5 QUESTIONS FOR AARON NEMZER
RUNNING USA
DMSE Sports Director of Events received the first ever Rising Star award at Running USA conference in Austin. He has great practical career advice to share and tells us where he’d like to run next
Running USA introduced a new award to its lineup of honors celebrating the best in the running industry this year, the Rising Star Award. The recipient of the inaugural Rising Star is Aaron Nemzer, 26, who works as Director of Events for DMSE Sports in Massachusetts.
Nemzer was a highly recommended recipient, receiving nominations from three of his bosses and several very well-known industry personalities. Dave McGillivray commented: “We are fortunate to have him as part of our team. The sport is lucky to have him in our industry.”
That strong praise is backed up by his work on the Boston Marathon, BAA Half Marathon, and other client events around the country. With a focus on client relations, public safety agency coordination, permitting and approval, and course operations, Aaron is skilled in some of the most important aspects of making any major event run smoothly.
We asked Aaron five questions in order to better get to know this industry Rising Star.
RUSA: What does it feel like to be singled out for your accomplishments so early in your career? Are you planning early retirement?
Aaron: Ha! I wish. Age 26 and retired...sounds nice! I still don’t really know how to put it into words. It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by an industry full of friends, family, and people that I look up to.
RUSA: You readily admit that you’re still learning the business. What was the last insightful nugget of information you came across?
Aaron: Yes, I’m definitely still learning every single day. I go into each day knowing that I'm surrounded by some of the best and brightest in the industry. I just try to soak up as much knowledge as I can from anyone that's willing to share. There was a lot of good information from last week's conference about ways we can make our races into more of a fun and different experience for the runners, which my team and I will take back home and try to apply to some of the races we work on.
RUSA: What advice would you give to those starting out in this industry who really want to make a mark?
Aaron: Learn from your colleagues. There are so many incredible individuals in this industry that have a wealth of knowledge to share. Also, make sure you enjoy what you're doing. Work becomes a lot more fun, and sometimes even easier, when you're passionate about what you're doing.
RUSA: If you weren’t working in the running industry, what do you think you’d be doing?
Aaron: That’s a tough question. I’ve been around the running industry for so long, it’s hard to imagine working in any other field. I got my degree in economics so I guess I’d be doing something in the business or finance world. I'm glad I went this route though. It's a lot more fun!
RUSA: What are a few races or places you’d like to go running that are on your bucket list?
Aaron: I love to travel, so anything international. The Madrid Marathon and Jerusalem Marathon are two that top my list. Both are places I've spent time in over the past few years. It would be great to get back and run in both places. There are so many races that I would love to run. I just hope I can stay healthy enough to one day run them all!