Citius Mag Podcast

“I've been thinking about it for a while… It was pretty apparent. I think because I'm very happy with how my career went, it made the decision easy. Realizing that I'm not in the mix for making teams anymore, I didn't want to keep running just to try to make USAs year in, year out. I felt good about everything and it felt like the right time.”Evan Jager, a two-time Olympian for Team USA, is ending his professional track career at the age of 36. Jager is the most decorated U.S. steeplechaser in history, winning Olympic bronze in 2016 and World silver in 2017 along with seven straight national titles from 2012 to 2018. Jager’s 8:00.45 personal best, set in 2015, is the American record and he owns nine of the ten fastest marks on the U.S. all-time list. After years of injuries, Jager was able to make one last World team in 2022 and finished fourth at last year’s Olympic Trials. Jager discussed his long, storied career in an Exit Interview with Chris Chavez.____________Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chri

The 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships delivered on the hype! Isaac Wood and Paul Hof-Mahoney recap all the biggest takeaways from an action-packed morning in Columbia, Missouri, including:- Women’s individual champion: Defending champion Doris Lemngole puts her championship experience to use, running 18:25.4 to win over Jane Hedengren’s 18:38.9.- Men’s individual champion: New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel runs 28:33.9 to finally get his individual cross country victory after finishing runner-up last year.- Women’s team champion: Hannah Gapes and Grace Hartman’s 5th and 6th place finishes lead NC State to the team win with 114 points over BYU’s 130 points.- Men’s team champion: OSU redeems themselves from last year’s 7th place showing to finish with 57 points ahead of New Mexico’s 82 points. + Reactions and analysis on the biggest surprises and most exciting moments, including Syracuse finishing 4th, Hilda Olemomoi peaking at just the right time, and lots more.

“You get these really unique matchups that you probably wouldn’t get in the lead-up to a championship, but you can in a lead-up to Millrose because people are looking to race and have some fun.” - Grant FisherBuckle up because one of the greatest indoor matchups that we've ever seen is officially coming back to the Armory. Today's episode is all about a rematch that we already have to look forward to in 2026. Cole Hocker and Grant Fisher are stepping back onto that 200m track at the Armory for the 2026 Millrose Games. This time, for a 2-mile showdown.Last year, these two didn't just race over 3000m; they absolutely rewrote the history books. Grant Fisher dropped a world record of 7:22 and Cole Hawker was right behind him in 7:23. Both men went under the previous world record. Both men ran absolutely fearlessly. It set them up very well for strong 2025 outdoor campaigns.Now as we fast forward into 2026, Cole Hocker is heading into the new year as the Olympic champion in the 1500m and the reigning w

Chris Chavez and Isaac Wood preview the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships set to take place in Columbia, Missouri this weekend.- The NCAA Cross Country Championships are Isaac’s Super Bowl- Key Regional performances and takeaways- The Case For and Against NC State, BYU, Florida, New Mexico, Notre Dame and Oregon on the women’s side- The Case For and Against Oklahoma State, Iowa State, New Mexico, Syracuse, Virginia and Oregon on the men’s side- Is this Jane Hedengren’s title to lose?- Can Habtom Samuel finally pull off the win?- Who will be the top American and top freshman on the men’s side?____________Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ + Isaac Wood | ⁠@isaacew on Instagram⁠Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠____________SUPPORT OUR SPONSORSNOMIO: Made with 80% broccoli sprout juice, 15% lemon juice, and 5% sugar, Nomio activates your body’s natural defense systems to reduce lactate, speed recovery, and enhance muscle adaptation. Take one 60 ml shot three

“My biggest thing has been remembering that I’m not Dathan, I’m not Kelsey, but that’s why I was hired. The three of us all have very different experiences, we bring different things to the table, and we’re just hoping to give the athletes this well-roundedness in support and resources... That’s the really cool part about what OAC is doing. We’re trying to help this next wave of incredible athletes maximize what they’re capable of and it’s okay that we all do that differently.”My guest for today's episode is Laura Thweatt, the former professional marathoner who has now stepped into an assistant coach role and is helping oversee the roads team with the On Athletics Club. For 13 years, Laura was a steady coaching presence for high school runners in Boulde and now she's made the jump to guide the likes of 2025 New York City Marathon champion Hellen Obiri and has also helped Joe Klecker navigate the transition from the track to 26.2.Laura is someone who understands the emotional and psychological side of

