Geoff Hollister: The Missed Interview
Geoff Hollister: The Missed Interview
Geoff Hollister: The Missed Interview
He was the interview I never did. He was a running partner for a day, and I will not forget it.
In 1999 I volunteered at the Bob Kennedy and Todd Williams Running Camp held during the USATF Championships in Eugene. High school runners from around the country came to the camp to get an inside look at the championships and hear from greats in track and field. Geoff Hollister, a Nike co-founder, gave one of the best talks, and his passion still resonates in me.
Hollister gave a running tour for the campers on what he and his wife Wendy called the “Touchstone Run.” Whenever they came to Eugene they ran this route and remembered people in their lives. The run included Pre’s Rock, of course, among other landmarks in Eugene. I recall him saying that they would stop at each spot to remember special people from their past.
Fast forward 10 years. It is 2009, and I once again headed to Eugene for the USATF meet. I called a coach who was close to Hollister and got his phone number. I asked him if he was going to Eugene and if we could do the Touchstone Run together on camera. He let me know he had been battling cancer for a number of years, and the treatments damaged his lungs to the point where he could not run for long periods of time. Being a distance runner at heart, he told me the exact distance he could run before walking (from what I recall he was not running much at the time). Running was still firmly embedded in his core.
It was brutal to hear that this legend, who was Nike’s third employee behind Phil Knight and Steve Prefontaine, could not run. They way he spoke about the sport was incredible, and it was hard for me to think of him being unable to run. Think of Arnold Palmer laying down the club permanently. It is hard to imagine.
Hollister did come to the 2009 USATF meet, but we did not connect. The Touchstone Run was filled with stories of Steve Prefontaine that went far beyond movie portrayal. I could tell that this Hollister, above his brilliance at Nike, was a man that I wanted to simply hear. His stories were not only insightful, but I could tell that many respected him. I regret the fact that I did not pursue him that weekend, but I am forever thankful that we had a brief interaction.
Check out this nice article from the Register Guard on Geoff Hollister.
In 1999 I volunteered at the Bob Kennedy and Todd Williams Running Camp held during the USATF Championships in Eugene. High school runners from around the country came to the camp to get an inside look at the championships and hear from greats in track and field. Geoff Hollister, a Nike co-founder, gave one of the best talks, and his passion still resonates in me.
Hollister gave a running tour for the campers on what he and his wife Wendy called the “Touchstone Run.” Whenever they came to Eugene they ran this route and remembered people in their lives. The run included Pre’s Rock, of course, among other landmarks in Eugene. I recall him saying that they would stop at each spot to remember special people from their past.
Fast forward 10 years. It is 2009, and I once again headed to Eugene for the USATF meet. I called a coach who was close to Hollister and got his phone number. I asked him if he was going to Eugene and if we could do the Touchstone Run together on camera. He let me know he had been battling cancer for a number of years, and the treatments damaged his lungs to the point where he could not run for long periods of time. Being a distance runner at heart, he told me the exact distance he could run before walking (from what I recall he was not running much at the time). Running was still firmly embedded in his core.
It was brutal to hear that this legend, who was Nike’s third employee behind Phil Knight and Steve Prefontaine, could not run. They way he spoke about the sport was incredible, and it was hard for me to think of him being unable to run. Think of Arnold Palmer laying down the club permanently. It is hard to imagine.
Hollister did come to the 2009 USATF meet, but we did not connect. The Touchstone Run was filled with stories of Steve Prefontaine that went far beyond movie portrayal. I could tell that this Hollister, above his brilliance at Nike, was a man that I wanted to simply hear. His stories were not only insightful, but I could tell that many respected him. I regret the fact that I did not pursue him that weekend, but I am forever thankful that we had a brief interaction.
Check out this nice article from the Register Guard on Geoff Hollister.
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