Citius Mag Podcast

"It takes a lot to get out of your comfort zone, especially in the pole vault. Because it is scary and because there is a fear element, you want to hold onto your comfort zone so badly...Changing things really is not easy. There were a lot of tears. I always bought in. My gut led me to Ashland. My gut sent me to Brad (Walker). It hasn’t been wrong yet. I knew that I was in the right place because of the way he described it. He made it so simple. I’m in control of what I’m doing so if I focus on X, Y and Z, the heights will come. He totally changed the mental game for me, which then allowed me to change the technical things. It took all of that time to make that happen. Especially in this generation, people want immediate gratification and results. I’m very much like that. I don’t like waiting for things. I’m really happy that I didn’t make the team in 2016 because I would not have done that. I would not have gone that far out of my comfort zone. I wouldn’t have let someone else challenge me that way. I’m grat

"The main reason we started was just that we didn't see that many people that look like us reporting on track and field. In other sports like basketball and the NFL, you see people of color and a lot of diversity in all of the reporting. When it comes to track, it's not really like that. I really love track and field. I love all the events. When I go to these other sites and mainly distance is getting covered, I'm thinking most of the reason why is because it's not a diverse group of people. Whenever you put culture and diversity into something, it gets better." My guests for today’s episode are Aaron and Joshua Potts. You may know them as the Two Black Runners since they have their own podcast by that name. You may have watched some of their videos on YouTube or Instagram. They’re creating all types of running content by the culture and for the culture, as they say. I had the chance to meet them in person for the first time when we broadcast the Trials of Miles Qualifier meet in Kansas City and they served a

"When I go and talk in schools and you've got these negative issues, you want to portray the positivity of 'Wow. This is such a great thing to be involved in running, sport and events.'  Even though it's frustrating, you want to put that positive message out. You want kids to get involved. You want to celebrate being together as runners. When I look back at my career, yes, I am frustrated at what my career could have been but that's the same for so many athletes...You just have to think, 'Yeah, but I've traveled all over the world. I've met amazing people. I've competed at Olympic Games. Aren't I a lucky person to have had that?' That's kind of the message I want to take forward as well. Of course, I'm gutted about people who cheat but you want to think about the positives of our sport as well. There's still work to do." Jo Pavey is a five-time Olympian for Great Britain. She is the 2007 world championship bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters after finishing fourth but then getting upgraded to the podium

"I want to point out that while I’m relaying the advice to be patient like I’ve been given from Meb, Ritz, Ryan Hall, Deena and Des to be patient. It’s still hard to be patient. You want to see the good tune-up races and the good workouts because...I don’t want to go to New York and be in the pack at 15 miles and when there’s a strong move, I run smart and I pick off a few guys over the last few miles of the race and I finish fifth to 10th. I’ve done that. I know how to do that. I want to be fit enough that I can cover a 4:40 mile going up First Avenue and I can be in that pack and I can sit in that race. That’s what motivates me." I believe this is the third time Jared Ward has come on the show. His first time was in Feb. 2019 and then he was on last fall before he ran in the London Marathon. Now he’s back as he gets ready for the New York City Marathon and also runs in the Saucony Future Fast 10K in Germany that you can watch next Wednesday at 2 pm ET on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel.  Jared has raced

"That's honestly been the biggest change I made this year: Just mentally being so much more prepared, so much happier and just felt ready with myself. I wasn't really focused on what anyone else was doing. I knew I was ready. I think there were a few big things we worked on. I have such a perfectionist nature. It was super innate probably and then I grew up in a sport that just sort of cultivated that in gymnastics. The whole premise of the sport is perfection. We really tackled that. We realized it wasn't just in terms of running that trait was coming out. It's probably been my whole life. Whenever I get into a scenario, especially in training, where someone is pushing the pace or it's playing out differently than I think it should be, what tools do I have or what can I do to handle that vs. going into a panic mode – which is what was starting to happen pretty frequently." Olympic and world championship steeplechase silver medalist Courtney Frerichs re-joins the show. The last time she was on was in 2018 aft

