CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez

"We brought in a copywriter to work with us for this running club. She started writing copy. One of the sentences she wrote was, "Hey, you've been behind the bar all day, you've earned your right to jog." In my conversation with my partner, I was like, "I'm not feeling that sentence." She's like, "What do you mean?" I was said, "We don't use the word 'jog." They're like, "Who's we?" I said, "Runners, we don't do that." He's like, "What the hell is up with that?" ... And I was like, "Gosh, you know what, you're right. What's my problem?" Frankly, what's the difference here? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the bartenders are a running club? Maybe it's the first-ever jogging club? If there's one demographic who can make jogging cool and relevant again, it's bartenders because bartenders are damn cool, way cooler than I'm ever going to be."

My guests for this episode are Chris and Tim Heuisler. Chris is a good friend of mine who I’ve known for about six years now. He’s one of the nicest people and a huge fan and supporter of the sport on all levels. He worked as Westin's Run Concierge for a few years and really got to work with runners at events across the country at all levels. He's innovative and has an eye for what the general running community is into and how to connect the elite side into things. He’s been working with his brother to launch the Knob Creek Jogging Club. I can’t wait for you guys to hear more about it because I feel the same way you might when you hear the word jogger or jogging. You get a little defensive about it. There’s nothing wrong with being a jogger. So in this episode, you’ll get to know the two brothers and how they want to flip the connotation of the word “jogging” for the running community through the help of bartenders – which has been an industry hit pretty hard due to the pandemic. 

My friend Ryan Welsh, who has co-hosted with me in the past, also joins the fun chat that we recorded back in mid-January.

If you're interested in the program or know a friend who can be a match, feel free to reach out to Chris and Tim:

Chris on Instagram: @chrisheuisler

Tim on Instagram: @theuisler

???? Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

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"If the Olympics had been held last year, I think I would have had a pretty outside shot of making the team. Maybe if things went perfect, I could have maybe snagged a third or something. But at the same time, I didn't even have the standard. It's tough to say but I do think this extra year has kind of served me pretty well. My confidence is much higher that I can make this team. It’s going to be incredibly hard. I don't think you should count out anybody in this situation."

I’ve covered Grant Fisher's career since he was running for Grand Blanc (MI) High School and won the Dream Mile at the 2015 Adidas Grand Prix. He went on to become the seventh U.S. high school runner to break four minutes for the mile. He was a 12-time All-American and an NCAA champion in the 5,000 meters while at Stanford. He turned professional and signed with the Nike Bowerman Track Club in 2019. He’s thriving under Jerry Schumacher's training with personal bests of 13:02.53 for 5,000 meters and 27:11.29 for 10,000 meters. He’s got both Olympic standards in his back pocket ahead of the trials. We unpack those recent performances. We look back at his high school career and career development. Of course, we discussed shoe technology. As a bonus: We discuss the famous LetsRun thread saying: "Grant Fisher is not the best kid in Michigan." 

Grant is also a podcaster now. Check out and subscribe to The Half Step Podcast that he co-hosts with Connor Lane.

???? Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

???? Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG

???? Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

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"Other sports like cycling and swimming are very homogeneous because the cost of bike equipment runs in the tens of thousands of dollars. Swimming is a very homogeneous sport because not everyone has access to a swimming pool. In running, we can kind of toss off those shackles and you only really need a pair of shoes and an opportunity to race and train, which is more accessible than any other sport that exists. But when you start adding the technological constraint that says 'if you want to be good in this sport you have to have the sponsorship or the money' just think about what this is going to do at the high school level with kids that are racing in your $60 Eastbay spikes vs. being able to afford a $250 shoe that gives them 10 seconds to win the state championship or run a time that gets them a college scholarship. That is all of a sudden way different than the sport we knew and creates an in-equitability that is not just at the pro level but across the entire spectrum.”

Mason Ferlic is currently an unsponsored professional runner but trains alongside Nick Willis and Hobbs Kessler in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was an NCAA champion at the University of Michigan in the steeplechase. He also teaches a statistics class there and works as a research engineer and lab manager at Michigan’s Exercise & Sports Science Initiative. He's a super-smart guy so it’s no surprise when he was asked by Flotrack’s Kevin Sully about his thoughts in the great spike debate that’s engrossed the sport that Mason delivered a great answer so I wanted to get him on the pod to talk a bit more about it, where he views the inequities are within the sport and how we move forward now that this arms race is in full swing.

???? Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

???? Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG

???? Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

Previewing all of the races at the Trials of Miles Texas Qualifier with Kyle Merber before we hit the booth. 

The Texas Qualifier is a two-night track meet happening on February 26 & 27. The first night is designed for athletes looking to achieve the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials qualifying mark. The second night of action will get faster with some of the sport’s top stars aiming for Olympic qualifying marks that will set them up for Tokyo. Tune in!

ENTRIES AND FULL SCHEDULE: https://trialsofmilesracing.com/tom/the-texas-qualifier

Here is a mutual aid directory that has been compiled by members of the Texas Sunrise Movement as other ways to help those in Texas recovering from the recent winter storm: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rdMnbzYxfXFrG1DefGqN3R1zu_lan2fml2bEYRpMcRQ/edit

???? Follow CITIUS MAG: https://instagram.com/CitiusMag

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???? Follow Trials of Miles Racing:  https://www.instagram.com/trialsofmilesracing/

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It's been a while since Leah Falland (née O'Connor) joined the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Now she's got a new sponsor, a new home and a new last name after getting married to Louis Falland in 2020. Most importantly, she's running really well on the track and just paced Elle Purrier to an American record in the two-mile at the New Balance Indoor Games, which were held in New York City. I recorded this conversation with Leah at the end of January and since then she's run 4:12 for the win in a 1,500m at a small meet in Arizona. Her personal best of 4:11.04 was set in 2015 so things are trending in the right direction. She is slated to run the 5,000m at the Trials of Miles Texas Qualifier on Feb. 26 and Feb 27, which will be broadcast on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel for free. In this episode, you'll hear much more about the refreshed perspective that she's adopted in the past 18 months that have propelled her forward in her career.

???? Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

???? FOLLOW @trialsofmilesracing for more information on the TEXAS QUALIFIER happening in late February. If you’re a sponsor or brand with an interest in getting involved with the meet, please feel free to contact me: chris@citiusmag.com

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

???? Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG

???? Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

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Ryan Sterner and Stephen Kersh join me for this bonus episode of The CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss their documentary "A Time And A Place" – which follows Northern Arizona Elite's road to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

As I wrote in the CITIUS MAG Newsletter: "Many of us know how the story ends and if you don’t then major spoiler: Aliphine Tuliamuk ends up making the U.S. team for the Tokyo Olympics. But what you don’t know is what the road to get to Atlanta looked like. Over the past 12 months, maybe you’ve caught interviews with the athletes about the preparation and some of the workouts but this film packages it all together and really helps paint the picture of what this pursuit ultimately means for each of the athletes. I highly recommend you check out the film."

World-renowned film critic Paul Snyder wrote a glowing review of the movie.

There are very few tickets remaining for the film's virtual world premiere on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. ET. Get your tickets today.

???? Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

???? FOLLOW @trialsofmilesracing for more information on the TEXAS QUALIFIER happening in late February. If you’re a sponsor or brand with an interest in getting involved with the meet, please feel free to contact me: chris@citiusmag.com

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

???? Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG

???? Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

"One of the things I feel that I’m pretty good at is the competition side of things. When I do get put up against people like that, the true competitor side comes out in me. It’s like I’m almost pushing my body beyond what it can do just because I don’t want to lose."

Bryce Hoppel is one of Team USA’s stars to watch in the Olympic year since he’s the second-fastest American 800 meter runner indoors and the seventh-fastest American outdoors for the same distance. He’s run 1:43.23 and finished fourth at the World Championships. At the University of Kansas, he was a two-time NCAA champion and a five-time All-American. In this episode, you’ll get to know him a little bit better before he takes a swing at David Torrence’s 2:16.76 American record in the indoor 1,000 meters and then you’ll be able to see him in action at the Trials of Miles Texas Qualifier men’s 800 on Feb. 27.

???? Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

???? FOLLOW @trialsofmilesracing for more information on the TEXAS QUALIFIER happening in late February. If you’re a sponsor or brand with an interest in getting involved with the meet, please feel free to contact me: chris@citiusmag.com

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

???? Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG

???? Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

???? Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

???? Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

✩ Connect with CITIUS MAG: Twitter | Instagram

Matthew Luke Meyer and I catch up to discuss some of the best performances of January 2021. It's a weird time in the sport where there's indoor and outdoor track going on at the same time as cross country and select road races.

In this episode, we unpack:

– Matt won his first-ever ultramarathon in Moab, Utah so he shares what it was like racing for the first time in a while.

– We share our new year's resolutions.

– A rundown of recent sponsorship changes with athletes including major moves by Puma and cuts by Nike

– Some of the biggest performances of the month including: Jim Walmsley's near-miss at the 100K world record attempt, the American Track League's world record showing by Ryan Crouser, Oregon's NCAA record-setting DMR and much more. 

PLUS...More details on theTrials of Miles Texas Qualifier!

???? Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

???? FOLLOW @trialsofmilesracing for more information on the TEXAS QUALIFIER happening in late February. If you’re a sponsor or brand with an interest in getting involved with the meet, please feel free to contact me: chris@citiusmag.com

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

???? Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG

???? Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

???? Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

???? Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

✩ Connect with CITIUS MAG: Twitter | Instagram

“If I come back next year, we’re going to target all the D2 records.”

If you’re not familiar with Christian Noble's name yet that’s OK because he’s letting some of his performances do the talking for him. In the past two weeks, he set two Division II indoor track records at 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters. He ran 13:37.39 on Jan. 24 in Birmingham, Alabama and then came back a few days later to run 7:51.46 for 3,000 meters. Initially, LetsRun.com reported that the NCAA wouldn’t count the 5K record because the meet used pacing lights on the inside of the track. However, they later walked back that decision and said the mark would count. Christian is the Division II leader in the mile, 3K and 5K. Get to know a little bit more about him.

Follow Christian on Instagram: @little_nobes

???? Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

???? FOLLOW @trialsofmilesracing for more information on the TEXAS QUALIFIER happening in late February. If you’re a sponsor or brand with an interest in getting involved with the meet, please feel free to contact me: chris@citiusmag.com

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

???? Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG

???? Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

???? Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

???? Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

✩ Connect with CITIUS MAG: Twitter | Instagram

"I'm more comfortable with betting on myself now than I have been in the past, and I think it comes from just accumulating achievements that I look back on and think, 'Yeah, I'm good enough to do this.'"

My guest for today’s episode is the Roots Running breakout star of 2020 not named Noah Droddy. Frank Lara was the US Champion in the 15K despite finishing second after the winner tested positive for EPO. We hear his thoughts on that. He ran 27:44.65 for the 10,000 meters and 61:50 for the half marathon last year. We recorded this episode a few weeks ago so we touch on his hopes for the new year and he makes his pitch to a potential sponsor. Frank will be among the athletes competing at the Trials of Miles Texas Qualifier next month.

???? Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

???? FOLLOW @trialsofmilesracing for more information on the TEXAS QUALIFIER happening in late February. If you’re a sponsor or brand with an interest in getting involved with the meet, please feel free to contact me: chris@citiusmag.com

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

???? Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG

???? Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

???? Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

???? Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

✩ Connect with CITIUS MAG: Twitter | Instagram

“In 1996, Derrick Adkins came back to his elementary school on Long Island and showed everyone the gold medal he had won. I was in the crowd. I got to see it. I got to talk to him and touch the medal. I was immediately enthralled by the sport that I went home and talked to my mom about signing up for track. That left a really lasting impression on me because I know that he may not have wanted to go back to his elementary school a month after winning the Atlanta Olympics but he did it out of an obligation to his community. Whenever I’ve been invited to speak at camps or schools or any event, I always try to think of the fact that there’s a little kid there who may be sent on a different path just because he had the opportunity to hear my story.”

My guest for today’s show is Kyle Merber and this is his exit interview. He spent the past seven years running for the New Jersey-New York Track Club and just a few weeks ago took to Instagram to announce that he's not done running but done getting paid for it. He finishes his professional career with personal bests of 1:47.23 for 800 meters, 3:34.54 for 1,500 meters and 3:52.22 for the mile. I wrote in my newsletter: He made an impact on the current generation of American distance running by bringing humor, transparency and personality to the track and social media. He’s arguably one of the funniest professionals to follow but also posted with honesty when things weren’t going so great in his attempted comebacks from a series of injuries. You’ll get that from this conversation we recorded this week as we go through his career but also his vision for change and fixes within the sport.

???? FOLLOW @trialsofmilesracing for more information on the TEXAS QUALIFIER happening in late February. If you’re a sponsor or brand with an interest in getting involved with the meet, please feel free to contact me: chris@citiusmag.com

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 

????️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

???? Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 

???? Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 

???? Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter,

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“I’m a big believer that you should really judge people at their worst and not at their best. When people are at their best and everything is comfortable and good or everything is going their way, it’s not really a fair assessment of their character. I think it’s a lot more insightful how someone acts when they’re down and facing adversity. That’s exactly what I was dealing with at that moment. I remember being like, ‘I’m just going to show just how tough I am here and how this isn’t going to shake me at all.’”

NAZ Elite has added the 1500m and 5000m specialist to their roster in 2021. Ryan Hill has spent the last seven years training under Jerry Schumacher. He joined the group shortly after he made his first U.S. national team in 2013 and then competed at the world championships in Moscow. With Bowerman, he won three U.S. titles and made four world championship teams. He won a silver medal in the 3,000 meters at the 2016 World Indoor Championships that were held in Portland, Ore. We touch on those moments in his career and the lessons he learned + what he expects under coach Ben Rosario. If you got a kick out of Emma Bates doing a Nick Willis impression, just wait until you hear Ryan’s Jerry Schumacher character.

Follow Ryan on Instagram: @ryanhillncstate

???? FOLLOW @trialsofmilesracing for more information on the TEXAS QUALIFIER happening in late February. If you’re a sponsor or brand with an interest in getting involved with the meet, please feel free to contact me: chris@citiusmag.com

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

✩ Connect with CITIUS MAG: Twitter | Instagram

✩ Connect with Chris on Twitter and Instagram.

“There was consistency. There was never the breakthrough that I thought could happen. You can only control what you do. I think for the most part I did everything that I wanted to."

Andrew Bumbalough is one of the OGs of the Bowerman Track Club and has been training with them since 2010. In this episode, he announces he is retiring and no longer running professionally and no longer a Nike athlete. He’s shifting his priorities and getting into coaching. On Jan. 1, he launched Highgear Running, which offers personalized coaching for runners of all levels from the mile to the marathon. You’ll hear him discuss where the name came from and what he’s hoping to accomplish there. 

We’ll also take a deep dive into his career from his days starting off as a soccer player in Tennessee through his consistency as one of America’s best 5K runners of the past decade. He’ll share the workout where he dropped Chris Solinsky and other fun stories like his 5th place finish at the Boston Marathon. He finishes his career with personal bests of 13:12 in the 5K and 2:10 in the marathon.  It was an honor to get Andrew for his exit interview of sorts but excited for what’s to come next.

Follow Andrew on Instagram: @abumbalough

Check out Highgear Running: @highgearrunning on Instagram | https://www.highgearrunning.com/

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

✩ Connect with CITIUS MAG: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

✩ Connect with Chris on Twitter and Instagram.

If you’re interested in sponsorship of the podcast or site, please reach out to Chris Chavez at chris@citiusmag.com. Package and slots for 2021 are available.

“Yes, you might have talent or something gifted to you but it doesn’t come without hard work. All those people that you see at the top level and you say, ‘Oh those people are so lucky!’ They work hard for it. We have to know what they came through and what they have done in their lives. For me, yes I was talented in running maybe but I put all the work I wanted to do into running. I might not be perfect for some days but I try my best....”

Weini Kelati is a two-time NCAA Division I champion and 13-time All American out of New Mexico who recently decided to forego the rest of her NCAA eligibility to turn professional and sign with Under Armour and train under the Dark Sky Distance team in Flagstaff, Arizona. Weini has an incredible story that really takes off after she competed for her Eritrea at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, Ore. She decided not to get on the plane back home and started a new life in America. You’ll hear the story of how that all came together, how she settled into life in Virginia and her hopes of competing for the United States at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials possibly. I think you’ll be blown away by some of the behind the scenes of her story.

Follow Weini on Instagram: @weini_kelati

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

✩ Connect with CITIUS MAG: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

✩ Connect with Chris on Twitter and Instagram.

If you’re interested in sponsorship of the podcast or site, please reach out to Chris Chavez at chris@citiusmag.com. Package and slots for 2021 are available.

“You have a lot of failures but that’s the point of running and learning from these failures, gaining a lot of insight from them and growing from them. Then, they don’t turn into failures anymore. They turn into life lessons and something to be gained from. Everything is something to learn from. Every race is that. Every workout is that. This year has been obviously very strange. Sometimes just getting out the door has been something that you have to feel accomplished for keeping motivated, chipping away at your goals and dreams.”

Emma Bates just ran 2:25:40 to just miss her personal best of 2:25:27 with her fourth-place finish at The Marathon Project. In this episode, she’ll give us her assessment of the performance given some of the challenges that she’s faced this year, how she’s been able to pull through some of the tough times brought on by the pandemic and some of her plans and ideas for 2021. Track? Trails? All of the above?

Come of The Marathon Project and Olympic Trials insights but stay for her impression of Nick Willis toward the end of the show.

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

Photos by Kevin Morris.

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmajanelbates

FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

• Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
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• Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.
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"After Chicago, I said, ‘I’ve arrived in the arena of my marathon potential but I still feel like I’m sitting in the nosebleeds.’ Right? I’m not there yet. So now, I’m like, ‘Well fuck...I’m there now. I think.’ If I can do that again or even get a little better then that’s pretty good. I like to think I’ve proven myself as a competitor beyond just being like the puke guy or the beer-drinking hero guy.”

Noah Droddy finished second in 2:09:09 behind recent guest Marty Hehir at the Marathon Project. It was major because it was his first race in 14 months. He had to scratch from the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials due to injury and then he withdrew from the Michigan Pro Half Marathon in the fall due to a COVID scare that might have been a false positive. Droddy came into the race with a personal best of 2:11:42 so it was an improvement by two minutes and 32 seconds. In this episode, we take it all the way back to Droddy’s division 3 days, his choice to take a risk on himself and running post collegiately, crashing the 2016 track trials but ultimately putting respect on his name and proving himself in the marathon. You’re gonna want to stick around all the way to the end of this one because he’s also got the funniest drug testing story in the history of this podcast.

Follow Noah on Instagram: @noah_droddy

Follow Noah on Twitter: @ibuilttheark

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Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for 2021. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

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Photos provided by Kevin Morris

"It comes back to what I want to make sure I'm doing: Serving others. It's not to say that I could go out to Flagstaff, crank it hard and make it to the Olympics and inspire a whole bunch of people. When I see opportunities in front of me to be able to coach and directly impact kids, that's what I'm going to gravitate more toward. I could say, 'You know what...I have to use this talent while I have it to generate more money or guarantee I can make it to the Olympics or have a much better shot.' But I don't want to go out and do that feeling like I left an opportunity to truly help people behind or truly impact people who might need me."

Nathan Martin is a two-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier who finished 23rd at the trials in Los Angeles and the 69th on the super tough course and the windy conditions of Atlanta earlier this year. His personal best coming into Sunday’s race at The Marathon Project was 2:14:34. He knocked that out of the park by running 2:11:05 to finish ninth overall. After the race, I received a tip to look into and I quickly learned that his time is now the fastest marathon clocked by a Black man born in the United States. The previous best was by Herman Atkins in 2:11:52 in 1979 in a marathon that was held in Eugene Oregon. The winner of that race was Tony Sandoval and Jeff Wells, who somehow tied for the win in 2:10:20 according to a post in the Ted Corbitt archives. Herm Atkins was the co-owner of a running store, a coach and a police officer in Everett, Washington. You can find some PRs from the track online for him so I was wondering a bit more about Nate and who he is. There were a couple local news stories on him but I figured it was time to give him some more shine and learn about him and his breakout.

Follow Nathan on Instagram: @nim_i_am

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Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for 2021. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

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Photos provided by Kevin Morris

“I feel like I’ve been trying to prove I’m one of the best runners in the country for a very long time yet I’m consistently one of the best. It’s just I haven’t had that breakout performance or won that championship that really mattered. That’s why I feel like this race was finally a validation of my whole running career. I’m finally among in a place where I feel like I belong.”

David Melly and I reunite for another crossover episode of The CITIUS MAG Podcast and the Run Your Mouth Podcast. In this episode, we welcome Marty Hehir after his 2:08:59 win at The Marathon Project in Chandler, Arizona. The race was spectacularly fast with seven Americans breaking 2:10. One of the major stories after Sunday was that Marty finally got his big win. It's been a long time coming. I first crossed paths with him in 2012 when similarly took many by surprise to win the Big East Cross Country championship. After the race, I asked him "Who are you?" and he later shared an Instagram post in Jan. 2019 where he wrote: “I’ve been running as hard as I can ever since to make sure no one has to ask me that question again.”

Marty is a medical student in anesthesiology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. We touch on what that consists of before he graduates in May 2021. He also is a professional runner with the Reebok Boston Track Club and coach Chris Fox, who was also his coach at Syracuse. Marty was a member of the 2015 NCAA Cross Country championship-winning team. He took to the roads shortly after graduation and has found lots of success. When we dive into his relationship with coach Fox, he shares how since 2017 he has targetted the marathon as his event. It paid off when he took 6th at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:11:29 but had also stopped to use the bathroom at Mile 18. He'll share that story on the podcast as well.

On top of all that...he's a father to two girls. Time management is his specialty and he'll share his schedule and routine with us.

This is the behind the scenes of how he became the seventh-fastest American marathoner of all-time. Enjoy.

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Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for 2021. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

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"It sucked at the time and it sucked for a long time afterward. But, that was a pretty useful feeling. Being disappointed is a pretty big motivator. I'm not going to cop out of the fact that I really wanted to go to the Olympics."

CITIUS MAG Podcast regular Scott Fauble returns to the show and opens up about how he processed the disappointment of his 12th place finish at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and rekindled his enthusiasm for the sport. We discuss when he started feeling more like himself again, his training and preparation for Sunday's Marathon Project, what's going to prevent this from being a "waste" of a year and much more including listener/live viewer questions.

Catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

Support us by picking up some CITIUS MAG merch!

Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for 2021. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

You can also pledge a dollar or two for the time that goes into producing all of these shows and more: https://patreon.com/citiusmag

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“There’s no bigger high for me than watching your work get screened in front of people. Good or bad. I’ve had screenings where we’ve packed out a 250-person room with 400 people but I’ve also had screenings, where it’s a 50-person room and only six people, show up and it’s your parents and your friend that you begged to come along. For good or bad, those are the scenarios. It humbles you. It boosts your ego."

We recorded this back in August when RJ McNichols and I were in Boulder, Colorado together. He’s one of the first friends I made while covering the sport from my days with Flotrack. He is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles and he’s produced some really cool projects including 16 2 1 and Beyond"; "Running Away to Flagstaff"; "Year of the Bison"; "Fear and "Loathing from Pier to Strip" and "The 41st Day". They’re excellent and make for a great complimentary watch to this podcast. Plus, with all this extra time at home before the holidays, it’s the perfect time to catch up on some running films you maybe weren’t aware of.

How to RJ's Running Documentaries

16 2 1 and Beyond: The Fall and The Rise of North Central Men's Cross Country Team (Vimeo)

Running Away to Flagstaff (Vimeo)

Fear and Loathing from Pier to Strip: A Speed Project Documentary (YouTube)

Year of the Bison: A Portrait of Nick Symmonds During His Final Track Season (Amazon)

The 41st Day (Amazon)

Follow RJ on Instagram - @RJMCNICHOLS4

Catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

Support us by picking up some CITIUS MAG merch!

Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for 2021. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

You can also pledge a dollar or two for the time that goes into producing all of these shows and more: https://patreon.com/citiusmag

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“When I saw that positive pregnancy test, it was basically the highlight of my year. Looking at the place I am emotionally and mentally, I am very happy. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.” – Aliphine Tuliamuk

This is a short and special episode of the podcast regarding the big news that U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion Aliphine Tuliamuk is pregnant with her first child. A baby girl is expected in late January. She made her announcement on Sunday afternoon in an Instagram post. I published a story for Sports Illustrated about how she came to this decision but also dives into her family history since she is one of 32 siblings. Now, she’s starting her own. The story includes some insight from Northern Arizona Elite head coach Ben Rosario on her possible road back + HOKA One One’s sports marketing manager Mike McManus on how Aliphine won’t face any reductions or have to rush back to action. Aliphine just re-signed with HOKA One One for the next four years. She is going to have plenty of time to get ready for the Olympics and this just became one of the inspirational stories to follow ahead of Tokyo.

Apologies for the audio quality. Initially didn’t intend to release this as a podcast. I recorded it off of my iPhone speaker for the Sports Illustrated story. After sharing the story with my coach, she mentioned to me just how much of a "bright light" Aliphine is for the sport so I decided it would be best if you heard from her!

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: One of 32 Siblings, Aliphine Tuliamuk Prepares to Start Her Own Family 

Follow Aliphine on Instagram: @Aliphine

Catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

Support us by picking up some CITIUS MAG merch!

Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for 2021. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

You can also pledge a dollar or two for the time that goes into producing all of these shows and more: https://patreon.com/citiusmag

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“I get it from people all the time who say, ‘You’re fairly unconventional for a pro runner.’ I’m like...Thank you? I guess i do appreciate that just because I do approach things in pro running a little bit differently than the ‘normal runner.’ I’m never going to be a Shalane Flanagan. I don’t think it’s healthy for me to be hyper-focused like a one-track mind. Everyone asks me, ‘Oh are you going to join Bowerman now?’ I personally don’t think I would do well on a team like that. I think that kind of structure works really well for people. I personally thrive off a little bit more loosey-goosey and being able to have another life outside of pro running, which is why I love being in Boston. I love living with my sister out here. I love having friends that aren’t pro runners. I love having Jon as my coach because he gives me so much independence to do that. Maybe I’ll do that...Molly the Unconventional Pro.”

EPISODE NO. 200! When I was thinking about who would be a good person to get on for this one, it occurred to me that I still haven’t had Molly Seidel on the podcast. We go back to when she was at Notre Dame and I was often visiting to cover indoor meets at the Loftus Center or I’d show up to the same football tailgate. I knew her before she was a four-time NCAA champ but always recognized that she's had tremendous talent. She won the Footlocker Cross Country Championships in 2011. And now she’s one of the most popular distance runners after her runner-up finish at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Most recently, she recorded a sixth-place finish in 2:25:13 at the London Marathon. She’s also a fan favorite for things like running the fastest known 10k in a turkey costume or a 36-minute mile as part of the CITIUS MAG Slow Mile Challenge started by David Melly. 

In this episode, we touch on some of those things but also her struggles with disordered eating especially in 2016, the road back, the response to opening up and much more – including...online dating.

 You may laugh. You may cry. I honestly think this is one of the best yet and I’m glad because it’s episode No. 200.

FULL SHOW NOTES ON CITIUSMAG.COM

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Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for 2021. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

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We're starting to get more news to discuss at the end of every month! Although COVID-19 cases continue to be on the rise in America, a vaccine appears to be on the way and there's optimism about 2021's possible plans. Recurring co-host Matt Meyer joins for episode No. 199.

In this episode we discuss:

– Track and football's beef involving people claiming Tyreek Hill is faster than Grant Holloway

– Best performances of the month: Molly Huddle's one-hour American record, Tierney Wolfgram's American junior marathon record, CJ Albertson's insane 50K on a track or his 2:09 marathon, Keira D'Amato's 10-mile American record)

– Upcoming competitions: Sound Running's Track Meet, Valencia Half Marathon & Marathon, The Fukuoka Marathon and The Marathon Project

– Is indoor track going to happen?

+ Everyone's favorite Dopers Gonna Dope segment

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✩ Connect with Matt on Instagram: Instagram.com/matthewlukemeyer

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Earlier this month, Clemson’s athletic department announced the decision to cut the men’s track and field and cross country programs after the 2020-21 academic year. Athletic director Dan Radakovich said it came as a measure that will save $2 million per year and would help other Olympic sports on campus survive. The men’s track and field/cross-country team features 51 athletes and has produced 22 Olympians and 16 NCAA titles since it was first offered up in 1953.

One of the most outspoken athletes in the fight to save the team has been high jumper Anthony Hamilton Jr. He might have the biggest following with more than 81K Instagram followers and 112.9K TikTok followers thanks to his insanely cool basketball dunks that have been featured on ESPN, House of Highlights, World Star Hip Hop and other mainstream sports social channels. We spoke on Monday to discuss his reaction to the program getting cut, what conversations have taken place with members of the athletic department and more.

We posted a video of his on the CITIUS MAG Instagram page a few days ago about how he started off playing basketball at the University of LaVerne, caught the attention of the track coach there, got involved with the sport and then jumped on an opportunity (see what I did there) to attend Clemson. It’s a cool story but one that gets lost if the men’s track and field program doesn’t exist and that’s what might happen.

Sign the Petition to Save Clemson Track

Follow Anthony on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube

FULL SHOW NOTES ON CITIUSMAG.COM

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We might be a little late to the game in getting Kiera D'Amato on the podcast because she's been on a tear in 2020. She finished 15th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:34:24. In June, she lowered her 5,000m personal best to 15:04 with a time trial on the track. In July, she won the MVMT Race Series in Boston with a 32:33.44 for the 10,000 meters. Most recently, she won the Michigan Pro Ekiden Half Marathon and the Sugar Run 5K over some fields with strong competition. So how she is doing this at 36? She is also a mother and a full-time realtor. 

We unpack it all by starting with her "decade of hobby jogging" before getting into serious training under coach Scott Raczko (who also used to coach Alan Webb). She shares a bit of his coaching practice and philosophy + why it works for her. She walks us through this year's races and why things have been going so well. Plus, Kiera touches on vocalizing her goal of possibly breaking Janet Bawcom's 10-mile American record at the Updawg 10-Miler before shifting back into marathon focus for The Marathon Project.

