Citius Mag Podcast

"In my mind, I have the situation going on in Ukraine. So it was really complicated for me to turn off this emotion and to be focused only on high jump. I'm really thankful to my coach because she said to me, ‘We come to show the results. We come for the gold medal. And we come for our country, to show all people that we are strong and will fight in all areas.’" Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh will make her debut at the ⁠116th Millrose Games⁠ at The Armory on Feb. 11 in New York City. Mahuchikh just wrapped up a stellar 2023 season in which the 21-year-old claimed gold in the women’s high jump at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest by clearing 2.01m on her second try. She completed her global outdoor medal set after earning a silver medal at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships and an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo in 2021.  Mahuchikh also earned a gold medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia – which took place just weeks after fleeing her home in Dnipro due

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 15,000 people who stay up-to-date with all the thrilling action and biggest stories in the world of track & field – delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday morning. Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://thelapcount.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ In this week's newsletter: – Making 4.748 Mile PB jokes is an American tradition

"I have this road map for what I believe will make the best Olympic final for me...I just want to make sure that the training's there. If the training is there, I am the best 1500m runner in the world. I just need to make sure there's consistency. So the way that I look at races is: What can I do to bring the most value to that race as well as learning as much as possible from that race?" 2023 1500m world champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain will headline the field for the men’s two mile at the 116th Millrose Games at The Armory on Feb. 11, race organizers announced. Kerr, who is also the reigning Olympic bronze medalist in the 1500m and European indoor mile record holder, will be competing in his fifth Millrose Games since 2018. In 2022, he took second in the Millrose Wanamaker Mile. Earlier this year, Kerr opted to run the men’s 3000m against one of the most talented fields ever assembled. The decision paid off as he kicked to victory with a 26.98 final 200m to win in 7:33.47.  The Millrose

"It's not like I'm jogging on those days [that I’m running] or that I'm cross-training easily. I think people underestimate what I'm doing. When I cross-train, there are puddles of sweat on the floor to the point that our recreational center has to put out 'Wet Floor' signs because I sweat that much. One time, they put an 'Out of Order' sign on my machine because they thought it was leaking. Little did they know, it was my sweat."  Florida’s Parker Valby just won the 2023 NCAA Cross Country individual championship title after a runner-up finish behind NC State’s Katelyn Tuohy in 2022. She wrapped up an undefeated 4–0 season that includes wins at the Nuttycombe Invitational, the SEC Championships and the NCAA South Regional before winning it all in Charlottesville just nine days ago. She dominated the race and covered the 6K course in 18 minutes and 55 seconds to win by just over 10 seconds. Parker is also the NCAA Outdoor 5000m champion and owns a personal best of 15:

“I think the thing that characterizes DII, DIII and NAIA athletes is that they're super passionate about running in a way that differs from DI athletes. I always see the DIII guys and gals who are going to keep running well after college. They love it and that’s why they’re going to the smaller schools out of high school – because they want that opportunity to keep running. There’s way more passion rather than ‘I’m the best at this and there’s a scholarship on the line so I may as well do it.’” The Lap Count’s Kyle Merber and Noah Droddy, 2:09 marathoner and D3 Glory Days Podcast host, talk through their experience covering the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Kyle was on the call for the ESPN broadcast for Division I while Noah was behind the mic for the Division III stream on YouTube. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 15,000 people who stay up-to-date with all the thrilling action and biggest stories in the world of track & field – delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday morning. Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://thelapcount.com/⁠⁠⁠ In this week's newsletter: – NCAA XC at Panorama Farms 

"I try to divert a lot of the attention from me towards the team because it really is a lot bigger than just me and my performances. I have a lot of supportive teammates and great staff at Harvard – so that's one thing I try to do. The other thing is just to stay in the moment with the guys. In the end, I'm a part of this team and that's the most important thing. I don't really want to isolate myself as an individual on the squad. We are the squad. We refer to ourselves as 'the hive mind'. I think we even said that on the line at NCAAs – three, two, one, hive mind.” Harvard’s Graham Blanks just won the NCAA Cross Country men’s individual title and became the first man from the Ivy League to do so. Blanks completed a perfect 5–0 season that included wins at the Battle in Beantown, Nuttycombe Invitational, Ivy League Championships and the NCAA Division I Northeast Region Cross Country Championships before Saturday’s victory. At 21 years old, he is also the youngest person to win the

