on
00:44:36
um I suppose
00:44:40
yeah I mean I mean the the the things
00:44:43
that you've that you've that you've done
00:44:44
and continue to do with your life and
00:44:46
your body I mean you can't you can't
00:44:48
have the party lifestyle in that as well
00:44:50
yeah and so I think you're not getting
00:44:52
on the person then running sub 400 miles
00:44:54
the next day
00:44:57
that was a challenge but I'm not going
00:44:59
to
00:45:02
try like the chander mile or whatever it
00:45:04
is yeah yeah I uh just get smokers yeah
00:45:07
or I don't know I'm not I'm not like the
00:45:10
biggest Drinker if so I don't think I'd
00:45:13
be I'll just I'd run the really fast
00:45:15
laps but then I'd be like because you
00:45:18
get the bonus like if you vomit right I
00:45:20
do yeah yeah I'm not sure of the exact
00:45:22
rules but yeah you do a lap and then you
00:45:24
drink a beer then yeah yeah yeah yeah
00:45:25
four beers four laps and then a
00:45:27
parchment if you vomit so I'm like I
00:45:29
think I'd just take the punishment and
00:45:31
just blast out five laps yeah
00:45:33
so yeah so so who asked who asked who
00:45:37
out and initially oh I did yeah
00:45:39
or just a regular date no it's a regular
00:45:42
date we went we went kayak fishing and
00:45:44
she caught her first Snapper and so that
00:45:45
was pretty sweet
00:45:47
um and that was that was pretty cool but
00:45:49
yes that was I guess the essence of date
00:45:52
number one if you could call it that's
00:45:54
more an adventure a lot of you know what
00:45:56
is I I shouldn't be exposing myself like
00:45:58
this
00:45:59
what is real shocking is um oh hey we I
00:46:03
think we I think our first dinner date
00:46:06
was my she took me out for my birthday
00:46:09
and she paid for it and I'm like oh like
00:46:13
I like I did I'm I did offer to pay but
00:46:16
she's like no it's your birthday I was
00:46:17
like okay fine
00:46:18
um but that was like like we didn't do
00:46:21
dinner like official dinner dates yeah
00:46:23
very often because we're like oh we just
00:46:25
went on adventures like we did heaps of
00:46:26
hiking heaps of Surfing
00:46:28
um some mountain biking and stuff and it
00:46:30
was cute skate dates and pump tracks and
00:46:33
stuff
00:46:34
um but yeah we weren't one of those
00:46:36
couples who'd spend a lot of money
00:46:37
probably because we didn't have much
00:46:38
money yeah yeah and you don't need to
00:46:40
yeah no it was and it was it was so much
00:46:43
fun like it was just the best way to do
00:46:45
it well and when did you realize um when
00:46:47
did you realize that she was gonna be
00:46:48
the one
00:46:49
I don't know that's kind of probably
00:46:52
pretty early on I was like let's check
00:46:54
super cool like I'm just like I just
00:46:55
don't want to lose it like she's yeah
00:46:57
um you know a girl that's just like
00:47:00
compliments me in so many different ways
00:47:02
and so I'm like this is easy it's easy
00:47:04
doing life with her
00:47:06
um and yeah we we complement each other
00:47:09
pretty well I hope she agrees but oh she
00:47:12
said yes
00:47:13
yes this is just a people pleaser and
00:47:15
isn't good at saying no oh that that is
00:47:18
true too but no yeah she did say yes so
00:47:21
that's encouraging and this might be a
00:47:23
bit of a personal question you may
00:47:24
choose not to answer that and that's
00:47:26
fine but um because of your religious
00:47:28
beliefs did you did you save yourselves
00:47:29
for marriage yeah you did yeah we did
00:47:31
[ __ ] was that hard oh yeah
00:47:34
yeah that was that was so what are you
00:47:38
doing you're allowed to do it you're
00:47:39
allowed to kiss you're allowed to what
00:47:41
are you allowed yeah oh and I suppose I
00:47:43
suppose up to the individual yeah
00:47:44
wherever you
00:47:46
and I enjoy your own line people draw
00:47:48
their lines in different places I don't
00:47:49
know where we yeah we had a little pick
00:47:52
but uh
00:47:53
but it's hard though a pick is a gateway
00:47:56
oh yeah there's a gateway
00:47:58
that was it was it was right I've got to
00:48:01
go to Washington we need that separation
00:48:03
yeah yeah that outtakes that was great
00:48:07
but
00:48:08
yeah oh that's great all right so let's
00:48:10
talk about the um the Washington
00:48:12
experience so um
00:48:15
um I I don't know I may have heard this
00:48:18
in an interview or read it somewhere and
00:48:20
I don't know if this is inappropriate or
00:48:21
not but I heard you you put on quite a
00:48:23
bit of weight over there yeah how did
00:48:24
you know that I don't know I thought I
00:48:26
heard it somewhere I read it somewhere
00:48:27
or maybe someone told me about it I I
00:48:29
can't but you're over the uh on a
00:48:31
sporting scholarship so you're there
00:48:32
you're there getting fat and you're
00:48:34
there running and they're pushing
