Citius Mag Podcast

Team Boulder's Lee Troop joins the show to share how Jake Riley went from an Achilles injury that nearly ended his career to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials runner-up and headed to the Olympics. Riley ran 2:13 for his first marathon in 2014 and then finished 15th at the 2016 trials. He also went on to finish 12th at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore. but then his career got rocky. He went through a divorce, moved from Michigan to Colorado to pursue his mechanical engineering masters and then joined Troop's training. An Achilles injury was later diagnosed as Haglund's syndrome and he had to undergo surgery. Troop shares the process of how they worked back to the starting line and then what ultimately led to his major breakout of a 2:10:36 in Chicago last fall.  Among the key pieces of insight shared by Troop are the pre-race talks that he shared with Riley and race plans in both Chicago and Atlanta. We also share how Riley developed the "No more next times" mantra, the deci

Chris Chavez and Matthew Luke Meyer unpack all of the madness from the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. Galen Rupp took the win on the men's side by pulling away after 21 miles to win his second consecutive U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials title in 2:09:20. Jacob Riley ran the race of his life and pulled one of the ballsiest moves by snatching a tiny American flag with less than half a mile to go. Abdi Abdirahman hung on for the third spot and qualified for his fifth Olympic team at the age of 43. Aliphine Tuliamuk won the women's race after surging ahead at Mile 20 to win in 2:27:23 and head to her first Olympics. Molly Seidel, who had not run a marathon in her career but was an accomplished cross country and 10,000m star at Notre Dame, was the runner-up in 2:27:31. She will also head to her first Summer Games. Sally Kipyego returns to the Olympics as a mother for the first time. In 2012, she won an Olympic silver medal in the 10,000m while representing Kenya.  We recap the races, break down th

Chris Chavez and Ryan Welsh post up at the Brooks Hyperion House at Switchyards in downtown Atlanta to test out a new podcast concept –  talking to strangers to get to know their running story. For this first episode, we sat down and got to meet some of Brooks' Hometown Heroes. They're sub-elite runners who hold full-time jobs and still manage to find the time to run fast. You'll be surprised at who we meet. We knew nothing about these people beforehand. It was blind speed dating of sorts. Garrett Heath of the Brooks Beasts (27-minute mark) happened to be working at the lounge and so we got his thoughts on being in town for the trials, what it's like to compete for an Olympic team spot and some of his own predictions for the race. Teresa McWalters (41-minute mark) is a four-time U.S. Olympic trials qualifier with a newfound perspective on running after an injury in this buildup.  Kelly Calway (51-minute mark) is a U.S. Army officer who ran at NC State. She is a combat veteran with two deployments un

Bernard Lagat was the subject of a Sports Illustrated story that I wrote this week titled: "Before Attempt at History, Bernard Lagat Returned to His Roots in Kenya." The story shares how Lagat returned home to Kenya to train for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, where he will be vying to make his sixth Olympic team at age 45. He holds a marathon personal best of 2:12:10 from last year's Gold Coast Marathon and enters as one of the most intriguing dark horses in the men's elite race. The story and conversation also examine how Lagat has made himself one of the faces of American distance running when it's less than 20 years since he made the allegiance switch from Kenya. He's the second-fastest 1,500 meter runner in history and owns two Olympic medals from his time competing as a Kenyan. He switched in 2004. What was the reaction by Kenyans? How was he received by Americans? And what was the importance and role of immigrants in the revitalization of U.S. distance running? More also on: Growing up in a fami

Chris Chavez and Matthew Luke Meyer reunite to recap all of the biggest storylines and news in the sport. On this episode, we discuss: The Chonky Bois (Nike AlphaFly Next%) were deemed legal by World Athletics and will be on the starting line of the U.S. Olympic marathon trials. What do we make of the rules and is there a stigma attached to those athletes who wear them? Oregon announces the new Hayward Field will honor former track and field legends Steve Prefontaine, Raevyn Rogers, Ashton Eaton and Otis Davis but who else should have a floor named after them? We need more women! Tyreek Hill has no shot of making the U.S. Olympic team and it was a silly Super Bowl media week storyline Mondo Duplantis is breaking the pole vault world record with ease and now there’s a movie in the works on him Buy or sell: Nike unveils the new Team USA uniforms for the 2020 Olympics Running through results: Millrose Games | Ajee Wilson is the gold medal favorite, Donovan Brazier is going to be a problem, Justyn Kn

