Citius Mag Podcast

"My running talent has taken me to so many places. I've come to this country, I became a citizen, and that's an opportunity that a lot of people don't have. And I got it, and I'm very thankful for that. That’s why I feel it would be a great honor for me to make the Olympics. That's why I keep pursuing that dream. And I know it's going to be valid one time." My guest for today’s episode is Elkanah Kibet. The 40-year-old was in third place by 15 seconds going into the final mile of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials but a charging Leonard Korir managed to catch him for the final spot that will likely go to the Paris Olympics. Kibet finished fourth in 2:10:02 – which set a new U.S. masters marathon record. He was so gratuitous after the race and handled the fourth place finish with so much humility. It was remarkable. Kibet has improved as a marathoner in his late 30s and isn’t ready to call an end to his Olympic dreams. He’ll be 44 at the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and he’

"I think this one was fun because we went into it with the attitude that it's a prelim… This is the prelim and our goal is to qualify. I still had pressure, I felt like I had to beat Clayton to qualify, but also there was the scenario where we both made the team. And that was the goal. That's all we really wanted. It wasn't like, ‘I need to beat Clayton' or  ‘Clayton needs to beat me.’ Our goal was to make the team." My guest for today’s episode is U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion Conner Mantz. He went one-two with his former BYU teammate and current training partner Clayton Young to qualify for their first Olympics team. Mantz was the fastest American marathoner of 2023. He and Young were the only two Americans to run under the Olympic qualifying standard before the Trials in Orlando and clinched the two guaranteed spots for the Summer Games in Paris. In this episode, Mantz takes us through all the ins and outs of his race, how he and Young worked together, how he handled some

“I just really enjoyed getting here. Maybe not the whole last eight years – it's been a road and a journey – but the last year or two of running has been so fun. I know it's been a whole thing that I don't have a coach, don't have an agent, don't have a sponsor. But I literally have just been running because I love it. It's been so freeing and there's been no pressure. I think I needed to step away from that infrastructure and that approach to the sport for a little bit. And it's just been so fun. I think enjoying the process, not having that pressure coming into the trials – I had nothing to lose. I knew I had to be smart, that it could go sideways if I wasn't. Getting here healthy was 100% the focus and enjoying every moment of training.” Jess McClain (née Tonn) stunned America on Saturday when she finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. She ran 2:25:46 for a personal best by nearly four minutes. She is unsponsored. She has a full-time job as the executive di

“I'm excited to be back there because you never know how many chances you get to represent the U.S. on the global stage. I feel like I've been really fortunate in my career and I've gotten a lot of really cool opportunities, but still - they don't happen often. So I try to really savor the moments when something big happens, when I qualify for a team, and just really take advantage of the opportunity.” American record holder Emily Sisson, who finished second in this year’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:22:42, re-joins the show. She finished behind Fiona O’Keeffe and ahead of Dakotah Lindwurm, which is your team for the Paris Olympics. In this episode, we recap Emily’s race and how she overcame some struggles of her own yet kept her composure to qualify for her second Olympics. This will be the first time that she runs the marathon at the Summer Games. She shares some insights into covering key moves during the race, strategy talk with Keira D’Amato beforehand and a little bit on the sist

"You can't expect things to fall into place. I was at a place where I was so close to being in or out that I had to rely so much on these uncontrollable factors where you're just rooting for everything to work out. I left that year being like, ‘OK, I can't do that again.’ I can't just put myself in a decent place and expect everything to work out. If I want to make it, I have to step up. And luckily, since I made the change to Very Nice Track Club with Ronnie, my trajectory has been a lot better." Ben Flanagan is a fan favorite and has been on the show a few times. He is fresh off running 13:04 at the Terrier Classic at Boston University. That got him under the Olympic qualifying standard, which is huge because if we went back to his last appearance on the podcast in 2021 – he was stressing over his ranking and chasing a fast enough time to get himself in a good spot for the Tokyo Olympic selection. He didn’t end up going. He finally got the chance to represent Canada last year at t

Heading into the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials, the consensus was that there was no consensus: Anyone could make the team. And the races delivered big time, with topsy-turvy place changes and unexpected finishes on both the men’s and women’s side. In the men’s race, Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, the top two seeds in the field, did come away with the top two places, but the surprising news was who wasn’t in the mix, as two sub-2:09 seeds – Scott Fauble and Sam Chelanga – dropped out and reigning champion Galen Rupp struggled to a 16th-place finish. Before Clayton Young’s 2:08:00 breakthrough in Chicago last fall, the ASICS runner’s marathon career had gotten off to a fairly rocky start. Young debuted in Atlanta in 2020 but only managed a 2:29:46 for 136th place, and in his first Chicago the following year, he was on track for a top-10 finish before falling only 300 meters from the finish line and losing 3 minutes and 5 places. Along the way, he’d picked up a few wins at shorter road races including a pair of

