Lesley Higgins is currently a member of the NYAC team and an elite runner. She was a two-time NCAA DI track All-American at the University of Colorado and was the Big XII champion in the 3000 meter steeplechase in 2002, and was a 2002 USA track and field championships qualifier in the 3000 meter steeplechase. She finished 13th in the final of the 3000meter steeplechase at the 2008 Olympic Trials. She has a unique perspective on the event for she is also a political consultant for both Governor David Patterson and Governor Eliot Spitzer.
OTRT: So first of all, how did you become a member of NYAC? How does that relationship with Brooks work?
LH:I became an NYAC runner because I was friends with Julia Stamps. The Track & Field chairman wanted Julia representing the club, and I got swept in as a package deal. That was back in 2003. In 2008, Brooks approached me at the Olympic Trials about sponsoring our team. The NYAC has great resources, but it does not make clothes. So the relationship has been very good for us. I hope it has been good for Brooks as well.
Within NYC and the surrounding area, we have a designated Local Elite team. The standards are very objective and we usually have about 8 men and 8 women with this designation. These athletes are expected to participate heavily in the NYRR year-long team points competition and in return they receive Brooks/NYAC gear and shoes. There are a total of roughly 25 men and 25 women on our team in the city. The rest of the team does not go empty-handed by any means, but we find it's good to have time and place goals to keep everyone motivated and to reward those who keep running a priority in their work/life balance.
Additionally, several of our athletes are part of the Brooks ID program, which is such a great program for the running community. I am pretty sure Brooks is the only company that has a program that offers varying levels of sponsorship to all kind of runners, based off of their ability to inspire other runners, rather than just performances.
OTRT: How has social media / technology changed how you market yourself inside the sport?
LH: Social media has actually been very good for me within New York City. I have a tendency to come off a little, let's say, "cold," to many the large numbers of runners in NYC. Twitter has given me the opportunity to connect with other runners in the city that I probably would otherwise have not met. I am hoping they start spreading rumors that I don't bite.
I do have one friend who hates that my twitter feed is mostly running-related, but I am also aware that most of my non-spam followers are runners. So, I consciously talk about running because I think we can all learn from what we each do on a daily basis. I also try not to be boring because there are a few professional runners that I have followed who have sort lost me as a fan because they are painfully boring on twitter. On the flip side, there are a few athletes who have lost me as a fan because their egos are practically exploding out of their 140 characters. I may sometimes be at fault of being both boring and/or egotistical, but I try my hardest not to be.
OTRT: You are also a political consultant, when it comes to branding (or advertising) how do these two compare?
LH: I actually have about 6-10 twitter feeds / facebook pages going at any given time and I handle them on a scale of tact. For example, when I am myself, I have a pretty relaxed level of tact, though I try not to be overly offensive. I also avoid talking about my clients or my political opinions because I don't want to go down on record has having said anything that could affect my current or future employment.
When I am speaking on behalf of the NYAC or the Governor or someone else who has a lot more to lose than I do, I choose every word very carefully and often with the consultation of others who I can pass off any blame. I also live in constant fear of accidentally tweeting from the wrong account. It would be awkward if the Governor was tweeting about hill sprints.
When I am doing stuff for WomenTalkSports.com, I can be a little more liberal, because we are trying to make a splash in the world of women's sports, and you can't be too politically correct all the time if you're going to get people's attention.
OTRT: What are some actions that you think could be taken to gain a wider fanbase in the sport of running?
LH: I actually wrote a blog about this after I spent a week with Team USA in France going into the DecaNation meet: http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/71/678734
This meet was so much fun because it was a team effort. It wasn't as overwhelming as college track, with multiple runners and multiple heats. Each country had 10 men and 10 women competing in 20 total events, and the only prize money was the team prize money that was scored on an accumulation of both men and women's events. In my opinion, the way to create a fan base in running would be to treat it like all the major sports - baseball, football, etc. There needs to be teams and there needs to be betting. Fans need to become emotionally or financially invested in their teams. Then they will care.
OTRT: You live in one of the largest most passionate running communities in the nation, what does New York do that other cities could do to make running more of an industry for them?
LH:New York is very lucky that it is small in size but large in population and there is a huge park right in the middle. And this large population has a lot of disposable income. I am not sure if other cities could really replicate this. I suppose the one thing they can learn from NYRR is to never think small. NYRR has very big goals. They want to be the biggest and best at everything and they make a lot of money holding expensive races every weekend, so they have the resources to do all these big things they want to accomplish.
OTRT: What have you learned as an Elite runner that you think can be applied to the whole sport to improve it?
LH: I have two answers for this. The first lesson I learned by accident. I could not call myself an elite runner for several years in my early 20s because I chose to work instead. I learned that working was not all it was cracked up to be, but I also got really lucky and worked my way into a position of being able to run again. The greater majority of elite runners keep competing straight out of college, and usually retire by 30 to begin their "real" lives. I think if all elite runners could find a fulfilling and lucrative endeavor in conjunction with their running, they would have longer careers. And this is not necessarily about money. Often athletes just start to feel unfulfilled. For example, it was a huge loss for the running community when Chris Lukezic, one of the most talented runners in the country, decided that he was ready to explore a different passion at 26. It's a shame that he didn't feel like he could do both, and so USA running lost a huge talent. There are other runners who manage to work a real part-time job while they run - for example, former American record holders Ann Gaffigan and Lisa Aguilera.
The other thing I have learned is that most runners are probably deficient in some important nutrient. Maybe not at the highest levels, where athletes have free access to great doctors, but at the sub-Olympic and lower levels. There are a lot of athletes out there who are not reaching their potential because they are extremely low in iron or vitamin D or Amino Acids or something else. It is very hard to find a doctor that understands the levels that runners need to be at and it is very expensive to get advice from a doctor that is an expert in the field. I was lucky to get fully tested by bioletics.com this summer before they doubled their prices. I learned a lot from the experience, but I cannot afford to take these tests again. Our governing body could do a lot more to both educate athletes and provide the resources to test them. USATF has good funding for the top-tier athletes, but on the non-Olympian level, you are largely on your own.
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