To Nick Synan, it’s the people that make the sport.
That’s what’s kept the Iowa native running ever since he joined the cross country team in high school, as well as through college and the years that followed while living on the Upper East Side.
“I’ve just always found [runners] to be my people,” Nick says.
So naturally, he wanted to meet more of them in his neighborhood, especially coming out of a pandemic that made it increasingly hard to build community. And just like that, Upper East Side Run Club was born.
The club has since grown to levels Nick never expected, part of which he attributes to staying true to the same social-first mission he had at the beginning. It connects with how his own individual running goals have transformed, with the former Fordham captain and 2:34 marathoner now focused more on using the sport to visit new places and try new experiences—including other run clubs that he can learn from to help improve his own.
We spoke with Nick to discuss taking action on his idea for starting a run club, getting into ultra-marathons, guiding with Achilles and more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
To get started, can you give an intro of where you’re from, what brought you to New York City and your earliest memories of how you got into running?
Sure. My name is Nick Synan. I live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which I’ve now called home for over 13 years. I grew up in Iowa, and I moved to New York for college, where I ran cross country and track at Fordham University.
My passion for distance running started when I was in seventh and eighth grade, I ran track. I was planning to do football in high school, and it was the head coach of my high school track team that saw me at a practice when I was in eighth grade and really encouraged me to try out with the cross country team. I never thought of doing cross country, I just always had my mindset on football. But hearing from him—he was a very successful coach, but also just a beloved person—I told him that I would try out for one of the practices in the summer, and I did. And once I joined the team, I never looked back, and knew running was the right thing for me.
Are there aspects of running that really hooked you to it? Not only did you run in college and after, but it’s become a big part of your life overall.
Running, to me, has always been an outlet just to express myself. Mental health has been huge for me as well. And I’ve also had the opportunity to really forge lifelong friendships. I’ve just always felt myself around other runners. We can be an odd group, but I think that’s what draws us together—the fact of what we put ourselves through within running, we’re just a different breed.
“I’ve just always felt myself around other runners. We can be an odd group, but I think that’s what draws us together”
I think in general, I’m definitely drawn to connection and people. And ever since I joined the team in high school, I’ve just always found them to be my people, and that’s what led me to wanting to continue it in college, and then starting a run club—it’s just the people itself. And it’s a sport that allows you to really push yourself beyond your boundaries and continue to see what you can do.
In those initial years post-grad, you did the New York City Marathon and several [other Major] Marathons. Did you have goals in mind going into that, or was it just testing the waters, see what you can do?
After college, I was a competitive person when it came to running—and maybe my priorities have shifted a little bit now. But coming out of my senior year of college I was in really good distance shape and endurance shape. New York was my first marathon back in 2013, and I was not prepped at all. I did 5ks and 10ks in college and could rip a half marathon, but I never knew the training that went into a marathon. So I was in really good shape, but I was not prepared in terms of the pacing, but also the fueling that goes into a marathon. So it was a rude awakening, but a beautiful awakening for me.
Hitting Mile 20 in the Bronx, it was honestly the first time that I walked in a race. I’d never done that before, and it was a humbling experience, and emotional. At first I was a little bit embarrassed, but then realizing I’m human, and this is natural, and seeing other people around me, it allowed me to really embrace the feeling of distance running. You aren’t always going to have amazing days, you’re going to have some bad days, and you learn from those mistakes. So I was fortunate, after New York, taking some of those learnings, I ran the 2014 Chicago Marathon. And that’s my PR, I ran a 2:34, I think I was in the top 130 or so of the race. So it was an awesome day, and I will never forget that experience of just how good I felt.
But looking back, my first New York City Marathon—I wouldn’t call it a disappointment, even though I ran much slower than what I was expecting. I just think that’s the beauty of racing, is that you’re going to have some really good days and some not-so-good days.
Eventually you got into ultras—50-milers, eventually 100-milers. What were the initial motivations there, and what hooked you to that compared to the traditional road running and racing scene?
It was honestly one of my best friends, Matt Collins. He also lives on the Upper East Side. I’ve been really fortunate to have a couple of my best friends from college live in the neighborhood, we all ran together at Fordham. Some of them are in the city, a couple in Boston and Rhode Island. Having friends close by, and being able to do races together, has been incredible.
So Matt was a year ahead of me in college, and he started getting into ultras a little before I did, and was the one that encouraged a few of us to do the Bear Mountain 50. That was my first ultra, and again as I said about the marathon, it was also a humbling experience. It was a really rainy day. It was a technical race. I’d never twisted my ankle so many times in a race. But at the end, it was one of the best things ever. We had such a fun time, and you kind of just throw any goal time out the window.
For me, ultras are less about how fast I’m doing it and what my time is, and more around proving that I can do anything I set my mind to. And having friends to do it alongside with just makes it that much sweeter. Ultras, you hit so many low points, and it becomes such a mental game. There’s obviously a physicality to it, making sure that you’re in physical shape and endurance shape. But a large part of it is mental, and kind of giving yourself some grace. You really have to tell yourself that you’re going to get through it. It’s a crazy thing.
