Episode #152 - Edose Ibadin, 800 Meter Olympian

On this episode of Stupid Questions, Seth Hill sits down with Nigerian Olympian and national record holder Edose Ibadin for an honest, insightful, and deeply human conversation that goes far beyond split times and podiums. Edose opens up about the mental battles that come with high-stakes racing, the injury that nearly derailed his Olympic dreams, and the inner work it took to stay motivated when things didn’t go according to plan. They explore how his faith anchors him, the lessons he learned from his Nigerian-American upbringing, and what it truly means to find success — not just in results, but in the pursuit itself.
Edose’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/eibadin/

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
How's it going everybody? And welcome back to another
edition of the Stupid Questions podcast.
Today on the pod, we're going tobe talking with Idos Ibadeen.
He is a professional track runner who specializes in the
800 meter distance and holds the800 meter record for Nigeria.
Awesome guy, was able to run in the Olympics here this last
cycle in Paris. Super nice guy, deep

(00:21):
conversation as usual. Really appreciate him taking the
time. So without further ado, I want
to introduce you to Idos Ibadeen, born and raised on the
East Coast. No surprisingly I was born in
California and then moved to Maryland when I was like 3.
OK, nice. Do you miss California at all?
I guess you don't really remember it a ton.
Yeah, I don't remember it for real, so I can't really.

(00:42):
My older siblings remember a lotbetter than I do.
Yeah. Where do you stand in the lineup
like you're the youngest? Oh, so I'm #3 out of four?
OK, nice. What are the age differences?
My sister is 8 years older than me, my brother is 4 years older
than me and then two years olderthan my younger brother.

(01:03):
Nice, so you got a good spread? Are they also into athletics?
Not as much as I was. I was the only one who, and we
all kind of did sports in high school.
Like my older sister, she was onthe Palm squad, cheer squad.
And then my younger brother, he played football in high school.
And then my older brother, he did a lot of rec basketball.

(01:26):
OK. I think he tried it out for
basketball but didn't make the team.
But yeah, pretty involved in sports here and there.
But I was the only one who was able to take it to like the
collegiate level and then the professional level.
Yeah, sweet man. Well, there's so many things I
want to dive into. But First off, just want to say
thank you so much for making thetime.
Really thankful that Brandon wasable to connect us.

(01:47):
He's a great guy. Had the opportunity of
interviewing him like a a year ago now I think.
So it's a it's kind of come fullcircle.
But thanks for making the time man.
Yeah, thank you for having me somuch and shout outs to Brandon
for making this connection happen.
Yeah, he's a nice guy. How long have you known him?
Oh, I. I'm trying to think how long I

(02:07):
know him maybe I think I'm have followed him for about two to
three years, maybe longer than that, probably three years
honestly, because I was I'm alsointerested in mental
performance. I saw that it's something that
he really does and we actually were able to meet in person last
year up in Nashville. I had a race in Nashville last

(02:30):
year and I was able to connect with him in person and meet up
and like have a little coffee, so it was really nice.
Yeah. How was the first initial
reaction interaction with him after following him and then
getting to meet him face to face?
Because we followed each other for a little bit and like DM
back and forth and like I attended some of like his
webinars and stuff like that. But it was really cool to

(02:52):
finally meet in person and we just able to chop it up and
like, I've done video calls likethis for him in the past as well
before meeting a person. So it wasn't like super, super
awkward or anything like that. But it was definitely cool to
finally just meet in person, face to face, and just see, you
know, me in person who I've beentalking to on the Internet all

(03:14):
these years. Yeah, yeah, for sure.
So for you, mental performance is obviously, like you're
saying, an important piece of the puzzle.
When did you first come to the realization that this is
something that you wanted to focus and work on as well?
So there's two, there's two parts.
So I won. I knew that track was always a

(03:36):
mental, there was always a mental battle within the sport.
And I think around 2020 was whenI really started to take it a
lot more serious 'cause I alwayskind of been a positive person
and an optimistic person. But I think just actually taking
the time to train my mind like Iwould my body, that intentional

(04:00):
training didn't happen until 2020 for me.
And when as I was doing it, I realized, OK, if I can do this
for myself, let's try to do thisfor other people.
So I was just sharing information and things that I
have learned along the way of this journey and learning.
And then some people it resonated with some people and
other people it didn't resonate with.

(04:21):
But yeah, I was just sharing what I like was learning.
So what are some of the like keylearnings that you have found to
be the tools in your belt as youmove forward with such a
profession? Yeah, definitely self-taught,
like the way the things we say to ourselves is extremely
important. And for me, I always kind of,

(04:46):
that was my homeless are always kind of, but there were times
where my self talk is normally really positive, but then
obviously there's times where itcan be negative as well.
And I think the more intentionalI became with the practice, I
was able to catch the negative ones a lot easier.
And so it would, it would happenless frequently. 1 and 2 the the

(05:09):
counter of a positive thought tothat negative thought was a lot
quicker as well. And then another one.
This is kind of like my own personal philosophy, but just
being your biggest fan and beingyour biggest cheerleader because
sports can get very lonely If ifyou're going to only wait on
people who cheer for you, then you're going to be in trouble
because people have life to liveand everyone's in their own

(05:31):
world and everyone's focusing onthemselves.
So it's important to be able to clap for yourself along the way.
And it doesn't mean that don't accept applauses or anything
like that, but definitely just learn to clap for yourself every
step of the way and celebrate those small micro wins and those
small consistencies that will help you stay motivated and stay
consistent along the way. Yeah, being able to not put too

(05:55):
much stock in the positive or negative reinforcement that
people give I think is importantfor just maintaining, not
necessarily stoic because I think that you, like you said,
you have to take stock and excitement and the small
consistencies in the winds. But it's always been a struggle
of mine to be able to maintain aLevel I whenever people get
involved with positive and negativity.

(06:17):
Yeah, I mean, I think for me a great way because before I I
used to have trouble like accepting compliments,
especially when it came to my running such a good job or
you're so fast. And I was like, Oh no, no.
And then I just say thank you and keep moving.
And like it's kind of rubs off the tongue now, rubs off the
shoulder like. And I think too, like if you
live for all the compliments, the negativity is going to drive

(06:40):
you insane. So just not getting too high or
too low of those things and just, you know, keep stacking
those wins, keep stacking the compliments.
And I think when you're able to be your fan and compliment
yourself so much, you don't really need the validation of
other people to validate, you know, who you are as a person or

(07:02):
your ability, whether it's on the track or the field or just
any facet of life in general. Yeah.
Well, that leads me to my favorite question like asking on
this podcast and it's a third person question.
So my question to you is who is Edos?
That's a good question. Who is he?