Follow Kiera on Instagram.

Episode photography by Kevin Morris. 

FULL SHOW NOTES ON CITIUSMAG.COM

Catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for the holiday season. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

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“I think people need to remember that the presidency doesn’t solve all of our problems. If you want to continue to be engaged in the political process, find your local city council member and figure out if you’re not happy with what they’re doing, elect someone else or you can run yourself. I’m now at the point where I’ve got several friends who are in elected offices in California, which is very cool. Get involved in your state races, your city races, your county races. Those are also avenues that are going to have a tremendous impact on your life and if you’re not happy about the way things are going, not just in the White House but at every other level, get involved.”

CITIUS MAG contributor Kevin Liao joins the podcast to share what his experience was like on the presidential campaign trail for the past two years. Kevin is wrapping up his time as Joe Biden's communications director in Nevada. Prior to that, he served as Elizabeth Warren's communications director in California and then as her Iowa press secretary. Kevin and I worked alongside each other briefly at Flotrack and then teamed up for the launch of CITIUS MAG in 2017. I've covered numerous races and track meets alongside him but never really dove into his professional life in politics. We talk about how that started, how it coincided with his own running. 

Totally understand if you've had your fill of politics talk after Election Day and the whirlwind that followed. Feel free to come back to this episode whenever you want. If you've followed CITIUS MAG in the past few years and seen some of our recent posts on social media, you might know that we're OK with veering into politics. The line between sports, politics or activism does not exist for me but I understand that not everyone feels this way. I've also shared some of my personal views on social media. So if you choose to skip this episode, that's OK. We hope to have you back when we continue with more chats with athletes, coaches and anyone notable in the sport.

Follow Kevin on Twitter. 

FULL SHOW NOTES ON CITIUSMAG.COM

Catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for the holiday season. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

“I think a big reason why I went for a good beer mile time was because of that first Flotrack championship. I remember streaming it live and thinking ‘They’re running a 5-flat beer mile. This is fast.’ But, at the same time thinking, ‘These guys don’t have as good of a PR as me in the mile so why can’t I run that sort of time? I can do that.’"

Chris Robertson is the second-fastest beer miler in history and the American record holder in the event with his 4:37 personal best. The only person faster than him is world record holder and Canada’s own Corey Bellemore who has run 4:34. 

Listener’s discretion is advised: There’s obviously lots of beer talk on this episode. We wanted to make it clear that we’re not encouraging irresponsible or dangerous behavior or drinking. That’s obviously the case if you’re not 21 years old or legal drinking age. Chris is a professional at it so some of what you might hear comes from his experience getting to that level. 

In this episode, I got a chance to sit down with him while I spent a few weeks in Chicago. We talk about how he got so fast at this, we’ll dive into some of the history and evolution since the first sub-five minute beer mile was run in 2014, how fast he thinks the limit can be and more. Chris has also run 10:18 for the beer two-mile, which is just a disgusting performance so we talk about that and his hopes as the new owner of BeerMile dot com.

Subscribe to the Beer Mile Media YouTube channel.

Follow Chris Robertson on Instagram. 

Episode photography by Ryan Gooding Photography.

FULL SHOW NOTES ON CITIUSMAG.COM

Catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

Sponsorships for the CITIUS MAG Podcast remain open just in time for the holiday season. If you’re interested in supporting this show, hit me up chris@citiusmag.com to get the word out about your brand, product or event. I’m all ears.

In the meantime, check out More Than Running with Dana Giordano. It's one of our most popular shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network. Dana Giordano, a pro runner for the Boston Athletic Association, interviews inspirational women from all walks of life who are working hard to promote the sport as industry leaders. They can be athletes, coaches, entrepreneurs, activists. Dana is going to get the scoop behind some really awesome success stories .Season 2 is underway. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify now. A full list of Season 1 episodes can be found on CITIUS MAG.

"We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to get better. I don’t have the pressure to get into a marathon build-up or if the Olympics were happening. I wanted to come out of this better. A big part of that for me was maybe taking it a little easier with the mileage and intensity and focusing back to strengthening up my leg. I lost a lot of muscle – not just in my ankle and those tendons but throughout that left leg. It’s been a long process and I think I certainly underestimated how difficult it would be. It’s been two years since  I was operated on but I feel like I’m finally getting back to my old self and getting some good push-off in my left leg. There was certainly a big hitch in my stride at the trials. I really wasn’t getting a lot of push there. It was just setting down and pivoting. My right leg was doing a lot of the work. I can certainly say that I’ve made some big improvements mechanically with that."

It’s been eight months since Galen Rupp won the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Feb. 29. In that span of time, he says he has not run a single step with another person. He’s still been training but he’s been grinding solo. That all changed on Friday when Eugene Marathon organizers put together the Row River Half Marathon. It was Rupp, Suguru Osako (his former Oregon Project teammate) and Patrick Tiernan. Many thought that Rupp could take a crack at Ryan Hall’s American record of 59:43 could be in jeopardy but Rupp finished the race in 60:22. His PR is still 59:47 from Prague in 2018.

However, he walked away from Friday with the new American record in the 10-mile since he split 45:53 and Greg Meyer had run 46:13 in 1983. Osako finished behind him in 61:15. In order for the record to count, I believe you need three finishers so Pat Tiernan, who paced for a bit, took third in 66:42.

Support for this episode comes from Bakline Running. We're excited to partner with this Brooklyn-based company that's making active lifestyle and streetwear-inspired apparel. I'm racing a mile in their performance singlet soon but their hits are their shirts, graphic tees and designs with inspiring mantras like "Me vs Me"; "Nothing But Miles"; "The Future Is Female Runners" and more. Check them out at https://www.bakline.nyc/ and use code CITIUS for 15% off at checkout.

FULL SHOW NOTES AND INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT ON CITIUSMAG.COM

Episode photo provided by Jon Marx/Eugene Marathon

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It's been a while since Matt Meyer and I teamed up to recap the biggest news stories and results in track and field. He has been in Montana. I've had other work to do so it's been a scheduling challenge. However, we made it happen again. We're back together over Zoom to unpack the summer and fall racing circuit. 

– Matt shares how he's found a love for trail running and I share some of my shortcomings but aspirations for the mile.

– We discuss all major marathons being pushed 

– We name our most valuable performers (MVPs) of the 2020 campaign.

– We give major props to the creativity and lengths that some people like Bowerman Track Club, Northern Arizona Elite and the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project have gone to stage meets in the United States safely amid a global pandemic. 

– In the Dopers Gonna Dope segment that people love, we discuss the Christian Coleman whereabouts failures that led to his two-year suspension, Salwa Eid Nasser getting off on a technicality and a French investigation into Olympic champion Taoufik Makhloufi. 

– Plus...we share things that have made us smile like the DK Metcalf tackle and Tommy Rivs providing an update on his cancer battle.

▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag | instagram.com/citiusmag | facebook.com/citiusmag

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✩ Connect with Matt on Instagram: Instagram.com/matthewlukemeyer

"I was a competitive snowboarder but seeing what I'm doing in running right now is above and beyond what I thought I was doing in that sport. Finding a sport this late in life and seeing that constant progression, which is what I lost in snowboarding, I hit this point where I don't want to hit jumps anymore. I just want to have fun on the mountains. You stop seeing yourself become better at a point. You're not learning new tricks. You're skiing and snowboarding on the same trails. With running, I'm continuing to get faster and PR in different events and progress. I mostly get messages from friends saying, 'I can't believe how fast you've gotten' or 'What kind of running shoes should I buy?' or even 'Hey! You've really inspired me to sign up for a race.' It's pretty cool, especially to have people who I looked up to for so many years to reach out to me and ask for my advice on running."

If you enjoyed last week’s motivational episode with Pat Jeffers about his marathon progression after some time away from the sport, I offer up another inspirational story but this time it’s someone who found the sport much later in life. 

Brian is a super nice guy who I met in Boulder a few months ago. He’s a member of the Tinman Track Club and he’s run 2:30:14 for the marathon. He ran his first marathon in 3:18 just four years ago. His background doesn’t have much running. He was a snowboarder growing up and then really partied in college. He decided to make a change in his life when he stepped on the scale and wasn’t happy with where he was at. It led him to boxing, which then led him to running following an injury. It’s all interesting to me and I think you’ll enjoy it as well.

Follow Brian on Instagram at @schroy.

More info on Haymaker Harriers – a new community run club. All proceeds are tax-deductible and go towards the fight against cancer.

5K Virtual Turkey Trot to raise money for cancer.

Support for this episode comes from Bakline Running. We're excited to partner with this Brooklyn-based company that's making active lifestyle and streetwear-inspired apparel. I'm racing a mile in their performance singlet soon but their hits are their shirts, graphic tees and designs with inspiring mantras like "Me vs Me"; "Nothing But Miles"; "The Future Is Female Runners" and more. Check them out at https://www.bakline.nyc/ and use code CITIUS for 15% off at checkout.

FULL SHOW NOTES ON CITIUSMAG.COM

Catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

“It was a really fun experiment because I don’t think anyone thought that I could have done it...In the beginning, I couldn’t maintain under 5:20 pace for four miles so I’m so far away from this thing. But, the training became reckless in a sort of fun way. When you have a goal that’s unrealistic, you sort of just have to throw yourself at it. There’s no time to think or build up slowly. One of my biggest strengths as a runner is that I’ve been fairly durable – knock on every piece of wood around me – so I knew I could probably click off some 100-mile weeks. I could probably double as often as I had time to. It progressed pretty well. The workouts started going a little bit better. I ran a half marathon in October just under 5:20 pace. So I went from not being able to maintain seven-minute pace in March to running a 5K in June at 5:25 pace to a half marathon in October at 5:20 pace. So I was getting closer. I was getting to this point where no one would really think someone who runs a 60:50 half marathon would ever have a chance to double that but the progression was really exciting for me. I knew that wherever I landed at the end of that journey, that it would have been a hell of a ride either way."

Pat Jeffers captivated me on Instagram in his pursuit of an Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier last year. He used #OTQorHospital to document his training. But what made the whole journey special is that in March 2019, he could barely hold a sub-7 minute per mile pace while he was running with a team in the Speed Project. Once he got re-motivated with running, he started making some major leaps in training. This goal was a longshot and his training was all geared for that type of marathon pace even though he’d suffer through it.

Spoiler Alert: He didn’t achieve the goal but did end up running 2:26, which is very impressive. What you’ll hear in our conversation is more about the lessons learned in the process and why it’s OK to take those shots and set those goals. He’s running a marathon in November and raising money for SisterSong: The National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. 

Enter Pat's prediction contest by donating any dollar amount to his GoFundMe campaign here: https://gf.me/u/y35icx (Sister Song is an organization fighting to eradicate reproductive oppression for Indigenous, African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Arab and Middle Eastern, Latinx, and queer women and trans people) If you predict Pat's time and come the closest to his result, he will send you a one of one of piece of running memorabilia - the only one that exists. Worth it.

Support for this episode comes from Bakline Running. We're excited to partner with this Brooklyn-based company that's making active lifestyle and streetwear-inspired apparel. I'm racing a mile in their performance singlet soon but their hits are their shirts, graphic tees and designs with inspiring mantras like "Me vs Me"; "Nothing But Miles"; "The Future Is Female Runners" and more. Check them out at https://www.bakline.nyc/ and use code CITIUS for 15% off at checkout.

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"This is a pretty huge East African community. A lot of these Africans don’t play basketball or football so this is their way of getting that opportunity at that highest level...I feel like one of the reasons they were able to bring back outdoor track was that they knew the amount of damage this would cause. But still, we need indoors as well because we want to be equal.”

Obsa Ali is the 2018 NCAA outdoor steeplechase champion out of the University of Minnesota. I wanted to get him on the show because last Friday, the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents voted to approve a resolution to eliminate the men's indoor track and field, men's tennis and men's gymnastics teams at the end of the 2020-21 school year. A revised proposal that was submitted on Friday removed men's outdoor track and field from the cuts that were first announced in September. 

The university said the athletic department was facing a projected revenue loss of approximately $75 million and what do these three cuts end up saving? An approximate $1.6 million dollars, which alums and others have already been able to fundraise independently in an effort to save the track team. Obsa was in the room when the decision was made so I wanted to get his account of that day, his feelings and where the fight goes from here.

Follow Obsa on Instagram.

Keep up with the latest from Save Minnesota Track.

Sports Illustrated recap of Friday's Board of Regents meeting.

Episode Artwork Photo by Al Lacey for Youth Runner Magazine.

Support for this episode comes from Bakline Running. We're excited to partner with this Brooklyn-based company that's making active lifestyle and streetwear-inspired apparel. I'm racing a mile in their performance singlet soon but their hits are their shirts, graphic tees and designs with inspiring mantras like "Me vs Me"; "Nothing But Miles"; "The Future Is Female Runners" and more. Check them out at https://www.bakline.nyc/ and use code CITIUS for 15% off at checkout.

Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter for all sorts of analysis and commentary on everything happening in the sport: https://citiusmag.substack.com/

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Tyler Day joins the podcast to share what went into the decision to turn professional and sign with the Hoka One One Northern Arizona Elite team after a successful career at Northern Arizona University. Tyler is a six-time All-American and was part of three NCAA championship-winning cross country squads for the Lumberjacks. Most recently, the end of his collegiate career was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic but he managed to set the American collegiate record at the indoor 5,000 meter distance in 13:16.95 at an indoor meet at Boston University in the winter. He has also competed for the U.S. at the 2019 Pan American Games.

In this episode, we look back at his successful NCAA career, his goals for the 2021 outdoor campaign, the Flagstaff running community and much more.

Follow Tyler on Instagram.

Follow NAZ Elite on Instagram. 

Support for this episode comes from Bakline Running. We're excited to partner with this Brooklyn-based company that's making active lifestyle and streetwear-inspired apparel. I'm racing a mile in their performance singlet soon but their hits are their shirts, graphic tees and designs with inspiring mantras like "Me vs Me"; "Nothing But Miles"; "The Future Is Female Runners" and more. Check them out at https://www.bakline.nyc/ and use code CITIUS for 15% off at checkout.

Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter for all sorts of analysis and commentary on everything happening in the sport: https://citiusmag.substack.com/

FULL SHOW NOTES ON CITIUSMAG.COM

Catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

This is a two-part episode from my trip to Boulder in August. I made a quick visit over to one of the Tinman Elite Houses and sat down with Jeff Theis and Cameron Griffith. 

Jeff ran at Portland and joined the team in 2018 after feeling like he wasn’t quite done with running at the end of his NCAA career and felt like there was more in the tank after injuries. Cam didn’t get hurt at the end of his time in Arkansas but COVID canceled his senior year’s indoor and outdoor season. Ready to take things to the next level, he made the move to Boulder and has been training with the group since the spring. He had a very brief summer racing season where he ran 3:40 for 1,500 meters and could be the next Tinman to land a pro contract. 

Get to know these guys better. The first half of the show is Jeff and then the second half is Cam.

Support for this episode comes from Bakline Running. We're excited to partner with this Brooklyn-based company that's making active lifestyle and streetwear-inspired apparel. I'm racing a mile in their performance singlet soon but their hits are their shirts, graphic tees and designs with inspiring mantras like "Me vs Me"; "Nothing But Miles"; "The Future Is Female Runners" and more. Check them out at https://www.bakline.nyc/ and use code CITIUS for 15% off at checkout.

TUNE IN: Friday night (Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.) – The Bakline x Trial of Miles Night of the 5K will be streamed on the CIITUS MAG YouTube page for free. Olympians, world championship qualifiers, U.S. Olympic marathon trials qualifiers, high school stars and more will be chasing personal bests under the lights at an undisclosed location in New Jersey. Races start at 7:30 with your's truly chasing a mile PR. 5Ks begin at 7:50. It will be fun. WATCH HERE: https://youtu.be/RYmjNLptdYA

Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter for all sorts of analysis and commentary on everything happening in the sport: https://citiusmag.substack.com/

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“My hope is that maybe the reason that I didn’t perform as well as I hoped at the Trials is just that I was too cooked. I was a little overtrained. Because when I look at that training block that I had in December, January and February, that was some of the best workouts I’ve ever put together. So what I’m hoping is that I’m fit enough now to have unlocked lifetime fitness. And if I can unlock lifetime fitness, then I can take advantage of some of those deposits to lifetime fitness that I made in January and February without being so burnt out that I can’t rest up in time for London. Here’s my theory: I’m fit enough to unlock lifetime fitness and that hopefully I’m a little bit more rested and maybe that will compensate for the shortened training cycle."

2016 U.S. Olympian Jared Ward returns to the podcast! The last time he was on this show was back in Feb. 2019. After that, he went on to run 2:029:25 at the 2019 Boston Marathon and was considered a strong contender to make a second Olympic team. However, tough conditions in Atlanta and how the race played out, it wasn’t his day and he finished 27th. 

In this episode, we’ll learn how he managed to put that performance behind him, found an appreciation for training amid the global pandemic (with the help of Des Linden) and how he’s preparing for the London Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 4 – where he’ll be in the same race as Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele (the two fastest marathoners of all-time). He had a shortened buildup to work with so he shares some insight into his training and theory of how he’ll find a way to make it work.

Support for this episode comes from Bakline Running. We're excited to partner with this Brooklyn-based company that's making active lifestyle and streetwear inspired apparel. I'm racing a mile in their performance singlet soon but their hits are their shirts, graphic tees and designs with inspiring mantras like "Me vs Me"; "Nothing But Miles"; "The Future Is Female Runners" and more. Check them out at https://www.bakline.nyc/ and use code CITIUS for 15% off at checkout.

Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter for all sorts of analysis and commentary on everything happening in the sport: https://citiusmag.substack.com/

FULL SHOW NOTES ON CITIUSMAG.COM

Catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

▶ Follow us: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

✩ Connect with Chris via Email: chris@citiusmag.com | Twitter | Instagram

“What I did, anyone else can do and more people should be doing that. The running market is starting to get a lot bigger. There are more people making YouTube channels because they’re thinking, ‘I can do that.’ You know I had an iPhone until I hit 30,000 subscribers. I’m still using iMovie until this day. It doesn’t have to be unbelievable quality videos. People are a little scared to make that jump. Having no fear helps me stay motivated to put out content and also show that I’m somewhat of an elite runner and I’m trying my best to continue.”

My guest for today’s episode is Spencer Brown but many of you might know him as The Athlete Special from his popular YouTube series. Some of you who have been following CITIUS MAG from the start might be familiar with him because he was one of the original contributors to the site and ran a 4:16 Blue Jeans Mile back in 2017 to set a then-world record. He’s come a long way since. He has run 3:39 for the 1,500 meters and 3:59.97 for the mile. Recently, Brooks decided to take a chance on him and sign him to a contract that will have him training with the Brooks Beasts and coach Danny Mackey in Seattle, Washington. His goal is to make it to the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. You’ll hear more about how that deal came to be, his goals and expectations for himself as well as the background story on when he got his start in running on the competitive Connecticut high school scene and then what led him to pick up a camera to start documenting it all to the masses.

Follow Spencer Brown on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/theathletespecial/

Check out his YouTube videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTVjyeSlm3sR3N1fx-NI-Kw

“When you look at running and why we’re doing this, the ultimate pinnacle goal is to be an elite medalist but really to be an Olympian and have that title. For Sara (my wife) and I, when we think about why we do this, it’s to try and qualify for the Olympics or give it our absolute best shot. When you talk to someone who is not closely tied to the running world, that’s what they’re looking for. When they describe you to your friends, they’re thinking, ‘This guy is training for the Olympics’ or ‘He’s trying to make the Olympics’ and it’s so cool to them but if you take the Olympics out of it, it loses the allure of what we’re doing. It’s very unique.”

Consider this Part II to last week’s conversation with Sara Sutherland since we now get to interview her husband, Riley Masters. For those who may not be familiar with him, Riley was a standout runner at Maine before transferring to Oklahoma. He’s got personal bests of 3:36.49 for the 1,500 meters and 13:16.97 for the 5,000 meters. He serves as an assistant coach at Colorado where he works closely with his own coach Mark Wetmore. 

Riley hasn’t raced in 2020 because he’s making his way back from getting surgery to correct Haglund's deformity, which is a bone growth on the heel bone. 

I’ve known Riley for years and as he’s now in his 7th year of running professionally, we were both together in Europe in 2013 for our rookie seasons at the top end of the sport. We catch up on what he’s learned in that span of time, why this year is the worst one that he’s faced but keeps him motivated to explore what’s possible in 2021. 

For all my OG Real Maine fans – the documentary that brought some hype behind guys like Riley and Kyle Merber – we touch on the lasting legacy of that film.  Plus: An epic tale of a Jeep Cherokee being stolen and totaled in a drug-related bust...Riley’s Mt. Rushmore of runners from Maine and much more.

Follow Riley on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/riley_masters/

“I remember the day I ran 4:06. I was on the phone with Riley and he was like, ‘You did it! You got the Olympic standard!’ And I was like, ‘Ugh! I just want to go faster!’ We’re all wired that way. That’s how we roll. Right now, women’s distance running in the United States in the 1,500 and 5,000 is amazing. There are so many women who have taken these preconceived barriers and said, ‘I don’t care. I’m going to go way faster.’ That’s my hope as well. I feel really inspired to see what women have been able to do over the last couple of years. I definitely felt like I was missing out on so much of that. I’m really excited if I can just stay healthy and be up there again.”

Sarah Sutherland is a professional runner for Saucony. She was a star at the University of Texas and the University of Colorado. She’s got personal bests of 4:06 for 1,500 and 15:26 for 5,000m. Just a few weeks ago, she raced at the Music City Distance Carnival and it was her first race in a year and a half. It’s been a challenging road back but if there’s anyone who has ever had a great attitude when faced with tough obstacles, it’s been Sarah. We catch up on her work to get back to 100% and the gratitude that comes with doing what you love. This was a blast to record and Sara said I asked a lot of good questions.

Follow Sarah on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sarasutherland_/

Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter for all sorts of analysis and commentary on everything happening in the sport: https://citiusmag.substack.com/

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“I just kind of wanted to write my own narrative of what it meant to be a professional runner. I knew coming out of college, I just didn’t want to give up on that dream. It was super important for me to do what I was passionate about and take a chance on myself. That meant moving to Boulder instead of moving to San Francisco and going to work at a 9-5 tech job. Basically, it’s been not giving up on myself knowing I have a lot more to give to the sport…”

My guest for today’s episode is Joey Berriatua. This is actually the first podcast episode that I recorded in person in a while and I’m glad it’s with someone who has an appreciation for CITIUS MAG from its start in 2017. Just a few years back, Joey was a diehard Citius fan. He’d buy all the merch we’d put out. He’d listen to all the podcasts, DM us and he was running some solid times at Santa Clara. Sometime around 2018 and once his eligibility was over, he decided to continue his running career and he connected with Sam Parsons and Tinman Elite. He’s seen some big improvements since his move to Boulder and he’s on the cusp of breaking four minutes for the mile. I believe he’s running a mile this weekend, which would be cool to see him finally get under. We talk about how we got to this point, why he took this risk on himself, some people give Tinman a hard time and how he takes that criticism plus what’s the endgame in this pursuit. It’s funny because when I showed up to the Tinman house, I didn’t know I’d be sitting down with Joey so there were no notes and no questions written down for this one. Just two of us having a candid and honest conversation. Enjoy!

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“I can’t wait for COVID to be over so I can step in some of these schools and juvenile delinquent centers to talk to these people because they need someone to talk to. I tell people all the time that I hated growing up and hearing “No” my whole life. ‘Oh, I want to be that.’ ‘No.’ ‘Oh, I want to work.’ ‘No. You’re going to be a worker and work for somebody.’ Your whole life you hear that. ‘Oh, you want to be an Olympian. That’s funny.’ That’s what we grew up in and we’re the product of our environment. If we don’t have people coming into that environment to make the product better, then we fail.”

Trayvon Bromell is the 2015 World Championship 100 meter bronze medalist, the 2016 world indoor champion in the 60 meters and was a 100-meter finalist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. However,  it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for him as he's battled Achilles injuries and setbacks with a bone spur in the past three years. In this episode, I told him straight up that I thought he was done. Then, last month, he popped a 9.90 in a small meet in Florida. In early August, he ran a wind-aided 9.87. It looks like the comeback is real. 

In this episode, we address everything that’s taken place since he came up as a high school star, losing some years in his 20s due to injury and why this has been a long road not only to success but out of poverty. 

I really enjoyed this conversation. Definitely think Trayvon could be a regular on the show because I’ve changed my mind on him being done.

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“With track it’s definitely a lot different than your basketball and football. With track, you’re always going to be able to compete against those mid-major schools and Power 5 schools no matter what school you’re at. For example, North Carolina A&T is an HBCU and they’re doing phenomenally well in the NCAA. Seeing that is going to get a lot of kids to want to go to those school. Seeing some of the alums that came from HBCUs like Kellie Wells or Francena McCorory is going to draw other athletes to HBCUs as well. You can say, ‘Oh if I go to an HBCU and make an Olympic team, I can still achieve my Olympic dream all while still being among the Black community.’ I think conversations like that are being had and a lot of people are considering HBCUs now more than ever. In the track world, it was always kind of popular to go to HBCUs but now it’s more than ever it’s definitely a thing.”

Edose Ibadin a pro runner with the District Track Club in Washington D.C. I decided to get him on the show after he went viral over the weekend with a cool tweet that said: “Dang I really ran 1:44 on Friday. This the same guy who never made an NCAA final. Only made NCAA in the 800 one time. Only had one scholarship offer out of high school. Wasn’t All-American in HS. Where your story starts isn’t where it ends” 

That’s just awesome. I wanted to know a little bit more to his story and how he’s gotten to this point, plus what it was like to run at a HBCU.

Follow Edose on Instagram – @eibadin

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“At the end of the day, I stepped away and I took on this mindset of ‘I’m not just a runner’ and I wanted to do other shit whether it was in work or outside of work. I wanted to distance myself from this world. The biggest thing I’ve learned from meeting people away from the sport and having experiences removed from the sport of running is that I am a runner at my core and it’s OK to admit that running is something really special. To be able to call yourself a runner is amazing. To be able to have the chance to do it at a high level – maybe even do it as your job or represent your country – besides it being something you love so much and naturally have a disposition for is a gift that maybe you shouldn’t throw away. I learned that being away from the sport. When I was in the sport, I was super frustrated like ‘Fuck this. I’m hurt all the time. This is bullshit.’ The time where I “treated my body to death” any epiphanies that I might have had have pulled me back into the sport. Now, I can look at it and say I am a runner at my core and that’s pretty cool.”

Just a while ago, I was scrolling through Instagram and a poster for what looked like a concert festival came up but instead, it was for 'The Not Dead Yet Comeback Tour' and it was Ciarán ó Lionáird announcing his comeback to professional running. It looks serious. He’s working with agent and coach Stephen Haas in Flagstaff Arizona and he’s working out with Edward Cheserek. So I wanted to know more about this comeback. We decided to jump on a call where we discuss this, his disappointment in 2012, a series of injuries, time away from the sport, adjusting to the real world and what will ultimately make this all worth it even if there is no Olympics.

This one goes out to all the listeners who want to rekindle that flame in training and sharpen their mindset for a comeback.

Follow Ciarán and keep up with his comeback on Instagram. 

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“What I know is the aspect of being looked at differently because of our national heritage – in this case as Kenyan athletes who also happen to be Black in the United States of America. It’s real...One of the things that bothered me many times was that I would go and run a race and if it was a United States championship, they would say ‘Kenyan-born Sam Chelanga.’ What do you get by that? You get to tell people this is the real champion and this is not the real champion because he is Kenyan-born. My performance and my hard work go through the window.”

Lots of people know of Sam from his success as a three-time NCAA cross country champion out of Liberty. He set the NCAA 10,000 meter record of 27:08.49 in the same race that Chris Solinsky broke 27 to set the American record. Those accomplishments came before he became an American citizen in 2015. It was something he wanted for a while and patiently waited out the process until it became official. As a professional, he had some success including being the alternate for the 2016 Olympics in the men’s 10,000 meters and then taking well to the roads. Then in 2018, he retired to enlist in the Army at 33 years old. It was a sudden announcement that surprised many because he was in the middle of an Olympic cycle. He explains so much behind what called him to do that along with many of the other major decisions in his life – on this podcast and also in his new book “With The Wind: Finding Victory Within.” The book will come out on July 28. You can order your copy here. 

More topics discussed in this episode: Why he chose to write a book, running out of poverty in Kenya, his proudest NCAA cross country title, who wins a hypothetical cross country race between the greats, Aliphine Tuliamuk's comments on track media, the decision to serve in the Army and much more...

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"JJ (Clark) helped me realize: 'You have to let high school go. This is a new chapter. It's a new environment. You're away from home. Your body is changing. There's a lot going on. Everything you achieved in the past four years was amazing.' He didn't want to take that away from me but he said, 'Let's start over.' That's what a lot of high school phenoms do. It's natural. You carry what you've achieved into college but my biggest advice would be to embrace this new chapter and know that it's completely different. Everybody is good. Everybody is a state champ. Find a coach that cares about you more than just a runner and athlete – someone who wants to walk this new journey with you. Because it is going to be a journey and there will be highs and lows. You can't do it alone. You're young and so you need that support from someone older and wiser who is going to be patient with you. There will be breakthroughs but give your body time. I wish I would have known that as 17-year-old Chanelle."

Chanelle Price joins the podcast to detail how she's been able to come back among the country's best 800-meter runners. The 2014 World Indoor 800 meter champion but has raced sparingly in recent years since she suffered multiple setbacks in her training including a pulmonary embolism leading to blood clots in her lungs, a battle with mono and a foot fracture. Despite the struggles, she has refused to retire and wants to give the 2021 Olympics a shot.

In this episode, we'll run through her career from being a high school star out of Easton, Pennsylvania through her identity crisis and development at Tennessee to her rollercoaster of a professional career. She shares why things are now going well right as a member of the Nike Oregon Track Club and racing amid a global pandemic. She's got tremendous resiliency. Enjoy.