00:48:35
yourself so how do you how do you get
00:48:37
fat I just I it's harder no dumb
00:48:41
it was a combination of like gluttony
00:48:45
American food everything's deep fried oh
00:48:48
the sucker I um yeah no I just I suppose
00:48:52
it just ate Lots like I to be honest I
00:48:55
think the root of it was probably me
00:48:57
doing less activity more running but
00:48:59
less activity you know like when I'm
00:49:00
here I got you so you talk about all the
00:49:02
dates you were having with your
00:49:03
girlfriend yeah you're going kayaking or
00:49:05
Mountain yeah walk up the mouth that
00:49:06
kind of thing you know like that's like
00:49:07
hours of exercise size in the day that
00:49:09
you're just burning heaps of calories
00:49:11
sure don't even realize it which I think
00:49:13
like looking at it now like with uh a
00:49:17
combination between that and Craig's
00:49:19
like training like saying yep cross
00:49:20
training is good like all that sort of
00:49:22
stuff was helping me stay skinny say
00:49:25
stay strong in a bunch of ways too not
00:49:27
like like usable strength like agility
00:49:30
you know whatever else
00:49:31
and so that was
00:49:33
um like a really good plus but as soon
00:49:36
as they got to the states I was sitting
00:49:38
behind a computer studying and uh put on
00:49:42
the Freshman not just the 15 but the
00:49:44
Freshman 20 20 pounds inside what's 10
00:49:47
kilos that's like an eight or nine kilos
00:49:51
yeah that's a lot of extra weight to be
00:49:52
carrying around a track oh yeah I where
00:49:55
whereabouts but you're I'm looking at
00:49:56
you now you're a lean you're a lean dude
00:49:59
where did you put it on was it evenly
00:50:01
spread yeah it was pretty evenly spread
00:50:03
like still like I was still essentially
00:50:05
I was still skinny right but Melissa two
00:50:08
cup two comments that have kind of stuck
00:50:09
with me Melissa said I looked swollen
00:50:12
and my dad said I had a fat Nick and I'm
00:50:16
like I'm like thanks Dad like what a
00:50:18
legend like so that was uh it's totally
00:50:21
totally not true right like I was still
00:50:23
like lean but I'm still still running at
00:50:26
incredible times yeah still running fast
00:50:27
but um I did have my worst result ever I
00:50:31
came 200
00:50:32
132nd that uh at NCAA Nationals which to
00:50:37
be honest field is deep very deep hard
00:50:39
to get there but they're still pretty
00:50:42
shocking like I suppose somebody has to
00:50:45
come that far back yeah and but with the
00:50:48
um but did you enjoy the the American
00:50:50
college experience like was was it um
00:50:52
even though you put on weight and you've
00:50:54
lost the weight now um was it good for
00:50:56
you in terms of like sharpening the
00:50:57
pencil as an athlete yeah it's totally
00:50:59
gave me heaps of experience I um was you
00:51:03
know learning learning heaps like both
00:51:05
academically and like athletically
00:51:09
um the professionalism in terms of like
00:51:13
yeah strategics and like recovery
00:51:18
everything like that really good really
00:51:20
good um experience uh I love the team
00:51:23
coach was awesome
00:51:25
um really different because in the US
00:51:28
obviously they've thrown heaps of money
00:51:30
at yeah there's just like gear coming
00:51:31
out your ears
00:51:33
um you've got the whole college system
00:51:37
like right American football yeah yeah
00:51:39
yeah it's nuts Friday Night Lights and
00:51:41
stuff like that they have like the this
00:51:43
thing called tailgating but at UW it's
00:51:45
called sailgating because they get
00:51:47
because there's a lake there and so they
00:51:50
get all their Rich guys and their fancy
00:51:51
boats get on the pests before the
00:51:53
American football games and you go to
00:51:55
football games everyone's drunk and
00:51:57
there's like actual cheerleaders I'm
00:51:58
like I thought they were just in the
00:52:00
movies but no it was it was cool it was
00:52:02
cool what a great experience
00:52:05
um yeah did you end up talking in a bit
00:52:07
of an accent no no no I didn't have to
00:52:10
adjust to to be understood no but I did
00:52:13
say a couple of things differently like
00:52:14
I'd say we'd go to the store instead of
00:52:16
the supermarket or
00:52:18
um the the parking lot instead of a car
00:52:21
park right I still said it in a kiwi
00:52:23
accent but it was just like things like
00:52:25
that but I did have a couple of um a
00:52:27
couple of my mates like sat to say
00:52:30
things with a kiwi accent and I'm like
00:52:32
oh that's good so it's a level of
00:52:34
influence oh like suckers speaking my
00:52:37
language in your own country yeah
00:52:40
um but yeah um the uh you can become
00:52:43
quite self-conscious of your accent I
00:52:45
when you're overseas like it stands out
00:52:46
like dog balls yeah totally yeah but um
