Interview with: Nick Willis

by Shannon Martin

Nick Willis, 24, a New Zealander living in Ann Arbor Michigan, has drawn international attention after winning a gold medal in the 1500 meters at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in March. He holds the New Zealand national record in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:32.38. Willis’s personal bests include 1:45.54 in the 800 meters, 3:32.38 in the 1500 meters, 3:52.75 in the mile, 7:44.90 in the 3000-meter, and 13:27.54 in the 5000-meter.

Willis ran for the University of Michigan, where he was the 2005 NCAA indoor champion in the mile and a 7-time All-American. Willis was also a semifinalist in the 5000 meters at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Mensracing.com caught up with Willis a day before he headed out to New York City for the Reebok Grand Prix, where he competed in the mile.

MensRacing.com: It’s been over a year since we interviewed you and you have accomplished so much since then, including a Gold at Commonwealth. So congratulations on that! After putting Commonwealth under your belt, do you have any specific goal you are working on for Reebok this weekend and for the rest of the season?
Nick Willis: Thank you. Well, for Reebok specifically, my primary goal is to improve my personal best of 3:52. I’d like to win the race, but I’d be very happy to place in the top three, with a PB time. I placed fourth in LA [at the Adidas Track Classic], so placing in the top three in NYC would be an improvement

This is a long season. There are 16 weeks until the World Cup, so I would like to show continued improvement throughout the season. [The World Cup is an IAAF sponsored track and field competition. The IAAF's 10th Annual World Cup will take place this year in Athens, Greece.]

MR: You plan on running a couple of Golden Leagues, right?
NW: That’s right. I plan on running Paris and Brussels, and also four other Grand Prix races in Europe. Hopefully I will have scored enough points to qualify for the Grand Prix final in Stuttgart on September 9.

MR: I read that a major goal that you have this year is to improve your world ranking in the 1500/mile. Tell me a bit more about that.
NW: Yes, my big goal for the year is to aim for the top 10 in the world rankings. Right now, I think I am 18th [he is, right behind Craig Mottram who is ranked 17th]. I’d love to make the top five, but I won’t know how realistic a goal that is until the middle of the season.

I’m really enjoying my training and my training approach at the moment. I am learning to be more patient with workouts, and races, and giving my body plenty of recovery between hard days to adapt to the training. This approach will hopefully help me have more consistency throughout the entire season and continued improvement right up to the final races in September. I have no major championships to concentrate on. All the races I am running will be big races, but none of them will have long-term implications, so I really have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

MR: So basically, since you are preparing for multiple races instead of one big race, you have to tweak your training in such a way that allows you to compete in multiple races and to continually improve your time and performance.
NW: That’s right. Though this statement will contradict itself, I am going to be training through each race, but also tapering for each race as well. This means maintaining the volume of training, but being very careful with intensity. It is possible to taper without dropping the volume so long as my pace slows and vise versa.

MR: I think this is a great approach, to gradually get yourself to where you want to be in September. I know that you like competing in distances like the 3000 and 5000 as well. Will you be competing in these events over the next few months or no?
NW: In the past, I enjoyed mixing things up, to experiment and see how I liked different events. In order to reach the top 10 ranking in the mile, though, I need to focus only on that race because I will need to have to have six meets to score the required points; that’s how they calculate your ranking. So, my training now is focused on the mile. This is very different for me because I usually do not run six serious 1500/mile races in a season. It will be an exercise of discipline for me too.

MR: So, tell me a bit about your current training regimen. Are you continuing to train under Ron Warhurst’s guidance?
NW: Yes, Ron and I collaborate to develop my training. I have about 50 percent control and he has about 50 percent control. What usually happens is he will plan the type of training that I do and I will figure out how to work it into my schedule. We then bounce ideas off of each other, and experiment to see what works. I am fortunate in that he is happy to give me the final say in my training, because I prefer to hold responsibility for my own performances. This means I have no one to blame but myself if things are not going well, but I can celebrate with those who help me when success comes.

I am also learning to listen to other athletes and coaches for ideas. In the past I have been stubborn and sought very little help from others, but I am finally realizing how much can be gained once I let go of my pride; it’s tough. Jason Stewart [an 800-meter New Zealand Olympian] has been staying with me for a month and it has been great to learn from him. He has been emphasizing the importance of recovery days, which in the past involved 8-10 miles running at 6:20/mile pace. Now I’m learning that it’s OK to take it really easy and just get moving fast enough to get the blood flowing. This is something the Africans have mastered, but I still have a lot to learn.

MR: Let’s talk about your family. Your older brother [Steve Willis, the 1998 Division II national 1500-meter champ for Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado] is a talented runner as well. Did he inspire you?
NW: Yes, definitely. He was a sub-4 minute miler, and just the fact that he is eight years older than me really helped me to gain insight. He showed me what was possible with running. He was able to go to the other side of the world on a running scholarship. So, I thought if someone in my own family can accomplish this, then I can probably accomplish it too.