“I had worked too damn hard to get back to the line to just accept defeat and sit there and not even finish the race. I didn’t even have to think about it. I just got straight back into it… I think it was a bit of a blessing in disguise since I didn’t know what my fitness was like coming in. I thought it was decent, but this was almost an extra test of, ‘Can you fall in the last lap and still make the final? Then alright, you must be pretty fit!’ I tried to take it in a positive light. To be able to do that as comfortably as I did meant that I was in a good spot.”My guest for today's episode is George Beamish, the 2025 world champion in the men's 3000m steeplechase. If you somehow missed it, go back and watch that last lap in Tokyo. It was one for the ages. George was 11th with 400m to go, behind the world record holder and the reigning four-time global champion, but this is textbook George we're talking about. The guy who has made a career out of chaos and closing speed in those final stages of t

“Sometimes you have these workouts on paper that look pretty intimidating. To be able to get them done and feel strong towards the end of them is always an exciting feeling. Obviously you don’t always nail it, but doing things that maybe you haven’t done before or that you’re not quite sure if you can do is always exciting.”My guest for today's episode is Fiona O'Keefe: the reigning U.S. Olympic Trials champion and now the fastest American woman ever on the New York City Marathon course. She's also someone who's showing us what it looks like to grow, stumble, and come back stronger.In 2024, Fiona burst onto the scene in Orlando with a 2:22:12 performance, the fastest debut marathon in American history. But after the high of that performance came the hardest stretch of her career: an injury that forced her to drop out of the Olympic marathon in Paris after just one mile.It could have been a moment that derailed everything. Instead, it became a lesson that shaped her next chapter. She took her t

“I've heard over and over that you have to respect the distance. I kind of understood that, but you need to experience it to have respect for it and the emotional waves that you go through during it. I had heard that and it made sense to me, but the true understanding of that hit later. That was humbling a little bit. It’s not an easy race. You can't fake a marathon.”My guest for today's episode is Kylie Mantz. If that name sounds familiar, yes, she is the wife of CITIUS MAG Podcast regular and U.S. marathon record holder Conner Mantz. But beyond that, Kylie is coming off a year in which she walked on to BYU's track team and can call herself a marathoner now after making her debut just a couple days ago with a strong 2:43 victory at the Two Cities Marathon in Fresno, California. Kylie didn't run much in high school. In fact, she only started running consistently in the last two years or so. At first, it was just to understand her husband's world and then because she realized that she c

The 54th New York City Marathon is in the books, and what a race it was. Nearly 60,000 runners took to the streets of the Big Apple, and near-perfect weather conditions meant that times were fast and racing was fierce.We got to witness both historically-fast and historically-close races, as three women broke the 22-year-old course record and the men’s race was decided by a photo finish, the smallest margin in the race’s history. Hellen Obiri is now a two-time champ—winning first in 2023 and again in 2025—and Benson Kipruto claimed his fourth World Marathon Major title by mere inches. For the second time this year, Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi claimed the top two spots on a World Marathon Major podium. In April, Lokedi held off Obiri to claim her first Boston Marathon title as both shattered the course record. Once again, Obiri and Lokedi (plus third-placer Sheila Chepkirui, the 2024 champ) worked together to run the fastest time in New York history. Only this time, Obiri turned the tables on her rival with

“[The marathon] rewards people that are patient, consistent, and build up strength. I’ve got a good engine, so late in the race I feel like my cardio holds up very well. As long as the body holds up, it’s going to be a good day!”My guest for today’s episode is Joel Reichow, who could be viewed as a surprise story of the New York City Marathon and the top American finisher in 2025.In a race packed with Olympians and pros backed by some of the biggest brands in running, Joel — a 32-year-old unsponsored athlete from Minnesota — ran the best race of his life, clocking 2:09:56 to finish sixth overall and claim top American honors.At 24 miles, he was still in 12th and starting to get a bit tired. Then he saw the front starting to come back and ripped a 4:45 mile to catch them. He held strong through Central Park and won out for the U.S. honors over the likes of Charles Hicks and Joe Klecker.Joel’s marathon journey hasn’t been flashy. He ran for South Dakota State under Rod DeHaven, grinded through years on the road