00:52:49
we had a couple of different
00:52:50
Internationals on the team too so it was
00:52:52
um you know a couple Aussie girls we had
00:52:55
a Brit
00:52:56
um bloke who was there for a while
00:52:58
um and that was cool so in terms of like
00:53:00
learning and knowing people and getting
00:53:02
to know a bunch of different people
00:53:04
um and making connections around the
00:53:06
world it was super cool yeah super super
00:53:07
cool and you said before they they throw
00:53:09
money at you and everything like what do
00:53:11
you mean exactly that so they pay for
00:53:12
your flights over there pay for the
00:53:13
education yeah yeah you get do you get
00:53:16
like an allowance or per diems or
00:53:18
anything yeah we get per diem when we
00:53:19
travel
00:53:20
um you know usually probably a couple
00:53:22
hundred bucks and if if you're like any
00:53:25
Watts anyway smart about it you could
00:53:28
probably Bank a hundred dollars each
00:53:30
time which is sweet I'm like that's 160
00:53:32
in New Zealand
00:53:35
[Laughter]
00:53:37
and so that was always fun uh do you
00:53:40
know what what is funny they gave me a
00:53:42
stipend and uh what's a stipend they're
00:53:45
like a like a monthly allowance kind of
00:53:47
thing to pay for your room board food
00:53:49
that's
00:53:51
um not through the dining Halls so they
00:53:53
had athlete dining which was cool
00:53:55
um but check this out I uh was Nifty and
00:53:59
I um I bought with with the money that I
00:54:01
saved over having cheap housing uh I
00:54:05
bought uh to or was it two two well one
00:54:08
motor two no two motorbikes and so I
00:54:11
bought two motorbikes whilst over there
00:54:13
with the with the excess money I was
00:54:15
like those are like free motorbikes
00:54:16
that's awesome so I had a yeah CBR 1000
00:54:21
Double R
00:54:22
um for the motorbike people listening uh
00:54:24
which is a very fast bike and then I
00:54:27
traded it for a Ducati and then in New
00:54:29
Zealand I bought a sv-1000 that blue one
00:54:31
in the [ __ ] I showed you you're
00:54:33
definitely not living your life in
00:54:34
Cotton wool are you no no that's not fun
00:54:36
no it's it's really good I had a friend
00:54:39
that played for the uh the All Blacks
00:54:40
like about 20 years ago and I'm guessing
00:54:42
it's probably still the same now but he
00:54:44
wasn't allowed to go skiing or
00:54:45
snowboarding or anything in Winter yeah
00:54:47
no no I think a lot of like the US coach
00:54:49
uh didn't want me to go snowboarding or
00:54:52
skating like it's I always like boosting
00:54:55
around like probably like like a Nutter
00:54:57
like there's not many guys like sending
00:55:00
it through campus on their skateboards
00:55:02
um but I was like yeah boosting through
00:55:05
campus and he's like okay a week before
00:55:06
National I was I want you to give me my
00:55:08
skateboard I'm like yeah okay that's
00:55:10
probably fair
00:55:12
but I suppose if you've done enough
00:55:14
hours on the skateboard you you're good
00:55:16
at bailing yeah yeah yeah so there is
00:55:18
still risk but it's um it's sort of
00:55:20
managed risk yeah and you're just gonna
00:55:22
Grace like like I don't like I never try
00:55:25
new tricks which kind of is annoying
00:55:27
because I'm like I would like to be as
00:55:28
good as my brother but he's incredible
00:55:30
and I can't do that you know like I'm
00:55:33
not good enough to do that
00:55:36
um and I don't I can't afford to do that
00:55:38
you know because essentially you know I
00:55:40
got a sponsorship by Puma now and if I
00:55:42
don't perform then you know that's on
00:55:44
the line and so don't hurt yourself do
00:55:46
what you know and yeah yeah usually good
00:55:49
but yeah how is so so you don't need a
00:55:52
job you you can just you can just train
00:55:54
and do your events
00:55:56
um is it an okay living I know I I saw
00:55:58
on your Instagram a couple of weeks ago
00:55:59
there's like a local Law Firm here in
00:56:01
Bayer plenty that's um they're helping
00:56:02
you out so you've got Puma yeah they
00:56:04
just give you gear and a little bit of
00:56:05
cash yeah gearing some and oh they give
00:56:08
me a salary yeah so uh it's a it's good
00:56:11
yeah it's good it's um it's not like as
00:56:13
much as I'd be probably making in the US
00:56:16
um because there's just you know a lot
00:56:18
more uh profile over there sure you know
00:56:21
get a lot more recognition and
00:56:22
everything like that
00:56:24
um so yeah a little bit less than
00:56:26
probably what I've been making overseas
00:56:28
um but it's enough to live on especially
00:56:30
with uh help of you know um the lawyers
00:56:33
in the oven taranga there which has been
00:56:35
great and uh yeah give him a plug
00:56:38
because I saw that on Instagram I
00:56:39
thought that's a really cool thing for a
00:56:40