And the community in ultra running is amazing. It’s a very tight-knit community. A lot of people know each other from other races. And again, it’s people from all backgrounds, which is what running is. I just think it’s a really special and unique experience, if you have the chance to do it.
Outside of that initial one you mentioned, are there any ultra experiences or races that stand out over the years, or ones you lean into? I saw you’ve done some New York City–specific 100s.
Yeah, I did the TGNY 100, which is around New York City. That’s a cool experience, being able to see all parts of New York City that you normally would never get to see.
And then we’ve gotten really close with a couple of race directors down in a small town in Georgia: Brooklet, Georgia. They put on a race called Farmdaze every year. And my friends and I, that’s become kind of our yearly reunion, for all getting together. We always joke about it, because it’s so much more than a race. It’s like a concert, and they have a bunch of games, and there’s a Southern crawfish boil the night before the race, and there’s karaoke at midnight during it. It takes place on a farm in Georgia, and it’s just so much fun. We’ve just become so close with the friends down there. We’re called the New York City boys, and they always look forward to having us join every year. So that’s always a highlight of ours. It’s just a really special race.
And then a few others: I paced [Matt] in the Badwater 135 in Death Valley. That race, you’re running in 120-degree heat, and I paced him for 75 miles of it. Crewing and pacing someone, I’m putting my own goals aside, and I’m helping someone else achieve what they’re going after, which I really love. It’s like, what can I do to make sure that they’re meeting their goals and their needs? I always find doing a race with someone else is just extra special, just to share those memories.
And then I would say the last one, which is probably the most unique: back in 2020, my friends Matt and Devin and Matt’s brother who crewed us—it was during the pandemic, so we were all at home, and we hadn’t seen each other. A normal person would just be like, ‘Hey, let’s meet for happy hour.’ During that time, we were all kind of living in different places, and we just missed running together. And so we designed what we dubbed the Empire State Run. We started from Central Park and ran up to Niagara Falls. It was over 400 miles, and we did it over the course of a week. We rented a car, we stocked up on food and drinks from Walmart and threw that in the van, and then we booked some Airbnbs and hotels along the way, in different towns.
That one was so cool, because it was at a time when, obviously with the pandemic you’re just constantly flooded with news…. Running allows you to take your mind off of other things. And being out there, while it was brutal—it was during a heat wave, and we were logging like 50, 60 miles every day—yet at the same time just being so disconnected from society allowed you to be much more in touch with each other. I think that was one of the coolest ultras that we’ve done, even though it wasn’t a real race, we just made it up on our own.
You’ve guided with Achilles a couple times—what motivated you to get involved with that, and what makes guiding for them special to you?
First off, Achilles is just an incredible organization. I love everything that they stand for. Running is a sport that’s accessible to anyone, of all mobility and backgrounds, and Achilles does an incredible job of that, giving all runners a platform to go out there and compete. I’ve run New York several times. I’m running in November, this will be my eighth time. I’ve run it several times by myself, but I’ve had the opportunity to run it twice with Achilles, with the same athlete, Tommy.
Tommy is quick, he’s almost a three-hour marathon runner. He’s autistic, and he just has the biggest heart, and he is a go-getter. And when you’re running with someone and helping pace them, all of the energy is put into them and taking care of them. I wasn’t even realizing how tired I was toward the end. It’s pretty amazing. I finished the race and I was less tired than I normally would be if I was running by myself. I was just so focused on making sure that I was giving Tommy the best experience that he could have, and he deserved it. He did so much training leading up to it. Getting someone across the finish line, and being a part of their journey, is really, really cool, and something I would love to do again.
Can you talk about the origins of Upper East Side Run Club and what motivated you to start that?
Yeah, sure. It really started with recognizing how difficult it was to build community, especially in a big city, during the pandemic. Our social lives were pretty isolated and limited, and at the time I was really missing just being around others. I was thinking back to what it was like having a team in college and in high school, and wanting to have a larger social life and meet new people. I wasn’t sure how to do that, but I always knew running has been the thing that’s brought others to me.
So it was May 1, 2021 when I started the Upper East Side Run Club. A couple months prior was when I had the idea, and I finally put it into action. The government announced that they were lifting the mask mandate in the city, so you could be outside without one. And I thought that would be a good time to bring this club to life, when people may feel a little bit more comfortable being out in the open and around other people.
But really, the intention behind the run club was to promote friendship and community. I was at a point where—while, when I do race, I am competitive—I was looking for something that was more social, and not so much around competitiveness. I always love people getting PRs and doing well in races, but I wanted something where people were finding their community and having a sense of belonging. In this day and age, I think community, connection, belonging is the most important thing about life. And so I wanted this club to help provide that to others.
