Citius Mag Podcast

"With the NCAA, you just never know. You always have someone coming around...It's cool to see. People get to have their moments every season. There are highs and lows. It's sweet to see so much change between the athletes." While at New Balance Nationals Indoor in Boston, Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber caught up with 2023 NCAA Cross Country Champion Graham Blanks. Unfortunately, he had to miss the indoor championship season due to injury but has returned to running ahead of the 2024 outdoor campaign. He shares his thoughts on Nico Young's breakout to break Graham's indoor 5000m record and what it's like racing while hot. Plus, why this is one of the most competitive eras in collegiate track and field. Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Host: Kyle Merber | @kylemerber on Instagram Guest: Graham Blanks | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@graham_voted_for_pedro on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

CITIUS MAG's Anderson Emerole reports from the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at The TRACK at New Balance in Boston as NAU's Nico Young and Florida's Parker Valby win both the 3000m and 5000m titles, Valby sets the new 5000m collegiate record in 14:52.79, Texas Tech's Terrence Jones wins both the 60m and 200m, Arkansas wins the women's team title, Texas Tech wins the men's team title, and more. For more interviews from the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, head over to the CITIUS MAG Youtube channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLixhfI1IO8angV1gwf4gvFHkQJw-t53_N&si=oBbuzO4qLx4_0jDK SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

A month after dropping out of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials after about 21 miles, Betsy Saina made the decision to enter the 2024 Tokyo Marathon and it paid off massively. Saina put together a very short two-week build-up and ended up finishing fifth in 2:19:17. It was a PR by more than two minutes and moved her to No. 3 on the U.S. all-time women's marathoning list behind Emily Sisson and Keira D'Amato. In this episode, we talk about how she made the decision to race Tokyo, how she structured the training for it and why she believes her coach saying that she's got the fitness to run 2:17 someday soon. Plus, why she's got her sights set on representing the United States at the 2026 World Championships in Tokyo. Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Guest: Betsy Saina | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@sainabetsy on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ Time Stamps: 4:03 - How she’s feeling coming off her 2:19 performance at the Tokyo Marathon.  6:13 - Her training heading into Tokyo + more on her r

"We're here to medal. We worked so hard and no one worked harder than any of us. You just have to do it on the day. I think we all did it and it's so cool – obviously, it's indoors and sure there's an asterisk because it's not the Olympics or World Outdoor Champs, but it's a race when it matters. It's a championship. There are medals on the line and we are so competitive. We're going to run fearless. We're going to be like Hobbs Kessler, who is 20 years old and led that whole thing or Emily (Mackay) in her first world champs and she's like, 'F**k it. I'm just going to take the lead.' We're going to make bold moves. We're gonna be really hard to beat. And I think that's the momentum we're taking into outdoors. That's a statement we're making." This is Nikki Hiltz's fifth time on the show. Our last interviews came after last summer’s World Championships in Budapest and also after they broke the U.S. outdoor mile record at

CITIUS MAG's Anderson Emerole reports from Glasgow, Scotland with a recap of Day 3 of the World Indoor Championships. – Team USA earned FOUR medals in the 1500m as New Zealand's George Beamish and Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu came away with victories but Nikki Hiltz, Emily Mackay, Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler all came away with medals. – Bryce Hoppel clocked a world-leading 1:44.92 to improve upon his bronze medal from 2022 to win gold in the 800m final. Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma claimed gold in the 800 – just ahead of Team GB's Jemma Reekie. – Tara Davis-Woodhall and Monae Nichols went 1-2 in the women's long jump. – Bahamian Devynne Charlton broke her own 60m hurdles world record to claim her country's first-ever gold medal in the 800m – There was controversy over Noah Lyles being named to the 4x400m relay team and then they came away with a silver medal as Belgium's Alexander Doom kicked down Team USA in the closing meters. Lyles split 45.68, which was the third-fastest of the

CITIUS MAG's Anderson Emerole reports from Glasgow, Scotland with a recap of Day 2 of the World Indoor Championships. – Elle St. Pierre became the first U.S. woman to win the World Indoor 3000m title as she kicked down 10,000m world champion Gudaf Tsegay to claim gold. The win comes just 364 days after giving birth last March. – 1500m world champion Josh Kerr got the 3000m world title on home soil – just .61 ahead of Yared Nuguse, who earned his first global championship medal. – Femke Bol lowered her own indoor 400m world record to 49.17! – Grant Holloway extended his nine-year winning streak in the 60m hurdles to claim his second World Indoor Title + more

