The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show

Fresh off his third place finish in the 5000m at the World Ultimate Championships, Parker Wolfe joins Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber to reflect on his first full year as a professional runner, from staying healthy and consistent for nearly the entire season to racing the best athletes in the world and learning how to put himself in the right position when the stakes are highest.

We get into what changed for Parker after leaving the NCAA, including the more individualized strength and PT work with Swoosh TC and how being surrounded by teammates who are running fast has pushed everyone to another level. Parker also breaks down the long-term approach he learned from Coach Milt, his transition to Mike Smith, and why he believes there’s still more room to improve.

Parker also takes us inside some of his biggest races of the season, including the tactical decisions that went into the World Ultimate Championships 5K, his growing confidence racing up front, and the race videos he watches to learn the tactics of his competitors. Plus, we talk about his plans to get into more 1500s next year, his dream of racing the London Diamond League 1500m, and why he thinks becoming a better 1500m runner could be the key to becoming one of the best 5K runners in the world.

We also talk about the 2028 Olympic Trials, racing alongside a stacked group of American 5K talent, and whether Parker is already thinking about what could be next.

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Stay tuned for more live coverage from the World Ultimate Championships in the days to come and make sure you’re subscribed to the ⁠⁠CITIUS MAG YouTube channel ⁠⁠so you don’t miss any of our interviews. Follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠, and subscribe to the ⁠⁠CITIUS MAG Newsletter⁠⁠ to receive our daily recaps.

We recap the historic opening day of the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship, track and field's newest global meet, with a $10 million prize pool that World Athletics is calling the richest in the history of the sport.

The biggest headlines:

- Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the men's 5000m in 12:59.24, going from fourth to first in the last 200 meters to beat Cole Hocker on his return to the 5000m. Hocker took silver in his first race at the distance since winning the 2025 World title. Parker Wolfe finished third. Nico Young was fifth. Grant Fisher sixth. Graham Blanks seventh. Five Americans in the top seven of a global 5000m final. It happened one week after Jakob and Hocker exchanged public words following the Diamond League Final.

- Masai Russell won the women's 100m hurdles in 12.22 — two weeks after lowering the world record to 12.09 at the Zurich Diamond League. She's now on a 13-meet win streak dating back to placing fourth at the 2025 World Championships. Training partner Devynne Charlton was second for Bahamas.

- Ja'Kobe Tharp added an Ultimate Championship title to his world record in the 110m hurdles, running 12.94 to edge 2025 World champion Cordell Tinch by one hundredth. The US took the top four spots in the men's 110m hurdles final even without Grant Holloway, who has been out all season with a March hamstring injury.

- The US won the mixed 4x100m relay (Ronnie Baker, Anavia Battle, Courtney Lindsey, Kayla White) in 39.64 — two hundredths off the world record Jamaica set at the World Relays in May. The mixed relay debuts at the World Championships in 2027 and at the LA Olympics in 2028.

- Mondo Duplantis cleared 6.20m to win the pole vault, then took three attempts at 6.32m in a bid for his 16th world record. Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the women's high jump to become the first athlete ever to hold Olympic gold, World Championship gold, world record, and Ultimate Championship gold simultaneously. Italy's Larissa Iapichino took the women's long jump for the biggest win of her career. Germany's Merlin Hummel won the men's hammer throw.

- Plus prelims for Saturday's finals: 2025 World champion Collen Kebinatshipi of Botswana, Rai Benjamin, Chris Bailey, and Jacory Patterson all qualified for the men's 400m final. Marileidy Paulino led all women's 400m qualifiers. Rai Benjamin will race both the 400m final and the 400m hurdles semifinals on Saturday in what is one of the boldest double-events attempts of the year. All of the women's 800m favorites — Keely Hodgkinson, Audrey Werro, Femke Broeders-Bol — made Saturday's final.

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Stay tuned for more live coverage from the World Ultimate Championships in the days to come and make sure you’re subscribed to the ⁠⁠CITIUS MAG YouTube channel ⁠⁠so you don’t miss any of our interviews. Follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠, and subscribe to the ⁠⁠CITIUS MAG Newsletter⁠⁠ to receive our daily recaps.

Wallace Spearmon joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast live from Budapest to talk all things World Ultimate Championships, USATF, and the current state of the sport.

The former world medalist breaks down the new 200m lane draft, why he’d happily take an outside lane, what Kenny Bednarek’s lane choice says about his race strategy, and why having the best athletes in the world all in one place could make for some of the most competitive rounds we’ve seen. He also shares what it was like competing in an era with “off years,” how the business of professional track has changed, and why he believes athletes today have more freedom to show their personalities.

Wallace also gets into the entertainment side of track and field, from Noah Lyles’ willingness to stir things up to Sha’Carri Richardson’s unapologetic personality, the rivalries brewing across the sport and why track could benefit from embracing a little more trash talk.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about competition, personalities, rivalries, storytelling and where track and field is headed as we look toward LA 2028.

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Stay tuned for more live coverage from the World Ultimate Championships in the days to come and make sure you’re subscribed to the ⁠CITIUS MAG YouTube channel ⁠so you don’t miss any of our interviews. Follow along on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, and subscribe to the ⁠CITIUS MAG Newsletter⁠ to receive our daily recaps.

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber are coming at you live from Budapest with Team USA relay coach and 400m legend Jeremy Wariner. The Olympic and world champion looks back on his legendary career, from winning Olympic gold at just 20 years old to becoming one of the most dominant 400m runners of his generation.

Jeremy gets into his race strategy, the brutal workouts that told him he was ready to run fast, racing alongside LaShawn Merritt, and why he never really needed to train for the 200m despite making U.S. Championship finals. He also breaks down how the 400m has evolved, whether modern spikes and technology would have made him faster, and what he thinks of the current crop of 400m stars, including Quincy Wilson and Rai Benjamin.

Now a high school coach and member of Team USA’s relay staff, Jeremy also shares what he has learned from his longtime coach Clyde Hart, how he approaches coaching young athletes, and what it’s like managing rivalries and egos when athletes have to put everything aside to get the stick around.

Plus, we get his thoughts on the growing mixed relays, Team USA’s battle with Botswana heading toward the 2028 Olympics, his Olympic medals and collection of glasses and uniforms, and whether he could still throw down a 400m if Team USA desperately needed him in 2028.

There are also stories about dodging golf balls during practice, running 43-second 400s in workouts, and the one time he ran an 800m.

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Stay tuned for more live coverage from the World Ultimate Championships in the days to come and make sure you’re subscribed to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of our interviews. Follow along on Instagram, X, and subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter to receive our daily recaps.

Let the grand experiment begin!

The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships, first announced in 2024, are finally upon us and the streets of Budapest are full of track and field fans looking forward to three jam-packed days of action.

Small, high-quality fields have been selected using a combination of world rankings and wild card selections, and the straight-final format (with no rabbits!) promises intriguing results. All year, rivalries have been created, reignited, or grown in intensity during a roller-coaster summer season, and for many, if not most, big stars, the WUC will be the final chapter in the 2026 storybook.

We'll have boots on the ground in Hungary delivering live coverage, athlete interviews, and analysis in daily post-meet live shows. Make sure you’re subscribed and tuned in to the CITIUS YouTube channel as well as following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky for updates.

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Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia are back to break down all the highlights from the Diamond League final in Brussels last weekend.

Discussed in this episode:

– Men’s 1500m: Cam Myers wins in 3:30 as the first Australian to win a Diamond League distance title. The race has been somewhat overshadowed by everything that followed it. Myers was boxed in behind Jakob and Phanuel Koech with 100 meters to go, found a gap when Koech drifted to lane two, and had the fastest final 100 of the field (12.8).

– The controversy: In the mixed zone, Jakob Ingebrigtsen called the field — including himself — losers. He was specifically critical of Cole for bringing in a faster pacer (Christian Jackson) with a promise of 3:27 pace, and then nobody getting on it.

– What happened next: Jakob later posted a partial apology and called his field of cowards comment wrong, but stood by his criticism of Cole and his team. This entire controversy is exactly why there should be no pacemakers at the Diamond League final.

– Josh Kerr’s response: He waited a day, then posted himself running a 48.41 400m on Instagram with no context. His 3:42 world record and 1:44 800m shape from earlier this year makes him the clear favorite in Budapest.

– Collen Kebinatshipi: Ran 43.40 to win the men’s 400m for his third Diamond League record of the season. Six Diamond Leagues, six wins, and five sub-44s for the most ever in a single season.

– Emmanuel Wanyonyi won the men’s 800m for his fourth consecutive Diamond League title and ninth career sub-1:42.

– Women’s steeple: Faith Cherotich ran 8:51 for her third Diamond League title. Doris Lemngole ran 8:52 for her third PB in four races and no. 6 all-time, beating Peruth Chemutai and Winfred Yavi.

– 110m hurdles: Ja'Kobe Tharp won in 13.03. Cordell Tinch went down hard after clipping a hurdle. He posted afterward confirming no injury and cleared for Budapest.

– Men’s 100m: Oblique Seville won in 9.90. He’s the World Ultimates favorite now that Noah Lyles has ended his season due to his injury from USAs.

– Women’s 800m: Audrey Werro wins in 1:54.75, Femke Bol second in 1:54.81. Werro's undefeated season survives by six hundredths. Werro went out in 25.9, slightly paid for it in the close (29.8), but still held off Femke’s improving kick.

– Women’s 1500m: Klaudia Kazmierska ran 3:54.05 for the world lead and her first Diamond League title. She took the lead at 200 to go and closed in 29.5. A year ago her PB was 3:59.

– Men’s 5K: Berhanu Balew wins in 12:45 for a two second personal best. Graham Blanks placed fifth in a PB of 12:47. Nico Young took sixth in a season’s best 12:48.

+ More results from Brussels.

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OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ALTRA: The new Vanish Carbon 3 was built for race day. A patent-pending split-toe carbon plate delivers the rigidity you need for speed while letting the big toe engage in a more powerful way. Underneath it, a supercritical two-piece full PEBA foam — Altra’s lightest and most responsive ever. And Altra’s Racing FootShape leaves room for your toes to splay and generate power. Don’t just run. Vanish. ⁠⁠⁠Head to ⁠⁠AltraRunning.com⁠⁠ and use code CITIUS10 for 10% off your first purchase.

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2.

The Brussels Diamond League final is coming up, World Ultimate Championships in Budapest is in nine days, and the season is headed toward its conclusion. Preet went from Zurich to Bellinzona for the last qualifying weekend, interviewed Coach Laurent Mewly (Femke Broeders-Bol's coach), and is heading to Brussels tomorrow.

Discussed in this episode:

– Nadia Battocletti runs 3:57 at Bellinzona — Italian 1500m national record. Her range of personal bests across the 1500m, 5K, and 10K is comparable to Hellen Obiri.

– Gracie Morris — moves from Puma to Mike Smith's Swoosh TC group: Preet spoke to her in Bellinzona. She explained that the Puma group has become increasingly marathon-oriented (with Dorcas Ewoi as the one 1500m athlete staying). Morris didn’t want to wait for that transition, so she moved to Mike Smith and started doing double threshold.
– Sabastian Sawe withdraws from the Berlin Marathon due to a stress fracture in his right tibia: This eliminates any remaining fall marathon options. Valencia, where Yomif Kejelcha will attempt to go sub-2 again, is off the table. This is Sawe’s second injury in 2026 (he was dealing with something coming into London but recovered in time).

– Sydney Marathon results — second year as an Abbott World Major: Adisu Gobena wins the men’s race in 2:04:42, breaking the course record. He’s 21 years old, debuted at 19 in Dubai, and previously beat Conner Mantz at the Houston Half. Peres Jepchirchir wins the women’s race in 2:18:31 by nearly four minutes.

– Athlos NYC — canceled: Statement from Alexis Ohanian cited athlete feedback. Laurent Meuwly posted a pointed response on Twitter: athletes who prioritized their welfare by declining lost the chance to compete at the London date too (because participation was tied to both), and that the realization came very late.

