Citius Mag Podcast

Kyle Merber and Chris Chavez return to host our first CITIUS MAG Live postgame show called After The Final Lap.  With the NFL, NBA or MLB, you tune in to the game and afterward, you hear more from the athletes and coaches and get some fresh takes and thoughts from analysts about what you just saw. We’re bringing that to you in a fun show. For the Millrose Games, we were joined by a surprise guest host: 2016 Olympic gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz. Guests for the show include On Athletics coach Dathan Ritzenhein, men's Wanamaker mile champion Olli Hoare, men's 3000m winner Geordie Beamish, women's Wanamaker mile runner-up Josette Norris and NCAA cross country champion Conner Mantz. Kick back for a fun hour of banter!  (For those listening in the car or at home with their kids, there is some explicit language in this episode. Thanks for that Olli.) ----- Follow CITIUS MAG -----  ▶ Subscribe to the podcast: https://apple.co/3Byp72I ▶ On Twitter:  http://twitter.com/CitiusMag   ▶ On Inst

"I need to have a good 'why' for why I'm doing it and what drives me. For me, it's never been money before with college running... I want to do it for the love of the sport and the fulfillment it brings me. Just Keep my 'Why' in a good place." Whittni Orton Morgan is the reigning NCAA cross country out of BYU who joins us to share some news that she has signed her first professional contract and will be running for Adidas. She talks to me and my co-host Kyle Merber about the process and what it means for her training set up in Utah. Sneakily, there might be a real strong group forming there. We talk through her career up until this point which included playing multiple sports in high school with her favorite being basketball. So how’d she end up running and got so good at it? We touch on her mindset and motivation to win an NCAA title – which was interrupted by injuries throughout her career for the Cougars and just when things were going right, COVID strikes. A real fun conversation before she makes her debu

Alicia Monson is a professional runner for the On Athletics Club and a 2021 Olympian in the 10,000 meters. Before turning pro, she was a star at the University of Wisconsin. Just a few weeks ago, she won her first national title with a win at the USATF Cross Country Championships in San Diego. In this episode, we touch on a bit more of her personality and dive into why so many things have been going right for her in the past two years. She’s got big goals to make the U.S. national team in the 10,000 meters again for this summer’s world championships. I think she does a great job providing insight into her mindset during races and when she makes her move to break the competition. Stick around for her recap of the super hot Olympic Trials 10,000m race and her funniest drug testing story. HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST Interested in sponsoring the show? Reach out to Chris at chris@citiusmag.com for advertising, sponsorship and partnership offerings.

"I didn't feel like I had it. I had no idea. With a mile to go, I looked at my watch and I think I saw 2:12. It's hard to do math when you're so tired. So I was like, 'What does that mean? I think I can do this but I need to keep going.' It's funny because when I get in really good shape, my husband calls me The Buzzsaw. Don't stand in my way because Keira is just coming through. In the last mile, I don't know what it was but I was clinging to that. I was physically saying aloud to myself, "Buzzsaw. Buzzsaw. Buzzsaw." as 'Keep going! Keep hanging on!'...I kept looking for the banner. I knew I was going to be able to see it. I was a little like, 'Please just make this soon because I don't know how much further I can go.' When I made the turn and seeing the banner, that's when I was like. 'This is going to happen for me today.'" Keira D'Amato is a friend of the podcast and just this past weekend set the American record for the marathon with her win at the Houston Marathon in 2:19:12. She took 24 seconds off Dee

“For some reason, I think everyone on this team is kind of an underdog. Everyone has that same killer mentality. We want to be at the top and we want to have that respect we deserve. Even Danny as a coach has been an underdog. Time after time, people are starting to understand these guys are legit. Josh is the best example of that. I think over the next couple of years, there will be more people winning medals.” Isaiah Harris is taking his 1:44.42 personal best for 800m and 3:42.63 personal best for 1,500m to the Brooks Beasts. In this episode, he tells CITIUS MAG why he decided to make the move after a year where he finished fourth in the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials and recorded a victory at the British Grand Prix at Gateshead. He takes us through his early roots in finding success in track as a high schooler in Lewiston, Maine. By the end of his high school career, he held the Maine state record in every event from 200 meters through 800 meters. Riley Masters considers him the greatest athlete to