MEN’S INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION | GRAHAM BLANKS – Harvard’s Graham Blanks made history as the first-ever man from the Ivy League to win the men’s cross country individual title. He raced patiently before starting to make his move with a kilometer remaining in the race and was able to pull away from New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel (a 17th place finisher at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships). Blanks covered the 10K course in 28:37.7 to win by three seconds. – Blanks completed a perfect 5–0 season that included wins at the Battle in Beantown, Nuttycombe Invitational, Ivy League Championships and the NCAA Division I Northeast Region Cross Country Championships before Saturday’s victory. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

MEN’S TEAM CHAMPIONS | OKLAHOMA STATE – One year after losing on a tiebreaker on their home course, Oklahoma State left nothing to doubt and downed the defending champion Northern Arizona 49–71. – The Cowboys put five runners in the top 15. – Freshman Denis Kipngetich was the top OSU runner in fourth place overall in 28:59.7 for the 10K course. Fellow freshman Brian Musau was not far behind with an eighth place finish in 29:11.0. Fouad Messaoudi was 10th in 29:13.3. Victor Shitsama took 12th at 29:16.1. Alex Maier was 15th in 29:20.2. – This is Oklahoma State’s first men’s team title since 2012.  SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION | PARKER VALBY – After finishing second at the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships, Parker Valby dominated this year’s race to win in 18:55.2 for the 6K course. She won by 10.6 seconds. – Valby completed an undefeated season that included four victories at the Nuttycombe Invitational, SEC Cross Country Championships and the NCAA South Regional before Saturday’s victory. – She is the first runner from the Florida Gators to win an NCAA Cross Country title. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

WOMEN’S TEAM CHAMPIONS | NC STATE THREEPEAT! – The NC State women won their third consecutive team title with a narrow one-point victory victory Northern Arizona, which marked the closest team finish in NCAA Cross Country Championship history for the women’s side. – NC State is the first school to win back-to-back-to-back NCAA team titles since Stanford won from 2005 to 2007. – The Wolfpack was led by 2022 NCAA champion Katelyn Tuohy, who was dealing with a slight sickness and still managed to finish fifth overall in 19:23.0. Amaris Tyynismaa (25th in 19:55.3) and Sam Bush (28th in 20:00.7) also earned All-American honors. – The Wolfpack had big performances by Leah Stephens (43rd in 20:08.2) and Grace Hartman (20:24.4) as the team was without Kelsey Chmiel, who was third at last year’s championships. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

A Wide Open Race At The Top "Nico Young feels due for an individual title on the grass. From his fourth place finish as a freshman, to falling just short over the final stretch last year, Young has never had a bad performance at NCAAs – his lowest career finish is 11th. A breakthrough in his senior year would be reminiscent of Adam Goucher’s legendary 1998 win, some great company for Young to join. Young’s only two losses this season have come to arguably his biggest rivals heading into this weekend. Just last week he was edged by New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel at the Mountain Regional. Samuel is a newcomer to the NCAA scene this fall but is a two-time World U20 Medalist, placed 17th at the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships – the senior race! – for his native Eritrea, and boasts a 27:20.08 10,000m PB. He’s also won three of the four races he has run this season as a Lobo. At the biggest regular-season meet of the year, the Nuttycombe Invitational, they finished in the two spots behind Harvard

Katelyn Tuohy vs Parker Valby: Part III "Stop me if this sounds familiar. Florida’s Parker Valby (2nd at 2022 NCAAs) is running eye-popping times that make her look untouchable, while Katelyn Tuohy is racking up big wins by leaving competitors in the dust over the final mile, setting up a head-to-head matchup with the hype of a heavyweight title fight. It feels like deja vu, when both runners were co-favorites headed into 2022 NCAAs. We all know how that turned out, with Valby going out hard on a grueling course and Tuohy hunting her down to run away with a convincing win. This year though, there is one key difference: unlike 2022, Tuohy and Valby have a head-to-head matchup on their cards already headed into the championships. At the Nuttycombe Invitational five weeks ago, Valby set a course record in brutal conditions, running away from the NC State star over the second half of the race. It was a shock to see Tuohy – who went undefeated last season – get outclassed and an incredible sign for Valby beli

