Citius Mag Podcast

The first track and field medals of the Tokyo Olympics were decided with Selemon Barega winning gold in the men's 10,000 meters to put Ethiopia back on top of the event for the first time since Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie's reign. Uganda took silver and bronze with Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo deploying team tactics but not quite following the plan. Grant Fisher may be a 10K guy, as much as he may not like that, after taking fifth to earn the top American honors. Plus, what was the gutsiest performance of the day that came out of this race? Find out.  Also discussed in this episode: – The women's 400m hurdles is set for a major clash of the titans again with smooth showings by Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Femke Bol – Why the women's 5,000 meter final may end up being historically fast with Kenya and Ethiopia fielding their stars vs. Sifan Hassan – How hard will it be for the U.S. to come away with more than one medal in the 100m hurdles after a sweep in 2016? – No more sleepin

The first track and field session at the Tokyo Olympics is finally here! Chris Chavez, Dana Giordano and Kyle Merber reunite to cover the Games. The first session did not disappoint.  – We had the fastest overall heat of the steeplechase but only Benard Keter will advance to the final. We answer what happened to Mason Ferlic and Hilary Bor – Team USA put three women in the 800-meter semifinal led by Athing Mu but Kyle explains why we shouldn't sleep on the Great Britain squad that may be just as good – The men's 400m hurdles is shaping up to be the crazy duel that we're waiting for in the final between Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin – Even without Sha'Carri Richardson, the women's 100m heats provided 10.78, 10.82, 10.84 and 10.91 performances so something special could be ahead. The Olympic record is not safe. + More observations and thoughts from the first day at the Olympics including positive COVID tests and athletes being withdrawn from competition while in the Olympic Village. TUNE IN AND LISTEN T

"If you look in the past at world championship races that have been in this type of humidity you never know what can happen and that kind of excites me. I know that racing in hot and humid conditions is really tough but I also know I can game up and I can do it. I like to think my Iowa roots have helped me with that." Karissa Schweizer is a runner for the Nike Bowerman Track Club and became just the fifth American woman to qualify in the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters at the same Olympics. She was a standout star at Mizzou, where she was a six-time NCAA champion and 10-time All-American. As a professional, she has flashed some range with personal bests of 4:00.02 for 1,500 meters, the indoor 3,000m American record of 8:25.70, her 14:26.34 personal bests for 5,000 meters is the second-fastest in U.S. history. Her 30:47.99 makes the fourth-fastest 10,000m runner in U.S. history. At the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, she pulled off runner-up finishes in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, which she’ll be conte

Phil Knight is the co-founder of Nike, which he started back in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports with his college coach Bill Bowerman. I know…I’m also a bit surprised this happened. During the Olympic Trials, a mutual friend who has worked closely with me on launching The Magic Boost sprung on me the chance to sit down and chat with the Nike founder for 30 minutes. With little prep and everything going on at the Olympic Trials, I figured I’d just roll through and kick back to briefly discuss the new Hayward Field, his thoughts on legacy, the present state and future state of the sport and some of his favorite moments as a track fan. If you want more of the Nike talk and that whole backstory, due to the limited time we didn’t touch on much of it and you can get that out of reading his book Shoe Dog. Think of this one as basically just being a fly on the wall for two fans of the sport meeting over coffee for the first time.

"I really wanted to make the team in 2016. When that year happened, that was the main goal. I thought it was a long shot. After that, when I made the 2017 world championship team, I said, ‘No. We are making the next Olympic team. There’s no way you’re going to be left off that list.’" You’ll see Justyn Knight in action soon as a Canadian Olympian at the Tokyo Olympics. While at Syracuse, he was an 11-time All-American, two-time NCAA champion and has continued taking care of business with coach Chris Fox as a professional with the Reebok Boston Track Club. This season, he has set personal bests of 3:33 for 1,500 meters and 12:51 for 5,000 meters. We touch on those performances, how we got to this point from being a relatively under-the-radar runner out of Canada in high school, his thoughts on how the race could play out in Tokyo, meeting Drake and much more.

