Cole Sprout has had an extraordinary journey at Stanford, earning six All-American honors, finishing 12th in the 10,000m at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and walking at graduation with a master’s in computer science. Beyond the accolades, Cole’s dedication, discipline, and mindset have shaped not just his athletic career but his approach to life. We sat down with him to hear about his experiences, favorite memories, and thoughts on the future of running.

Q&A with Cole Sprout

Q1: Give us a little background on yourself.

Cole: Yeah of course. My upbringing has shaped a significant part of who I am today. I grew up in the mountains outside of Denver, Colorado. I had a very Colorado childhood, haha–lots of camping, mountain biking, hiking, and all that good stuff with my family. While I dabbled in some team sports, such as lacrosse, soccer, and tennis, I fell in love with endurance sports from a young age. I started mountain bike racing around middle school, mostly focusing on cross-country events. I just loved the purity of it. While there’s an external competition component of me vs. everyone else, what I found to be a much more powerful and enticing aspect of endurance sports was the internal competition of me vs. myself. Whether it was a Strava segment on the bike or the PE mile, I knew I could always do it faster. By the time track and cross country rolled around at the end of middle school, I knew how powerful that positive feedback loop could be – I can do it faster…I can do it faster…

That mindset translated well into many state and national-level performances in high school, and I found myself being recruited to run cross-country and track at Stanford. While I loved athletics, I knew, or rather I was told, it wouldn’t last forever. So, academics were important in my decision, but some really good advice my parents gave me was to pick a place that I knew I’d be happy at, whether I was healthy and racing or not. After my visit with the coaches and team, I felt that Stanford was the right place for me. 

Q2: What’s your “day in the life” like?

Cole: Although I’m in a bit of a transitional phase between school and my professional pursuits, my time as a student-athlete at Stanford made me intentional about creating rhythm amidst what could be a chaotic schedule. As such, my days still look pretty similar! I get up, and typically have some version of the same thing for breakfast: 2-3 eggs and some oatmeal or yogurt, granola, and honey. After getting some calories, I’ll head out for my workout which can be any combination of an easy run, lift, or gravel/road/mtn. bike ride to take some load off the legs. If I have two workouts in a day, I’ll usually space them between morning and afternoon. Between those sessions, I come back home and work on the research project I’ve been working on this summer for my Master's, watch some TikTok/take a nap, or do a bit of software/product development for the startup I’m working at. Since I’ve been back home this summer, I’ll spend the evenings with my parents, enjoying good food and then finding a true crime Netflix documentary to watch. 

 

Q3: Looking back on your time at Stanford, what’s your favorite memory or milestone, whether on the track, in the classroom, or both, that really stands out to you?

Cole: In recent memory, qualifying for nationals this Spring was a pretty important milestone for me. Early in my time at Stanford, all I was thinking about was winning a title as a team in cross country or as an individual across our three seasons: cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. I hit some setbacks in the latter half of my Stanford career with a series of injuries that gave me two options: 1) quit because that goal was no longer in sight or 2) adapt my goals for the circumstances I was in. To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about option 1, so I promised myself I would just keep showing up — to eventually get back to the athlete I was. This happened a lot slower than I would’ve liked, and it still wasn’t a linear progression. However, this spring, I clawed my way back to the physical fitness and confidence needed to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Nationals in the 10,000m. While I’ve had objectively better performances in my Stanford career than that NCAA final, I didn’t have to fight for them nearly as badly as this one, so this one will always be a highlight of my time at Stanford.

Q4: Track is as much a mental game as a physical one. How has the discipline and mindset you’ve developed on the track helped you tackle challenges in life beyond running?

Cole: Hahah, that’s an appropriate question given my last answer. In my experience, it’s been as simple as what I mentioned earlier – just. keep. showing. up. I said simple, but not easy! As humans, we crave homeostasis, i.e., the path of least resistance. It’s a pretty effective evolutionary trait, but in today’s society the path of least resistance isn’t always the best one. BUT, it’s natural and easy to do that. So even though I love being an athlete, some days it’s difficult to get myself out the door for an early morning session or lock in for a 17-mile long run. RUNNING IS HARD. That being said, the more I do it, the more habitual it becomes until I don’t even think about not doing it. It’s a pretty simple formula, and I’ve found it to be helpful in tackling life’s challenges beyond running. My cross country coach in middle school put this in a way that has stuck with me ever since. He said that anytime he has to do an arduous or difficult task, he’d put his brain into “cross-country mode.” He explained that the skills you learn in cross country are skills you’ll use for the rest of your life. At the time, it sounded a bit like a boomer-take, but the older I get, the truer it rings in my own life.  