(07:25):
I think he is someone who takes his crap extremely serious.
I think he is someone who is very resilient and consistent
and I think he is someone who isn't afraid to take a risk.
Even though he can take a very calculated risk, it sometimes

(07:47):
can be in his own head about it.I think he is someone who even
gets a little anxious at times and I think he is someone who
handles pressure really well, but is also able to rise to the
occasion. And he has this level of
confidence to him that's not really loud, but you know, it's

(08:07):
there. And it might come off as like
self doubt to some people because he's afraid to show it
or he's afraid of being perceived as arrogant.
But deep down he's definitely really confident in himself and
his abilities. And I think for him it just
takes some time to get it going.And once he does get it going,

(08:31):
then it's full speed ahead of Spires.
So we're all fired. Awesome.
There's fire. There we go.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think also he's someone
who enjoys his friends and family and someone who loves
playing video games and reads a lot in his spare time.
And I think he just all around areally genuine person who just

(08:56):
want to see greatness in himselfand then also wants to bring out
the greatness of other people around him.
Wow, that's really good deep answer.
So take me back then, like from the earliest memories that you
have in relation to just, I guess, self-awareness of
starting to figure out things that you like and dislike,
running obviously becoming a piece of who you are when what

(09:21):
are some of these stories that make up the the history and the
formation of the mindset that you now adopt as a professional
runner? For sure I think some of the big
self-awareness things that I've had honestly alright, here's a
good one. I think growing up right in

(09:42):
school and stuff like that, I was a very I'll say I was a good
student. One thing that I did notice
really well was that in the beginning of the school year,
that was usually when I had my worst grades.
And then by the end of the school year, my, yeah, my grades
were fourth quarter. The the last marking period or

(10:03):
whatever was usually when my grades were at their best.
And I think that taught me that sometimes it just takes time for
me to like adjust to things. But once I get used to it and
get it going and find a rhythm Ican do, I can excel and do
really well. And I've noticed that also in my
running as well. Just, you know, the beginning of

(10:23):
the season, my times, not my performances might not be there
quite yet, but then as it gets going, I start to get better and
better. And then also even college was
the same way. My freshman year in general was
probably my worst year. And a lot of people, they say
freshman year supposed to be your easiest year.
For me that was not the case. And then my senior year actually

(10:46):
was my best year. So it just goes to show that I
tend to start slow and it with that initial adjustment.
Once I'm able to get over that initial adjustment and hump, lot
of growth happens that I have like exponential growth and I
just get my footing and get my stride going.
Yeah, interesting. Yeah, I, I like the mentality

(11:08):
around start. I mean, not necessarily slow,
but at a steady pace and rampingup throughout.
I mean, especially in sport, I'msure that that would have a lot
of advantages running the 800 orany race really.
But having that for anything in life.
Because yeah, it's like, you know, at the very end how much
you have left and you can kind of empty the tank.
And it always feels good to empty the tank and finish on a

(11:29):
high note rather than fading. Exactly.
Exactly. And I think for me, I think just
being consistent and doing that helps a lot.
And I'm the type of person whereI don't really give up easily.
And so they can, people are getting tired and they want to
give up. I'm like, now let's keep it
going, let's keep pushing, you know, let's do this.

(11:51):
And I noticed not only this in running, but it's in my life in
general, like being able to stick certain things through.
I usually see high reward, high return later down the line.
It might not be, you know, one year later, it might not be two
years later, it might be five years later.
I think that's one big advantageI really have is that I'm really
patient and I really enjoy the journey of trying to get better.

(12:12):
And then once I do find my footing, it's a wrap.
What is an event or an obstacle that you've had to overcome that
you're most proud of for making it through?
Honestly, one of the yeah. And I know I'm going to draw
this back to running because I love to run in that, you know,
But I think just that we have been able to bounce back from

(12:35):
some of the bad moments in my career.
I remember when I experienced myfirst injury in 2020.
So going into 2020, I told you how I wanted to, you know,
intentionally train my mind likeI train my body.
I actually ended up getting my first injury and running that
year. And I was, I was scared.

(12:57):
But at the same time, since I knew I was on this mental
journey, I had to essentially train my mind because now I had
no choice, right? I couldn't train my body the way
I wanted to, so I had to train my mind.
And I think that's where like all the all the books I was
reading about like self talk andvisualization, all that stuff,

(13:18):
like I was already doing it a little bit.
But then now it's like there's so much more intentionality
behind it because it was the only thing I was able to do.
And so it that allowed me to just one, focus on what I could
do versus what I couldn't do. And so that's something that I
carry with me. And then two, just myself talk
during that period, I remember thinking to myself, and it's
before COVID too. So like, I was just, man, I'm

(13:40):
going to come back stronger thanI started.
It was an Olympic year. I was extremely terrified.
Like I was like, I don't know what's going to happen.
I remember having to go get an MRI, never had to get an MRI in
my life. That's still the only MRI I've
had to this day. And I'm just thinking to myself,
like, what is going on? Like I'm just someone who I

(14:01):
thought I had never gotten injured.
I've been running at that point for like 10 years and so never
had any major injuries or anything like that.
And I'm just thinking to myself,like, what is going on here?
And I remember I downloaded thisapp called Affirmations that you
can like customize affirmations that you can put and they'll
send you reminders of it every day at a certain time.

(14:21):
And one thing I kept reminding myself was I'm going to be a lot
stronger than I was before the set back.
And I kept telling myself that over and over and over.
And then once I was on the clearand able to run again, I just
felt an immense level of gratitude that I'd never felt
before for running. And I was just like, I'm just so
grateful that I can run pain free.

(14:43):
And granted, there was a little pain here and there, but like I
was just so glad that I can run because when I had the injury, I
could even run a step like without any type of pain or
compensation or anything like that.
So just being able to run pain free, I was extremely grateful.
And then COVID hit, right? And the whole world shuts down.
Nobody knows what's happening for me.
I'm just, you know, I'm just glad I can run.

(15:04):
So I'm going to. And I already been practicing,
you know, on the controllable side for me, I felt prepared for
COVID. Like a lot of people, they might
not have been prepared. And granted, no one could have
ever really prepared for that. But for me, I think from a
mental standpoint, I was alreadyready because stuff was already
stripped away from me. And then now that I'm able to do
what's not stripped away from meanymore, I'm going to make the

(15:25):
most of it and make the most of this situation.
And one thing I told myself too was that every someone's going
to learn from this might as wellbe me.
And so I ended up PR in that year too, ran a huge PR during
that COVID period. And I was just really proud of
myself for that. And just the way I was able to
bounce back from that injury. And it just showed me that I

(15:47):
what I'm really capable of and Ican bounce back from injury.
And yeah, it was a really good feeling that another one too was
just so I didn't make the Olympics that following year.
I thought I was going to, but unfortunately I didn't make it
in 2021 when it, even when it got delayed in the extra year of
training, all that stuff didn't make it and was just kind of
like on a plateau for a couple years.