CITIUS MAG's Anderson Emerole reports from Glasgow, Scotland with a recap of Day 1 of the World Indoor Championships. – 60m world record holder Christian Coleman clocked the fastest time in the world this year with a 6.41 in the final to beat 100m and 200m world champion Noah Lyles by three hundredths to flip the results of their one-two finish from the U.S. Indoor Championships. – Kudos to Jamaica's Ackeem Blake on getting the bronze medal in the 60m final – Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser finally won his first world indoor title to finally complete his gold medal set for the shot put. – Femke Bol looks unstoppable after the first two rounds of the women's 400m. Karsten Warholm said he's racing himself into shape ahead of the final. – Distance race recap of some wild 800m and 1500m heats. – Canadian Sarah Mitton won the women's shot put with a 20.22-meter throw. Chase Jackson ended up with a bronze medal after injuring herself + more

CITIUS MAG contributor Anderson Emerole is in Glasgow to bring you tons of interviews, updates and insights from the 2024 World Indoor Championships taking place from March 1-3. He breaks down: Men's 60m: Noah Lyles vs. Christian Coleman Men's 3000m: Getnet Wale vs. Selemon Barega vs. Josh Kerr vs. Yared Nuguse Women's 3000m: Gudaf Tsegay vs. Lemlem Hailu vs. Laura Muir vs. Elle St. Pierre vs. Jessica Hull Women's 60m: Aleia Hobbs vs. Julien Alfred Men's 400m: Karsten Warholm's odds Women's 400m: Can anyone stop Femke Bol? Men's 60m hurdles: Will Grant Holloway's undefeated streak continue? Women's 60m hurdles: Can world record holder Devynne Charlton continue her hot streak for her first global championship medal? Men's pole vault: How high will Mondo Duplantis go? Men's Shot Put: Can Ryan Crouser get the elusive world indoor title?

Rory Linkletter is a Canadian marathoner for PUMA. He just ran 2:08:01 at the Seville Marathon to get under the Olympic qualifying standard. He is in a good position to get selected by Athletics Canada for Paris. Canadian record holder Cam Levins has already been selected for the team and assuming no one else runs faster than Rory in the next two months, he’ll be set to go to his first Olympics. Rory was a standout runner at BYU and then turned professional in 2019. He spent some time with HOKA NAZ Elite before choosing to leave the team in 2022 and has been working with Ryan Hall in Flagstaff, Arizona. In this episode, you’ll hear all about why the training has worked so well. He shares a bit about Ryan’s coaching and training philosophy. Plus, I try to start some trash talk between Rory and Conner Mantz or Clayton Young – his former teammates. Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Guest: Rory Linkletter | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@rory_linkletter on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

"When I ran the Cherry Blossom (10 Miler), it was very windy. And what I did in that time (46:11), I felt like I could have sustained that pace for a while. Plus the environment – the wind, the temperature was very cold… Based on the training I was doing, my coach felt like I could go under 60 (minutes). We've been planning on just getting a solid half, and then a really fast half. It's really in my mind. So hopefully. Hopefully, after the track season this year I can find a really fast (half marathon) and try to get the American record there." Hillary Bor is a two-time U.S. Olympian in the steeplechase and the third-fastest American steeplechaser in history. He is preparing to make his half marathon debut at the United Airlines NYC Half on March 17. This is a highly-anticipated half marathon debut since Bor ran 46:11 last year to break Greg Meyer’s American record of 46:13 for 10 miles at the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler. Even with his track success, he’s taken well to the roads. In this episode

“I feel like that's why I got so emotional after that race – because this was the first time where I performed to my standards when it mattered. And that's such a big relief off my shoulders now, especially going into the Olympic year. It always felt a little phony for me to be like, ‘I'm going to make this team,’ or ‘I'm going to do this,’ because it hadn't happened yet. And now it has. And now I know that I can do it when it matters most.” Allie Wilson just won the U.S. Indoor Championships 800m title in Albuquerque, New Mexico for her first career national crown. With the victory, she also qualified for the World Indoor Championships taking place in Glasgow, Scotland next month. This will be her first time on a U.S. national team for a global championship. For Allie, the victory comes after a series of shortcomings at national championships. She was sixth at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. She was fourth at the 2022 U.S. Championships. Last year was a rollercoaster year where she only rea

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 16,000 people who stay up-to-date with all the thrilling action and biggest stories in the world of track & field – delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday morning. Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://thelapcount.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ In this week's newsletter: – US Indoor Championships: Let the record show 

"I was in Atlanta (for the 2020 Olympic Trials) watching on the sidewalks. Here, I was a player in the race. And now it's just focusing on 2028 and just continuing to get better each and every day. That's been my focus since I started running – just being faster today than I was yesterday and just checking off all those boxes to do that. Focusing on the process makes the outcome not easy to get over, but it makes it more bearable knowing how far you've come and how far you still have to go." My guest for today’s episode is Zach Panning – a marathoner for the Hansons Brooks Distance Project. He just finished sixth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando but that doesn’t tell the full story. He went for it and found himself at the front of the race by Mile 5 and led for about 17 miles of the whole thing. Eventually, Conner Mantz and Clayton Young pulled away and Panning was left on his own to fend off a challenge from a charging Elkanah Kibet, Leonard Korir and CJ Albertson. Those t

