tinmanelite.com Take a look inside the life of Sam Parsons a professional runner for the Boulder, CO based running team, Tinman Elite. Sam Parsons: / par_sam_sons Kevin Gunawan: / kgunaa Tinman Elite: / tinmanelite
I attempted suicide when I was 18 years old and battled depression. I started running just to help with mental health and I decided to set a goal of a 4 minute mile before realizing how hard it would be. I decided I was going to stop being a quitter at everything I do and that’s what drives me. Not wanting to quit on myself anymore.
Love this. All the people asking “why” when they find out how much I run and play with snd train my dog. If they have to ask it’s just evident they will never get it. We as runners could respond to those simple questions for hours, but to some people it’s not worth getting into so one sentence like the one you’ve posted is sufficient
What drives me is my brother. He has Down syndrome and about a little bit ago he got diagnosed with cancer. Seeing him fight through chemo and his surgery has been a sight to see and it makes me wanna better myself and fight for him. I love him so much and to see him in pain hurts me. So I do it for him
What drives me: Being a nurse I take care of patients with acute and chronic conditions daily. I am blessed to be able to wake up and put two feet on the ground. Ones health is something not to take for granted. Being able to provide for my family and my patients is what drives me.
What drives me: Knowing the consequences of stopping. The dark places we go when we give up or lose what we have is a huge fear of mine... but it's also my biggest motivator.
My mom. Right as I started running, she got hurt and damaged her knee. She hasn’t been able to run since, but she supports me everyday. I wouldn’t be here without her 🖤
What drives me: my grandpa is going into his 33rd season as a high school cross country coach. He ignited my passion for the sport, and knowing that he’s putting in those tough miles in the middle of winter at age 74 erases any excuses I may have. His support and motivation saw me through my first marathon this past weekend.
Knowing that the only thing holding me back is me. To get faster all I have to do is work harder. No excuses, it’s simple old hard work; and that I can do. No human Is limited
"Learning to Suffer" is what drives me. After 9 concussions I have a form of Post Concussion Syndrome that is not responding to normal treatment. I have severe pain and fatigue that keeps me from living a normal life. Doctor's have written me off as untreatable, and I have to accept I will never get better. I refused to believe there was nothing I could do, so I started running. Running is helping my recovery! Pushing into the discomfort has physically made feel better, but has also strengthened me mentally to welcome pain. The Tinmen have been an unexpected inspiration. Seeing a team whose philosophy creates a group that carries individuals to extraordinary highs and through deep lows. The Tinmen have modeled how to suffer well. Watching your videos is pushing my recovery, so I can learn to suffer well in running and in life.
What drives me: The fact that every step you take pushes you farther into an adventure. As you get faster you are allowed to have a bigger adventure everyday, week, month or even year.
Drive to run: gratitude. It is such a gift to run and move my body, I never want to take that for granted. Running is just so primal, freeing, and human. I love the workouts, the pursuit of greatness, the triumphs and defeats, the metaphors to life, the youthful bliss the childlike faith! Running is a gift.
Honestly, the whole team drives me. From the moment I watched the first TME video I stumbled across last year during the start of the pandemic; you all reminded me of all the reasons why I originally fell in love with the sport. It’s something to serve as an escape from life. It created bonds, no, BROTHERHOODS, with people you wouldn’t have otherwise crossed paths with. And it can be FUN. And, like all true loves, it has its ups and downs. But, in the end, it’s always there for you. So you all inspire me, as Tinman Elite. You all are the reason I came back to the sport and continue to get back at it after a five year hiatus. So, even if this doesn’t win me shoes, I just want to thank you guys for putting out great content and inspiring the lot of us. Keep the ball rolling!
what drives me: im 15 and ive had a passion for running since i was 13 and everyday going into a workout, i never fail to remind myself how much i love the sport i do. god has blessed me so much with this ability to drive myself and i feel like what drives me is just my love for running, working hard and how happy it makes me. :)
What drives me is my grandfather. He was the one person outside of my team to understand running as a competitive sport and not "just running in circles" he always wanted to make me the best I could be. Sadly he missed most of my meets. But without his support I'd never have stuck with my greatest passion. Running. Thanks Grandpa❤️.
the thing that drives me in my running and through life is my uncle. he died from cancer about three years ago and i haven’t gone a day without thinking about him. i find my purpose most through him and i seize the day each and every time the sun rises as if he’s right by my side. i know i wasn’t named for him to let him down. he lives through me and i push for him.
