Matt Taylor/Tracksmith Interview

Matt Taylor is the founder, CEO, and visionary behind Tracksmith, the Boston-based running apparel and footwear company. A middle-distance runner at Yale, Taylor explored several small ventures after college, and then joined Puma as a marketing executive. There, from practically his first day, he was assigned to work with a young Jamaican sprinter named Usain Bolt. That proved to be both an adventure and an up-close running/business education. When he launched TrackSmith in 2014, Taylor focused on the millions of serious, ambitious, but nonelite runners being ignored by the big running companies with their twin focus on signing Olympians to contracts while making shoes and other products largely for beginners. His vision seems to have succeeded, as TrackSmith is expanding to London this year, and continuing to launch innovative products.  A year ago Taylor felt a return of his personal running drive after more than a decade of raising a family and nurturing a business. At 46, he set his sights on two goals: Running the mile in 4 minutes plus his age, and the marathon in 2 hours plus his age.Serious goals, and Taylor pursued them diligently. In fact, his marathon training included runs up to 27 miles. And he hit both his goal times with a little room to spare. In this conversation, Taylor also discusses:  # The competitive drive that always pushed him toward entrepreneurship # TrackSmith’s innovative pop up tents outside the Boston Marathon Expo # Tagging along with Usain Bolt on fun days and nights # What he finds special about New England running # Tracksmith’s determination to present photos and visuals that depict the authentic side of running # How Tracksmith got more than 100 runners into their gear at the Olympic Marathon Trials Here’s Tracksmith’s web site. Where To Find “Running: State of the Sport” Use your smartphone to download podcast apps from Apple, Spotify, Audible, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for “running state of the sport.”  With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links. Apple Spotify Audible Pandora I Heart Radio YouTube "Running: State of the Sport" is brought to you by MarathonHandbook.com and RunLongRunHealthy.com. Marathon Handbook is the world’s leading marathon website, with a special focus on trustworthy running information and free, runner-tested training plans for all ability levels. "Run Long, Run Healthy" is Amby’s weekly newsletter with the newest, most scientific, and most useful training advice for runners.