local film to be yeah awesome and and so
00:56:42
so the the story with that is uh
00:56:45
um Thomas uh refoy Butler is kind of
00:56:49
yeah I suppose I know I'm mutually
00:56:51
um but he reached out over Instagram one
00:56:53
day and messaged me and said hey Sam
00:56:55
um love to catch up for coffee and I was
00:56:57
like sweet okay like cool I don't really
00:57:00
know you but it's sweet and uh but
00:57:02
anyway we got chatting he's really
00:57:04
awesome dude and we get along well um
00:57:06
and have you know quite a few hobbies in
00:57:08
common he just went I saw a guy mountain
00:57:10
biking the other day actually
00:57:12
um so Thomas exposing your life a little
00:57:15
um but you know that and fishing and
00:57:17
running as well he's a runner
00:57:19
um so he he kind of we had a chat and
00:57:22
then he talked to his Partners at the
00:57:24
law firm and then uh pulled together
00:57:25
some cash and um in that plus some
00:57:29
um any law advice I need or like looking
00:57:31
over contracts and stuff which is yeah
00:57:33
so so helpful like that stuff's so
00:57:36
expensive to get done and so I'm just so
00:57:38
thankful to be a part of their team and
00:57:40
to have them you know on my team and so
00:57:42
it's uh yeah cool and um I've met some
00:57:46
of the partners we went to the movies
00:57:47
the other day which was kind of cool and
00:57:49
got to meet a few more of them and yeah
00:57:51
chat and
00:57:52
um but yeah they've been great they're
00:57:53
super supportive and um you have kind of
00:57:57
um ready to express their interest to
00:58:00
back me for the next few years too which
00:58:01
is cool that's so good that's how it
00:58:03
should be I mean yeah it's an unlucky
00:58:05
sport isn't it because the money's not
00:58:06
right like if you know Stephen Adams for
00:58:09
example on a 20 million a year or
00:58:11
whatever for playing basketball in terms
00:58:14
of what you're doing in your sport
00:58:15
you're probably as good as what he is
00:58:17
but there's just no money and no money
00:58:19
in the room no that is true yeah like or
00:58:22
even like you know golf you know like
00:58:24
like imagine being Lydia coat yeah how
00:58:27
good I'm like oh yeah that'd be great
00:58:29
but um you know like I'm heavily relying
00:58:32
on like bonuses and winnings and cash
00:58:36
from winning races you know which still
00:58:38
isn't that much you know instead of
00:58:40
Stephen Adams you know gets MVP probably
00:58:43
gets a bonus you know like sure Matt
00:58:45
probably a couple million dollar bonus
00:58:47
you know like I I get a bonus and you
00:58:50
know might get a couple Grand you know
00:58:51
which is like Silk right but um you know
00:58:54
it's not a couple of Millers no it's not
00:58:56
a couple of them so whatever but I do it
00:58:59
I don't do it for the money I Do It For
00:59:00
the Love of it you know like if I did it
00:59:02
for the money I would probably have
00:59:03
never done this yeah you do something
00:59:05
else
00:59:07
um wow it's been a great chat [ __ ]
00:59:09
you're full of energy aren't you
00:59:11
like you're like a fizzed up can of Coke
00:59:13
oh I did have a coffee uh not today but
00:59:16
uh like before one of my races and I'm
00:59:19
like holy I should not be allowed coffee
00:59:20
really dude was it helpful or I was just
00:59:26
my heart was going crazy I was like
00:59:29
bouncing like my legs could get my legs
00:59:31
still
00:59:32
um and so that was yeah pretty scary
00:59:35
and how's um something I'd like to ask
00:59:38
everyone on this this podcast how how's
00:59:40
your mental health how's it been how is
00:59:42
it currently how are you you're good I'm
00:59:44
good I uh have a lot of people around me
00:59:48
who are pretty good at um
00:59:51
yeah chicken in you know I've got a
00:59:54
couple running mates um Ollie chicken
00:59:55
being one of them who's really good at
00:59:59
um kind of creating awareness around
01:00:01
like men's mental health especially and
01:00:02
and so I think it's been pretty cool to
01:00:04
have guys like come just check in every
01:00:06
now and then not that I've ever had any
01:00:08
problems but you know it's it's good to
01:00:10
um
01:00:11
like actually have someone to talk to
01:00:12
and and so that was been pretty cool um
01:00:14
and I'm part of a small group
01:00:17
um you know a little bible study thing
01:00:19
that we did this morning too and so
01:00:20
that's that's always helpful having you
01:00:22
know um a couple other guys around me
01:00:24
that have just you know care and you can
01:00:26
be vulnerable with and um yeah that plus
01:00:29
a family and my wife and yeah it's good
01:00:31
do you think I was going to ask you
01:00:32
think your faith helps yeah totally yeah
01:00:34
totally like I I think uh one of my
01:00:37
biggest things is that I um don't find
01:00:40
myself
01:00:41
