Nick Thompson on Running, Fatherhood, and Staying Fast at 50

Nick Thompson has spent his life chasing big stories and finish lines. In this episode of The Trailhead, The Atlantic CEO and author of The Running Ground joins Zoë Rom and Brendan Leonard to talk about running through life’s hardest moments—from a cancer diagnosis at 30 to balancing elite marathon training with parenthood and a demanding media career.
Nick opens up about why running became his anchor through chaos and change, the parallels between journalism and endurance sports, and the lessons he’s learned about aging, resilience, and identity. Zoë and Brendan dive into what aging athletes often get wrong about decline, the emotional threshold of a “real” ultra (and the world’s shortest one), and how Nick squeezes sub-3 marathons into a 60-hour workweek.

Along the way, the hosts reflect on parenting as endurance training, finish-line family moments, and why run commuting deserves a comeback.

🎧 The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports is out now from Penguin Random House.

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🏃‍♂️ Featured Race: Peacock Gap Trail Run — a love letter to Bay Area trails at China Camp State Park: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx...

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