Citius Mag Podcast

“With track it’s definitely a lot different than your basketball and football. With track, you’re always going to be able to compete against those mid-major schools and Power 5 schools no matter what school you’re at. For example, North Carolina A&T is an HBCU and they’re doing phenomenally well in the NCAA. Seeing that is going to get a lot of kids to want to go to those school. Seeing some of the alums that came from HBCUs like Kellie Wells or Francena McCorory is going to draw other athletes to HBCUs as well. You can say, ‘Oh if I go to an HBCU and make an Olympic team, I can still achieve my Olympic dream all while still being among the Black community.’ I think conversations like that are being had and a lot of people are considering HBCUs now more than ever. In the track world, it was always kind of popular to go to HBCUs but now it’s more than ever it’s definitely a thing.” Edose Ibadin a pro runner with the District Track Club in Washington D.C. I decided to get him on the show after he went viral

“At the end of the day, I stepped away and I took on this mindset of ‘I’m not just a runner’ and I wanted to do other shit whether it was in work or outside of work. I wanted to distance myself from this world. The biggest thing I’ve learned from meeting people away from the sport and having experiences removed from the sport of running is that I am a runner at my core and it’s OK to admit that running is something really special. To be able to call yourself a runner is amazing. To be able to have the chance to do it at a high level – maybe even do it as your job or represent your country – besides it being something you love so much and naturally have a disposition for is a gift that maybe you shouldn’t throw away. I learned that being away from the sport. When I was in the sport, I was super frustrated like ‘Fuck this. I’m hurt all the time. This is bullshit.’ The time where I “treated my body to death” any epiphanies that I might have had have pulled me back into the sport. Now, I can look at it and say I

“What I know is the aspect of being looked at differently because of our national heritage – in this case as Kenyan athletes who also happen to be Black in the United States of America. It’s real...One of the things that bothered me many times was that I would go and run a race and if it was a United States championship, they would say ‘Kenyan-born Sam Chelanga.’ What do you get by that? You get to tell people this is the real champion and this is not the real champion because he is Kenyan-born. My performance and my hard work go through the window.” Lots of people know of Sam from his success as a three-time NCAA cross country champion out of Liberty. He set the NCAA 10,000 meter record of 27:08.49 in the same race that Chris Solinsky broke 27 to set the American record. Those accomplishments came before he became an American citizen in 2015. It was something he wanted for a while and patiently waited out the process until it became official. As a professional, he had some success including being the alterna

"JJ (Clark) helped me realize: 'You have to let high school go. This is a new chapter. It's a new environment. You're away from home. Your body is changing. There's a lot going on. Everything you achieved in the past four years was amazing.' He didn't want to take that away from me but he said, 'Let's start over.' That's what a lot of high school phenoms do. It's natural. You carry what you've achieved into college but my biggest advice would be to embrace this new chapter and know that it's completely different. Everybody is good. Everybody is a state champ. Find a coach that cares about you more than just a runner and athlete – someone who wants to walk this new journey with you. Because it is going to be a journey and there will be highs and lows. You can't do it alone. You're young and so you need that support from someone older and wiser who is going to be patient with you. There will be breakthroughs but give your body time. I wish I would have known that as 17-year-old Chanelle." Chanelle Price joins t

On July 1, Elise Cranny ran 14:48.02 to become the 7th fastest American woman in history for the 5,000 meters. The race was run in Portland, Oregon in front of no fans and just against her teammates. The time counts toward the all-time lists because USATF recently announced they will be counting times and marks set at USATF sanctioned events from April to November toward next year's U.S. Indoor Championships and Olympic Trials. This is arguably her biggest performance as a pro but was also very accomplished as a high school star out of Niwot High School in Colorado and then a 12-time All-American at Stanford.  In this episode, we run through her start in sport with influence from her parents who were avid triathletes. We touch on the pressure of being a high school star and a patient transition into college training and development. Elise takes us through some of the biggest races of her college career including her runner up finish at the 2017 NCAA outdoor championships 1500 where she was .004 seconds o