like holding my identity and running
01:00:43
like I'm like if I lost running and I
01:00:45
think that's probably why I do so many
01:00:46
crazy other stuff because I'm like I'm
01:00:48
like you know if running gets taken away
01:00:50
from me I'm still Sam like I'm not just
01:00:52
Sam that Runner like yeah I am Sam who
01:00:54
runs but I like doesn't really like it
01:00:56
would be sad obviously because it's like
01:00:58
the thing I love to do but if I got
01:01:00
taken away from me I'm like yeah that's
01:01:01
kind of dumb but like my identity is not
01:01:04
in that you know like it's it's in my
01:01:07
faith it's in everything else that I am
01:01:09
rather than just running
01:01:11
that's such a mature way of looking at
01:01:13
it it really is hey
01:01:16
yeah it really is especially when you're
01:01:17
when you're as good as what you are and
01:01:19
no doubt these people kissing your ass a
01:01:21
fear bet yeah or you're running yeah
01:01:23
it's pretty it is pretty funny but um
01:01:25
that's it's good I think I've had some
01:01:28
you know people some pretty wise people
01:01:30
pressing into me and like giving me
01:01:33
encouragement and supporting me you know
01:01:35
even with Nick like it's been good to
01:01:36
have those sorts of conversations with
01:01:37
them and I think you know sometimes you
01:01:39
can fast track
01:01:41
some areas of maturity you know like
01:01:43
this obviously areas where I'm like you
01:01:45
know make a fart joke that's going to
01:01:46
always
01:01:48
it's never not funny you know like well
01:01:52
yeah so so you know you can Fast Track
01:01:55
some bits like that in your life when uh
01:01:57
you've got some pretty good strong
01:02:00
people around you have you ever had any
01:02:02
injuries or anything that sort of got
01:02:04
you down in the dumps oh I was yeah well
01:02:07
after Tokyo the this is like a I'm so
01:02:10
glad they removed isolation but after
01:02:12
Tokyo we got uh we flew to Christchurch
01:02:15
um did isolation quarantine there and I
01:02:18
did two weeks of I wasn't allowed to run
01:02:20
this is
01:02:22
a bit of breaking the rules but I tried
01:02:23
to run once
01:02:25
um there was nobody around no not even
01:02:27
any security guards and I did like two
01:02:29
strides right like I did like it was
01:02:30
like 50 meters and I'm like I could do
01:02:32
that with my breath held I didn't even
01:02:34
have to breathe and they were like they
01:02:37
caught me on camera and I'm like I'm
01:02:40
like they got me on camera I'm like then
01:02:42
the security guard like an army dude
01:02:44
like he was fully decked out in his army
01:02:46
gear I'm like oh crap what have I done
01:02:47
like where am I going I'm gonna go into
01:02:49
solitaire
01:02:51
but anyway like yeah so I whatever just
01:02:54
he top me off he said you're not
01:02:56
actually allowed to run I'm like half
01:02:57
these people are puffing more than I
01:02:58
wrote yeah
01:03:01
um but anyway I got out of uh you just
01:03:04
had to do that one in my acoustant yeah
01:03:06
yeah you're lucky which was great um but
01:03:08
got out of there and my achilles was
01:03:10
giving me massive grief for like a month
01:03:12
maybe two months and I just couldn't run
01:03:15
more than like a k without it just like
01:03:17
getting aggravated and then just going
01:03:19
nut can't run today and I'm like oh and
01:03:21
so that was pretty dumb like it was real
01:03:23
real dumb and but
01:03:26
yeah I kind of dealt with it fine
01:03:28
because I wasn't like you know I was
01:03:31
doing other things I was like yeah and I
01:03:33
can't I can't run but I can still bike I
01:03:35
can still go surfing kind of you know
01:03:37
like and so I I went fishing heaps and
01:03:40
that was good
01:03:41
um
01:03:43
yeah I don't think we're in lockdown
01:03:44
then yeah just out of lockdown so we're
01:03:46
we're fishing and that was really good
01:03:48
so I got to you know have another outlet
01:03:50
and I actually sure when you're worried
01:03:52
though like um weren't you worried about
01:03:54
losing losing Pace I'd be worried about
01:03:56
losing fit I'm not a patch on you I'm
01:03:59
just like a weekend warrior but I'll be
01:04:00
like [ __ ] I'm gonna be oh yeah yeah I
01:04:03
was like I like Craig had me biking
01:04:05
heaps while I was an miq so I came out
01:04:06
real fit too and I was like I know all
01:04:08
that Fitness is gone and so I was like
01:04:11
yeah definitely but um you know
01:04:15
yeah yeah I suppose I was yeah I was
01:04:18
just like I was worried about being like
01:04:19
yeah but then were you at the point now
01:04:21
we we you know that if you have a break
01:04:23
you can you can retrain and get it back
01:04:25
oh totally you have that confidence yeah
01:04:27
totally like I think once your body does
01:04:28
it once you're like oh I can do that
01:04:29
again yeah like 334 the second time was
