Nike's Geoff Hollister Continues to Inspire

Steve Prefontaine and Geoff Hollister worked together
to promote Nike shoes in the company's infancy.

If quotes can sometimes inspire, the people behind those quotes most definitely do.

One of Nike’s original employees, Geoff Hollister, was regarded not only for testing early prototype running shoes and selling the brand’s early kicks, but also for his advocacy for running as a worthwhile endeavor before the running boom.

Hollister died in 2012 after a long battle with cancer. Around that time Nike dedicated a trail on the Nike campus to Hollister’s memory. A sign along the trail caught my eye recently and serves as a solid reminder of how our lives (and our running endeavors) inextricably involve others.

“It’s not about how long you live but how you contribute. It’s about doing your best and doing the right thing. It’s about recovering from your mistakes and not giving up. It’s about the baton pass to the new generation. It’s about the realization that you can not go it alone. It takes a team," Hollister said.

Hollister had quite a team. His early sales work was alongside running legend Steve Prefontaine, who helped build the grassroots support for Nike shoes among elite runners in Europe and America while Hollister himself focused on the Pacific Northwest. He joined Phil Knight in 1967, to help him sell Tiger shoes for Blue Ribbon Sports, the precursor to Nike. And he, along with Knight and Bill Bowerman, formed Athletics West, an American running team aimed at helping post-collegiate and elite athletes continue to perform at a high level.

Alberto Salazar winning his third New York City
Marathon in 1982. LANE STEWART/SI/GETTY

The many runners who donned the Athletics West singlet were my inspiration through the 1980’s – Alberto Salazar, Henry Marsh, Mary Decker-Slaney, and Joan Benoit-Samuleson, just to name a few. My team, my motivation, were the runners who were on the cutting edge of performance. And while most of my running was a solitary effort, the motivation, training, comaraderie, only came from the group -- the collective runners of the time.

I often pictured myself wearing the white and red singlet like the one Salazar was wearing when he crossed the finish line at the New York City Marathon -- three times a champion. It represented excellence in running to me. And the pictures of track athletes and marathoners in their Athletics West garb fueled many hours of training for me.

These days, I find similar motivation. The trail runners who are breaking new ground, through FKT attempts, or through time-smashing performances over long distances all inspire. The teams of athletes from Salomon who train around the world; the teams of runners in high altitude locales of Boulder or Flagstaff, who despite differing sponsors and coaches, share the spirit of their mutual effort daily.

But running can be a fickle mistress sometimes. All the motivation, group runs, breakthrough training techniques, and big-company cash flow can all be torn asunder without the individual having the wherewithal to get 'er done. 

As I researched his lifetime of contributions, what stood out to me about Geoff Hollister is that he understood the importance of both the group and the individual. He gave first and foremost to the running community, regular people who wanted run. At the same time, he also developed himself into a fine collegiate steeplechaser. As much as he understood the importance of giving back, he understood the deep desire of most runners -- to develop ourselves into the best we can be. Hollister may have been mindful of this when he said:

"May you have air in your lungs, life in your legs, have the wind at your back and wings on your feet."

Amen, brother.

Imitating the Bearded Runner

Gordy Ainsleigh

Will a beard make me a better ultra runner? Legendary mountain ultra runners with beards abound -- Gordy Ainsleigh, Rob Krar, Timothy Olsen, Anton Krupicka, Hal Koerner, Jeff Browning, Geoff Roes, Mike Wardian, Karl Meltzer, Jason Schlarb, Nick Clark, Zach Bitter, Luke Nelson, Brian Tinder, Sean Meissner, Jacob Puzey, Rickey Gates, Ty Draney, Ultrapedestrian Ras and many others give facial hair more than a casual commitment.

Why do athletes competing in Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) races have beards? Because of Gordy Ainsleigh? Or Grizzly Adams?

Grizzly Adams

Or Forrest Gump perhaps?

Both Grizzly Adams and our fictionalized across-America-racer Forrest Gump are characters who have become part of our collective memory with full faces of hair. And as we continue to add to the list of our human experience in the ultra community, beards will be a part of that story.

But let's face it, (haha, face it) growing a beard, some epic Ian Torrence chops, or a Snidely Whiplash mustache like Rickey Gates, will not transform us magically into legendary mountain runners.

Running like an animal will. Training with a single-minded focus will. And drawing from the talents and experiences of our ultra community will.

What I find inspiring about mountain ultra runners, with or without beards, is their ability to dream big, fully dedicate themselves and their lives, and to work hard in the face of challenges. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, there's a reason we're seeing so many beards. But I've found a few more things to emulate besides facial hair. Some of the best (bearded) runners of the land have a novel and noteworthy approach to life, training, and meeting/exceeding the challenges ahead.

Forrest Gump

The bearded Rob Krar, left, and Timothy Olsen, right, at Western States in 2013.

Beards aside, I recently revisited an iRunFar Post 2014 WS 100 iRunFar Interview with our most celebrated beard in ultrarunning -- that of Rob Krar. After his win at the 2014 Western States 100, he told iRunFar a couple of noteworthy things about Recognizing the Complications of Ultra Training; Goal Setting; In-Race Focus; and Visualization.

