Socialing The Distance featuring Geordie Beamish (complete interview), before he won Gold in Glasgow

Geordie Beamish won the World Indoor Athletics Champs 1,500 meters in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 3, 2024. This was the first gold medal in a World Championships for an ON-running athlete (the first happened on March 2, 2024, when Yared Nuguse took silver in the Men’s 3000m). Geordie has had a fantastic transformation, from a promising athlete at NAU, where he took the NCAA indoor Mile champs in 2019, to multiple New Zealand record holder, from the steeplechase (8:13.26, Monaco 2023), to the 5,000m indoors (13:04.33, Boston, 2024), and 5k on the roads (13:36, 2022, Boston).

His final 100 meters in Glasgow was masterful, 12.78 seconds for the last 100 meters! Geordie Beamish went from 9th to 5th, and then 5th to first! Geordie took the gold from Cole Hocker, winning in a PB of 3:36.54.

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In a story on the On Running site, Coach Dathan Ritzenhein said this of Geordie Beamish and his gold and Yared’s silver medal in Glasgow: “It’s incredible how far Geordie has come, from two broken legs to World Champion. The silver is a tremendous first medal for Yared. He is going to learn so much for Paris from that.”

I want to make this point: In the Glasgow race, Geordie Beamish raced like a miler. His timing was uncanny, and his final sprint was brilliant. I watched on the global broadcast, and Beamish’s last 100 meters was incredible. It added to an already brilliant 1,500 meters, taking the gold from Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler.

Geordie Beamish was ecstatic with his finish and his gold medal. The media gave him accolades and an ebullient Beamish soaked it all in. This race would change his life. His gold medal was the first for his brand, On Running. His coach, Dathan Ritzenhein, knew this moment was special and life-changing for the young Kiwi.

GLASGOW, UK—MAR 3: Image of Geordie BEAMISH at the World Athletics Indoor Championships on March 3, 2024, in GLASGOW, UK (Photo by Dan Vernon for World Athletics).

One wonders precisely what events Geordie Beamish will race this spring and focus on for Paris. Steeplechase or 1,500 meters? We must wait and see what Dathan Ritzenhein, Geordie’s coach, and Geordie Beamish decide!

Olin Hacker, Geordie Beamish, Sound Running
Cross Champs, photo by Kevin Morris

The following interview is from October 2020, after Geordie joined Dathan’s OAC during its first season. A fascinating interview, and it gives you an appreciation of how far the New Zealander has come in four short years! Beamish has joined the fine New Zealanders, from John Walker, Dick Quax, Rod Dixon, Peter Snell, Murray Halberg, and the many others that have given New Zealand its prominence in distance running.

RunBlogRun presents

Socialing The Distance

with Larry Eder

Featuring Geordie Beamish

Geordie Beamish is a New Zealand athlete who, via Northern Arizona University, was coached by Mike Smith and developed into a promising middle-distance runner.

Geordie Beamish’s biggest challenge has been injuries. Light on mileage, Geordie has gone 13:31.58 at 5000m outdoors (May 2, 2019) and 3:56.90 at the indoor mile (February 8, 2020). In 2019, Geordie surprised everyone by surprising himself and his coach with his NCAA indoor mile.

I enjoyed speaking with Geordie Beamish. He is a straight shooter and thoughtful, and he knows he has been fortunate in his relationships with coaches. Mike Smith at NAU, and now, Dathan Ritzenhein.

Our discussion was relaxed, and I intended to learn about Geordie Beamish and his move to Boulder with the OAC.

My take? This young man has wheels and will take his place among the amazing Kiwis in athletic history.

Thanks Geordie Beamish.

Thanks, Mike Deering/The Shoe Addicts, for producing this interview.

Time Stamps:

0:00 – Introduction

1:11 – Northern Arizona University Program

3:05 – Surprised by your 3:56 at Millrose?

3:42 – Why did you join the OAC?*

6:08 – What’s it like training in Boulder?

6:44 – What are your dreams for your career?

7:12 – Why does Payton Jordan bring the best out of athletes?

8:27 – The Best Breakfast Burrito

9:58 – Dream Distance

10:39 – How do you juggle hard days and easy days?

11:45 – What do you think about the Alter G?

12:32 – Do you see yourself competing in 2028?

13:31 – Do you want to represent New Zealand?/New Zealand History of Running

15:12 – Do you watch a lot of track meets?

15:47 – Has Coach asked about doing longer distances?

16:22 – Why do you like the 5000m?

16:58 – What do you think you could run in the mile?

17:16 – What’s more critical, times or being a good racer?

17:29 – Do you think you have a strong finish?

17:40 – What’s your ideal race?

17:56 – Can you tell when you’re putting it together in a race?

18:37 – Do you feel intimidated by your competition in a race?*

19:28 – Did you get to enjoy the crowd at Millrose?

20:20 – Do you function well training at altitude?

21:00 – Developing the training system with Dathan*

22:14 – Was choosing OAC over another year in college a tough decision?*

23:03 – Is your brother an athlete too?

23:37 – Did you consider Villanova for college?

24:08 – Do you get back to New Zealand often?

24:51 – Was going to NAU a culture shock?

25:38 – Do you have a favorite workout?

26:38 – Is there a workout you hate?

26:58 – What made Coach Smith special?

28:05 – What makes a successful Coach/Athlete relationship?

30:12 – Improvisation during a workout

31:38 – Is there an athlete you admire?

32:04 – What field event would you like to try?

32:41 – What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?

33:06 – Are there things athletics could do better to cover it live? (How would you improve the coverage if you were in charge of track and field for a day?)

34:06 – Do you want to race in New Zealand again?

34:28 – Are you qualified or selected to compete for New Zealand?

34:55 – What music do you listen to while training?

36:29 – Epilogue

To see our conversation with Dathan Ritzenhein, coach at the OAC, please go to: https://www.runblogrun.com/2020/08/socialing-the-distance-eaturing-dathan-ritzenhein-head-coach-on-athletics-club.html.

For more information: www.runblogrun.com, www.on-running.com

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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