What drives me is knowing that whenever I workout it may be last so I have to be grateful every time I get to toe the line and that the good runners will just work out but the best runners will always out work
My older brother is my biggest inspiration, he's the whole reason I started running. He is 3 years older than me and my whole goal was to try and be as good as he was. Neither of us are exceptionally good but I wanted to be like him
What drives me: It may be something everyone says, but tinman is what drives me. I wear tinman for every training session and races. Seeing the axe and hammer drives me to do my best each and every day. It reminds me to keep the ball rolling.
Depression and anxiety were the catalysts for me when I started running. Now, it's almost a year since I've started and I just ran my first half marathon in <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="142">2:22</a>:05. I've learned to embrace the suck, setting goals to keep myself motivated and crush them. Just stumbled upon your channel guys and I can say that since then its one of my motivators - seeing you guys having that much fun, enjoying, hurting and crushing it. Thank you! 🤘
What drives me is the fact that I’m not alone. There are all these people also training, working, and hurting. It drives me to know that I can keep going especially if others are. There is nothing that separates my effort from another person, it is your own choice you have to make. Whether your going to go with others or let everyone else go without you.
what drives me? Future Kait. Everyday I aspire to make choices that will make future me proud. One of those things is consuming content that makes me feel good and you guys always hit the mark - super inspiring and motivational!
Not to sound generic or basic but if I’m honestly gonna say my motivation it’s you guys, running during Covid sucked I planned on having a big sophomore kinda breakout year but Covid ruined it I raced on one course all xc season and never had one good time indoor track got cancelled and honestly I was losing the love of the sport and around this time last year is when I started following you guys and watching your vids and the motivation to be great and desire to win and beat my times has come from seeing how fast everyone on the team is and now with track coming up I’m getting motivated again and getting back into running and I can’t wait to show everyone what I can do because honestly I know I can be great but for a while I lost that mindset but your vids never let me get to far from that mindset whenever I need motivation I watch 5 tinman vids and then go for my run. So ya there’s my motivation and what drives me 👍🏻
I try to let myself be inspired all the time, it's feels healthy and like my motivation never burns out.. but the last time I was REALLY inspired, was from you, Sam. I remember discovering the tinman youtube in spring of '19, and seeing the approach you were taking to the sport; the positivity and the fire and SOBM, it really fired me up going into college and gave me confidence and swagger that I did not know I had before then. Thanks for doing things your way, Sam, keep crushing it.
What drives me: The pre quote of “to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” I wake up every day thinking about that. I have a teammate who has cerebral palsy and has to wear leg braces so that he can even half walk. I have never heard him complain but I know that every day he wishes that he had the gift of being able to run like I get to. He is the reason why I want to take my gift of running abilities as far as I can in the sport so that I don’t waste away something that is truly amazing because I know that not everyone has the opportunities I have.
what drives me: remembering that running is a natural thing that's meant to be enjoyed. Knowing that running is there to help others and I get through life, help me stay healthy and to simply enjoy life to the fullest. For me, running has taught me to enjoy life and to always maintain a healthy lifestyle.
What makes me continue to run and push myself everyday? I am 18 years old I have recently signed a scholarship to a small D3 school in Wisconsin, but it has not been easy I have had over 21 different stress fractures in the past 5 years in which I have been running. But the thing that makes me never want to quit is the endless pursuit of a goal. Running is limitless and I know that if I work hard enough, learn enough, strive enough, I can reach my next goal. I drive myself.
