Citius Mag Podcast

The U.S. Olympic Trials might be finished, but the laughs from Good Morning Track and Field sure aren’t. Somehow we broke down 10 days of content into three episodes to bring back the best track and field-inspired humor, hot takes, and live show shenanigans from CITIUS MAG hosts Mitch Dyer, Eric Jenkins, and Karen Lesiewicz as they discussed the most popular and dramatic storylines in TrackTown, USA. Host: Mitch Dyer | @metchosketch on Instagram Host: Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram Host: Karen Lesiewicz | @kare_les on Instagram HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF PART ONE: 0:00 Introductions + the very first New Balance pledge2:37 Centro’s ex + a Prince Puckler’s inspired ice cream debate7:58 Eggs + Airbnbs in TrackTown, USA10:01 What would GMTF be without breakfast discussions?12:24 The ideation of speedsuit Jenkins16:30 Fred Kerley’s dump truck17:22 Doomscrolling20:40 Club music in Eugene? + squirrel thoughts25:50 Tunnel speed + business trips27:45 Chat outrage and redoing the New Balance pledge30

“For me, the most important thing is practicing winning and practicing trying to win. Because at the end of the day, PRs are awesome and running super fast is great, but people aren’t going to say, ‘Oh, well, 9:03 is the third fastest time.’ They’re going to say ‘Val won,’ right? And so for me, I just want to try to win. That’s all I care about. I don’t even care if we run slow because I just want to win.” Valerie Constien was on the show about two months ago so if you haven’t heard that episode, I think it sets thighs up perfectly for more context on her comeback from a torn ACL last year. I enjoyed hearing from the listeners that they felt more invested in Val’s comeback and were overjoyed to see her running well at the Prefontaine Classic and at the Trials knowing more about her. At the Trials, Val put together one of the best races of the entire 10 days. She won the women’s steeplechase in 9:03 – which moved her to No. 3 on the all-time list behind Courtney Frerichs and Emma Coburn. The whole race was epi

Whittni Morgan had a little bit of delayed gratification as she was named to the U.S. Olympic team in the 5000m about a week after the Trials. So how did it happen? Elle St. Pierre won the 5000m and finished third in the 1500m but has decided to only run the 1500m at the Paris Olympics. This elevated Parker Valby into that final spot for the 5000m after her fourth place finish in the Olympic Trials final. Valby also finished second in the 10,000m. After a few days of consideration and conversation with her coaches Will Palmer and Samantha Palmer, she decided to just run the 10,000 meters at the Paris Olympics. She qualified for that event based off her World Ranking. This meant that Whittni Morgan, who finished fifth in the 5000m final, got the final spot for Paris. In this episode, we chat about what it was like to get that call. Plus, we talk through just how incredible her comeback has been in the past seven months. She underwent patellar tendon surgery in December and did not run on the ground until early

We are back with another edition of This Week In Track and Field after a bit of a break due to the U.S. Olympic Trials. The Diamond League returned to action and brought some spectacular results right away as we saw two world records in Faith Kipyegon breaking her own world record in the women’s 1,500m in 3:49.04 and Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh taking down a 37-year-old mark in the women’s high jump to 2.10 m (That’s 6-10 3/4). We had a crazy men’s 800m that has shaken up that distance ahead of the Paris Olympics Plus, we review the things we liked + things that could have used improvement in the making of SPRINT on Netflix. Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Host: Anderson Emerole | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@atkoeme on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

"Sprinters are just this A-type. Because they have to be. What you realize is this sport is probably won and lost in those moments right before, it’s won and lost on the line, it’s won and lost when the gun goes off. It's all about projecting your presence onto your biggest competitor. As soon as we got into it, these guys didn't hold back, whether it was Noah (Lyles) or Fred (Kerley), whether it was the rivalry between the Jamaican women, it was all there and none of them held back with it." Paul Martin is the co-founder of Box to Box Films, the production company behind the hit Netflix sports documentary series including Drive to Survive and Full Swing. Track finally got its version as SPRINT was released on Netflix on July 2nd. In this episode, we discuss the making of the series; the Netflix effect that people talk about in sports and what were some of the challenges in capturing an individual sport like track, which has tons of stars who could pop out of nowhere. Plus: Is a middle dista

Newly minted Olympian and 5x NCAA champion Parker Valby joins us live in Eugene after her runner-up finish in the 10,000m and 4th place finish in the 5000m. Parker shares about how she almost decided not to contest the Olympic Trials 10,000m, how she’s been able to stay mentally composed with how often she’s raced this year, what it’s been like racing among the pros at the Olympic Trials, what her training has looked like the past month while in Eugene, why she goes off the grid on social media before races, and what she’s looking forward to most in Paris.  Parker also chats with us about her love for kombucha and her favorite music. Hear more from Parker and what’s ahead for her in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Karen Leciewicz | @kara_les on Instagram  Guest: Parker Valby | @parkervalby on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