On Saturday, Feb. 3, Orlando will host the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. The top three men and women who have met the qualifying standards and criteria will be named the U.S. Olympic team for the Paris Games. This race features the first head-to-head matchup over the marathon distance by American record holder Emily Sisson and former record holder Keira D'Amato. Five of the six members of the 2020 Olympic team are back as Galen Rupp, Molly Seidel, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Jake Riley and Abdi Abdirahman return to try and make another team. Conner Mantz and Scott Fauble remain two of the most consistent American men of the last Olympic cycle. CITIUS MAG's team (Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, and Eric Jenkins) will preview all the top storylines and athletes to watch. Read our full previews for the elite races: https://citiusmag.com/ Show presented by HOKA | Stay up to date on the latest news and promotions from HOKA. Check them out here: https://www.hoka.com/

"You have to measure out your peaks, especially in an Olympic year. But I'm really happy with my fitness right now. In years past, I haven't been this confident in my fitness. So I'm really happy and just excited to race (against) the world champs, the American record holders. That's really where I see myself thriving and I want to optimize those opportunities." – Cole Hocker Former Oregon Ducks Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker have reunited and are training together in Blacksburg, Virginia under coach Ben Thomas. Teare spent last year working with coach Jerry Schumacher and the Bowerman Track Club before announcing his departure in the fall. He took some time to make a decision but ultimately decided to reunite with his college coach, who led him to his U.S. 1500m title in 2022 and qualified for the World Championship team. Last year, Teare did set a personal best at 800 meters and 1500m but he missed qualifying for the World Championships in Budapest. He got off to a strong start in 20

This week in the Lap Count Newsletter, Kyle Merber spoke with Natosha Rogers. In 2012, as a junior at Texas A&M, Natosha Rogers followed up her NCAA 10,000m victory with a second place finish at the US Olympic Trials despite a mid-race fall. Although her time of 31:59 did not qualify her for the Games, running fans took immediate appreciation of her talent. A decade later she finally qualified to represent the United States at a global track championship in the 10,000m in Eugene. Then in 2023, representing her current sponsor and club, Puma Elite, she did it again, this time doubling in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the World Championships in Budapest. Rogers qualified for the Olympic Trials via the half marathon and holds a personal best of 1:09:36 – it will be her debut at the distance. Given Molly Seidel’s success in her debut at the 2020 Trials, we wanted to hear how Natosha’s foray into the new distance was going.

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 15,500 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 Altitude Conversion Debate: Part 50

“How amazing it is that (my story) can reach people and encourage them and give them a hope that their life has purpose, that their life has meaning, that their story is not over. That's something that I've trusted in and have bought into the fact that my story is not over." Tennessee’s Ashley Jones has a tremendously inspiring story. At 14 years old, she was in an ATV accident and lost her right arm. That did not stop her from continuing in sports. She was a soccer player and then competed in triathlons before fully committing to running as a junior in high school. She was a cross country standout for Valor Christian High School in Colorado. She started off her NCAA career at High Point and joined Tennesee’s team this past fall. She was one of the team leaders during the cross country season with strong finishes at the SEC Championships and NCAA South Regional before going on to finish 42nd at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to lead the Vols to a sixth place team finish. Now she’s getting

"I feel good about where I'm at. Everyone else is going to bring their 'A' game and I'm going to bring my 'A' game. I'm going to have to race to win. I don't think you race to get top three. I think you have to race to win and top three will be the consolation prize if you race aggressively and fearlessly."  Welcome back fan favorite Scott Fauble to the show. This is now his seventh appearance on the show. We’ve had a tradition of chatting after his big performances at the New York City or Boston Marathons over the years. We decided to chat ahead of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, where he’s expected to be one of the top contenders in the men’s race once again.  Scott owns a personal best of 2:08:52 from his seventh place finish at the 2022 Boston Marathon. He backed that up with another top American finish last year – again in seventh place. Last fall, he went to Berlin to chase the Olympic qualifying standard but had to drop out after 30K. We talk about

Finally! 2:59:12 at the 2024 Houston Marathon. 10 years after starting my marathoning career, I finally managed to break three hours in the marathon. This one was a long time coming. I'm so thankful for all the kind messages, comments and texts that I received afterward so it felt like a win for the community and the everyday runner. For this episode, I’m turning over the reins to my dear friend Ali Feller, the host of 'The Ali on The Run Show.' She is so much fun, the perfect person to joke around with and to get a chance to reflect on the journey. Host: Ali Feller | @aliontherun1 on Instagram Guest: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