+ Brussels Diamond League Final preview.

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ALTRA: The new Vanish Carbon 3 was built for race day. A patent-pending split-toe carbon plate delivers the rigidity you need for speed while letting the big toe engage in a more powerful way. Underneath it, a supercritical two-piece full PEBA foam — Altra’s lightest and most responsive ever. And Altra’s Racing FootShape leaves room for your toes to splay and generate power. Don’t just run. Vanish. ⁠⁠Head to ⁠⁠AltraRunning.com⁠⁠ and use code CITIUS10 for 10% off your first purchase.

Preet Majithia takes over the CITIUS MAG Podcast in today's episode to sit down with Laurent Meuwly, the head coach for sprints, hurdles, and relays at the Dutch Olympic Training Centre in Papendal.

He’s been with the Dutch program since 2019, and the group he has built includes Femke Broeders-Bol, Lieke Klaver, and Nadine Visser, along with a rotating cast of international athletes, including world indoor 400m champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel and Australian sprint star Torrie Lewis.

Under his guidance, Dutch relay teams have become a dominant force on the world stage, and his athletes have collected world titles, Olympic medals, and European and national records across the flat 400, the 400 hurdles, and now, in Femke’s first season of competition at the distance, the 800m.

When Femke Broeders-Bol made the decision to move up to the 800 this season, it was Laurent who had already been thinking about this moment since he first started working with her. He actually talked her out of making the switch a year earlier. She wanted to go right after the Paris Olympics. He convinced her to stay in the 400 hurdles for one more season, win a second world title, and leave that chapter on a high note.

Then came the transition. This interview was done one day after Femke ran 1:54.71, putting her within the top 10 on the all-time 800m list.

Laurent is candid about everything: what he kept from Femke’s 400m hurdles training and what he changed, why her mileage stays around 60 kilometers a week, the mental adjustment of still being only halfway through the race after one full lap, and why the world record conversation will eventually shift from who breaks it to conversations about 1:52.

Everyone’s been interested in the Femke 800m transition, and we’ve got the inside scoop here.

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠

ALTRA: The new Vanish Carbon 3 was built for race day. A patent-pending split-toe carbon plate delivers the rigidity you need for speed while letting the big toe engage in a more powerful way. Underneath it, a supercritical two-piece full PEBA foam — Altra’s lightest and most responsive ever. And Altra’s Racing FootShape leaves room for your toes to splay and generate power. Don’t just run. Vanish. ⁠Head to ⁠⁠AltraRunning.com⁠⁠ and use code CITIUS10 for 10% off your first purchase.

“Running doesn’t want you to suffer. Running wants you to feel great and powerful. It’s just that we’re humans.”

My guest for today’s episode is Coach Chris Bennett — Nike Running Global Head Coach, voice behind hundreds of guided runs on the Nike Run Club app, and now first-time author. His debut book is called *This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running.* — a title he decided on in 2007 when he adopted the mantra while coaching high school cross country at Christian Brothers Academy in New Jersey.

Coach Bennett is one of the most distinctive voices in running because of the way he thinks about what running actually is and what it’s actually for. He’s a tremendous storyteller. In this one you’ll hear him tell the stories of he started off in coaching by sending cold emails to his old high school every year asking about a coaching job and kept sending them for nine straight years, expecting a no each time. Why he gets to mile 22 of marathon courses because that’s where doubt creeps in and nobody’s carrying you anymore, but he’s there to see people triumph. I’ve loved hearing him talk about how he watched Joan Benoit Samuelson win the 1984 Olympic marathon when he was a kid and it changed his life. He’s spent years telling abbreviated versions of that story before finally getting to put the whole thing on paper.

Now he’s done it. The book has almost no numbers in it. Instead, the cornerstone of his philosophy is that the goal of coaching is to eventually make yourself unnecessary as a coach. You work your way down until the athlete doesn’t need you anymore. By the end of the book, he wants you to need him less.

In this conversation, we get into a lot. We pick up from his last appearance on the show in 2020 on why the COVID running boom is structurally different from every previous one and why it didn’t end. He makes the case against screaming coaches and the phrase “no regrets.” He shares why he says “you’re going to suck less” instead of “you’re going to get better”.

I ask what surprised him in the recording studio when he went to narrate the chapters about heartbreak. I also give him my review of the book and I hope he ends up using it on the Amazon page for it. You can buy a copy of it by following the link here. Support running books. Support the sport.

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

ALTRA: The new Vanish Carbon 3 was built for race day. A patent-pending split-toe carbon plate delivers the rigidity you need for speed while letting the big toe engage in a more powerful way. Underneath it, a supercritical two-piece full PEBA foam — Altra’s lightest and most responsive ever. And Altra’s Racing FootShape leaves room for your toes to splay and generate power. Don’t just run. Vanish. Head to ⁠AltraRunning.com⁠ and use code CITIUS10 for 10% off your first purchase.

Emergency podcast with Chris Chavez, Mac Fleet, and Anderson Emerole after the Zurich Diamond League produced two world records in the hurdles within 40 minutes of each other.

– Alison dos Santos, 45.80 — men’s 400m hurdles world record: Takes 0.14 seconds off Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 from the Tokyo Olympic final — one of the most celebrated marks in the sport. Karsten was in the race to defend his own record and finished second in 46.69 — still among the fastest ever run and nowhere near enough.

– Masai Russell, 12.09 — women’s 100m hurdles world record, 40 minutes later: Takes 0.03 off Tobi Amusan’s 12.12, with zero wind, and Amusan in the race (Amusan finishes second in a season’s best 12.23).

– Parker Wolfe wins the men’s 3000m — American go 1-2 with Graham Blanks: Parker’s first Diamond League victory. Mac breaks down his style versus Cole Hocker’s. The Diamond League final might not suit Parker’s kick-dependent style, but he's a factor in a tactical World Ultimate 5000m final.

– Cole Hocker wins the men’s 1500m in 3:31.71: 8th American to win a Diamond League distance race this year.

– Women’s 800m — Audrey Werro wins in 1:53.70: Third fastest performance of all time. She let Femke Bol take the lead after the break, came to pass her around 300m out, Femke extended her arm and held her spot briefly, then Werro’s closing speed just overwhelmed the field.

– The World Ultimate picture: Qualifying window closes Monday.

____________

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OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, and Preet Majithia are back with lots to unpack, including two Diamond Leagues, a half marathon world record, a robot, a Rupp record, and breaking news at the end of the episode.

Discussed in this episode:

– Yomif Kejelcha, 56:51 half marathon world record, Buenos Aires: Cuts 21 seconds off Jacob Kiplimo’s 57:20 from Lisbon in March (note: the Lisbon run hasn’t been formally ratified yet either). Kejelcha’s splits: 13:45 through 5K, 27:19 through 10K (19 seconds off world record pace), then he turns it on: 13:22 for 10K-to-15K, closes the final kilometer in 2:32.

– Silesia men’s 1500m — Ethan Strand wins in 3:30, 11th to first: Cole Hocker third (3:31.17, first race since Pre Classic, seven weeks off), Jakob Ingebrigtsen fourth (3:31.19, ten days after winning the European 5K), Phanuel Koech second (3:31.14). Splits: 1:50.4 last 800, 54.3 last lap, 26.4 last 200 (13.2/13.2 for Ethan). Strand ran wide in lane two for much of the race, avoided the traffic that boxed Cole and Jakob, and had a clear line in the final 100.

– Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s return to the 1500: Ten days since Europeans. Ran to the front from 600 to go, accelerated sharply in 13.7 for that section, closed at a level that wasn’t far off Ethan.

– World Athletics Seb Coe Super Invites — Budapest 1500 expands to 13: Both Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen confirmed. World Athletics broke their own rule because the matchup was too good to keep from fans.

– Silesia women’s 1500m — Tsigie Duguma wins in 3:55.06 (world lead, PB): Goes from fifth to first in the final 100 meters with her trademark last-50 burst.

– Lausanne 5000m — Americans go 2-3-4: Birhanu Balew wins in 12:57. Parker Wolfe second in 12:58.2, Nico Young third in 12:58.3, Graham Blanks fourth in 12:59.16. Parker Wolfe is the best American 5K runner right now.

– Lausanne men’s 800m — Wanyonyi wins in 1:42, first DL 800 victory of the year: Marco Arop went through 400 in 49.1 — deliberately trying to set up a world record attempt (Rudisha’s split was 49.2).

– Lausanne women’s 800m — Audrey Werro wins in 1:55.33, Femke Bol second in 1:55.41: Femke sets a new Dutch national record (tying, then surpassing Ellen van Langen’s 1992 Olympic final mark).

– Silesia women’s 100m — Melissa Jefferson-Wooden wins, 10.78: Extends unbeaten 100m streak to 10 races.

– Rai Benjamin confirms the double at World Ultimate: Flat 400 on day one, 400H semis and final on days two and three.

– The robot: Lightning, a humanoid robot built by smartphone maker Honor, ran 9.32 at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing — breaking Bolt’s world record of 9.58.

– Galen Rupp, 61:29 at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon: US 40+ record. Ninth place overall. Fastest half he’s run in six years.

– Looking ahead: Zurich Diamond League Thursday. Diamond League final in Brussels September 4-5. World Ultimate Championships September 11-13.

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“I’d rather do a race than a time trial as my first marathon. I went to New York during my off season last year just to see how it was. I got to feel the atmosphere and I was like: yeah, I want to do this.”

My guest for today’s episode is Andreas Almgren, who is the newly-minted European 10,000m champion and soon-to-be a first-time marathoner. On November 1st he will run the New York City Marathon for his debut at the distance.

He’s had a great past 12 months with four European records in that span: the 10K road in Valencia in January at 26:45 (puts him sixth on the world all-time list); the half marathon last October in 58:41 (the first European under 59 minutes); World Championships bronze in Tokyo last September, where he finished 0.25 seconds off gold; and a 5000m European record of 12:44 last outdoor season. He’s one of the best in the world right now.

Andreas is 31. He grew up in Sweden playing wing-back at AIK, one of the biggest clubs in the Nordics, and only turned to running full-time after recurring injuries ended that path at 18. He won World U20 bronze in the 800m in Eugene in 2014 and looked like Sweden’s next great middle-distance runner — then spent four years with stress fractures, a broken navicular, a sacral stress fracture, missing more than he raced.

In 2019, sitting on a stationary bike during rehab for that sacral fracture, he watched his friend Kalle Berglund make a world championship 1500m final using double threshold training. He copied it. He has been going up in distance ever since, and every time he steps up, he runs faster. He has been working toward the marathon for a while now.

We dive into why he picked New York over Valencia, how his double threshold system has evolved over the last seven years, what it took to stay healthy the past two years, the training he is doing for the marathon right now and much more.

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VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Chris and Kyle reunite for a European Championships wrap up that includes the women’s 800m race everyone came to Birmingham for, Jakob’s comments on Josh Kerr, Amy Hunt’s four gold medals, Andreas Almgren’s 10K performance and more.

Discussed in this episode:

– Audrey Werro wins the women’s 800m in 1:54.81 — a 44-year-old championship record: The race everyone wanted. Hodgkinson takes the front after the first bend, Werro goes wide on the back straight and takes the lead at 300m. First lap 56.45, 29.2 through 600, Werro opens the gap off the final turn, Hodgkinson closes half a meter — and that’s it. It is the only two sub-1:54 performances since the 1980s. Keely takes silver in 1:55.01 — also under the old record. No one else was within three seconds. Werro’s season: won all six outdoor races, PB from 1:55.91 to 1:53.80, four of the five fastest times in the world this year.

– The semi controversy: Werro was clipped from behind and fell late in Thursday’s semi, hit the rail, was limping afterward. Officials correctly advanced her to the final. A lot of people argued she got a free semi and that argument is wrong.

