Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 21 hours ago
Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic. But he moonlights as a damn good runner.
At 44, he ran a marathon in 2 hours and 29 minutes, making him one of the fastest marathoners his age on the planet. He later set an American age-group record in the 50K. He has run in blazing heat with ice tucked into his hat and in frigid cold with Vaseline dabbed on his nose. He's run up sunny mountain trails and down dark city streets. He has run, and run, and run some more.
His relationship with the sport is the subject of his new memoir, "The Running Ground." It's a book about the fragile boundary between love and obsession, between progress and suffering. And it's about the way we all run in loops: away from the past and then back toward it.
"The Running Ground" is available on Amazon: geni.us/KHHs
4:35 Nick reads from The Running Ground
8:00 On his father: "Not a simple guy"
16:34 How the sport finds you
30:00 A personal best, then a cancer diagnosis
40:56 The four states of running bliss (and how to reach them)
46:29 How Nick got faster in his forties
49:14 The big takeaway
50:33 Want to start running? Do this.
53:14 Is running actually good for you?
***
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Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic. But he moonlights as a damn good runner.
At 44, he ran a marathon in 2 hours and 29 minutes, making him one of the fastest marathoners his age on the planet. He later set an American age-group record in the 50K. He has run in blazing heat with ice tucked into his hat and in frigid cold with Vaseline dabbed on his nose. He's run up sunny mountain trails and down dark city streets. He has run, and run, and run some more.
His relationship with the sport is the subject of his new memoir, "The Running Ground." It's a book about the fragile boundary between love and obsession, between progress and suffering. And it's about the way we all run in loops: away from the past and then back toward it.
"The Running Ground" is available on Amazon: geni.us/KHHs
4:35 Nick reads from The Running Ground
8:00 On his father: "Not a simple guy"
16:34 How the sport finds you
30:00 A personal best, then a cancer diagnosis
40:56 The four states of running bliss (and how to reach them)
46:29 How Nick got faster in his forties
49:14 The big takeaway
50:33 Want to start running? Do this.
53:14 Is running actually good for you?
***
📩 Transform your day in 10 minutes. Enjoy daily, bite‑sized insights from breakthrough nonfiction books—audio or text—straight from the authors. Trusted by 90K+ learners, our editors choose only the books that matter.
🔗 bookoftheday.nextbigideaclub.com
💡Discover the books that matter with the Next Big Idea Club. Curated by Adam Grant, Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink. Beyond just reading, the Next Big Idea Club is a journey. It’s where thought leaders converge, where ideas transform into action, and where books become a gateway to a brighter future.
JOIN US
nextbigideaclub.com
FIND YOUR NEXT READ – Listen to thousands of audio insights (by the authors) in the Next Big Idea App
Apple App Store: apps.apple.com/us/app/next-big-idea-books-in-15min/id1502959151
Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.heleo.nbic
OUR CURATORS
💡 Malcolm Gladwell: Renowned journalist, author, and speaker.
💡 Susan Cain: TED speaker, introvert advocate, bestselling author.
💡 Adam Grant: Noted psychologist, author, and Wharton School professor.
💡 Daniel Pink: Expert author on business, work, and behavior.
If you enjoy the content on our official YouTube channel, please like, subscribe, and thank you for watching!
CONNECT WITH US
Next Big Idea Podcast: pod.link/nextbigidea
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/10026818
Twitter: twitter.com/nextbigideaclub
Instagram: instagram.com/nextbigideaclub
Facebook: facebook.com/nextbigideaclub
Contact: info@nextbigideaclub.com
Subscribe for more insights:
youtube.com/NextBigIdeaClub?sub_confirmation=1
#NextBigIdeaClub
