Nick Willis - the inside track
You don’t get to the top of any sports code now without a heap of grit and determination, as well raw talent. The life of a top athlete is demanding and tough. Once more New Zealand is a real contender in the 1500 track with Nick Willis after a long drought since John Walker. Once more we have a star to make the 1500 interesting.
Nick Willis captured the world’s attention after taking gold in the 1500m at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. But was it a one-hit wonder? Well, in 2005 Nick was the National Collegiate Athletic Association indoor champion for the mile... he also ran a 3:32.17 race for the 1500m in Paris last year and broke the national record. He was also second in the prestigious Fifth Avenue Mile. And Nick is not just a miler or 1500m specialist as he has also clocked 1:45.54 for the 800m. That means Nick is running at approximately 27.5km an hour in an 800m event. That’s outrageously quick. Now he is aiming for bigger things and the 2008 Olympic Games is beckoning.
An Olympic-class athlete has to be careful with training and preparation and Nick has had his fair share of injuries. In December 2006 he suffered a splintered shin bone which meant that his usual training was suspended for two months and he concentrated on alternatives such as swimming. He feels that he is now up to 85 percent of his normal training regime. Nick is optimistic and he believes that the two-month break allowed him to rest and gave him an opportunity to recharge. It was a platform from which to move forward.
While he has proved to his critics that he is versatile with his abilities there has to be a specific focus with the Games fast approaching. Nick also has to take on the world’s best in these competitions. When asked who the toughest competitors were and what events he would be aiming for, he did not hesitate. “The focus is definitely on the 1500m and I am also looking at the 800m and the 5000m but I’m still trying to figure where my long-term future lies. The tough competitors are mostly from Africa - the Kenyans, Moroccans and Algerians. In Africa there may be a thousand guys focussing on being the best runner in the world whereas in New Zealand there may be only one or two. If Alex Chipchirr fails in Kenya, they have a lot more to fall back on. There is also stiff competition with the guys from the Ukraine, France, Spain and the USA.” Next big stop will be in August at the world championships in Osaka where Nick says that the 1500m event will be a good opportunity to measure his performance for the Olympics, as the time zone is similar and the month is the same.
An important cog in the wheel of Nick’s success has been the support from Reebok - they have been behind him all the way and their sponsorship has allowed him to concentrate on athletics full-time. It has helped him to be accepted in the American Collegiate scene and Nick believes that he has been well received.
Nick is fortunate in that running is very much in his blood, with older brother, Steve, a talented 1500m champ for Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado. Nick says that Steve showed him what was possible with running and he was also able to see the stumbling blocks that his brother faced and could therefore take evasive action. He also had someone to turn to for advice as Steve had done it all before.
How did Nick become a Christian? He says that it started when he went to the USA - he was impacted by senior students who were excellent role models of what it meant to be godly men. It inspired him to seek out God for himself. Then he met Bruce Dishnow from Athletes in Action. “After six weeks I became a Christian. Since then Bruce has been a great mentor to me. He and his family have opened their home to me, so much so that I was best man at a family wedding - it was a real honour. Bruce has been a source of stability. He is slightly removed from the sport and College scene so he can offer an unbiased opinion to me.”
On the subject of accountability in his life, Nick feels that this is very important and he meets once or twice a week for Bible studies with Bruce. He also formed an accountability group with five guys that he met through Campus Crusade for Christ and they got together every Sunday night for a year, which was a challenge due to their various commitments. Nick says that they were instrumental in his spiritual growth. That group has now disbanded as some have graduated and they’re scattered around the States, but they have remained good friend
In what ways did they impact on Nick spiritually? He believes that they grew as brothers. They agreed on a mission statement that would encompass time in the Word, their physical purity and also their emotional purity. They would each take half an hour to go through those areas and then pray. This mission statement formed the benchmark for the group. If some had a bad week and were struggling, it could easily have pulled the group downwards if they were not focused primarily on biblical solutions. Nick says, “Tackling really small areas makes handling the big areas easy.”
These guys became Nick’s 3:00 am friends – he could call them at any time if he felt tempted or was facing issues. They were all at similar stages, ending college, thinking about employment, as well as girlfriends and marriage.
According to Nick, his own girlfriend realises that men need male friends and Christian accountability. It’s been her expectation that he will have accountability in his life with other guys.
Even though Nick has travelled extensively, he believes that accountability can be a problem for people. He says that it is okay with the support of friends, groups and others. He boarded with a Christian Kiwi family living in Germany last year while he was competing. Their support through prayer meant that he was continuously encouraged and excited about the travel and the opportunities to share his faith.
Nick’s family live in Lower Hutt and they attend the Baptist church. Although he was raised in a Christian home, as kids they were allowed to make their own decisions about faith. However, as adults they have since all become committed Christians. Nick says that he’s always had a good relationship with his dad, although sometimes he has chosen to be distant due to his life choices at the time. His father is his number one fan and a great supporter of his racing career. His mum died when Nick was young and his father remarried when he was ten years old.
Nick Willis certainly has had to fight the odds, but his faith in Jesus Christ will ensure that he will always be a winner long after the 2008 Olympic Games are just a fading memory, and a testimony to the abilities that the Lord has blessed him with.