"I was planning to go to the marathon last year but this injury came up. I still have unfinished business on the track so after world champs, I’m going to try to debut at a fall marathon. Hopefully New York or something. That was my main thing. Once I switch my focus and I’m doing the marathon, I’m going to do some damage there." Shadrack Kipchirchir is the newly-crowned 2022 USATF cross country champion. He is a 2016 Olympian and has not missed a U.S. world outdoor championship team since he switched allegiances from Kenya to America in 2014. After he kicked to the win on Saturday, I tried doing a little bit of research into his upbringing and his career path and honestly couldn’t find much. This is someone who has the 4th-fastest U.S. 10,000 meter time and has won six U.S. titles. So I reached out to him and invited him onto the show. This is his first-ever podcast interview and we went through his early days in Kenya growing up as one of nine kids, why he came to America to run for Western Kentucky and the

At 20 years old, Cole Hocker has put himself atop the United States middle distance scene. I profiled him for Sports Illustrated last July after he outkicked reigning Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz for the win in the men’s 1,500 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Trials – which was one of my favorite races to watch of the whole trials. Hocker’s finishing speed is world-class. He went on to run 3:31.40 for sixth place in the Olympic 1,500 meter final.  In September, he signed a professional contract with Nike and now sets his sights on his first professional indoor season, which includes headlining the men’s 3,000 meters at the Millrose Games. In this episode, we discuss his plans for the new year, the decision to turn professional after just one full NCAA campaign at Oregon, thoughts on American records and much more. HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

"I never thought I would inspire anybody in life. I quit everything. I was never an inspiring person. To see me now, by just sharing my story of going from really sad to really glad and that being able to inspire somebody is a dream come true. I love making videos. I love sharing my story. I love oversharing, as my husband would say. The fact that it can help people is like, 'Are you kidding this is amazing?!" It is just more motivation to keep going, keep making videos and keep running because there are so many benefits that it's brought to me. Seeing the change that it brings other people is addicting and it never gets old." We welcome Erin Azar – also known as Mrs. Space Cadet. She’s a rapidly-growing social media star with 720,000 TikTok followers and 70,000 Instagram followers. She describes herself as an "expert struggle runner and struggle lifer making running more approachable for beginners." I first learned of her in Dec. 2020 when she was a guest on Dana’s podcast. She is one of the people who reall

“I've been cutting it close in training every week like, ‘Am I going to be able to get sharp in time and build up enough endurance to handle it.’ I did a workout the other week that gave me a lot more confidence that we’ve got a really strong shot at it. But a shot is still the idea. I think the range I could run is a 3:58 to a 4:02. If I were to predict my time, I’d say a 3:59.7 so that’s only just getting under.” Unfortunately, due to the rising COVID-19 cases in New York City, Tracksmith and race organizers have made the decision to cancel the upcoming Midnight Mile Gala on December 31st at the Armory. Our guest for today’s episode is recurring fan favorite and guest Nick Willis. He was supposed to try and break four minutes for the mile at the strike of midnight at the Armory but now instead, he will still be going for it in a private setting without any spectators.  I chatted with Nick a few weeks back while I was in town for the Chicago Marathon and we did a live show but this still hasn’t been ann

"We have to understand the changing nature of broadcasts and how people consume our sport. I want it to be as accessible as possible, as exciting as possible, as understandable as possible and that does mean getting rid of some rules and regs that slow us down...It's multifaceted. I just want noisy, passionate, young fans in a stadium who when they're grandparents, they've still got their grandchildren wanting to be there." We welcome four-time Olympic medalist, former 800 meter and 1,500 meter world record holder and current World Athletics President Seb Coe to the show. We got the chance to pick his brain on his vision for this current moment that the sport is in with two World Championships and an Olympics ahead of us and why it’s crucial.  We talk about changes and improvements that can be made in the sport’s presentation and accessibility, especially for athletes and fans. Of course, I bring up Formula 1’s rapid growth and what pages he may be taking from that sport’s playbook.  Plus some fun q