Follow Chanelle: Twitter | Instagram

Women's Running: “I Am Tougher Because of What I Went Through”

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On July 1, Elise Cranny ran 14:48.02 to become the 7th fastest American woman in history for the 5,000 meters. The race was run in Portland, Oregon in front of no fans and just against her teammates. The time counts toward the all-time lists because USATF recently announced they will be counting times and marks set at USATF sanctioned events from April to November toward next year's U.S. Indoor Championships and Olympic Trials. This is arguably her biggest performance as a pro but was also very accomplished as a high school star out of Niwot High School in Colorado and then a 12-time All-American at Stanford. 

In this episode, we run through her start in sport with influence from her parents who were avid triathletes. We touch on the pressure of being a high school star and a patient transition into college training and development. Elise takes us through some of the biggest races of her college career including her runner up finish at the 2017 NCAA outdoor championships 1500 where she was .004 seconds off the win. Then she gives us the behind-the-scenes of being injured at the start of the year, her recovery process and then how that 14:48 came together. Plus, she'd one of the young and rising stars benefitting from the Olympics getting postponed.

You can watch the 14:48 race on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhFnc4xEwe0&t=3s

▶ Follow Elise on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elise.cranny/

Support for this episode comes from GOODR SUNGLASSES – Been rocking Goodr sunglasses throughout the past couple months and they're the best. No slip. No bounce. No fog. Polarized. Ridiculously affordable starting at $25 a pair. No discounts needed when they’re already the most affordable performance shades on the planet. Visit Goodr.com/citius to check out some of my favorite pairs. #EyesAreFeelinGoodr

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Duane Solomon joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast for an exit interview after announcing his retirement on June 20th with an Instagram post. He finished his career as the third-fastest American of all-time in the 800 meters with his 1:42.82 personal best at the 2012 Olympics in London.

In this episode, we'll go all the way to his high school career and how he managed to find the 800 meters as his specialty event. We'll look at how his "old school" approach to training started in college at USC and eventually landed him on his first U.S. national team in 2007 in Osaka. He opens up about issues with confidence at the college level and early into his professional career before he eventually erupted in 2012 under the guidance of Johny Gray (the former American record holder). Duane explains why it's the 2012 Olympic Trials and not the Olympic final that's the proudest moment of his career. From the warmup area to the call room to the track and off, Duane details his perspective of the London final and David Rudisha's perfect world record. We unpack the later years of his career like chasing the American in 2013/14, crashing and blacking out at the 2015 U.S. Championships, losing in the first round of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials and the curious ending to the final three years of his career. Plus, how he feels he fits into the history of America's rise to the top of the 800 meters and Donavan Brazier's world record chances. All that and more...

Support for this episode comes from GOODR SUNGLASSES – Been rocking Goodr sunglasses throughout the past couple months and they're the best. No slip. No bounce. No fog. Polarized. Ridiculously affordable starting at $25 a pair. No discounts needed when they’re already the most affordable performance shades on the planet. Visit Goodr.com/citius to check out some of my favorite pairs. #EyesAreFeelinGoodr

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Chris Chavez and Matt Meyer reunite to unpack the biggest stories in track and field for May and mid-June. Some races have returned on a small scale with the Impossible Games in Oslo, Norway. We discuss that meet and some of the rumored plans for track to take place in the United States in August.

Other topics discussed on this episode include: Jakob Ingebrigtsen is on fire; Johnny Gregorek broke the Blue Jean Mile World Record, Leo Daschbach becomes the 11th high school boy to break five minutes for the mile, The Diamond League has revised its calendar for 2020 with 11 meets starting in August and running through October; Salwa Eid Nasser and Christian Coleman were provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for whereabouts failures. All that and more on the latest episode.

This episode is Part II to our monthly show. In Part I, we had a conversation about race and sport with Richard Issa of Issa Run Crew in Philadelphia. You can listen to that conversation here: https://apple.co/2YNcrni

Support for this episode comes from GOODR SUNGLASSES – Been rocking Goodr sunglasses throughout the past couple months and they're the best. No slip. No bounce. No fog. Polarized. Ridiculously affordable starting at $25 a pair. No discounts needed when they’re already the most affordable performance shades on the planet. Visit Goodr.com/citius to check out some of my favorite pairs. #EyesAreFeelinGoodr

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✩ Connect with Matt on Instagram: Instagram.com/matthewlukemeyer

As we continue our discussion about race and sport, Matt Meyer decided to bring on our friend Richard Issa Bockari. He heads the Issa Run Crew in Philadelphia. He shares his experiences in the running community from the perspective as a Black runner in the middle of the pack and among the amateurs – where it is very often white. On Global Running Day, he invited a few members from his run crew to join him in a protest run but instead, they marched and then took a knee in the middle of a Philadelphia intersection for a moment of silence that lasted nine minutes.

In this episode, he discusses the conversations he's having with members of his running community, questions people should be asking themselves and how we can all be allies in the Black Lives Matter movement.

▶ Follow Richard on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardissa/

He gave his phone number on the podcast so if you want to talk to him, call or text him at (609) 902-7354

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“Take accountability. We are tired of educating you. We are tired of getting racially profiled and getting racially discriminated against. We're tired of being killed. We can't do both. White people have to take the burden...Help us because we can't do it by ourselves."

Last year, Gwen Berry raised her first on the podium of the Pan American Games after winning the gold medal in the hammer throw. Her protest against racial and social injustice in America landed her a 12-month probation from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. After nationwide protests broke out at the end of May, I caught up with Gwen for a Sports Illustrated interview in which she said she would do it again in 2021 once her probation is up. On social media, she demanded an apology from USOPC CEO Sarah Hershland after they released a statement saying the USOPC stands "stands with those who demand equality." They had a phone call where Hirshland apologized for the effects of the decision to put Berry on probation. 

Berry grew up in Ferguson, Mo., and marched with protesters in St. Louis in 2014, after Michael Brown was shot and killed by former police officer Darren Wilson. The death ignited weeks of unrest and conversation about race relations, but Wilson was never prosecuted. In 2020, Berry has taken to the streets to protest George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

Gwen Berry will not be silenced. In this podcast, we discuss what the past few weeks have been like for her, conversations among elite athletes possibly protesting in 2021 and much more.

Read my Sports Illustrated interview with Gwen here: https://www.si.com/olympics/2020/06/02/gwen-berry-us-olympic-thrower-athlete-protests-george-floyd

Gwen's donation suggestion for the Black Lives Matter movement: https://buytheblock.com/

Support for this episode comes from GOODR SUNGLASSES – Been rocking Goodr sunglasses throughout the past couple months and they're the best. No slip. No bounce. No fog. Polarized. Ridiculously affordable starting at $25 a pair. No discounts needed when they’re already the most affordable performance shades on the planet. Visit Goodr.com/citius to check out some of my favorite pairs. #EyesAreFeelinGoodr 

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"Here’s the thing: For a kid who plays squash in Connecticut, it doesn’t matter if they go to Brown, Princeton or Harvard. They can go to some other school and they’re likely going to be OK. Their families have money. They have connections. They’re going to be alright. They’re going to go to college. A kid who ran really fast and ran a really great 1,500 at their small state meet or their local city conference, gets a call from somebody – they have a life-changing opportunity. They have an opportunity to change their future in a way that otherwise would not have been possible.

Why am I going to sit back and let that happen? I’m not so that’s why I wrote the article."

On May 28, Brown University announced its decision to cut 11 varsity sports as part of their Excellence in Brown Athletics Initiative. The teams that were cut were men's and women’s fencing, men's and women’s golf, women’s skiing, men's and women’s squash, women’s equestrian, and men’s track, field, and cross country — will transition to club status. Former Princeton middle distance specialist Russell Dinkins joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after writing "Brown University, If You Were Actually Serious About Racial Justice You Would Not Be Cutting the Men’s Track Team." Nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition to retain the program's varsity status.

David Melly, the host of the Run Your Mouth Podcast and a contributor to CITIUS MAG, joins me as well because he wrote his own open letter to the Brown University president on Calling For Excellence.

We discuss why we're all disappointed by Brown's decision and why it should be reinstated to show true advocacy for diversity in athletics. And in light of the current events in the world, this ties very well into the ongoing discussion of diversifying organizations and making sure there is equality in the opportunities presented to people of color.

You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify.

"My grandfather told us from the jump, ‘Don’t ever let color separate you from anything. Don’t the color of green get you into any kind of trouble with another color but always accept another color besides your color and because we can all be a family together. Don’t worry about whoever it is that hates your color. You were born this color for a reason and wear it with pride.’ That’s what I’ve been doing since that day. I’m not afraid to speak my mind because I’m black. I just pay attention to my surroundings at all times at 110% level."

-----

Like many people throughout the country, I've been processing and thinking about all the current events happening since the murder of George Flloyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. It's absolutely heartbreaking. I wanted to share this podcast episode that Leigh Anne Sharek and I shared on the Runners of NYC Podcast last month. I promise you that there will be more from me. I know in my role and with the platform that I've built, we can amplify, support and elevate Black voices. You can't make any progress or change in silence. So while I could have not posted any podcast this week, I'm re-posting this conversation onto the podcast feed with the most subscribers in our network because it deserves to be heard widely. 

Our guest for this episode is Coffey. He is a father, husband, filmmaker, Nike running pacer and the founder of Define New York Run Club. This conversation was on our schedule before the Ahmaud Arbery shooting but we take the first 30 minutes of our talk to address the story, its impact on him and how he relates to the likes of Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin. We go back to his roots in North Carolina, how he got his start in fashion and filmmaking, why he got hooked on group running and then ultimately starting his own group.

You may have seen him on recent episodes of ‘For Life’ but his big project has been the short film “About the People” which hosts a very powerful and honest conversation about social justice and inequalities by black and brown men at the hands of police brutality. Coffey was one of the writers on the film and drew some inspiration from the conversations he’s had to have with his oldest son on police brutality.

Follow Coffey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ThatCoffeyBoy/

Follow Define New York Run Club: https://www.instagram.com/DefineNewYorkRunClub/

More on 'About The People': https://www.instagram.com/AboutThePeopleFilm/

WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MItfknF6Yb0

Johnny Gregorek joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast ahead of his world record attempt in the Blue Jean Mile on May 30. 

He is a professional runner for Asics and a member of the New Jersey-New York Track Club. Johnny is also the second-fastest American indoor miler in history. His 3:49.98 is just behind Bernard Lagat's 3:49.89. His other personal bests include 3:35 for the 1,500. He was a member of the U.S. national team for the 2017 World Championships in London, where he made the final and finished 10th in the world. He was an All-American for Columbia and Oregon. 

In this episode, we'll take a dive into his career thus far since he's certainly someone in the mix for an Olympic team spot next year but...this Saturday (May 30th) he will be spiking up for a world record attempt. He will be going for the blue jean mile world record of 4:11.80 and who knows if sub-4 is in the cards. Not only is he providing the world with some good ol' entertainment in a time when there are no races, but he's also doing it for a great cause. He has already raised more than 12,000 dollars for the National Alliance on Mental Illness in memory of his brother and for mental health awareness month. We talk about all that and more.

CITIUS MAG popularized the Blue Jean Mile in 2017. We said we'd cough up some money for someone to break four minutes in it. CITIUS Mag will be donating $1,000 for a sub-4, $500 for a world record and regardless we're cutting a check for at least $250. If you want more information about Johnny's attempt, Paul Snyder has covered it for CITIUS MAG and you can also donate through Johnny's personal pages.

Johnny Gregorek’s Blue Jeans Mile Will Be More Fun Than The Olympics: http://citiusmag.com/johnny-gregorek-blue-jeans-mile-history/

Donate to the National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://donate.nami.org/fundraiser/2749965

Support CITIUS MAG & pick up some merch on CITIUSMAG.com

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"The race day is the reward. It's what you put in all those hours for and those segments and sessions. It's why you get out the door in the morning when you want to hit snooze on the alarm. As nerve-wracking as that is, you have to recognize why you're nervous and it's because you care. You put in all this time and energy. The training log, if it looks really good and the better the training goes, you're almost a little more nervous heading into that race because you have this incredible opportunity to showcase what you've been doing...Then you have your moment where you get to go and all eyes are on you. It's a really cool opportunity to showcase what you've been doing. it's that one day and that special day where you put on the shoes and it means a little bit more. Obviously having eyeballs on you from the community around you watching makes you dig a little deeper but it's all the hours that you invested over that buildup that you can just dig a little deeper on those days."

2018 Boston Marathon champion and 2x U.S. Olympic marathoner Des Linden sits back and sips some whiskey to catch up about how she's been dealing with all the uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic. We discuss how she's gone about appreciating "the process" – which is all we have right now – and the odds of her running the track trials in 2021. How is she framing her career at the moment and looking ahead to what's next.

More importantly, we get the whiskey aficionado side of Des. We hear about her first introduction to whiskey, where to start if you want to get into it, her best post-race drinks and vacation stories and much more. 

Thanks to Brooks Running for setting this up and helping create a cool concept for possible future interviews.

If you want to watch the conversation, it is available here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAMCK52pm8f/

What did we drink? Booker's, Woodford Reserve and Screwball Whiskey.

Support CITIUS MAG & pick up some merch on CITIUSMAG.com

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Coach Chris Bennett joins the podcast. His voice might be familiar to you if you've ever used the Nike Run Club training app. He is the Swoosh's global head coach. He's been a longtime supporter of CITIUS MAG and I've always wanted to get him on the show. Now seems to be the perfect time because it feels like we're on the cusp of a potential running boom once the pandemic subsides. People are getting out there whether it's part of their regular routine and training or they're discovering the sport for the very first time. I have a few friends who are getting started and they don't have a GPS watch or Strava so they simply have downloaded the Nike app and started going on these guided runs with Bennett. 

We spend much of the first half discussing what that's been like to see and then we'll take a dive into his own career from being a New Jersey star, running for UNC, learning from coaches like Jerry Schumacher, Vin Lananna and Frank Gagliano, returning to coach at Christian Brothers Academy (where they became a national powerhouse), what his mantra Every Run Has a Purpose means and ultimately watching his son now come after his own PRs.

▶ Follow Coach Bennett: https://www.instagram.com/coachbennett/

Support CITIUS MAG & pick up some merch on CITIUSMAG.com

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“I honestly never expected entering CU to leave the way I did. I know that Colorado gave me everything I needed to succeed. Mark and Heather gave me every opportunity and every chance in the world to be great. Because of that, I’ll always root for them and I’ll always root for the Buffs. I’m really just grateful for the experience I had and I know there will be more athletes like me.”

Dani Jones joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after announcing that she has decided to forego her remaining NCAA eligibility to turn professional and sign with Hawi Management. The four-time NCAA champion out of the University of Colorado said she will be joining Joe Bosshard’s Boulder-based training group that includes Emma Coburn, Aisha Praught, Dominique Scott and Cory McGee.

We run through the decision-making process that took place after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped away her attempt at an 800/mile double at the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and then her last remaining outdoor season. This outdoor season was going to be focused on winning the NCAA 1,500 meter title, hitting the Olympic standard in the same event and making a push at the U.S. Olympic trials. With the Summer Games and trials postponed a year, Jones is among the athletes who could reap the benefit of one more year of training.

Jones takes us through the biggest races of her Colorado career including the 2017 NCAA indoor titles in the DMR and 3,000m, the 2018 NCAA cross country individual and team title and last year’s NCAA 5,000m outdoor title, which came shortly after her father’s passing. 

We also touch on the influence of coaches Mark and Heather Burroughs in her development, training with Jenny Simpson and where she stands among the greats that have come out of Colorado. (Plus, her Mt. Rushmore of Colorado Buffaloes)

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Chris Chavez and Matthew Luke Meyer catch up from New Jersey and Montana to unpack the biggest storylines in the sport for Aprl 2020. With races and events cancelled through most of the summer, the sport has gotten creative with virtual races, time trials, backyard ultra marathons and pole vault competitions. This is how we're staying active and entertained amid a pandemic. 

We did our best to not say the c*********s word in the podcast.

Among notable news from the month of April:

World Athletics says that no performance between April 2020 and November 30, 2020 will count toward Tokyo qualification. The new window will run from Dec. 1 to May 31 for the marathon and then through June 29 for all other events.  Some athletes were a bit upset by this blanket suspension.

The Berlin Marathon was the first major marathon to be affected by the pandemic and gathering limits. It will be postponed or scaled down to an extent. The re-scheduled Boston is scheduled to take place two weeks before that. 

No Diamond League Meets through June but Oslo will be putting on The Impossible Games. 

Oregon 2021 becomes Oregon 2022 with the world championships being held from July 15 to July 24 at the new Hayward Field. The meet is early and will be held before Commonwealth Games and European Championships oddly enough.

'Dopers Gonna Dope' with Asbel Kiprop still saying he's innocent, Daniel Wanjiru getting busted for a biological passport violation and athletes recording whereabouts failures.

Bad news: Coogan's, the popular track and field NYC bar by The Armory, has closed for good.

Good news: Shalane adopted a baby!

What's the most impressive run we've seen on Strava since quarantine?

All that and more on the latest episode.

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✩ Connect with Matt on Instagram: Instagram.com/matthewlukemeyer

"Those races are weird now that I look back at them. Pretty much I feel like I entered the most intense flow state where my memories of them – I'm not going to say that they weren't painful but I was just so accepting that they were going to be painful. I was willing to do whatever it took. I knew I was good enough to compete. I wasn't going to let anyone beat me I suppose. Closing in 52 was a product of that. If you would've asked me, I wouldn't say that I'm going to be able to close in a 52 but it was just on that day, that's what I had to do to win. That's kind of how it played out.

It was kind of an interesting chess battle between me and Grant. We're actually very similar runners if you think about it. We're both very strength-oriented with big kicks essentially, who can do well in the mile up to the 10K or whatever.

(Coach Mick Byrne) called how that race would go pretty well. It had been an interesting battle between us with who had the lead at the bell in a few of the races leading up to that. That had kind of decided some of the races during indoors. I think that's more important indoors to have an early lead but I felt that Grant wanted to have the lead at the bell going into that outdoor 5K. If you watch the video, he really did. We jostled over that. Mick said that's what's going to happen and so sit on his shoulder. In the final 200, I go to his outside shoulder on the turn. I don't really know why I was there but Mick told me to do that, so I did it. It just felt right. Coming down that last 100, I had an extra gear. That was exactly how Mick said I should play it. It turned out so perfect."

Morgan McDonald, now a professional runner for Under Armour, joins the podcast to take us from his early running days on a club team in Australia to what ultimately led to his success as a Wisconsin Badger. In his senior year, McDonald won the 2018 NCAA cross country title, 2019 NCAA indoor 3,000m and 5,000m title and then took the NCAA outdoor 5,000m crown in one of the best duels we've seen in recent years.

McDonald owns personal bests of 3:54 for the mile and 13:15 for 5,000 meters. He represented Australia at the 2017 and 2019 world championships in the 5,000 meters.

Follow Morgan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganmcdonald__

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"For me, my passion is still within running. It’s now all on, and I mean this wholeheartedly, getting the kids that I work with to experience excitement levels like that night, going under 13, winning the NCAA title or competing for a U.S. title or Olympic team. Those are the types of things that really motivate me now. It’s seeing that excitement level in the kids that I work with now. If I talk about that 10K that night or that day, it’s more anecdotal. It’s more of what I learned and what I went through."

Chris Solinsky joins the show as we approach the 10-year anniversary of his 10,000-meter American record run at the 2010 Payton Jordan Invitational, where he became the first non-African to break 27 minutes for the distance. It was his debut at the distance and he managed to break Meb Keflezighi's previous record by 14 seconds. It's one of the best races to re-watch.

In this episode, we'll go through that race in detail but start in his hometown of Junction City, Wisconsin. Even as a high schooler in Stevens Point, he was building an engine within and started garnering that reputation as one of the hardest-working grinders in the sport. 

We'll also touch on:

- His recruitment and why Wisconsin initially was the last place that he wanted to attend.

- How the University of Colorado missed out on Chris Solinsky…

- His training philosophy and taking pieces of influence from coach Jerry Schumacher

- The first sub-four mile on Wisconsin soil and the friendly rivalry with Matt Tegenkamp

-  Turing professional and betting on himself by choosing Nike

- Advice for those who have that option and go through the process

- What he believes is the best race of his career…

- Having a hot hand during a season and breaking 13 minutes for 5,000m three times in one season

- Clarifying his dog's role in his hamstring injury

- The marathon attempt that never happened and giving it one more shot in 2014

- 2021 comeback odds and more…

Related links:

2010 Payton Jordan finish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rkvd5dfwMQ

Podcast with Ryan Fenton on calling Solinsky's race: http://citiusmag.com/citius-mag-podcast-ryan-fenton-flotrack/

Sports Illustrated profile: https://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/06/23/chris-solinsky

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"There’s something inherently interesting about people going out to seek out what their limits are. The format is interesting too because you don’t really know if the race is going to end in one day, two days or six days. It ends when the last person either can’t go forward or isn’t allowed to go forward. That’s something I hope people would find interesting and maybe it brings more eyeballs on what we’re doing or inspires them to do it on their own."

Mike Wardian joins the podcast less than 12 hours after winning the Quarantine Backyard Ultra Marathon. The race featured more than 2,000 runners from more than 50 countries competing over Zoom. How’d it work? Each competitor had to complete a 4.167-mile loop every hour - starting exactly on the hour and it goes on until there’s just one person remaining.

The race started on Saturday morning and on Monday, Radek Brunner of the Czech Republic and Mike Wardian of Arlington, Virginia were locked in a duel. 

There were two different approaches on display. Mike was running loops around his block. Brunner was running on a treadmill in his home.

At 11 p.m. on Monday night, Lap 63 begins. Wardian takes off for his loop. Brunner stands by the treadmill but doesn’t move for about 90 seconds. It looked like he was doing something on his iPad.

According to the rules, you have to be in your starting corral (so for Brunner that was his treadmill) and you have to start on the hour (and it appears that he did not). Race organizers from Personal Peak made the decision to disqualify him and then Wardian kicked it in for a 31:05 final lap - his fastest of the whole race. The decision was not without controversy and uproar on social media.

"Radek Brunner failed to leave the corral when the bell rang," Personal Peak said in a Facebook post. "This is what makes the backyard format so heart-wrenching. The bell doesn't care. The bell just rings. It is we who care. It is we who do not wish it to end. But it never ends well. It may only end gracefully."

I caught up with Mike on Tuesday morning to get his side of things, hear more about his strategy and how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted his own plans for 2020.

Read my brief recap and a transcript of the interview on Sports Illustrated: https://www.si.com/edge/2020/04/07/quarantine-backyard-ultra-marathon-winner-mike-wardian-radek-brunner-disqualified

More information on the race and its origins by Sports Illustrated's Jessica Smetana: https://www.si.com/more-sports/2020/04/03/quarantine-backyard-ultra-marathon-virtual-race-coronavirus-pandemic

Follow Mike on Strava: https://www.strava.com/pros/1108954

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Sat down with Keith and Kevin Hanson while in Atlanta to discuss the history of the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project as it celebrates 20 years of advancing U.S. distance running.

We start by going back to the brothers’ roots in Michigan and the state of the sport in America before helping improve it. The Hansons made an emphasis on group training, which stood out to them from studying Ethiopians, Kenyans and Japanese. It started off as a $250,000 investment in a team that helped provide housing, health insurance, travel and equipment for a few runners but later blossomed with a partnership with Brooks.

In 2008, they put Brian Sell on the U.S. Olympic Marathon team. They also helped develop and guide Des Linden into a two-time Olympian and Boston Marathon champion. In this episode, they’ll share some of the behind-the-scenes stories of those breakout moments in their history.

Also, what’s it like for them to take on the challenge of rebuilding the likes of Dathan Ritzenhein or bringing Natosha Rogers into an Olympic team contender for 2021.

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It's taken me too long to release this episode but about a month ago, I hosted a live panel at the Atlanta Track Club's marathon weekend experience that lined up with the 2020 U.S. Olympic marathon Trials. I sat down and talked with Matt McDonald, Alyssa Bloomquist, Ann Mazur and Duriel Hardy about how they manage to balance their full workload and sometimes classes with training at a high level. The COVID-19 pandemic definitely has lots of us working from home and thrown us out of our routine but I hope that this episode brings you a little bit of inspiration into understanding the importance of balance in work, life and running for when things do go back to normal and that no dream is too big to chase.

Hailey Middlebrook of Runners World did a fantastic job profiling each of these guests in the leadup to Atlanta. You can find all of her stories below and their result:

Matt McDonald, Ph.D. student in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech (2:12:19 for 10th place) – https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a29578084/matt-mcdonald-olympic-trials-qualifier/

Duriel Hardy, Pediatric Neurology Fellow/MD at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2:26:41 for 119th place) – https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a30286103/duriel-hardy-olympic-marathon-trials-qualifier/

Alyssa Bloomquist, Speech-Language Pathologist at Greenville County Schools - Stone Academy (2:45:20 for 129th place) - https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a29814117/alyssa-bloomquist-olympic-marathon-trials-qualifier/

Ann Mazur, Founder/owner of Runners Love Yoga &  teaches Running for Fitness and Yoga at the University of Virginia (2:51:53 for 260th place) - https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a30459353/ann-mazur-2020-olympic-trials-qualifier/

This episode was brought to you by the newest podcast in the CITIUS MAG family - Track and Field History with Jesse Squire. Get all the information about the show here: http://citiusmag.com/track-and-field-history-podcast-introduction/

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/track-and-field-history-with-jesse-squire

Chris Chavez and Matt Meyer get together over Skype to recap the biggest news of March. As races are canceled or postponed, the Olympics were the last major domino to fall. On March 24, the decision was officially made by the International Olympic Committee and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to move the Summer Games to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

We react to the news, explain why it was the best decision and break down what it means for the sport of track and field ahead. Plus, we share what's the biggest thing that we were looking forward to in the lost 2020 outdoor track and field campaign. 

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✩ Connect with Matt on Instagram: Instagram.com/matthewlukemeyer

Chris Chavez and Ryan Welsh sit down (maybe six-feet apart) to discuss the impact coronavirus has taken on the world, sports and running. 

Topics discussed include: Running in uncertain times, listening and heeding the advice of experts, Boston and London Marathon postponed, should the Olympics and trials get cancelled or postponed and more.

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The sports world has stopped but the world could use the positivity of Aliphine Tuliamuk. At the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, Tuliamuk made her first U.S. Olympic team by winning in 2:27:23. 

On this show, we'll discuss how the race was the culmination of her American dream and why she is very appreciative of the opportunity to represent the United States – a place that has given her so many opportunities in her life. We talk about how she developed the self-belief that she could win the race and much more.

Support for this episode comes from Stryd. They’re helping ensure that you nail the perfect pacing strategy so you can keep a consistent effort in challenging conditions - all in real-time. I’m digging all the data that it’s collecting and you’ll see a bunch of people wearing them on their shoes at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Learn more by visiting STRYD.COM/CITIUS

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Jacob Riley joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to share how he managed to make his first Olympic team after a 2:10:02 personal best to finish second at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

Jake wrote on Twitter, "Been saving end of segment things so I can savor this feeling longer. Yesterday was watching the race coverage, today was finishing my log. Final entry isn’t twitter appropriate, but I got to write “I’m an Olympian”. The way I felt writing that I’ll remember forever." What's the not-Twitter appropriate version and what's the training log say? Jake put us in his shoes for the race and recounts what we likely missed from the broadcast since he had to work his way to catch the leaders. 

More in this episode on: 

- Snatching the American flag with 600 meters remaining in the race and instant regret

- Getting in the right mindset for the race and how it compared to Chicago

- Looking back at his approach to racing as an All-American at Stanford

- What he learned from his five years with the Hansons-Brooks team

- Needing a change in scenery as life gets tough and going through a divorce

- Undergoing surgery on his Achilles and then finding the hope in recovery

- The return to racing and what led to the Chicago breakthrough

- Turning down a shoe contract to be able to run in the Chonky Bois (Nike AlphaFly Next%)

- Why we were dumb to overlook him before the trials?

- A quick explanation of his neckbeard in college

Support for this episode comes from Stryd. They’re helping ensure that you nail the perfect pacing strategy so you can keep a consistent effort in challenging conditions - all in real-time. I’m digging all the data that it’s collecting and you’ll see a bunch of people wearing them on their shoes at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Learn more by visiting STRYD.COM/CITIUS

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Team Boulder's Lee Troop joins the show to share how Jake Riley went from an Achilles injury that nearly ended his career to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials runner-up and headed to the Olympics. Riley ran 2:13 for his first marathon in 2014 and then finished 15th at the 2016 trials. He also went on to finish 12th at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore. but then his career got rocky.

He went through a divorce, moved from Michigan to Colorado to pursue his mechanical engineering masters and then joined Troop's training. An Achilles injury was later diagnosed as Haglund's syndrome and he had to undergo surgery. Troop shares the process of how they worked back to the starting line and then what ultimately led to his major breakout of a 2:10:36 in Chicago last fall. 

Among the key pieces of insight shared by Troop are the pre-race talks that he shared with Riley and race plans in both Chicago and Atlanta.

We also share how Riley developed the "No more next times" mantra, the decision to wear the AlphaFly shoes and much more.

Support for this episode comes from Stryd. They’re helping ensure that you nail the perfect pacing strategy so you can keep a consistent effort in challenging conditions - all in real-time. I’m digging all the data that it’s collecting and you’ll see a bunch of people wearing them on their shoes at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Learn more by visiting STRYD.COM/CITIUS

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Chris Chavez and Matthew Luke Meyer unpack all of the madness from the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta.

Galen Rupp took the win on the men's side by pulling away after 21 miles to win his second consecutive U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials title in 2:09:20. Jacob Riley ran the race of his life and pulled one of the ballsiest moves by snatching a tiny American flag with less than half a mile to go. Abdi Abdirahman hung on for the third spot and qualified for his fifth Olympic team at the age of 43.

