“There’s nothing quite like it: after all the training you put in, running along the streets with the other runners, knowing all the hard work that they’ve put in and seeing everyone crushing their dreams. It’s an exceptional feeling,” says Nick Youngquest as he runs toward the finish line of the New York City Marathon.
Only it isn’t up yet. The bleachers for the spectator are starting to line the finishing stretch in Central Park, but the finish line is still being constructed when he was doing a run ahead of the big day. Still, his message rings true—there’s something special about running and completing the biggest marathon in the world with an entire city cheering you on.
Although Youngquest, a retired professional Australian rugby-player, may not be from New York originally, he’s become acquainted with the city through his running while living thousands of miles away from his hometown of Sydney.
For the decade that Youngquest played rugby for Australian and English leagues, running was just a byproduct of his sport. Now, he sees things differently.
“Especially as an ex-pat. Sometimes it can be lonely when you’re not from here,” he said. “You can join a running group and it can really fill that void.”
Youngquest is running the marathon as a part of New York Road Runners’ Team for Kids and has been fundraising for the organization’s youth programs for the past three years.
Taking on this role filled another void, too—the one left after the 35-year-old hung up his boots in 2012.
“A lot of athletes can lose sight, and kind of question themselves, and get into a negative mindset when they retire because it feels like it all finishes,” he said. “But [running has] really helped me reactivate those skills and the resilience and my competitive nature.”
At the same time, Youngquest said running allowed him to deal with the impact the sport left on him, particularly with the symptoms from his rugby concussions.
Youngquest said he has also been able to channel the name he’s built for himself over the years into a new avenue—previously, as a rugby player, who gained cheeky notoriety posing nude for a breast cancer awareness calendar, and now, as a model and Paco Rabbane ambassador.
And ultimately, he still enjoys being able to compete. A sprinter at school, Youngquest said he always felt he’d one day want to tackle a marathon, even though the distance seemed daunting back then. Taking on this task after his rugby days meant that when he ran his first NYC Marathon in 2016 in a time of 3:50:58, he earned a new perspective on his previous career.
“Running has taught me how to translate the lessons and skills I learned from rugby into everyday life,” he said.
He’s put in the work, training five days a week for the last four months, together with Michael Rodgers, who helps manage the youth programs for the New York Road Runners. Youngquest is looking for a 3:10 finish on Sunday, and he said he can’t wait to experience the race once again with the roaring crowds and amazing atmosphere.