(16:08):
And then thankfully I had ran fast enough to then make the
Paris Olympic team. And so that was another one that
I'm really proud of because it showed me, one, how bad I
actually wanted this. And two, just the power of
showing up is I kept showing up even when seasons weren't ideal,
even when races weren't going myway, just kept showing up and

(16:31):
kept just swinging at the bass, cutting at the tree.
And then, you know, once I hit my big 1 and I was able to pop
off of Paris like it was an amazing feeling.
And still it's reminding me also.
Just keep showing up and good things can happen.
Thank you so much for sharing that.
That's really interesting, the the persistence mindset, they

(16:51):
continuing to be as consistent as possible and pushing through.
Do you think that that is something that you were born
with nature or is it something that even from a young age from
your family, that it was more ofa nurtured aspect of who you
are? I think it was a nurture more
than nature. I think it was probably 80%

(17:13):
nurtured, 20% nature. My parents are very consistent
people in general, and seeing that like that was a good
example for me to mold, mold after and like come from.
And then I think track definitely honed that consistent
attribute as well. And just that persistence, just

(17:37):
being able to go to practice every day, day in and day out
and just put in work constantly,that helped a lot.
And then going to college and becoming more disciplined helped
a lot. But yeah, it was definitely more
of a nurture thing than a major thing for sure.
Were your parents always supportive for your running
career, like from high school, going into college, and then

(17:57):
you're going to do this as a professional?
I remember I was reading one of your Instagram posts, you said
in 2012 you were watching the London Games and you decided,
like, this is something that I really want.
So was that the moment when you decided I'm going to do this
professionally? And then what was the family's
reaction as you started to push into that foray?
Yeah, so my parents weren't super, super support.

(18:20):
They supported in different ways, right.
I think they were supportive in high school and college.
So background, my parents are Nigerian and for those who don't
know, Nigerians are very education 1st.
And so yeah, they really like hammer that down.
And so they were definitely like, it was a matter of where,

(18:44):
if I was going to college, it was a matter of where.
And I was going to go to collegeno matter what, regardless of
whether I ran a track or not. But I think they were supported
in ways of like, you know, taking me to practice, picking
me up from practice, you know, asking, you know, how races went
and stuff like that, taking me to races, things like that.
And then in terms of like the professional world, not really

(19:05):
just because they didn't really understand it.
They didn't understand what it'slike to do track professionally.
And so I think the support was it was there in some ways and
other ways it wasn't. But I think it the ways that it
wasn't was just due to not really knowing or having the
information. And honestly, they just wanted

(19:27):
me to be safe. Yeah, safe.
Be able to make a living. Yeah.
Yeah. How important is it or was it?
And is it for you to feel like your parents, but specifically
your father is proud of you, Is.That what time?
What does it mean for you? Like, how important is it for

(19:48):
your parents, but specifically your father, to feel proud of
you? Oh.
It's definitely important. They've done a lot for me and
it's, yeah, it's, it's importantfor sure.
I think, you know, they've done,done a lot for me, you know,
made a lot of sacrifices and they sacrificed coming from

(20:10):
Nigeria to here to create a new life for me and my siblings.
And just, you know, you don't want them with those sacrifices
to be in vain. And so I remember when I got my
scholarship to school, I really felt as though my parents were
really proud of me because growing up, it was always, you
know, college is expensive, and you're going to do this and do

(20:31):
that. And so it's there for them not
to have to pay for school. It was definitely like, Wake
Off. Yeah.
They did it. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, that's phenomenal. So who do you think that you're
more like? Your mom or your dad?
That's a good person. I mean, I look more like my mom
physically, but I I think I'm yes everyone.

(21:00):
I definitely have both qualitiesin them, but I do think I'd
probably take after my mom just a little bit more.
Is that something that you wouldhave pinpointed as the same like
you being more like your mom when you were younger as to
compared to where you are now asa man?
In some ways yes, but because like both like that both of my

(21:25):
parents are like super duper consistent.
But I do think the work ethic that I have, I think that part
comes from my father. My father is a very hard worker.
Like growing up, he worked 2 jobs at times to make ends meet
and just seeing him crying and hustled through and having

(21:45):
almost like not that no days off, but just like being able to
stack those days of work definitely showed me like it's
important to put the work in. And I just, I was able to adopt
that same mentality for track. So I, it's funny now because
like when they see me running all the time, like wow, you
don't take days off. And I'm like, when we came to

(22:06):
school or you got to let me takedays off.
Yeah. That's totally true.
Yeah. It's interesting.
It's always, it was surprising to me growing up because when I
was younger, I definitely was more like my mother.
And I don't know if that's the same for all males, you know,
who grow up and with a mother, father like situation,
traditional family. But when I got older, I started

(22:27):
to become less like my mom, so alittle less sick and
extroverted, a little more introverted.
Just the way that I worked was definitely a little bit more
keeping to myself. And I find it curious to ask
that question to people because it's always interesting to see
like, which which way do they gravitate as they get older?
Because I didn't think that thatactually happened.
I mean, I knew I would, you know, go through puberty or

(22:48):
whatever. And that's kind of all what
teenagers thinking about. But as far as like the mental
development and the way that we attack life is definitely
different. And it's always interesting to
me. Yeah, there are some, because
there's even some things about like I'll be saying to myself,
I'm like, Dang, I saw my dad or Dang, I saw him.
Oh my gosh. Yeah, yeah.

(23:11):
Do you think that you spend moretime in your head as an
analytical person or more by feeling in your heart?
Definitely my head as an analytical person for sure.
Yeah, sometimes I think maybe some time I might spend a little
bit too much time in my head. And I think that can be, it's

(23:33):
weird, right? Because I think for me, it's
like I know when to I'll be in my head about certain things,
But at the same time when it comes to like doing work and
like when I'm in that zone, I turn my brain off and just go to
work and it becomes like a routine.
But I think when it comes to like other things in that
initial like calculation or likethe calculated risk, I'll

(23:54):
definitely be in my head a lot. Or like even when it comes to
like having some hard conversations that might be in
my head a lot about certain things.
And lately I've just been tryingto just like, let it go, let it
flow or just release the control, right?
Because I can't control how people react.
They control people say, so why am I in my head so much about
it? Instead, just do the thing, have

(24:14):
that conversation and just do it.
Like a lot of times I might procrastinate about something
that when I finally do it I'm like, oh I'm not even that bad
like that. Takes as much time as we think.
Yeah. So talk to me a little bit about
the letting go aspect of when you were racing.
Like I know that you specialize in the 800, correct?

(24:34):
Yes. OK, so that's pretty quick.
It's not the fastest or it's notlike the shortest, but it's
definitely not the longest either.
So I am an endurance athlete. I do track sessions and we'll
run 8 hundreds much slower than you.
But there's something about running an 800 that's just so
much different than, you know, going out and running a half
marathon, The things that you feel, the how high your heart

(24:57):
rate gets and what not for you. I, I guess this is kind of a few
questions just because I'm fascinated.
I've never had the opportunity to ask this question before, but
I want to know like from a mental standpoint and what
you're feeling physically standpoint, walk me through when
you go through to a race and like what is happening from when
you are lining up gun goes off to the finish line.