Aliphine Tuliamuk won the women's race after surging ahead at Mile 20 to win in 2:27:23 and head to her first Olympics. Molly Seidel, who had not run a marathon in her career but was an accomplished cross country and 10,000m star at Notre Dame, was the runner-up in 2:27:31. She will also head to her first Summer Games. Sally Kipyego returns to the Olympics as a mother for the first time. In 2012, she won an Olympic silver medal in the 10,000m while representing Kenya. 

We recap the races, break down the biggest surprises, why we overlooked the people who ended up on the team and where we go from here. Also, the Chonky Bois were out in full force. 

Support for this episode comes from Stryd. They’re helping ensure that you nail the perfect pacing strategy so you can keep a consistent effort in challenging conditions - all in real-time. I’m digging all the data that it’s collecting and you’ll see a bunch of people wearing them on their shoes at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Learn more by visiting STRYD.COM/CITIUS

▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag | instagram.com/citiusmag | facebook.com/citiusmag

✩ Connect with Chris via Email: chris@citiusmag.com | twitter.com/ChrisChavez | instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Chris Chavez and Ryan Welsh post up at the Brooks Hyperion House at Switchyards in downtown Atlanta to test out a new podcast concept –  talking to strangers to get to know their running story. For this first episode, we sat down and got to meet some of Brooks' Hometown Heroes. They're sub-elite runners who hold full-time jobs and still manage to find the time to run fast. You'll be surprised at who we meet. We knew nothing about these people beforehand. It was blind speed dating of sorts.

Garrett Heath of the Brooks Beasts (27-minute mark) happened to be working at the lounge and so we got his thoughts on being in town for the trials, what it's like to compete for an Olympic team spot and some of his own predictions for the race.

Teresa McWalters (41-minute mark) is a four-time U.S. Olympic trials qualifier with a newfound perspective on running after an injury in this buildup. 

Kelly Calway (51-minute mark) is a U.S. Army officer who ran at NC State. She is a combat veteran with two deployments under her belt. Because of her work and service for this country, running has taken place in a wide variety of places. 

Elizabeth Gregory and Holly Clarke (1 hour, 8-minute mark) share their experience as teammates on the Impala Racing Team, who qualified together. 

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Bernard Lagat was the subject of a Sports Illustrated story that I wrote this week titled: "Before Attempt at History, Bernard Lagat Returned to His Roots in Kenya." The story shares how Lagat returned home to Kenya to train for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, where he will be vying to make his sixth Olympic team at age 45. He holds a marathon personal best of 2:12:10 from last year's Gold Coast Marathon and enters as one of the most intriguing dark horses in the men's elite race.

The story and conversation also examine how Lagat has made himself one of the faces of American distance running when it's less than 20 years since he made the allegiance switch from Kenya. He's the second-fastest 1,500 meter runner in history and owns two Olympic medals from his time competing as a Kenyan. He switched in 2004. What was the reaction by Kenyans? How was he received by Americans? And what was the importance and role of immigrants in the revitalization of U.S. distance running?

More also on: Growing up in a family with 12 siblings, his first running shoes, when he first returned to Kenya in 2007, training with Eliud Kipchoge, AlphaFlys and shoe technology and much more.

Read the story on SI here: https://www.si.com/olympics/2020/02/25/bernard-lagat-us-olympic-marathon-trials

Support for this episode comes from Stryd. They’re helping ensure that you nail the perfect pacing strategy so you can keep a consistent effort in challenging conditions - all in real-time. I’m digging all the data that it’s collecting and you’ll see a bunch of people wearing them on their shoes at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Learn more by visiting STRYD.COM/CITIUS

ATL LIVE SHOWS INFO

FRIDAY - 9 a.m.

Guests: Keith and Kevin Hanson

Where: Switchyards Downtown - 151 Ted Turner Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

We'll discuss their influential work with elite U.S. distance runners and their team over the past 20 years.

FRIDAY - 11:15 a.m.

Guests: Matt McDonald, Alyssa Bloomquist, Ann Mazur and Duriel Hardy

Where: America’s Marathon Weekend Experience - Georgia World Congress Center, Hall A3

We'll meet these 9-5'ers and talk about how they have found ways to run fast while being full time workers and students.

All CITIUS MAG in Atlanta information here: http://citiusmag.com/2020-us-olympic-marathon-trials-events-schedule/

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Chris Chavez and Matthew Luke Meyer reunite to recap all of the biggest storylines and news in the sport.

On this episode, we discuss:

• The Chonky Bois (Nike AlphaFly Next%) were deemed legal by World Athletics and will be on the starting line of the U.S. Olympic marathon trials.
• What do we make of the rules and is there a stigma attached to those athletes who wear them?
• Oregon announces the new Hayward Field will honor former track and field legends Steve Prefontaine, Raevyn Rogers, Ashton Eaton and Otis Davis but who else should have a floor named after them? We need more women!
• Tyreek Hill has no shot of making the U.S. Olympic team and it was a silly Super Bowl media week storyline
• Mondo Duplantis is breaking the pole vault world record with ease and now there’s a movie in the works on him
• Buy or sell: Nike unveils the new Team USA uniforms for the 2020 Olympics
• Running through results: Millrose Games | Ajee Wilson is the gold medal favorite, Donovan Brazier is going to be a problem, Justyn Knight didn’t take a subway for coronavirus concern, Elle Purrier has a tough decision with the 1,500m and 5,000m for outdoors
• Galen Rupp proved he is back with his 61-minute win at the Sprouts Mesa Half Marathon.
• The beef between Lopez Lomong and Paul Chelimo through memes, explained
• U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships meh after World Indoors was canceled but Bowerman Track Club has a great showing
• Joshua Cheptegai ran a solo 12:51 world record for the 5K on the roads in Monaco
• More world records fall with Ethiopia's Ababel Yeshaneh clocking a 64:31 at the RAK Half to take 20 seconds off the half marathon world record.

- 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials complete prediction and why it’s so damn hard to make our picks but we do.

• BONUS: A call with Amy Hastings Cragg to explain why she pulled out of the trials and what her race plan would've been

Support for this episode comes from Stryd. They’re helping ensure that you nail the perfect pacing strategy so you can keep a consistent effort in challenging conditions - all in real-time. I’m digging all the data that it’s collecting and you’ll see a bunch of people wearing them on their shoes at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Learn more by visiting STRYD.COM/CITIUS

Podcast episode cover photo by Kevin Morris: https://www.instagram.com/kevmofoto/

▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag | instagram.com/citiusmag | facebook.com/citiusmag

✩ Connect with Chris via Email: chris@citiusmag.com | twitter.com/ChrisChavez | instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Nick Willis sits down in New York City for a long-awaited conversation to look back at his remarkable career thus far. In this episode, we'll go through everything from growing up in Lower Hutt, New Zealand and his start in athletics with his brother, Steve, to his recent streak of 18 consecutive years of breaking four minutes for the mile.

More in this episode:

• Nick's early interest in skateboarding and then finally turning the page to track and field
• Arriving at Michigan after the Alan Webb hype and the start of his relationship with coach Ron Warhurst
• His wife's development as a coach
• Breaking the New Zealand 1,500 meter record in 2005 and the start of his professional career
• Losing his passport and rookie mistakes of his first professional year
• Being a student of the sport even now by reading about track and field greats
• Get in Nick's shoes for the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic 1,500-meter final
• Thoughts on Rashid Ramzi, Asbel Kiprop and competing against dirty athletes
• Drowning out the skepticism and dark cloud of the sport's problems of doping
• Theory of longevity (via Spikes Mag): Sleep, Patience and Having his family with him
• 2020 and how much longer he could keep going

Lots of wisdom shared in this episode. Enjoy.

Recommended reading: "Longevity" by Nick Willis | SPIKES

Follow Nick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willisnick/

❤️ Support for this episode comes from Stryd. They’re helping ensure that you nail the perfect pacing strategy so you can keep a consistent effort in challenging conditions - all in real-time. I’m digging all the data that it’s collecting and you’ll see a bunch of people wearing them on their shoes at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Learn more by visiting STRYD.COM/CITIUS

Podcast episode cover photo by Kevin Morris: https://www.instagram.com/kevmofoto/

▶ Follow us:
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✩ Connect with Chris

Email: chris@citiusmag.com
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Natosha Rogers won the NCAA 10,000 meters as a junior in 2012 and then finished second in the same event at the U.S. Olympic Trials. However, her 31:59 performance was just 14 seconds shy of meeting the Olympic standard to qualify for the Summer Games in London. She decided to leave behind running to study abroad and go about her senior year as a regular student. She took a break but returned and signed a professional contract in 2014 only to start to get injured. She had a rough time adjusting to life as a professional and dealing with injuries and moved back to Colorado under coach Steve Magness. Rogers stunned many with the success she found on the roads in 2017 and qualified for the 2018 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. The flu knocked her out of competing and then in a rush to return and make up for fitness, she injured her knee. Procedures and treatment went awry and the future of her running career was fading fast. It's hard to believe that someone who was working a desk job at a tech company until July 2019 has found a way to get back to the top level of U.S. distance running. Last month, she won the USATF Cross Country Championships in San Diego and is already competing indoors. The big focus is the 5,000 meters or 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in June. How did we get here? She details the rollercoaster ride.

Recommended reading: In Her Return to Running, Natosha Rogers Finds Strength in Setbacks by Taylor Dutch for Runner's World https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a30756174/natosha-rogers-finds-strength-in-setbacks/

Follow Natosha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natosha_rogers/

❤️ Support for this episode comes from Stryd. They’re helping ensure that you nail the perfect pacing strategy so you can keep a consistent effort in challenging conditions - all in real-time. I’m digging all the data that it’s collecting and you’ll see a bunch of people wearing them on their shoes at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Learn more by visiting STRYD.COM/CITIUS

Podcast episode cover photo by Kevin Morris: https://www.instagram.com/kevmofoto/

▶ Follow us:
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✩ Connect with Chris

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“Your 2:42 marathoner of today could be your 2:24 marathoner of 2024. If there’s not someone there encouraging that and supporting that, then that might not happen. We saw this as a chance to invest in the sport.”

Jay Holder, Atlanta Track Club’s marketing and communications director, joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to share the inside scoop on the plans around the upcoming 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

On this episode we’ll discuss:

• The final stages of preparations for hosting the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
  
• What made Atlanta’s bid for the trials standout against other bids from Austin and Chattanooga?
  
• The A+B=Championship Model: “Everyone who qualifies is a potential champion and everyone needs to be treated like a potential champion from the second they get off the plane at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.”
  
• Factoring in the Olympic history of the 1996 Summer Games
  
• How bad are the hills going to be? Jay shares a course preview and what athletes he thinks could fare best
  
• What was the original course vs. the changes made due to the growing number of qualifiers?
  
• How are they going to accommodate so many personal bottles?
  
• What’s the average temperature like for that weekend in Atlanta?
  
• America’s Marathon Weekend and what else is going to be taking place that weekend?
  

❤️ Protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. They use all-natural ingredients in everything they make. If it’s not natural, it’s not good enough for your skin. The products are made to prevent skin damage as well as restore and repair damaged skin. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today.

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Chris Chavez and Matt Meyer recap all the news and top stories from the running world in January 2020. 

It's an Olympic year and we're already getting hit with doping violations involving major stars like Wilson Kipsang. Coronavirus has led to the cancellation of the World Indoor Championships, which were slated to be held in Nanjing, China. World records fell. 

We touch on the best performances from the Houston Half Marathon, Dubai Marathon, Rock 'N' Roll Phoenix. We hit the best track performances from the Dr. Norbert Sander Invitational in New York City and the New Balance Boston Grand Prix.

We touch on Edward Cheserek's decision to run for Kenya. We were treated to the news of the Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele showdown in April. 

Yes, we talk about the major Nike VaporFly shoe debate that continues to be a topic of controversy. This podcast was recorded before World Athletics has released its findings and recommendations for new regulations.  RIP Chonky Bois (aka the AlphaFlys). We barely knew you.

All that and more....

❤️ Have your team join The Feed's Club Discount Program. Members of clubs or schools who sign up for the program will get 15% off all their orders on The Feed and they will provide each school with a custom landing page + a unique discount code to their school or club. If your team joins, they will also have priority access to their nutrition coaches. If you are interested, email Riley Masters - riley@thefeed.com - and get your team working with the best resource for athletes.

❤️ Protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. They use all-natural ingredients in everything they make. If it’s not natural, it’s not good enough for your skin. The products are made to prevent skin damage as well as restore and repair damaged skin. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today.

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To start off the year, we wanted to introduce you to one of the kindest people me and my new co-host (Ryan Welsh) met in 2019. Henna Rustami's name might be familiar if you’re an Ivy League alum because she was a Heps champion. But before she rose to some prominence on the college scene at Columbia, she grew up on Long Island to an immigrant family who left a war-ravaged Afghanistan in the 1980s. 

Doug Binder of Dye Stat wrote a great story on her in 2017 as she was setting her sights on some school records during the indoor season: https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=467103

Henna is one of the members of the Brooklyn Track Club in New York City and in addition to balancing her workload as a second-year law student, she’s not giving up on lowering those PRs from college. She wants to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Track Trials and serve as an inspiration for girls who look like her since some role models were lacking when she was growing up. Henna is awesome and we convinced her to join Instagram after we stopped recording.

▶ Follow Henna: https://www.instagram.com/hennarustami/

❤️ Have your team join The Feed's Club Discount Program. Members of clubs or schools who sign up for the program will get 15% off all their orders on The Feed and they will provide each school with a custom landing page + a unique discount code to their school or club. If your team joins, they will also have priority access to their nutrition coaches. If you are interested, email Riley Masters - riley@thefeed.com - and get your team working with the best resource for athletes.

❤️ Protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. They use all-natural ingredients in everything they make. If it’s not natural, it’s not good enough for your skin. The products are made to prevent skin damage as well as restore and repair damaged skin. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today.

▶ Follow us:
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Mary Cain sits down in front of a live audience at Mile High Run Club (NoMad) in New York City to catch up since the last time she appeared on the show in May. In November, a New York Times op-doc was released where Cain reveals she suffered mental and physical abuse under the leadership of Alberto Salazar. She impressed many on the track with her talent but later broke five bones, misser her period for three years and had suicidal thoughts due to disordered eating that she developed under Salazar’s extreme training methods. It was one of the most impactful stories in the sport for 2019. I followed up the New York Times piece by reporting and publishing a story for Sports Illustrated where several former Oregon Project members validated Cain's claims and extended the timeline with stories of mistreatment going back to 2008. Read and watch the NY Times story by Lindsay Crouse here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/opinion/nike-running-mary-cain.html Read my follow up ' Inside the Toxic Culture of the Nike Oregon Project 'Cult' from Sports Illustrated here: https://www.si.com/track-and-field/2019/11/13/mary-cain-nike-oregon-project-toxic-culture-alberto-salazar-abuse-investigation Important: Cain is not alone in telling her story. here are many of stories about coaching being verbally and physically abusive, weight shaming and much more. Mary is not alone. If anyone else in the running community wants to talk about their experience, my email is chrisjonathanchavez@gmail.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @ChrisChavez or Instagram @Chris_J_Chavez as my DMs are open. ▶ Follow Mary: www.instagram.com/runmarycain/ | www.twitter.com/runmarycain/ ❤️ Have your team join The Feed's Club Discount Program. Members of clubs or schools who sign up for the program will get 15% off all their orders on The Feed and they will provide each school with a custom landing page + a unique discount code to their school or club. If your team joins, they will also have priority access to their nutrition coaches. If you are interested, email Riley Masters - riley@thefeed.com - and get your team working with the best resource for athletes. ❤️ Protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. They use all-natural ingredients in everything they make. If it’s not natural, it’s not good enough for your skin. The products are made to prevent skin damage as well as restore and repair damaged skin. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Enjoy this episode of FULL TUB WITH NICK ROCHE and subscribe to the show if you enjoyed it. https://apple.co/2th7Ld8 ---- We're opening up the jacuzzi to friends. Peter Bromka and Patrick Reaves of the Bowerman Track Club join Full Tub to discuss the California International Marathon and the pursuit of the 2:19:00 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying mark. More than 100 people were on pace to hit the qualifier at the halfway mark and then the marathon started to take its toll on people. At the end of the day, 37 men hit the qualifying mark. Bromka finished 38th and ran 2:19:02 at CIM to miss the standard by a heartbreaking two seconds. "Honestly, I could find two seconds everywhere and nowhere on that course on Sunday," Bromka wrote on Instagram after the race. "The drizzle soaked asphalt was trampled by hundreds of men racing in unison to achieve a dream together. But of course, it’s never that simple." Reaves joins the show to share his own insight into how he qualified at the 2018 edition of CIM (2:17:40), the team effort that went into setting this OTQ goal and how life has changed since he hit the mark. Thanks to Jody Bailey for the photos! Follow Jody on Instagram: instagram.com/run.photography Follow Peter on Instagram here: instagram.com/bromka Follow Patrick on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/patrickreaves/ In addition to being a great runner, Bromka is also a tremendous and relatable runner. Catch some of Bromka's post-race reflections on Instagram here: On falling two seconds short: www.instagram.com/p/B55LrO6HHFp/ On calling his mother after the race: www.instagram.com/p/B55xdulnIcB/ On his teammates and the collaborative effort to dream big: www.instagram.com/p/B574ANRHl-C/ On the final mile: www.instagram.com/p/B5-c8_lniYX/

Jenny Simpson has been a long-awaited guest for The CITIUS MAG Podcast and she finally sat down to run through her truly remarkable career from high school to 2019 before looking ahead to the 2020 Olympic year and what she wants to accomplish before her career is over. We start with her days as a five-time Florida state track champion and three-time state champion in cross-country out of Oviedo High School in Florida. Then, we dive into her success as a steeplechaser at Colorado, where under coach Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs she won three NCAA steeplechase titles and one indoor 3,000-meter title. Don't worry, we definitely don't overlook her 163rd place finish at the 2009 NCAA Cross-Country Championships and what she learned from that performance. We get Jenny's starting line feelings and recollections from the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships. After Jenny turns pro in 2010, we learn why she chose the 1,500 meters and ultimately became the 2011 World Championship gold medalist, 2013 World Championship silver medalist, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2017 World Championship silver medalist in the event. Get ready because she puts us in her shoes for some of those major races. When you've accomplished so much, what's next? We hear what Jenny has planned for 2020 and her feelings toward the American record after Shelby Houlihan just lowered it to 3:54.99 in 2019. ▶ Follow Jenny: www.instagram.com/trackjenny/ | www.twitter.com/trackjenny/ ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. Check out their Athlete Gift Guide for the holidays to find great deals on everything from a Theragun to collapsible foam rollers. They have experts available 24/7 to help you find the best products for your training. Use code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything storewide. Gift guide: thefeed.com/pages/2019-gift-guide ❤️ Protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. They use all-natural ingredients in everything they make. If it’s not natural, it’s not good enough for your skin. The products are made to prevent skin damage as well as restore and repair damaged skin. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

In recent weeks, there has been much more of a discussion in regards to having more female coaches in the sport. There are already many out there and deserve recognition for their tremendous work. I wanted to personally share the story of coach Kate Gustafson, who has been helping me with my own training but has been doing remarkable things with athletes of all levels for years. She is a coach with Mile2Marathon and helps with the Brooklyn Track Club in New York City. In addition to being a wonderful mentor and coach, she's a great runner as well. She owns a 2:40:10 marathon personal best. She competed in this year's elite field at the Boston Marathon and finished as the top Canadian woman and 34th overall. Most recently, she placed eighth in a hard-fought effort at the Canadian marathon trials held at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Since this summer, Kate has assisted me and my good friend Ryan Welsh in our marathon training. Ryan, who was featured on this podcast a few episodes ago, joins me to co-host this episode. Kate has got tons of awesome stories about growing up in a small town in Canada, playing Division 1 hockey in college, rediscovering an intense passion for running after college, heading to Kenya to run and train with some of the world’s best distance runners, and finding her calling as a fantastic coach for so many up and coming runners. She’s the ultimate champion for women’s sport and someone Ryan and I definitely trust and look up to. You'll walk away from this episode inspired. ▶ Follow Kate: https://www.instagram.com/atrueworld/ | https://www.twitter.com/atrueworld/ ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. Check out their Athlete Gift Guide for the holidays to find great deals on everything from a Theragun to collapsible foam rollers. They have experts available 24/7 to help you find the best products for your training. Use code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming up and they’re going to have lots of specials that you can tack on that promo code to save some extra money. Gift guide: https://thefeed.com/pages/2019-gift-guide ❤️ Protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. They use all-natural ingredients in everything they make. If it’s not natural, it’s not good enough for your skin. The products are made to prevent skin damage as well as restore and repair damaged skin. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Isaac Wood joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to break down his predictions and projections for the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships, which will be held Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, IN. Isaac shares his men's and women's podium picks, individual winners and expert insight on runners to watch. Visit CITIUSMAG.com to get his full list of projected All-Americans and Team Standings or click here: http://citiusmag.com/wood-report-2019-ncaa-cross-country-championship-predictions-all-american-projections/ ------- ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today.

Mother of three. Full-time nurse. 2:29 Marathoner. Roberta Groner joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to recount her two marathon experiences at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where she finished sixth overall (top American) and the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon, where she was 13th overall (4th American). Roberta takes us back to what drew her into the sport after a decade off from running. She ran her first marathon at the 2011 Chicago Marathon and has since lowered her personal best to 2:29:09. We discuss how getting older doesn't necessarily mean getting slower, how she's approaching the upcoming U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta on Feb. 29 and also talks about possibly going for the U.S. women's Masters record. This episode was co-hosted by my good friend Matthew Luke Meyer, who was previously a guest on the Runners of NYC Podcast to share his own inspiring story. Related reading: How Masters Women Dominated the New York City Marathon by Martin Fritz Huber for Outside Magazine https://www.outsideonline.com/2404989/nyc-marathon-2019-roberta-groner-sinead-diver ------- ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today.

Live from New York, it's the CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez and Scott Fauble. Thanks to Hoka One One for hosting us in their pop up shop at 93 Mercer Street during the New York City Marathon festivities. On this show, Scott rejoins the program to discuss what it's like coming back to the city one year after being the second American across the finish line, recovering from his 2:09:09, his summer of racing that followed, the great Nike Vaporfly debate and the shoe war that's underway + an early look at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. ------- ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today.

"I think there’s this wonderful state of bliss and fatigue that is unlike anything when you’re in hard training. It’s almost this serene state that you get—almost zen—where you’re so tired, but it’s a happy tired. You use your body well and there’s a contentedness that your body can give you. I’ll miss that a lot." The Shalane Flanagan Exit Interview! https://www.si.com/olympics/2019/10/23/shalane-flanagan-retirement-exit-interview-career-legacy-coaching This is the audio from an article that I wrote for Sports Illustrated last week after Shalane announced her retirement from professional running. She finishes her career with 16 national titles, four Olympic team appearances, an Olympic silver medal in the 10,000 meters from the 2008 Summer Games, a 2011 world cross country silver medal, the third-fastest marathon time by a U.S. woman and a marquee victory at the 2017 New York City Marathon that ended a 40-year drought by American women. Simply put, one of the greatest U.S. distance runners of all-time and certainly one of the most inspiring. We touch on a lot in this 30+ minute phone call.

Calgary's Trevor Hofbauer joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast just days after locking up his automatic berth for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo by finishing as the top Canadian man at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. It marked the second Canadian marathon title in three years for Hofbauer as he upset Canadian record holder Cam Levins (3rd place, 2:15:01). Last year, Levins broke the Canadian record in Toronto in 2:09:25 and two years ago, Hofbauer celebrated into the finish line chute when he won in 2:18:05. This time around, he didn't celebrate until he made the final turn and saw the clock before the finish. He managed to lower his personal best from 2:16:48 in April's Hamburg Marathon to 2:09:51. After his race, he tweeted: "There’s a guy that lives in Calgary, trains solo except on LR Sunday’s with the guys, trains based off of feel, isn’t dictated by numbers, doesn’t care about likes and follows, and he’s a 2:09 guy. KEEP SHOWING UP" On Tuesday, he published a blog titled "Keep Showing Up" where he detailed the six-year journey to get to this point. We run through the blog post, which you can read here: https://trevorhofbauer.com/2019/10/22/keep-showing-up/ All of that and more in this episode of the show.

"In 2012, I was at the Diamond League at Crystal Palace and then a few weeks later was the actual Olympics. I was walking by and there was a William Hill betting shop. I saw my name on a ticker go by. It was weird. It was my name so I went in and I asked the guy if it was for the Diamond League. He said no and that it was for the Olympics. I said, “Sir, there’s something wrong there because I’m not in the Olympics.” He pulled up the thing and said, ‘Here, I’ll tell you why…’ Statistically, I was No. 7 to win the Olympics on the odds. That didn’t make sense. I’m not there. He said, “Your odds are better to have an American get hurt, you replace them and you win, than guy No. 8, 9, 10…” Just because in the U.S., we are that good in the shot put and our world rankings are that good. That’s one of the reasons that I thought, ‘Man, if my odds are that good to actually be there.’ I have to keep on training. When it comes to betting, it’s a weird motivation but I’ll never forget seeing my name coming across and thinking, ‘Maybe I could keep doing this.’ Thankfully, Joe Kovacs stuck with the sport. The 2019 world champion joins the podcast to share every detail about his rise in the sport including the highs of winning gold but also the lows, which included getting dropped by Nike and nearly quitting after the 2018 season. On this show, we cover: - The taboo conversations of track and field financials - Being coached by his wife, Ashley - How she helped fix the 2018 Joe Kovacs - The physics behind a great thrower - Was that the loudest scream that he's ever let out - Will the WR soon go down? - How much does a shot putter like him eat, drink and lift + Much more... ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Chicago! We headed to Heartbreak Hill Running Co. for a special live recording featuring Bowerman Track Club athletes Moh Ahmed, Ryan Hill and Evan Jager alongside Dan Fitzgerald, Chief Heartbreaker and Co-Founder of Heartbreak Hill Running Company. We spend the first couple minutes of the show marveling at Eliud Kipchoge's 1:59:40 marathon in Vienna. The guys share how long they think they would be able to hang with the GOAT and what impresses them the most about them. The guys share the stories about each of their respective starts in the sport, what got them hooked and then how they are using their own experiences to influence the next generation of runners through the Bowerman Track Club's programs with youth runners. Plus, they shed some insight into bridging the gap between the running community's general population and those who are knowledgable about the sport after a few days with Heartbreak Hill Running Co. Individually, Moh puts listeners in his shoes for his bronze medal run from the recent IAAF World Championships in Doha. Ryan Hill shares where he's been in 2019 and how overcoming an Achilles injury was able to set him up for 2020. Evan Jager details his injury-plagued year and what it was like to miss out on the world championships. All of that and more including the final four questions that we ask every guest, which yielded some incredibly funny anti-doping stories from the guys. ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Reflecting on the 2019 Berlin Marathon, where I clocked a 10-minute personal best to run 3:05:06. No sub-three hour marathon but I’ll get it next time. I'm really happy with that race. The best part about the marathon is that there’s always another chance to dance and I like dancing. 11-minute personal best by Ryan to run 3:05:56. Yosef clocked a 19-minute personal best for 3:10:54. Onto the next one! Thanks to everyone for their support and for following us on this journey. Back to your regularly scheduled programming soon! (Note: Just re-posted this episode after an earlier version cut out after the first 10-minutes. Sorry!) ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Last-minute thoughts before we run the Berlin Marathon! ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Continuing the series ahead of the Berlin Marathon, I'd like to introduce you to my closest training partner on the Brooklyn Track Club. The listeners, readers and supporters of CITIUS MAG have been super responsive in me sharing some of my own respective marathon training so we're going to try and capture our experience ahead of the 2019 Berlin Marathon through a series of four podcast episodes. Meet Ryan Welsh. Ryan has run maybe 80% of this training cycle with me and is the reason why I've set off on this crazy idea to chase a Boston Marathon qualifier for 2021. He shares how he found running after a career as a high school and college football player. Through his mother's inspiration, while battling cancer, he decided to sign up for his first marathon. After her passing, he took a break from running but then found it again. Hear how he developed a passion for the sport and then brought that same football-basketball mentality to chase his best on the track and roads. Yosef Herzog helps co-host this episode and was featured on the previous episode. ▶ FOLLOW RYAN ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/rwelshy12 He will be bib No. 71331 ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

In the next two weeks, I'd like to introduce you all to two key friends and teammates of mine on the Brooklyn Track Club. The listeners, readers and supporters of CITIUS MAG have been super responsive in me sharing some of my own respective marathon training so we're going to try and capture our experience ahead of the 2019 Berlin Marathon through a series of four podcast episodes. On the first one, I want to share with you is Yosef Herzog. He's been called the "Magic Mike" of stage managers by the Today Show but way before he was preparing to try and BQ, he could barely tie his shoelaces without getting out of breath. His inspiring weight loss story has been told by Today and Men's Health but hear it in his own words. He was a volleyball player at Yeshiva University but that's around the same time that his diet took a turn for the worst. From double-fisting burger to heavy dinners, Yosef let himself go. Hear how the lightbulb turned on for him and got him from barely running a mile on a treadmill to two marathon finishes. Ryan Welsh helps co-host this episode. He will be the next guest. ▶ FOLLOW YOSEF ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/yosefherzog He will be bib No. 58169 ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

The Woodman cometh back on the podcast, This week, Woody Kincaid became the 5th fastest American of all-time and the eighth man to run under 13-minutes when he won the Portland 5,000 in 12:58.10 at the Michael Johnson track on Nike's campus. Lopez Lomong and Matt Centrowtz finished behind him and both notched the 2020 Olympic standard. On this episode, Woody breaks down in full detail every aspect of that race. How he rebounded from injury in the past 18 months. How much did the atmosphere factor into the performance? Should Matt Centrowitz stay at the 1,500? What's it like being undefeated and now faster than Galen Rupp? Is the beef with Paul Chelimo squashed? And much more... ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today.