– On writing off Keely: That’s an overreaction. She set an indoor world record and an outdoor PB this season. She hasn’t been off a major podium in 12 straight championships.

– The Femke Factor: 1:55.54 for bronze ties Ellen van Langen’s 34-year-old Dutch record from the 1992 Olympic final. She was the only athlete in the field to PB.

– Jakob Ingebrigtsen says athletes skipping championships are “ruining” the sport: Three days after winning the European 5K in his first race in 11 months, Jakob told the BBC he was “very” disappointed Josh Kerr skipped the European Championships. His argument: championships exist so the best athletes compete, it’s not really for athletes to choose where they participate, and not showing up damages the sport.

+ More from European Championships including Georgia Hunter-Bell wins the European 1500m — her third major title of 2026: 4:07.78 in a slow, tactical final, gliding clear. Klaudia Kązmierska silver (4:08.80), Patricia Silva bronze (4:09.22) + Amy Hunt sweeps four golds: 100m, 200m, 4x100m, mixed 4x100m — an unprecedented haul.

– 2028 US Olympic Trials: Hayward Field, June 17-22, six days: USATF confirmed Hayward Field for the sixth straight Trials. The bigger story is the format: six days, no rest days, the shortest Trials since 1964. Every Trials from 1992-2024 ran ten days. Why: SoFi Stadium is hosting both the July 14 opening ceremony and swimming, so LA28 flipped the calendar. Track runs July 15-24.

____________

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VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

The hardest part of marathon training is finding the time to marathon train. It depends who you are, but that excuse often works for me. Life is busy and there are plenty of reasons to be content with an easy 5-mile run before work each day, though do that for six months and you quickly realize that rather than progressing the fitness just continues to erode.

Looking for some new motivation to get me out the door this summer, I decided that it was time to do another fall marathon. Nike approached CITIUS MAG and asked whether anyone on our team was interested in running this year’s race. I decided it was finally time to do the Chicago Marathon. Having done three marathons before, I have learned that each one comes with a new curriculum of education. Experience is valuable and that’s why I am going to be leaning in on arguably the greatest distance runner in American history, Galen Rupp, to help guide my training.

In addition to having won two Olympic medals, Rupp also has a Chicago Marathon title to his name. Those are better accolades than mine, which is a 2:26 from the 2025 Houston Marathon. I’m hoping that with Galen in my corner to write workouts and give some regular advice that I can get that down.

This is the initial consultation. Galen comes in cold on my training history. We work through a full marathon training philosophy and discuss: consistent mileage as the foundation of marathon training, the role of cross training, long run structure/distance, the two-week training block model, why I need to train my endurance more than my speed, the shoe rotation philosophy, Chicago’s pancake flat profile requiring no specific course prep, nutrition and gut training starting now, age and recovery at 35 vs. 40, the mental work of logging each session’s goals and reflecting after, and lastly the goal.

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Kyle’s Recent Training:

May 25 — 5 x 1,000m @ 3:20 (5:22/mile pace)

May 30 — 5K in 17:30 (5:38/mile pace)

June 2 — 5 x 1,200m @ 3:58 (5:19/mile pace)

June 9 — 10 x 800m @ 2:45 (5:32/mile pace)

June 13 — 5 x 1 mile @ 5:17

June 16 — 3 x 2 miles @ 5:20/mile

June 19 — 8 x 1,000m @ 3:18 (5:19/mile pace)

July 1 — 7 x 1,200m @ 3:59 (5:21/mile pace)

July 5 — 15 miles easy

July 7 — 2 x 3 miles @ 5:26/mile

July 10 — 15 miles, with 6 miles alternating @ 5:53 average

July 13 — 10 x 30-second hills + 10 x 300m @ 53 seconds (4:44/mile pace)

July 17 — 10 x 1,000m @ 3:17 (5:17/mile pace)

July 19 — 16 miles, with 4 x 2 miles @ 5:50/mile

July 21 — 4 miles @ 5:26/mile, then 3 x 1 mile @ 5:18

July 26 — 18 miles, with 8 miles @ 5:40/mile

July 30 — 5 x (2K @ 5:26 pace // 1K @ 6:19 pace)

Aug. 2 — 20 miles @ 6:28/mile

Aug. 5 — 3 x 3 miles @ 5:21/mile

Weekly mileage: A six-week progression from 62 miles to 72.

____________

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VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

“Without that disappointment — could he have recalibrated, adapted, and trained as hard ashe did for the record? Sometimes our biggest disappointment becomes our biggest inspiration.”

My guest for today’s episode is Jose Maresma — clinical exercise physiologist, sport psychologist, and the mental performance coach behind Josh Kerr’s mile world record. If you listened to our conversation with Josh or Danny Mackey over the last few weeks, you heard his name come up repeatedly — the whiteboard in Albuquerque, the instructions on race morning, 'what if it was easy.' Jose was the person on the other end of all of it.

Jose has been working in performance psychology for 35 years, across Olympic sports, professional athletics, special forces, law enforcement, and corporate leadership. He started in the world of metabolic development, alpine ski racing, the Olympic Training Center, and kept running into the same bottleneck: the mind.

His connection to Josh started not with Josh but with Josh’s wife, Larimar. She attended a talk Jose gave to scholar-athletes heading into medical school in 2019, came up afterward, and two years later texted him: my boyfriend is preparing for the Olympics — would you be open to working with him? Jose invited Josh to a cold plunge session the next morning. Ice pool, pickaxe, 32 degrees, dark outside. Josh dove in. Five years of work followed.

In this conversation Jose walks us through all of it — the hero’s journey framework he built their relationship around, why he had Josh write 3:42 on dozens of pages with a blue pen, the 222-second cold plunge and what it was designed to do at a cellular level, what actually happens neurologically when an athlete goes deaf in a race, how the pacers were prepared with their own mental work, and more. He also closes with what any recreational runner heading into a weekend 5K can actually steal from all of this.

You can find Jose on Instagram at @josevo2max or visit his website for more information on his work at the link here.

____________

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VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia are back at it with Preet coming to us live from the European Championships media center in Birmingham.

Discussed in this episode:

– Jakob Ingebrigtsen wins the European 5K in 13:15: First race in 11 months following surgery on the sheath around his left Achilles in February. At one point he was three seconds off the front in what appeared to be a dangerously strung-out single-file race. Nobody made it hard for him — a tactical mistake by the field.

– What’s next for Jakob: He’s entered in the Silesia Diamond League (announced this morning). He’s also confirmed for the Zurich Diamond League, where he’ll face Cole Hocker and Isaac Nader. The World Ultimate Championship 1500m path has also been clarified.

– European Championships women’s 800m heats — possibly the fastest in major championships history. Keely Hodgkinson leads from the front in Heat 1, clocks 1:57.28 looking completely in control. Audrey Werro and Femke Bol also advance. Semis: August 13th. Final: Friday August 14th at 9:46 PM UK time.

– Other events to watch: Women’s 1500: Georgia Hunter Bell is the heavy favorite; Men’s 1500: Isaac Nader vs. Jake Wightman rematch; Men’s 800: Mark English has every European medal except gold; Men’s 10K: Gressier vs. Almgren + more.

– European Championships stadium attendance concerns?

– World Championships 2029 bids: Final bid presentations happening this Friday. Cities: London, Nairobi, Rome, Munich. Decision expected in September, possibly at the World Ultimate Championships.

– US Olympic Trials 2028 — six-day format: Documentation is now out.

– Jonah Koech — three-year ban for blood doping: USADA (not the AIU, notably) announced that Koech has accepted a three-year ban after his Athlete Biological Passport returned an adverse passport finding. He is stripped of his 2025 US 1500m national title. Ethan Strand is elevated to champion.

– Guardian Mile stroller mile world record — Steven Biebelhausen, 4:17.7: Set at the Guardian Mile in Cleveland on Saturday on the Memorial Bridge.

– U20 World Championships — top performances: Emmanuel Kiprono, 7:28 men’s 3K: Championship record. Missed Yomif Kejelcha’s U20 world record by 0.09 seconds; Tate Taylor, triple gold; Claire Stegall, women’s 1500m silver + more.

– Coming up: Full European Championships recap next week. Falmouth road race this weekend.

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia are back to put a bow on the Commonwealth Games, preview what Josh Kerr does next, assess Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s return, dig into the road to World Ultimate Championships, preview U20 Worlds in Eugene, and cover several news stories that got buried.

– The Commonwealth Games and its future: Glasgow stepped in as last-minute host after Victoria, Australia pulled out in 2023 citing runaway costs. The result: a smaller-scale games (ten sports instead of the usual 17-18, no road races or triathlon). The core value of the Games — small island nations competing on a multi-sport stage, home nations competing as Scotland/Wales/England/Northern Ireland rather than GB, a stepping stone between junior and Diamond League levels — remains intact.

– Men’s mile: Josh Kerr gold, 3:54.12: Josh got boxed at 450 out and had to force his way clear, covering extra distance in the process. None of it mattered. His final lap: 53.61. Won by 1.14 seconds over Cam Myers (silver), Timothy Cheruiyot (bronze). Josh is definitively the best miler in the world.

– What does Josh Kerr do next? Option A: Zurich Diamond League 1500m world record attempt; Option B: World Ultimate Championships 1500m, Budapest, September, Option C: Fifth Avenue Mile payday (Vote in the Spotify comments section)

– Georgia Hunter-Bell wins women’s 800m, 1:59.51: Never really challenged. Georgia’s first Commonwealth medal. She now has the full set: Olympic medal, world championship medal, European medal, Commonwealth Games medal — all in the last three years.

– European Championships women’s 800m, August 14th: Keely vs. Audrey Werro rematch: No data on Keely’s current fitness — she’s been quiet since London. Werro ran a 400m PB of 50.8 at the Swiss champs, jogged a 1:57 800 the same day, and is clearly sharp.

– Australia’s generational Commonwealth Games: Torrie Lewis and Lachlan Kennedy in the sprints (Kennedy 9.85 national record silver in the rain). Abbey Caldwell, Jess Hull, Claudia Hollingsworth sweep the women’s mile 1-2-3. Cam Myers silver behind Josh in the men’s mile. Rose Davies 5K/10K double (first Australian woman ever). Ky Robinson medals in both distance events.

– Kenya’s thinner-than-expected showing: The trend of Kenya’s elite distance runners prioritizing the roads is real.

– Elise Thorner, women’s steeple bronze, 9:05: Personal best in difficult conditions — wind, rain, cold. Judged it perfectly.

– Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s return — European Championships 5K, August 10th: First race since Tokyo World Championships. Post-surgery in February, no racing all summer. Entered in the 5K only as defending champion (no qualifying time required).

– More news stories include: The Brazilian marathoner who went missing for 44 days; 59:11 half marathoner Dennis Kipkemoi Kipkogei to Texas; Oordegem nostalia after Abdihamid Nur and Alicia Monson run well there;

– U20 World Championships, Eugene light preview

____________

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VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices with 60mg of green tea caffeine for a bold, refreshing blast of flavor ready to fuel your next adventure. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

“You can’t recreate the feeling that Josh created for me as a coach in any synthetic way. It had to have been done the way that he did it.”

My guest for today’s episode is Danny Mackey, the head coach of the Brooks Beasts Track Club.

Almost two weeks before we recorded this, Josh Kerr ran 3:42.66 at the London Diamond League and took 47 hundredths of a second off Hicham El Guerrouj’s mile world record — a mark that had been on the books for 27 years. Danny is the guy who wrote the training for it. He’s been coaching Josh for eight years now and this year he’s also got Brandon Miller running 1:42.19 to win in London seventy minutes before Josh’s race. It was an epic day for the Brooks Beasts.

This one is a coach’s-eye reconstruction of how a world record actually gets built. We go back to the workouts in Albuquerque in 2024 when Danny first told Josh he thought the record was there. We get into the PowerPoint pitch to Brooks. Danny walks through how he writes training. We talk about the ninety-minute whiteboard meeting where a few grown men argued over tenths of a second for pacing and what Danny was thinking standing trackside with 350 meters to go. And finally, how this has transcended beyond the running community.

