Nick Willis of New Zealand was the 2008 Olympic 1500-meter bronze medalist - though after the case of apparent 1500 winner Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain, who is reported to have tested positive for a banned substance, is adjudicated, Willis is likely to become the silver medalist. In the 2009 indoor track season, Willis was second at the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in New York in 3:59.48 and then won the mile at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games in 3:53.54 and at the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas in 4:02.70. He then hoped to race outdoors in New Zealand and Australia, but an injury scuttled those plans. Willis won the 2008 Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile in New York in 3:50.5. He was the 1500-meter gold medalist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He holds the New Zealand 1500-meter record of 3:32.17 and is second on the country’s mile list (after John Walker) with a 3:50.66. While competing for the University of Michigan and Coach Ron Warhurst, he won the mile at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships and was a member of two NCAA Indoor Distance Medley Relay champion quartets. Willis, who still spends much of the year in Michigan, had hip surgery for a labreal tear on April 10 and missed the 2009 outdoor track season, including the World Championships. Willis and his family are involved with a running travel venture called Kiwirun Tours (www.kiwirun.com), which he discusses below.
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