“I really want to develop more of that 1,500-meter/mile speed. Hopefully, after that, we’ll have another crack at a quick mile like we did last year at Arkansas – who knows, maybe go for an American record there. We were pretty close last year so hopefully if things keep trending the right way, we’ll have a shot at that. USAs indoors obviously but not sure what we’ll do there yet. Cole is trying to maybe look toward some of that higher-end stuff like 3K-5K so maybe he’ll give me a shot at taking the mile title and he’ll go for the 3K. We haven’t figured out everything yet but it’s all geared toward making that World team. That’s the biggest thing to do. I know what I have to do now after getting fourth at Trials.” Cooper Teare just announced his decision to turn professional and signed a contract with Nike. We hear some insights into what that means for his future plans. He put together a really great last 12 months. He ran 3:50.39 for the mile and 7:46 indoors for the 3,000m. Outdoors, he ran 3:35 for 1,500

Olli Hoare is an Australian Olympic finalist in the 1,500 meters who runs professionally for the On Athletics Club under coach Dathan Ritzenhein in Boulder. Before turning pro, he was a stud at Wisconsin where he won the 2018 NCAA title in the 1,500 meters. In 2021, he set personal bests of 3:32 for the 1,500 meters both indoors and outdoors. He ran 3:51 for the mile and 3:50 for the mile on the roads. He ran 13:22 for the 5K outdoors and then just ran 13:09 this past weekend in Boston. He finished 11th in the Olympic 1,500 meter final. We touch on that race, his run at BU, what’s his view for how the 1,500 meters has evolved and much more.  Olli is also the host of the Coffee Club Podcast that he co-hosts with his teammates and training partners so be sure to check that out. We talk podcaster-to-podcaster a bit at the start before my co-host Mac Fleet chimes in to talk athlete-to-former athlete. All of that plus, your listener questions. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS TRACKSMITH has come up with a very creative w

"In the huddle, that's kind of what I ended with: At the end of the day, you don't know going into a season like this if everything is going to work out. We are here with an opportunity to be successful...We said it at the regional meet – because you could kind of feel it building and our Top 5 were really dialed in and running well. I said, 'Take the time and appreciate what you're doing right now. There's no guarantee of it. All you can ask for is an opportunity.' And they really took advantage of that. I'm thankful for these people I'm surrounded by. This staff is awesome. This team is awesome." North Carolina State coach Laurie Henes joins the show just days after the Wolfpack won the team’s first-ever NCAA cross country title.  Early on in the conversation, you’ll be quick to hear Coach Henes point out that NC State won AIAW Cross Country titles in 1979 and 1980 before the NCAA. She knows her NC State history because as an athlete, she was an NCAA champion and a six-time All-American for them and th

"Running became this focal point for me, especially these last few years...The stigma is real. People don't want to talk about this kind of stuff, especially in the military. You're trained as much you can to be emotionless because that can be a liability." Joey Maiocco is a lead editor at Newsy and a veteran of the U.S. Army. His work at Newsy encompasses the entertainment industry as well as national news but it has all come full circle for him with his most recent project: In Real Life: Post-Trauma. It is a 22-minute special that shares his personal story on treating post-traumatic stress and how other war veterans cope and find their own treatment upon returning home. For Joey, running has played a major role in it and he just recently ran the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. I connected with him back in December through a mutual friend and sensed his excitement about what the sport has brought him and we decided to talk about it on this podcast because that’s also part of his healing and way of helping

Tinman Elite’s Drew Hunter is making his fourth appearance on the podcast. I first had him on the show after his first pro season back in 2017 and then we did a live show in Boston in 2018. A lot has happened in his life since then... He’s run personal bests of 3:35.90 for 1,500 meters, 7:39.85 for 3,000 meters and 13:17.55 for the 5,000 meters. However, the past year was fairly difficult for him. He raced just once indoors in February and then tore his plantar, which forced him to miss the U.S. Olympic Trials. Tinman Elite also went through a very public breakup with coach Tom Schwartz and now the team is coached by his mother, Joan Hunter. We unpack all of those changes, the comeback from injury and what it was like to stamp his return with a win at the USATF 5K Championships in New York City, where he captured his second national title. My co-host for this episode is Mac Fleet, who has been working hard behind the scenes to also now bring you some of these conversations and other fun video content on The C