(25:19):
Like what are you feeling mentally and physically?
For sure. So I'll start with the mental
part. For me, I definitely get
extremely nervous, but I learnedto really navigate those nerves
extremely well. I think there were times where,
and I'm really glad that I've been able to learn how to manage

(25:41):
the nerves through running 800 because I feel like there's
nothing else in this life that Iwill get more nervous for like I
running the 800 or just running a track.
Me in general, those nerves thatI get, nothing has compared in
any aspect. And so when I'm on the line, the

(26:02):
first thing I do is I won't evenjust lead up to it.
I really focus in on my warm up,just, you know, talking myself,
having myself up so that when I'm on the line, I usually say a
sight like a phrase or a lit song lyric just to kind of like
relax a little bit. And then when that gun goes off

(26:22):
for me, I don't really think that much is just stay in it.
I just try to tell myself thingsthat I want to do like rather
than things I want to avoid. And so, you know, 1st 200, I'm
some myself. I push out, get out, you know,
establish a position, establish rhythm.
And then the 2nd 200, I mean thesecond hundred, just, you know,

(26:44):
find your spot, find your spot and get there.
And then that third and 4th 100,you know, going into the second
lap, I'm just stay here, just stay right here, stay up, stay
engaged, stay latched on the 3rd200.
I'm just telling myself, you know, keep it rolling, keep it
going. Because a lot of times people
tend to fall asleep or tend to slow down in the last 200.

(27:06):
I'm just like, yo, you know, allyou got like get some bodies and
just finish, finish, finish, finish.
And then physically, yeah, it isn't really you start hurting
for until the last 100. That's and I'm like.

(27:26):
Really, that's how long it takes.
Like literally you're at 700 meters and you're like, that's
when it starts to hurt. Yeah, 'cause it's like more like
150, but sometimes it depends a lot.
Yeah, sure, but it's like that last 25 ish percent.
Yeah, that last 150 ish. Am I alright?
This is like all guts right here.
Like I'm starting to hurt. I'm starting to feel it, but I

(27:48):
know I can push through this pain like I know I can do this
thing even though it's hard. I don't feel the greatest.
I know I can still finish strongeven in the midst of feeling
that pain. That's so fascinating because so
when I run 8 hundreds, especially like the last lap,
you know, because if you do likea building set or whatever, I'm
hurting way before that. But it, but it allows me like

(28:09):
when you when I feel the pain, Ihave like that ideal level of
whatever threshold or tolerance or where I can push and where,
where, what's too hard or too fast.
But for you, if you're going into this with the 1st 650
meters or 600 meters, whatever, where you're not feeling a whole
lot, how do you know if you're going too fast or too slow?
Like if all you have is leg speed to judge by.

(28:31):
Yeah, that's the thing, 'cause like since every race is
different, there might be some races where I might feel it.
After 400, I'm like, yeah, I wasa little.
More. Yeah, that was a little hot.
Or even if like we're going too slow, thing is the 800, it's
gonna hurt regardless of how fast or slow you run it.
So like, I think even when we come through a little slow,

(28:52):
there's always going to be some type of pain.
I think from a mental side that panic can set in and because of
that panic, then physically it turns into pain.
And, and this is even from the slow races as well.
It's just we're too slow. It's like, oh snap, let me just
try to finish it in. And like, sometimes all you have

(29:14):
left, even if you're too slow isjust a certain amount of speed.
And that still might not be. It still might be painful.
So yeah. So when you broke the Nigerian
record, I think there's what, 2023, correct?
Yeah. When you broke that record, was
were you feeling pain earlier orlater?

(29:34):
I was definitely feeling it later for sure.
But I think that race specifically, yeah, I was on
fire that day, but. Yeah, what, what attributed to
that? Tell me what you're going to
say. Yeah, I.
I think just I was ready one physically and mentally and for
me it was just, I would went into that race just trying to
win the race. And that's exactly what I did.

(29:57):
And that race didn't hurt until maybe the last I said like the
last 50. But I think at that point for me
was just maintain my form, maintain, just focus on what I
can control. Cause a lot of times before the
pain sets in and I'm trying to fight somebody off and I'm then
I'm so focused on what the otherperson is doing.

(30:19):
So for me, I just try to let go of let go of control of trying
to, like dictate what other people do because I can't
control what they do. I can only control what I do.
Yeah. And so when someone is running
up on me, it's like, how do I respond to this without trying
too hard? How do I respond to this without
tensing up and panicking? And for me, it's just almost

(30:42):
like a detachment, like, alright, I'm letting go.
Like, I want to win this race. But I know if I hold on to the
thought of like losing, I'm not going to win this race because
I'm going to tense up and panic.So it's just letting go.
And it's not saying, oh, I don'tcare if they beat me or not, but
it's more so like detaching fromthe outcome of winning or

(31:03):
losing. So I just try to focus all in on
the execution of what I want to do, those last couple steps in
those last couple meters, because ultimately I can't
control how fast someone kicks. I can't control how fast the
next man is closing or how they're moving down the track.
I can only control what I do. Yeah, yeah, it's so interesting
too, because with some experience I have with racing

(31:26):
and I've seen it in lots of videos with the finish line, if
whoever's in front shows like some sign of distress or
whatever, it like directly fuelsthat competitor behind you.
And it's, it's so fascinating because for all intents and
purposes, especially with the distance that you are racing,
the difference between first andlast is at most assuming
everybody you know didn't know and tripped or anything, like

(31:48):
you're talking a second or less,sometimes a hundredths of a
second. When you get to the Olympics,
thousands, millionths of a second, everybody's relatively
the same. But whoever can like stay
stronger mentally there at the end seems to really be what like
turns it over. And that always fascinates me
because I'd rather be coming from the back than leading.
And then that last, I think of Ingerbertson, like like at that

(32:08):
last second, just boom, you get taken over and it's like, that
sucks. Yeah, exactly.
I'm definitely a person who I would rather be the hunter than
the hunted. Yeah, I agree.
I could have different towns where I've seen people, like in
front of me, I see their phone breaking a little bit and then
they look back and I just get really amped up when they look

(32:28):
back. Oh, you got messed up.
Like let me. You know I'm coming now.
More I'm coming like just move back because you're scared and
I'm coming and so yeah, I I agree with that.
Like it's definitely harder and some people they can drive off
of like being a first of last 100 and just pulling away.
I definitely like to come from behind and try to get some

(32:49):
people that last 100. Yeah.
Do you like receiving? I mean, you're all there really
close to each other, so I, I get.
But for you personally, do you like getting splits or looking
at the clock and knowing exactlywhere you are that you're
hitting all your marks to like get a world record spot or
whatever it is that you're shooting for?
Or do you like to just be in themoment and go by feel?