NCAA Cross Country Championships Women's Team Preview: Will NAU Break Up The NC State Three-peat? "It was only a matter of time before the Northern Arizona University women caught up to their male counterparts. With the same team resources as the men, a beneficial training environment, and one of the best coaches in the country, there was no reason why top female talent wouldn’t flock to Flagstaff. Now, as the Lady Jacks sit atop the national coaches’ poll headed into the big dance in Charlottesville, the question worth asking is if they are a bigger favorite than their dynastic men's squad. Reigning champion Katelyn Tuohy is expected to add, at most, 2 points to the team score, but she’ll be relying on her teammates to outplace the competition as well. That starts with the Scottie Pippen to Tuohy’s Michael Jordan, fifth-year senior Kelsey Chmiel (3rd at 2022 NCAAs). Chmiel has been the most consistent member of the Wolfpack supporting cast in what has been a bit of a rocky season by NC State’s

Can NAU Keep The Dynasty Going? Can Oklahoma State Get Redemption? "Flashback to 2022: there was chaos at the finish line of the OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Oklahoma, as officials tried to sort out the final score of the meet. The frequently-changing unofficial results made their way to the runners, and for just a moment, Oklahoma State thought they had won. It seemed that they used their home course advantage to upset the Northern Arizona dynasty, it was a storybook ending. But joy quickly turned to heartbreak as both teams ended up with a final score of 83 points – the first tie in NCAA Championship history – and the recently changed tiebreaker rules awarded the title to the Lumberjacks. There was plenty of debate following the race about whether the tiebreaker rules were fair, but no amount of arguing was going to change the result. Barely missing a prime opportunity on their home course and losing two of their top five runners as NAU improved meant that the Cowboys may have missed their

As Chris recovers from the marathon, Kyle Merber, Eric Jenkins and Mac Fleet took over the show for a special episode of "Office Hourse" – where we answer our followers, readers and listeners' questions. We'll try and do more of these when we're all together in-person. Here are the questions answered in this week's episode: – Do you like the way the U.S. selects its marathon team through the Olympic Trials system? – How much alcohol do pros actually drink? – What do you think is reasonable mileage for a "working runner" to attempt when aiming for a hypothetical sub-2:45 marathon PR? – Why don't we host more professional cross country meets in the United States? – Shouldn't pro runners practice racing without pacers more? – What does it mean when pros say they "get work done" in their training or at races? Like PT/massage/chiropractor? Who is paying for that? – Why is there a Bowerman Track Club exodus? What is happening? – Is Kelvin Kiptum and his fast pe

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 15,000 people who stay up-to-date with all the thrilling action and biggest stories in the world of track & field – delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday morning. Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://thelapcount.com/⁠⁠ In this week's newsletter: – The top storylines of the 2023 NCAA XC Meet ✍️ – In defense of NCAA international athletes

By 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, we should have a good idea of who will be the schools competing at the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia on Nov. 18. This weekend, nine regional championships will be held on Friday, Nov. 10. Women will race a 6K and men will race a 10K. CITIUS MAG's cross-country guru Isaac Wood joins the show to preview all of the action and share his predictions on which teams will make it to The Big Dance. How do teams qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships? – The top two teams in each regional secure automatic bids for the NCAA Championships. That makes 18 men’s and women’s teams will know by the final results. – The top four individual finishers who do not attend a school that advances to the NCAA Championships via an auto-bid or an at-large big, will get to compete individually. They have to finish within the top 25 of their respective region. – If a team finishes outside of the top three, 13 at-large teams are determined by the NCAA

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 15,000 people who stay up-to-date with all the thrilling action and biggest stories in the world of track & field – delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday morning. Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠http://thelapcount.com/⁠ In this week's newsletter: – USATF 5K Championship

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 15,000 people who stay up-to-date with all the thrilling action and biggest stories in the world of track & field – delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday morning. Subscribe at ⁠⁠http://thelapcount.com/ In this week's newsletter: – Rewarding mid-tier marathon races? – Faith vs. Sifan vs. Sydney vs. Mary vs. Athing vs. Keely vs. Femke in an 800 – Track in football stadiums – How a road race fan can get into cross country and track – Best places to train in America – NIL athletes and wearing their school's sponsor – Most notable XC conference championship performances and early NCAA XC predictions – Predicting the future of the Bowerman Track Club – Trading pro runners – How to attract more non-endemic sponsors to the sport – U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials start time latest – Biggest underdog who can qualify for Paris – NYC Marathon storylines to pay attention to + more rapid fire highlights from the past