Nash Crushing It In All of His Shirtless and Short Shorts Glory

East Nasties-- this week’s East Nasty of the Week is one hilarious and speedy dude, an East Nasty staple, and one half of the running power couple, Leah and Nash. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my extreme pleasure to introduce you to the newest ENOW—Mr. Nash Harris.

Nash was fortunate enough to be born and raised in the great state of Alabama. More precisely, he was born in Mobile and grew up in Bay Minette. In high school, he says he was just “an average guy” who played soccer and tennis all 4 years. Running was, by far, his least favorite part of sports (Did someone have to run laps for goofing off?). His parents still can’t believe that Nash devotes such a large amount of time to running these days.

Nash attended Millsaps College in Jackson, MS where he played a season of SCAC tennis but quickly lost interest in all things athletic. During that time, he was far more interested in seeing Widespread Panic and throwing the Frisbee around. Currently, Nash’s main job is doing accounting for ADS Security based here in Nashville. According to him, it’s a regular 8-5 cube-farm environment. He also works for What Do You Run For? and Nashville Running Company putting on various races...including the Dry Creek Half and Full (Shameless plug alert . . . sign up at Pint Night at NRC on Wednesday for $10 off!)

As for when he started running, that didn’t happen until 2009. He clearly remembers being so self-conscious that he would only run either late at night or really early in the morning. His first race was the Tomato Fest 5k which he ran in a little over 30 minutes—a time that made him extremely happy back then. After that, he started taking running more seriously and trained for a half marathon, etc. Now, a normal week for him is around 40-50 miles, races twice a month when the weather is nice, and is lightning fast (My words, not his. He's also very humble).

Nash with his fellow NRC Race Team teammates

Nash’s biggest accomplishment in running has to be the network of friends he’s made over the past couple of years. To him, the only thing better than winning a race is knowing that there is always someone willing to trudge a long race out with you no matter the time or condition. Fortunately for us, he heard about East Nasty through his good buddy Seth Neumann. Nash’s running really turned a big corner after meeting him (and Alex Payne) and running with East Nasty on a regular basis.

His favorite part of East Nasty? Wearing short shorts and no shirt, duh (That’s our favorite part too, Nash). He says his most memorable East Nasty experience is an easy one -- it's when he ran with Leah Sawyer for the first time. As he tells it, it was a beautiful day, and he was waaaaaay faster than she was. (Author’s note: I also wrote Leah’s ENOW post. Her recollection was slightly different.)

Between school, work, running, racing, and putting on races, Nash doesn’t really have time for other hobbies. He does, however, like to cook with Leah which is probably the closest thing to a hobby for him. Speaking of his other half, Leah had this to say about Nash: “Describing Nash is an overwhelming task because he is so many good things. When I originally met him, I thought he was serious and shy. I was SO wrong. Nash is silly, genuine, hard-working, and kind. He makes me laugh every single day. He would do anything for his friends. He is immensely loyal. He listens. He is open-minded. He thinks of the details. He is smart and passionate. He does the right thing. He is deeply positive in the face of difficult situations. He cooks some of the best food I have ever eaten. He is FAST!!”

What a perfect embodiment of the East Nasty spirit!! Congratulations on being ENOW, Nash!