Georgetown (by way of CT) middle distance ace Spencer Brown's YouTube series, "The Athlete Special" has once again returned to the platform with the beginning of the NCAA cross country season to do what few other running related YouTube channels do: produce actual running content.
The first two episodes cover Georgetown's season-opening races at Penn State and Wisconsin, and once again provide viewers with an insightful and unique inside look at the collegiate athletics experience on a very personal level. While the newer episodes feature some snazzier camera work from Brown's teammates, longtime viewers will still find plenty of Spencer's classic iPhone footage and endearingly simple editing.
And it's ultimately this rawness, which has been present from the start and has never wavered, that makes this channel so unique. "The Athlete Special" stands in stark contrast to the hyper-edited content of someone like Ryan Trahan (a former Texas A&M commit who coerced his entire recruiting class to drop out of college such that they could use the followings their running had garnered them to profit from more typical YouTube content), or Emma Abrahamson (a former Oregon distance athlete who ultimately decided to vlog about CrossFit and vegan eating).
This is not to say that these other channels are devoid of quality content. But while their metrics may dwarf those of Spencer Brown, his much smaller fan club is given access to the training of someone who wins all-american awards and toes the line against pros in July. It's not always pretty, and it doesn't always go well for our hero. There's the failed sub 4 attempt, the obvious exhaustion of late summer tempos in the heat of Connecticut, and the drudge of a Christmas Day long run. Throughout theses highs and lows, one becomes acquainted with the rest of the Hoyas, but also get to watch as Spencer links up with some of the NCAA's best for off season sessions.
Brown's passion and dedication to his sport is evident in every episode, and when he medals at Big Easts (a few times already, this kid is GOOD) or runs 3:41.9 you get a real sense of what that accomplishment means to him. It's worth a watch.