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 17,000 people who stay up-to-date with all the thrilling action and biggest stories in the world of track & field – delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday morning. Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://thelapcount.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ In this week's newsletter: – The Tragic Loss of Kelvin Kiptum

"For the longest time, my definition of mental toughness was being in the call room and not being scared and not being nervous. As I get older, I think mental toughness or mental resilience is being scared, being nervous, but knowing you're mentally robust and that you can handle these stressful situations. And trusting your fitness is there, trusting yourself and your instincts, that all the pieces are there and it's not going to fail. It's okay to be nervous." It's been almost three years since Hobbs Kessler joined the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Back in 2021, he was a high school phenom out of Michigan before turning pro ahead of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. Now, he's the world champion and world record holder in the road mile. We caught up just two days after he ran 3:48.86 to finish second in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games to become the second-fastest American man in history. In this episode, he opens up about his training and adjustments he's made – including not run

"One thing I've learned this year is I want to take things as opportunities and not be so scared. I look at things just as, ‘It's so cool that I got to be in that race,’ because when I was going into that mile, it was my first time ever being in an ‘A’ race. Instead of just freaking out, I was like, ‘This is such a cool opportunity. I get to run with these girls.’ So instead of freaking out, I’m just looking at it as I just get to try something new and see how it goes." Providence junior Kimberley May shocked a lot of people – including herself with a 4:27.85 mile at Boston University just a few weeks ago. At the time, it was the No. 1 mark in the NCAA and No. 8 all-time. Since then, Harvard’s Maia Ramsden, Florida’s Flomena Asekol and Notre Dame’s Olivia Markezich have run faster. We have some good episodes on this feed with Maia and Olivia from last fall. After the mile at BU, I realized there wasn’t a whole lot out there about Kimberley May so I reached out and wanted to learn more. She’s

Emergency podcast! Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber jump on the mic from The Armory to recap all of the thrilling action at the 2024 Millrose Games in New York City, where two world records were set and numerous national records went down. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Bandit is a performance-running brand based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2022, they just had 9 athletes compete in the Marathon Trials and told those stories via their documentary-style YouTube series "Dialed": Check those out ⁠here⁠. They also just relaunched ⁠their Membership⁠, a program that enhances your relationship with Bandit via early access, discounts, and exclusive events/gear/content/you-name-it. For a limited time, get 20% off the Membership (and any product if it's your first order) by using code Citius20 at ⁠BanditRunning.com⁠.

This Sunday is shaping up to be a huge day for sports fans – I’m talking, of course, about the 116th Millrose Games. What snacks will you bring to your viewing party? (No wrong answers.) Which brands will have the funniest commercials? (My money’s on Peacock.) Will Taylor Swift be there? (No.) These questions are surely top of mind for all of us as we gear up for the most important sporting event of mid-February. There’s no Usher halftime show planned, but the historic New York-based track meet and its marquee event – the Wanamaker Mile – still promise plenty of entertainment. Recent Millrose Games have seen epic records, upset victories, and previews of future World champions – and all those stars are back in action this year. The pro races kick off at 1 p.m. E.T. on Sunday, February 11th. You can watch it live on NBC (real TV!), on the Peacock app (subscription required), or via the World Athletics YouTube channel for most international viewers. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Bandit is a performance-running brand b

"I just felt like I just needed to get to the finish line, touch the finish line, and then celebrate. I don't feel like it is real yet. I don't know that it will until I'm back home and into my routine. But I keep getting little reminders that I am now going to be on an Olympic team, and I almost break down in tears every time." An average high school runner, Minnesota Distance Elite’s Dakotah Lindwurm walked onto the team at Northern State University, but wound up a two-time NCAA Division II. She similarly entered the world of post-collegiate running as an unheralded but steady performer. But she ramped up to the marathon distance early, raced it often, and steadily chipped away at it, even winning the Grandma’s Marathon a couple of times.  Still, despite boasting a well-filled-out resume, she seemed like a longshot to make an Olympic team. Too many big names were slotted ahead of her with PRs significantly faster. That all changed on Saturday when Lindwurm outlasted all but two members

"Starting to talk with Alistair (Cragg), I was really excited about his ambition and excitement for the (PUMA Elite) team. He wanted to create a situation where we would be contending for World teams, Olympic teams and eventually contending on those bigger stages as well. At first, hearing those goals sounded a little bit scary. Exciting, but scary. So it's really cool to start seeing some of it actually come together." My guest for today’s episode is Fiona O’Keeffe – the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion. She ran the fastest marathon debut in American history with a 2:22:10 performance to win and also break the previous Marathon Trials record held by Shalane Flanagan from 2012. She will be joined at the Paris Olympics by American record holder Emily Sisson and Dakotah Lindwurm. O’Keeffe was so impressive in the Orlando heat and pressed from the front to pull away from her competitors about 19 miles into the race. She ran all of the last few miles under 5:30 but threw down a 5:09 at Mil