"It's fun to come from nothing, have a dream, and then slowly chip away at it. And having those dreams become reality is just a cool story." When Zach Panning graduated from Grand Valley State in 2019 he had three Division II NCAA titles and personal bests of 13:37 for 5000m and 28:30 for 10,000m. With a resume like that and a proven ability to withstand Michigan’s winters, the Indiana native was a prime target to join the Hansons-Brooks ODP. Panning qualified to represent the United States at the 2023 World Championships, following his 2:09:28 PB in Chicago. In Budapest, he ran 2:11:21 for 13th place, moving through the field like a veteran. You can read the interview from The Lap Count newsletter here: https://citiusmag.com/articles/catching-up-with-zach-panning Host: Kyle Merber | ⁠⁠⁠@kylemerber on Instagram⁠ Guest: Zach Panning | ⁠@zachpanning on Instagram⁠ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 15,500 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: – 10K World Record: SMASHED 

"When I started making senior teams, I thought, “I want to compete at all six championships.” I did that and then was like, “I want to make a final in all six championships.” I did that and then said, “I want to win a medal at all six championships” and I have done that. I've defended titles, I've broken records and championship records. The only thing that's really missing is the global title, which is very hard to get… But I'm going to keep trying and that's all I can do." Great Britain’s Laura Muir, the Olympic 1500m silver medalist and three-time 1500m world championship medalist, will return to the 116th Millrose Games at The Armory on Feb. 11 to defend her NYRR Wanamaker Mile title. In this conversation, Laura and I look back at her 2023 season – which was a bit turbulent at times since she parted ways with her longtime coach Andy Young, coached herself briefly and is now working with Steve Vernon. Despite the sudden changes, she still managed to run a season’s best of 3:55

"The U.S. has become my home because it's been over ten years since I moved there. That makes me feel really emotional. My heart is full. I'm so grateful to be able to represent the U.S., after all I've gained in living there: to my two sisters living there, my son being born in the U.S. – it's a family thing for me. So I'm running for the whole family now." With all the excitement leading into the Olympic Marathon Trials on February 3rd, it seems like a good time to reacquaint listeners with some of the top contenders. This week, Kyle Merber spoke with Betsy Saina, the former three-time NCAA champion from Iowa State and fifth place finisher in the 2016 Olympic 10,000m. In April 2021, Saina shifted her allegiance and is now eligible to represent the United States. Following her 2:21:40 finish at the Tokyo Marathon and a win at the Sydney Marathon on a hot day in September, where she ran 2:26:47, there is certainly a possibility of her being in Paris on the horizon. Host: Kyle Mer

"I gained a lot of experience being in different races with different strategies and race situations. Competing at the World Championships was amazing. Competing in the prelim and final were two very different races, both of which I hadn't experienced before. I learned a lot from that. I'm excited to have had that experience, especially going into this year as an Olympic year, with the Olympic aspirations that I have. I have a lot of confidence that I can compete with the best in the world." BYU’s Kenneth Rooks, the 2023 NCAA steeplechase champion and the U.S. champion, has decided to forego the remainder of his NCAA eligibility to turn professional and has signed a contract with Nike. He plans to stay in Utah under coach Ed Eyestone and will train alongside Conner Mantz and Clayton Young. Rooks was one of the NCAA’s breakout stars in 2023. He caught the attention of many with an 8:17.62 win over George Beamish and ‘22 U.S. champion Hillary Bor at the On Track Nights: Los Angeles meet in May

"If you have to flip a switch, it's too late. I've been locked in. We've been training and going at it and we’re focused on the process. The biggest thing for me is staying healthy and staying patient. You can't do anything out of the ordinary. You can't do something that you haven't practiced or do something extra. It's just another year. This is what we do every single year. It’s the top of the year – there’s newfound energy, newfound opportunity. But it’s the same level of consistency, the same level of intensity. We just continue to do what we do." 60m world record holder Christian Coleman will return to the Armory in New York City on Feb. 11th to go for his third consecutive victory in the men’s 60m at the Millrose Games. Coleman is coming off a 2023 season in which he matched the world’s fastest 100m time of the year with a 9.83s victory at the Xiamen Diamond League in China last August. He was the runner-up in the men’s 100m at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Cham

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez. Join more than 15,500 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: – Beatrice Chebet’s year goes out with a BANG