Nick Willis sits down in New York City for a long-awaited conversation to look back at his remarkable career thus far. In this episode, we'll go through everything from growing up in Lower Hutt, New Zealand and his start in athletics with his brother, Steve, to his recent streak of 18 consecutive years of breaking four minutes for the mile. More in this episode: Nick's early interest in skateboarding and then finally turning the page to track and field Arriving at Michigan after the Alan Webb hype and the start of his relationship with coach Ron Warhurst His wife's development as a coach Breaking the New Zealand 1,500 meter record in 2005 and the start of his professional career Losing his passport and rookie mistakes of his first professional year Being a student of the sport even now by reading about track and field greats Get in Nick's shoes for the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic 1,500-meter final Thoughts on Rashid Ramzi, Asbel Kiprop and competing against dirty athletes Drowning out the ske

Natosha Rogers won the NCAA 10,000 meters as a junior in 2012 and then finished second in the same event at the U.S. Olympic Trials. However, her 31:59 performance was just 14 seconds shy of meeting the Olympic standard to qualify for the Summer Games in London. She decided to leave behind running to study abroad and go about her senior year as a regular student. She took a break but returned and signed a professional contract in 2014 only to start to get injured. She had a rough time adjusting to life as a professional and dealing with injuries and moved back to Colorado under coach Steve Magness. Rogers stunned many with the success she found on the roads in 2017 and qualified for the 2018 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. The flu knocked her out of competing and then in a rush to return and make up for fitness, she injured her knee. Procedures and treatment went awry and the future of her running career was fading fast. It's hard to believe that someone who was working a desk job at a tech company un

“Your 2:42 marathoner of today could be your 2:24 marathoner of 2024. If there’s not someone there encouraging that and supporting that, then that might not happen. We saw this as a chance to invest in the sport.” Jay Holder, Atlanta Track Club’s marketing and communications director, joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to share the inside scoop on the plans around the upcoming 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. On this episode we’ll discuss: The final stages of preparations for hosting the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials What made Atlanta’s bid for the trials standout against other bids from Austin and Chattanooga? The A+B=Championship Model: “Everyone who qualifies is a potential champion and everyone needs to be treated like a potential champion from the second they get off the plane at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.” Factoring in the Olympic history of the 1996 Summer Games How bad are the hills going to be? Jay shares a course preview and what athletes he thinks could fare best What was the origi

Chris Chavez and Matt Meyer recap all the news and top stories from the running world in January 2020.  It's an Olympic year and we're already getting hit with doping violations involving major stars like Wilson Kipsang. Coronavirus has led to the cancellation of the World Indoor Championships, which were slated to be held in Nanjing, China. World records fell.  We touch on the best performances from the Houston Half Marathon, Dubai Marathon, Rock 'N' Roll Phoenix. We hit the best track performances from the Dr. Norbert Sander Invitational in New York City and the New Balance Boston Grand Prix. We touch on Edward Cheserek's decision to run for Kenya. We were treated to the news of the Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele showdown in April.  Yes, we talk about the major Nike VaporFly shoe debate that continues to be a topic of controversy. This podcast was recorded before World Athletics has released its findings and recommendations for new regulations.  RIP Chonky Bois (aka the AlphaFlys). W

To start off the year, we wanted to introduce you to one of the kindest people me and my new co-host (Ryan Welsh) met in 2019. Henna Rustami's name might be familiar if you’re an Ivy League alum because she was a Heps champion. But before she rose to some prominence on the college scene at Columbia, she grew up on Long Island to an immigrant family who left a war-ravaged Afghanistan in the 1980s.  Doug Binder of Dye Stat wrote a great story on her in 2017 as she was setting her sights on some school records during the indoor season: https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=467103 Henna is one of the members of the Brooklyn Track Club in New York City and in addition to balancing her workload as a second-year law student, she’s not giving up on lowering those PRs from college. She wants to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Track Trials and serve as an inspiration for girls who look like her since some role models were lacking when she was growing up. Henna is awesome and

