Who is the nicest Pro runner you've met?

I was able to run at USAs my senior year of college in the 400 hurdles and got eliminated in the semis. As the hurdlers were being ushered out of the officials tent post semis, Bershawn Jackson, fresh off qualifying for the final, came up to each and every collegian that recently got eliminated and congratulated us on our season, and that he hoped to see us all again in the future. He didn't have to do that, going out of his way to be genuinely encouraging and benevolent. I became a big Batman fan that day.

H. Browning Ross. Miss ya Brownie!

Jim Ryun, one of the all-time greats. Look what he did without epo!

Emma Coburn... oh wait, what did you mean by nice?

Meb FTW.

Very nice:

Jon Sinclair

Joseph Nzau

Ibrahim Hussein

Arturo Barrios

Nick Rose

Super very nice:

Bill Rodgers

Dick Beardsley

Martyn Brewer

Brian Sheriff

Nicest of all:

Godfrey Kiprotich

Meb for sure. I met him the day before the 2017 NYC Marathon, and I had just finished the Dash to the Finish 5K (same finish as the marathon). After I finished I was out running a cool down in that general area of Central Park and as I ran down one of the less busy paths I saw Meb and his coach doing some drills in preparation for the race the next day. It was clear that I had just run the race, and he asked me how it went, if I'd had a goal, etc. It was a really cool interaction, and he seemed genuinely interested in hearing about how my race went.

I agree with a bunch of the names already mentioned (Jager, Solinsky, and Sarah Hall) but so I'm not repetitive I could tell you who are some of the more unkind runners I've encountered..... Mac Fleet (huge d bag) and Cory McGee (stuck up) are 2 names that immediately come to mind, ironically they're sub-elite so idk if that counts for the conversation

Eric Jenkins. Super cool guy and really humble. Or Joan Benoit.

I always get autographs from our Los Angeles female stars. So far I have Allyson Felix, Delilah Muhammad, Jordan Hasay, Brenda Martinez, Kate Grace, Jenna Prandini, and older runners we saw in the stands that my Mom knows about Deena Drossin and Mary Decker.

I’ve met quite a few and by far the nicest is Reid Harter. He’s very genuine and unassuming.

Was at USATF indoors this year. Paul Chelimo and Craig Engels were great guys.

Colleen Quigley was unbelievably nice though. I just went up to just give her a high-five on making it to worlds, and she started a conversation with me just asking about me, school, and my running. Super personable and completely unexpected. Was starstruck to say the least

I've met Lagat. What you say is 100% true

1955 wrote:

Never met him, but from every interview I've ever seen of him, I'd have to say Bernard Lagat. Always cheerful, always friendly, always gracious, and always complimentary towards other runners.

Met a lot, and David Torrence was the nicest. Rest In Peace buddy!

I partied with some of the guys after the Travktown NYC meet and Pat Casey was actually a real nice guy and fun to rage with. Curtis Beach too.

When I was in high school, James Carney was just starting his post-collegiate career and was working at a gym in town. I ran into him and got to chat about running a couple of times when I went in to lift while he was working. Really cool guy.

The thing that really sticks with from our few conversations is that I always felt like he was taking me seriously. Even though I was just some 2:10 800m runner, he'd talk to me like my training and goals were just as important as his own.

txRUNNERgirl wrote:

Kyle Merber and Amy (Hastings) Cragg get extra points because they knew I was txRUNNERgirl when I met them. Other than that, I'd say every pro runner I've met has been nice. Some are just more introverted than others, and/or more "intense" before or after a race. That doesn't make them mean.

Agreed. It's such a small and under-appreciated sport, pro runners know that the fans are special.

H

Jordan Hasay , very friendly and approachable

Nice guys right here: wrote:

Very nice:

Jon Sinclair

Joseph Nzau

Ibrahim Hussein

Arturo Barrios

Nick Rose

Super very nice:

Bill Rodgers

Dick Beardsley

Martyn Brewer

Brian Sheriff

Nicest of all:

Godfrey Kiprotich

Come on, you can TIE Bill Rodgers, but you cannot exceed him.

mjh10364 wrote:

I agree with a bunch of the names already mentioned (Jager, Solinsky, and Sarah Hall) but so I'm not repetitive I could tell you who are some of the more unkind runners I've encountered..... Mac Fleet (huge d bag) and Cory McGee (stuck up) are 2 names that immediately come to mind, ironically they're sub-elite so idk if that counts for the conversation

The sub-elites of any sport harbors some bitter, dumb and insecure people. Not saying those you named are really like that, but I know of plenty of others that make it a common occurrence, right down to the level of the 14:5x road w hore.