Isaac Wood joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to reveal his projections and reasonings for the top 25 NCAA Division I Cross Country teams and the All-American Individuals. A separate podcast will be recorded for his women's teams and projections. Isaac has been sharing his top 150 individuals and teams on his Twitter account https://twitter.com/Wood_Report. ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to https://thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the https://thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT BUTTER. You can use promo code CITIUS20 for 20% off on all their anti-chafing products on their website. https://squirrelsnutbutter.com/ today. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Yes, The GOAT. Usain Bolt dishes on the next generation of stars in track, Instagram follows, I break some major news to him and he finally makes a long-awaited admission at the end.

"What I hope is that it's the book that can make you faster, make you love running even more and make you feel like you want to go out for a run – which people have told me and that's really cool that's the feeling they get." Matthew Futterman, the New York Times' deputy sports editor, joins the podcast to discuss his new book "Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed." The book paints an excellent portrait of Bob Larsen’s untraditional training methods and plans to really make U.S. distance running relevant again in the early 2000s with Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor. Beyond just being a running book, there are many life lessons in a great underdog story. Check out Running to the Edge here for a great summer read: amzn.to/310a1Bh ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from The Rambling Runner's Road to the Olympic Trials. Get ready for Matt Chittim to peel back the curtain on the training from the likes of Jared Ward, Kellyn Taylor, Parker Stinson, Sarah Bishop and more. Six episodes out now! How to subscribe and listen: citiusmag.com/road-to-the-olympic-trials-podcast/ Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2XMFoBf Spotify: spoti.fi/2RRCndK

A little bit of love for the Division III listeners who requested Dhruvil Patel as a guest on the show. He is a 13x All-American, 6x individual NCAA champion, 5x team champion and NCAA Division III record holder in the 5,000 meters with his 13:51 personal best. He has also run 28:50 for 10,000 meters. On this show, we discuss how he came to the sport, what led to his breakout at North Central under coach Al Carius, how he feels about the Division III label and what's the future look like for someone like him who wants to pursue a post-collegiate career. Follow Dhruvil on Instagram: https://instagram.com/dhruvil1114 ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from The Rambling Runner's Road to the Olympic Trials. Get ready for Matt Chittim to peel back the curtain on the training from the likes of Jared Ward, Kellyn Taylor, Parker Stinson, Sarah Bishop and more. Four episodes out now! How to subscribe and listen: citiusmag.com/road-to-the-olympic-trials-podcast/ Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2XMFoBf Spotify: spoti.fi/2RRCndK

Allie Ostrander joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss her recent decision to forego her remaining NCAA eligibility with Boise State to turn professional and sign with the Brooks Beasts. We look back at her success with the Broncos, which includes three NCAA steeplechase titles, 13 All-American honors and eight Mountain West titles. We look ahead to what she could possibly focus on for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials with such a crowded and tough steeplechase field, overcoming injury and her viral Instagram post that called out criticism of women's body image talk during races. We also took many of your questions that were submitted on Twitter and Instagram. Follow Allie on Instagram: https://instagram.com/allie_ostrander ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from The Rambling Runner's Road to the Olympic Trials. Get ready for Matt Chittim to peel back the curtain on the training from the likes of Jared Ward, Kellyn Taylor, Parker Stinson, Sarah Bishop and more. First episode out now. How to subscribe and listen: citiusmag.com/road-to-the-olympic-trials-podcast/ Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2XMFoBf Spotify: spoti.fi/2RRCndK

“The ugly side of the sport is an amazing thing that we get to experience as runners. That’s the most appealing thing to me about running is just to get yourself in these pretty daunting situations, pull yourself up and march through it. Usually, it works pretty well as a larger metaphor for life.” Stephen Kersh joins the podcast. He might be familiar to a lot of people who follow the podcast since he's made a couple of appearances on the feed and also was one of the integral figures who helped start CITIUS MAG in 2017. This past weekend I was part of his crew at the Western States Endurance Run. It’s a 100-mile race from Squaw to Auburn in California. This was his first Western States and his first-ever 100-mile race and he did it in 15 hours, 54 minutes and 15 seconds to finish 7th overall. Heck of a debut. I was truly honored to be part of it. Major props to my fellow crew members Jeanne Mack, Paul Snyder, Tim Jeffreys, Ryan Sterner and the Kersh family. I sat down with Stephen on Sunday night to try and unpack the whole day. I'm joined on this episode by Tim, Ryan and Paul. Stay tuned for a thorough recap of the crewing experience by reading on CITIUSMAG.com. ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from The Rambling Runner's Road to the Olympic Trials. Get ready for Matt Chittim to peel back the curtain on the training from the likes of Jared Ward, Kellyn Taylor, Parker Stinson, Sarah Bishop and more. First episode out on July 8th. How to subscribe and listen: http://citiusmag.com/road-to-the-olympic-trials-podcast/ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2XMFoBf Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2RRCndK ✩ Stephen Kersh on Instagram: instagram.com/StephenKersh ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Remembering Gabriele Grunewald What you’ll hear on this episode is audio from April 2017. Bear with me if the audio quality from the call wasn’t the best. It was from an interview with Gabe about her life that I never got around to using. I had this recording on my phone for two years. I listened to it for the first time recently and jotted down notes. Gabe shared a lot of her life story with me. It was awesome to hear and in retrospect, the amount of hope and bravery that she had as we talked and she faced her latest cancer battle, was something that never changed with her. Initially, I wasn’t planning to release this audio but after talking to several people at the memorial run in New York who wanted to hear it when I mentioned some tidbits from it, I figured it would be best to share with everyone. ✍ Show Notes Sports Illustrated: Athlete gets cancer. Athlete fights cancer. Repeat, again and again... https://www.si.com/more-sports/2017/07/10/gabriele-grunewald-cancer-fight-runner Sports Illustrated obituary for Gabe Grunewald: https://www.si.com/olympics/2019/06/11/gabe-grunewald-runner-cancer-battle-inspiration ❤️ SUPPORT: Please consider donating to the Brave Like Gabe Foundation, where all proceeds go toward supporting rare cancer research centers like including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Go to https://BraveLikeGabe.org for more information. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Finally! We have posted the LIVE episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast from Ben Weingart's '50 Meters with Tinman Elite' photo exhibit in April. Last year, he followed the Boulder-based running crew in their first year as a professional team. He was on-hand to capture behind the scenes training and racing stories from Bouler to Des Moines. I know this is a podcast but you can see all of his photos here: https://www.tinmanelite.com/tin-talks/2019/6/1/50-meters-with-tinman-elite On this show, we discussed his creative process and dive into Ben's own running history. In his own reflection, he writes: "I used to think that we were going to change running—but now I believe it." He explains some of that on this episode as well. You can follow Ben on Instagram here: https://instagram.com/benjaminweingart ❤️ SUPPORT US Donate to the CITIUS MAG Patreon so that we can continue to bring you interesting podcasts across all our different shows. Any dollar amount helps us keep going. https://www.patreon.com/citiusmag

Mary Cain joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to share where she's been for the past 2.5 years. Cain's name recently popped up atop the results of the New York Road Runners Japan Run 4-Miler in Central Park on May 12th and it was her first race finish in more than 900 days. Cain's name was a major one in the sport back in 2013. As a high school star out of Bronxville, New York, she set high school record after high school record – 1:59.51 for 800; 4:04:62 for 1,500 and 4:24 for the mile. She finished second at the 2013 U.S. Outdoor Championships 1,500 meters and then went on to place 10th at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow. She opted to bypass the traditional NCAA system and turned professional before her senior year of high school. Upon completing her high school degree, she moved to Portland, Ore. to train with the Nike Oregon Project under coach Alberto Salazar. What happened next? Cain opens up about her year in Portland and why she ultimately made the decision to move back to New York City in 2016. She details the list of injuries that have plagued her from following through on the expectations that many had for her. However, she's just 23 years old. Everyone likes a good comeback story and Cain is a believer that she's writing her own. She recently made an appearance in a video of a training stint in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., so we discuss why her form looks so bad in that video but more importantly, why she left that trip with a better perspective on the sport. We work our way back to 2013 and follow her career path until the present day. Plus, Cain shares what she would write in a 'Letter to her younger self' A lot to unpack on this episode of THE CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez ✍ SHOW NOTES Mammoth video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2yG_xH91lw Here Comes Mary Cain - Sports Illustrated: https://www.si.com/vault/2013/07/01/106339912/here-comes-mary-cain ❤️SPONSOR Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/soar_running/ I’m a fan of the Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122 ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ▶ Follow Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Mike Marsella of the Boston Athletic Association joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast. You might now know the name yet but you'll definitely enjoy his story. It starts with being struck with paralysis while in the 9th grade, which required surgery and rehab. He was fortunate enough to walk and then run at a high level. He was a member of a 4 x mile high school record-setting team and then earned a scholarship to the University of Virginia. In 2013, Marsella was struck by a car while driving a moped with a teammate. Marsella was in a coma for four days and was unable to remember anything when he woke up. He had a hard time remembering and comprehending things until about two weeks after the accident. He slowly started his recovery process and stayed with his mother in a local hotel until he was finally able to rejoin the team in the fall of 2013. Initially, he struggled. Who wouldn't after that traumatic of an injury? He explains what turned things around for him and how he was able to run 3:59:97 by January 2015. All of that sounds great until he was hit with mononucleosis in the fall of 2015. He returned for the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2016 but then had his 2017 indoor and outdoor campaigns derailed by stress fractures. After much thought and consideration, he returned to Virginia for the 2017-18 season and a sixth year. He ended up making the 2018 NCAA final in the 1,500 meters and decided to finally give the professional ranks a shot. He got an opportunity with the BAA and then finished 5th at the USATF Indoor Championships Mile in February. You'll learn Mike and his whole story on this episode of The CITIUS MAG Podcast. ✍ SHOW NOTES Perseverance Pays Off for Marsella https://virginiasports.com/news/2018/6/6/Perseverance_Pays_Off_for_Marsella.aspx Future 'Double-Hoo' Overcomes Brain Injury to Beat 4-Minute Mile https://news.virginia.edu/content/class-2018-future-double-hoo-overcomes-brain-injury-beat-4-minute-mile ❤️SPONSOR Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/soar_running/ I’m a fan of the Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122 ▶ Follow us: https://twitter.com/CitiusMag https://instagram.com/citiusmag https://facebook.com/citiusmag ▶ Follow Chris https://twitter.com/ChrisChavez https://instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

Real run junkies will love this episode. Ryan Fenton joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss how he went from being Flotrack’s first employee in the running division to the director of global rights acquisitions and partnerships for FloSports. From 2008 to 2013, Ryan was at the heart of Flotrack’s daily digital content. Whether it was recurring video series like Run Junkie or calling high school, college and professional meets on a weekly basis, Ryan helped build Flotrack into one of the go-to media sites for running coverage. In 2012, he gave me a shot as a contributor, which led to three very awesome years where I worked alongside him, Alex Lohr and Mitch Kastoff to keep growing. I owe a lot to Ryan for his help in guiding me through the sport. On this episode, we’ll explore how he discovered Flotrack, what made him leave his job and believe in Mark Floreani’s startup site, what he loved about covering the sport, calling Chris Solinsky’s 10K American record, advice for young people wanting to get into the track media landscape and much more. Plus, what’s he been up to in his new role over the past two years? All that and more on the latest episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: https://www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soar_running/ I’m a fan of the Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122 Follow us: https://twitter.com/CitiusMag https://instagram.com/citiusmag https://facebook.com/citiusmag Follow Chris https://twitter.com/ChrisChavez https://instagram.com/chris_j_chavez Email us: chris@citiusmag.com

Northern Arizona Elite’s Scott Fauble joins CITIUS MAG Podcast for the third time. Wow. Fauble was the top American at the 2019 Boston Marathon, where he notched a big personal best of 2:09. His PR going into the race was a 2:12:28 from his seventh-place finish at the 2018 New York City Marathon. Fauble was leading the race with four miles to go and on this episode, he’ll take you through his internal thoughts as he’s surrounded by a handful of 2:04 East Africans. Did he think he could win? What was it like when they decided to break away? He puts us in his shoes. He also dives into his training for the race, which included a monster 16-mile workout at Sunset Crater in Arizona. How that gave him the confidence and sign that he was ready for a major breakthrough. With him finally running under 2:10, have the haters been silenced? He responds to the criticism from the LetsRun message boards regarding his last appearance on the podcast and those who defined “good” as a fast time. Plus: With the 2020 U.S, Olympic Trials looming, what are his plans for the fall? All that and more on the latest episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into the running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: https://www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soar_running/ I’m a fan of the Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122

Jordan Hasay joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after finishing third at the 2019 Boston Marathon in 2:25:20. That's three major marathons in her career and three third place finishes. This year's race marked her first marathon since the 2017 Chicago Marathon, where she ran 2:20:57 to become the second-fastest marathoner in U.S. history. We discuss what it was like to comeback from a whole year being sidelined by injury. She takes us through her training which included two to three 25-mile long runs; a 20-miler at 5:40 pace and some 200s that got down to 32 seconds. Speed work for a marathon! She shares some insight into coach Alberto Salazar's training philosophy, which sometimes includes surprises at the end of workouts. We touch on her plans to attack Deena Kastor's American record of 2:19:36 at the Chicago Marathon in October; an early preview of the 2020 U.S. Olympic marathon Trials; battling the disappointment of missing the 2016 U.S. Olympic team and the decision to move to the roads. Jordan was particularly excited about the final questions that we ask every guest so stay put for her funniest drug testing story and whether or not she would take the 25 shots for $25 million. This was one of our best interviews yet. Apologies for some minor sound issues while recording. ------ Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with the one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into the running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/soar_running/ My favorite items: The Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122 Elite Speed Shorts. Perfect for sprints and tempo runs: https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-speed-shorts?colour=112 Contact Chris: Twitter: @ChrisChavez Instagram: @Chris_J_Chavez Email: chris@citiusmag.com Photos for the podcast provided by Ryan Sterner and Kevin Morris.

Nikki Hiltz joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after winning the BAA Invitational Mile over the weekend in 4:40.1. She sat down with us and David Melly, host of the Run Your Mouth Podcast, for a crossover episode. Last year, we taped a crossover with Sam Parsons so we decided to continue the tradition in Boston. Before Nikki became a professional runner for adidas and the Mission Athletics Club, she was a standout runner at Los Aptos High School in California. She went on to attend the University of Oregon before transferring to Arkansas. She finished her collegiate career as a six-time All-American with a third place finish in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships and runner-up finish a the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Most recently, she was fifth at the U.S. Indoor Championships in the Mile. She currently trains in San Diego with her team and under coach Terrence Mahon. On this show, we discuss her recent win handling success as a high school star, being openly gay, training and racing with her girlfriend, transferring from Oregon and much more. The audio is a little muted for me and David but what’s most important is what Nikki has to say. Apologies about that. -------------- Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with the one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into the running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: https://www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soar_running/ I’m a fan of the Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122 ----------- Contact Chris: Twitter: @ChrisChavez Instagram: @Chris_J_Chavez Email: chris@citiusmag.com

Last year, Des Linden joined the CITIUS MAG Podcast just two days before she ended up winning the Boston Marathon. We decided to test our luck again and have another Hansons Brooks Distance Project runner on before Monday's race. Three-time U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein joins the podcast to discuss his approach to the race and how he's overcome a slew of injuries to make it to the starting line healthy. Dathan has not finished a marathon in four years. He finished seventh at the 2015 Boston Marathon and then DNF'ed at the U.S. Olympic Trials, ruptured his plantar at the 2016 NYC Marathon and pulled out of last year's Boston Marathon just 10 days before the race. He's working off an eight-week build up for this year's race, which should be interesting to see play out. We discuss his tiered goals for Monday, how he's changed his training, why Brooks took a risk on him, why he thinks he'll make the 2020 Olympic team and what he gets out of coaching... For a shorter conversation, I thought Dathan and I got deep. NOTE: We taped this at a sports bar in Boston after a Brooks press conference so apologies for the background noise.

“I want to to see how much faster I can get. I know that I can run a faster mile than I have – just based off my 1,500 meter PR alone [3:37.56] since it converts to two seconds faster…Let’s see what a person in New York can do. There’s been plenty of examples and tons of good runners who have lived here over the years so I’m not pioneering anything but let’s see what this is like. I’m not going to do altitude camps. I don’t have a Normatec in my apartment anymore, which I miss dearly. I feel like this happens to people when they retire and they say, ‘I wonder what I could run for a mile right now?’ There’s nothing at stake…” If you were to ask Daniel Winn where he’s from, he’d say New York. That’s not true. He’s originally from Portland, Oregon and graduated from the University of Oregon but his heart has always drawn him to New York City. On this episode, you’ll learn a lot about how he went from a walk-on on the Ducks’ track team to very briefly into the indoor mile record holder. He was a finalist and placed 8th at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials 1,500 meter final. He currently trains with the Brooklyn Track Club. In addition to his love for running, Daniel is also a comedy writer and overall great guy. With plenty of funny stories to share, it’s easy to see how we ended up with the longest episode of Runners of NYC yet. I decided to cross-promote it on the CITIUS MAG Podcast feed because it's received a lot of positive feedback and I wanted to share it with a larger audience. ----- Subscribe to Runners of NYC. A biweekly podcast from CITIUS MAG. Hosts Jeanne Mack, Leigh Anne Sharek and Chris Chavez look to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture. Catch all 13 episodes of the show now and be sure to subscribe on iTunes. We were also recently added to Spotify! For listeners who prefer a listening experience on Google Play, we’re also now available there! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/runners-of-nyc/id1438435120?mt=2 ----- 50 Meters with Tinman Elite + Live Podcast RSVP NOW: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/50-meters-with-tinman-elite-registration-59353755681

Eric Senseman is a professional ultra and trail runner for the Coconino Cowboys, HOKA One One and Rabbit. He joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast for a lighthearted chat about his running roots what led him to the longest of the long distance running scenes. He's run 50K in 3:06:54, 50 Miles in 5:46:54 and 100K in 7:46:19. He most recently secured his place at 2019 Western States by finishing third at the Black Canyon 100K. Eric will be running the Lake Sonoma 50 Miler in Healdsburg, California next week. Last year, he ran his first 100-miler at Western States and finished 78th but what draws someone to even want to run 100 miles and train for it? Be warned, this episodes takes a turn at times and feels like ultrarunning for dummies but that's because we really want to learn more about it. Follow Eric on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sensemagram/ --- This episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast is brought to you by the newest show in the family – Full Tub with Nick Roché: A Jacuzzi Boys Podcast. The show aims to have deep and personal conversations with various members of the JBAC. Get to know some of Portland, Oregon’s fastest and most thought-provoking characters. Subscribe now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/full-tub-with-nick-roché-a-jaccuzi-boys-podcast/id1450119182?mt=2 You can also listen on Spotify and SoundCloud.

Ryan Sterner, one of the other co-founders behind CITIUS MAG, joins the podcast to discuss his 74th place finish at the Los Angeles Marathon. If you would've spoken to Ryan about two years ago, it sounded like he would never run a marathon and now things have really changed. We finally peel back the curtain into his own running history, his relationship with the sport, what hooked him into training again and whether all of his assumptions about the marathon were right. Plus: Ryan shares a very funny story about his workout with the Colorado Buffaloes in front of Mark Wetmore. More from Ryan: The Beauty and Carnage of the Marathon: http://citiusmag.com/beauty-carnage-california-international-marathon/ It’s the 7 year anniversary of shitting my pants: http://citiusmag.com/shitting-my-pants-on-the-run/ ----- This episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast is brought to you by the newest show in the family – Full Tub with Nick Roché: A Jacuzzi Boys Podcast. The show aims to have deep and personal conversations with various members of the JBAC. Get to know some of Portland, Oregon’s fastest and most thought-provoking characters. Subscribe now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/full-tub-with-nick-roch%C3%A9-a-jaccuzi-boys-podcast/id1450119182?mt=2 You can also listen on Spotify and SoundCloud. Photo of Ryan Sterner by Jason Suarez – Follow him @NotAfraid2Fail on Instagram

Rob Napolitano joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after pacing Yomif Kejelcha at the Millrose Games to a 3:48.46 mile. Kejelcha fell 0.008 seconds short of breaking the 3:48.45 record set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1997 in Ghent, Belgium. Napolitano was tasked with going through 440 yards in 56, 880 yards in 1:53 and 1,000 meters in 2:20. After about 800 meters, Kejelcha took over and ran the rest of the race on his own. We dive into those four laps of work by Rob and what the 24 hours were like that led up to an important pacing job. We also dive into how he became a professional runner with the New Jersey-New York Track Club and making the most out of an opportunity presented by coach Frank Gagliano. The conversation also hits on life as a rookie runner in Europe and how professionals try to make money in those races. It's a fun an interesting conversation that you'll enjoy. --------- Kemoy Campbell Recovery GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/67e5h-kemoy-campbell-support-fund?member=1678178

Just weeks after adding another baby to his family, Jared Ward finally joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Jared is a 2016 Olympian in the marathon, who finished sixth at the Summer Games in Rio. He holds a personal best of 2:11:30. He was the top American at November's New York City Marathon where he ran 2:12:24. On this episode, we spend some time chatting about his balance in life. How he manages to juggle his running career, being a father and husband, while also doing some coaching and teaching at BYU. We also take a stroll down memory lane and hear some cool, behind-the-scenes stories from his first Olympic experience. There's more talk about the "2:10 problem" facing U.S. men's marathoning and how he felt about the American performances at the New York City Marathon. All that and more PLUS your listener questions. ---- The CITIUS MAG Podcast is brought to you by Strava. Personally, I believe Strava is the best app for runners and cyclists to keep track of all their training. It helps keep me accountable as I get ready for the 2019 Tokyo Marathon in March. I've been using Strava Summit, which includes extra features with their training an analysis packs. Right now, CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners have a chance to try those Summit features go to www.strava.com/summit and enter the code citius (all lowercase) at checkout while purchasing an annual subscription. It's like you're getting your first month free! Follow me on Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/13479304 Join the CITIUS MAG Track Club: www.strava.com/clubs/citiusmag

Chris Chavez and Kevin Liao break down and give grades to all the biggest stories in running for the month of January 2019. We make sense of Grant Holloway's insane start to the indoor season to Katelyn Tuohy re-writing the high school record books. Plus we touch on some of the wackiest and most random stories including the Vatican launching its own track and field team (with Olympic hopes!), U.S. sprinting drama and how Olympic Jemima Sumgong got her doping ban doubled. Get your Merch... Haven't Started Speed Work Shirt: https://rdbl.co/2D1Evsl Haven't Started Speed Work Mug: https://rdbl.co/2G2ACXZ

Reed Fischer joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast for the first time as a solo act. Last time he was on the show, he was a member of the Tinman Elite panel from a special taping in Des Moines. Reed is coming off a very strong showing at the 2019 Houston Half Marathon, where he finished 10th overall in 62:06 and was the top American. Fischer is just 23 years old but has emerged as a budding star on the U.S. distance running scene while training under Tom Schwartz. His run in Houston was more than a 50-second personal best. Fischer has been able to accomplish all of this early success in his professional career without an agent or major shoe company sponsor. However, after we finished taping, he said that he plans to make an announcement on Tuesday about a change. Keep your eyes on his Instagram account. Here's what he wrote in his race recap on the Tinman Elite official website about Houston: "Still feeling good, but it’s these moments of solitude before the chaos of this morning that allow my mind to wander into corners, both positive and negative. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious. This is only my second half and I’ll be going up against some of the most experienced Americans on the roads right now. But that’s fine—they’ll lean on their experience to pull them through, I’ll lean on my lack of it. I’m excited to be here and excited to be doing this, and I know that’s more true for me than most of the field this morning. That gives me an edge that experience cannot: an unearned and unexpected level of confidence. I’m still the dark horse in this field." Enjoy the show. ------- The CITIUS MAG Podcast is brought to you by Strava. Personally, I believe Strava is the best app for runners and cyclists to keep track of all their training. It helps keep me accountable as I get ready for the 2019 Tokyo Marathon in March. I've been using Strava Summit, which includes extra features with their training an analysis packs. Right now, CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners have a chance to try those Summit features go to www.strava.com/summit and enter the code citius (all lowercase) at checkout while purchasing an annual subscription. It's like you're getting your first month free! Follow me on Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/13479304 Follow Reed on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/22433281 Join the CITIUS MAG Track Club: www.strava.com/clubs/citiusmag

Jim Walmsley re-joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after running 64:00 at the Houston Half Marathon to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. He plans to make his marathon debut at the trials in Atlanta. The last time that Jim was on the show, he was coming off a 14 hour, 30-minute course record at the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. CITIUS MAG co-founder Stephen Kersh and contributor Eric Senseman join the podcast to give further context into Jim’s training and performance. Stephen participated in some of the workouts. Eric wrote a piece for CITIUS on Tuesday that was titled: “Why Should Running Fans Care About Jim Walmsley’s 64-Minute Half Marathon?” The piece is linked below. It drummed up a bit of debate on Twitter so we try to set the record straight and allow for Eric to explain his point further. Jim also participates in the discussion. Bonus: We played a clip from LetsRun where Robert Johnson says he’d bet on an East African with a 2:05 marathon personal best to sit and kick on Jim at Western States. The reaction is priceless. This is quite the episode. Why Should Running Fans Care About Jim Walmsley’s 64-Minute Half Marathon? http://citiusmag.com/jim-walmsley-64-minutes-houston-half-marathon/ ----- The CITIUS MAG Podcast is brought to you by Strava. Personally, I believe Strava is the best app for runners and cyclists to keep track of all their training. It helps keep me accountable as I get ready for the 2019 Tokyo Marathon in March. I've been using Strava Summit, which includes extra features with their training an analysis packs. Right now, CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners have a chance to try those Summit features go to www.strava.com/summit and enter the code citius (all lowercase) at checkout while purchasing an annual subscription. It's like you're getting your first month free! Follow me on Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/13479304 Join the CITIUS MAG Track Club: www.strava.com/clubs/citiusmag

Grayson Murphy joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss her first six months as a professional runner with Northern Arizona Elite. We go back to her roots as a soccer player before she finally started competitively running as a walk-on for Santa Clara. She really burst onto the NCAA scene after transferring to Utah and becoming a steeplechaser. Now as a professional, she's working on focusing on the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Most importantly, she's been spreading positivity with her journaling. Grayson shares why she started selling training journals + planners and how it helped her cope with anxiety. Plus: Her funniest drug testing story might be the best one that we've ever had on the show. If you want to check out her journals, they're available here: https://racin-grayson.com/shop/ ----- The CITIUS MAG Podcast is brought to you by Strava. Personally, I believe Strava is the best app for runners and cyclists to keep track of all their training. It helps keep me accountable as I get ready for the 2019 Tokyo Marathon in March. I've been using Strava Summit, which includes extra features with their training an analysis packs. Right now, CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners have a chance to try those Summit features go to www.strava.com/summit and enter the code citius (all lowercase) at checkout while purchasing an annual subscription. It's like you're getting your first month free! Follow me on Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/13479304 Join the CITIUS MAG Track Club: www.strava.com/clubs/citiusmag

Amos Bartelsmeyer joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast just days after he ran a 3:55 mile at the Washington Indoor Preview Meet. Not too many people knew who he was so we went looking for some answers. We delve into his background and how he started running while in middle school in Missouri, how he landed at Georgetown, why he decided to continue trying to run professionally and his plans to compete for Germany internationally. We also touch on how he started working with coach Andy Powell. ----- The CITIUS MAG Podcast is brought to you by Strava. Personally, I believe Strava is the best app for runners and cyclists to keep track of all their training. It helps keep me accountable as I get ready for the 2019 Tokyo Marathon in March. I've been using Strava Summit, which includes extra features with their training an analysis packs. Right now, CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners have a chance to try those Summit features go to www.strava.com/summit and enter the code citius (all lowercase) at checkout while purchasing an annual subscription. It's like you're getting your first month free! Follow me on Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/13479304 Join the CITIUS MAG Track Club: www.strava.com/clubs/citiusmag

Kate Murphy joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast for her first interview since announcing her decision to medically retire from the sport at 19 years old. She is currently a student at the University of Oregon. Before arriving in Eugene, she was one of the most accomplished high school runners in recent years. She attended Lake Braddock High School in Virginia and was a four-time state champion. She competed at the World Junior Championships for the U.S. She ran 9:10.51 in the 3K, which is up there on the all-time high school lists. Despite all that success, she never got to race in an Oregon singlet after being diagnosed and treated with popliteal artery entrapment syndrome and undergoing two procedures on her legs. We discuss what went into that decision, how she's doing now, the pressures of being so fast while so young, plus advice for Katelyn Tuohy (who is currently one of the top high school stars in the country) ----- The CITIUS MAG Podcast is brought to you by Strava. Personally, I believe Strava is the best app for runners and cyclists to keep track of all their training. It helps keep me accountable as I get ready for the 2019 Tokyo Marathon in March. I've been using Strava Summit, which includes extra features with their training an analysis packs. Right now, CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners have a chance to try those Summit features for free. Go to www.strava.com/summit and enter the code citius (all lowercase) at checkout. Follow me on Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/13479304 Join the CITIUS MAG Track Club: www.strava.com/clubs/citiusmag

Announcing the 2018 CITIUS MAG Athletes of the Year. Support the site and the podcast by purchasing one of our limited edition 11x14 prints that feature Eliud Kipchoge and Des Linden. Des Linden Cover - https://shop.trycelery.com/page/5c2a63cd3533201300fb9693 Eliud Kipchoge Cover - https://shop.trycelery.com/page/5c2a657b3533201300fb9699 Thanks for listening to the podcast in 2018!

