Plan B Forum

Meet the Mustachioed, Beer-Drinking “Hero” Who Crashed the Trials 10K
One year ago, Noah Droddy was planning to attend the Olympic trials as a spectator. But with a new coach and even longer hair, he qualified—and became an internet sensation.
By Kit Fox Wednesday, July 6, 2016, 2:32 pm

Noah Droddy’s first appearance on national TV is like one long photo bomb.

He pops up at the starting line of Hayward Field, out of focus on NBC’s live broadcast of the men’s 10,000-meter final, his long black hair hanging over his shoulders as the cameras zoom toward America’s best distance runner, Galen Rupp.

He’s there again, to the left of Ben True, the American record holder in the road 5K. True gazes past the start line, looking the part as he shakes out his shoulders and neck. Droddy looks directly into the camera, wearing sepia-tinted sunglasses, a backwards blue hat, a black mustache, and the facial expression of someone about to ask, “Hey, man, could you pass me a beer?”

In the lineup of clean-shaven, big-brand-sponsored distance stars hoping to make the U.S. Olympic team on a Friday night in Eugene, Oregon, the Joe Dirt doppelganger with bouncing locks and a killer ’stache didn’t fit.

Naturally, social media fell in love.

He was called a “hero,” “majestic,” the “most American athlete to ever live.” Someone suggested bald eagles be photoshopped behind him. Another said he must have lost his way while heading to a house party.

It didn’t matter that Droddy, 25, from Boulder, Colorado, crossed the finish line in last place. His time of 31:02.99 was three minutes behind the leaders [It was a brutally hot day when they ran this, close to 100 on the track, and many world class runners dropped out which explains the big time gap]. He was lapped just after the halfway mark.

Mostly people just wanted to know: Who the heck was this dude, and how did he crash the deepest American 10,000-meter field in the past four years?