We’ve thrilling information for followers of The Shakeout Podcast! After an in depth search, Canadian Operating has discovered the right host to guide the subsequent chapter—somebody already well-known within the Canadian observe and subject group. Meet John Homosexual, the 2020 Olympic males’s 3,000m steeplechase finalist, who is able to convey new views and insights to the podcast every week.
The 28-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., sees The Shakeout Podcast as the right platform to merge his ardour for journalism together with his intensive information of working. “I’ve all the time liked storytelling, and this podcast permits me to discover that in an area I do know effectively,” says Homosexual.
Though he didn’t begin working at a aggressive stage till Grade 11, his love for it started a lot earlier, sparked by weekly runs together with his dad. “I keep in mind we had this ridiculous static stretching routine—one thing that might positively get some bizarre appears at begin traces as we speak,” he recollects with fun. “I had no thought again then what I used to be moving into, however working rapidly turned part of who I used to be.”
Homosexual’s highschool coach, Nathan Reiter, noticed his potential and opened his eyes to collegiate alternatives. From there, Homosexual’s rise was meteoric; he gained three NAIA championships for the College of British Columbia Thunderbirds and set faculty data within the males’s 3,000m steeplechase occasion.
When requested about his favorite working second, Homosexual admits it’s a bit cliché, however in 2021, he lived out each skilled runner’s dream: competing in an Olympic ultimate. He nonetheless remembers the second he secured one of many six quickest non-automatic qualifying spots within the heats. “I used to be so pleased every thing got here collectively, I simply wept with pleasure,” he says. “I additionally discovered what separates good athletes from nice ones—having the ability to use the rounds as a stepping stone to get the best possible out of your self within the ultimate.”
Past his private success, Homosexual is invested in Vancouver’s working group. Throughout the pandemic, when most races had been cancelled, he and some different Vancouver athletes organized alternatives for runners to work collectively and nonetheless chase their purpose instances at an area highschool.
Homosexual says he’s excited in regards to the present and subsequent technology of Canadian runners, and one title tops his want record of interview friends: Olympic 800m silver medallist Marco Arop. “I used to be his roommate on the Tokyo Olympics, and now he’s a worldwide celebrity,” Homosexual says. “He has such a compelling story, and I’ve a lot respect for a way he’s thrived at each stage.”
As Homosexual transitions from a profession on the observe to street racing, he’s enthusiastic about what’s forward. “With a observe meet, you’re the leisure. However on the roads, you’re a part of one thing greater—you’re sharing the identical expertise with 1000’s of others. I discover that non secular.”
The swap from the observe to the roads isn’t the one main change for him; he and his spouse, Cami, have additionally relocated–from Vancouver to Flagstaff, Ariz.–so he can prepare alongside among the finest distance runners on the planet.
When requested what he was most enthusiastic about as the brand new producer and host of The Shakeout Podcast, Homosexual says it’s the chance to listen to and share compelling tales from the working world. “The entire motive I used to be excited by this was to listen to the eagerness from others. All of us have a shared id and worth for working,” he says.
The primary episode of The Shakeout Podcast with John Homosexual drops on Feb. 20, with new episodes out there each Thursday on Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, or wherever you get your podcasts.