Mary Cain sits down in front of a live audience at Mile High Run Club (NoMad) in New York City to catch up since the last time she appeared on the show in May. In November, a New York Times op-doc was released where Cain reveals she suffered mental and physical abuse under the leadership of Alberto Salazar. She impressed many on the track with her talent but later broke five bones, misser her period for three years and had suicidal thoughts due to disordered eating that she developed under Salazar’s extreme training methods. It was one of the most impactful stories in the sport for 2019. I followed up the New York Times piece by reporting and publishing a story for Sports Illustrated where several former Oregon Project members validated Cain's claims and extended the timeline with stories of mistreatment going back to 2008. Read and watch the NY Times story by Lindsay Crouse here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/opinion/nike-running-mary-cain.html Read my follow up ' Inside the Toxic Culture of the Nike

Enjoy this episode of FULL TUB WITH NICK ROCHE and subscribe to the show if you enjoyed it. https://apple.co/2th7Ld8 ---- We're opening up the jacuzzi to friends. Peter Bromka and Patrick Reaves of the Bowerman Track Club join Full Tub to discuss the California International Marathon and the pursuit of the 2:19:00 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying mark. More than 100 people were on pace to hit the qualifier at the halfway mark and then the marathon started to take its toll on people. At the end of the day, 37 men hit the qualifying mark. Bromka finished 38th and ran 2:19:02 at CIM to miss the standard by a heartbreaking two seconds. "Honestly, I could find two seconds everywhere and nowhere on that course on Sunday," Bromka wrote on Instagram after the race. "The drizzle soaked asphalt was trampled by hundreds of men racing in unison to achieve a dream together. But of course, it’s never that simple." Reaves joins the show to share his own insight into how he qualified at the 2018 edition of CIM (2

Jenny Simpson has been a long-awaited guest for The CITIUS MAG Podcast and she finally sat down to run through her truly remarkable career from high school to 2019 before looking ahead to the 2020 Olympic year and what she wants to accomplish before her career is over. We start with her days as a five-time Florida state track champion and three-time state champion in cross-country out of Oviedo High School in Florida. Then, we dive into her success as a steeplechaser at Colorado, where under coach Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs she won three NCAA steeplechase titles and one indoor 3,000-meter title. Don't worry, we definitely don't overlook her 163rd place finish at the 2009 NCAA Cross-Country Championships and what she learned from that performance. We get Jenny's starting line feelings and recollections from the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships. After Jenny turns pro in 2010, we learn why she chose the 1,500 meters and ultimately became the 2011 World Championship gold medalist, 2013 World

In recent weeks, there has been much more of a discussion in regards to having more female coaches in the sport. There are already many out there and deserve recognition for their tremendous work. I wanted to personally share the story of coach Kate Gustafson, who has been helping me with my own training but has been doing remarkable things with athletes of all levels for years. She is a coach with Mile2Marathon and helps with the Brooklyn Track Club in New York City. In addition to being a wonderful mentor and coach, she's a great runner as well. She owns a 2:40:10 marathon personal best. She competed in this year's elite field at the Boston Marathon and finished as the top Canadian woman and 34th overall. Most recently, she placed eighth in a hard-fought effort at the Canadian marathon trials held at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Since this summer, Kate has assisted me and my good friend Ryan Welsh in our marathon training. Ryan, who was featured on this podcast a few episodes ago, joins me to co-host t

Isaac Wood joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to break down his predictions and projections for the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships, which will be held Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, IN. Isaac shares his men's and women's podium picks, individual winners and expert insight on runners to watch. Visit CITIUSMAG.com to get his full list of projected All-Americans and Team Standings or click here: http://citiusmag.com/wood-report-2019-ncaa-cross-country-championship-predictions-all-american-projections/ ------- ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, protect your legs, nipples and arms with SQUIRREL'S NUT