"I want to be top American at a World Marathon Major. I want to take that step forward. It's taken me a lot longer to get to that point. That's just how it goes sometimes with surgeries, setbacks and there not being that many opportunities...Boston is hard though." Welcome back to the podcast, Parker Stinson. The last time he was on this show, he was getting ready to run the 2018 Chicago Marathon and still had a bit of work to prove himself as a pro runner on the roads following his successful career at the University of Oregon. After a coaching switch from Brad Hudson to Dathan Ritzenhein, Parker seemed to find a bit of that spark that he needed and had a strong 2019 campaign that included running a 25K American record of 1:13:48 and then a 2:10.:53 marathon in Chicago that fall.  Unfortunately, he had to scratch from the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials due to an injury - which he’ll talk about in this episode and then underwent knee surgery in 2020. The road back hasn’t been easy but Parker peels back the

“There’s so many stories and testimonies of amazing women in track and field – men and women. We should definitely shine a light on everybody because everybody has a story. Everybody has been through a lot. You never know who can relate to those stories as well. I’m a big advocate of showing a light on everyone.” Teahna Daniels is a professional sprinter for Nike, who had a breakout season in 2021 to run 10.83 at the Prefontaine Classic, which ties her for No. 14 on the all-time U.S. list. This has been a season where Sha'Carri Richardson has been the No. 1 U.S. female sprinter in all of the headlines but why not spread the love and the attention on some of the women who are also running fast behind her. Teahna is No. 2 for the United States in the U.S. In this episode, you’ll learn about her upbringing in Florida, where she lit it up as a high schooler. She went on to run at Texas, where she won an NCAA title in the 60-meter dash. As a professional, she was the 2019 U.S. Champion and went on to finish 7th at

One-on-one with Eliud Kipchoge. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in the marathon. The 26.2 world record holder. The only person in history to get under two hours for the marathon. A legend of the sport.  You may have seen some other podcasts out there with little mini-episodes for 15 min with him but this was the real deal. I got the chance to sit down with Kipchoge in Eugene for just an open conversation on life after winning another gold medal, where he goes from here, what his thoughts are on the greatest of all-time debate and much more.

"Initially, when I found out I broke down. I honestly went Hulk mode on a wall in the village. My room wall was torn out with a steel beam. It’s got a couple of dents in it. I went crazy. I'm not gonna lie. As I thought about how happy she was in those moments – She was actually with Athing Mu’s high school coach and Tara Davis’ mom in Orlando having the time of her life. So I think about her smile and her love and all the things and lessons that she gave me and taught me and how happy she would be for me in this moment. I really find a lot of peace in it.  I feel like you really find the true beauty of life in those high and low moments. Because just as high as I was, I went just as low as I went so fast." Raven Saunders and I recorded this while she was in attendance at the Prefontaine Classic and popped by The Magic Boost tent. We traded a couple of messages over Twitter about how we wanted to make this interview happen for a while because she’s one of the funniest personalities in the sport and the t

Justin Gatlin trains with Sha’Carri Richardson under coach Dennis Mitchell and is a polarizing figure in his own right, having served two doping bans during his long career. Since the early 2000s, Gatlin has been a world-class sprinter with a Jamaican rivalry of his own and battled Usain Bolt at several global championships. I caught up with him in the mixed zone at Hayward Field (which is why the audio isn't as clear) to briefly chat about how long he plans to continue going but also what it’s like to watch Sha'Carri come up as the next sprints star for the United States. He knows what it's like to be in the media spotlight and public’s crosshairs, where Sha'Carri found herself after her last-place finish at the Pre Classic behind the Jamaican sweep of the podium and Elaine Thompson-Herah’s 10.54 No. 2 all-time mark.

"I don't want my motivation to be other people. There's part of me that realized that's what I was leading up to the trials. I want to be more than a mullet and a mustache. I want to be more than just making teams." Shortly after finishing second in the Prefontaine Classic men's international mile, Craig Engels sat down in the Magic Boost tent to briefly chat about how he's found fun in the sport after finishing fourth at the Olympic Trials in the men's 1,500 meters and missing the Tokyo Olympics by one spot. He addresses the recent rumors that he may be contemplating retirement.  We kept this conversation fairly short since we'll likely record a much longer episode in person, if Craig competes at the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City in September.