The best part comes toward the end when he reveals who this was all for. We last had him on in 2023 after the World Championships after Josh won gold, so it was only fitting that we got him back on after another momentous occasion.

____________

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CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

“You just have to believe that at some point it’s going to translate into the actual result you want. These close calls aren’t only going to be my defining story.”

My guest for today’s episode is Vince Ciattei — U.S. 5000m champion. At 31 years old, roughly 24 hours after losing the 1500m final by five hundredths of a second, Vince went back out at Icahn Stadium and won the 5K national title in 13:46.75 — an event he had raced once in the previous five years. It was the first national title of his career, and it came after a run of fourths, thirds, and seconds that have stretched across nearly a decade as a professional.

Vince trains with Under Armour Dark Sky Distance in Flagstaff under Stephen Haas. He went to Virginia Tech, where he only became good enough to go pro in his fifth year. He came back from an injury straight away as a pro.

He finished fourth at the 2024 Olympic Trials by a quarter of a second and has been on the edge of breaking through internationally for years, and this year it finally started to crack open — a 3:30 personal best in Rabat behind Yared Nuguse, Isaac Nader, and Azeddine Habz, a Diamond League schedule that treated him as a competitor rather than a time-trialer, a 13:13 at Payton Jordan in May, and then a weekend in New York where he went from reading a LetsRun writeup at 4 a.m. declaring he had missed his best shot to standing on top of the podium less than twelve hours later.

In this conversation we get into all of it: The sports psychologist who helped him reframe a decade of near-misses as a trajectory rather than a verdict; The 24-hour turnaround between the two finals and what it took to flip the switch — including the middle-of-the-night LetsRun read, the drug testing chat with his mom afterward, and the moment when Kasey Knevelbaard came by with 250 to go and the race turned into a Dark Sky one-two.

We also get into what Rabat and Ostrava showed him about where he actually stands internationally, the Diamond League final, the World Ultimate Championships, and the target that’s been quietly driving his entire season: the World Road Running Championships mile in September, where he’ll wear the Team USA uniform for the first time.

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber recap the final day of the 2026 USATF Outdoor Championships at Icahn Stadium

We discuss:

FINALS:

– Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17 years old, dominated the men's 800m in 1:43.48, winning his second US title of 2026 and negative-splitting a 52.26-51.23 for a 1.07-second margin over Wes Ferguson. Six 800m finals in 2026. Six wins. Now including a US title against a full professional field.

– Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran a stadium-record 21.69 to win the women's 200m — just 0.01 off her winning time at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. She got out of the blocks like a rocket and had the race decided before the straightaway. Cambrea Sturgis was second in 22.22.

– The men's 200m turned into drama for the wrong reason. Garrett Kaalund, running for USC, won in 20.04 — becoming the first collegian to win the US 200m title in 18 years. But two-time defending champion Noah Lyles pulled up with an apparent injury coming off the turn and walked it in for last.

– Cordell Tinch won a men's 110m hurdles final decided by 0.004 seconds.

– Nia Akins won her fifth US 800m title in 1:59.25, timing her kick perfectly to overhaul early leader Roisin Willis and runner-up Addy Wiley.

– Anna Cockrell led from the first hurdle to break her own stadium record in the 400m hurdles at 52.94.

– Chris Robinson finally broke through with a 47.61 for his first US title in the men's 400m hurdles.

– Emily Mackay made up for her dive-to-the-line third-place 1500m by winning the women's 5000m in 14:55.82.

– Vince Ciattei took the men's 5000m in 13:46.75 with a 26.71 last 200m in a photo finish over Cooper Teare and Sam Prakel.

– Valarie Allman won her eighth consecutive US discus title with a 69.54m throw — a streak that dates back to 2018.

Plus a moment worth mentioning: longtime NYC middle-distance coach Frank Gagliano was honored at Icahn Stadium in front of literally hundreds of former athletes and coaches he mentored. Six decades of coaching, dozens of Olympians, and lineage that runs through Chris Miltenberg, Diljeet Dosanjh Taylor, Vin Lananna, and much of the current generation of American middle-distance coaching.

Day 3 delivered upsets, dynasties extended, and a mayor in the stands — NYC's Zohran Mamdani made it out to Randall's Island for what has become the sports event of New York's summer, alongside the Knicks' NBA title and the World Cup.

We discuss:

FINALS:

- Women's 400m — Aaliyah Butler, 49.93: In her first full season as a professional, the 22-year-old ran a perfectly executed race to win her first USATF outdoor title. Alexis Holmes was second in 50.47.

- Men's 400m — Chris Bailey, 44.39: Bailey adds an outdoor title to his 2025 U.S. indoor crown — but not without drama. Justin Robinson crossed first in 44.31 before being disqualified for a lane violation, promoting Bailey to gold.

- Women's steeplechase — Lexy Halladay-Lowry, 9:12.54: A stadium record and a successful title defense. Halladay-Lowry let Gabbi Jennings lead the first six laps before unleashing a devastating final 600m to pull away. Jennings held on for second in 9:17.42 — a career-best championship finish.

- Men's steeplechase — Nate Mountain, 8:13.81: The upset of the meet. Mountain finished ninth at NCAAs just six weeks ago. On Saturday, he dove for the line to beat Carson Williams by 0.07 seconds (8:13.88 — a lifetime best for Williams). A national champion nobody saw coming.

- Women's 1500m — Nikki Hiltz, 4:06.92: Eight consecutive U.S. 1500m titles, stretching back to 2023 indoors. Hiltz ran a 58.80 final 400m to hold off Addy Wiley by 0.04 seconds, who in turn beat Emily Mackay by 0.02. Three athletes separated by six hundredths of a second at the line.

- Men's 1500m — Nathan Green, 3:50.27: A comically slow tactical race set up a predictable conclusion — Green showed his tactical savvy with a 51.65 final 400m to take the win.

- Women's 100m hurdles — Alia Armstrong, 12.38: The unsponsored hurdler wins her first national title in a stacked final, running a season's best 12.38 to beat Alaysha Johnson by 0.04 seconds. A breakthrough moment for an athlete still without a shoe deal.

- Women's pole vault — Sandi Morris, 4.90m: Ten U.S. titles. Morris cleared 4.90m on her first attempt to defend her 2025 outdoor title.

- Men's javelin — Curtis Thompson, 87.59m: The greatest throw saved for last. Thompson trailed UGA's Davis after an 82.36m final-attempt effort, then launched 87.59m on his own last throw — improving his mark by over 10 meters — to win his sixth U.S. title and complete a four-peat.

+ More from the 200m and 400m hurdles prelims.

The sprint finals delivered on every promise. Noah Lyles ran a world-leading 9.79 and Sha'Carri Richardson put on a show in the women's 100m. The 800m prelims produced some genuine surprises.

We discuss:

FINALS:

- Women's 100m — Sha'Carri Richardson, 10.77: Richardson was in a different gear, pulling away from the field by halfway to win in 10.77 — equaling her season's best and breaking the Icahn Stadium record. Star Athletics teammate Kayla White was second in 10.90, Tamari Davis third in 11.00. Richardson has now won three of the last four U.S. 100m titles.

- Men's 100m — Noah Lyles, 9.79: Lyles delivered when it mattered most — his eighth USATF outdoor title and a wind-legal world lead of 9.79, equaling his lifetime best. Ronnie Baker ran a strong season's best of 9.88 for second, Kenny Bednarek third just 0.005 seconds behind Baker, also at 9.88.

PRELIMS:

- Women's 400m heats: Aaliyah Butler leads all qualifiers winning heat 2 in 50.53, Sanaria Butler won the final heat from lane 1 in 51.10. Alexis Holmes took heat 1 in 51.71. Britton Wilson grabbed the last final spot in 52.12.

- Men's 400m heats: Christopher Bailey (45.14) looks like the favorite after a win from an inside lane. The big news — 2024 Olympic champion Quincy Hall fails to make the final, finishing sixth in 46.47. Hall has struggled all season.

- Men's 800m heats: Cooper Lutkenhaus and Hobbs Kessler go 1-2 in heat 1 in 1:45.83 and 1:45.93; Wes Ferguson leads all qualifiers with a fierce homestretch move to win in 1:45.17; Atlanta Track Club goes 1-2 in another heat — Sean Dolan (1:46.11) and Camden Marshall (1:46.40); Defending champion Donavan Brazier fails to advance, finishing fourth outside the time qualifiers in 1:46.93.

- Women's 800m heats: Roisin Willis takes heat 1 in 1:59.83, overhauling Meghan Hunter in the final 50 meters; A tactical heat 2 produces only two qualifiers — Nia Akins (2:01.78) and Juliette Whittaker (2:02.22) advance. Ajee' Wilson finishes third in 2:02.45 and does not make the final; High school standout Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic (NJ) runs 2:00.99 for fifth in heat 1 — fast enough for the last time qualifier spot, putting a high schooler in the final alongside the pros.

Start spreading the news… because the U.S. national championship for track and field has officially landed on the East Coast, taking over Randall’s Island and Icahn Stadium for the next four days of action.

As the sun set over the Harlem River, U.S. titles were handed out in the men’s and women’s 10,000m, men’s long jump and hammer throw, and women’s javelin. The finals were set in the 1500ms and the steeplechase, and we got our first look at Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and more of the country’s best sprinters in the first round of the 100m.

The most memorable moment of Day 1 wasn’t exactly a feat of history-making speed — it was the 1:39.55 first 400 meters of a ridiculously tactical women’s 10,000m final, where the field crawled through halfway over 18 minutes before Sydney Vaught took control and never looked back, covering the second half in 15:21 to break the field and the tape with a 33:30.60 victory.

In the men’s race, a similarly slow early pace (16:12 through halfway) seemed to be playing perfectly into Grant Fisher’s hands, but after he dropped a 60-second lap with 4k to go to winnow his rivals down to Drew Bosley and Woody Kincaid, the pace over the final laps slacked just enough that Kincaid was able to uncork his signature finishing speed to lethal effect, closing in 25.95 for the final 200m to beat Fisher to the line, 30:13.66 to 30:14.66. While Fisher has two Olympic medals, he only has one U.S. 10,000m title, and Kincaid picks up his third at the age of 33.

Despite a relatively light program, there was plenty of drama in the middle-distance prelims, as pre-race contenders like Sam Prakel and Gracie Morris found themselves on the wrong side of the time cutoffs in the men’s and women’s 1500m, respectively. Nikki Hiltz had no problem advancing to the final in their heat in pursuit of a fourth straight U.S. outdoor title, and Andy Powell disciples had a romp of a time with the men’s heats, as four of the twelve finalists are current or former UW Huskies.

The biggest shock of the day came in the men’s steeple prelims, because for the first time since 2022 there will be a new national champion. Kenneth Rooks failed to advance to the final after a spotty 2026 season to date, which opens the door for someone like Parker Stokes, who led all qualifiers, or last year’s third-placer Benard Keter to claim the title.

Our YouTube channel is full of mixed-zone interviews with all the top athletes. Make sure to follow along on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky as we continue to bring you live action as the weekend of running, jumping, and throwing continues.

My guest for today’s episode is Josh Kerr – mile world record holder. On July 18th at the London Diamond League, in front of 60,000 people, Josh ran 3:42.66 to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s record that had stood for 27 years, which was the longest-standing mile world record in the history of the event, and one that many believed might never fall. He did it by calling his shot four months in advance, locking himself into a specific date and venue before he had even finished rehabbing the calf he tore at the World Championships in Tokyo last September.

Josh is already one of the most decorated middle-distance runners of his generation — world champion, two-time Olympic medalist, two-time world indoor champion at 3000 meters. But the world record puts him in a different category entirely. He is now the seventh Brit to hold the mile world record, and the first since Steve Cram in 1985, joining a line that runs through Roger Bannister, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, and Steve Cram. The race commentator on the world feed, Tim Hutchings, called it the ballsiest world record in the history of middle-distance racing. It was hard to disagree.