Chris Chavez and Kevin Liao look back at the best of 2018 by handing out awards, titles and superlatives. From Des Linden's win in Boston to Asbel Kiprop's strange defense of his positive test for EPO, we review all the moments that wow'ed us and also left us scratching our heads. Awards Include: Comeback Runner of the Year Breakout Runner of the Year Inspiration of the Year Strangest Thing of the Year Finish of the Year Performance of the Year Most Entertaining Runner of the Year Female Athlete of the Year Men’s Athlete of the Year

Scott Fauble joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast (Presented by Strava) to discuss his new book, Inside A Marathon, which you can read an excerpt of the book on our site now. Scott is coming off a seventh place finish at the New York City Marathon in November and clocked a personal best of 2:12:28. On Tuesday, it was announced that he will be running in the 2019 Boston Marathon. We delve into the process of writing a book with his coach Ben Rosario, how the idea came about and where he drew inspiration from. There's an Ernest Hemingway mention so stick around for that. Scott puts us in his shoes for the New York City Marathon race for top American that wasn't seen much on television. We also address some of the criticism that American men's marathoners have received in the past year for lack of times under 2:10. Why that doesn't matter to Scott and why the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials are going to be a crazy race. We also touch on the 2018 Boston Marathon fields that were announced. Scott has the eighth-fastest time on paper but we conclude that he's definitely among the top three Americans going into the race. We take your listener questions. A lot of questions were asked about Scott's expertise in burritos including a power ranking of the top four Portland burrito spots. ----- The CITIUS MAG Podcast is brought to you by Strava. Personally, I believe Strava is the best app for runners and cyclists to keep track of all their training. It helps keep me accountable as I get ready for the 2019 Tokyo Marathon in March. I've been using Strava Summit, which includes extra features with their training an analysis packs. Right now, CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners have a chance to try those Summit features for free. Go to www.strava.com/summit and enter the code citius (all lowercase) at checkout. Follow me on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13479304 Join the CITIUS MAG Track Club: https://www.strava.com/clubs/citiusmag Looking for Scott's book? Make him a New York Times bestselling author by picking up a copy of his work here. nazelite.com/product/inside-a-marathon/ Read an excerpt here: http://citiusmag.com/scott-fauble-inside-a-marathon-book-excerpt/

Camille Herron joins the show after she ran at the the Desert Solstice Invitational at a local high school in Phoenix. It's not your average track meet at a high school. It was a 24-hour track race. She ran a stunning 162.9 miles over 24 hours and finished her first 100 miles in 13 hours and 25 minutes, both new world records on a track. Herron only started focusing on ultrarunning in 2015 after her successful marathon career, in which she won 21 events and qualified for the trials three times. The Oklahoma City native won the Comrades Marathon, a grueling 89K race in South Africa, in 2017, and she entered the Desert Solstice after scratching from several races due to a femur injury. Only 33 runners were invited to compete in the meet, which serves as a qualifier for the 24-hour U.S. national team. (Competitors had to previously run at least 124 miles in 24 hours or 100 miles in less than 17 hours and 30 minutes.) I caught up with Herron on Tuesday for this interview, which initially ran as a Q&A that you can read on SI.com – the link is in the show notes. Now for my podcast listeners, this is the full interview. Uncut. So you get a little extra than what's online to read. We discuss her training, performance and how Taco Bell and beer helped her run just under 656 laps on the track. It's a remarkable performance and I think you'll enjoy the episode so let's start the show. Read the interview from SI.com here: https://www.si.com/edge/2018/12/12/camille-herron-24-hour-run-world-record-track-desert-solstice-162-miles Subscribe to Runners of NYC and catch up on the new hit podcast in the CITIUS MAG family: https://apple.co/2Cc9SRS Support the Legs Are Feelin' Good movement: Mugs: https://rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ Shirts: https://rdbl.co/2UyTphs

Over the weekend, Brogan Austin won the 2018 USATF Marathon Championships, which were held at the California International Marathon. Matt Llano looked like the early favorite in the race. He had the fastest personal best and took off from the start and once held a two-minute lead on the rest of the field. It wasn't until the 26th mile that Austun caught and passed Llano. He won the race in a huge personal best of 2:12:38. A lot of the running community was wondering: Who the heck is this guy? We've got your answer on this week's podcast. Get to know the 2015 Drake University graduate, why he decided to keep running post collegiately, why he loves the treadmill, how his life changed under coach Tom "Tinman" Schwartz and how this whole race almost didn't happen. Plus we take some of your listener questions from Instagram. --- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ If you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

20 years after he won the NCAA individual cross country title, Adam Goucher joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to take a trip down memory lane and re-visit that special 1998 Colorado Buffaloes team. The story of that team is captured vividly in Chris Lear's book "Running With The Buffaloes." We talk at length about that book and that team. We hit on Colorado and legendary coach Mark Wetmore's training philosophy. We also take some listener questions including the tough one...Adam has to assemble his all-time Buffs top 7. Episode 100!! Thanks to everyone who has supported the show and helped us get to this point. --- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ If you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

Leah O'Connor joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after releasing a lengthy and open blog post called "Hey, Struggling Runner", which she dedicated to "the frustrated runner, the anxious runner, the hurting runner, or any runner who feels irritated with themselves, like they might want to throw in the towel on their dreams" Leah was a two-time NCAA champion while at Michigan State and owns a personal best of 9:18.85 for the 3,000 meter steeplechase as a professional for adidas. Shortly after that personal best was set at the 2016 Prefontaine Classic, Leah suffered a partial tear of her right plantar fascia and then ruptured it during the steeplechase final at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She had a brief stint training in California but still dealt with injuries that didn't allow her to return to that top form. After nearly three years of struggles, Leah opened up about things in her blog post. We delve deep into some of the key parts that she disclosed including her fear of never getting back, watching U.S. women's steeplechasing going to the next level, what does it mean to grab a spoon and deal with things "one spoonful at a time." Plus, she talks about how three-time U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, her new coach, has been a major resource in keeping her career alive. This isn't your usual interview where we talk about training and races but it's a great and honest conversation with Leah. I hope you all enjoy it. You can check out Leah's post here: https://bit.ly/2B7SvAQ --- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ If you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

Isaac Wood, a CITIUS MAG contributor and author of The Wood Report (our NCAA cross country projections), joins the show to preview the 2018 NCAA Cross Country National Championships. Isaac has been producing a very strategic and statistical algorithm to predicting where everyone will finish in the race and who will win. He shares insight into who he predicts will win the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships, which take place on Saturday, Nov. 17 in Madison, Wisconsin. Some of the points addressed: - The NAU vs. BYU narrative (Isaac is also the director of operations at BYU so he delves into why we decided not to include the Cougars in the projections and columns) - Who will be this year's Portland Pilots and surprise the field to make the podium? - Can anyone stop Morgan McDonald? - What does anyone know about Bradley? - Can the New Mexico women go back-to-back? - Hot takes about Arkansas' women's team - Weini Kelati. Sharpie. Listener questions are addressed and more on this bonus episode. Follow Isaac Wood and the Wood Report on Twitter: @Wood_Report

John Anderson, who is familiar to many people as one of ESPN's longtime SportsCenter anchors, joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast. He is one of the voices of ESPN's broadcast for the New York City Marathon alongside Carrie Tollefson and Tim Hutchings. His voice will be familiar for years to come since New York Road Runners, WABC-TV, and ESPN extended their partnership to broadcast the New York City Marathon through the 2022 event. I met John for the first time when I was an intern at ESPN in 2014 and we've been friends ever since. We usually get together when he's in town for the marathon so I decided to ask him to come on the podcast. He said he was down so we chatted it up. John was a high jumper at Mizzou but he shares why his high school cross country team was his favorite, an epic tale from his first marathon and what are some of the challenges in covering track and field on TV for everyone. I've seen a lot of criticism of the ESPN broadcast on Twitter. Some of it is fair and for some other points, you may be able to better understand how a broadcast is run after you hear from John. Come for the sports media talk, stay for when John imagines what his call would be if I won the New York City Marathon. ------- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ If you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

Cam Levins joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after winning the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and breaking a four-decade-old Canadian record in 2:09:25. The previous record was held by Jerome Drayton in 2:10:09.  Levins, 29, was a 2012 Olympian for Canada in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. He was a standout star at Southern Utah and won the 2012 Bowerman Award. He was legendary for weeks that topped out at 180-191 miles per week. He spent time training with the Nike Oregon Project under Alberto Salazar. In recent years, he has been sidelined by injuries and was unable to race at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.  We discuss his comeback, the plan that went into his marathon debut and a return to high mileage. Levins plans to compete in the marathon at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but what do his 2019 race plans entail? New York Times best selling author Malcolm Gladwell, also the host of the hit podcast 'Revisionist History', submitted his own questions for Levins so we get to those.  Plus: We share your listener questions that were submitted on Instagram.  ------- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at https://www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ – if you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

Allie Kieffer joins The CITIUS MAG Podcast before she takes on the 2018 New York City Marathon. The Big Apple was the site of her major marathon breakthrough in 2017. She finished fifth overall in 2:29:39, which was also a personal best by more than 15 minutes. The only American woman ahead of her was Shalane Flanagan, who became the first U.S. woman to win the race in 40 years. Since last November, Allie signed a professional contract with Oiselle and moved to Boulder to train under Brad Hudson. If the name sounds familiar, he is also the coach of past podcast guest Parker Stinson. Workouts seem to indicate that Allie may be in for another big race and she says that she wants to run fast. We discuss her training including why she's raced back-to-back half marathons. Allie reveals what she's learned from studying tape and film of other marathoners. Allie is also very vocal about body image activism. Her Instagram page is filled with various posts about her past struggles with weight and body image and how she is now comfortable with her body. We discuss the process of what's made her comfortable in that conversation and how others have responded. We also make note of the LetsRun message boards and why she's OK with reading some of the criticism that can sometimes end up there. All that plus listener questions from Instagram... ------ This episode is brought to you by Runners of NYC. Check out the latest show in the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network. Jeanne Mack and I bring you untold stories behind luminaries and legends of the New York City’s running culture. Episode 1 is out! Episode 2 drops Oct. 30! Subscribe today: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/runners-of-nyc/id1438435120?mt=2

We'll be back to your regularly scheduled CITIUS MAG Podcast interviews this week. Our next guest is Allie Kieffer so look for that interview later possibly on Thursday or Friday. Just wanted to take a moment to give you all a preview of the newest show on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network. This is a project that I am very proud of and I've got high hopes for the new show. It's a show that I co-host with Jeanne Mack. She interviewed me on this podcast a few weeks back. We announced this was going to happen. Now it's here. Introducing "Runners of NYC". This is the first episode. You may not be from NYC but this show will give you some good insight into the many people who make up such a great city. It's every day runners in an every day setting but not your common backgrounds. In a city of 8 million people, Jeanne and I have a lot of stories to tell. We're excited to share them with you. The show is now available on iTunes and Soundcloud so subscribe today! iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/runners-of-nyc/id1438435120?mt=2 ----- Our first ever guest on the 'Runners of NYC Podcast' is Joe DiNoto. Joe is a runner whose ties to New York City go back multiple generations. He is someone who has had a huge and lasting influence on the sport and culture of running here in the city. He is the founder of the Orchard Street Runners, a co-ed running group that meets on Tuesday nights in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Through Orchard Street Runners, Joe started organizing and holding unsanctioned races for men and women through the streets of New York. Those races have continued to grow in scope and competition, so we dive into Joe’s process of bringing those races to fruition, along with how he became a runner, and what keeps him running. This is Runners of NYC. A new podcast from CITIUS MAG. Hosts Jeanne Mack and Chris Chavez look to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture. For more information on the Orchard Street Runners, follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/orchardstreetrunners/ Follow the show on Instagram: @RunnersOfNYCPod. Don’t forget Twitter as well: @RunnersOfNYC Music for the show is by Future Generations. Portrait of Joe DiNoto taken by Jason Suarez. Podcast artwork by Kyle Klosinski.

Intern Matt (also known as my good friend Matt Kulling) joins me over a beer at Murphy's Bleachers in Chicago just one day after he ran the 2018 Chicago Marathon. He was not a runner before July and so I decided to catch up with my buddy about what he learned from his first marathon. Why did he sign up to do this? What was the hardest part of training? What were the highs and lows of the actual race? Would he ever do it again? Here's what he said, when I asked him what he learned from this whole process. "It doesn't really matter if you run in 2:04 or if you run in 6:04, people will cheer you on the same amount. This is me kind of patting myself on the back but it's a tremendous accomplishment to just finish or even say that I'm going to do this at all. It's a self-imposed goal. The fact that people are so supportive of you – if you have to walk, it doesn't matter. If you're really old, it doesn't matter. If you're really young, it doesn't matter. People really rally around you and that's what I thought was cool about seeing you run Berlin and London and now something I experienced in Chicago." Congrats, Matt.

Jeanne Mack takes over the CITIUS MAG Podcast to put me in the guest position for once. Maybe we should've done this at the start of the podcast so that listeners can get to know me better but here we are. I turn 25 on Sunday, Sept. 25. Before I start this quarter-life crisis, Jeanne asked to interview me and so we sat down in a park to chat about my background. This episode delves into how I got started in track and field as a sprinter at Xavier High School in New York City. Was I any good? (Spoiler: No) How did I gain interest in distance running? What spurred me to start running distance? Jeanne asks about my professional life as a writer for Sports Illustrated and then how I came about with the idea to start CITIUS MAG. What's the story behind #LegsAreFeelinGood? What's the hope for the future of CITIUS MAG? How can the readers and listeners help out? There's a lot to unpack in this episode so it's a bit longer than usual. We sat down and then realized that we had been recording for at least 80 minutes. Enjoy this pod at your leisure. Let me know what you think by tweeting at me: @ChrisChavez. Stay tuned for a special announcement in the middle of the show. This episode is brought to you by the Legs Are Feelin Good™. Get out there and get yourself the most popular running mugs! SHIRTS: rdbl.co/2O9nMeh MUGS: rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ

Parker Stinson joins The CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss his training and expectations for the 2018 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Before we delve into his preparation, we discuss how he got involved in the sport at an early age thanks to his father and then landing at the University of Oregon where he became a nine-time All-American for the Ducks. After a solid collegiate career, Parker signed a professional contract with Saucony and moved to Boulder, Colorado to train under esteemed coach Brad Hudson. Parker's training has been chronicled in a very well-done video series called 'Endure' which is produced by Trackster. In the latest video, Parker completes a 35K workout (21.75 miles) on dirt roads at 5,200 feet of elevation and at 5:12 pace per mile. We definitely discussed that workout and what it means to embrace the suffering. Listener questions include: - What's the best version of the Saucony Kinvara? His favorite trainer and racer? Plus, will we be seeing his all-white kicks in Chicago? - What are his thoughts while leading a race? - Dissecting Brad Hudson's filming of workout videos while driving - Would he ever attempt a sub-four minute mile? - What's his focus while coming back from injury? - How long did it take for him to grow out his hair? Shampoo? - Plus: The Final Four Questions ------ This episode is brought to you by the Legs Are Feelin Good™. Get out there and get yourself the most popular running mugs! SHIRTS: https://rdbl.co/2O9nMeh MUGS: rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ

Checking back in with Jason Suarez, a CITIUS MAG contributor also known on Instagram as @NotAfraid2Fail. Jason announces that he will be running the 2018 New York City Marathon and has found his love for running again. Jason joined the podcast in March and talked about how he did his first marathon to prove to himself that it's not that difficult to run a marathon. He didn't train for it. He even stopped for a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich along the way. By the time that he finished, it was dark and there weren't too many people behind him. If you haven't listened to his first episode, it's a recommended listen.  Now, he's been running with Project Moonshot in New York City and has been working with a big training group to stay motivated for this year's race. Jason also has a lofty goal of raising $30,000 for Girls Gotta Run. We previously helped raise $1,805 for Girls Gotta Run on International Women's Day. Let's help Jason raise some money. With $30,000, Jason hopes to back 120 girls in Bekoji, Ethiopia. Jason explains more of his thought process behind the fundraising on the show. The link to his fundraising page can be found here: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/accelerate-girls-gotta-run-back-to-school/ LEGS ARE FEELIN' GOOD MERCH Get your swag below: Shirts - https://rdbl.co/2O9nMeh Mugs - https://rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ

Claus-Henning Schulke was a champion to many watching the Berlin Marathon on TV or monitoring social media during Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01:39 marathon world record. The 52-year-old amateur triathlete was amped up whenever he successfully passed off bottles to Kipchoge. He would emphatically fist pump. On Twitter, people were referring to him as "Der Flaschenbro" which translates to The Bottle Bro. I loved the guy. Shortly after the race, I decided to get in contact with Kipchoge's reps, who then passed along Claus's contact information. When I reached out to him about doing a brief interview, he got back to me within a minute to make it happen. Claus knows how to deliver. He also still brought 100% energy to the call. I wish I started recording immediately because he started the call with a loud, "HELLO, NEW YORK!!" since he knew that I was in the Big Apple. LetsRun.com posted their own Q&A with Claus on Monday but we figured our listeners would still love to hear from the man himself. This episode is brought to you by the Legs Are Feelin Good™. Get out there and get yourself the most popular running mugs! Link here: rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review.

We decided to check in briefly with our friend Nick Roche, who made his first appearance on the CITIUS MAG Podcast in April, and CITIUS MAG stats editor Scott Olberding. In his first appearance on the show, Nick publicly stated that he would like to get after a U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier even if his personal best is 2:27 from last year's Berlin Marathon. Scott also has OTQ dreams. Both these guys manage full-time jobs while training at a high level. Nick works at Adidas. Scott works at Columbia Sportswear. They train together as members of the Jacuzzi Boys Athletic Club. They're a group of fun guys with lofty, fast goals. Now they're both in Germany for this weekend's Berlin Marathon. Nick will go for the trials mark. Scott recently had an Achilles scare and will be looking to run his best. I decided to tap into their minds before their big race and get some insight into how two normal dudes approach their biggest race of the year. Follow them: Nick Roche - https://www.instagram.com/nickroche/ Scott Olberding - https://www.instagram.com/isthatsol/ This episode is brought to you by the Legs Are Feelin Good™. Get out there and get yourself the most popular running mugs! Link here: rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ

We definitely over-hyped this episode but it's a short (very short) interview with Eliud Kipchoge that was initially meant to be a story that never materialized into writing. The world has known much of Eliud's story as a professional runner because he burst onto the scene at 18 years old. I tried to find out a little bit more about his childhood. He was short on some of his answers but I was able to find a little more to share. So we decided to convert some of the sound bytes into a podcast. I did end up writing a short appreciation of Eliud for SI.com, which you can read here: on.si.com/2OeGY79 This weekend, Eliud will try to run a personal best at the Berlin Marathon. His PB is 2:03:05. The world record is 2:02:57. He's won an Olympic gold medal. He's won Berlin and London multiple times. Regardless of whether or not he gets it, he's had a tremendous career thus far and is the greatest of all-time in my opinion. This episode is brought to you by the Legs Are Feelin Good™. Get out there and get yourself the most popular running mugs! Link here: https://rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ

Paul Snyder and Kyle Merber meet up in Brooklyn to chat about the 2018 Hoka One One Long Island Mile, which will be held on September 5th at Bay Shore High School. If you're in New York, come out to watch the races or join the community races. Sign up at http://longislandmile.com/ Check out the fields for the races below: Women: Emily Lipari, Amanda Eccelston, Kate Van Buskirk, Shannon Osika, Danielle Aragon, Emma Coburn, Stephanie Schappert, Cory McGee, Ce'Aira Brown, Rachel Schnieder, Helen Schlachtenhaufen, Nikki Hitlz, Katrina Coogan, Sara Sutherland Men: Chris O'Hare, Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, Graham Crawford, Sam Parsons, Ben Blankenship, Neil Gourley, Eric Avilia, Sam McEntee, Charlie Grice, Rob Napalitano, Daniel Herrera, Colby Alexander, Cristian Soratos and Ben Flanagan

Stephen and Ryan get the band together one last time for the final Diamond League Meet of the season, and what is likely the last big meet pod ever. The only way you will get more Big Meet Pods is if you tell Stephen and Ryan they are good boys and you like their work.

The Big Meet Pod is back with a recap of Day 1 of the Diamond League finals. This one took place in Zurich, ya know, in Switzerland? And boy oh boy was it a BIG ONE.

Dana Giordano, a former All-American at Dartmouth and full-time employee/runner for Reebok, joins the show to give more insight into her inspiring story ahead of her run at the Falmouth Road Race on Sunday. In 2008, doctors discovered a 5-pound malignant ovarian teratoma which needed to be removed from her ovaries. She underwent surgery and made a full recovery before joining her high school track team in New Jersey and eventually developing into a star distance runner for Dartmouth. 10 years later, Dana is coming off a season in which she dropped her 1,500 meter personal best to 4:08 and made the 1,500 meter final at the U.S. Outdoor Championships. We recap some of her season and untraditional path back to the professional ranks. After a short break from training, Dana will be running the Falmouth Road Race on Sunday but has set the goal of raising $10,000 for Boston Children's Hospital. We're almost there! Less than $1,500 to go! It is her way of giving back to the hospital that cared for her. We talked about her background and story. If it inspired or moved you, please consider donating. The links to her fundraising page and story can be found below. Boston Children's Donating Campaign: http://fundraise.childrenshospital.org/site/TR?px=1283925&fr_id=1770&pg=personal Her full story: http://citiusmag.com/dana-giordano-boston-childrens-hospital-falmouth-fundraiser/ If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

Courtney Frerichs of the Bowerman Track Club joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast just days after setting the American record in the steeplechase at the Monaco Diamond League meet. She ran 9:00.85 to break Emma Coburn's previous American record of 9:02.58. Frerichs was second in the race behind Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech, who broke Ruth Jebet's world record of 8:52.78 by eight seconds with a 8:44.32 victory.  Frerichs is now the sixth-fastest woman of all-time in the steeplechase and she's not done yet. She shares some insight into her lofty goals for the Brussels Diamond League and the next two years of her career. We've transcribed some of the best excerpts of the podcast and you can read them on CITIUSMAG.com. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

Several CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners have requested an episode with Stephanie Bruce and we finally made it happen! Steph is on a roll this summer with a third place finish at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships 10,000 meters, which she then followed up with a win at the AJC Peach Tree 10K (U.S. 10K Championships). That win marked her first U.S. national title and a personal best (32:21) by more than 30 seconds. We caught up with Stephanie before the end of her summer racing season to discuss how she managed to bottle up her fitness and disappointment from the London Marathon in April and turn it into a breakthrough at 34 years old. A win in Atlanta in 2018 is good but one in 2020 when the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials roll into town would be even better. We discussed the outlook of the women's marathoning scene and her approach to such a deep era in the sport. Stephanie is also a mother to two boys. She's been very open on social media about how she manages to be a good mom and professional runner. We discuss her road back into competitive running post-pregnancy with some advice for other women. Plus listener questions and a new addition to the famous final three questions. It's now the Famous Final Four! All that and more on the latest episode of THE CITIUS MAG Podcast. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

Ryan Sterner and Chris Chavez go over the Monaco Diamond League meet, which they have dubbed the biggest meet of the year. That makes this the Biggest Meet Pod. World Records, American Records, Meet Records galore, this is one you don't want to miss.

Shelby Houlihan joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast fresh off her 3:57.34 win in the Lausanne Diamond League 1,500 meters. She is now the fourth-fastest American woman of all-time at the distance. In that race, she beat a few global championship medalists at the distance including Laura Muir, Caster Semenya and Sifan Hassan. Shelby pulled off the win with a 14-second final 100 meters that was more than a second faster than anyone else in the field. Oh, we haven't even mentioned that this is all after she won the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meters at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Shelby is on a tear. We discuss how she developed this incredible kick, the importance of strength work, being patient in training and much more. Fun topics include: The origins of French Bread Friday, why she doesn't plan on changing her Twitter handle, ranking the Harry Potter moves and much more including a BIG SCOOP that she has never told anyone before. Plus: Listener questions submitted on Instagram. All that and more on the latest episode of THE CITIUS MAG Podcast. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

Jim Walmsley joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez and Stephen Kersh to talk about his big win at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. He shares a little bit of background into how he found ultra running and was introduced into the sport, what makes for a good ultra runner, preparing your mindset for a grueling race and enjoying the process. Jim had two previous close calls for the win at Western States, In 2016, he aggressively chased the course record in his first time out on the course but made one bad turn that cost him the W. In 2017, he was a DNF after 90 miles due to heat exhaustion and struggles to keep fluids down. 2018 was his crowning moment. Stephen was on-hand to watch the race and chronicled its beauty for CITIUS MAG. You can check out his piece here: http://citiusmag.com/western-states-100/ Jim talks about his training for Western States, the feeling walking away and plans for the future. Jim is thinking about chasing an Olympic Trials Qualifier for 2020 and delves into how he could go about it. Listener questions! Submissions include: 'What does he like about Strava?' 'How many showers a week does he take?' and much more... You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

It's a big day for the Americans in the field. Noah Lyle's runs 19.69. Shelby Houlihan runs 3:57. Stephen and Ryan give their hairbrained opinions about it.

Meeting in Paris DL - The Big Meet Pod by CITIUS MAG

Chris Chavez is joined by Nicole Bush, Pat Price and Kevin Liao to discuss day 3 of the USA Track Championships. They break down the Shelby Houlihan's thrilling 1500 win, the steeplechase battle between Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs, and Matt Centrowitz's return as U.S. champion. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

We sat down with the Tinman Elite team for a podcast taping in front of a live audience at Fitness Sports in Des Moines. The guests included Drew Hunter, Sam Parsons, Reed Fischer and Tyler Mueller. We discussed Reed's surprising 4th place finish in the men's 10,000 meters and what it's like returning back to the running store where he clocked hundreds of hours. The show delves into the start of Tinman Elite, trusting Tom Schwartz, 'Keeping the Ball Rolling' and competing with a chip on your shoulder. We take a few questions from the audience. The audio may be a little difficult to hear since the mic was set just in front of the runners and Chris. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

Chris Chavez and Kevin Liao get together in the stands during the men's 20K race walk to recap all the day's action from Day 1 of the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Lopez Lomong made history by becoming the first man to win a U.S. outdoor title in the 1,500 meters and 10,000 meters. Molly Huddle rebounded from the Boston Marathon to throw down a 64-second final lap and win her fourth U.S. 10,000m title. Emma Coburn made some comments about Olympic champion Ruth Jebet's reported positive test for EPO. Courtney Frerichs landed us an Olive Garden sponsorship. Noah Lyles loved The Incredibles 2. Get all the insight from the mixed zone from your two favorite track nerds. If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

Chris Chavez and Kevin Liao preview the 2018 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships before heading out to Des Moines, Iowa to bring you all the latest from Drake Stadium. CITIUS MAG will have boots on the ground with Chris, Kevin, Nicole Bush, Scott Olberding, Pat Price, Ryan Sterner and Jason Suarez on-hand to cover all the action. On this episode of the podcast, Chris and Kevin run through all the intriguing match-ups including: - Looking back at the last time the U.S. Championships were held in Des Moines and where some of those champions are now - The impact of some missing stars like Christian Coleman, Allyson Felix, Tori Bowie and others - Shelby Houlihan vs. Jenny Simpson in the 1,500 meters - Drew Hunter on the rise vs. Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz - Who can beat Paul Chelimo? - And more... In the last part of the show, Chris and Kevin spitball some sprinting over/unders: Norman in 200 (o/u 19.88) McLaughlin in open 400 (o/u 49.90) Christian Taylor 400 (o/u 45.07) Plus some ideas on where Sydney McLaughlin will sign. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

Ben Flanagan was one of the biggest surprises at the 2018 NCAA Championships with his win in the 10,000 meters. In his final race in a Michigan uniform, he unleashed a crazy kick to stun pre-race favorite Vincent Kiprop in the final 200 meters. Flanagan won by just .46 seconds in a career-best of 28:34.53 and became the first Michigan man to win the 10,000m title since 1989.  Flanagan went viral after he was caught on camera saying, "Where's My Mom? Where's My Mom?" immediately after crossing the finish line. He joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to take us through the months leading up to his race, the 24 hours in Eugene and why he ended up calling out for his mother. I wrote a short piece on Sports Illustrated on Flanagan's win from his mom's perspective. https://www.si.com/more-sports/2018/06/07/ben-flanagan-ncaa-outdoor-track-and-field-championships-10000m-video-mom-reaction Ben shares insight into coping with injuries, visualizing goals and how he came to believe that he could be the NCAA champion. We received a lot of listener questions on Instagram and many of them were answered on the show including: What's your favorite dish made by your mom? What's the first thing that he said to his mom? How has coach Kevin Sullivan contributed and impacted him as a runner? What's his favorite thing to do in Michigan? What were some of his high school times and what was his development like? What was he listening to before the 10,000 meters? What are his post-collegiate training plans? How was Taylor's the night after the race? You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today.

You continue to not ask for it, yet we continue to deliver this sub-par podcast. Maybe it's improving. Maybe it's not. Why don't you leave a comment and tell us how you really feel? Anyway, in this week's podcast we discuss the Stockholm Diamond League. Nothing terribly outrageous happened, which is perfect for the two blog boys.

But actually, who is Sarah Sellers? It's a question that's been asked a bunch since her runner-up finish in April's Boston Marathon. Chris Chavez caught up with her at the New York Road Runners RunCenter ahead of her race at the New York Mini 10K. Chris and Sarah discuss her perspective of how she battled the awful weather conditions in Boston. What's life been like since her runner-up finish? When did the hangover stop? How does she take a performance like that and build off of it? All that and more in this episode of The CITIUS MAG Podcast. If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. citiusmag.com/citius-mag-podcast-network/ Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today. Follow host Chris Chavez on Twitter @ChrisChavez. Stay up to date on everything on CITIUSMAG.com and on Twitter @CITIUSMAG.

The two ill-informed idiots are back to give you a breakdown of the most recent Diamond League Meet, the Oslo Bislett Games. It was a whacky one. Give it a listen and let us know if we should fire Stephen and Ryan before they fire off another podcast.

