Meet the 2023 SWM Athletes: Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams | Men’s Elite Mile

Social Media: Instagram | Strava

Sponsor: Furman Elite
College: Furman
Mile PR: 3:58.48

I grew up in a suburb of Akron, Ohio before attending Furman University for 6 years, ultimately graduating in 2021.
After a 1.5 year stint with Atlanta Track Club, I switched my affiliation to Mexico (¡Viva México!), sold my condo and pretty much everything in it, bought a one-way ticket to Mexico City (which is about 7400ft in elevation), and have been living with my grandparents/training remotely under Robert Gary (aka, the Notorious Bobby G) since. After not racing for almost two years since the US Olympic Trials in 2021 due to various injuries, I was able to qualify for the Mexican national championship where I won titles in the 1500 and 800.
I was the first person in the Furman program to break the four-minute mile barrier in 2020
Not to brag, but I beat TzTok-Jad and secured a fire cape for my main in Runescape last year, and I’m pretty close to getting my quest cape. I also got the Chaos Elemental pet with 1 KC recently.
After two years of on-and-off reading, I’m almost finished with Brothers Karamazov. One more year tops. Maybe two.

Do you have any superstitions/pre-race rituals? I’ve read Psalm 18 before practically every race since high school.
What’s your favorite sport (or athlete) to watch, besides running? Anything Cleveland! Go team! Go sports!
What’s a show or movie you’ve seen lately that’s worth watching? I just finished Better Call Saul and Cowboy Bebop recently, so I’ll probably go back and binge Scrubs unless anyone has any suggestions.
What’s a song or podcast that’s currently on your playlist? All Delighted People (Original Version) by Sufjan Stevens
Do you have any connections to Raleigh or North Carolina? My first outdoor race in college was the Raleigh Relays 1500 way back in 2016. Fun fact: That was FloTrack’s tasty race of the week, which made me the fourth tastiest racer mathematically. Right?

Learn more about Ryan Adams at: VIS Experience | Run with the Pros