This conversation was recorded two days after the race, with Kyle Merber joining as co-host. We get into the full arc of Project 222. We go deep on the spike Brooks built specifically for his foot strike and what it actually contributed to the margin. Josh walks us through the whiteboard session in Albuquerque where they debated every split for an hour, the 1200m time trial two weeks out that converted the last remaining skeptics, the mental performance framework that kept him in flow state when 60,000 people were watching, and what was happening internally when he cracked that smile before the gun and went completely deaf with 150 meters to go.

We also get into what Tokyo taught him, the cage door philosophy Danny Mackey lives by, and who the performance was really for…which is not the answer you might expect.

____________

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CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber drop the full preview of the 2026 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Icahn Stadium in New York City, held Thursday through Sunday.

CITIUS MAG will have daily end-of-day recap podcasts, a daily newsletter, and interviews on YouTube throughout the weekend.

Watch on USATF.tv, Peacock, and NBC (Saturday and Sunday TV windows). Free tickets are available courtesy of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 500-ticket giveaway for Thursday and Friday. If you live within a couple hours of Icahn Stadium, no excuses.

Some of the events discussed in this episode:

– Women’s 10K (Thursday): Thin field after Karissa Schweizer scratched. Top eight from last year’s USAs are not competing. Kyle’s read: the scratch actually makes for a better race — more wide open.

– Men’s 10K (Thursday): 13 men entered. Grant Fisher versus Woody Kincaid as the headline matchup — Grant riding the momentum of his first Diamond League victory and doubling in the 5K.

– Women’s 100m (Friday): No MJW vs. Sha’Carri head-to-head.

– Men’s 100m (Friday): Noah Lyles vs. Kenny Bednarek. Noah has been everywhere at Fanatics Fest and FIFA World Cup events so the question is how much that toll has taken. Kenny knows this is a great opportunity to get one up on him.

– Women’s 3000m steeplechase (Saturday): One of the deepest American steeple fields of the season — seven athletes entered at 9:20 or faster. The fastest American time of the year comes out of this race.

– Men’s 3000m steeplechase (Saturday): Matt Wilkinson at 8:09 is the ninth-fastest man in the world and a clear favorite — remarkable given he was on crutches after last year’s USAs and came back with a straight-up PR.

– Men’s 1500m (Saturday): Top five from last year not competing so the race opens up.

– Women’s 1500m (Saturday): The rest of the field will be watching Nikki rather than racing their own race, so it’s becoming a Faith Kipyegon dynamic where others defer rather than attack.

– Women’s 800m (Sunday): Roisin Willis is the top seed and story of the year in the women’s 800 — US indoor record holder, strong outdoor season, coming off a brilliant performance in Stockholm. Addy Wiley has a Diamond League victory.

– Men’s 800m (Sunday): Brandon Miller scratched after London. Cooper Lukhenhaus vs. Donavan Brazier as the top billing — two of three members of last year’s World Championship team.

– Women’s 5K (Sunday): Parker Valby vs. Shelby Houlihan. These two have never raced. Parker has run 14:39 this season (going by herself, no one could hang). Shelby was fourth at Worlds, has been running 800s, 1500s, 2 miles, 10Ks — she’s fit and she’s an 8:15 person with the ultimate kick.

– Men’s 5K (Sunday): Grant Fisher the heavy favorite.

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

BANDIT: For 2026, Bandit is providing support for any Unsponsored athletes competing at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Every contract includes a release clause so an athlete can sign with a bigger brand the moment an offer lands. 11 Unsponsored alumni have already gone on to deals with some of the largest footwear brands in the world. Competing at USATF Outdoors? Interested? Contact: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠timrossi@banditrunning.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia reconvene to debrief the rest of the London Diamond League. Chris and Kyle Merber’s emergency pod captured the immediate reaction; this episode is the follow-up, covering everything that got overshadowed by the world record.

We discuss:

– Preet in the building: Eight flights of stairs between the mixed zone and the seating area to watch Josh Kerr’s world record run.

– Post-race mixed zone: Josh got emotional exactly once — when Hannah England asked him about the mental toll of the entire process. His first beer since his December wedding was that Saturday night. For a Scotsman, six months without a beer is its own kind of suffering.

– Was the world record overshadowed by the World Cup? The day before the World Cup final, England played France in a 6-4 third-place match the same evening. The next morning, BBC Sport’s homepage had zero stories about Josh Kerr.

– Does this get Josh knighted? Chris’s very American question.

– Does the mile world record mean as much globally as the 1500? Preet raises the question: the mile matters enormously in the US and UK, but does it land elsewhere?

– Sawe vs. Kerr: which was bigger?

– Women’s 800m — Keely wins in 1:56.21: The pacemaker went through 400 in 56.8, suggesting they were targeting sub-1:55 but backed off — if she’d gone through in 55 flat as planned, it might have been a 1:55 race. Preet’s context: this was Keely’s 50th sub-2:00 performance and her nineteenth sub-1:57.

– Would you rather have Josh’s career or Keely’s right now?

The rest of London — the performances that got overshadowed:

– Brandon Miller, 1:42.19 in the men’s 800m: Nearly a full second PB, fifth all-time for Americans. Timed his kick off the final bend perfectly.

– Julien Alfred, 21.66 in the women’s 200: Third win in nine days.

– Karsten Warholm, 46.61 in the 400 hurdles: World lead, first hurdles race win of the season, meeting record.

– Ja’Kobe Tharp, 12.89 in the 110m hurdles: Fifth time under 13 seconds this season — the first athlete in history to go sub-13 in five consecutive 110m hurdles races.

– Kayinsola Ajayi, 9.84 in the men’s 100m: Beats world champion Oblique Seville for the second time this season — turns and looks at him as they cross the line.

– Rai Benjamin, 44.05 PB in the men’s 400m: Beats Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.18). First Diamond League 400m win.

– Marileidy Paulino, 48.97 in the women’s 400m: Fourth sub-49 this season.

– Jess Hull wins the women’s 3000m, 8:24.69: Fierce surge with 200 to go

– Looking ahead: Josh Kerr to appear on the CITIUS MAG podcast Wednesday. Full US Championships preview episode dropping with Chris and Kyle later this week. Daily shows from USAs throughout the weekend. Subscribe on your platform of choice.

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

BANDIT: For 2026, Bandit is providing support for any Unsponsored athletes competing at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Every contract includes a release clause so an athlete can sign with a bigger brand the moment an offer lands. 11 Unsponsored alumni have already gone on to deals with some of the largest footwear brands in the world. Competing at USATF Outdoors? Interested? Contact: ⁠⁠⁠⁠timrossi@banditrunning.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber jump on the mics immediately following the London Diamond League as Josh Kerr ran 3:42.66 at the Novuna London Athletics Meet on Saturday, becoming the first person in history to break 3:43 in the mile and surpassing Hicham El Guerrouj’s 3:43.13 set in Rome in 1999. The 2023 world 1500m champion delivered on every promise of Project 222 in front of 60,000 people at London Stadium.

How it went down:

Pacer Brannon Kidder hit 400m in 54.75 on world record tempo, led through 800m in 1:50.63, then stepped aside with Žan Rudolf at Kerr’s instruction. Kerr hit 1200m in 2:46.39 and reached 1500m in 3:27.62 — faster than his own British record for the distance — before closing to the line alone. Yared Nuguse tracked him through the middle stages but couldn’t match the closing pace, finishing second in 3:45.69. Jake Heyward was third in a PB of 3:46.73 and Robert Farken fourth in a German record of 3:46.82.

The splits:

- 400m: 54.75

- 800m: 1:50.63

- 1200m: 2:46.39

- 1500m: 3:27.62

- Mile: 3:42.66 WR

A special sponsored bonus episode for you diving into a topic that’s become one of the biggest trends in endurance sports over the last few years: heat training. Olympian and CORE-supported athlete Clayton Young joins to share what it is, why it works, and how to do it safely at every level.

Discussed in this episode:

– Why heat training has gone mainstream in running: Running follows cycling, and the data has finally caught up to what some athletes like Clayton were already doing as far back as 2019.

– Heat training isn’t just for hot races: The cardiovascular adaptations — increased plasma, blood volume, red blood cell production, VO2 max, recovery — translate to cool races just as effectively.

– Clayton’s heat training origin story: NCAA 10K in Austin, 2019 — hot, humid, and Clayton was the only guy in the field who didn’t grab a water cup at a single aid station. He’d been implementing sauna sessions based on his own reading of the literature.

– The near-blackout story: Ten days before that same national championship, Clayton pushed too far in the sauna, blacked out twice in the hallway and it only got scarier from there.

– The Core body temperature sensor: Provides real-time zone tracking (Zone 1-2 = safe, Zone 3 = target for heat adaptation, above Zone 3 = stop). Takes the guesswork out of a discipline that was previously measured with nothing more than a watch and willpower.

– Heat adaptation score: Ranges from 0-100%. You gain benefits quickly and lose them slower than you think. Even one to two sessions per week during peak training blocks can maintain most of the adaptation.

– How Clayton structures heat training into his week: Key workouts are done as cool as possible — that’s the time to get fit, not to heat adapt, per USOC researcher Randy Wilbur’s framework.

– For everyday runners: Start with 15 minutes every other day and build from there just like mileage. Adjust your paces for heat and humidity the same way you would for altitude.

– Safety guidelines

– Special offer: If you’re interested in trying the CORE 2 Body Temperature Sensor yourself, CITIUS MAG podcast listeners can get 10% off with the code CITIUS10 at corebodytemp.com.

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia are back for a packed episode. With Preet heading to the stadium on Saturday for the London Diamond League and the aftermath of the Monaco Diamond League, there’s a lot to discuss:

– World Cup check-in: England squeaked through in a stressful Saturday night match that Preet describes as not fun to watch.

– CITIUS MAG x New Balance at the 2026 USATF Outdoor Championships

– Running’s baby boom

– Emmanuel Wanyonyi, 1000m world record, 1:11.83: Monaco Diamond League. Broke Noah Ngeny’s 27-year-old record of 1:11.96 set in Rieti in 1999. Can he inch closer to David Rudisha’s 800m WR in London?

– Julien Alfred, 21.51 in the women’s 200m: Third-fastest women’s 200 in history behind Flo-Jo (21.34) and Shericka Jackson (21.41). Why this one is not a shocker and we’re living in the best year of the women’s 200m with her, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Gabby, MJW, Shericka, plus Adaejah Hodge.

– Collen Kebinatshipi goes 43.44 and is now on the conversation for the men’s 400m world record, if he can maybe run the first 200m a bit more aggressively. The dream matchup is still Kebinatshipi vs. Samuel Ogazi.

– Masai Russell’s dominance: The five fastest women’s 100 hurdles times of 2026 all belong to Masai Russell. Off the final hurdle, she sometimes begins to celebrate slightly before the line — that tiny relaxation may be the difference between her and the world record.

– Agnes Ngetich runs 8:08.95 for No. 3 all-time in the 3000m, but what’s up with Faith Kipyegon?

– Graham Blanks showcased his best kick against pros in the 5000m in Monaco, which he nearly won.

– More from the Monaco Diamond League

– Russia was reinstated by the International Olympic Committee but there is still more to be sorted by Seb Coe and World Athletics’ stance to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes out until the war in Ukraine ends

– Celebrating records by decades rather than all-time to sidestep the doping era problems

– Unpacking Josh Kerr’s London mile world record attempt now that the full start list has been revealed. Preet argues that most of the field will just get on the fast train with Yared Nuguse as the potential spoiler if Kerr falters. Chris wants Hobbs Kessler to play spoiler from the gun by fighting for the front early.

– The women’s 800m has been billed as Keely Hodgkinson’s world record attempt for months but it should be framed as a comeback race for the Olympic champion. The field is legitimately dangerous with Georgia Hunter-Bell and Femke Bol.