David Ribich joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after wrapping up his NCAA career at Western Oregon, where he won back-to-back NCAA Division II Outdoor 1,500 meter titles. He also helped his Western Oregon squad win back-to-back DMR titles during the NCAA Division II Indoor Championship. Ribich plans to turn professional by signing a contract in the coming weeks ahead of the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines. How did he get here? How does a Division II kid blossom into someone who reached the 2017 U.S. 1,500m final and lined up next to Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz? Ribich tells his story. We delve into what it means to have that Division II label? How does he zone out the 'Beat the Division II kid!' chants during races? What did it mean to win an NCAA DMR title by .001 seconds? Is there a rivalry between Western Oregon and Adams State? What's the best piece of advice given to him by some of his influential coaches? All that and more in this episode of The CITIUS MAG Podcast. If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. citiusmag.com/citius-mag-podcast-network/ Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today. Follow host Chris Chavez on Twitter @ChrisChavez. Stay up to date on everything on CITIUSMAG.com and on Twitter @CITIUSMAG.

Jesse Squire and Chris Chavez catch up to preview all of the big action from this upcoming weekend’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. It’s the last major meet at the old Hayward Field. We’re in for quite the show as the next era of U.S. track and field stars – many of which will compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. We’ve got Sydney McLaughlin, Gabrielle Thomas, Michael Norman, Karissa Schweizer...the list goes on and on. Jesse breaks down his preview of the championships into the following: Top Five Races To Watch Top Five Athletes To Watch Top Five Records That Could Fall Top Five Storylines To Watch Plus his predictions as to who will win. If you enjoy this podcast, check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, Price of a Mile, Running Things Considered and more. http://citiusmag.com/citius-mag-podcast-network/ Long live CITIUS MAG. If you want the site and podcast to continue going strong, please consider pledging any dollar amount monthly to show your love and support for what we do. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Your help will feed the bloggers. Visit http://Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG today. We will return with our regularly scheduled interviews on Wednesday with NCAA Divison II star David Ribich of Western Oregon.

Stephen and Ryan kick off the latest CITIUS MAG Podcast - The Big Meet Pod. After every Diamond League meet this season tune in and hear two idiot Blog Boys talk shop about what happened. We start the series with the Prefontaine Classic, where Stephen and Ryan just returned. Check out the photo gallery by Ryan and Stephen here: http://citiusmag.com/pre-classic-photo-gallery-day/ For Chris Chavez's thoughts on the meet, read up on the latest Lane 9 column: http://citiusmag.com/lane-9-last-pre-classic/

James Lim was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Seoul, South Korea. He returned to the U.S. at 16 years old and started sprinting at Andover Phillips Academy and was hooked on the sport. He attended Harvard, studied economics, walked onto the track team and served as a captain. While at Harvard, he convinced a friend to apply together for The Amazing Race. He was close to competing on that show but was asked by CBS to apply for Survivor's 36th season. James and I connected in New York City over lunch (so I could get some inside tips on how to get on the show) and then recorded a podcast in Union Square Park. On this show, we discuss: How he ended up on Fiji competing on Survivor: Ghost Island What is it like for a runner to compete on the show? Would Ashton Eaton be the best competitor on that show? How closely does he follow the sport of track and field and who impresses him the most? What tips would he have for me to win the show? How does he convince someone to watch Survivor and what makes more than just a reality TV show? Where does someone go to the bathroom when they're being filmed and stranded on an island? And much more... You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! ---------- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CITIUS20 at checkout.

For this fun episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast, I decided to take a few minutes during Boston Marathon weekend to sit down and chat with my buddy Nick Roché. He's not a well-known name in the track and field scene but I'm impressed by his drive to chase an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier while balancing a full-time job with Adidas. He ran in college at Gonzaga and got back into training recently. He shares what re-invigorated his passion for the sport on this episode.  “It was in the lead-up like Week 8 of a build-up for Berlin, where you’re not broken yet from the miles and workouts," Roche says. "You’re still feeling good and thinking, ‘Man, I’m gonna smash this thing.’ It hit me that this is something that I enjoy doing again. It’s been great ever since. Just trying to build off of it, get better each time and make the most of that race opportunity. I don’t think I did the best job of that in college because you’re racing so much.” Nick made his marathon debut at the 2017 Boston Marathon and ran 2:36:18. He lowered it at the 2017 Berlin Marathon to 2:27:25. “I think it would be completely outrageous to to expect a nine to 10 minute PB every single time but I’m going to train and shoot for a nine to 10 minute PB every single time with that said.” Nick is a very funny guy and I think this could be a relatable episode for those who balance full-time jobs and lofty running goals. The alternative title for this episode is two normal guys shooting the shit at the Sheraton in Beantown. NOTE: This was recorded before the Yankees started being very good. ------- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CITIUS20 at checkout.

With just days until the start of the Diamond League season, we're joined by U.S. sprint star Noah Lyles on the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Noah sat down with us while he was in Boston during marathon weekend to promote the Adidas Boston Boost Games (May 19-20). At 19 years old, Noah ran 19.90 for the 200 meters in his Diamond League debut. In 2016, he was fourth in the U.S. Olympic Trials 200m final where he ran a U.S. HS record of 20.09. We talked about his rise to sprinting fame and the decision to turn professional early. He never got a chance to race Usain Bolt on the track but shares a funny story about running into him at a doctor's office. Noah isn't one for "idols" in the sport and so he shares how he perceives his competition. Talk strays for a bit and Noah discusses how he watched 13 Reasons Why on Netflix with Jarrion Lawson + Noah's love for The Office. All that and more in the latest episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! ----- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CITIUS20 at checkout.

In this episode, Adidas’s Sam Parsons came in the studio for a very special crossover podcast with Run Your Mouth (co-hosted by David Melly) and the CITIUS MAG podcast. We dug into mindfulness, swagger, and college shenanigans, and Sam introduced us to the inner workings of Tinman Elite, a new elite training group based out of Boulder, CO. Sam is a 13:40 5k runner and Delaware native (with German citizenship) who competed collegiately at North Carolina State University. He was in town to race the BAA Invitational Road Mile, where he finished 5th behind teammate Drew Hunter’s victory. Highlights of our colorful conversation include: - Tinman Elite’s attitude - Self-inflicted wounds - Fanboying over Parker Stinson - Choosing to run post-collegiately + much more -------------- Our coverage in Boston was powered by The Mercury Mile. It’s the crossing the best of fashion and function for all runners. All it takes is four easy steps. You create a runner style profile so a team of stylists learns how to fit your style and needs. Reserve a box and you’ll get four to six pieces of activewear. Receive your box. Run your Mercury Mile. Whatever your pace, from beginner to elite, Mercury Mile curates a shopping experience and style that moves just for you. Check them out at MercuryMile.com today and use promo code Citius10 for $10 off the stylist fee. Don’t forget to subscribe to Run Your Mouth and the CITIUS MAG Podcast on iTunes for new episodes.

Desi Linden joins the show less than 48 hours before running in the 122nd Boston Marathon. The chances of an American woman winning the race has never looked this good in recent years. Linden will be running in her sixth Boston. She has finished fourth in each of her previous two finishes yet she enters with an underdog mentality. She says there is no pressure on her with the incredible depth of the women's field. We headed to a Brooks Running press conference and chatted with Desi briefly about that and more in a mini episode of the podcast. Our Boston Marathon coverage all weekend is powered by The Mercury Mile. It’s the crossing the best of fashion and function for all runners. All it takes is four easy steps. You create a runner style profile so a team of stylists learns how to fit your style and needs. Reserve a box and you’ll get four to six pieces of activewear. Receive your box. Run your Mercury Mile. Whatever your pace, from beginner to elite, Mercury Mile curates a shopping experience and style that moves just for you. Check them out at MercuryMile.com today and use promo code Citius10 for $10 off the stylist fee.

Chris Chavez, David Melly and Dana Giordano get together for the first episode of The Bell Lap. Our version of eight topics in a rundown-style chat to preview the 2018 Boston Marathon. Our Boston Marathon coverage all weekend is powered by The Mercury Mile. It’s the crossing the best of fashion and function for all runners. All it takes is four easy steps. You create a runner style profile so a team of stylists learn how to fit your style and needs. Reserve a box and you;ll get four to six pieces of activewear. Receive your box. Run your Mercury Mile. Whatever your pace, from beginner to elite, Mercury Mile curates a shopping experience and style that moves just for you. Check them out today and use promo code CITIUS10 for $10 off the stylist fee. Our topics: - Why is Molly Huddle the presumed favorite? - Do we think this is the end for Shalane? What are her odds of winning? - With the most recent PR among the Americans, why isn't Jordan Hasay being considered more? - What are Desi Linden's odds of winning? - Is it good or bad if Galen Rupp wins? - What other U.S. storylines interest you? + More

Former Oregon distance runner Emma Abrahamson joins The CITIUS MAG Podcast fresh off accepting a job with Doyle Management Group, which oversees a bunch of elite athletes. Emma has done a great job of building a following for herself with a foodie Instagram account (@onecrazedfoodie) and then her own YouTube channel.  She's very funny. We chat about how she got into running, the decision to stop competing at the NCAA level, building a brand and much more. We discuss Logan and Jake Paul for a hot second. There's a shout-out to Spencer Brown of The Athlete Special YouTube channel, who she considers one of the OGs of running vlogging. Other topics include dispelling some of the myths of eating and running that sometimes people can fall into a trap with. Emma has some great advice. We run through most of the listener questions that were submitted on Instagram. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! --------- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CITIUS20 at checkout.

CITIUS MAG co-founders Ryan Sterner and Stephen Kersh took to the roads from Los Angeles to Las Vegas last weekend to witness 40+ teams take on the harsh task of running a 340-miles relay race through some of the most intense terrain in the country. A herculean effort no doubt, but what’s even more impressive is our journey through hunger, sleep depravation, and limited LTE signal. They put together a photo essay of their journey for the site, which you can see here: http://citiusmag.com/speed-project-2018-photo-essay/

MUST READ: https://www.si.com/edge/2018/04/02/gwen-jorgensen-triathlon-track-debut-marathon-goals-nike A quick bonus episode of The CITIUS MAG Podcast to get you through the rest of your week. Earlier this week, I released an extensive Q&A with Olympic triathlon champion Gwen Jorgensen. It's generated a bit of chatter online in a good way. If you're a fan of the sport, it's definitely something worth getting excited about: How a gold medalist in one sport translates into another with the lofty goal of winning gold again. In the interview, she addresses everything from joining the Bowerman Track Club, coming back after pregnancy, training with Shalane and responding to the critics that give her a zero percent chance of winning gold.  Lots that and more listen up but also read the full article on SI now. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! We will return to regularly scheduled programming on Friday. The show will feature an interview with former Oregon Duck distance runner Emma Abrahamson, who is making a name for herself on Youtube and just accepted a job with Doyle Management Group. If you enjoy this interview with Gwen and you're looking for more interviews with Bowerman Track Club runners, we have the podcast for you on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network. Check out the Price of a Mile with Woody Kincaid. It's a monthly-ish show hosted by Woody as he interviews his training partners and gets to know them through very candid and insightful conversations. There should be a new episode soon! He promises.

Patrick Dormer, but always known to me as Mr. Dormer, has been my coach for the past 10 years. He's the man that has served as a mentor for me within the sport and nurtured the passion that I eventually found after my mediocre sprinting days at Xavier High School in New York City. He has some ideas on growing the sport of track and field. I figured before we start the outdoor season, I'd like to introduce the CITIUS MAG community to Mr. Dormer as he'll probably become a recurring guest on the show to share his takes from time to time. He's not crazy. He's very smart and loves the sport. Hear him out.  On this show, we get a little bit of background on who is Mr. Dormer. How did he get into coaching and why he's stayed at my all-boys high school in Manhattan for the past 25 years? What's his coaching philosophy? What did he learn to make himself a better coach? How do you motivate high school athletes to run and get the best out of themselves? He gives us those details. Plus: Let's get drug cheats out of the sport forever, build a minor league system to develop track and field talent, fix some of the broadcast issues and lastly, let's stop shooting ourselves in the foot by scheduling a new relays meet at the same time as the Penn Relays and Drake Relays. Mr. Dormer uses his time to call for a boycott of the The National Relay Championships in Arkansas. --- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CITIUS20 at checkout.

Ben True joins The CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez to discuss his win at the 2018 United NYC Half. He takes us through how the race played out since I finished 33 minutes behind him and haven't been able to watch a replay yet. With his 62:39 winning time, Ben became the first American male open division winner in the event's history. He finished ahead of Dathan Ritzenhein and Chris Thompson on a chilly and windy morning in New York City. Ben immediately dismisses any marathon plans and talks but shares a quick story about how he's actually covered the marathon distance before and what his thoughts are toward the 26.2 mile distance.  Among the questions discussed: - Feelings about the race now that he's had time to process it. - The decision to race a half marathon - How and why he started working with Ray Treacy (also Molly Huddle's coach) - The Lone Wolf mentality and how he stays motived through solo workouts - What does he consider his best race ever? - Funniest interaction and story with a drug tester Listener questions include:  - What does he do to stay healthy? - Are oats part of his pre-race go-to? What's his favorite post-race meal? - Beer Mile: Hassan Mead vs. Ben True - What's the best place to run in Lebanon? - Favorite form of cross training when it's not skiing season? -  Responding to allegations from his neighbor on why the neighborhood smells of home-brewed coffee - Will he ever make a return to posting his workouts on Strava? We also play two Ben Truths and a Ben Lie (h/t Evan Schwartz of the 1609 Podcast for the idea) ----- The CITIUS MAG Podcast is presented by MAURTEN. Try the world's most carbohydrate rich sports drink. CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CITIUS20 at checkout.

You've probably seen his handle somewhere in your Instagram feed if you follow enough professional runners but who is @NotAfraid2Fail? Meet Jason Suarez. He's one of the co-founders of CITIUS MAG and he takes some of the best photos in the sport. He's also quite the character. Jason and I first met at the 2013 U.S.A. Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. My high school track coach shot me a text to get to know him and I learned a little bit about his goals and aspirations as a photographer. I was 19 at the time also had my sights set on covering the sport closely and we shared that in common. What I didn't realize at the time was that Jason was working super hard to just get the opportunity. On this show, he shares a quick story about flirting his way to a discount on a hotel room, sleeping in his mother's car and finding his way into the sport. Jason discusses some of the influential people that he's met along the way to now shooting for some major brands and collaborating with companies and athletes on projects. As much as I rib on Jason from time-to-time (and he'll give me crap too – just check out his Twitter feed), he's very genuine and quite the grinder. I'll stop saying nice things about him now. Listen to the episode now. ----- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CITIUS20 at checkout. Click the image below to start shopping. Also remember to rate and review the podcast with five-stars on iTunes! Don't forget to check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, The Price of a Mile and Running Things Considered.

On Sunday, we learned that Sir Roger Bannister died peacefully in Oxford at the age of 88. Bannister made history on May 6, 1954 by becoming the first man to break four minutes for the mile. At the time, many deemed it an impossible feat. He went on to have a long medical career in neurology and was knighted in 1975. The British sports icon was also named the 1954 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – the first one in the magazine’s history. In 2011, senior writer David Epstein profiled Bannister for the “Where Are They Now” issue. After the story ran, Epstein and Bannister stayed in touch. We decided to give Epstein a call on Tuesday to get his thoughts on the passing of a legend and what it was like to befriend someone who inspired many on and off the track. A full transcription of the interview with Epstein can be found on CITIUSMAG.com

Over the weekend Lou Serafini became the 514th American to break four minutes for the mile when he ran 3:59.33 at the Boston University Last Chance Meet. He's one of the chillest dudes in track and a name to watch over the next few years on the U.S. distance running scene. He joined the show to discuss what it's like being a blue-collar runner balancing a full-time job at Tracksmith, coaching other athletes and yet still putting in the daily work to chase the dream of breaking four minutes for the mile. Lou has range as he's raced everything at a high level from 1,500 meters to the marathon. He qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and boasts a 2:17 personal best at the distance. For some time after college, Lou decided that he was done running for a bit. We discuss that break and how he decided to come back by being self-coached. What's that like? Lous' got some nice stories about coach Randy Thomas, his roommate David Melly and some of the athletes that he coaches. ------ This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CITIUS20 at checkout. Click the image below to start shopping. Also remember to rate and review the podcast with five-stars on iTunes! Don't forget to check out the other shows on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network including the 1609 Podcast, The Price of a Mile and Running Things Considered.

Alex Hutchinson joins the show just weeks after the release of"ENDURE: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance." It's his latest book exploring the impact of the mind and how it influences our peak performances. How do we break through those physical barriers using our mind and muscle? Alex does a great job of providing stories from his own background as a runner as well as extreme examples of incredible athletes and adventurers on how they were able to keep pushing when everything is telling them to stop. Alex had a regular training column for Runner's World for several years and has also been published in Popular Mechanics as well as the New York Times. In October, he joined OUTSIDE to continue publishing his Sweat Science column. His byline may be familiar especially last year since he covered the Nike Breaking2 Project very closely for Runner's World. We talk a little bit about that and some of his observations. On this episode, we discuss: - How the book came together over nearly a decade? - Some of the challenges of writing a book in the sports science field - Tim Noakes' "central governor theory" - Smiling and other body signals that help improve performance - Self talk and how it can be beneficial and practiced And much more... ENDURE is out now and available wherever books are sold including Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. ----- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CMP20 at checkout. Click the image below to start shopping.

2016 U.S. Olympian and Nike Bowerman Track Club steeplechaser Colleen Quigley joined the CITIUS MAG Track Club ahead of the U.S. Indoor Championships to discuss her road in the sport from being coached by her father at an all-girls high school in Missouri to becoming one of the strongest steeplechasers in the country. On this episode, we also discuss: - How she came upon the steeplechase as her specialty event - Walking us through some of the closest finishes at the U.S. Outdoor Championships and Olympic Trials - How strong is the 1-2-3 combo that includes her, Emma Coburn, and Courtney Frerichs? - What its like training with the rest of the Bowerman Track Club's talented squad of women - The role that Pascal Dobert has played in her development as a steeplechaser - Her funniest Jerry Schumacher story Plus more...  If you're a subscriber on Patreon.com/citiusmag, you have access to the following bonus and listener questions: - Colleen's days as a model - The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue?? - What's the deal with Steeple Squigs Granola? - What advice would modern day Colleen give a younger version of Colleen - What's her favorite and least favorite workout to participate in - Meanest thing read on LetsRun - If she could go on a run with anyone from history and anyone in the world, who would it be and where - The $25 million halfcourt shots ----------- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CMP20 at checkout. Click the image below to start shopping.

We're delving into new territory. We have our first guest from the sprints and hurdles! 2015 World Championship 400m hurdle silver medalist Shamier Little joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss how she got her start in the sport and being part of the fastest 400m hurdle race in history at last year's U.S. Outdoor Championships. Other topics include: - Choosing Texas A&M and the winning culture of the Aggies - Studying technique of other 400m hurdles + who has the best, worst form - Wikipedia says: "“None of her early youth competitions could be labeled exceptional.” - Bottling up emotions and expectations after bad races to perform the next year - Why her life and schedule as a professional athlete is unique - Plus more... You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. If you're a CITIUS MAG Patreon subscriber, you have access to the full episode including the listener questions as well as the famous final three. Not a subscriber yet? Support the site and the podcast for just $8 a month for access to the full pod, CITIUS MAG Track Club perks, discounts from other partners and more. Visit Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG This episode was brought to you by Maurten. Fuel properly for long distance races! we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CMP20 at checkout. Visit Maurten.com/shop today

2012 Olympic silver medalist Leo Manzano joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to share his thoughts on some of the best moments of his long and successful career as one of America's top 1,500 meter runners. Manzano made every U.S. national team for the World Championships or Olympics from 2007 to 2015. He looks back at what were some of the best races and moments including putting us in his shoes for the 1,500 meter final in London. Manzano also opens up about he approaches a bad race and gets past the struggles in his career. In 2016, he battled pneumonia and it impacted him for a long time. When you have a career as long as his, there are plenty of highs and a few lows.  Other questions include: Could we ever see him race a 5,000m? How did he target and approach the American record after running 3:30 at age 30? Manzano's style has always been to creep up and maneuver his way to the win or podium on the last lap, does he have to change that due to his longevity? For more on the listener questions, read down below... Citius Mag is creating [mostly] high-quality articles, podcasts, and videos centered around the world of running. Maybe you're a washed-up college athlete. Maybe you ran track in high school. Perhaps you're 35-years old and are still grinding it out every day. Whoever you are, Citius Mag is making stuff that you'll find relatable, insightful, and maybe a little bit funny. This is our 2nd year on the world wide web, and we have some big plans for new and exciting stuff. Your support will help us get there! We've launched out Patreon, which will serve as our place for premium content. Before every podcast guest we will create a Patron-only article where you can give us any burning question you might have for that weeks guest. After we record it we will cut a version just for our patrons and their questions. Listener questions + the famous final three will be available for our Patreon subscribers so please consider joining today. https://www.patreon.com/citiusmag

It's hard to do an entire episode looking back at someone's career when it was a really long and successful one. Meb Keflezighi joins the show. He needs no further introduction but for those unfamiliar with the U.S. distance running legend, he's the only man to win a silver medal at the Olympics (2004), the New York City Marathon (2009) and Boston Marathon (2014) in his career. Oh! He also made four Olympic teams for the U.S. Chris and Meb look back at some of the highlights of his career and catch up on how life has been since he retired after the 2017 New York City Marathon – the 26th of his career and at 42 years old. Among the questions asked: - What's the one race from the 90s that he wishes was caught on video? - How often does he go back to watch his races? - One question asked per Olympics including 'How quickly did you have to think about doing push-ups when you slipped in Rio?' - After 2004, he was a silver medalist but how did he maintain that underdog mentality? + Listener questions You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play!

Alan Webb, the American record holder in the mile, joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to take a trip down memory lane and catch up on what he's up to nowadays. Webb retired from track in 2014 and then made a run for the 2016 Olympics in the triathlon. The triathlon chapter did not pan out as planned and he now owns a truck repair business in Oregon. "For me, I started to kind of take on a different mentality," Webb says. "I started to enjoy watching others be in that moment. You kind of know when someone is building that momentum and seeing it...You just have a genuine appreciation of someone going through something you felt...It changed for me and that's when I started to know that it was time to step away." "It became hard to genuinely give it everything I had," Webb adds. "I couldn't dig down deep like I used to. That's when I was like 'You're not digging!' It was hard. It was honestly hard mentally to dig down deep. I wasn't what I would recommend to someone else. If I was coaching I wouldn't want them to do what I was doing...I would give up sometimes. That was hard. Knowing I was doing that." We delve into the magic of that 2007 season and what the impact was of that 3:46.91 at a tiny meet in in Brasschaat, Belgium. We did start to think about how long does he think the record will stand. The closest someone has come is 3:50.53 by Matt Centrowitz in May 2014 and that’s still 4 seconds off. Among the questions explored: What was it like stepping off the track at the Millrose Games and retiring at 31 years old? Does he believe in the idea that runners who thrive so early in their careers simply can’t maintain that peak? We get the full rundown on Webb's weight room training including how much he would bench before his races and what his routine was.  What's the deepest that he's ever had to dig for a race? As he begins his coaching career soon, what coach from his career does he think he may resonate the most with? He was coached by Scott Raczko, Alberto Salazar, Ron Warhurst, Jason Vigilante, Jerry Schumacher and Jon Marcus in his career. Whose career would you rather have: Webb's, Ryan Hall's, or Dathan Ritzenhein's? Can Webb make the case for why they should pick him? Or does he have a different opinion? We take a few listener questions and more. ------- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin/New York City Marathons and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CMP20 at checkout.

We kick off 2018 on the CITIUS MAG Podcast by chatting at length with two-time Olympian and three-time NCAA champion Andrew Wheating. He announced his retirement from professional running on Thursday afternoon with a letter to professional running. We caught up on Friday morning for a long conversation looking back at his career and what comes next for him. We discuss Wheating's magical 2010 season, where he ran 3:30.90 at the Monaco Diamond League. (There's some good first-person recounting of that race.) The time now ranks as the fifth-fastest by an American of all-time. But we take a look at some of the runners that have run that fast and what happened afterward in their career. Running 3:30 is no joke but does it take a toll on the future? "I remember telling a friend of mine to respect what you've run because it may not happen again,"  Wheating says. "To take it for granted, you can really miss out on opportunity. Keep that open-minded spirit. 3:30 is not something to joke about and I kept thinking 'Eh, it can be something that I can do forever.' Once you turn it into that, it starts to get a little harder and disappointment starts to creep in. I'm not quite sure why it never happened again. These things just happen. It's just a day I'll never forget." Of course we discuss the NCAA 1,500 meter sweep and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. We'll break out a few more quotes from Wheating in the coming days but that was one that really stood out. Among the other topics discussed on the podcast: -  Wheating's relationship with Vin Lannana and how it changed over time -  What it's like for him to re-watch the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials 800m race and what he prefers instead - An attempt to fake a rivalry between him and Matt Centrowitz - The hardest workout that he's ever run before that 3:30 in Monaco - Kobe Bryant at the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies - The pressure that comes with a big contract - Wheating does race commentary on a hypthetical all-time U.S. 1,500m race between him, Matt Centrowitz, Bernard Lagat, Alan Webb, Sydney Maree and Leo Manzano. - His Mt. Rushmore of Oregon distance runners Wheating also takes questions from the listeners including a campaign for us to bring back puka shell necklaces. All that and more on the latest episode of The CITIUS MAG Podcast. ------- ------ This episode was brought to you by Maurten. If you’re interested in marathon investigations then there’s a chance that you’re also a marathon or road runner. If so, you should fuel properly for those long distance races and we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CMP20 at checkout.

We decided to do a little crossover episode between the CITIUS MAG Podcast and The Price of A Mile With Woody Kincaid. He joined the show to discuss his first season as a professional runner with the Bowerman Track Club and coach Jerry Schumacher. Woody ran four indoor races before a stress fracture derailed his year but there were some great moments. He clocked a 13:12.22 a the Boston University Last Chance Meet in February and then finished second to Paul Chelimo at the 2017 U.S. Indoor National Championships. Before turning professional, Woody ran for the University of Portland so he shares some of his favorite memories as a Pilot and whether Rob Connor may have fudged up his story from NCAA Cross Country Nationals a little bit.  Woody joined the CITIUS MAG team when we started the site when he pitched doing a month podcast, where he interviews his fellow Bowerman teammates. It's a great show and if you're not subscribed to the Price of A Mile with Woody Kincaid, you're missing out.  Other questions from listeners include: Who would he put on a DMR against the Nike Oregon Project? What's the dumbest purchase that he's made since signing a professional contract? Who is the most competitive teammate that he's ever had? Much more on the show. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and now Google Play! ------ This episode was brought to you by Maurten. If you’re interested in marathon investigations then there’s a chance that you’re also a marathon or road runner. If so, you should fuel properly for those long distance races and we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CMP20 at checkout.

We finally deliver one of the most requested episodes. Kyle Merber joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to take all your listener questions. Thanks a lot to all of the listeners who sent in questions. We did our best to get to as many of them but definitely ran out of time and will have to bring Merber back on the show at another point. Here are some of the questions discussed: - Who has the best kick in U.S. middle distance running right now? - Most intense Gags story from practice - Best race that he's witnessed in person or was part of? - Any plans to move up from the 1,500 meters to the 5,000 meters? - Is Merber considering dual Irish citizenship? - Most memorable David Torrence story? - Why does he wear a headband? - More talk about seltzer than you'd expect to hear on a podcast - What's the story behind his Twitter avatar? - Are we ever going to get a Real Maine 2? All that and more in the latest episode. You can catch the show on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher and Google Play!

Portland Pilots cross country coach Rob Conner joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss the surprising runner-up finish by his men's team at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country National Championships last weekend. Conner delves into the history of the Portland cross country program, recruiting in the same state as Oregon, breaking down his coaching philosophy and much more. We also delve into the controversy that followed when some of Portland's top guys did not race at the Western Conference Championship and let to an editorial on LetsRun.com. We'll have a separate post on the site with Rob's comments transcribed. Other questions include: Do you feel closer to a national championship now more than you did five or ten years ago? Who would be on the Mt. Rushmore of Portland Cross Country runners? What is his coolest piece of wrestling memorabilia?  You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher!

Isaac Wood, author of The Wood Report, joins the show to break down the individual and team races at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country National Championships. Isaac is also the director of track and field operations at BYU and with the Cougars being one of the best teams in the country, he's able to share some insight into their program and how they became a national championship contender.  On Thursday, Isaac released his final projections you can find the links below: Men's individual projections and All-Americans: http://citiusmag.com/ncaa-cross-country-championship-mens-projections-individuals/ Men's team projections: http://citiusmag.com/ncaa-cross-country-national-championship-mens-team-projections/ Women's individual projections: http://citiusmag.com/ncaa-cross-country-championship-womens-individual-projections/ Women's team projections: http://citiusmag.com/ncaa-cross-country-national-championship-womens-team-projections/ We take some listener questions from people on Twitter including: How would the races be different if they were both 8K as opposed to 10K for the men and 6K for the women, who could be the biggest disappointments and much more. If you have any more questions for Isaac before the championship, he can try to answer them on Twitter by reaching him: @Wood_Report. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher!

Get to know Jeanne Mack after she stunned us with her 24th overall (10th American woman) finish at the 2017 New York City Marathon. In addition to writing for CITIUS, Jeanne is an MFA student at NAU. She previously ran at Harvard. Jeanne shares a little insight into her running trajectory, what it's like to be coached by Stephen Kersh, a wild start to her race and what's next as an emerging sub-elite athlete. Jeanne actually just wrote her own reflection on her race, which you can find and read here: http://citiusmag.com/running-with-men/

Decided to share with you some of the audio from my interview with Shalane Flanagan from a story that I wrote earlier this month for Sports Illustrated. There were a couple of nuggets of information that didn't make the final edit of the story but I feel like it would be particularly interesting to our listeners.  The big story in the lead-up to New York was that Shalane revealed to me that this could be her final marathon. I'm not inclined to totally buy into that idea but we discuss her goals for New York City, what she hopes to accomplish in the remainder of her career, what still surprises her about Jerry Schumacher, training in Mammoth and more. Here's the link to the SI.com story –https://www.si.com/edge/2017/10/25/new-york-city-marathon-shalane-flanagan-career ---------- This episode was brought to you by Maurten. If you’re interested in marathon investigations then there’s a chance that you’re also a marathon or road runner. If so, you should fuel properly for those long distance races and we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CMP20 at checkout.