“I want to be able to leave room to be able to say, ‘No, there's like real stuff to do out there beyond just doing a deal.’ And that does mean that I have to be more selective but hopefully, it also means that we'll be able to create more change. Even though you aren’t one of my athletes, you still get to benefit from the work that we're doing. And that is Nike changing our maternity policy and being able to look at a new contract like Athing’s and see that clause there that protects women's maternity. That to me is like, ‘Yeah, I don't ever have to represent you, but I'm glad I got to be a small part in putting that clause in there because that is for you. It is there for you so that you don't have to go through the stuff that I went through with Allyson that I hope no one ever has to experience. So yeah, it's a small group. It's a tight-knit group. But hopefully, the change can spread beyond just our little group.” Wes Felix is a track and field agent and also the co-founder and co-CEO of SAYSH. Just a few

"Whenever I try to sum up what that period was like after Atlanta, it's kind of hard to explain. I didn't drop out of that race to save myself...My legs were obliterated. They were not in good shape after that race. It was heartbreak. Because as runners, running is such a big part of us and part of our identity whether that's a good thing or not. It's not just our job. I felt like I poured everything into that buildup and did everything I could. On that day, it just didn't work out. My body broke down...It is heartbreaking when you invest so much and go all-in for it to not work out. And then to walk away from that race with nothing to look forward to. Even if there was something, I didn't feel good running for a while so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. It was tough. I felt like I failed so badly. I never failed like that before...To pick up the pieces, I was like, 'What can I control? What can I focus on right now?' I was sad for a little bit. I talked to my coach. I talked to my husband. I talked to my ch

"It was doing writing, photography and short films. I was really bad at all three of them but this was pre-Flotrack, pre-you guys. If you were into this content, there really wasn't a place to find it. I just learned as I did that project what was really interesting was what people were actually interested in. I went into it thinking everyone wanted to know what splits everyone was doing in their workouts. In my first week, I was at the University of Portland and those guys were kind of wild and crazy and really fun to be around. I did the equivalent of an MTV Cribs thing to show their house, how they lived and the bikes they would ride around campus. That was the thing that everyone was like, 'We want more of that content!' They didn't care that they did 5 x mile with three minutes rest. That was really interesting and pretty fundamental in my experience with Tracksmith and how to tell stories in an interesting way and what people will resonate with." Matt Taylor is the founder and CEO of Tracksmith. In this

For the final episode of Trials Talk with Chris and Kyle, we dissect the wildest hour of track and field on U.S. soil in a while. In the men’s 5,000m, Paul Chelimo toyed with the field and won a scorcher of a race in 13:26 ahead of Woody Kincaid and Grant FIsher. We had a bit of a weather delay where the meet was postponed due to extreme and record-setting heat. We had a world record in the women’s 400m hurdles where Sydney McLaughlin took .26 seconds off Dalilah Muhammad’s previous mark. Athing Mu did her thing with the second-fastest U.S. women’s 800m mark of all-time to win the women’s 800m over a loaded field. Ajee Wilson and Raevyn Rogers snuck in behind her for the other two spots to Tokyo. As if anything could follow those up, we saw one of the best 1,500 meter duels in recent history with Cole Hocker defeating the reigning Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz. Noah Lyles closed out the show with a world-leading time in the men’s 200m of 19.74. TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our

Saturday's action at the U.S. Olympic Trials featured incredible sprints action so Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Dana Giordano get together to recap all of it. Grant Holloway gave Aires Merritt's 110m hurdles world record (12.80) a scare by running 12.81 in the semifinals before coming back to win it all in the final. Rai Benjamin became the second-fastest man of all-time in the men's 400m hurdles with a casual 46.83m win. Gabby Thomas ran 21.61 to become the second-fastest 200m runner of all-time behind FloJo. We also touch on the master class by Emily Sisson to win the women's 10,000m in an Olympic Trials record in 80+ degree heat. TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith. We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled by a deep love of the sport. They celebrate the amateur spirit and seek to inspire the personal pursuit of excellence. Tracksmith is pleased to be supporting 30 Olympic Trials qua