“In this day and age, I think community, connection, belonging is the most important thing about life. And so I wanted this club to help provide that to others”
So really, the goal was helping neighbors connect, building self-esteem, staying active, and honestly really supporting local businesses. I’ve been on the Upper East Side, as I said, for over 13 years. I love the neighborhood, and I also wanted to find a way to give back. Those local coffee shops and bars went through hell during the pandemic, and that was the other thing—ending our runs at a bar on Wednesday nights or a coffee shop on Saturday morning. What are ways that we can give back, whether it’s through providing business or volunteer work? Anything like that I think is just great for the soul.
A lot of people have ideas in the back of their minds. What finally convinced you of, ‘I have this idea but let me actually do something about it’?
I had toyed around with it, and honestly I never expected for it to become what it is today. I honestly thought that for my first run, and moving forward, I may get five to 10 people that join, and I’d get a couple new friends out of it, and that was like a bonus. So the expectation was really just, why don’t you just give it a shot and see what happens? Start this club, and if a couple people get a positive experience out of it, then I am satisfied with that.
So I texted my best guy friends back in the winter of 2021, and I just said, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about starting a run club. What do you think?’ And just the immediate positive responses that I got from them—‘Go after it, this would be perfect for you’—I knew it was the right thing. And that was really it.
I wasn’t thinking I need to grow it to a certain size for it to be successful. It was more just trying something new and different. My friends and my family have always commented that I’m such a connector of people, bringing people together. And I just thought this would be a really fun thing to try out, and I’m really happy I did.
What do you think has been instrumental in the club not only growing over the years, but becoming a pillar in the neighborhood and the community?
Honestly, just staying true to who you are. The mission behind the club has never changed since I started it. And actually, this past year, a few members from the club brought up the idea that it would be really great to have an official motto for the club. And I think our motto really stands for who we are: ‘Neighbors at the start, friends at the finish.’ The idea that you can come as you are…. A lot of people don’t know each other when they first start, and I have to give them a lot of credit. Anyone who’s coming for their first time, it can feel intimidating, it can feel scary joining a club. But just putting yourself out there—really give yourself a lot of credit for doing that.
And what’s come out of it—so many different friendships. There have even been a few marriages that have come out of the club, new jobs. You get out of it what you want. It’s really neat to see how much the club has grown, but then people taking it and making it their own.
Any favorite memories or moments from the club over the years, or aspects of it that are your favorite parts?
There have been so many great memories. Every run is a great memory. Even just thinking back—the first run just gives me goosebumps, because it was a nervous excitement starting the club. I remember being at Engineers’ Gate in Central Park, and we probably had like 20 people or so show up for the first run, which was again way beyond what I expected…. It was like a science experiment, watching people not sure how to interact with each other, coming out of the pandemic and social distancing and all of that. So at the beginning, it was kind of this awkwardness, but also just excitement of being around people, and asking someone where they’re from, how long they’ve been in the neighborhood.
We did a loop of Central Park, and afterwards we went to Finnegan’s Wake for brunch. We sat at a long table, and I just remember it was as if these people had hung out with each other—it was like having a Thanksgiving dinner together. Everyone’s laughing, they’re sharing stories. And I knew at that point that I had created something that was really special, and that’s the intention of what I wanted….
No one cares if someone can only do half of the run or walks for a part of it. It’s really just around making sure someone feels welcome. That was my intention with starting it, and I see that the people that join embody that as well, and I’m really proud of them for doing that.
And honestly, I’m a little bit jealous of those that move to the city and then join the club, and then they have a set of friends. I’ve heard that from a number of people who move to the neighborhood, and then a couple weeks later join the club, and now they’re grabbing dinner with folks, and some join a book club that another person started. I love hearing those stories, of people taking trips together and hanging out outside of just the run club.
Back on your individual running—you were competitive through college and right after, and you’ve done a bunch of ultras. Do you have any short, medium or long-term goals?
For me, I’m at a point honestly of just experiencing new adventures. I’m less focused on hitting certain time goals, and more trying out new places—new cities, new countries, and finding races there.
As I think about travel and being able to go to new places around the world, now that I know that run clubs are such a big thing, I would love to hop into a run at another run club and see what they’re doing, and apply some of those learnings. Everyone has their own touch, and I love meeting new people and seeing what they’re doing. I love to experience that.
Nick will be running his eighth New York City Marathon this November
Any topics I didn’t ask about that you’d like to touch on, or any closing thoughts?
I would just say, something that my coach in high school always told me was this idea of ‘nothing but your best.’ I think in running, there’s so much you can do in just putting yourself out there, and just enjoy it. I know it sounds very simple, but you don’t have to be the very best. As long as you give nothing but your best, I think that’s what is most important. And just be yourself and have fun.
“I just think runners make the city and the world a better place. They have such a unique and positive attitude, and I think that’s what we need more of”
And the more that you can encourage others and just be a friend to others—be a friend and a supporter. I only hope the running community can grow over time, because I just think runners make the city and the world a better place. They have such a unique and positive attitude, and I think that’s what we need more of. We need people who have a positive outlook on life and are welcoming to one another, and I think that alone will make especially our city a better place.