I signed to a community college :) also, I know what you mean; I was injured as well (ankle sprain) and I had to take about 9 weeks off 😰 it was tough mentally, but I will say; the grass is greener on the other side :) you got this! Keep crushing it! 🙌🏾 determination is key 🥳
What drives me: the only people I think about is my family and Mexican culture, every time I run and the run goes terrible or workout doesn’t go as plan I just think of my family and my culture and this pushes to be my best because I want to make my family proud and represent my culture.🇲🇽
What drives me: in 2018 my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer and it was the scariest few years of my life. He was cleared in 2020 and now all I want to do when I run is please him and share his legacy so this year that’s the goal I really just want to go out there with no pressure other than to run for him.
What drives me to involve in running is watching you guys tbh (it may sound cliche but it is what it is). I am currently studying medicine & i run during the evening. I have a big goal which is to join any running competition locally & i hope i can do so this year. I enjoyed running so much as it helps me to relieve my stress after a long day of reading. To tinman elites, keep grinding & working hard as you all always do! Keep posting videos to inspire us also ;)
What drives me: The feeling that running is something essential that connects you from people all over the world. I live in Sweden and run everyday watching vidoes from America, reading books from Kenya, Japan or Mexico. Realising that the moving in itself, the rush of blood is something deeply human which can be shared whatever boundaries we create between humans
Y’all as a team and group of friends inspire me because I’m the only one who runs from my school so seeing y’all just as a group of friends from all over come together and just train and push each other daily on and off the track is inspiring. Also just how different all it y’all are when it comes to yalls strengths and weaknesses when it comes to running and each of y’all push each other individually which then makes yalls team amazing.
what drives me: seeing people do better than me knowing ive been working hard and doing the work "off camera". And sometimes not being good enough is just what you need. You gotta beat the best to be the best
My inspiration. The staff from my old high school back home, because I moved to that school when they had 30 kids in it and I started a cross country team with no coach and no teammates and my biggest supporters were the teachers who would take their Saturdays to drive two hours to these tiny meets just to cheer me on. It’s my second year as a college distance runner and I still see those folks at some of these meets.
What drives me : knowing that I’m in charge of my outcome matter where I’m from. Coming from the bottom and understanding that I have nowhere to go but up, so I can’t stop and will continue to conquer life
My biggest motivation is hearing of my coach's amazing memories and incredible love for the sport and wanting that for myself. Growing to know him over the past four years of my high school track and XC career has been a huge part of my development as a runner and as an individual. In my freshman year I was simply joining the sport because of my siblings before me, not really caring about my own improvements because I always compared myself to others. This led to constant injuries from either not recovering properly or overexerting myself because I thought I needed to be training as hard as others in order to be as fast as them when I wasn't ready for it myself. After asking for help from my coach, he really helped me with providing all the stretches and techniques and little things to prevent injuries and strengthen myself as time went on. Hearing his stories of his career running in high school, in college, and then eventually running marathons with eyes on the Olympic trials, it really inspired me to see how much someone could love the sport and the amazing process that comes with it. Now in my senior year, I've come to realize how much of a blessing each day running with my team and with my peers is, especially with COVID being a big barrier this year, and I grew to appreciate the journey as much as the goals I set for myself. Training everyday with my best friends and seeing the gradual results that come with our work is the one thing in life that I love the most, and looking back on these four years I would give anything to do it all over again. The love I have for my teammates and coach is something that will be a part of me for the rest of my life and beyond, and this sport has changed me in so many more ways than I could have ever imagined.
My first ever coach. He always pushed me to become a positive leader within any team I was a part of, even if he wasn't coaching, and to support others no matter if I had a great day or a terrible day. He always said that if you can't be the greatest that you want to be at that moment try and help push someone to be their greatest at that moment. Once you've reached your greatest, pull others toward that greatness. It's all about the team.
What drove me to this sport was the hard times and the struggles and just needing to go out and run. What kept me in this sport was the people and the feeling of getting that PR you've worked so hard for. Running is a passion and a way of being able to go out there and feel free from anything going on in your life.