+ More

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

BANDIT: For 2026, Bandit is providing support for any Unsponsored athletes competing at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Every contract includes a release clause so an athlete can sign with a bigger brand the moment an offer lands. 11 Unsponsored alumni have already gone on to deals with some of the largest footwear brands in the world. Competing at USATF Outdoors? Interested? Contact: ⁠⁠⁠timrossi@banditrunning.com⁠⁠⁠

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

“You just have to have that confidence in anything you do. That was the biggest thing that had driven me… Having that extreme level of confidence and delusion. You want it to seem hard, but you don't want it to seem impossible.”

My guest for today's episode is Marco Langon, the 21-year-old distance runner out of the state of New Jersey who just finished his career at Villanova and signed a professional contract with Diodora. He made his pro debut at the Pre Classic and is currently in Germany as he gets started on his European circuit tour.

His resume is strong from his four years at Villanova. He ran a personal best of 3:32 in the 1500m, 7:34 in the 3K, and 13:05 in the 5K, all which put him in the top four in NCAA history. He was at the center of some of the most dramatic finishes of the past season: He dove at the finish line in his duel against Habtom Samuel at BU, and he anchored Villanova to the 4xmile title at Penn Relays after some hotly contested back to back days against Oregon and their anchor, Simeon Birnbaum.

His story is pretty impactful. He grew up watching his mom, a lunch lady, navigate a divorce and make ends meet for him and his sister on a single income, and he was stocking shelves in a convenience store freezer while in high school, crying because he knew that that couldn't be his life. He’s someone who has been committed to exploring how good he can be at this sport because it could lead to him providing for his family.

He signed with Diadora specifically because they took a chance on him before anyone else did when he signed his NIL deal. His personality is not one that necessarily fits into some of the bigger brands marketing strategy and he's quick to admit that himself. So, in this chat, we get into all of that from the moments in that QuickCheck freezer that made the dream feel urgent, his full ride to Villanova, what he's taking from coach Marcus O'Sullivan and what they also butted heads on, the Penn Relays anchor that he describes as the most relieved he's ever felt rather than the happiest, the 1500m versus 5K debate that he's still processing, and what he's looking forward to in his first season as a pro.

____________

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez

Guest: Marco Langon | @marcolangon

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

BANDIT: For 2026, Bandit is providing support for any Unsponsored athletes competing at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Every contract includes a release clause so an athlete can sign with a bigger brand the moment an offer lands. 11 Unsponsored alumni have already gone on to deals with some of the largest footwear brands in the world. Competing at USATF Outdoors? Interested? Contact: ⁠⁠timrossi@banditrunning.com⁠⁠

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Preet Majithia recap all of the major action at the 2026 Prefontaine Classic. Streaks ended, young stars arrived, and the whole distance-and-sprint order got shaken up in a single afternoon in Eugene.

Discussed in this episode:

– Tate Taylor wins the men’s 200m in 19.75 into a -0.9 headwind: The biggest surprise of the meet. Tebogo was the overwhelming favorite. We discuss why it’s different from the Gout Gout 19.67. Taylor confirmed he will not be running USAs, and the World U20 Championships in Eugene in August is now the most anticipated junior sprint matchup of the year.

– Nikki Hiltz wins the mile in 4:17.49: Ends Faith Kipyegon’s five-year, 24-race unbeaten streak in 1500m/mile events on the track, dating to a loss to Sifan Hassan in Florence on June 10, 2021.

– This was not peak Faith Kipyegon; Faith posted on Instagram after: “Since Shanghai, I’ve been dealing with a hamstring injury, but the last two weeks have been a step in the right direction.”

– Cam Myers wins the Bowerman Mile in 3:46.06: First Australian to win the Bowerman Mile. Six days after running 3:28.00 in Paris, he sat in, took control at 600m, and closed the final 100 in 13.1 — the fastest of the race. Yared Nuguse second. Ethan Strand third in 3:46.97 after being well back at the bell.

– Kyle’s argument: please stop making athletes announce signings right before major races.

– Josh Kerr, London Diamond League, July 18th: Ten days out from his world record attempt. He’s been living in his altitude tent for twelve hours a day, writing for The Telegraph, and posting workouts that Kyle described as “giving serious hope”

– Lilian Odira beats Keely Hodgkinson in the women’s 800m, 1:56.19 to 1:56.73.

– World record watch for London: Keely’s situation two weeks out makes any WR talk look ambitious. She’s still on the start list.

– Melissa Jefferson-Wooden beats Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100m, 10.78 to 10.79: MJW extends her unbeaten 100m streak to ten races since the Paris Olympic final.

– Sha’Carri’s start looked better than it has at points this season. She’s firmly back.

– Kayinsola Ajayi wins the men’s 100m in 9.84: Beats world champion Oblique Seville (9.89). Ties his PB and national record. A college kid finishing an NCAA season and immediately beating the world champion validates the performance.

– Jamal Britt wins the men’s 110m hurdles over Ja'kobe Tharp: Kyle’s call from the preview episode vindicated.

____________

Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠⁠⁠ + Preet Majithia | ⁠⁠⁠⁠@preet_athletics⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Kyle Merber | @kylemerber

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

BANDIT: For 2026, Bandit is providing support for any Unsponsored athletes competing at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Every contract includes a release clause so an athlete can sign with a bigger brand the moment an offer lands. 11 Unsponsored alumni have already gone on to deals with some of the largest footwear brands in the world. Competing at USATF Outdoors? Interested? Contact: ⁠timrossi@banditrunning.com⁠

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CITIUS MAG crew is LIVE from Hayward Field in Eugene, previewing everything you need to know before the meet with special guests, athlete interviews, and predictions across the whole card. This show is a partnership between CITIUS MAG and TrackTown USA, streamed from the VIP Village and Fan Festival stage.

Fans looking to watch every minute of the action will have to toggle between a few different networks, but the easiest and most consistent way to watch is on Peacock (subscription required), which will stream the final hour of Friday, July 3, from 11:30pm-12:30am EDT and the hot window on Saturday, July 4, from 4:00pm-6:00pm EDT.

⁠You can read our meet preview here⁠ and listen to ⁠our full meet preview episode here⁠.

____________

In today's show, Paul Hof-Mahoney and Karen Lesiewicz recap yesterday's action, preview the events ahead this afternoon, and welcome on a few guests, including Dawn Staley, Brandon Miller, Cooper Lutkenhaus, & Val Allman.

____________

Hosts: Paul Hof-Mahoney | ⁠@phofmahoney⁠ + Karen Lesiewicz | ⁠@karen_les

CITIUS MAG crew is LIVE from Hayward Field in Eugene, previewing everything you need to know before the meet with special guests, athlete interviews, and predictions across the whole card. This show is a partnership between CITIUS MAG and TrackTown USA, streamed from the VIP Village and Fan Festival stage.

Fans looking to watch every minute of the action will have to toggle between a few different networks, but the easiest and most consistent way to watch is on Peacock (subscription required), which will stream the final hour of Friday, July 3, from 11:30pm-12:30am EDT and the hot window on Saturday, July 4, from 4:00pm-6:00pm EDT.

You can read our meet preview here and listen to our full meet preview episode here.

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Hosts: Paul Hof-Mahoney | @phofmahoney + Karen Lesiewicz | @karen_les

“A big part of it was finding the right environment, the right people, and the right team that I was excited to be a part of.”

My guest for today's episode is someone we've had a great joy of watching develop from high school through the collegiate ranks. Gary Martin is now a professional runner. He's signing with Brooks and joining the Brooks Beasts, and it feels like it was just yesterday that we were sitting down with him at the Armory after his New Balance Nationals mile victory.

For those who've been following along with CITIUS over the last couple of years, you know that Gary is an athlete that we've propped up and he's even written for CITIUS MAG. So now, four years later after competing for the University of Virginia, his resume speaks for itself. He has a 3:48 mile PB from the Millrose Games (second fastest in collegiate history), he has an ACC cross country title, and a DMR national championship.

In this conversation, we get into why he chose the Beasts, what he asked Danny Mackey about in his first meeting with him, the move to Seattle, the training progression in college, and the self-belief that will suit him as a professional runner. Plus, we also get into what his hopes and expectations are for his pro debut this weekend in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Gary Martin | @gary.martin20

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

BANDIT: For 2026, Bandit is providing support for any Unsponsored athletes competing at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Every contract includes a release clause so an athlete can sign with a bigger brand the moment an offer lands. 11 Unsponsored alumni have already gone on to deals with some of the largest footwear brands in the world. Competing at USATF Outdoors? Interested? Contact: ⁠⁠timrossi@banditrunning.com⁠⁠

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Prefontaine Classic is this weekend at Hayward Field in Eugene, and CITIUS MAG will have a live pre-show on both days streaming on our YouTube channel.

This episode is the full breakdown of every event on the card:

– Men’s 800m (Friday): Cooper Lutkenhaus makes his Pre Classic debut as a professional alongside last year’s World Championship team — Donavan Brazier and Bryce Hoppel.

– Men’s 2 Mile (Friday): Grant Fisher is coming off his 5000m victory at the Paris Diamond League to go up against Andreas Almgren and Parker Wolfe.

– Women’s 100m (Saturday heats + final): The best women’s 100m field assembled all year featuring The Clayton twins, Adaejah Hodge, Shericka Jackson, Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.

– Men’s 400m (Saturday): USA vs. Collen Kebinatshipi.

– Men’s 200m (Saturday): Letsile Tebgogo should have this one.

– Men’s 110m Hurdles (Saturday): Ja’Kobe Tharp returns to the exact track where he ran 12.75 for his first Diamond League race as the world record holder.

– Women’s 2 Mile (Saturday): Likely a world record attempt and 8 of the 14 entrants are Ethiopian.

– Men’s 100m (Saturday): Oblique Seville, reigning world champion, is the clear favorite — one of only two men in the field who have broken 9.90 this season.

– Women’s 3000m Steeplechase (Saturday): The three fastest women in the world this season — Chemutai (8:51.06), Cherotich (8:51.48), Yavi (8:51.54) — are all here. Just 0.48 seconds separates the top three. Eight Americans in the field. Doris Lemngole is the wild card.

– Women’s 100m Hurdles (Saturday, straight final): All five of the world’s top five this season on one start line.

– Women’s 800m (Saturday): Keely Hodgkinson pulled out of the British Championships 400m after one or two strides when something felt off — a smart call. She’s in Eugene and we’ll see where she’s at.

– Women’s Mile (Saturday): Faith Kipyegon is back! Georgia Hunter Bell (3:55.63, second in the world) is her primary rival. The subplot will be if the American record falls to Nikki Hiltz or Emily Mackay.

– Men’s Bowerman Mile (Saturday): The grand finale! Cam Myers (3:28 world leader, Australian record), Yared Nuguse (two Diamond League wins, American record), Azeddine Habz (3:29), Timothy Cheruiyot (looking like himself again), Niels Laros (1:43 800 speed, devastating kick), Cole Hocker (Olympic champion, fitness question mark after a niggle and a lost 3K). Who ya got?

– Where to watch: Saturday on NBC and Peacock, 12:30 PM Pacific / 3:30 PM Eastern.

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Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠⁠⁠ + Preet Majithia | ⁠⁠⁠⁠@preet_athletics⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Kyle Merber | @kylemerber

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

BANDIT: For 2026, Bandit is providing support for any Unsponsored athletes competing at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Every contract includes a release clause so an athlete can sign with a bigger brand the moment an offer lands. 11 Unsponsored alumni have already gone on to deals with some of the largest footwear brands in the world. Competing at USATF Outdoors? Interested? Contact: ⁠timrossi@banditrunning.com⁠

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In near-perfect conditions following a week of brutal French heat, Sunday’s Paris Diamond League produced three Diamond League records.

