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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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