Seeing my best friend performing so well while I‘m injured drives me every day. That might sounds weird, but it just shows me that everyone has some ups and downs, but with the right people everything is possible! That is also what I can see with your team. You just spread the positive vibes, so even if someone is injured they see the light at the end of the tunnel...
Two years ago my grandma passed away. My grandmother had a heart transplant and a year afterwards it failed and she passed away. My grandmother raised me, I did not live with my mom or dad. The day that my grandmother died, I learned that my physical pain from running was nothing compared to the emotional pain that I felt. I am now motivated to be my best self every day when I show up to practice because physical pain is only temporary.
I got knocked down hard a couple of years ago. Still down, trying everything to wake or get up. Watching runners run and train is like a light at the end of the tunnel. I am not just there yet, but slowly crawling out of this tunnel. I don’t always feel strong, but that light is my inspiration. Thanks
Running seems to be a constant battle of physical pain, struggle and animosity. It’s as if my backs up against wall every time those runners are put on my feet. Injury after injury after injury. Everyone says “stop, you can’t keep doing this to yourself!”. What drives me? Running gives me an opportunity to clear my mind, my thoughts, my anxieties and worries. No medication or psychologist can even come near to euphoria that running produces. You see your favourite runners get injured and think ‘damn’, but you watch them stay positive, committed and grind slowly back. It’s inspiring and keeps my mind focused on the bigger picture, running keeps me physically and mentally healthy... so I shouldn’t have a reason to stop. No matter how bad i’m hurt or have had enough, I should never have a reason not to run, and always have one to run.
What drives me is the feeling you get when all of your hard work and dedication come to fruition. There is no better feeling in the world then achieving your goals, whether it is setting a new PB, getting a mileage goal, making a national team or finishing a tough workout, running always has something to strive for which is what sets it apart from different sports. The only thing perhaps better then achieving your own goals is being able to share in the experience with friends and family which is what makes Tinman so special.
What drives me is my younger homie Alexis. He was a freshman in high school when I was a senior. He was pretty shy but after seeing this kid trying his best to keep with the our varisty group I knew he had the guts. So I mentored him for that my last year. Fast forward to today. He's now a multiple champion in track and cross. I've lost some motivation throughout the pandemic but he just keeps on truckin. He's a good kid and about to go to college now and now I'm the one who barely keeps up with him 😅 But seeing how I helped him in his journey and how he's now such a bright young man makes me love the sport and how it brings people to their best
What drives me: Definitely all of your guys race videos, it's super inspirational to watch a team that definitely has a really strong connection push one another to goals and celebrate PRs and victories.
My driving force is my teammates and myself but not that simply let me explain. To start I just love coming to practice every and seeing my brothers and sisters in arms all working to get better. The look on their faces when they crush a workout or get a new PR makes me so happy. Feeling the energy of a good workout and crushing it with the boys is something special. Speaking to that, last year I lost a former teammate who’s was gonna go on to do big things in college and possibly the pro league. It was a accident that wasn’t supposed to happen. Now I dedicate every bit of pain I suffer through to him and make sure to remember him while I’m racing and training. I want to carry on his legacy of the endless pursuit of greatness and perseverance through adversity. Signed, a kid from a small town in NC... Live Long Brian.
what drives me: the running community, my teammates, and you guys. People who push the limits further and push me to give my 200% every single day! Tank you Tinman
Up until recently my drive was fueled by my competitive nature. This isn't a bad thing but it didn't completely from my heart and eventually it lead me to becoming very discouraged. This last December I gave up on running after a hard workout and didn't run a single mile for almost 3 months. I usually never give up like this but in my head if I am not going to be amazing what is the purpose. So, even though I felt as if I had a whole in my life I had no intentions on returning. Then after a few different inspiring stories at church I realized running is not all about how good you are, who you are faster than, or what record you beat but it is a gift. There are many people in this world that would do anything to be in my shoes and I forgot about that. Some people may be battling an illness, injury, financial issues, depression, family problems or etc. After putting this into perspective while hearing others stories made me feel blessed. So I rediscovered my love for running and even entered in the Chicago marathon with my church's world vision team to help raise money to help provide clean water to children and communities in the developing world. Now I just hope I can make a difference in other peoples lives while using my gift.