Mother of three. Full-time nurse. 2:29 Marathoner. Roberta Groner joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to recount her two marathon experiences at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where she finished sixth overall (top American) and the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon, where she was 13th overall (4th American). Roberta takes us back to what drew her into the sport after a decade off from running. She ran her first marathon at the 2011 Chicago Marathon and has since lowered her personal best to 2:29:09. We discuss how getting older doesn't necessarily mean getting slower, how she's approaching the upcoming U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta on Feb. 29 and also talks about possibly going for the U.S. women's Masters record. This episode was co-hosted by my good friend Matthew Luke Meyer, who was previously a guest on the Runners of NYC Podcast to share his own inspiring story. Related reading: How Masters Women Dominated the New York City Marathon by Martin Fritz Huber for Outside Magazine https:/

Live from New York, it's the CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez and Scott Fauble. Thanks to Hoka One One for hosting us in their pop up shop at 93 Mercer Street during the New York City Marathon festivities. On this show, Scott rejoins the program to discuss what it's like coming back to the city one year after being the second American across the finish line, recovering from his 2:09:09, his summer of racing that followed, the great Nike Vaporfly debate and the shoe war that's underway + an early look at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. ------- ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from THE FEED. You can curate your own package of product to support your training or try the CITIUS MAG package for yourself. There’s a great variety of options for drink mixes, food, chews, gels. It’s been a game-changer. Head over to thefeed.com to save 15% on a box curated by yours truly (the thefeed.com/citiusmag) or use the code CITIUS10 to save 10% on everything else storewide. ❤️ Also, pro

"I think there’s this wonderful state of bliss and fatigue that is unlike anything when you’re in hard training. It’s almost this serene state that you get—almost zen—where you’re so tired, but it’s a happy tired. You use your body well and there’s a contentedness that your body can give you. I’ll miss that a lot." The Shalane Flanagan Exit Interview! https://www.si.com/olympics/2019/10/23/shalane-flanagan-retirement-exit-interview-career-legacy-coaching This is the audio from an article that I wrote for Sports Illustrated last week after Shalane announced her retirement from professional running. She finishes her career with 16 national titles, four Olympic team appearances, an Olympic silver medal in the 10,000 meters from the 2008 Summer Games, a 2011 world cross country silver medal, the third-fastest marathon time by a U.S. woman and a marquee victory at the 2017 New York City Marathon that ended a 40-year drought by American women. Simply put, one of the greatest U.S. distance runners of all-time and

Calgary's Trevor Hofbauer joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast just days after locking up his automatic berth for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo by finishing as the top Canadian man at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. It marked the second Canadian marathon title in three years for Hofbauer as he upset Canadian record holder Cam Levins (3rd place, 2:15:01). Last year, Levins broke the Canadian record in Toronto in 2:09:25 and two years ago, Hofbauer celebrated into the finish line chute when he won in 2:18:05. This time around, he didn't celebrate until he made the final turn and saw the clock before the finish. He managed to lower his personal best from 2:16:48 in April's Hamburg Marathon to 2:09:51. After his race, he tweeted: "There’s a guy that lives in Calgary, trains solo except on LR Sunday’s with the guys, trains based off of feel, isn’t dictated by numbers, doesn’t care about likes and follows, and he’s a 2:09 guy. KEEP SHOWING UP" On Tuesday, he published a blog titled "Keep Showing Up" where he detailed the

"In 2012, I was at the Diamond League at Crystal Palace and then a few weeks later was the actual Olympics. I was walking by and there was a William Hill betting shop. I saw my name on a ticker go by. It was weird. It was my name so I went in and I asked the guy if it was for the Diamond League. He said no and that it was for the Olympics. I said, “Sir, there’s something wrong there because I’m not in the Olympics.” He pulled up the thing and said, ‘Here, I’ll tell you why…’ Statistically, I was No. 7 to win the Olympics on the odds. That didn’t make sense. I’m not there. He said, “Your odds are better to have an American get hurt, you replace them and you win, than guy No. 8, 9, 10…” Just because in the U.S., we are that good in the shot put and our world rankings are that good. That’s one of the reasons that I thought, ‘Man, if my odds are that good to actually be there.’ I have to keep on training. When it comes to betting, it’s a weird motivation but I’ll never forget seeing my name coming across and thin