(33:11):
I'd like to just go by feel. When I was younger, I was
definitely more pressed or concerned about that.
Oh, let me see when I'm coming through the 1st lap.
Now I'm just like Noah. That's just when the race.
And for me, as long as I'm able to maintain some form of
contact, I'll, I'll be fine. And then sometimes even go by

(33:31):
feel because some people they might go out too fast and I'm
not ready for that. But as long as I'm able to
maintain contact that I'm withinstriking distance, I know I'll
run fast, especially at this level, like everybody is fast.
So everyone's trying to run fast.
So just maintaining that contactfor me is everything and just go
by feel. I try not to look at the clock
sometimes when I run, especiallycoming through like wherever the

(33:54):
clock, and usually it's like to the left of the track just so I
don't like get in my head like, oh crap, we're coming through 50
points as fast. And just just go by how it feels
and just trust myself and trust my instincts and the way I can
move and the way that, you know,I can make my moves and stuff
like that. And yeah, just do my best to win
the race. At the end of the day, if I win

(34:15):
the race I won, ran faster than everyone, I'll have the best
time in that heat. And usually it's pretty good
time, especially at this level that I'm at.
Yeah, yeah, for sure. So I'm curious also and then
I'll I'll get off the Super focused running questions
because I have some other deep ones for you as well.
But this is just fascinating to me with the level that you're

(34:37):
running, like you were saying, like everyone is so fast.
And there's this really funny bit that Jerry Seinfeld I think
does. Have you seen it where he's like
standing sideways and he's like,what is it with running where
you're like, yeah, first guy comes through and then the
second, third, fourth guy, neverheard of him.
And like you're, you're talking about like this super short

(34:57):
distance. For all intents and purposes,
these people are exactly the same.
Somebody's got that little bit extra forward lean, but that's
really tough. And I can only imagine that that
has such a mental play on peoplefor, you know, you come through
first, first, second and third. They're right there. 4th is
like, yeah, just this much behind.
But then no one ever remembers their name because, you know,
they didn't get the medal or whatever.

(35:18):
And I mean, it is what it is. That's how the system's set up.
But it's kind of unfortunate because those four guys
depending on, I don't know, whose shoe was slightly tighter,
who had a better kick for half asecond, like whatever it is that
can play like a mental game on you.
So how do you deal with that? Yeah, it's definitely hard to

(35:39):
deal with at times. I think for me, I try not to
like get so caught up in oh, whoto be remembered and stuff like
that. I feel like I'm one of my own
biggest fans and so I'm just trying to be the best runner
that I can be. I'm not really too pressed on
like trying to the this huge lasting legacy that I'll

(36:02):
remember forever. Granted, it was it'll be nice,
but I think it just shows one like especially how races are
determined by like that little bit.
It just one thing I practice a lot is just running through the
line. Like no matter how tired I am,
always run through the line because you never know who's
coming, right? Just being able to constantly

(36:25):
run through that line and it just shows like the difference,
the small fraction of a second is the difference between 1st
and 4th place. And 1st place can get all this
money, get the big contract at 4th place, can walk away with
nothing. Or first place can make the
Olympic team at 4th place gets nothing, right?

(36:46):
So it's pressure, but also that's that comes with the
territory. And I just try to do my best.
As long as I do my absolute bestI'm not going to be too sad or
granted y'all be sad at the moment because it's like Dang I
wish I won. But yeah, I won't like be too
hard on myself because I know I gave everything I had.

(37:09):
So you obviously believe that there's more that you can
develop to become. What do you have set as your
goal or what do you believe you can be when it comes to running?
Yeah, I think I, I think I can be A and I don't usually like

(37:30):
putting time out there, but I think I can be a one 43800m
runner. I think I definitely have
another second to give and I think I have what it takes to be
one of the best in the world right now.
I know globally in general, I amone of the best in the world,

(37:50):
but I think there's just there'slevels to it and I think I have
another level that I can tap into and I think there's more
races for me to win. And I think that in like from a
training perspective, just making sure that I'm doing
everything that I need to do, you know, both aerobically and

(38:12):
aerobically, eating right, sleeping right and just putting
myself in a position in the race, right.
I think that's really the biggest, one of the biggest
things in the 800 is just positioning is everything like
you can run fast all because you're in the right spots,
right? And just learning how to put
myself in the right spot and going from there.

(38:32):
I think I can be a better racer essentially.
So I think those are some thingsthat I can easily become.
Yeah, What? Just for my own ignorance.
I'm curious, like what? What is a good position?
Like, what are you shooting for?Like you say, within striking
distance? Is that like always a couple
steps behind first or you know, third or fourth in the line?

(38:53):
Like how do you establish? Like what is the best positions
to be in for you? Yeah, it depends on our race,
but I think for me, I like beingin like 4th or 5th and like
having first place within striking distance, especially if
the race isn't like really strung out.
But if we're all close together,I like being in like 4th or 5th

(39:13):
because then I can sling shot and pass a few people.
But if I found myself, you know,third or second, that's good
too. And then just go from there.
And then sometimes I find myselfin the back and say, alright,
how are we going? How are we going to work our way
up here? And then just work because I've
had good races where I was in the back and then I've had races
where I was, you know, up in thelead towards the front.

(39:37):
So it just all depends for me. I like to honestly, yeah, I like
to, I, I think to be a great 800m runner, you have to learn
how to race in multiple different situations.
So sometimes that might be beingin the back because there's
chaos in the front. Sometimes it might be being in
the front because there's chaos in the back.
Sometimes that might be being inthe middle.
So you can, you know, be in front of some people to avoid

(39:59):
some traffic and then have some people in front of you so that
you can draft off of. So I think it just all depends
on the race and just staying with myself too.
Yeah, avoid the chaos. That's what it sounds like.
Don't get tripped up when when you're running like you
mentioned drafting, I mean you guys are running so fast.
I know that there is some drafting benefit, but is it like
very noticeable like if you get out off the shoulder or you're

(40:21):
in tucked in, like do you noticeit like a pretty significant?
Sometimes, but I think for us it's more so of a mental thing
too. It's just, it feels good to
draft that just to sit on somebody.
And I think just not having likethink about the pace.
I know for me, like when I leaveraces, I might get my own head
like crack like behind me. I know it's people got a kick.

(40:44):
Are they going to, you know, outkick me?
Am I going to have enough energyfor the end?
All these different things? But when I'm definitely in the
middle of sitting on people, it allows me to then just rest my
brain and just focus on my instincts and trust my
instincts. Yeah.
So who has invested the most into who you are and to help you
to get to where you are today? That's hard.