"For me, it's about always looking at my next race as my next big chance and always trying to prove myself at my next big chance." This conversation with Karsten Warholm took place in October 2020. This is a never-before-heard interview that was supposed to run online as a Q&A but never ended up finding a right time to get published so it stayed in my archives for a bit. So this all before he became the world record holder and Olympic champion by running 46.70 at the Oslo Diamond League in July and then an incredible 45.94 at the Tokyo Olympics.  We touch on the world records, his progression as a star and what his expectations were for 2021, talking with Edwin Moses, watching Kevin Young and much more.  Knowing what we know now, it’s really cool hearing his thoughts just months ago about taking down a long-standing world record.

On the series finale of TORCH TALK, Chris, Kyle and Dana run through the final day of track and field at the Tokyo Olympics where seven gold medals were handed out in the women's high jump, the women's 10,000 meters, the men's javelin, the men's 1,500 meters, the men's and women's 4x400m relay and the men's marathon. We bring on Friend of The Pod David Melly, the host of the Run Your Mouth Podcast, for some extra spice on the final day of action. In this episode, we discuss: – Journaling in the women's high jump – Sifan Hassan's Tokyo Olympics end with two gold medals and one bronze medal and thankfully she can now take some downtime – India's new javelin star Neeraj Chopra has a wild Wikipedia page and may be loaded now – Can Jakob Ingebrigtsen take down world records after setting the Olympic record of 3:28 in the 1,500 meters? – A fitting farewell to Allyson Felix at the Olympics but what's next for her – Rai Benjamin gets redemption with a 43.4 split to anchor the men's 4x400m – Eliud Kipchoge continues t

Chris, Kyle and Dana celebrate Molly Seidel winning a bronze medal in the women's Olympic Marathon behind Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei. Seidel becomes just the third American woman to medal in the women's Olympic marathon after Joan Benoit in 1984 and Deena Kastor in 2004. We also managed to get Molly's sister, Izzy, on a quick call to share with us a little bit more about the atmosphere at the Seidel family watch party in Wisconsin. More discussed in this episode: – Faith Kipyegon puts an end to Sifan Hassan's triple gold medal hopes with a brilliant victory – Laura Muir with the Magical Performance of the Day – Joshua Cheptegei gets his moment in the 5,000 meters but the race is highlighted by a mean lean by Paul Chelimo at the finish line – Italy adds another medal with a win in the men's 4x100m – Jamaica had to sweat it out after the results in the women's 4x100m relay as Team USA took silver – Shaunae Miller Uibo completes a Bahamian sweep of the 400m gold medals, Allyson Felix gets medal

Chris, Kyle and Dana recap Day 7 of track and field at the Olympics which was highlighted by Katie Nageotte's gold medal in the women's pole vault, where she became just the third woman to win gold in the event at the Games. This was a true moment of redemption as she missed the 2016 Olympics, switched coaches and took a leap of faith to continue within the sport. She gets the Magical Performance of the Day honors.  The men's 400 meter final was not as delightful for U.S. fans as Michael Cherry ran a personal best for fourth place and Michael Norman took fifth but Team USA was shut out of the medals for just the third time in history. We beg the question: Is the United States (particularly the men) having a bad Olympics and what's the possible cause.  Also discussed in this episode: – If you're Damian Warner and you finally win gold in the decathlon after three Olympic cycles, do you keep going? – We still need a healthy and full-on KJT vs. Thiam heptathlon rivalry – Cole Hocker looked really good i

BIG THROWS ENERGY FOR THE BIG THROWS GUYS. Chris, Kyle and Dana unpack the biggest action from the Tokyo Olympics highlighted by Ryan Crouser's mega day where he unleashed six throws that either tied or broke the shot put Olympic record and repeated as Olympic champion. Andre De Grasse finally gets the gold medal that Puma shelled out millions for. The United States' men's 4x100-meter relay team faltered again. Courtney Frerichs went for it and put together the Gutsiest Performance of the Day for a silver in the women's steeplechase. Also discussed in this episode: – The semifinals of the women's 1,500 meters were drama-filled and fast – The men's 800 meter final kind of felt ehhh  – Hansle Parchment's longevity is super impressive in the men's 110m hurdles – The men's hammer throw isn't as fun when Rudy Winkler isn't winning – How Chris feels as a member of Team Throwvacs after adding another silver in the men's shot put to Joe Kovacs' career resume + Much More TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TORCH TALK WITH CHRI