I'm driven by past hardships, and the growth running competitively brings. As someone that has lost many loved ones, dealt with many set backs, nothing is better than coming off rough times and continually improve in your art. And this is what drives me when I train and race, whether times are good or bad. Running is constant.
what drives me the most when im not running is seeing people I know and follow do great in there races, see them run fast and follow along there social media, but when I run the things that drives me the most is knowing my grandparents look down on me from heaven and that gives me the boost I need
I was a very good high school runner who wasn’t inspired and just ran because I was good. Now as a middle aged overweight father and husband, it’s hard to get motivated to keep running. I know it’s about staying healthy etc but as a former athlete who misses that competition, it’s so inspiring to watch young men like you guys drive each other to greatness. I sincerely appreciate you guys getting me fired up for my training sessions. I’m down 20 lbs this again and more than that, I’m excited to see you guys compete. Watching my son run 5th grade track and showing him your videos brings us together. Together in fitness. Together in making each other better. Thank you guys!!! Keep pushing and good luck out there.
What drives me: The sheer revelation that one day I will not be able to train the way I do, and I need to make every run count, whether that’s with friends or by myself.
What drives me in my running is running for my teammates and coach’s and family. Knowing that they will help push me to be my best is everything. Watching this channel has motivated me a lot in my senior year of high school running and I can’t wait to see how much I improve in college running.
What drives me? What drives me is thought of losing. Not just in running but in life. And when I think of losing I also think of losing against myself which is what I am referring to in this question. I think lots of times I find myself sitting back and telling myself to be lazy in general. Things like "I'll just sit in bed and watch another video or two and then go workout" (Seriously I'm that boring) However I realize that when I give into that I set myself up for failure, not just in running but also in life. In relationships, working, it doesn't matter what it is. What drives me is me not wanting to loss to myself. I want to be able to help others, love on others and grow in the process. Thank you for everything you represent Tinman Elite.
What drives me is to push past my limits even when I have shin splints. Running is a way of life that helps me move forward and see the bigger an better. Any runner who has ran for a long time inspires me to be that person one day. I go on here and see you guys abs it brings me even more inspiration to keep pushing and do what you love. And what I love... it’s running. Thank you for making these videos to not only inspire me, but others!!
My uncle Jeff drives me to never lose my creativity and goals to addiction. I lost him to a drug overdose nine years ago...he was one of the most talented individuals I've ever met. A dedicated artist, a freakish athlete, and altogether--a stand-out human being. However, he never treated himself with the same kindness he bestowed to others...and eventually paid the ultimate price. Every workout, test, or life endeavor--I dig deep, with Jeff in mind.
What drives me is my family. Me and my little sister are alone after my parents died during a hostage negotiation, sacrificing their lives to save the lives of disabled elderly veterans. Six months ago my sister was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and I am running to raise money for her treatment. I currently am running barefoot because I had to choose between buying shoes or buying food for her.
I’ve been injured for almost a year now, and it’s given me perspective on why I care about running. Running is a lifestyle. I run to push my limits and to struggle and hurt so that I know that I can get through struggles in my own life. Running is a community. The thing I miss most and the thing driving me to get better is the community that I built with my team and the support that group gave to me
The person that keeps me going when I’m running is my dad. Back in the day he was a pretty good marathon runner. His goal was to qualify for Boston and he was in shape to do it, but he got plantar fasciitis and couldn’t run. He was devastated. I decided to run for XC in high school because of him and he got me to love running like he did. I am now training to qualify for Boston and my coach is my dad
Running has been eye opening and refreshing. Gives me the chance to wave to people , smile and bring light to someone’s day. It’s the way I decompress , relax , and go to my happy place. SWEAT , laugh, Cry but never will I quit ...RUNNING IS LIFE
My biggest inspiration is finding the limits of what is possible. I've never been successful at any team sport so when I started running XC and track in high school I fell in love with the pureness of the sport. The community sounding it driving me to do better and pouring into others and watching their success fuels me. What they said at the beginning of the video about Sam pushing the line to much because of the drive to complete goals and the want to get better is the exact same way I feel about the sport.