(41:09):
I mean, definitely it depends onwhat we're talking about just in
general or as an athlete. Let's let's go General and then
we can go athlete too. But I'm curious General, because
I know that there's a lot more outside of athletes that make
you. Yeah.
Yeah, I think that's in my parents.

(41:30):
And then just the community thatI'm in, like there's, there's I
have a lot of friends that I grew up around and like, I know
their parents really well. The saying, you know how it says
it takes a village to raise a child?
I come from a a village, a community of people who all
helped raise me essentially. And so I think all those lessons

(41:51):
that I've learned from them and learn from my parents and even
learn from some people who are slightly older than me and even
some people who are slightly younger than me, I think all
those have paid off a lot. When you are moving on, when you
decide that it's time to move onfrom this sport, you've been
doing this, you know, since, I mean, I assume you've been

(42:12):
running probably since middle school or even a little bit
earlier. High school.
High school OK, so it's still a very long time and your entire
livelihood is seemingly encircled around this.
When you decide that it's time to move on, do you think it'll
be tough to remove your level ofidentity with running in a way

(42:33):
that will be, I guess, healthy? Like because I know a lot of
people, I've heard about this scenario where you go to the
Olympics. Maybe it's your last Olympics or
first Olympics, whatever be comedown and it's like this almost
depression or people get injuredand it takes their ability away
to run, to swim, bike, whatever.That just like becomes very hard
for them because that that was so wrapped up in their identity

(42:54):
as a person. Do you think that you would
struggle with that? So funny enough, when I came
back from the Olympics this pastsummer, I definitely I wasn't
necessarily depressed, but I definitely felt like they called
the post Olympic Blues. I definitely have felt
withdrawal. There we go.
That's right. Weird.

(43:15):
I never felt like damn, what like it's back to reality like
that's it like it's over with. I, I miss it, you know, and I
think just being able to talk topeople about that helped by
talking to some of my other Olympic teammates, talking to
whether it was other sports psychologists about it and stuff

(43:36):
like that really helped. I think also like when I do walk
away from this sport entirely, Ithink it'll be hard at 1st and I
don't think I necessarily struggle like with the identity
piece. I think it'll just be, I think
the problem I struggle with is like, Dang, I don't have any
competitions anymore or like I don't have, yeah, competition to

(44:00):
prepare for. But luckily for me, and I think
the biggest thing I was kind of feared going into like
retirement when I thought about it was just, am I going to be as
passionate about something else like as I, as I was with track?
And I think it'll, that's one thing that's going to take time

(44:20):
because one I wasn't always passionate about, like when I
first started running track, I wasn't as passionate as I am
now. And so I know that things and
passions take time to hone in and build upon.
So at first it was like kind of scary, but then I'm like, OK, I
know I'll find something that I'm passionate about.
And I always told one thing I always told myself was like,

(44:41):
track is just the beginning. Like it isn't going to be the
only highlight of my life. I'm just getting started.
And so I think I'll still be involved in the sport in some
way. But whether that's coaching,
whether that's, you know, volunteering or whether that's
even just going to track meets and just watching, I'll

(45:01):
definitely always be involved insome way.
And I think just like I said, going into like a mental side of
things, that's something I really found passion for.
And I think that's something that I can definitely do long
after I'm done running. So that's that's something
that's slowly starting to have passion for.
Yeah, that. I'm so glad you said that.
And I think there's a lot of wisdom in that idea that you

(45:24):
have to grow and cultivate passions because I think a lot
of younger people struggle nowadays with, you know, that
there's there's this mindset like, oh, you just have to go
doing what you do, what you're passionate about.
But being able to decipher and understand what's the difference
between like a true passion, a love for something and like an
infatuation, quick flash in the pan situation can be hard.

(45:48):
And the only way that you can figure that out really is by
giving it some serious cultivation for a while to see
if you do truly love this thing or if you're going to walk away
with feeling. Oh, you know what?
I like the romantic idea of running the eight hundreds.
But all of the mileage and, you know, the extra work it takes to
do this is definitely a lot more.
And I think that's that's a point that I wish there was a

(46:10):
way to explain it to people whenthey're younger to where they
could truly get it, like, off the bat.
But so many of us, myself included, it's like you have to
go through that experience to like, truly understand.
OK. Yeah.
This this is this is my passion or this is not my passion.
It takes time. Yeah, it takes time.
And like, like I said, I wasn't always passionate about track

(46:32):
when I first started. I just, it was just something to
do. So I'm like, you know, I'm going
to do this, see what happens andgo from there.
I didn't think I'd fall in love with it the way I did.
So and that's the same thing with everything, you know, just
the willingness to try. I think the willingness to try
new things goes a long way. And granted, it sounds scary
because like I don't think I've done anything for as long as I

(46:55):
have been running. So I'm running right now for
like 16 years. And so it's like I having 16
years of experience in something, I don't have remotely
have anything else close to thatlevel of experience in anything
else. And so having to walk away from
that level of experience and just trying something new can
definitely be a little daunting and scary.
But the same way I've started track as a rookie is the same.

(47:18):
I'm going to start something newas a rookie and just on and
develop that skill. Yeah, for sure.
So what I'm curious what gets you into the zone?
This can be pre race or like a really important session that
you're going to do or maybe it'sa presentation, I don't know.
But like what helps you to get focused like into the zone that
you need to perform? For sure, definitely listen to

(47:39):
the music. I think music takes me to a
place where I definitely get in the zone.
Like I have a specific playlist that I like to listen to crafted
by me and I'm just like, yeah, I'm in the song.
And then I think just taking some deep breaths and just
knowing that I'm about to go outthere and kill it.
And then also saying some prayer.

(47:59):
Yeah, praying. And then yeah.
So deep breaths, praying and music.
I think those are the three thathelped me get in, get into that
song. And then just that.
And then also for me too, the preparation.
So like it's not a moment where I just I am in it's own, but
like the work that I do behind the scenes is helping me get

(48:21):
into that zone. So the process of getting to
that zone isn't just like a one hour thing, but it's a through
the repetition and the process of getting in that zone.
Interesting, there's a couple ofquestions I want to ask post
that first one. Is your playlist on Spotify and
is it public and can we link it for people to check out?
Dang. No, that's not Apple Music.

(48:42):
I'm. Sorry, do what?
It's not Apple Music. Well, that's OK.
Is it public? Can people find it and listen to
it or is it just your stuff? I think it's just mine.
I don't think it's public. Public check.
OK, well I may bug you for that second piece of that question.
You said you pray. What do you pray for?
Yeah, definitely pray for execution, definitely play what

(49:04):
depends. So if it's running related, I
pray for, you know, just clean race execution, go out strong,
finish strong and help me just, you know, go out there.
My best report when it comes like a presentation.
It's like, you know, give me theword, right words to say.
Let me impact people. Just surrendering everything to

(49:25):
God and allowing Him to just useme in a way that will best fit
His glory and will help touch whoever I'm presenting to you.
Who do you believe God is to you?
I believe God is my savior, my rock, my provider.