01:04:32
definitely not as hard as the first time
01:04:33
right you know like
01:04:35
even like I probably ran 334 the first
01:04:37
time before Tokyo like the most perfect
01:04:40
way possible you know negative split
01:04:43
slightly every lap and then closed hard
01:04:45
had someone to chase the whole way
01:04:48
um didn't really have any you know
01:04:50
interruptions in the race
01:04:52
um and then this time we were you know
01:04:54
our splits were a little more uneven and
01:04:57
you know I closed hard and it was still
01:05:00
great you know like yeah yeah and so
01:05:02
yeah I didn't have to really worry about
01:05:04
it but yeah I think the second time you
01:05:06
do it it's definitely easier yeah
01:05:08
it's funny that I'm just I'm just
01:05:10
thinking about your miq experience I had
01:05:12
a similar things so I um I went overseas
01:05:14
last year and I had in my key on the way
01:05:15
back and it was supposed to be seven
01:05:16
days but then it was extended to ten
01:05:18
because someone on the plane tested
01:05:20
positive
01:05:22
um there was someone this was at
01:05:24
Christmas time so it was on Christmas
01:05:25
Eve someone from I was in the car Park
01:05:27
area where you learned to exercise
01:05:29
someone from one of the upper floors
01:05:30
yelled at Merry Christmas and dropped a
01:05:32
Christmas cracker down and I went to
01:05:34
pick it up then an army guy with a
01:05:36
whistle blew his whistle and they like
01:05:37
said holy it was like come on they won't
01:05:41
be covered on the Christmas cracker I
01:05:43
know it's insane that's a it's it's
01:05:45
ridiculous I'm like surely if you're one
01:05:47
of those guys you'd just let us I mean I
01:05:48
would definitely let it slide yeah but
01:05:50
that's probably why they wouldn't hire
01:05:52
me
01:06:00
I think it's one of those ones like you
01:06:04
to do it because you'll look back and
01:06:05
it's a crazy experience it's a real
01:06:07
thing to go
01:06:09
did you enjoy it like did you I didn't
01:06:11
mind it did you hate it would you what
01:06:13
where were you did you have a good food
01:06:14
I was um Crown Plaza in Auckland so yeah
01:06:17
it was I had a big enough room so I'd
01:06:19
walk for an hour each day just like
01:06:20
doing lengths of the hotel room and then
01:06:22
have half an hour in the car park every
01:06:24
now and then in hindsight if I knew it
01:06:25
was going to be 10 days and not seven I
01:06:27
probably would have got a stationary
01:06:28
bike or something yeah but it was fine I
01:06:30
just did some setups and press-ups and
01:06:33
watched a lot of Netflix did you do any
01:06:36
uh any stupid challenges like any any
01:06:38
Netflix is great it's stupid challenges
01:06:40
like what what do you like like for me I
01:06:42
try and run in the exercise yard hell no
01:06:44
no
01:06:46
I didn't do that
01:06:48
[Laughter]
01:06:51
um not like any like dumb exercise
01:06:52
challenges like you did like a thousand
01:06:55
sit-ups in a day or like a thousand
01:06:57
push-ups in a day no I didn't know that
01:06:59
was that was the thing uh I wish I did
01:07:01
though did you I did it I did a thousand
01:07:03
push-ups in a day don't do it don't
01:07:05
recommend so how did you break it up
01:07:07
like 20 every five minutes 20 every five
01:07:12
minutes
01:07:13
how many hours I don't know it wasn't
01:07:16
just 25 hours I was like uh I busted it
01:07:20
out and did like 50 150 you know
01:07:22
whatever else for the first like couple
01:07:24
and then I was like a couple hundred
01:07:25
ahead and I was like oh sweet I'm I can
01:07:27
chill no then it got hard and I was like
01:07:30
oh no and so I just did 20 for the rest
01:07:32
of the day but day before I did a really
01:07:34
bad mistake and did uh like I did them
01:07:36
in sets of like 80 and I'm like because
01:07:39
I mean I did build up to this this was
01:07:40
like the last few days of my in my queue
01:07:43
and uh yeah no don't I don't recommend
01:07:45
doing that but um it was it was good
01:07:48
good challenge yeah good entertainment
01:07:50
like I was like all right five minutes
01:07:51
had a timer on stop the Netflix go sit
01:07:54
down bust it up so when you get back
01:07:55
you've got to do something to kill the
01:07:57
timer what was what was the food like at
01:07:59
yours it was really good it was cold
01:08:01
though so I I invented the um this is my
01:08:04
invention I'm I'm trademarking and
01:08:06
copywriting it whatever in case there's
01:08:07
another pandemic this is yeah case
01:08:09
another pandemic the uh the um cardboard
01:08:12
box hair dryer air fryer and um and so
01:08:17
they sent me like a couple of like
01:08:18
pastries and it was like a dead cold in
01:08:21
like this little McDonald's box and I
01:08:23
like cut a hole in the side and stuck
01:08:25
the hairdryer in there and heated it up