Ben Blankenship joins Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber for a candid conversation about how he managed to get to the U.S. Olympic Trials men's 1,500m starting line after suffering a stress fracture in his tibia with seven weeks to go until the Olympic Trials. Blankenship details how he was able to piece together any fitness to be able to show up on the starting line and attempt to make his second Olympic team. He made it through the first round with a 3:42 to squeeze into the semifinal as the last time qualifier. He ran 3:46 in the semifinal and was eliminated. As you'll learn in this episode, this is far from the end for Blankenship. On Instagram, he wrote: "I watched the 2012 Trials from afar; I vowed that if I ever earned the opportunity to compete, I’d always show up. It’s the Olympic Trials." TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith. We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled by a deep love of

Fresh off his 3rd place finish at the Olympic Trials steeplechase, Mason Ferlic, joins Chris, Kyle and Nick on the podcast to celebrate his newly booked trip to Tokyo. The group discusses his journey from the University of Michigan to getting dropped from his professional contract and to eventually finding a home with Tracksmith, both as an athlete and employee. Ferlic peels back the curtain to share his insights as to why he believes the importance of a balance between running, work and the rest of his life led him to this career highlight. Based out of Ann Arbor and training with the Very Nice Track Club, he is surrounded by the all-time great young American miler, Hobbs Kessler and one of the best veterans to ever do it, Nick Willis. This magic formula worked -- it is sending Mason Ferlic to the Olympics! TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith. We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled b

Val Constien finished third in the steeplechase finals here at the U.S. Olympic Trials and returns to the podcast to dissect her race and the biggest moment of her career while also looking ahead to the Tokyo Olympics. TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith. We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled by a deep love of the sport. They celebrate the amateur spirit and seek to inspire the personal pursuit of excellence. Tracksmith is pleased to be supporting 30 Olympic Trials qualifiers in Eugene, including athletes across 14 disciplines, as part of their Amateur Support Program. Check out Tracksmith's essentials for racing and training - including the Strata kits their Trials athletes are racing in this week - at Tracksmith.com/CITIUS and use code CITIUS to receive 10% off any order until the last day of the trials, June 27th.

There were a few surprises in the semifinals of the middle distance events during Day 6 of the U.S. Olympic Trials, with high school phenom Hobbs Kessler and 3:49 miler Johnny Gregory getting eliminated in the semifinals of the men’s 1500, and NCAA champion Sage Hurta going down in a hard fall in the women’s 800. At the end of the day, six new Olympians were named in the men’s discus and men’s steeplechase, including a friend of the CITIUS MAG pod Mason Ferlic.  Kyle and Chris are re-joined by Mac Fleet and David “chaser of steeples” Melly to break down all the action and make some bold takes for Sunday’s finals. TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith. We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled by a deep love of the sport. They celebrate the amateur spirit and seek to inspire the personal pursuit of excellence. Tracksmith is pleased to be supporting 30 Olympic Trials qualifiers in Eugen

Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs went 1-2 in the women's 3,000m steeplechase as many expected but it was the battle for the third spot that came down to a dramatic finish between Val Constien and Leah Falland. Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Mac Fleet discuss all of the action from Day 5 at the U.S. Olympic Trials live from Eugene, Ore. In this episode, we discuss the men's 1,500m semifinal that didn't take anything out of the favorites, surprising cuts in the women's 800m, another big night for Team Throwvacs and much more... TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith. We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled by a deep love of the sport. They celebrate the amateur spirit and seek to inspire the personal pursuit of excellence. Tracksmith is pleased to be supporting 30 Olympic Trials qualifiers in Eugene, including athletes across 14 disciplines, as part of their Amateur Support Program. Check o

