The Wisconsin Runner Podcast

The loaded Wisconsin high school class of 2009 saw a proliferation of talent, producing a year in which it took 9:15 to make the medal stand in the 3200m. The man standing on that final podium position, John Simons of Arrowhead, had a weekend that looked to be the peak of an athletic career years in the making, bringing home two individual medals (though none higher than 5th place), as well as taking part in his team's runner-up 4x800m relay, culminating in a dominant team state championship for the Warhawks. His performances were significant breakthroughs, yet Simons, like several other members of Wisconsin's Sub-4 Club, was far from the most sought after talent coming out of the state that year. What may have appeared to others as a culmination was really a launching point.

With a college career that included transferring, uncertainty, disappointing performances, and a struggle to find the success he knew he was capable of, John once again burst forth on to the scene, this time on the NCAA level, with a now legendary performance at an indoor last chance meet at Notre Dame in 2013.

This episode is an excerpt from a forthcoming full-length episode with John, now an assistant coach at Dartmouth University. Keep an eye out for a great conversation about the full scope of John's career and some phenomenal insights on the power of self-belief in the days to come!