01:08:27
and I fried it perfectly and I'm like
01:08:30
this is genius like what the heck why
01:08:33
has nobody ever told me this it was
01:08:35
either that or the iron and I tried oh
01:08:37
that was pretty scody I tried an iron
01:08:40
once and I was like you know I don't
01:08:42
like the taste of that you could
01:08:43
probably do that with toe stay with
01:08:45
toast or a panini yeah yeah toast
01:08:47
toasted with the iron so press it the um
01:08:50
there was a little game that I ended up
01:08:52
playing at um my hotel and uh you know
01:08:54
you you meet some other people in the
01:08:55
exercise yard and you discussed with
01:08:57
them and it became a thing in the Crown
01:08:58
Plaza so you'd get a knock at the door
01:09:01
like three times a day with your meals
01:09:03
and by the time you get to the door
01:09:04
which is like what two three seconds
01:09:06
yeah nobody inside I know they're gone
01:09:09
oh was it the same with yours yeah so a
01:09:12
good time the point by like day four or
01:09:13
five like I worked out to the time
01:09:15
window where it was I said try and be
01:09:17
there looking through the peep hole and
01:09:19
I could be like
01:09:20
gotcha surprise boy
01:09:26
copied my covert all over you
01:09:28
yeah
01:09:30
I I stuck my head out to pick up my this
01:09:34
was extra this was the extreme I was
01:09:35
like okay you guys taking this a little
01:09:37
far I stuck my head out without a mask
01:09:39
on to take to pick up my food from the
01:09:44
door I stuck my head out with no mask on
01:09:46
for like literally three seconds and my
01:09:50
mate stuck his head out at the same time
01:09:51
he had a mask on he was about four doors
01:09:54
down I was like hey bro how's isolation
01:09:55
going he's like yeah good I was like
01:09:57
sweet see you later like that was
01:09:59
literally the end of our conversation I
01:10:01
got a call from the over the phone and
01:10:04
said hey uh just to let you know uh you
01:10:07
have to it's mandatory to keep your mask
01:10:09
on when you uh out of your room and I'm
01:10:12
like what and she's like the lady's like
01:10:16
yeah
01:10:17
um if you don't you can get your outside
01:10:20
time revoked and I'm like huh and she's
01:10:23
like put a mask on next time you grab
01:10:25
your food I was like okay
01:10:28
thanks
01:10:34
it's crazy because I was um so you're in
01:10:36
my queue was after the the Olympics mine
01:10:39
was a little bit later so mine was
01:10:40
December last year so I I just been I've
01:10:42
been in the UK I've been in Hungary I've
01:10:45
been in Iceland and everyone was just
01:10:46
cracking on with life what were you
01:10:48
doing there I managed to get into my cue
01:10:49
spots I just went over for a holiday oh
01:10:51
sweet good of those guys everybody hates
01:10:55
you right
01:10:56
I was over there for a week and I was
01:10:58
like do I post anything on Instagram or
01:11:00
do I not but I was like [ __ ] it I may as
01:11:02
well
01:11:03
um so then so then yeah we were going
01:11:04
out to restaurants and just living life
01:11:05
normally and then you come back and it's
01:11:06
like don't leave your room without a
01:11:08
mask
01:11:09
oh yeah yeah and then everybody's
01:11:12
wearing their masking supermarkets
01:11:13
you're like
01:11:14
I mean I don't know how much use they're
01:11:17
doing now you know you've touched your
01:11:19
face before you got it in and touched
01:11:20
the Apple that I just grabbed whatever
01:11:25
um okay so uh this is probably a good
01:11:28
point to wrap it up so um you got the
01:11:30
worlds and then the Commonwealth Games
01:11:31
who's who's going over to support you at
01:11:32
the worlds or the Commonwealth Games is
01:11:34
your wife going over yeah yeah amazing
01:11:36
mum dad and Melissa uh
01:11:38
uh going over to com games
01:11:40
um and so they'll be over there end of
01:11:43
July start of August to about the 10th
01:11:46
and we should be cool because I race the
01:11:48
on the fourth and the sixth of August so
01:11:50
as four are they different events or is
01:11:52
left forth like a heat heat okay okay so
01:11:56
the heat's on the fourth and you need to
01:11:58
finish like in the top
01:11:59
three or is it a time thing it depends
01:12:02
how many Heats there are it'll probably
01:12:04
be top three
01:12:05
um probably it'll be most likely top
01:12:08
three and then the next fastest three
01:12:10
based off times right
01:12:12
um but yeah that'll be it and and do you
01:12:15
do you get to stay with Melissa over
01:12:16
there or are you in like a games Village
01:12:18
yeah I'll be in the games Village so um
01:12:20
oh I'm not too sure I'll probably wing
01:12:22
it from when I get over there and just
01:12:24
play it by ear
01:12:26
um but God you're super chill
01:12:29
you're super relaxed
01:12:31
yeah I'm live by the beach Dom that's
01:12:34
