How An Olympic Runner Built a Flourishing YouTube Channel And Startup
He is a regular, relatable person who loves to have fun
As a runner growing up, watching Nick Symmonds run enthralled me. Symmonds was a USA track star in the 800 meters who had a unique style of running — he would often never be in the front or even near the back of the race, out of sight and out of mind, until the very end of the race. At the end, with 200 meters to go, Symmonds would pull forward like a slingshot, passing several people at once and doing everything he could to pass everyone with a finishing kick. In 2008, at the US Olympic Trials, Symmonds went from last to first within a very short period of time, crushing his competition by at least five meters. No one could kick like Nick Symmonds.
Symmonds has an impressive array of running accolades. But while regular people like myself can never run an 800 as fast as Nick Symmonds, they can relate to what he does off the track. Nick Symmonds has a startup called Run Gum, a gum company that makes caffeinated gum. Due to age and injury, Symmonds is no longer an Olympic runner, but Run Gum was an $800,000 valued company as of January 1, 2019. Symmonds also started a YouTube channel with over 353,000 followers.