Duane Solomon joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast for an exit interview after announcing his retirement on June 20th with an Instagram post. He finished his career as the third-fastest American of all-time in the 800 meters with his 1:42.82 personal best at the 2012 Olympics in London. In this episode, we'll go all the way to his high school career and how he managed to find the 800 meters as his specialty event. We'll look at how his "old school" approach to training started in college at USC and eventually landed him on his first U.S. national team in 2007 in Osaka. He opens up about issues with confidence at the college level and early into his professional career before he eventually erupted in 2012 under the guidance of Johny Gray (the former American record holder). Duane explains why it's the 2012 Olympic Trials and not the Olympic final that's the proudest moment of his career. From the warmup area to the call room to the track and off, Duane details his perspective of the London final and David Rudisha's pe

Chris Chavez and Matt Meyer reunite to unpack the biggest stories in track and field for May and mid-June. Some races have returned on a small scale with the Impossible Games in Oslo, Norway. We discuss that meet and some of the rumored plans for track to take place in the United States in August. Other topics discussed on this episode include: Jakob Ingebrigtsen is on fire; Johnny Gregorek broke the Blue Jean Mile World Record, Leo Daschbach becomes the 11th high school boy to break four minutes for the mile, The Diamond League has revised its calendar for 2020 with 11 meets starting in August and running through October; Salwa Eid Nasser and Christian Coleman were provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for whereabouts failures. All that and more on the latest episode. This episode is Part II to our monthly show. In Part I, we had a conversation about race and sport with Richard Issa of Issa Run Crew in Philadelphia. You can listen to that conversation here: https://apple.co/2YNcrni Support

As we continue our discussion about race and sport, Matt Meyer decided to bring on our friend Richard Issa Bockari. He heads the Issa Run Crew in Philadelphia. He shares his experiences in the running community from the perspective as a Black runner in the middle of the pack and among the amateurs – where it is very often white. On Global Running Day, he invited a few members from his run crew to join him in a protest run but instead, they marched and then took a knee in the middle of a Philadelphia intersection for a moment of silence that lasted nine minutes. In this episode, he discusses the conversations he's having with members of his running community, questions people should be asking themselves and how we can all be allies in the Black Lives Matter movement. ▶ Follow Richard on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardissa/ He gave his phone number on the podcast so if you want to talk to him, call or text him at (609) 902-7354 Support for this episode comes from GOODR SUNGLASSES – Been rocking Goo

“Take accountability. We are tired of educating you. We are tired of getting racially profiled and getting racially discriminated against. We're tired of being killed. We can't do both. White people have to take the burden...Help us because we can't do it by ourselves." Last year, Gwen Berry raised her first on the podium of the Pan American Games after winning the gold medal in the hammer throw. Her protest against racial and social injustice in America landed her a 12-month probation from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. After nationwide protests broke out at the end of May, I caught up with Gwen for a Sports Illustrated interview in which she said she would do it again in 2021 once her probation is up. On social media, she demanded an apology from USOPC CEO Sarah Hershland after they released a statement saying the USOPC stands "stands with those who demand equality." They had a phone call where Hirshland apologized for the effects of the decision to put Berry on probation.  Berry grew up in

"Here’s the thing: For a kid who plays squash in Connecticut, it doesn’t matter if they go to Brown, Princeton or Harvard. They can go to some other school and they’re likely going to be OK. Their families have money. They have connections. They’re going to be alright. They’re going to go to college. A kid who ran really fast and ran a really great 1,500 at their small state meet or their local city conference, gets a call from somebody – they have a life-changing opportunity. They have an opportunity to change their future in a way that otherwise would not have been possible. Why am I going to sit back and let that happen? I’m not so that’s why I wrote the article." On May 28, Brown University announced its decision to cut 11 varsity sports as part of their Excellence in Brown Athletics Initiative. The teams that were cut were men's and women’s fencing, men's and women’s golf, women’s skiing, men's and women’s squash, women’s equestrian, and men’s track, field, and cross country — will transition to club sta