Q5: If you could pick one perfect route to run anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Cole: I’ve been fortunate to run some pretty incredible routes up to this point…A couple stick out. One incredible spot I’ve run at was Chiavenna, Italy which is this beautiful town nestled in the Italian Alps. The track there is surrounded by these huge mountains on all four sides, and the river trail that runs next to it is gorgeous as well. That track + trail is a 10/10. The only thing that could make it better is some easy trail access just straight into the Alps. Another, more biased answer is an area I go to every year with my family in Saguache, Colorado. There’s some pretty remote spots in this part of Colorado where you can go for miles and miles without seeing another person so its untouched beauty always stands out to me. The trails I’ll run on out there sit at 10,000ft or higher so again, it’s one of the few places left where you can really experience the unbridled power of nature. 

 

Q6: How do you see Wip fitting into your lifestyle and helping you perform at your best?

Cole: I have a pretty active lifestyle, and I try to make the most of every moment I’m in. When I first heard of Wip, I resonated with the story they were trying to tell and the lifestyle they were trying to support with their product. The convenience factor is nice for me. If I’m out at the trailhead about to go for a run or a ride, it’s clutch being able to grab a Wip pouch to enjoy on the trails for a little extra boost. Speaking of which, feel free to use my affiliate link to get 10% off your next order: https://www.wip.com/colesprout

Q7: Tell us about a time you ‘Owned The Brink’—a moment when you faced a big challenge, stayed ready under pressure, and proved you could rise to the occasion.

Cole: I mentioned one of the larger athletic challenges I’ve faced in recent years so I’ll switch it up and talk about my decision to pursue a Master’s. When I first got to Stanford, my plan was to put in my four years, get my degree, and continue to run professionally. Amidst some of the injuries I went through during my Junior and Senior year, I wasn’t sure whether I’d have that opportunity to run post-collegiately. As such, I figured I should double down on my academics to give myself some more options after I was done with school. Even though I was at Stanford and considered myself pretty serious about my academics, I couldn’t ever shake the little voice in my head saying I was only there as a student-athlete. Part of this insecurity came from so much of my identity (for so long) being tied up as an athlete. Rationally I knew I could hold my own against most of my peers but c’mon, it’s STANFORD. You can’t go a day without getting your ego checked at a place like that, and I felt like as a student-athlete, I had something to prove. So despite that little voice telling me maybe I wasn’t qualified enough or smart enough to actually get into a Master’s program, I did know that I knew how to work hard and figure things out, even if it took me twice as long as the student next to me. All that to say, that was a moment where I felt unsure about myself but fully committed to it anyway and looking back I am very grateful I took a bit of a leap of faith. 

Q8: With more people joining run clubs and brands leaning into running culture, what’s your take on this shift, and where do you think running is headed in the next few years?

Cole: Oh it’s amazing to see because I remember when running long distances wasn’t nearly this cool lol. But seriously, I wish everyone would give running a try. I think it gets a bad rep because it is hard! But, when you do hard things with other people and do them consistently, they feel easier. When you finish something that’s as physically and mentally difficult as running, that hit of endorphins and sense of accomplishment is like no other. Getting to share that experience with other people makes it all the more potent. Run clubs flipping the narrative to make running feel more accessible and fun is great for run culture and broader society. I think in part this shift is due to people my age seeing the value in having more constructive, social outlets so I anticipate (and hope) run culture will continue to take off so as many people as possible can get out there, bag some rays☀️, enjoy the company of others, and log some miles! I promise, it’s addicting!

Q9: What’s next for you, and what are you most excited about in the next chapter of your journey?

Cole: I’m moving out to Eugene, Oregon, in less than a week! I’m going out there to work as a Product/Software engineer at an AI startup part-time while I start training for the marathon as a Nike-sponsored athlete. Before graduating I thought I’d be in a position to have to choose: professional running or join the corporate ranks. So to be in a position where I can continue to invest into my running while also beginning to build my professional career is something I’m super excited about. 

Q10: Where can fans and followers connect with you online, and do you have any final words or advice for the Wip community?

Cole: For sure! I’m on Instagram mainly (@colecsprout), where I post a lot of running-related content and other life highlights. I’m mostly a consumer on TikTok (@colesprout), but I’ll post on there from time to time (I’m trying to get better about posting actually so I could use the accountability). 

It’s a pleasure getting to share a bit about myself with y’all! I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of you already, and this is one of the most chill yet overachieving communities I’ve been a part of. Thanks for reading a bit about me and please reach out! You know where to find me!