Aug 13, 2009
Runmichigan.com's Leigh and Nick Interview Views- 413

RMDC: How nervous were you saying your wedding vows on Live TV on the NBC Today Show? And how did you manage not to make a mistake?

Nick: I wasn’t really nervous in general, other than we were told we had 30 seconds for our vows and I didn’t want to run over and have it taken off the back end of the wedding. I went over my vows probably 15 – 20 times in the 2 days before doing them live on air.

Leigh: It was one of the most nerve racking situations of my life. I practiced quite a bit beforehand but was unsure of my ability to remember them under pressure. I was so relieved whenever I got through them.

RMDC: What made you decide to run down the aisle after you were
married (“that was a really cool idea”)?

Leigh: Basically I was dared during the rehersal by a producer to do it. I don’t think she thought I would do it. It was not planned though and it was a spur of the moment thing.

Nick: It was all Leigh and completely last minute – on the spot.

RMDC: What was your overall impression of your wedding day on the
Today Show’s “Throws a Wedding, 10 years of I Do’s”? What do you
think of the Flip video camera? Are you going to miss the early
morning runs in New York City?

Leigh: The overall experience was very surreal but we had the time of our lives. We feel so lucky to have the experience. The flip cams are so much fun and we didn’t realize how great they were until we starting filming our honeymoon excursions. Even though it was fun running in central park early am, it is nice to be back to our normal routine of running on the streets in Ashland Ohio.

Nick: The wedding on the Today Show was great. We are extremely lucky to have the support system we did to help allow us to be in that position. Everything ran smoothly and we didn’t feel like we were on tv. The flip camera is awesome – we got a ton of videos with it from Australia. It is really cool that everyone at the wedding got one. I love being on a schedule and I will not miss running early in NYC. Central Park is cool but there are just too many people for me. I am used to quiet country roads and will take that any day of the week.

RMDC: What was it like going for a run at 3:30am in New York City on the day of your wedding and who did you find that was willing to get up that early for a run?

Nick: Well, the run wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. We had ran at 4:15 am several weeks prior and found it to be really enjoyable as Times Square was all lit up with no people to be seen. This time around, there were a lot of people out and about – Bars had just let out I guess. My good friend and former college teammate Matt Hangen and good friend and former Hanson/Brooks Teammate Ben Rosario met me for the 3:30 am run. I found out that my voice was going on the run as it kept cracking and going out on me – not a good thing before going on national tv in a few hours.


RMDC: What kind of fun things did you get to do on your honeymoon in Australia? And what your favorite place that you got to visit in
Australia?

Nick: We did so many cool things that I will let Leigh talk about all of them. My favorite thing would have to be the helicopter ride to Whitehaven beach and then to a landing pad by the barrier reef. The views were amazing as we saw great shots of coral reef, splashing hump back whales, and great beaches and small islands.

Leigh: We petted Koala’s and Kangaroos – saw parts of the great barrier reef from helicopter and snorkeling, climbed the bridge in Sydney Harbor, took a bike tour around Sydney, had a picnic on Whitehaven beach – got there by helicopter, ran in botanical gardens and around Sydney Opera house, saw Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World and got to feed several sharks/fish/mammals and the like, and we also took surf lessons at Bondi beach. It was a great trip that also included some great food and awesome sights. My favorite thing was the surf lessons.


RMDC: What were some of your favorite runs while you were in Australia?

Nick: Running around Sydney was cool. Going around the Opera house and the Botanical Gardens was very relaxing and extremely scenic.

Leigh: I like the Botanical Gardens as well the most.



RMDC: Will we see both of you again on TV anytime soon?


Nick: The producers tell us that we will be on again at the end of the month but we don’t have a date set yet.




RMDC: Now that you are back from your honeymoon and all the excitement from the NBC’s Today show how do you get back focused on your coaching and running?


Nick: Our coaching mode has never been turned off as we are always talking about the team and the upcoming seasons. Our own training did take a small beating the past 2 months. Getting back on a normal schedule of sleep goes a long way. Being able to wake up in your house and run the loops you love to run without being on somebody else’s schedule should be all we need to get back at it. Looking forward to getting in some fall xc races that will lead into a great indoor/outdoor season.

Leigh: We were excited to come back and get ready for the upcoming cross country season. This will be our first season coaching together as husband and wife. We love our routine and life here in Ashland and although we had a lot of fun along the way, we are excited to start up the season.



RMDC: Leigh can you provide us some of your thoughts on what we might see from 2009 Ashland University Women’s Cross Country Team? What will your team need to do to have a successful season in the GLIAC? What are looking forward to most about Cross Country this fall?


Leigh: I have a large class of freshmen coming in this year and some key returners. We have hopes of being top 5 in conference and top 10 in region. Everyone will need to stay healthy and positive and that might require me to pull them from their school books every once and awhile (2nd best Team GPA in country last year) .



RMDC: Nick can you provide us some of your thoughts on what we might see from 2009 Ashland University Men’s Cross Country Team? After making it to the NCAA Division II Championships in Slippery Rock, what will you have to do to get back to the Championships in the 2009 season? What are looking forward to most about Cross Country this fall?


Nick: Our men’s team will be a work in progress after losing 4 of our top 7 and redshirting the other 3. We still have a good supporting cast and some good newcomers but making nationals is not a realistic goal – as much as I dislike saying that. We are really gearing up for a monster 2 years after next year. I am really looking forward to watching older runners step up and the freshmen getting their feet wet and learning the system. After our men’s track team was named the “NCAA Scholar Team of the Year” and our xc team was named an Academic All American – we have a new standard for academics here. It will be fun to keep the guys on pace for success in the classroom and competition field.


RMDC: Do either one of you have any major running events you are
training for? And when will we see you racing again?

Leigh: Other than a couple local Ohio races, I plan on running in the US Fall XC Championships in Kentucky this December.

Nick: I was hoping for a barn burner of a ½ marathon at summers end but that is scratched due to current fitness. The All-Ohio XC race and the Fall XC Championships will be my two biggest races in the next 4 months.


RMDC: Any other thoughts or comments on the entire experience of the Today Show’s “Throws a Wedding, 10 years of I Do’s”?

Leigh: We were blown away by the support we were shown by friends and family. We will never forget the excitement of this summer.

Nick: TV wasn’t as nerve racking as I thought it would be. As dorky as we probably looked, it was pretty fun and something I will look back on and feel good about.