In this episode:

– Audrey Werro came to Paris explicitly targeting the women’s 800m world record and ran a personal best of 1:53.80 — a Diamond League record, meet record, world lead, and Swiss national record. She’s now the only woman ever with multiple sub-1:54 performances (three of them, all this season). The world record is 1:53.28, set by Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1983. Werro is 0.52 back.

– Femke Broeders-Bol’s 800m transition is real. The reigning 400m hurdles world champion ran 1:55.60 in the 800m — a massive personal best — finishing second behind Werro’s Diamond League record. Her move to the 800m is no longer an experiment.

– Cam Myers ran 3:28.00 in the Paris Diamond League 1500m — a personal best by over a second, the 27th fastest time in history, and faster than Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the same age (Jakob ran 3:28.68 at 20). Myers beat a field that included 3:27 man Azeddine Habz and 2025 World Championship medalists Jake Wightman and Reynold Cheruiyot

– What it all means for the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic

– Grant Fisher won the Paris Diamond League 5000m in 12:54.80, edging Jacob Krop (12:55.22) and Andreas Almgren (12:55.38) in a stacked field where ten athletes broke 13:00. The win also marked the fifth Diamond League victory by an American men’s mid-distance runner in 2026 — the most ever in a single year, with seven meets still remaining.

– Marco Arop dominates the men’s 800m. He confirmed after the race that he intends to go for the record this year: “Clearly I’m in shape for it”

– Trayvon Bromell beats Noah Lyles and there’s Twitter comments afterward by the Olympic champion

– Jamal Britt runs 12.89 PB in Paris — his 10th win of 2026, his 12th meet since April

– Collen Kebinatshipi runs 43.54 Diamond League record in Paris.

+ More highlights and shout-outs from around the running world including Western States.

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Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠⁠ + Preet Majithia | ⁠⁠⁠@preet_athletics⁠⁠⁠ + Mac Fleet | @macfleet

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

BANDIT: For 2026, Bandit is providing support for any Unsponsored athletes competing at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Every contract includes a release clause so an athlete can sign with a bigger brand the moment an offer lands. 11 Unsponsored alumni have already gone on to deals with some of the largest footwear brands in the world. Competing at USATF Outdoors? Interested? Contact: timrossi@banditrunning.com

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. ⁠Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Disclaimer: Both Chris and Kyle were watching the Knicks when multiple big track performances happened, so some of the detail recall is shakier than usual. No regrets.

Discussed in this episode:

– Knicks NBA Champions: Chris and Kyle grew up as New York sports fans, and CITIUS MAG as a company exists in part because the two bonded over the Yankees and Knicks.

– Cooper Lutkenhaus beats Emmanuel Wanyoni in Oslo, 1:42.08: Photo finish — 1:42.08 to 1:42.09. World lead. Personal best. At 17 years old, he has now beaten the Olympic gold medalist and the Olympic silver medalist in the same 2026 season. His 2026 unbeaten record: six finals, six wins.

– Ja'Kobe Tharp, 12.75 world record (110m hurdles prelim): The least surprising collegiate record of the weekend — it was coming — but the world record was genuinely shocking.

– Adaejah Hodge, 10.63 (+1.9) in the 100m prelim: Breaks Sha’Carri Richardson’s collegiate record of 10.75. Moves to #5 all-time globally, behind only Flo-Jo, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Also runs 21.68 in the 200 final for the collegiate record (breaks Abby Steiner’s 21.8 from 2022).

– Habtom Samuel, 5K/10K double: Light work. His kick is on another level from the current NCAA field. Marco Langon made a brave move at 400 to go and was humbled for it — not his fault, it’s just that Haptam had a whole other gear.

– Jaiden Reed, 19.63 (200m): Breaks Walter Dix’s NCAA record that had stood since 2007. Most surprising record of the weekend.

– Simeon Birnbaum, 3:36.05 (1500m): Second place was 1.13 seconds behind. Wire to wire. He broke the 25-year curse: no athlete who broke the NCAA mile or 1500 record had also won the title that same year. Birnbaum did both. Kyle gives his hypothetical 2026 World Championships team if one existed.

– Jane Hedengren: Third in the 10K, ninth in the 5K — after being bedridden with illness all week, disclosed after her 10K race.

– LA Grand Prix | Parker Valby wins the 5K in 14:39, a 10-second personal best from her 14:49 opener three weeks ago. She’s now ninth on the US all-time list, ahead of Molly Huddle and Jane Hedengren. We set the over/under on 14:27.5 for this season.

– Looking ahead: Ostrava on June 16th (Noah Lyles vs. Gout Gout in the 150, Tebogo vs. Gout Gout in the 200 — the more interesting race). Portland Track Festival this weekend. FBK Games in Hengelo. Stay tuned to CITIUS MAG channels for results, analysis, and commentary.

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Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠ + Preet Majithia | ⁠⁠@preet_athletics⁠⁠ + Kyle Merber | @kylemerber

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

CORE: The CORE 2 Thermal Sensor takes the guessing out of heat training. It reads your core body temperature in real time - no thermometer, nothing invasive, and you can actually see what's happening inside your body while you train. Take 10% off the CORE 2 with code CITIUS10 at checkout when you visit corebodytemp.com.

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Three more collegiate records fell on the final day of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, bringing the total for the most insane week anyone has ever seen to nine.

Dejanea Oakley and Adaejah Hodge, who are roommates for the week, both smashed the NCAA records for 400m and 200m, respectively, putting up 20 points for the eventual team champion Georgia Bulldogs. Oakley covered one lap in 48.79, while Hodge bounced back from a 100m defeat to run 21.68.

After missing Athing Mu’s collegiate record by just .01 at Regionals, Sanu Jallow of Arkansas made sure there were no questions about the fastest half-miler in NCAA history, winning the 800m national title in 1:56.85.

At the conclusion of 21 events, Georgia managed to put 50 points on the board to sweep the indoor and outdoor season titles.

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Host: Paul Hof-Mahoney | ⁠⁠@phofmahoney⁠⁠

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Another pair of collegiate records fell inside Hayward Field on Friday night at Day 3 of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi cemented himself as the greatest quarter-miler to ever grace the NCAA, winning the 400m title in 43.38 — becoming the fourth-fastest man ever in the process. LSU’s Jaiden Reid broke 20 seconds under legal conditions in the 200m for the first time, and got way under 20 seconds. His 19.63 broke Walter Dix’s NCAA record that had stood for nearly two decades.

Simeon Birnbaum delivered a thrilling 1500m victory in front of a home Hayward crowd, pulling away down the home straight with enough cushion to celebrate to his heart’s content. Habtom Samuel dashed Marco Langon’s title hopes by completing the 5K-10K double, while Colin Sahlman cemented one of the best season in collegiate distance running history with an 800m title to end his NCAA career.

A disaster-filled 4x100m saw Tennessee come out on top of a race that only five teams finished, while a ridiculously fast 42.99 anchor leg from Georgia freshman Jonathan Simms led the Bulldogs on an incredible comeback to 4x400m glory.

When the dust settled and the points were tallied, the Arkansas Razorbacks came out on top, completing the season sweep for head coach Doug Case after he took over for Chris Bucknam at the end of the cross country season. The Hogs scores 56 points, seven ahead of the runner-up Dogs of Georgia.

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Host: Paul Hof-Mahoney | ⁠⁠@phofmahoney⁠⁠

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Georgia freshman Adaejah Hodge did her best to put Ja’Kobe Tharp’s historic hurdles race out of viewers minds today on Day 2 of the NCAA NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the 100m, Hodge shattered Sha’Carri Richardson’s collegiate record with a 10.63 clocking, becoming the fifth-fastest woman ever in the process. A few hours later, she scorched the track again, leading all 200m qualifiers in 21.96, equalling the fastest single-day double in history.

In the 10,000m final, Iowa Stare freshman Mercyline Kirwa pulled off an incredible upset over Pamela Kosgei and Jane Hedengren, closing in 61.84 to win the NCAA title for the Cyclones. Hedengren, who finished third, will race again in Saturday’s 5000m final.

The women’s 800m prelims featured the fastest rounds we’ve ever seen, with 1:59.93 being required just to make the final. All of the 1500m favorites qualified, setting up the final we’ve all been waiting for. Akala Garrett, Aaliyah McCormick and Dejanea Oakley all posted fast qualifying times ahead of Saturday’s finals.

In the field, Amanda Moll established a new collegiate record in the outdoor pole vault at 4.84m, while Axelina Johansson (Shot put) and Alyssa Jones (Long jump) both notched championship records on their way to a title. Ben Barton (Decathlon), Elisabet Rut Runarsdottir (Hammer), and McKyla Van der Westhuizen (Javelin) all earned wins as well.

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Host: Paul Hof-Mahoney | ⁠@phofmahoney⁠

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My guest for today’s episode is Agnes Ngetich: the 10,000m world record holder on the road, the reigning World Cross Country champion, and one of the most compelling athletes in distance running right now. She is 25 years old. She grew up in rural Kenya, lost her father to cancer at 10, and spent much of her adolescence working on farms and carrying bags of charcoal to help feed her family. She missed school to earn money. She showed up to race barefoot and hungry anyway.

A coach named Ruth Bundotich saw something in her at 14 and opened a door. From that point, the progression has been relentless: junior titles in Kenya, an African Championships silver, a World U20 bronze, and then the slow build toward the longer distances where she now lives.

In 2024 in Valencia, she ran 28:46 for 10 kilometers on the road — the first woman ever under 29 minutes — a record she had to earn three times: once on a course that turned out to be 25 meters short, once in atrocious weather in Lille where she fell eight seconds shy, and finally in Valencia where it was made official. In January 2026, she won the World Cross Country title in Tallahassee by 42 seconds — the second-largest winning margin in the history of the event.

Last weekend here in New York, she came back after getting hypothermia at the United NYC Half in March and ran a course record 30:07 at the Mini 10K, blasting the first mile in 4:47 and pulling away from Hellen Obiri before the race was even a kilometer in.

In this conversation that we recorded while she was in town, we dive into her childhood, the coach who changed her life, getting to the point of running world records, her World Cross Country dominance, what she thinks of the marathon and more.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠

Guest: Agnes Ngetich | @jebet.agnes

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠@jasminefehr⁠

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

The first day of the 2026 NCAA Championships delivered in many ways, the biggest of which came in the form of Ja’Kobe Tharp’s 110mH world record. The Auburn junior navigated the barrier in 12.75 seconds, breaking Aries Merritt’s 14-year-old mark of 12.80. Tharp’s record led the charge for an incredible day for the Tigers, which also featured three qualifiers in the 100m and a 4x100m collegiate record.

In the evening’s only track final, New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel reclaimed the 10,000m title, winning a race reminiscent of a fartlek in 27:51.31.

In other prelim action, distance favorites like Simeon Birnbaum, Gary Martin, Colin Sahlman, and the Arkansas 800m duo of Tyrice Taylor and Rivaldo Marshall all easily qualified for Friday’s finals.

Five more titles were handed out in the field, with Angelos Mantzouranis (Hammer), Dyson Wicker (Pole vault), Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi (Javelin), Tafadzwa Chikomba (Long jump), and Ben Smith (Shot put) all earning top podium spots.

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Host: Paul Hof-Mahoney | @phofmahoney

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chris Chavez, Preet Majithia, and Mac Fleet unpack the best week of the 2026 outdoor season with Rome and Stockholm delivering back-to-back historic performances.

Discussed in this episode:

– Audrey Werro’s 1:53.98: The third-fastest woman in 800-meter history, only the third woman ever under 1:54, beats Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson (1:54.33 personal best, British record) in Stockholm. Historical context: the two women ahead of her — Kratochvílová (1:53.28, 1983) and Olizarenko (1:53.43, 1980) — are from countries that no longer exist and from the peak of the Eastern Bloc doping era. Many can regard Werro’s 1:53.98 as the de facto clean world record.

– Cooper Lutkenhaus wins the Stockholm men’s 800 in 1:42.7: Diamond League debut. 17 years old. Junior year of high school in Texas. Beats Marco Arop (1:43.11), the former world champion and fourth-fastest man in history.