"My grandfather told us from the jump, ‘Don’t ever let color separate you from anything. Don’t the color of green get you into any kind of trouble with another color but always accept another color besides your color and because we can all be a family together. Don’t worry about whoever it is that hates your color. You were born this color for a reason and wear it with pride.’ That’s what I’ve been doing since that day. I’m not afraid to speak my mind because I’m black. I just pay attention to my surroundings at all times at 110% level." ----- Like many people throughout the country, I've been processing and thinking about all the current events happening since the murder of George Flloyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. It's absolutely heartbreaking. I wanted to share this podcast episode that Leigh Anne Sharek and I shared on the Runners of NYC Podcast last month. I promise you that there will be more from me. I know in my role and with the platform that I've built, we can amplify, support and e

Johnny Gregorek joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast ahead of his world record attempt in the Blue Jean Mile on May 30.  He is a professional runner for Asics and a member of the New Jersey-New York Track Club. Johnny is also the second-fastest American indoor miler in history. His 3:49.98 is just behind Bernard Lagat's 3:49.89. His other personal bests include 3:35 for the 1,500. He was a member of the U.S. national team for the 2017 World Championships in London, where he made the final and finished 10th in the world. He was an All-American for Columbia and Oregon.  In this episode, we'll take a dive into his career thus far since he's certainly someone in the mix for an Olympic team spot next year but...this Saturday (May 30th) he will be spiking up for a world record attempt. He will be going for the blue jean mile world record of 4:11.80 and who knows if sub-4 is in the cards. Not only is he providing the world with some good ol' entertainment in a time when there are no races, but he's also doing it f

"The race day is the reward. It's what you put in all those hours for and those segments and sessions. It's why you get out the door in the morning when you want to hit snooze on the alarm. As nerve-wracking as that is, you have to recognize why you're nervous and it's because you care. You put in all this time and energy. The training log, if it looks really good and the better the training goes, you're almost a little more nervous heading into that race because you have this incredible opportunity to showcase what you've been doing...Then you have your moment where you get to go and all eyes are on you. It's a really cool opportunity to showcase what you've been doing. it's that one day and that special day where you put on the shoes and it means a little bit more. Obviously having eyeballs on you from the community around you watching makes you dig a little deeper but it's all the hours that you invested over that buildup that you can just dig a little deeper on those days." 2018 Boston Marathon champion a

Coach Chris Bennett joins the podcast. His voice might be familiar to you if you've ever used the Nike Run Club training app. He is the Swoosh's global head coach. He's been a longtime supporter of CITIUS MAG and I've always wanted to get him on the show. Now seems to be the perfect time because it feels like we're on the cusp of a potential running boom once the pandemic subsides. People are getting out there whether it's part of their regular routine and training or they're discovering the sport for the very first time. I have a few friends who are getting started and they don't have a GPS watch or Strava so they simply have downloaded the Nike app and started going on these guided runs with Bennett.  We spend much of the first half discussing what that's been like to see and then we'll take a dive into his own career from being a New Jersey star, running for UNC, learning from coaches like Jerry Schumacher, Vin Lananna and Frank Gagliano, returning to coach at Christian Brothers Academy (where they be

“I honestly never expected entering CU to leave the way I did. I know that Colorado gave me everything I needed to succeed. Mark and Heather gave me every opportunity and every chance in the world to be great. Because of that, I’ll always root for them and I’ll always root for the Buffs. I’m really just grateful for the experience I had and I know there will be more athletes like me.” Dani Jones joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after announcing that she has decided to forego her remaining NCAA eligibility to turn professional and sign with Hawi Management. The four-time NCAA champion out of the University of Colorado said she will be joining Joe Bosshard’s Boulder-based training group that includes Emma Coburn, Aisha Praught, Dominique Scott and Cory McGee. We run through the decision-making process that took place after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped away her attempt at an 800/mile double at the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and then her last remaining outdoor season. This outdoor season was going

