Nic Ruley and Brett King dated for nine years before tying the knot in Montgomery County, Maryland, where they met—and their wedding was on the first day it was legal: Jan. 2, 2013.
They had it at an old school at the courthouse, and since it was the first day same-sex weddings were available in Maryland, NBC was there—and they shot footage of Nic and Brett. And that footage is now the same-sex wedding stock footage used by NBC News whenever another state gets marriage equality.
The two likely will appear on NBC once again after Illinois opens the marriage gates for the LGBT community.
Nic, who prefers not to hyphenate their last names, is 36 and an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago in the Television Department. Brett, who prefers the hyphen ( King-Ruley ), is an office manager at Columbia College Chicago.
They live in East Lake View.
Nic also loves triathlons, having completed 35 races over the past five years—and this spring he joined Team In Training ( TEAM ), the endurance-training program supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is, naturally, a tri coach for TEAM.
"Being a queer athlete, racing triathlons has almost felt like a political act," he said. "My relationship with sports growing up was really, well, non-existent. I mean, unless you count theater and marching band as sports. Athletics weren't very welcoming to gay kids during my formative years. I mean, kids always wanted to play smear-the-queer, but that wasn't really the sports scene that I wanted to be involved in. So being involved [now] and being visible is a way for me to do my part and carve out some space for the gay community. I know it's not much, but hopefully, we can make sports a little less hostile for gay kids who will feel free to pursue whatever their passion is, whether it's triathlon or musical theater or both."
King Ruley's first foray into the tri world was through the Chicago Triathlon, and his coach that year, Scott Hutmacher, introduced him to the sport "in way that was both intimidation-free and accessible, which is something I hadn't expected," he said. "That approach is what got me across the finish line and what got me hooked. He showed me that it wasn't just a challenge, but also this amazing hobby that you could love, even while it kicked your ass.
"I coach because this is something that I want to pass on to my athletes: the love of the sport, as corny as it sounds. I'm a believer in the religion of triathlon and hope to convert as many as possible."
King Ruley also is hooked on his TEAM, with coaches sporting green training shirts and the throng of participants sporting purple attire.
"TEAM has done such a magnificent job balancing mission and training," he said. "They provide athletes with the tools, not just to finish, but to really succeed in reaching their own personal goals in regards to their fitness and the race that they are running, all while generating much needed revenue for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Illinois. They have the personal approach to training that I wanted as an athlete, so I'm thrilled to be working with them this season."
King Ruley brings an endless supply of enthusiasm, plus a sense of fearlessness, and a love of the sport. Maybe a little panache too, he added.
"I am a firm believer in consistency and long-term results, which require a lot of discipline, especially early on," King Ruley said. "If you can get up and run for a bit once, it's fantastic. Bully to you for getting out there and doing it. But if you can sustain that for 90 days, you'll be amazed how you feel and how your body and mind change."
King Ruley will be competing this summer in the tri at Gay Games 9 in Cleveland—and he's driven to return home with a medal.
"I'm attracted to triathlon because it teaches you to live. Each of the sports is about overcoming challenges and adversities," King Ruley said. "When you swim, you have to overcome the water. When you bike, you have to overcome the machine. When you run, you have to overcome yourself. But learning to use that adversity to move through it is the key. I think the same thing applies to life. It's about asking yourself, 'What is challenging me right now and how can I use this to succeed.'"
King Ruley said his favorite endurance-sport memory was finishing Ironman Texas in 2012, which he tagged, "one of the most incredible experienceas of my life."
He admittedly was not 100-percent ready for that race, but, he has a superstition about racing—that he must complete at least two of the same distance races in a year, in case one is absolutely miserable.
"I signed up for Ironman Texas as a pre-race for Ironman Wisconsin. That way, one could be terrible and it'd be no big [deal]," King Ruley said. "I expected [the Texas event] to be terrible, so the bar was set so low that every step of the race exceeded my expectations.
"[Renowned triathlete] Chrissie Wellington was at the finish line putting medals on all of the athletes, which was a total surprise to me. When I saw her, all I could think was 'Holy shit, this is Chrissie Wellington!' So I dropped to me knees and kissed her feet, which the medics and volunteers frowned on, thinking I had passed out. But when I got up she smiled and gave me my medal and said congratulations. It was magic."