What drives me and gets me hyped anytime I don't want to run is the Run Steep Get High video of Jim Walmsley setting the Rim to Rim to Rim record at the Grand Canyon. Dude just cruises and looks like he is in the cave and it gets me jacked up!
What Drives Me: I lifted weights for 5 years and lost 100lbs very slowly during that time. After covid started I stumbled upon Nick bares channel and started running immediately. Within 4 months of that I ran my first half marathon and I completed my first marathon last weekend. Never thought of myself as a runner before but now I can’t think of myself any other way! Keep up the great content guys!
What drives me: The idea that the sport is becoming more than it was. Seeing young guys under me wearing a Tinman shirt or having something bigger than themselves to support. It’s inspiring to know the next generation of runners will push the sport further than we can. This isn’t the ceiling, this is the floor. KTBR.
As a massage therapist to an elite runner, I love being a “necessary evil”. 30! Years watching gold medals and world and national record holders show up.... it’s your drive that makes you thrive. All the best Sam. Alles Gut
Being hospitalized in 2019 I started my running journey last year. Running with an inflammatory heart condition/lupus is a constant battle of wanting to push, but knowing when not to. I run every run for the days in the past that I couldn't run, and the days in the future when I can't run. Just building momentum.
My grandpa bill used to be a big runner! I think about him nearly every day - always lots of fun, full of jokes, tricks and just a great guy. He is not around anymore but he’s sort of still here! To all those great granddads!
my 2 main drives are: 1. seeing myself improve. coming from ZERO sports background. i was always the kid who hated pe and i could barely run a mile. no, i couldnt even that. and then starting high school i started taking an interest in running. i still remember running my first test 5k in <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1539">25:39</a> 2 years ago. i fucking died there in the sun. now, im running 18min 5k even while im not in training mode, just casually. and a long term goal is sub 15min 5k. so yeah, been a hell of a ride. 2. just helping other ppl in the sport. im currently helping out a classmate (she is also 17yo) to run her first ever race. a half marathon. in under 2 hours with no background. just a few weeks of running. and just spreading the sport and popularizing it as much as possible. bc health really trully is wealth. running is such an easy and a simple way to boost your quality of life and make yourself feel better, look better and perform better (physically and mentally). thats what its all about for me.
What drives me is anticipation. Every time i’m not running, I’m always anticipating the next day, the next run. I had surgery on my ankle a few months back, and man has that anticipation built up with not running for such a long time. When the fire is brewing, that is what keeps me loving the sport. Tinman videos and gear always keep that fire lit as well. But yeah, anticipating and embracing the suffering and the fight is what drives me
What drives me: My mom! I remember growing up and always seeing her coming in from an early morning run when I was getting up before school, when I told her I wanted to try cross country and track in 5th grade she was so ecstatic and has been by far my #1 fan ever since. I don't know if I would've ever considered running if she didn't run and last year was my senior season in college in a sport that has given me my fondest memories and closest friends. She still gets up every morning for her run/walk even after having a hip replacement surgery a few year ago and continues to inspire me everyday.
just working everyday to be the best runner i can be, the satisfaction from completing a solid workout, the motivation teammates provide, and the overall beauty of running in nature is what drives me
The thing that drives me the most is that every single step of each run I take moves me closer and closer to reaching my dream of winning an Olympic medal
My father. He has run with me since I started xc in junior high. He supported, encouraged and RAN with me (the man is fit!) all the way through college track and never ceases to believe that I have more in the tank.