“I truly believe in my heart that if it wasn’t for my recovery journey, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this. I kept thinking of that during the marathon. I kept thinking about all the hard times and trials and tribulations. All the stuff that I got through and I thought, ‘If I can do that, then why can I do this?’” My guest for today’s episode is Mario Diurno. Just a few days ago, you got to hear the story of Molly Seidel who finished fourth in the elite women’s race. I want to share with you the story of a friend of mine and one of the last people across the finish line.  While many of the people who ran on Sunday were getting ready for bed, Mario was working his way through Central Park and crossed the finish line just before 11 pm – 10 hours and 55 minutes after he started in Staten Island.  Mario is a client support specialist at Release Recovery. You’ve heard me speak about Release Recovery in previous episodes. I interviewed the founder and my friend, Zac Clark, after he was on The Bac

"Despite everything, somehow this race turned out so much better than I could’ve imagined. I am so excited about how New York went because there were so many times throughout the build-up where we didn’t even know if I was going to make it to the line." We welcome back Molly Seidel to the podcast and I get to introduce her as the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon and also now the fastest American woman to ever run the New York City Marathon. This past weekend, she ran 2:24:42 and finished fourth overall. The previous record was 2:25:53 set by Kara Goucher in 2008. The race was won by Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya in 2:22:39. Molly is now four for four in her marathons. Makes the Olympics in her first. Runs a PR and places high in London amid the pandemic. Earns a bronze medal at the Olympics and now breaks a record at the New York City Marathon. We touch on Molly’s run in Sapporo and New York City but also get some more details on the less-than-ideal build-up that somehow led to this

"When you guide somebody, there is a bond that is formed that is undeniable to know that they couldn't have done it without you and also that you're doing it because of them as well." Dr. Joe Park is a good friend of mine and some of you might know of him from his time on Tayshia Adams’ season of The Bachelorette or his brief stint on the latest season of Bachelor In Paradise. But he’s more than just a reality TV show contestant. He’s a full-time anesthesiologist and interventional pain specialist in New York City. He’s one of the nicest guys out there and you’ll hear a couple of stories of why that’s the case. He and I will be running the NYC Marathon together next weekend and hoping to run under 3 hours and 30 minutes. He is fundraising for Achilles International, whose mission is to transform the lives of people with disabilities through athletic programs and social connections. There are 28 chapters in 19 states. Joe has been a guide for the New York City chapter before and in this episode, you’ll learn a

“Everyone processes things differently. We hoped that it wouldn’t take away from the rest of my year but you never know in those moments. To bounce back with a 3:59 (for 1,500m) was like, ‘Hell yeah! I deserve to be doing this and racing at this level and competing. This is what we trained for all year.’ It was almost like a rewarding moment coming back from that disappointment...Our conversations were really positive. It was about what you could be excited about ahead. There are world champs the next two years and then an Olympic team. This sport moves quickly and there’s a lot more to be excited for right away. That definitely helped turning around on the trials.” Josette Norris is a professional runner for the Reebok Boston Track Club. If track and field had a breakout star of the year award, Josette would be a strong candidate for that. She came into the year with personal bests of 4:10.82 for 1,500 meters and 15:29.34 for 5,000 meters. Now, she’s at 3:59.72 for 1,500 meters which is No. 9 on the all-time

Nick Willis returns to the podcast for this episode, which was recorded live in front of an audience at the Tracksmith pop-up shop during Chicago Marathon weekend. Nick was first a guest on this show back in February 2020 before the Millrose Games when we went over his entire career up until that point. So this conversation picks up with 2021. This season, he broke four minutes for the 19th consecutive year and then qualified for his 5th Olympic Games for New Zealand. It didn’t come easy though. He squeaked into the Games via his World Athletics ranking. He tells us why his wife was a major factor in motivating him to get there and in shape within six weeks. He gives us insight ito what his experience was like in Tokyo, where he made it to the semifinals and ran a season’s best of 3:35.41. Plus, what’s next for him? He’s been playing lots of basketball and skateboarding in the meantime. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS TRACKSMITH is a Boston-based running brand, who crafts performance apparel for training, racing and res