– Mondo loses: First defeat since July 2023. 44-meet winning streak snapped

– Noah Lyles wins the Rome 100m in 9.88: Noah typically builds slowly in the 100, but 9.88 is early and good. Jordan Anthony faded to fourth after looking promising at 60m.

– Women’s 200 landscape: Gabby Thomas runs 21.7 at the Lone Star Grand Prix in College Station — third fastest of her career; ulien Alfred has already run 21.86 in Rome, beating Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (her first loss in over a year). MJW bounced back in Stockholm with a 100m win and 10.84. If Shericka Jackson stays healthy, she’s probably the pick.

– Tate Taylor, 19.97: The second American high schooler to break 20 seconds in the 200. Hear Preet’s full objection to the concept of high school records as a category

– Looking ahead: LA Grand Prix this weekend. NCAA Championships in Eugene — Mac’s pick is Simeon Birnbaum in the 1500, though Carter Cutting will be right there.

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Hosts: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez + Preet Majithia | ⁠@preet_athletics⁠ + Mac Fleet | @macfleet

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

USA Track & Field and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee have selected St. Louis, Missouri, to host the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials. The races will be held on March 25th, 2028, and will be USATF’s first Olympic Team selection event for the 2028 Summer Games.

The top three men’s and women’s finishers across the finish line will earn spots on Team USA for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games… as long as they have secured the Olympic qualifying standard or are sitting inside the World Athletics rankings quota within the qualifying window. The Olympic standard has yet to be announced by World Athletics.

We spoke with St. Louis Sports Commission President Marc Schreiber, Organizing Committee Co-Chair Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and USATF CEO Max Siegel about why the bid won.

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Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez

Guests: Jackie Joyner-Kersee | @jjoynerkersee + Max Siegel | @maxsiegelinc + Jay Holder | @jayholderruns + Marc Schreiber

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | @jasminefehr

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XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Solo episode from Rome as Preet Majithia steps in while Chris Chavez finishes his book on deadline. Preet covers Götzis, a full Rabat Diamond League recap, a Rome preview from press conference day, and a Stockholm preview for the following Sunday.

Discussed in this episode:

Rabat Diamond League recap:

- Tina Clayton wins the women’s 100m in 10.85

- Cambria Sturgis surprises with a win in 22.21

- Audrey Werro wins in 1:56.56 by running ran away from 2024 world indoor champion and Olympic silver medalist Tsigie Duguma and Tokyo world champion Lilian Odira

- Kenny Bednarek's 19.69 shows consistent, impressive early-season form; Jacory Patterson wins the 400m in 44.11

- Max Burgin wins the men’s 800m impressively off the front as Emmanuel Wanyonyi inexplicably falls asleep around 350m to go

- Yared Nuguse wins in 3:30.35 for the best race of the meet

+ More, including Soufiane El Bakkali winning at home in 7:57.25 as Frederick Ruppert of Germany runs 7:57.8 for second place.

- Rome Diamond League preview: Dalilah Muhammad races the 400m hurdles (not retired); Keely Hodgkinson runs an open 400m; Julien Alfred vs. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in the women’s 200m — the matchup we didn’t get at Tokyo Worlds; Noah Lyles vs. Jordan Anthony in the men’s 100 + more.

- Stockholm Diamond League preview: Rai Benjamin in the 400m with the second-slowest PB in the field; El Bakkali vs. Lamecha Girma in the men’s steeple; Cooper Lutkenhaus Diamond League debut; Keely Hodgkinson’s outdoor 800m opener against Audrey Werro and Roisin Willis + more.

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Host: Preet Majithia | @preet_athletics

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

“Every day you go through these mental battles — how do I keep going? You’re in a sport where you don’t just leave college and start making a million dollars. You just got to build yourself, almost by yourself.”

My guest for today’s episode is Sam Blaskowski. Not a ton of you probably knew his name before this weekend. At the Music City Track Carnival in Cleveland, Tennessee last Saturday, he ran 9.89 seconds in the 100m: a wind-legal personal best that shaved 0.16 off his previous mark of 10.05, making him the fastest American of 2026 so far, and putting him at number two in the world this season. He skipped the 9.90s entirely.

Sam is 23 years old. He grew up in Wisconsin, went to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse — a Division III program where his grandparents live a mile from the stadium and both his parents went to school — and graduated without ever contemplating leaving for a Division I program. He has 11 individual NCAA D3 titles. He spent the off-season working at a small regional airport to save money for his move to Florida, where he now trains with Star Athletics under Dennis Mitchell alongside Kenny Bednarek, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. This is his first season with the group.

The headline that took over the internet is that he is now the fastest white man in history, breaking Christophe Lemaître’s 9.92 from 2011. Sam’s own take on what he’d rather people focus on: he’s number two in the world right now. That’s the story he wants told.

In this conversation, recorded just 48 hours after the race, Sam walks us through the full arc: the soccer and swimming background, YMCA YouTube tutorials during COVID, and the steady year-over-year drops from 10.29 to 10.13 to 10.09 to 10.05 to 9.89. We also get into what his college coach Matt Gordy unlocked in him and what Star Athletics has done to fix the back half of his race.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez

Guest: Sam Blaskowski | @samblaskowski

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: When you finish a hard workout, the work isn't actually done. That's when recovery starts. Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

“By the time we get there, I don’t think we’ll leave any stone unturned for the first one. There’s still room to grow, but I do think I’ll be very ready.”

My guest for today’s episode is Emma Grace Hurley: an ASICS athlete and one of the most consistent American road racers of the last two years. She trains under Andrew and Amy Begley at Heartland Track Club in Indianapolis, and in 2026 she has already set the American Record at 8K (24:29 at the Shamrock Shuffle), won the USATF 10-Mile title at Cherry Blossom, won the 25K title at the Gate River Run and finished second at the USATF 5K Championships in her own city, running 15:00 flat to miss the sub-15 barrier by four-tenths of a second.

She is also, as of this week, officially confirmed as one of the scoring members of the U.S. half marathon team for Copenhagen — one of the three athletes who were misdirected in the closing mile of the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta in March. World Athletics granted a special exception that will allow seven American women to compete, with Jess McClain, Emma Grace, and Ednah Kurgat as the scoring athletes alongside Weini Kelati. The top three official finishers — Molly Born, Carrie Ellwood, and Annie Rodenfels — will make their international debuts as non-scoring athletes.

What makes Emma Grace one of the more interesting stories in American distance running right now is the shape of her career. She graduated from Furman in 2020 with a 15:57 5K personal best, quit running entirely, took a client associate job at JP Morgan, and did not think she was coming back to the sport. She is now a 15:00 road 5K runner, an 8K American record holder, a national 10-mile champion, and a two-event Worlds qualifier. She has not run a marathon yet — it’s happening this fall.

In this conversation, recorded in Brooklyn, we get into all of it: what it actually took to bounce back after Atlanta and immediately set a national record three weeks later, why she doesn’t love the track but is a 15-flat road 5K runner, the Cherry Blossom 10-mile where she lost the overall by one second to a woman who finished seventh in the 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics, the moment she finally felt like the long slow build was paying off, and what scares her most about the marathon block ahead.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠

Guest: Emma Grace Hurley | @emmagracehurley

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Emergency bonus episode triggered by World Athletics dropping the Beijing 2027 qualification system.

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia spend nearly an hour walking through every significant change in qualifying. The core shift: the hybrid model of entry standards plus world rankings is being tilted from a 50-50 split to 40% via entry standards and 60% via world rankings — achieved by making standards significantly tougher across nearly every event.

The episode covers:

– The four qualification pathways

– The new wild card structure (including the unprecedented wild card for World Ultimate Champions)

– Qualifying windows

– Marathon specifics

– The category requirement change that effectively ends NCAA-level meet qualifying

– The political reality of getting into high-category meets,

– Full distance standards breakdown

– The impact on US collegiate athletes

– The BU indoor ban and what the Dempsey loophole might be

– The closure of the Ramona discus advantage

– The women’s 10,000m standard correction

– The end of the cross country qualifying route for 10,000m

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Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Preet Majithia | @preet_athletics

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber close out Memorial Day weekend with a debrief on the Enhanced Games, a quick Xiamen Diamond League recap, and a full LA Track Fest breakdown.

Discussed in this episode:

– Enhanced Games debrief: It’s not track and field, it’s not a competitor to the sport, and last night was actually a best-case scenario for Enhanced Games skeptics because no athlete watching thought, “I should take drugs, look how well it worked.”

– Xiamen Diamond League: Masai Russell’s 12.14 was the race of the meet. Broke her own American record and missed Tobi Amusan’s world record of 12.12 by two hundredths; Collen Kebinatshipi running 43.92 for a world lead, now reportedly holding world leads in both the 100m and 400m simultaneously; Alison dos Santos is in arguably the best early-season form of his career; Abby Caldwell wins the women’s 1500 again in 3:57, making Australian Commonwealth Games selection very complicated; Yan Ziyi throws 71.74 in the javelin on her 18th birthday.

– LA Track Fest: Parker Valby returns with her first race on the outdoor track in 19 months, winning the 5K in a 14:49 personal best; Brandon Miller wins the 800m over a stacked field, but Josh Kerr gave us data on where he’s at eight weeks out from his London mile world record attempt; Cooper Lutkenhaus runs his first 1500m at 17 years old and goes 3:45 + more results from LA.

– This weekend: Bislett Games (Continental Tour), Rabat Diamond League on Sunday, and the Bandit Grand Prix at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City on Saturday.

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Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Kyle Merber | @kylemerber

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

Chris Chavez, Preet Majithia and Paul Hof-Mahoney are back for a packed episode covering the biggest throw in fourteen years, a viral North Carolina high school DQ, the Enhanced Games coming up, ATHLOS expanding to two meets, conference championship weekend, and the full Shanghai Diamond League recap.

Discussed in this episode:

- North Carolina 8A State Championships DQ: Mallard Creek anchor Nyan Brown raised five fingers in the final two meters of the four-by-four relay — signaling a fifth consecutive state title — and was immediately DQ’d for unsportsmanlike conduct. The team title went to Jordan High School. The clip has been viewed over nine million times, landed in the New York Times, and the case may be heading to court.

- ATHLOS expands to two meets: The women’s track series returns to Icahn Stadium in New York City on October 2nd and is adding a second international meet.

- Marvin Bracey doping case update: Florida man Paul Askew, who operated under a fake female virtual medical persona, is scheduled to plead guilty on May 26th to sports doping conspiracy.

- Enhanced Games predictions: The Las Vegas event is this weekend. We predict what they end up running and some of the questions we have around the event.

Shanghai Diamond League recap:

- Women’s shot put: Jessica Schilder threw 21.09, the first throw over 21 meters in 14 years.

- 33-year-old Mark English wins in 1:43.85 and steals the win from Kethobogile Haingura, who celebrated early.

- Mohamed Abdullahi wins in 7:25.77 with a move from 600m out. 14 athletes went sub-7:30 in the same race.

- Birke Haylom wins in 3:55.56 in a tactically controlled race

- Tsige Duguma impresses with a 3:55.71 in just her second-ever 1500m. Analyzing Jess Hull’s tactics.

- Shericka Jackson runs 22.07 for her fastest outdoor opener since 2023. Sha’Carri Richardson fourth in 22.42 is still a good sign.

+ More results from the meet

- NCAA Conference Championship round-up

- Looking ahead: Track Fest takes place at UCLA this weekend with Emma Coburn’s first steeple in two years, Parker Valby returns to the 5000m, Josh Kerr and Donovan Brazier in the 800, Michael Norman’s first open 400 in years and more. The Xiamen Diamond League takes place on May 23rd — mostly same fields as Shanghai, with the men’s 3K upgraded to 5K.

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Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Preet Majithia | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@preet_athletics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠+ Paul Hof-Mahoney | @phofmahoney

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