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Nils Arend

@nils_877

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DISCOMFORT IS A FEATURE. NOT A BUG.
@thespeedproject | @makerunning
#NORULES #NOSPECTATORS

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📷@suaveciiito by @nils_877

877
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five years ago i had my last drink! addiction is a bitch.
🏴🏴🦾 by @nils_877

🏴🏴🇫🇷 by @nils_877

The origin story of The Speed Project. Nils Arend (@nils_877) on Mentor Buffet out now, available everywhere you listen to podcasts. An inspiring conversation about designing your own life and dreaming big. by @nils_877

This week we lost the closest of friends and collaborators, Ciarán Ó Lionáird. Ciarán filled many roles with TSP and Make Running since we first crossed paths in 2019, as a writer, producer, creative director, strategist, and, of course, DJ with his Venice Red Light collective. He helped us build concepts and tell stories, all in service of making things meaningful and true. As an Olympian in the 1500 and a 3:52 miler*, he brought invaluable insight to our team, as well as an unparalleled respect for the never-fading challenge that running offers. He lived by _no rules_, he was the embodiment of _no spectators_.

Ciarán leaves a legacy of many beautiful things he created and put forth into the world, from the way he ran on the track / to the essays he’s shared on loving and then leaving and then loving once again the sport / to the music he created under Joshua Trees as the sun set over the Mojave / to the energy, spirit, and presence he gave to every huddle, every conversation, every mile in the back of a beat up stretch limousine or S-Bahn car.

Though there is deep sadness in Ciarán’s passing, the outpouring of love and appreciation for the life he lived keeps a tailwind at our backs. He reminds us to stay present with those around us; to contribute our full selves to any endeavor; and to seek out - or share - support when we need it.

Words from his piece “Finding the Love” reverberate quietly and powerfully, just as he himself did, whether in the final 400 or behind a pair of 1600s:

“In the end, we are all running toward something – perhaps not a finish line, but a sense of self, a place where we feel we belong. The Speed Project reminded me that there is no “right” way to get there. There is only the journey, as messy and beautiful as it is. I am grateful for every mile, every ache, and every misstep that has brought me here. To the global running community, the characters I’ve met on this path - thank you for reminding me of the beauty of the run, for showing me that sometimes, the finish line is just the beginning.”

Ciarán Ó Lionáird
1988-2026

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photo by @jjeffersoniv by @nils_877

🖤🖤🖤 by @nils_877

I couldn’t find a credible source verifying that the quote “it’s cool to be in the pie” is from someone named Jarick Walker — I found no documented quote list or verification linking him to that phrase. 🏴🏴🏴 by @nils_877

“The thing that excites me the most is the creative involvement of these runners. So many different perspectives and stories… I think TSP it’s a kind of home for the evolution of running, which we can no longer define as just a sports movement,” @nils_877 told us, reflecting on the radical vision behind @thespeedproject — a space where extreme running meets multidimensional creativity.

Today, this bold project takes another significant step forward by signing its very first professional athlete: Brazilian artist, tattooer, and ultrarunner @bielruns.

“Me and TSP share the same obsession with the art and pure act of running. No noise, no bullshit. We didn’t plan it, we just collided,” commented Biel, the first official representative of the TSP mindset, now ready to make his debut at the IAU 24H World Championships in Albi, France.

It’s a mindset we explored in depth with TSP founder Nils Arend himself. Link in bio or visit athletamag.com to dive into the ‘No Rules, No Spectators’ philosophy.

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“La cosa che più mi eccita è il coinvolgimento creativo dei runner. Tante prospettive e storie differenti... Penso che TSP sia una sorta di casa per l’evoluzione del running, che ormai non può più essere semplicemente definito come un movimento sportivo”, ci aveva spiegato @nils_877, parlando delle prospettive radicali del @thespeedproject, in grado di fondere running estremo e creatività multidimensionale.

Oggi, questo significativo progetto compie un altro passo avanti, firmando il primo atleta professionista a rappresentarlo: l’artista, tatuatore e ultrarunner brasiliano @bielruns.

“Io e il TSP condividiamo lo stesso tipo di ossessione nei confronti dell’arte e del puro atto del running. Niente casino. Niente cazzate. Nulla di pianificato, siamo semplicemente entrati in collisione”, ha commentato il primo rappresentante ufficiale del mindset TSP, pronto ad esordire agli IAU 24H World Championships di Albi, Francia.

Un mindset che abbiamo esplorato attraverso il founder del TSP stesso, Nils Arend. Link in bio o visita athletamag.com per scoprire la filosofia ‘No Rules, No Spectators’.

📷 | @tycjantrzpiola ; @jordan_manoukian by @nils_877

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cc @makerunning by @nils_877

a mellow sunday night with a few friends. we double down, always. 🏴🏴🏴

@thespeedproject

🎥 @suaveciiito
📷 @chinoarcer by @nils_877

🏴🏴🏴 by @nils_877