One Season to Go Before Hanging Up His Spikes

By Scott Bush

A businessman first and runner second? That's how Nick Symmonds defines himself in a recent piece written by the New York Times, profiling the six-time U.S. outdoor 800-meter champion. For all of his success on the track, Symmonds has made his name far more recognizable off of it – and his brand will get one more boost this season, as he runs a farewell tour during his 2017 season, deciding to step off the track come season's end.

Over his career, Symmonds has:

• Run for Nike, winning multiple national titles
• Signed with Brooks, winning multiple national titles
• Won a world championship medal
• Worked to get a date with Paris Hilton
• Become a leading advocate of athletes' rights, especially around sponsorship
• Criticized Russia's strict stance on gay rights
• Sued USATF and the USOC
• Was the man to beat for the U.S. title for over half a decade
• Loved putting temporary tattoos on his arms, whether that be a T-Mobile logo, auctioning off the space, or sporting RunGum logos
• Competed in American Ninja Warrior
• Sat out the 2015 World Championship in protest of what athletes were having to wear at certain times

There were plenty of other significant statements made by Symmonds over the years, but it was this constant balance of performing at an impressive level on the track while speaking out at an incredible level off of it that made him a recognizable name in the general sporting public.

Owning a silver medal from the 2013 World Championships, the fourth-fastest 800 time in American history and a half-dozen U.S. outdoor titles to his name, one would think Symmonds could lay claim to being one of the all-time great American two-lap runners. While certainly the case, Symmonds' legacy will live on more for being outspoken than being a champion on the track.