Nick Conway

Debilitated by Lyme, elite runner flying again

Family – Mother, Grace; Sister, Lizzy, Brother-in-law, Louie, two nieces and one nephew
Age – 49
Residence – Albany
Profession – College Instructor
Primary Sport – Running
Other Sports – Swimming, Spinning, Yoga

By Paul Grondahl

On a raw and windy Saturday morning, a shirtless Nick Conway – sinewy and tattooed, shoulder-length sandy hair billowing – sprinted around the University at Albany track like his life depended on it. In a way, perhaps it did. Once an elite distance runner who made his mark by winning numerous road races around the Capital Region in the early 2000s, he clocked a series of PRs, as he approached his 30th birthday.

“I felt stronger, faster and healthier than at any time in my life,” he said. And then the bottom fell out of his running world.

Without warning, Nick’s super-fit body betrayed him. Something suddenly went haywire in his central nervous system. He was plunged into severe, chronic pain. “I went from getting a PR in the 5K (14:27) and mile (4:04) to not being able to bend over to tie my shoes,” he recalled of the mysterious disease that began to debilitate him in 2005.

I saw Nick at a road race in his glory days. He was quick, graceful and fluid. Years later, I noticed him at the Guilderland Y after he was stricken. He grimaced and shuffled in slow motion from the locker room to the sauna like a guy in his 90s. It was heartbreaking. “My low point was having to ask strangers to tie my shoes,” he said.

He consulted doctors and specialists around the state, across the country, and in Europe. There was no shortage of theories, from multiple sclerosis to fibromyalgia to chronic fatigue syndrome. The tests were inconclusive. It was baffling.

He spent a small fortune on doctors, medications and treatments. Nothing worked. The torment went on for more than 15 years. “I went to some dark, dark places,” he said. He pleaded that he wouldn’t wake up in the morning.

Nicholas Conway did not set out to become an elite distance runner. At Guilderland High School, he played varsity soccer and lacrosse. He was sneaky fast. Friends and coaches urged him to try out for the track team. “I wanted no part of long-distance running. It sounded miserable,” said Nick, who gives off the vibe of a laid-back surfer dude, a cross between Matthew McConaughey and Owen Wilson.

The lobbying convinced Nick to run track in his junior and senior years of high school, and then at Union College, where he competed in track and cross country while majoring in mathematics. “I loved that it was fun and low-key at Union and we created a community,” he said.

Eventually, Nick’s clinicians coalesced around prolonged Lyme disease, which can be hard to diagnose. He has gotten some relief from weekly sessions with Wayne Hogan, a chiropractor in Mechanicville, who incorporates kinesiology and herbalism. Nick immerses himself in saunas, cryotherapy chambers and sensory deprivation float tanks – along with a healthy, so-called “clean” diet. To remain healthy from the disease and stay fit for racing, Nick has diversified his training with swimming and taking spinning and hot yoga classes. 

Nick’s cocktail of therapies has helped him manage the symptoms. Perhaps the most important element in his recovery has been a gradual return to running and discovering a supportive community with the Albany Running Exchange’s racing team.

“I started my comeback with baby steps,” said Nick. His brother-in-law, Louie DiNuzzo, convinced him to run a charity race for Louie’s mother, who died of cancer. “I was just grateful to be out there again,” he said.

In 2023, Nick met Jack Huber, 23, of Bethlehem, a standout distance runner at Bethlehem High School and Michigan State University. They became fast friends and trained together. (I work with Jack’s father, Mike, at the New York State Writers Institute.)

“Everyone loves Nick. He’s full of life and always positive,” Jack said.

They ran together four or five times a week throughout last winter. Their relaxing runs are 13 to 15 miles on the trails of Peebles Island State Park in Cohoes. Their harder workouts on the UAlbany track involve five one-mile sprints at a sub-five-minute pace, with a 60-second break between intervals.

“The workouts Nick can do are unbelievable,” Jack said. “Nobody is forcing us to be here. We do it for the love of running and to push ourselves to the edge.”

Jack and Nick have formed a brotherhood around the ethos of the quest to shave seconds off their PRs. Nick expresses gratitude for their tight-knit group which also includes Vin Aceto, Drew Burns, Matt Cavaliere, Marty Dolan, Ricardo Estremera, and Pete Rowell, who have been pushing and supporting each other. 

Training with Nick is bringing out the best in Jack. As an example, he won an invitational 800-meter race at UAlbany – after battling strong headwinds and chilly temperatures – in 1:52, just a second off his best time. 

It’s paying off. At the 2024 Stockade-athon 15K in Schenectady on November 10, Jack came in third overall, while Nick finished 11th overall and second in the Male Masters in 48:57. In addition, Nick also had the race’s top age-graded score at 92.34%, a “world-class” 15K performance.

“Intense workouts and races help me push past the pain and make me feel strong and free again,” Nick said.

“The ARE team camaraderie is the best part,” said Pete, 35, the racing team’s captain and a 2012 UAlbany grad who ran track for the Great Danes. “Running at this level is no fun by yourself. It’s so much better with this group and the positive energy Nick brings.”

The Albany Running Exchange was formed in 2002 and has more than 1,000 members of all ages and ability levels. On Tuesday nights at the UAlbany track, it’s not unusual for more than 100 members to show up, creating a festive atmosphere. The group credits the friendly, inclusive vibe created by UAlbany’s legendary track and field coach Roberto Vives, entering his 40th year with the program, whose mantra is “Do the incredible.”

Nick takes Roberto’s motto at face value. At 49, told he’d never run again, Nick’s keeping pace with elite runners half his age. Jack is pushing Nick to try to beat US records for grand-master status, when he turns 50 next year, in the 800 meters (1:59) and the mile (4:19).

“I think those are within his reach if he keeps training at this level,” said Jack, whose goal is to run a sub-four-minute mile, which Nick thinks is within Jack’s reach.

Nick’s tattoos reflect his deep love of hip-hop music since childhood. He teaches his popular hip-hop course at Yale University in person once a week, and online at UAlbany and Trinity College (Conn.). He also draws from his background in math by tutoring math and science on the side. Nick credits his flexible schedule which allows for training at a high level. 

“Nick has a relaxed, loose running style, which matches his personality,” Jack said. “He’s always the first to go shirtless on the track and he glides out there. He taught me to live for the moment.”

“Jack and I developed an intense bond by pushing ourselves to the limit and this is the best running community on the planet,” Nick said. “I’m filled with gratitude to be able to run like this again.” He also shares his gratitude for the guys in the training group who push each other and genuinely support each other. 

“Nick has so much charisma,” said Matt Cavaliere, 22, a med student at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. He ran track with Jack at Bethlehem High and competed collegiately at Binghamton. “Nick and Jack are why I drive all the way out here to train.”

Previously published in the Times Union and reprinted with permission, with updates by Mona Kulkarni Caron.

Paul Grondahl is the Opalka Endowed Director of the New York State Writers Institute and a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmail.com.