(49:47):
A lot of different things. A comforter.
A lot of different things for sure.
Did you grow up religious? Yeah, I grew up in church, yes.
Did you ever consider maybe stepping away from it and like,
when did it first become like a core piece of who you are?
Because like, I grew up Christian as well.

(50:07):
But there was like a, a point inmy life where I kind of, I
guess, for lack of better word or phraseology, kind of straight
away did my own thing. And then I realized, actually, I
need this or I'm going to fall off the deep end here.
So like I decided, but what was it like for you?
Yeah, I never really, well, you know, grow up in church.
Like, there's one thing to like,grow up in church and there's

(50:28):
another thing to actually take the faith serious.
So I think I didn't really starttaking my fave serious until I
was about, I think, 11th grade. So I was fairly young still.
I think that's when I decided tolike, take this thing serious
and really hone in on my faith. I just haven't really straight
since. That's amazing.

(50:50):
Not many people can say that andthat's not an easy thing to do
or to to I guess believe like sometimes as we get older, at
least for me, this, this the temptation has always been to
doubt based on external factors,maybe how other people act.
But to be able to bring that in like on a daily basis is not
always an easy thing. Yeah, for sure.

(51:12):
It's definitely not easy at all.And it's definitely easy to make
sure as you get older you start asking, having different
questions and asking like, is this real?
What am I doing? Like is this something that's a
biblical principle or is it justsomething that my parents told
me to do and they presented it as a principal?
And so just learning those things for myself.

(51:33):
And I think that's one of the cool things about getting older
is that you can start to adopt certain philosophies for
yourself and you can start to learn things for yourself as
well. And I think there's beauty in
that. And I think I think every adult
should essentially, especially if you're a person up there, I
think everyone should kind of dothat.
Like Fact Check what it is that your pastor or your parents have

(51:55):
taught you just to show that like this is your.
These are like my ideas and not just my parents ideas.
Yeah, yeah. If somebody was is listening to
this conversation and they're coming to like the realization
that, huh, why do I believe whatI believe?
Is it because my parents are, oris it, you know, actual stated

(52:16):
truth? What kind of advice would you
give to them to come to a conclusive point of, am I just
going through the motions or is this a real thing?
Like what would you think that they should do?
Yeah, I think what someone can do is it's no reminding them
that it's OK to have those kindsof questions.
Like questions are welcome. And then I would say like try to

(52:39):
find people that you can talk toand can divide in about these
questions and issues that you might have.
And then to just do some research for yourself, right?
I don't know, whatever faith youbelieve in, read the scripture
or read the text that whether you're a Christian, Muslim, like

(53:00):
read those texts that for yourself so you can have an
understanding because a lot of times people will paraphrase
certain things and it's not evenin the Bible, right?
Yeah, it's like out of context too.
Yeah, and out of context. Exactly.
So really just do the research for yourself.
And then any question you have, definitely talk to people who

(53:20):
you admire and aspire to be likeand just sit down with them, ask
them questions, get their opinion, and then you can kind
of form your opinion based off on those things.
But definitely do stuff for yourself, like research for
yourself. Read the Bible for yourself.

(53:41):
Yeah, just do all kinds of things right for yourself, and
not in a selfish manner, but just so you can be well informed
and well equipped. Yeah, being well equipped and
informed is so important. It's so easy, I think for any of
us, but I'm thinking about my own experience to I'll hear
something, what if it's in in church or maybe it's a political
discussion or a world event or whatever.

(54:02):
But it's so easy to kind of hearthat and then be in a
conversation with someone and they'll say something related to
that and it's just a regurgitation rather than like
taking what somebody says, putting it out in front of you,
go through it line by line. Is this true?
If it is, why is it true? And then, you know, decide
whether I'm going to kind of adopt it or let it go, which I

(54:22):
think is so important to realizebecause as humans, like even
with the music I listen to, if Ilisten to the wrong types of
music too much, it starts to affect like my way of thinking.
So like there's whatever we're putting in, it's going to come
out somehow. So figuring out what to let him
what not to or it's really a skill that I'm trying to really
hone is to be able to listen to someone with the opposing view,

(54:46):
absorb that information, think about it critically, but to
decipher and discern to have discernment, to know what is
what is not, but to be able to give respect to that person, to
hear them. That's a a lost art form in our
society today for. Sure.
I 1000% agree. And I think one thing that we
can do is you don't have to compromise your conviction for a

(55:07):
conversation. And I think a lot of people tend
to think that like because I'm talking to someone with
different from me, then they're just going to corrupt me in my
way of thinking and all these things.
Sounds like my parent talking, yeah.
You can have a conversation withsomebody and it won't
necessarily corrupt you. Like one conversation won't
necessarily corrupt years of building something, right?

(55:30):
Unless you're just that fragile and you have no solid
foundation. But yeah, just having those
conversations I think can help. And just like you say, it's I'm
more of like a chew the meat, spit out the bones type of guy
where it's like I'm able to filter through certain things.
Like if someone's saying something to me and I might not
like the way they're saying it, but I'm really taking heed to

(55:50):
what they say, even if it's aggressive and I might not like
it. I there might be some truth
here. What truths can I find within
this message, even though it's not packaged the right way?
Even if the delivery might not be that great?
Even if it's served on a dirty platter?
What gem can I find in this dirtright here that can help me in

(56:11):
my decision making or just in mylife in general?
What, what kind of conflicts? Or maybe there hasn't been any,
but I'm not familiar with the culture around like the
profession that you find yourself in.
I'm sure there's people from alldifferent levels of faith and
morality that take place in or take Yeah, take what?

(56:34):
Where am I looking for? I cannot think of it.
Take occupation in the your sport.
How has your faith intertwined? Have you ever come across
instances where it's like you have to stand up or something or
you, you know, you're asked to do something that maybe is
against like your moral conviction and you have to go
the other way? Surprisingly, though, I haven't

(56:56):
really had that kind of issue, especially like whether it's
taking a stance on something. I think in college it was like,
oh, that's do this thing, you know, like let's do this drug or
let's, you know, drink this drink.
And I'm like, I don't feel like it.
That was probably the only thingI had to do.
But as a pro, I haven't really run into any crazy things where

(57:17):
I feel like I had to stand up for what I believed in and stuff
like that. I'm, I'm definitely very
cautious of like what I put out on the Internet, not only just
because of like my faith, but just in general.
I think there's digital footprints and I ain't got time
to get cancelled for something Isaid 10 years ago.

(57:38):
I, I don't have time for it. So me, I just try to just put
out, you know, encouraging and uplifting stuff.
And that's on my social media now.
It's just really not going to say it's dry, but it's not
really much to me. Like if you just follow my page,
you think all this dude does, it's just lying.
And I have that like that for a reason.