Chris is joined by Kit Fox of Men's Journal (previously at Runner's World) to preview the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon before a live audience at the NYRR RUNCENTER feat. the New Balance Run Hub. We discuss the major players in the men's and women's race before also chatting a little bit about the celebrities running and then a little trivia for our guests. Thanks a lot to NYRR for giving us the time and space. Shout-out to the Citwits who came and then tagged along for a little shakeout run. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes and leave a 5-star review.

Four-time U.S. Olympian Abdi Abdirahman joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast ahead of Sunday's TCS New York City Marathon. He is this year's top returning American after his third place finish in last year's race, which resurrected his career after a string of injuries. He's 40 years old so he shares his thoughts on how much longer he may be able to go, Meb's retirement party and what is was like missing a fifth Olympic team. Abdirahman also touches on some fun topics like his plans to develop runners in Somalia, the nutrition and hydration strategy of East African runners, what's his greatest race, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Blue Jeans Mile (people forget that he use to make his own jeans) and a heated debate on what LeBron James can run for the mile.  This episode was brought to you by Maurten. If you’re interested in marathon investigations then there’s a chance that you’re also a marathon or road runner. If so, you should fuel properly for those long distance races and we recommend Maurten. It’s the world’s most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it’s being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they’re now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com CITIUS MAG PODCAST LISTENERS GET 20% OFF THEIR NEXT ORDER: Use promo code CMP20 at checkout.

I've been excited to do this episode for a while and it's probably one of the most interesting ones that we've done. Derek Murphy of MarathonInvestigation.com joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss how he got started cracking down on cheats, why he does it, how he does it and much more. Murphy tells us his process for investigating some of the red flags that come up in race results, what does it feel like to catch cheaters, his most high profile catch as well as if there is any backlash to revealing his findings. Murphy appreciates the sport much like all of us and we ask him what he likes to do for fun and how much of a runner he is.  Fun topics include: Investigating Matthew Centrowitz from the Chicago Marathon and how he would've approached the Rosie Ruiz or Kathrine Switzer situations. This episode was brought to you by Maurten. If you're interested in marathon investigations then there's a chance that you're also a marathon or road runner. If so, you should fuel properly for those long distance races and we recommend Maurten. It's the world's most carbohydrate-rich sports drink and it's being used by the top marathoners in the world. Eliud Kipchoge used it during the Breaking2 attempt and the Berlin Marathon. Kenenisa Bekele has been using it since winning the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Mo Farah even used it prior to his gold medal runs at the world championships. It worked for me at the Berlin Marathon and it could work for you. They have two drinks with 40 or 80 grams of carbohydrates and they're now available in the U.S. Check them out today at Maurten.com You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also now on Stitcher! Details for the CITIUS MAG Podcast NYC Live Marathon Preview Show Date: Friday, November 3rd @ 5:00PM Where: NYRR RUNCENTER, 320 W. 57th St. NY, NY 10019

There aren't too many marathoners out there who are training at a high level for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and still chasing the dream of breaking four minutes for the mile. Meet Scott Smith of Northern Arizona Elite. The 2:14 marathoner joins the podcast ahead of his race at the Frankfurt Marathon. He has not raced a marathon since the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February 2016, where he finished 14th overall. He discusses how he felt about that performance and moved forward from it. Smith seems to love tough and warm marathons with two 26.2 races in Los Angeles and a steamy world championships in Beijing in 2015. He expresses his optimism for cool and fast conditions in his next race. Fun topics include his brother's pursuit of a 3:30 marathon without running more than five miles at a time, Thank You Meb, California high school track, Game of Thrones/TV binging and more. He's thought long and hard about the 25 shots from halfcourt/25 years in prison question and his answer is great. This episode was brought to you by ROLL Recovery. The company was founded in Boulder, Colorado with one major goal: To design and build revolutionary products to help people recover faster and improve the quality of their life. They have thoughtfully designed products to keep you moving. Be happy. Be healthy. Check them out today at rollrecovery.com

2:12 marathoner Aaron Braun joins the show less than a week after running 2:13 at the Chicago Marathon and placing 12th overall. He was the third American across the finish line. Nearly a year ago, Braun almost quit the sport but he explains how he had a change heart and decided to stick with it and give the marathon another try. Braun led the Chicago Marathon for most of the first half so he explains what was going through his head with Kenyans on his heels. We also talk about his days as a runner at Adams State and how he compares it to the Kenya of the United States. Fun questions include his favorite Meb moment, balancing fatherhood with training and his Mt. Rushmore of Adams State runners. This week’s episode was brought to you by ROLL Recovery. The company was founded in Boulder, Colorado with one major goal: To design and build revolutionary products to help people recover faster and improve the quality of their life. They have thoughtfully designed products to keep you moving. Be happy. Be healthy. Check them out today. The photos and artwork for this episode were provided by Sarah Cotton, who is working on a documentary on NAZ Elite. Follow @oneeightythreepointfour on Instagram for updates on the film. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review.

We mix things up on the latest episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast by talking movies. Sarah Cotton, the former Georgetown distance runner turned filmmaker, joins the show to discuss her new film One Eighty Three Point Four. The film has been following the Northern Arizona Elite group in Flagstaff throughout their training for the fall marathon season. We discuss the state of running films, the process of making a film like this, her plans for other running projects going forward and much more. It's a behind-the-scenes look at one of the best running films that you'll see this year. Sarah has also started getting into trail running and recently won the Mt. Hood 50K. She gives a little insight into her balance into running and film making as well as shares a few recovery tips.  Fun topics in the podcast include casting the NAZ Elite training group with real life actors (Scott Fauble is a young Ron Howard) as well as what was left on the editing floor for the first episode. Follow @oneeightythreepointfour on Instagram for updates on the film. You can watch the first episode of 183.4 here: citiusmag.com/episode-1-one-eighty-three-point-four/ This week’s episode was brought to you by ROLL Recovery. The company was founded in Boulder, Colorado with one major goal: To design and build revolutionary products to help people recover faster and improve the quality of their life. They have thoughtfully designed products to keep you moving. Be happy. Be healthy. Check them out today at RollRecovery.com

Jordan Hasay raised a lot of eyebrows with her 2:20:57 for third place during Sunday's Chicago Marathon to become the second-fastest American woman of all time over 26.2. I spoke with Jordan Hasay at length on Thursday morning for a story on Sports Illustrated, which I highly recommend that you check out. We titled it "Jordan Hasay Is On Her Way To Becoming America’s Next Great Marathoner" and she proved us right! No SI curse there.  I decided to take the audio file of the interview and share it with you listeners because of how special that performance was. The story has pretty much all the best parts of the interview but there were a few tidbits and cool quotes that I didn't know where to fit into the post so it was left on the editing floor. There's a little bit on how she was recruited to join the Nike Oregon Project, how she deals with the pressure of expectations, how running is still fun for her after being a phenom for so many years + much more. I won't do this very often since I usually like to keep quotes that I didn't use in a notebook for future projects. Decided to make an exception here, so enjoy!

Stephen Kersh guest hosts this mini episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast to chat with Noah Droddy about his upcoming run at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. Back in March, Stephen wrote a Q&A with Droddy about his successful run at the New York City Half and what it meant for his future. Fast forward about seven months and here we are. He's now a sponsored runner. He's healthy and ready to throw down a good one in the Windy City.

In a special episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast, we turn the keys over to Scott Olberding. Ahead of Chris Derrick's debut marathon this weekend in Chicago, Scott sat down with the debutant to discuss his big race. Chris and Scott discuss Jerry's Secret Training Plan, CD's advice to run your best marathon, and whether he has *really* thought about how far 26.2 miles is to run. You'll also learn who his biggest role model is in the running community and who he has beat in a race that he is most proud of.

NAZ Elite distance runner and former Texas All-American Craig Lutz joined the show and discussed a wide variety of topics. Craig will be racing this weekend's Cow Harbor 10K but we decided to take it upon ourselves to congratulate him on his victory ahead of time. We discuss what it's like being one of the few people in his training group that's not gearing up for a fall marathon and knowing when the body is ready to move up to the 26.2 mile distance.  Craig will be focusing on the Rock 'N' Roll San Jose Marathon and so he shares his training for the race as well as how he approaches a 13-mile race mentally because it's not easy. Fun topics include the backstory behind LutzGrind, watching the hit Broadway show Hamilton, the Chicago Cubs. LetsRun comments and much more. He's got a very controversial answer about the best BBQ. This week’s episode was brought to you by ROLL Recovery. The company was founded in Boulder, Colorado with one major goal: To design and build revolutionary products to help people recover faster and improve the quality of their life. They have thoughtfully designed products to keep you moving. Be happy. Be healthy. Check them out today. The photos and artwork for this episode were provided by Sarah Cotton, who is working on a documentary on NAZ Elite. Follow @oneeightythreepointfour on Instagram for updates on the film. Here is a synopsis of Lutz’s recovery tips but listen to the episode for his in-depth answers: 1. Sleep. Wind it down in the evening and go to bed at an appropriate hour. What's happening after 10 p.m. on a normal night? Get sleep instead! If it's a sports headline. Figure it out in the morning.  2. Eat regularly with a couple main meals. Keep the metabolism moving. I'm big on smoothies.  3. Know your body and make sure to take care of the little intricacies. Don't be lazy with stretching or knowing when to limber up.  You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review.

Matt Llano, the 61-minute half marathoner and 2:12 marathoner, joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to follow up his training partner Scott Fauble with his own insight into Frankfurt Marathon prep. Llano was sixth at last year's Olympic Marathon Trials but has racing sparingly since due to a string of injuries. Just eight months ago, Llano was in a full body cast and crutches so he tells us how he managed to come back from scratch. Llano details the severeness of the injuries and learning how to take care of his body while also craving the hardest of workouts. Llano pays tribute to David Torrence, who he was scheduled to see before the indoor 1,000m American record holder passed away unexpectedly at the age of 31. Some fun topics toward the end of the show include quite a bit of Bachelor and Bachelorette talk, Brittney Spears running in HOKAs, gluten free cookies and more. PSA: He's willing to pay for footage of Josh Cox on the Bachelorette. This week’s episode was brought to you by ROLL Recovery. The company was founded in Boulder, Colorado with one major goal: To design and build revolutionary products to help people recover faster and improve the quality of their life. They have thoughtfully designed products to keep you moving. Be happy. Be healthy. Check them out today. The photos and artwork for this episode were provided by Sarah Cotton, who is working on a documentary on NAZ Elite. Follow @oneeightythreepointfour on Instagram for updates on the film. On this week’s episode, I giveaway a R3 foot roller so find out how to do that in the episode and join the prediction contest before Sunday’s 5th Avenue Mile. Here is a synopsis of Matt’s recovery tips but listen to the episode for his in-depth answers: 1. Sleep. You'll be amazed at how much sleep Llano can cram into a day with a very early bedtime and naps throughout the day. 2. Eat healthy and clean but sometimes you can indulge yourself with a couple treats. 3. It's important to prioritize little things if running is important to you. -Don't be afraid to sacrifice some elements of your social life to chase goals. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review.

Former Portland Pilot and NAZ Elite professional distance runner Scott Fauble joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to chat as he trains for his marathon debut at this fall's Frankfurt Marathon. We talk everything from transitioning into road racing, envisioning making the Olympics, burritos, a wild story about Woody Kincaid (Bowerman track club runner and host of the Price of A Mile Podcast) and much more. Fauble dissects the wild and carnage-filled Olympic Trials 10K, where he finished fourth overall. At the Olympic Trials, the top three with the standard head to the Olympics and despite note having the standard, Fauble still had mixed feelings about his fourth-place showing. He's since focused on the roads and has fared very well and set several personal bests. He breaks down his strengths as a racer and aiming for the highest-finish possible at events. This week's episode was brought to you by ROLL Recovery. The company was founded in Boulder, Colorado with one major goal: To design and build revolutionary products to help people recover faster and improve the quality of their life. They have thoughtfully designed products to keep you moving. Be happy. Be healthy. Check them out today. The photos and artwork for this episode were provided by Sarah Cotton, who is working on a documentary on NAZ Elite. Follow @oneeightythreepointfour on Instagram for updates on the film. On this week's episode, I giveaway a R3 foot roller so find out how to do that in the episode and join the prediction contest before Sunday's 5th Avenue Mile.

Northern Arizona Elite head coach Ben Rosario joins the CITIUS Mag Podcast to discuss his team's fall marathon plans, cross country, an upcoming documentary and much more.  Ben's been at the helm of NAZ since the group started in 2014. His athletes have seen success on the track and on the roads, especially in the marathon. Aaron Braun will kick things off at the Chicago Marathon. Scott Fauble, Matt Llano and Scott Smith will race the Frankfurt Marathon. Stephanie Bruce and Kellyn Taylor will take on the NYC Marathon. Ben Bruce will also race a marathon TBD. Ben runs down their hopes and goals for some of these races, provides insight into their training and shares some tips on recovery because that's important. This wee's episode was brought to you by ROLL Recovery. The company was founded in Boulder, Colorado with one major goal: To design and build revolutionary products to help people recover faster and improve the quality of their life. They have thoughtfully designed products to keep you moving. Be happy. Be healthy. Check them out today. Here is a synopsis of Ben's recovery tips but listen to the episode for his in-depth answers: Massage and be sure to listen to your body when it needs a break. Take care of those muscle groups. Sleep. Get as much as you can and you'll feel much better. Eliminate any time that you're wasting before bed to get some extra minutes.  Have a hobby outside of running. It helps to get your mind off things before you get overwhelmed with your running obsession. Bonus: Roll Recovery currently has a bundle deal! Save 15% on R3 and StretchMat (together) with code R3SMbundle Fun questions in the bell lap portion of the podcast include: Craziest workout witnessed in Flagstaff, his MLB coach comparison, most impressive observation from the trail running community and more. On this week's episode, I giveaway a R3 foot roller so find out how to do that in the episode and join the prediction contest.

CITIUS MAG staff writer Paul Snyder joins the podcast after I slept on his couch for 10 nights on a short little training/fun stint in Flagstaff, Arizona. Paul is one of the site's best writers and is best known for his article on "A Presidential Race: What if every U.S. president raced a 5K fun run?" or "7 “The O.C.” Memes Only Middling College Distance Runners Will Understand" He was once name-dropped by Malcolm Gladwell on Bill Simmons' podcast and he's been quoted in Competitor as the brain child behind the cult-phenomenon that has become the Blue Jeans Mile. Paul is a legend. Paul and I discussed how he arrived in Flagstaff, what his running aspirations are after competing at Columbia for four years, how he's found the writing side of running and much more. Paul was a teammate of Johnny Gregorek and Kyle Merber so there's some fun college stories shared there as well. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review.

Former Colorado Buffalo and two-time national champion Ammar Moussa recently chatted with the CITIUS MAG Podcast ahead of his blue jeans mile run at the Sir Walter Miler on Aug. 4. Ammar is one of the first contributors to come on-board with the site and he's developed a new kind of relationship with running since his competitive days on the track. He was a standout at Arcadia High School in California before heading to Boulder to run under Mark Wetmore. As a Buffalo, he won two national titles and finished fifth overall at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country National Championships. He's distanced himself from running a bit and now work in Washington D.C. with Rep. John Conyers Jr.  On the show, Ammar discusses his time running and training at Colorado, why anti-doping interests him as a topic to write about on the site and much more.  Colorado has a storied track and field history so Ammar tackles assembling a Mt. Rushmore of former Buffaloes. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review.

Kara Goucher joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast just days before she will receive her silver medal for finishing second at the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka. Goucher initially finished third behind Tirunesh Dibaba and Elvan Abeylegesse but re-testing of samples showed that Abeylegesse tested positive for performance-enhancing drug. Goucher will be upgraded to silver and Jo Pavey of Great Britain will get bronze. Goucher discusses the process of how she found out about the upcoming medal ceremony in London, whether she's seen any improvements within track and field's anti-doping policies. She also discusses her recent injuries after finishing fourth at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles. Tokyo 2020 is still three years away but hear her thoughts about those games as well. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review.

Citius Mag contributor and Sir Walter Miler race director Pat Price joins the show for a casual chat to discuss his field for next week's big race in Raleigh, North Carolina. A little on the Sir Walter Miler from the official website: "The Sir Walter Miler began due to lack of stateside races for American athletes. In June 2013, Sandy Roberts was coming his best collegiate season, and couldn’t find any meets, that weren’t in Europe, to continue his development. With this position, the “Sandman Mile” was created for Roberts to attempt a sub 4:00 mile with only his brother as the pacer. The event was promoted for only a few days, and would take place at the end of football practice, with the lights still on, at Cardinal Gibbons High School. Hundreds showed up and lined the track to cheer Roberts on. The next year, the Sir Walter Miler took that energy and developed it into a mile-centric event, which has only grown since." 17 sub-four minute miles have been run by men and nine sub-4:30's by women. The race has a pretty electric atmosphere that has set a tone for how a lot of races have started to operate within the U.S. Pat discusses a little bit of that history and tradition that has formed because of the race. We size up some of the elite fields and what to expect from the top stars like Craig Engels, Stephanie Garcia and many more. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review.

Amy Hastings-Cragg joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast just before heading off across the pond to compete at the 2017 IAAF World Championships marathon in London. Hastings-Cragg won last year's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and then finished ninth in the Olympic marathon in Rio de Janeiro. Soon after her race in Brazil, she chatted with coach Jerry Schumacher to discuss the possibility of chasing another medal at this year's world championships. In this week's episode, she discusses her transition into training under Schumacher with the Bowerman Track Club, taking a break after Rio but then kicking off 2017 with a half marathon PR, sharing a room with Desi Linden in college, what she would say if she had one question to ask Rita Jeptoo and much more. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. For information on how to win a Citius Mag t-shirt. Visit CitiusMag.com

It's rare that we see track and field stadiums packed with 50,000 to 60,000 fans for a meet when someone like Usain Bolt isn't competing but it happened over the weekend. At the 2017 IAAF U18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, fans shattered attendance records to watch the future stars of the sport. I wanted to know more about the atmosphere and feel at the stadium so I dialed up my good friend and fellow track and field journo Cathal Dennehy to discuss his experience at the championship. Cathal and I crossed paths when I first went out to Europe to cover the track circuit in 2013. As a freelancer writer, his work is everywhere from Runner's World, The Guardian, Run Blog Run, SPIKES and many other other places. He went viral on the internet with his "Depths of Hell" play-by-play call from an Irish championship and even made an appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show." You can find Cathal on Twitter: @Cathal_Dennehy The latest episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast is now up on iTunes. Subscribe and leave a five-star review.

Three-time U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein joined the CITIUS MAG Podcast just days after announcing that he has joined the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project and will be training under the guidance of Keith and Kevin Hanson in Michigan. Ritzenhein is now 34 years old but remains intent on trying to qualify for his fourth Olympic team in 2020. In this week's episode of the podcast, Ritzenhein discusses how different training is for him now that he's older, his key to longevity within the sport, lessons learned from coaches like Mark Wetmore, Alberto Salazar and Brad Hudson in his career, plus whether he thinks the more recent Colorado cross-country teams were better than the legendary 90s teams.

Two-time Olympian, six-time U.S. outdoor 800m champion and 2013 world championship silver medalist Nick Symmonds joined the show to discuss his retirement from the track, his plans for the Honolulu Marathon in December and reflecting on his career. Symmonds also discusses David Rudisha's dominance, his 0-12 record against the world record holder, a hypothetical all-time U.S. 800m race and when's the last time he ever ran in short shorts. All that and more in this week's episode of the Citius Mag Podcast. Subscribe on iTunes and leave a five-star review.

Kevin Liao and Chris Chavez share their initial thoughts on how Team USA looks on paper compared to last year's Olympic team and how the new squad may fare at the upcoming IAAF World Championships in London. Some of the topics discussed include... Thoughts on how a non-Olympic year, yields a changing-of-the-guard in certain events while others still have some veteran presence. Fred Kerley vs. Wayde Van Niekerk talk Paul Chelimo's solo 13:08 The return of Aries Merritt The women's 400m hurdles is a must-watch event at-last And much more... Subscribe on iTunes and leave a five-star review. This episode was dedicated in memory of Tyrone McGraw, who passed away after a battle with cancer.

Canadian Olympian and OTC Elite middle distance runner Sheila Reid joins the Citius Mag Podcast after hitting the world championship qualifying standard with her 4:07.07 victory at the USATF Middle Distance Classic. Reid ran at the same meet last year but then felt a twinge in her leg. Reid explains how it became a strain and bursitis that derailed her Olympic dreams of competing in Rio de Janeiro. Reid seriously considered leaving the sport but shares how she made the decision to continue through the 2020 Olympic cycle. Reid also shares her thoughts on the emergence of distance running in Canada, what her training situation is like with OTC and her cautious approach to 2017. Come for the training insight but stay for the Tinder talk as Reid also delves into some of the messages shoe gets and sends on the popular dating apps. The Citius Mag Podcast is available on iTunes so subscribe, leave a five-star review and then subscribe on your friend's phone.

Olympic Trials qualifier, world traveler and published author Becky Wade has joined the Citius Mag staff as a regular contributor. Wade's name first popped to many when she clocked a 2:30 at the 2013 CIM Marathon and qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials. She has most recently garnered attention as the author of Run the World: My 3,500-Mile Journey Through Running Cultures Around the Globe (HarperCollins, 2016), where she chronicles her one-year research of running cultures outside of the U.S. as part of her Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. The grant is awarded to 40 graduating seniors each year. Beck was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and currently lives in Boulder, Colorado. She attended Rice University and earned All-American honors on the track while studying history, psychology and sociology. Her success on the track continued as a professional when she qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 3,000m steeplechase, the 10,000 meters and the marathon. At the moment, she's in between marathons. She took third at the Houston Marathon earlier in the year and plans to run a fall marathon. She could also use the space on Citius Mag to chronicle her training. Fun fact about Becky: She is one of four Wade twins. She has a twin brother as well as an older brother and sister who are also twins and a grade older. We're super excited to bring Becky onboard. She's got some great ideas for fun content, which is what we're all about. She can hit on anything from tips for traveling runners, insight into the life of a professional runner and many stories that were left on the cutting room floor from her book. Nicole Bush and Jeanne Mack will be writing more for the site this summer and they could possibly team up for their own podcast. For now, take a listen to Becky's chat with Chris Chavez on the Citius Mag Podcast about her world travels and hopes for the site. The podcast is also available on iTunes. Subscribe and leave a five-star review.

Dr. Michael Joyner, a physiologist & expert in human performance at the Mayo Clinic, once published a paper noting that might be physiologically possible for an ideal human runner to run a marathon in under two hours and possibly 1:58. He's been getting calls all week about the sub-two hour marathon attempt that will be staged by Nike but we were able to catch him in between clinical work to pick his brain about the attempt. Joyner gives the Nike attempt a 10% to 15% chance of breaking two hours and he explains why. It's just a little short episode to wet the beak before the Breakin2 attempt. We'll have a full interview with Nike Oregon Track Club 1,500m specialist Pat Casey in the next few days.

The race walk isn't the sexiest part of track and field and Olympian John Nunn acknowledges that. For this week's Citius Mag Podcast, the three-time U.S. Olympian joined the show to spread some knowledge on how does someone go from running into walking, and the perception of doing so. Nunn touches on more topics like the loneliness of the race walker, Russian doping, free Olympic team spots and much more. There is a fantastic story about how he became friends with English Gardner and earned the respect of his USATF teammates. Check out the latest episode of the Citius Mag Podcast on Soundcloud. Subscribe on iTunes and leave a five-star review

On Friday evening, I was invited to be part of Tracksmith's panel discussing the future of the sport with Mary Wittenberg and Toni Reavis. It was moderated by Tracksmith's Matt Taylor Mary's got some interesting projects about the launch with Virgin Sport after a remarkable career with New York Road Runners. She discusses some of what she's been working on as well as her experience from the race management and development side of things. Toni's voice has been heard on countless marathon broadcasts and he can recite running history like no other. I'm there as the resident millennial and to shed some wisdom on the media side of things and where we see things going. Give the panel a listen and if you're in Boston, be sure to check out Tracksmith's new TrackHouse location at 285 Newbury St.. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Recommend it to a friend. Take their phone and leave a five-star review:

One of the biggest stories in running this week was Gary Robbins' near-miss at the 2017 Barkley Marathons, where he finished six seconds over the 60-hour cut-off time. It was later revealed that his finish may not have counted, if he had run under the time limit since he veered off the course and missed about two miles. Check out #BM100 on Twitter to see just how much people love this unique race. If you haven't watched the documentary on Netflix, please do so. A 100-mile race is crazy enough but there's many elements that make the Barkley Marathons special. John Kelly who finished with about 30 minutes to spare on Monday was just the 15th finisher in the race's history. Ultra runners Jamil Coury and Mike Wardian are good friends of the site and so we reached out to them to share their experience from the Barkley Marathons and their take on the finish. Jamil fell short of completing the Fun Run, which consists of three loops of the course. Mike was done by the first day. Mike is also best known for completing the seven marathons on seven continents in seven days earlier in the year. Subscribe on iTunes and leave a five-star review. Also: We will be at the 2017 Boston Marathon next weekend so let us know if you're interested in sponsoring the show. We will have several episodes live from Beantown. Email us at citiusmag@gmail.com

Fresh off coaching Karisa Nelson to an NCAA indoor mile title, Samford distance coach Pat McGregor joins the Citius Mag Podcast with Chris Chavez and Paul Snyder to discuss what it's like coaching at 26 years old. McGregor grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and then went on to run at the University of Texas under coach John Hayes. He enjoyed a short stint as a professional runner with the New Jersey-New York Track Club under coach Frank Gagliano. He credits Hayes and Gagliano for some of his coaching style. He also shares his favorite Gags memory on the show. While on the subject of coaches, McGregor shares his love for Alabama football coach Nick Saban. McGregor takes us through his career path toward coaching, what he does on a daily basis and what he told Nelson before her race. All that and more in the latest episode of the Citius Mag Podcast. You can listen on Soundcloud or subscribe on iTunes. This episode of the Citius Mag podcast was brought to you by ShoeKicker.com. If you're looking for your next pair of running shoes and want to save time on looking for the best deal, visit ShoeKicker.com. They find the best deal for that pair of shoes that you're looking for.

Molly Huddle is one of the most accomplished American distance runners in history and this weekend, I will lose to her in the New York City Half Marathon. Huddle and I caught up two weeks ago to discuss her plans for the race and the preparation ahead of her final track season. Last season was a marquee year for Huddle as she won the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials 5,000 and 10,000 before breaking Shalane Flanagan's 10,000m American record in the Olympic final. We discussed that strange race and how long it took her to process the results before bouncing back for her marathon debut. We also talk about her feelings toward the marathon and when we could expect her over 26.2 again. Check out the latest episode and subscribe on iTunes. This episode was brought to you by Shoekicker.com. Save some money and time while searching for your next pair of running shoes. Shoe Kicker scours the internet for the best deals and brings them all to you in one place.

U.S. Olympian and 2017 U.S. Indoor 600 meter champion Ajee Wilson joins the show to discuss her recent indoor season, training with Charlene Lipsey, her perspective of things in the Olympic Trials 800m final and a decision that may have saved her. Could we see her in a 1,500 some day. All that and more in the latest episode of The Citius Mag Podcast. This episode was brought to you by EducatedRunning.com and ShoeKicker.com. Subscribe on iTunes today.

Drew Hunter made headlines last year as the second U.S. high school runner to break four minutes indoors and then followed it up with a strong outdoor campaign before foregoing his NCAA eligibility to turn professional. Hunter joins the latest episode of the Citius Mag podcast to discuss what it's been like training across the country in the fall, how he came about the decision to turn professional, how much money is in his wallet and more. Subscribe on iTunes. (Pssst..Leave a five-star review) This week’s episode was brought to you by our friends at Educated Running.

On the latest episode of the Citius Mag Podcast, I am joined by Olympian Kate Grace to discuss her streak of personal bests in 2016 and 2017. She also discusses what it was like to have a front row seat into racing Caster Semenya in Rio and most recently Laura Muir in Birmingham. Kate shares some insight into how she's come about these personal bests and how she views herself going into races. Before all her races, she has a meditation routine and does a few breathing exercises that she shares with listeners. She answers a few listener questions as well. All that and more in the latest episode of the Citius Mag podcast. Subscribe on iTunes. (Pssst..Leave a five-star review) This week's episode was brought to you by our friends at Educated Running and Shoe Kicker.

Donn Cabral joins the Citius Mag Podcast ahead of New Jersey-New York Track Club's attempt at breaking the 4xMile world record. Hear Donn's thoughts on how it could go down and how he got roped into the attempt. We also touch on Donn's two Olympic games and how differently he feels about his performances at each. You asked a few questions on Twitter and Instagram so I passed them along to Donn to answer. All that and more in the latest Citius Mag podcast. Now available on iTunes. Subscribe and catch the latest episode on your iPhone or iPad as soon as it drops. (This episode was brought to you by Shoekicker.com)

2016 U.S. Olympian Robby Andrews joins the show as a blizzard ravages the East Coast. Chris and Robby reflect on everything from the 2016 Olympics - from the Opening Ceremonies (snapping a pic with Carmelo Anthony) to the 1,500m D.Q. The episodes also touches on his training in New Jersey and other fun questions in the bell lap segment. (This episode was brought to you by ShoeKicker.com)

Welcome to the Citius Mag podcast. Every week Chris Chavez will chat with a member of the running community whether it's athletes, coaches and writers for a free-flowing conversation on their respective careers on and off the track. Subscribe on iTunes or however you get your podcasts today!