Seth Travis remembers standing with his husband at the finish line of the 2021 New York City Marathon. As he watched runners from all over the field complete an incredible triumph, one thought kept racing through his head.
“I could never do this.”
A former college swimmer, Travis embarked on a career in fashion and media, launching Man of Metropolis in 2015. He spent long days at the studio, curating shoots and interviews with models, celebrities and athletes.
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Though the magazine shuttered in 2022, its work lives online in the form of alluring, and sensual, photo galleries.
Travis picked up running in 2020, but he was far from a fanatic. The prospect of running 20 miles in a week seemed daunting, never mind 26.2 in one race!
But somewhere along the line, Travis’ relationship with the road began to change. Soon, he found himself waking up before dawn, running across the Brooklyn Bridge as the sun was rising over Manhattan.
“The sun was barely up, and I had already put in 5 or 7 miles,” he said. “There’s something very meditative and spiritual to that.”
A lifelong New Yorker, Travis attended his first NYC Marathon in 2021. He’s had the itch ever since. Over the last three years, he’s competed in two Montauk Triathlons, as well as the 70.3 Happy Valley Ironman.
Last November, Travis participated in his first NYC Marathon, with thousands of people watching him accomplish his goal.
And next week, he’s going to do it again!
With the big race approaching, Queerty caught up with Travis to chat about his fashionista past, running into Shawn Mendes on the Brooklyn Bridge (literally) and meeting his hubby on a blind date. Here’s what he had to say…
QUEERTY: What’s the hardest part about marathon training that people don’t know about?
SETH TRAVIS: I would say it’s the grind. It’s 16 weeks. The Ironman training block is 16 weeks, the marathon training block is 16 weeks. That’s par for the course. I think it’s just getting through 16 weeks. I was a collegiate athlete, and swimming is cult-level religion. And this was—just the sheer commitment, the grind is 16 weeks of putting in the miles, eating the calories, getting enough sleep. But it’s been a really, really cool experience.
What do you enjoy about the grind?
I know running clubs are really popular, and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet up with a couple of groups. I’m a member of the Front Runners. But I’m kind of a loner. I like my solitude, so I really enjoy creating a playlist or listening to a ton of house music and just going out on these 2-hour or 3-hour runs. Being alone, especially in a place like New York City where you’re seeing the skyline and running through Central Park. The summer where I really got into running, I was getting up at 4:30 and 5:00 a.m., running down Broadway, through FiDi, across the Brooklyn Bridge into Dumbo. The sun was barely up, and I had already put in 5 or 7 miles. There’s something very meditative and spiritual to that.
What’s on your playlist these days?
I love Rufus Du Sol. I do have Taylor Swift on my playlist. They’re kind of dated, but Bastille has a lot of really good songs that are the right beat and the right pace. I have gospel music on my playlist, to be honest. I’m a huge Superman and DC Comics fan. I have Zack Snyder and the Justice League. There are a couple of songs that jump out. Throughout my playlist, I have top-40 songs, then this epic, 2-minute Hans Zimmer classic. You’re running along Staten Island and can see Lower Manhattan and Hans Zimmer is playing. I try to drop things like that into my playlist.
Do you have any fun stories from running around New York City?
The story I was telling you earlier about running the Brooklyn Bridge at 4:30 or 5:00 a.m… I usually run 5 or 7 miles in the morning and then City Bike back to my apartment in Midtown. I swear to God, the first time I ran the Brooklyn Bridge, I turn away, I take in my view of Lower Manhattan and the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge, and Shawn Mendes is behind me! It’s like 7:10 a.m. I’m not proud of how I reacted, because I should’ve said “hi” to him. Or I should have gotten a picture. Or I should’ve said, “I have a bunch of your songs on your playlist!” But I kind of just awkwardly laughed, and said “good morning.” Then I just kept walking.
You used to publish a fashion magazine! Would you describe yourself as a fashionista?
It’s so funny to get asked that. I always joke with my husband, my first job at high school I worked at the GAP. And GAP was huge at the time… Then when I was in college, I worked at Abercrombie in its heyday. I’m from a small town in Pennsylvania, I thought that was high fashion! Then when I started Man of Metropolis, I thought I was into fashion, but these stylists know the history, what’s coming out now, how it’s made, the creative director, the materials being sourced. Being the editor of a magazine, it’s really tough to know the depth of fashion that stylists and photographers do. But I like to think I have more of a passion for storytelling, which is why I really enjoyed interviewing actors and singers and celebrities. As much as I love fashion, for me getting to work cross-functionally with founders, athletes and actors and stylists was a little more exciting.
I do love fashion, but I definitely wouldn’t use the word “fashionista!”
What are some of the sexiest ways for a man to pose?
One of the things I wanted to do when we launched Metropolis Sport was celebrate the male body and the physique in an artful way. You’ll probably see some images in my portfolio of those Greek, black and white tasteful shots. We’re really proud of showcasing the male physique. And you’ll see, it’s not just crotch shots. You’ll see some really interesting shots of the neck or the back or the upper-lats. I couldn’t have been happier with how those turned out. Some of the zoomed-out shots, it looks like [the models] are swimming or they’re throwing a shot-put or a javelin. We tried to celebrate the “Greek Statue-esque,” that sort of thing.
You post a lot of pics with your husband Greg… you guys look like a great couple! How did you meet?
We met in 2006. We both came out, and we met in a small town in Pennsylvania where I was going to graduate school and he was working his first job out of engineering school. Through happenstance, we had a mutual friend. He said, “One day, when you guys are ready, I’ll introduce you two.”
So we met. I was at a bar with a friend. … I walked in, and he had this cowboy shirt on. The most beautiful blue eyes you’ve ever seen. I know it sounds cheesy—I’m a hopeless romantic—but the whole room dimmed, and all I could see is him. We stood at one of those high-top tables, and talked for two hours straight. We’re both pretty intense people. It was, “What do you want to do for the rest of your life? What are your dreams and goals? You want to get out of this, right?” We got to, “Do you like seafood?” And he was like, “I don’t like seafood.” And I said, “Will you marry me?” That’s how much I don’t like seafood!
Then our first date was on Halloween Weekend. We were walking in Central Park, and got caught in the rain!
It also looks like you guys have a new addition on the way! What about dad life are you most excited about?
There is an Olympic swimmer named Adam Peaty. He’s a breast stroker from the U.K. He has a 3-year-old son now, and at one point or another on Instagram, he posted a picture of himself in the pool with his son. As I mentioned earlier in our call, swimming is my first love. I really love it. No matter where you are in the world, a swimming pool is a swimming pool is a swimming pool. Obviously, I can’t wait to introduce our kids to food, and take them around the country and the world to places we love, music that I like. Dancing with them in the living room and stuff. But I can’t reiterate enough: I cannot wait to teach my son how to swim. There’s a picture of Adam Peaty with his son in the pool, and I’ve sent that picture to Greg so many times. It just melts my heart.
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