(57:59):
Like, I'd rather keep my social media life and my private life
separate because there's so muchlife to live outside of the
Internet. And I think some people tend to
forget that, like, everything doesn't need to be content all
the time. So yeah, there hasn't been in
since where I had to like, standup for my faith and stuff like
that. And I also try to save up this

(58:21):
uplifting things in general thateveryone can resonate with, even
if it's faith-based, even if it's coming from the Bible.
And then when people, you know, add deepers, oh, where'd you get
that from? And I'm, Oh yeah, the Bible.
But yeah, definitely try to givefaith-based principles through
my content and just use that to inspire and uplift people around

(58:42):
me who might see my page or see my content.
Yeah, cool man. So how has your definition for
success changed since you first entered this sport 16 years ago
and where you sit today? Yeah, my definition of success
has drastically changed. I think for me, before when I
was younger, it was all about just times and running fast.

(59:05):
And I think as I've gotten olderit's changed more so into how
many races can I win, right? Winning races is a huge part of
the game. And really both are still good.
I can run fast and be successfuland then I can win championships
and also be successful at the same time.
But as I've gotten older, I know, like, winning races is

(59:27):
definitely more important than fast times.
And usually when you win races, the fast times will take care of
itself. And then two, just, yeah, how
many people did I impact along the way in this sport?
And I think that to me is also ahuge definition of success as
well. Like I might not have one

(59:48):
Olympic gold, but I think those around me, I've inspired them to
dream higher and aim higher and show them that it's possible
that if you put your mind to it and stay consistent that your
dreams can come true. And now like people who know me
know that the Olympics isn't impossible.
Like I tell kids all the time, like just keep grinding, keep

(01:00:09):
working, your time will come. So I think that's my new
definition of success. Just how many people can I bring
along with me, and how many people can I uplift and inspire
along the way while still. Being in the pursuit of success,
I think that's what it is too. Just the pursuit of success is
success to me. Like the fact that I'm able to

(01:00:29):
like granted, regardless of whether I may be in the big team
or not, just the pursuit of thatI think is a success in and of
itself because a lot of people wouldn't dare to even try to do
that. So the fact that I was able to
have the opportunities to, you know, go after my Olympic dreams
and then for them to even come true and manifest has just been

(01:00:51):
amazing. Yeah, journey in this or the
yeah, the successes in the journey. 100% would agree.
Just a couple more questions foryou.
Who is in your world or who has been the most inspiring person
from an athletic standpoint? Hey.
The most inspiring person from an athletic standpoint?

(01:01:14):
Oh, that's hard. Like when you've been running
and you're like, you see your shadow on the ground, You're
like, OK, I kind of look like that person.
That's hard because I thought that I've been inspired by so
many people. I bet.
I mean with the people you run with.
I can only imagine. Yeah, I've been inspired by so
many people, but I think if I can pin it down to one person,

(01:01:37):
probably I'd say David Rudisha, the world record holder in the
800. I think when I was younger I was
deeply inspired by him and I used to watch so many of his
races. I actually wanted to race him,
but I never got that opportunity, unfortunately.
But I did get the chance to meethim and I was just like over the

(01:01:58):
moon. I was like, wow, that you're
literally the greatest to ever run this distance.
And so just seeing how he was sodominant in his races was super
inspiring. And I'm just like, yo, this dude
is on 10. Like he has it figured out.
Like he's not losing. And even just before, like when

(01:02:20):
he when he broke the world record, he, you know, went out.
He was typically used to go out hard and just stay in the front
and just win. Then there was another
championship where he was in thefront, but he came through
really slow and he still won. Now I'm just like yo this dude
is different. Yeah, he sets the bar and
everyone follows it. Yeah, definitely deeply inspired
by him, Like, yeah, whichever we've gotten, obviously, like by

(01:02:44):
the time he retired, I was like just coming up as a pro.
So it wasn't, we weren't going to be able to race each other.
So yeah. Yeah, Well, I guess I was going
to ask you for a piece of advice, but I think you really
gave the greatest piece of advice for anyone looking to
really go after anything. It's like find, find the success

(01:03:05):
through the journey. Like you have to be passionate
about it, you have to love it, you have to be consistent.
So I don't think that unless youhave some other piece of advice
that you just have hanging out that you want to share.
I think that that's probably like just so beautiful.
Yeah, definitely. I'm, I guess another piece of
advice I can give is just, yeah,as long as like finding success

(01:03:26):
in that journey is definitely a good one.
And they're also just letting goof the outcome, right?
This being more process orientedrather than results oriented.
And that kind of goes back into finding success in the journey.
But I say all that to say, you're going to find so much,
you're going to spend so much more time in the process, in the

(01:03:46):
grind then you are the the success or the destination.
So really focus and find parts of the journey that you can
absolutely love and enjoy and that will help you in your dream
chasing pursuits or just in yourpursuits in general 'cause
there's beauty in the process, the beauty in, you know, getting

(01:04:08):
better. Like there's so much fun.
Like I look back on my own trackcareer and I'm like, man, I
love, you know how far I've beenable to come and just putting in
the work. So yeah, just continue to put
the work, love the the work morethan the results and good things
will come. Beautiful waiters, thank you so
much for taking the time, letting me ask these questions

(01:04:28):
and just poking proud around your life a bit.
Wish you all the best. I know that you're going to be
trying to qualify again for thisnext Olympic cycle if I'm not
mistaken, correct? Yes, Sir, that's the goal.
Hopefully, you know, all fingerscrossed.
I'll definitely try to shoot forGrant.
I'm taking things one season at a time.
That's right. That's what you got to do.
But yeah, hopefully we'll see it.

(01:04:49):
Yeah. What it When is the next race
that people can maybe look out for in terms of you getting out
there and making something happen?
So this year is a world championship year, it's in
Tokyo, Japan this year and so that's the big race that we're
all trying to qualify for. So hopefully I'll be out there
representing Nigeria. Right on, man.

(01:05:12):
Yeah, Awesome. Well, thank you so much for
taking the time. Yep, thank you so much for
having me. Thank you so much to Itos for
taking the time and allowing me to dive into his life.
As usual. Really appreciate him taking the
time when he is such a busy guy and has so much going on.
It's always cool to connect withdifferent types of athletes, and

(01:05:32):
I have to say I geeked out a little bit on that one because I
really do enjoy running track and the idea of running a 140 to
144-4800 is absolutely bonkers to me.
But really appreciate getting towitness what that looks and
sounds like from his perspective.
So thank you so much, Itos. If you want to sign up for our

(01:05:55):
podcast, make sure. And when I say podcast, I mean
our newsletter, you can do that.They stupid questions dot show
website or check out the links in the show notes.
Make sure to check out the sponsor stuff down there as
well. And if you're on YouTube, if you
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(01:06:17):
grow it and I really appreciate it.
So thank you so much for being here guys, and we will connect
you with you in the next 1. See ya peace.