The kids are alright! The evening session of day 5 did not disappoint with a jam-packed schedule that included four finals. This episode, Chris, Kyle and Dana unpack a near world record by Mondo Duplantis who finally wins gold, 19-year-olds racing to 800-meter perfection in Athing Mu and Keely Hodgkinson and the golden 100/200 double by Elaine Thompson-Herah.  The evening session back in the United States featured a long-awaited clash between Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad as a rematch of the U.S. Olympic Trials. More things discussed include: - Never dount the championship mindset of Anita Wlodarczyk - Why Joe Kovacs made Chris sweat a little bit in the first round of the men's shot put - We need to figure out Ivy league school has the most Olympic track medals? – How good did all three American men in the 200-meter semifinal look – Major takeaways from the first round of the men's 5,000 meters  – Why we need to watch Chris Nielsen vs. Sam Kendricks for years to come – Athing Mu is already

WE ARE SPEECHLESS – BUT NOT ACTUALLY BECAUSE THIS IS A PODCAST. Chris, Kyle and Dana try to process the men's 400-meter hurdle final, which may go down as one of the greatest Olympic final races ever. Karsten Warholm just shattered his own world record and the 46-second barrier to win gold in the men's 400-meter hurdles over Rai Benjamin. Also discussed: – Sifan Hassan toyed with the women's 5,000-meter field just 12 hours after falling in her 1,500-meter race – The men's steeplechase ended up going as predicted – The women's long jump final was epic and the world needs to appreciate the brilliance of Brittney Reese more – Tara Davis' personality was on full display  –Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad set the stage for an epic finale – We discuss whether you're allowed to call yourself an Olympian if you don't compete at the Games -Nick Willis' wave at the starting line was one of the best moment -A special guest phone call from Tokyo from ESPN's John Andersen + Much More TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TORCH

The golden hour of track and field on Day 4 included shared gold medals between friends Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim, a world record in the triple jump by Yuliar Rojas and a former long jumper winning the men’s 100m in the post-Usain Bolt era. Team Torch Talk is back at it and breaking down an incredibly exciting evening session of Day 3 and morning session of Day 4 in Tokyo. Medals were won, favorites didn’t make it through and apparently it is possible to have enough energy to run, fall down, do a somersault and get up and win your 1500m heat less than 12 hours before a 5000m final. Plus: Chris has a viral tweet...for now. Also discussed in this episode: - The fall between Isaiah Jewett and Nijel Amos that cost only one of them a trip to the finals - Long jump madness that results in a Greek champion - Fred Kerley's risk pays off massively and why he decided to go for the 100 meters in the first place - Big Italian energy + Much More TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TORCH TALK WITH CHRIS, KYLE AND DANA. Our dai

It was as a spicy day of qualifying madness and heart-wrenching finals! But what feels like it should be an Olympic event that isn’t? Dana keeping Chris and Kyle on track. Some favorites getting the job done while others falter. Team Torch Talk had a celebrity sighting of our own as we battle sleep deprivation, but there was plenty of energy to discuss the Men’s Discus, Women’s 100m, Mixed Gender 4x400 relay, Women’s shot put and all the exciting prelims that happened on whatever channel you can find the races on. Also discussed in this episode: -Energetic celebrations and fashion statements – A few stars had off performances that cast doubts for the finals...if they made it that far - Our parting thoughts on the mixed relay -The battle of the 19-year-olds Athing Mu and Keely Hodgkinson + Much more... TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TORCH TALK WITH CHRIS, KYLE AND DANA. Our daily podcast covering the Olympics is presented by Hayward Magic. Hayward Magic is a really unique and fresh editorial channel on IG that captures