The 54th running of the New York City Marathon is shaping up to be a great one. The women’s race features four of the most exciting road racers on the scene today, all duking it out for claim to the title of world’s top active marathoner. The high-quality men’s field looks wide open, and the masters battle between two of the sport’s GOATs is sure to keep things interesting. And you can always count on the million-plus spectators lining the streets of all five boroughs to bring unmatched energy to the race.With a forecast calling for pretty ideal conditions—low-40º temps at the start, a high that shouldn’t exceed the mid-50s, and gentle breezes—the weather shouldn’t slow things down too much; that’s a job for the notoriously challenging course.Not counting the Sydney Marathon, which only joined the World Marathon Major ranks this August, New York City boasts the slowest course records of all WMMs. (The men’s record of 2:04:58 was run by Tamirat Tola in 2023, and Margaret Okayo set the women’s mark of 2:22:31 w

Hillary Bor will be making his marathon debut in Sunday's New York City Marathon. He is taking great confidence from a healthy training block and a runner-up finish at the US 20K Championships, where he ran 56:32 for No. 2 on the U.S. all-time list. He stopped by the HOKA Flagship Store on 5th Avenue in New York City to discuss his preparation for the race.____________Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠Guest: Hillary Bor | @bor.hillary on Instagram⁠Produced by: Mac Fleet | ⁠@macfleet on Instagram⁠ + Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠____________SUPPORT OUR SPONSORSHOKA: CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with HOKA for another year of programming out of the ⁠⁠HOKA flagship store at 579 5th Avenue⁠⁠, including: giveaways of commemorative HOKA x NYC 2025 merchandise including shirts, tote bags, and more; an easy run with Sofar Sounds + secret concert experience, tonight at 6:00pm; and opportunities to test and shop the HOKA Mach X 3 and the Rocket X 3. HOKA will also have

Jessica Warner Judd suffered a tonic clonic seizure at the European track and field championships in 2024 and stuggled with symptoms in early 2025. She decided to leave the track to focus on making her marathon debut in New York City. She stopped by the HOKA Flagship Store on 5th Avenue to discuss her preparations for the race.____________Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠Guest: Jessica Warner Judd | @jesswarnerjuddxx on InstagramProduced by: Mac Fleet | @macfleet on Instagram + Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠____________SUPPORT OUR SPONSORSHOKA: CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with HOKA for another year of programming out of the ⁠HOKA flagship store at 579 5th Avenue⁠, including: giveaways of commemorative HOKA x NYC 2025 merchandise including shirts, tote bags, and more; an easy run with Sofar Sounds + secret concert experience, tonight at 6:00pm; and opportunities to test and shop the HOKA Mach X 3 and the Rocket X 3. HOKA will also have a hub at the marathon expo. P

Patrick Sang — the coach behind Eliud Kipchoge, Faith Kipyegon and many other Kenyan stars — reflects on humility, intuition, and the unseen architecture of greatness from more than two decades of coaching. In this wide-ranging interview that we recorded from the NN Running Team Pop Up in New York City (15 E 40th Street), Sang discusses his role as a coach, teacher, mentor, and friend to some of the best in the world, the lessons on longevity and how he’s taking great inspiration from Kipchoge’s career to foster in Faith Kipyegon’s future success on the roads.____________Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠Guest: Patrick SangProduced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠____________SUPPORT OUR SPONSORSHOKA: CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with HOKA for another year of programming out of the HOKA flagship store at 579 5th Avenue, including: giveaways of commemorative HOKA x NYC 2025 merchandise including shirts, tote bags, and more; an easy run with Sofar Sounds + secret concert

New York City gears up for its biggest day of the year — the 2025 NYC Marathon. The race is as tough and electric as the city itself, and this year’s field is stacked.Men’s Preview:- Abdi Nageeye defends his title.- Legends Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele aim for one last battle.- Rising U.S. stars Biya Simbassa, Joe Klecker, and Hillary Bor chase world-class competition.Women's Preview:- Olympic champ Sifan Hassan has stolen the show as the headliner- Past NYC winners Sharon Lokedi, Sheila Chepkirui, and Helen Obiri return.- Fiona O’Keefe (first race since Trials win), Emily Sisson, and Molly Seidel add U.S. firepower.Where to watch:- National TV coverage: ESPN2, 8 AM ET.- Live commentary and analysis from the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel at the same time, live from the HOKA Flagship Store on 5th Ave.Also on today's show:- The World Treadmill Championships are real — and happening in 2026.- Iowa State XC athletes suspended for team rule violations?- Jakob Ingebrigtsen gets his tonsils out and now wa