"Training for ultras, it's a whole world of complications, and time commitments, and sacrifices," Krar said about his training leading up to being the Western States champion. And Krar explained that at the time he was still adjusting to meeting those challenges. Noteworthy 1: Recognize the Complications.

In Travis Macy's new book, the Ultra Mindset, we learn that these challenges and setbacks are all good mental training. Clearly, our family, life, work, and training regimen combined can create some stresses that Macy explains should be our opportunity to further develop our mental fortitude for our endurance endeavors.

It was at the 2013 Western States 100 that Rob Krar set the goal to win in 2014.

For Krar, another key moment
was while sitting in a chair next to Western States Champion Timothy Olsen in 2013. It was here that he quietly decided to go for the win in 2014. "I've never set such a lofty and long-range goal for myself," Krar told iRunFar. "And to see it all come to fruition and validate the hard work and the sacrifices -- incredibly satisfying," Krar said of his win. Noteworthy 2: Set Challenging Goals.

Noteworthy 3: Focus. We hear athletes of all stripes say how much mental focus it takes to be a champion. When Krar was asked about other high points along the trail during his 100-mile win at Western States, he couldn't point to highlights along 100 miles and 15 hours of trail running -- and for good reason. "I was incredibly focused the entire race," he said. And he wouldn't let the distractions in until he was almost home, when in the last mile, "I let the emotions start to flow."

Finally, this, Noteworthy 4: Visualize Often. "I don't think there is a day that's gone by the past year where I didn't imagine setting foot on that track," said Krar of his mindset in preparing for Western. So, visualize early and visualize often. Don't shave it for later.

(Not So) Hard Core

Just 13 months ago I jumped into the Pullman Winter Ultra with options for 1, 2, 3, or 4 loops of a 12.5 kilometer road course. I knew my longest run was only 10 miles, but figured I could gut out at least three loops, maybe four.  Racing through 37.5 kilometers on a rainy, windy January day in lovely Pullman, Washington was tough, but not unbearable. I opted not to complete the last loop, pack it in, and get some food with Milissa who had patiently waited for me to complete my run and be my roadside aid station over the 3 hours and 40 minutes I was running.
Recovering from the race brought about a host of new pains and soreness in my hips than I had ever experienced before -- a welcoming party for training and racing in my 40's. Clearly, this was not something I'd felt so dramatically before, even after marathons, ultras, road races, trail races, or any other feats of abandon.
After going to a physical therapist to treat my hip pain, I struck up a conversation with a physical therapist/runner during one of my sessions. "Why now?" I asked of all my persistent hip pain.
"Well, you're not a kid anymore and you're not the athlete you once were."
Ouch.
"I'm guessing you do a lot of sitting at your job," he continued. "And driving places."
"Uh-huh."
"And you probably don't do as many sports as you used to."
Nope.
"And your transversus abdominus isn't keeping up with your need to stabilize your core when you take a stride while running."
"My what?"
"Your core sucks."
"Oh." And here I thought I was doing OK for 44, but evidently not.
What I had done is called complacency, resting on the idea that I'd always be capable of coordinated sport-like endeavors because I am just naturally an athletic type. Nope.
We went about testing my core, trying to engage my transversus abdominis without contracting my traditional abs. My physical therapist placed two fingers in between my obliques and my abdominals pushing in until he could feel my transversus abdominis -- "Now just contract your core -- not your abs." The verdict wasn't good. I could barely engage it on command.
After weeks of doing "engagement exercises" with my core, my rating, according to the physical therapist was, "Meh," on a scale of "Meh to 10."
"You've got some work to do." And so it began. Before starting my series of back kicks, leg raises, planks, bridges, and the like for my hips, I would seek to engage my deep core first.
And even as I run trails and attack uphills, technical terrain, or prepare for a downhill, I actively engage my transversus abdominis to the extent possible while running.
A year later, I've gradually gained momentum on my core exercises -- moving steadily from basic planks to more active planks, to weighted exercises, to more advanced core exercises with a swiss ball.
Luckily, there are tons of exercises available to keep our core -- hips, lower back, central back, and glutes -- prepared for running. And nothing is more challenging to our support muscles than running on technical mountain terrain. So, I've tried to take a little bit of everything into my regimen.
My Pullman wake up call has served me well. When I don't have time to go to the gym, I do planks or exercises in my office at work. When I do have time, I complete my running workout and finish off at the gym with some advanced planks, bodyweight exercises, or weighted exercises focusing on all four planes -- back, belly, and left/right obliques.
I also work my trouble spots. I still have some trouble with my hip and fight that deficiency by focusing on my single-leg romanian deadlifts -- a few more on my weak side or by doing some weighted kick-backs using a machine at the gym. If you feel like you need some guidance on strengthening your core, hips, glutes, or back muscles. I've found great resources on Competitor.com's website: Strength Training for Runners or on the McMillan Running site McMillan Running Core Routine.
And I've totally recovered from not being as "Hard Core" as I thought.