I also learned from his misfortunes. I was able to avoid the many stumbling blocks that he had to endure in his career and in life. The path was already laid out before me and it made it much easier having someone to ask for advice before I would make a major mistake. There were many times I didn’t want to listen, but deep down I was affected from his guidance, which saved me from many injuries and personal pains.

MR: One thing that comes to mind when I think about your running career is your mental strength. Like at Commonwealth, you had just recovered from a virus and still went in with incredible strength and determination. Does your faith help fuel your mental strength?
NW: I can say that as a little kid, playing rugby and running at ages 6 or 7, I was probably mentally tougher than I am now. I am like everybody in that I have times when I feel overwhelmed.

My faith definitely helps to keep me level-headed, however. My faith has taught me that at the end of the day, whether I win or lose, I am still the same person. I was always a confident racer, but my idea of a performance-based life has been thrown out the window. I’ve learned that it’s just as important to enjoy what you do as it is to be successful at it. As I’ve learned to stop comparing myself to others and stop judging them, I have stopped judging myself. This freedom has enabled me to learn how to help others. When I was self-consumed in my own performance, I never had the time (or confidence) to think I could make a difference in other people’s lives. It is amazing to see how many people look up to athletes as role models, just because they can play a sport well. It just blows me away that God has chosen me to have this platform to make a difference. Now when I run, I feel it is an honor to be an ambassador for the Christian faith. Many doors have been opened to me that I could have never dreamed possible, and that is the greatest motivation for me when I get out of bed – to be available for any opportunity that God has planned for me. Right now that just happens to be running professionally, and seeing the world.

As for the Commonwealths, my faith helped me to thrive on the occasion. After being sick for a week, my health was finally back to 100 percent on race day, so I knew that many people’s prayers were being answered. Standing on the start line in front of 85,000 screaming Australians, the big rivals of New Zealand, I had an amazing sense of peace, and was ready to run my heart out.

MR: That’s a wonderful way to relieve the pressure of competition. Has your faith helped you throughout your running career?
NW: I became a Christian three years ago and since then, it has really helped me to grow as a person. After the Olympic Games, I suffered a severe femur injury that forced me to take a three month break from running. I was able to thoroughly enjoy my time off, however, and it was a huge period of growth for me. It helped me to put the big picture into perspective, so I was a more balanced person and a stronger runner when I came back to the track.

I struggle everyday with the temptations that can come with life as a professional runner. There is a lot of money involved, drugs are prevalent in our sport, and it is easy to become self-consumed and think the whole world revolves around my own training. My faith is always there to serve as a reminder to what’s important in life. I mess up, I am guilty of many things people think that Christians shouldn’t do, but the conviction that comes to my heart is the greatest proof to me that my faith is true and that I am able to repent and move on. Christ died for those of us who are messed up, not those who are perfect. But that motivates me to follow His calling and help others to experience this freedom.

On UofM’s campus I am involved with a group called Athletes in Action. As a sophomore I was blessed to have some great seniors on the football and baseball teams mentor me and help show how to be a man of God. Now I have the opportunity to help mentor some of the younger athletes on campus and contribute to the great ministry that AIA has provided to many colleges around the world.

MR: I understand that you work with children too. Can you tell me more about that? Do you coach children?
NW: In the last year especially I have been asked to speak at many schools and organizations. Last night I went and talked to a middle school sports awards ceremony. There were 120 12-and 13-year-olds and their parents. It was very encouraging to see how the kids viewed their sport and a good reminder of why I originally got involved. Not for the money, not for the accolades, but for the fun and the challenge.

I was never a confident public speaker and could have never imagined being able to capture an audience for five minutes let alone an hour. Each time I am blown away that people are actually interested to hear what I say, and that they can take a lot away from it.

MR: Now that you are out of college, where do you see yourself settling down to train?
NW: I like Ann Arbor a lot, and when I was in New Zealand from January until April of this year, I liked that too. It’s nice to be able to leave winter in the Northern Hemisphere to train in the Southern Hemisphere. So, I can see myself sticking to this for a while.

It’s nice because I also have a great community of friends in both places. Many families have adopted me as one of their own here in Michigan, so I am very blessed to have such amazing support on both sides of the globe.

I just plan on enjoying running, enjoying what I’m called to do, to continue traveling across the world and to continue trying to be a good role model.

MR: That’s such a great approach to running and life! Thanks so much for your time, Nick. Anything else you would like to add?
NW: Just that I am really excited to go to New York. I haven’t been there since the winter of 2001 and wasn't able to do much sightseeing. I’m excited to see the Statue of Liberty, to run, and to have another crack at trying to get a 3:50 mile.

Editor's Update: Willis finished in second place at the Reebok Grand Prix. His time was 3:55.56.

Interview conducted May 31, 2006, and posted June 2, 2006.