what it is
01:12:36
turn into a hippie and start playing the
01:12:39
guitar while surfing no um yeah no I
01:12:43
just I'll just wait and see what happens
01:12:45
and see what my Freedom's like over
01:12:46
there because I mean at at uh Tokyo you
01:12:48
couldn't leave you know like they they
01:12:50
like locked you in like I mean yeah they
01:12:53
yeah you couldn't leave yeah and to be
01:12:55
fair that they did it they did it so
01:12:57
damn well like it would have been it
01:12:58
would have been terrible if there was
01:12:59
some sort of outbreak I'm surprised they
01:13:01
let you run without a mask on I know
01:13:02
yeah but they mind you we did take a
01:13:04
mask off like 30 seconds before we came
01:13:06
into the train because I was like whoa
01:13:08
yeah I mean the the last thing that they
01:13:10
needed was um they wanted obviously
01:13:12
there was so much money invested they
01:13:13
wanted the Olympics to go ahead but they
01:13:15
couldn't have like a yeah like a like a
01:13:17
super Spirit or event or anything like
01:13:18
that and they and credit to them they
01:13:20
did it so [ __ ] well oh they did and
01:13:22
we we tested like every day and I tested
01:13:25
I think three times before I entered
01:13:27
Japan and yeah so it was pretty pretty
01:13:30
hectic but it was um you know necessary
01:13:33
and
01:13:34
I don't like I know one person who had
01:13:37
covert
01:13:39
um and so that was pretty tough for her
01:13:41
she she couldn't like experience the
01:13:43
whole village thing like one of the
01:13:45
competitors yeah in the New Zealand team
01:13:47
oh God and so she
01:13:49
um it was like in isolation in the
01:13:52
village and she had she couldn't go to
01:13:53
the dining hall until like after her
01:13:55
like quarantine was you know done so she
01:13:58
I think she had like couple days or
01:14:00
something but yeah because not even she
01:14:03
she didn't even have covert it was one
01:14:04
of the um people on her plane over oh so
01:14:07
she was like a close contact yeah so
01:14:08
she's a close contact oh infuriating and
01:14:10
so she's like I don't even have covert
01:14:11
this is so dumb
01:14:13
um so she was still at a race but uh
01:14:15
yeah so she was testing negative the
01:14:17
whole time
01:14:19
um yeah it's nuts and and what what does
01:14:21
the future look look like for you are
01:14:22
you much of like a goal Setter or do you
01:14:24
just you're just going to keep going and
01:14:25
hopefully keep getting faster yeah be
01:14:28
the next Nick Willis still be doing this
01:14:30
when you're 50. yeah not 50. please no
01:14:34
um yeah it can't get any like credit to
01:14:36
what Nick Willis has done like it can't
01:14:38
get any easier like the training and oh
01:14:40
no you know if it gets harder yeah I
01:14:42
agree I agree yeah it's it's I don't
01:14:45
know what's it like running when you're
01:14:48
do you what are you 46 40 49 49 49 I got
01:14:52
a bad name
01:14:54
thank you I'm gonna be at the moment and
01:14:57
I've just been going to going to Physio
01:14:59
um with the ACC discount what would uh
01:15:01
what would Sam Tanner be doing with a
01:15:03
knee injury where would you be going
01:15:04
who's the specialist Leanna Leanna back
01:15:07
in Action physio Leanna and uh great and
01:15:10
best physio around she will bust her
01:15:13
balls to find the problem and the cause
01:15:15
of the problem and so she's been great
01:15:18
like I've I've had a couple niggles but
01:15:19
then they just disappear you know
01:15:21
because she's just like all right you
01:15:22
need to straighten this up your hips a
01:15:24
little low or you know like just very
01:15:26
very fine tuning but like very necessary
01:15:29
to to be either preventing injury or
01:15:32
being more efficient while running right
01:15:33
that's not the answer I was expecting I
01:15:35
was thinking um there's like some
01:15:37
cryogenic chamber that you go to in
01:15:39
amsterdamn really just a just a okay
01:15:43
just a physio ingredient
01:15:45
she's she's awesome yeah how's your body
01:15:48
been mostly good yeah not too many
01:15:49
injury concerns no not mostly good
01:15:52
um
01:15:53
yeah I don't know actually last year but
01:15:55
yeah been pretty lucky
01:15:57
um I try to stay on top of things like
01:15:59
every now and then there'll be like a
01:16:00
little thing that'll pop up but yeah
01:16:02
I've been pretty healthy and
01:16:04
um you know how to like a cold or
01:16:06
something but other than that's good
01:16:07
yeah yeah oh amazing oh you're an
01:16:10
absolute beast and it's been an honor to
01:16:12
have you on the podcast today
01:16:14
the best of luck at the com games thanks
01:16:16
for being so open and honest and sharing
01:16:18
the worst cheers Tom
01:16:20
all right let's go and hit those waves
01:16:22
all right we're going surfing go fishing
01:16:24
foreign