Fresh off his 3rd place finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials 10k, Joe Klecker joins hosts Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Nick Willis for a conversation about his race and the training that got him there. After graduating from Colorado University, the 7x All-American remained in Boulder to be coached by fellow Buff legend, Dathan Ritzenhein. Since then he has achieved personal bests in ten straight races and a berth to Tokyo in the eleventh. The vision for the On Athletics Club was created and built around Klecker. In its first year as a professional club, the new group has burst onto the scene and solidified its presence — first domestically and now on the world stage. This is an episode bursting with genuine questions of curiosity as Joe shares workout details that took our breath away. Hear what went into his build-up, both mentally and physically, that prepared him for his big breakout in what will certainly be one of your favorite listens yet. TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily p

Heather MacLean joins the podcast after making her first Olympic team with a third place finish in the women's 1,500m final in 4:02.09. Her teammate Elle Purrier St. Pierre took the win in 3:58.03 and Cory McGee took the second spot in 4:00.67. The race truly lived up to the hype and Heather shares a bit of her approach and game plan for it. Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber go through the shocking men's 800m where Clayton Murphy took the win in 1:43.17 and reminded the world just how good he is. They also try to make sense of how Donavan Brazier finished last. We also discuss the women's 5,000 meter final where Elise Cranny and Karissa Schweizer put together a Bowerman 1-2 and pulled Rachel Schneider to join them on their first Olympic team. + Much more... TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith. We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled by a deep love of the sport. They celebrate the amateur sp

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber discuss the third day of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials live from Eugene, Oregon. We start this episode by reaffirming that we are now big throws guys. Rudy Winkler broke an American record that had stood since 1996 with his 82.71-meter heave in the men's hammer throw. Stay tuned because he will be a guest on the show later this week. Other topics discussed:  – The Trayvon Bromell comeback chatter really started in April after he ran 9.8 and then improved upon that to a 9.77, which ranks as the top time in the world for 2021. He backed it all up and cruised to a 9.80 win in the men's 100m. We also discuss how Fred Kerley's big risk paid off by opting to run the 100m and 200m instead of the 400m, where he won a silver medal at worlds in 2019.  – Allyson Felix's final 100 meters were a thing of beauty and landed her on her fifth U.S. Olympic team and her first as a mother. Quanera Hayes took the win in 49.78 and will be on her first Olympic team alongside with Wad

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Nick Willis sit down with the newly minted and first-ever Tracksmith Olympian, Rachel Dincoff. In Saturday’s competition, Rachel threw the discus 60.21m to finish 3rd overall and secure her spot in Tokyo. After graduating college in 2016, where she was never a first-team All-American, Rachel made the decision to continue pursuing her childhood dream of qualifying for the Olympic Games. She had to work multiple jobs to make it happen, though on Saturday all of the sacrifices proved worth it. This conversation not only dives into her mindset and buildup at the trials but the details of her training, technique, nutrition and lifting numbers that made it all possible! TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith. We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled by a deep love of the sport. They celebrate the amateur spirit and seek to inspire the personal pursuit of excellence.

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and David Melly discuss the second day of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials live from Eugene, Oregon, where Sha'Crri Richardson won the women's 100m in 10.86 seconds and is now a top gold medal contender in Tokyo. We also discuss the women's discus where Valarie Allman looks to end an Olympic medal drought. We theorize on how the women's 1,500m final may shake out and much more.  TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith. We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled by a deep love of the sport. They celebrate the amateur spirit and seek to inspire the personal pursuit of excellence. Tracksmith is pleased to be supporting 30 Olympic Trials qualifiers in Eugene, including athletes across 14 disciplines, as part of their Amateur Support Program. Check out Tracksmith's essentials for racing and training - including the Strata kits their Trials athletes are racing