“My big mantra for the whole weekend is to just execute. Just do what we’ve done in practice and this is going to work. I haven’t thought about kicking into the park or anything like that because that’s going to take care of itself if I execute mile 22. And if I execute mile 21, that’s going to make mile 22 better. Just working from the start, if I execute each bottle station and each section of the course, I think it’s going to be very positive."My guest for today’s episode is Joe Klecker — a 2020 Olympian and a U.S. 10,000-meter champion on the track. But this year marks something new. After an adductor injury forced him out of the Olympic Trials and cost him a shot at Paris, Klecker is stepping into the next phase of his career — the roads. We chronicled much of this transition last winter when we produced a mini-documentary series on Klecker facing off against Conner Mantz and Clayton Young in January.In January, he ran his first half-marathon in Houston and ran 1:01:06. By spring, he was grinding th

“When I crossed that finish line and ripped my shirt off, I was like, ‘Yeah!’ That was one of my best moments… It was a dream come true, something that I’ve been wanting for years. I’ve dreamt about that moment and I finally got that moment!”Our guest today is Oblique Seville — the new 100-meter world champion and the man who brought Jamaica back to the top of men’s sprinting. On a humid night in Tokyo in September, Seville ran 9.77 to win his first global title, the fastest championship final in six years, and the first for a Jamaican man since Usain Bolt. It was a performance years in the making and the fulfillment of potential we’d seen flashes of since he was 21 and running 9.86 for fourth place at the World Championships.In past championships, it was always something — an injury here, a tight groin there, or a perfect semifinal that came one race too soon. But this year was different with two big Diamond League wins, a healthy buildup and a conviction that his time had come. He said in the mixed zone: ‘T

Marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for three years by the AIU following her admission to an Anti-Doping Rule Violation regarding the presence and use of Hydrochlorothiazide, a banned diuretic and masking agent in doping. The announcement from the AIU was made public on Thursday morning.Chepngetich broke the women's marathon world record in 2:09:56 at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. She is the 2019 World Champion and three-time winner of the Chicago Marathon.The AIU shared that Chepngetich was tested 15 times out of competition and four times in competition in 2024. After she broke the world record, the AIU tested her more as she prepared to race the 2025 London Marathon. Chepngetich struggled in the two races that followed.Tune in for more of the details on Chepngetich's case. You can also read our recap article here.____________Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Preet Majithia | ⁠⁠@preet_athletics on Instagram⁠⁠Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasmin

The NCAA Cross Country season just got real — and Jane Hedengren stole the show. In her college debut, the BYU freshman dominated Pre-Nats, running 18:42.3 to shatter the Gans Creek course record by 25 seconds.In this episode, we break down Hedengren’s historic win, her incredible high school resume, and what it means for BYU’s title hopes heading into NCAAs. We also dive into everything from Grace Hartman’s Nuttycombe victory, New Mexico’s big statement on the men’s side, and the rising stars shaping the 2025 NCAA XC season.Catch all the analysis, storylines, and bold predictions from Pre-Nats, Nuttycombe, and beyond — plus what to watch for as BYU, NC State, and Oregon gear up for the championship run.____________Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠ + Isaac Wood | @isaacew on InstagramProduced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠____________SUPPORT OUR SPONSORSNOMIO: Made with 80% broccoli sprout juice, 15% lemon juice, and 5% sugar, Nomio activates your body’s natural def

*Note: The first few minutes of Ben's interview were cut due to audio issues. The audio quality improves throughout the interview.Canadian distance runner and Olympian Ben Flanagan is finally making his marathon debut at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon this Sunday. Fresh off his 2024 season that included his Olympic debut in the 5000m, Flanagan opens up about the challenges of transitioning to the marathon, including an injury-shortened build in 2025. He’s focused on winning the Canadian Championship and using this race as a launching pad for his marathon future.Jon Green, Flanagan's coach, also joins us live in Toronto to share about guiding him towards his marathon debut. The two share a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to step up to the marathon and the mindset of an elite runner in transition.____________Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠Guest: Ben Flanagan | @ben_flanagan on Instagram ____________SUPPORT OUR SPONSORSNOMIO: Made with 80% broccoli sprout juice, 15% lemon