Chris Chavez and Matthew Luke Meyer catch up from New Jersey and Montana to unpack the biggest storylines in the sport for Aprl 2020. With races and events cancelled through most of the summer, the sport has gotten creative with virtual races, time trials, backyard ultra marathons and pole vault competitions. This is how we're staying active and entertained amid a pandemic.  We did our best to not say the c*********s word in the podcast. Among notable news from the month of April: World Athletics says that no performance between April 2020 and November 30, 2020 will count toward Tokyo qualification. The new window will run from Dec. 1 to May 31 for the marathon and then through June 29 for all other events.  Some athletes were a bit upset by this blanket suspension. The Berlin Marathon was the first major marathon to be affected by the pandemic and gathering limits. It will be postponed or scaled down to an extent. The re-scheduled Boston is scheduled to take place two weeks before that.  No Di

"Those races are weird now that I look back at them. Pretty much I feel like I entered the most intense flow state where my memories of them – I'm not going to say that they weren't painful but I was just so accepting that they were going to be painful. I was willing to do whatever it took. I knew I was good enough to compete. I wasn't going to let anyone beat me I suppose. Closing in 52 was a product of that. If you would've asked me, I wouldn't say that I'm going to be able to close in a 52 but it was just on that day, that's what I had to do to win. That's kind of how it played out. It was kind of an interesting chess battle between me and Grant. We're actually very similar runners if you think about it. We're both very strength-oriented with big kicks essentially, who can do well in the mile up to the 10K or whatever. (Coach Mick Byrne) called how that race would go pretty well. It had been an interesting battle between us with who had the lead at the bell in a few of the races leading up to that. That ha

"For me, my passion is still within running. It’s now all on, and I mean this wholeheartedly, getting the kids that I work with to experience excitement levels like that night, going under 13, winning the NCAA title or competing for a U.S. title or Olympic team. Those are the types of things that really motivate me now. It’s seeing that excitement level in the kids that I work with now. If I talk about that 10K that night or that day, it’s more anecdotal. It’s more of what I learned and what I went through." Chris Solinsky joins the show as we approach the 10-year anniversary of his 10,000-meter American record run at the 2010 Payton Jordan Invitational, where he became the first non-African to break 27 minutes for the distance. It was his debut at the distance and he managed to break Meb Keflezighi's previous record by 14 seconds. It's one of the best races to re-watch. In this episode, we'll go through that race in detail but start in his hometown of Junction City, Wisconsin. Even as a high schooler in Stev

"There’s something inherently interesting about people going out to seek out what their limits are. The format is interesting too because you don’t really know if the race is going to end in one day, two days or six days. It ends when the last person either can’t go forward or isn’t allowed to go forward. That’s something I hope people would find interesting and maybe it brings more eyeballs on what we’re doing or inspires them to do it on their own." Mike Wardian joins the podcast less than 12 hours after winning the Quarantine Backyard Ultra Marathon. The race featured more than 2,000 runners from more than 50 countries competing over Zoom. How’d it work? Each competitor had to complete a 4.167-mile loop every hour - starting exactly on the hour and it goes on until there’s just one person remaining. The race started on Saturday morning and on Monday, Radek Brunner of the Czech Republic and Mike Wardian of Arlington, Virginia were locked in a duel.  There were two different approaches on display. Mike

Sat down with Keith and Kevin Hanson while in Atlanta to discuss the history of the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project as it celebrates 20 years of advancing U.S. distance running. We start by going back to the brothers’ roots in Michigan and the state of the sport in America before helping improve it. The Hansons made an emphasis on group training, which stood out to them from studying Ethiopians, Kenyans and Japanese. It started off as a $250,000 investment in a team that helped provide housing, health insurance, travel and equipment for a few runners but later blossomed with a partnership with Brooks. In 2008, they put Brian Sell on the U.S. Olympic Marathon team. They also helped develop and guide Des Linden into a two-time Olympian and Boston Marathon champion. In this episode, they’ll share some of the behind-the-scenes stories of those breakout moments in their history. Also, what’s it like for them to take on the challenge of rebuilding the likes of Dathan Ritzenhein or bringing Natosha Rogers i