“It’s bigger than me. It’s about my purpose and what I want to show in track and field, what I want to show people who are watching, and the younger generation. It’s about that. If you get caught up in, ‘I need to prove to everyone that I belong here and deserve this,’ it’s not really about that.” 2x Olympic medalist and 2x world medalist Gabby Thomas joins us live in Eugene after defending her Olympics Trials 200m title to secure her spot on another Olympic team. Gabby walks us through the sequence of her 200m rounds, why she decided to go all-in on the 200m for the Olympic Trials, how she handles the pressures of racing, her purpose for competing, her goals for Paris, and how she hopes to inspire the next generation. Hear more from Gabby and her incredible journey in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram + Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_kxnaomi on Instagram Guest

“We see upsets all the time in this sport. Anything can happen to anybody on any given day. Those two are just on a whole other level. It’s kind of motivating to me. They’re #1 and #2 of all-time. They are the best two in the sport. They are active, they’re in their prime right now… As a guy who’s a little bit of a peg down from them, it’s super motivating. I want to beat those guys more than anything – because if I'm able to beat them, I'm beating absolute legends of the sport.”  Payton Otterdahl joins the show after qualifying for his second Olympic Games in shot put. Payton shares about how he approaches head-to-head competition with shot put legends Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs, breaks down the depth of the shot put field that he’ll face in Paris, how his shot put practices compare to his actual competitions, how he uses the offseason to his advantage, and lots more. Hear more from Payton in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_

“Especially seeing people who were young and doing track now, to kind of be like, ‘Listen. You CAN do it, even if it takes you 20 years,’ because I’ve actually been doing track officially for 20 years.” Chari Hawkins joins us live in Eugene to share about her path to becoming one of the world’s best heptathletes. She chats with us about how she’s stayed patient while working her way to the top, the bond and sense of respect that she shares with other heptathletes, how she structures her season to optimize her world ranking, advice for younger athletes, and lots more. Hear more from Chari on her powerful story in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram Guest: Chari Hawkins | @_charihawkins on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

“If you can't bet on yourself at the end of the day, then what the hell are you doing? I know if my life depended on it, I know I can show up… I can only lose to myself and that's when I'm not executing my race plan.” 5x world champion and world record holder Grant Holloway joins us live in Eugene after booking his ticket to another Olympic Games. Grant breaks down all three of his sub-13 performances in the Olympics Trials 110m hurdles, shares about his training group, his thoughts on Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track league, how he was able to regroup after the Tokyo Olympics, how he studies his competitors, and his perspective on the state of the men’s 110m hurdles in the U.S. Hear more from Grant and what’s ahead for him in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_kxnaomi on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram  Guest:

“I feel like there’s moments where you’re like, ‘Should I go or should I not go?’ after such a big loss. Go. That’s the best time you can go and do something after a big loss. Let’s do it, let’s try again. The most important thing you can always do is just try again… Just because you had a loss doesn't mean you can’t pick yourself up and try again.”  World Championship medalist Brittany Brown joins us live in Eugene after qualifying for her first Olympic team. She never won an NCAA title and didn’t sign a pro contract out of college, but she continued to bet on herself and it paid off big time. Brittany shares about her perseverance through setbacks to get to this point in her career, other women who inspire her, how she uses her 400m training to help her grow stronger in other events, what her training group is like, and more. Hear more from Brittany and her incredible path to the Olympics in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram + Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠

“Every time I felt like I was going to fall off, I said, ‘No, I’m not going to let it happen. Mentally I am way stronger than this…’ I talked to myself in the last minute. I said, ‘No. I am mentally struggling, this is not hard. I’ve been running a lot faster than this during practice, so I can do this.’ That helped me to come back again.” 2x U.S. champion Weini Kelati joins us live in Eugene after winning the Olympic Trials 10,000m and qualifying for her first Olympic team. Weini shares about why she went all-in on the 10,000m at the Trials, how she fine-tuned her training to prepare for the 10,000m, what she tells herself during the toughest parts of races, what it means to her to represent the U.S. at the Olympics, and what message she hopes to impart to the millions of people who will be watching her compete at the Olympics. Hear more from Weini and her path to the Paris Olympics in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + M

“After the 100, you could see I was really ticked off because I knew I should have won that and I lost it. But with the 200, there was a lot of upside and I was happy to see the performance because I was like, ‘Hey I was there and I let off the gas because I had to, but Paris is what matters and I know I'm going to be ready.” 2x Olympian and 3x World Championship Medalist Kenny Bednarek joins us live in Eugene after his runner-up finish in the Olympic Trials 100m – his first national team in the event. Kenny breaks down the 100m rounds at the Trials, his thoughts on who should be on the 4x100m relay, and more. Hear more from Kenny and what’s ahead for him in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram  Guest: Kenny Bednarek | @kenny_bednarek on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

“It was a very, very low point and I feel like track wasn't loving me like I was loving it. I was ready to be done. Every athlete has their own story. Every athlete gets to a point where it's like, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this…’ Going through that, it's very motivational to be in a place like this. I never thought I would be here, I never thought I was going to be on an Olympic team.” Olympic Trials 110m hurdles runner-up Freddie Crittenden joins us live in Eugene after qualifying for the Paris Olympics. Freddie shares about the hardships he went through in 2021, where he almost quit the sport completely, and how he was able to build off those low points to become an Olympian. Freddie also shares about what it’s like training with Grant Holloway and how he was able to step up at the Olympic Trials when it mattered most. Hear more from Freddie and what’s ahead for him in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_kxnaomi on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

“After the (2012) Olympics, it just was such a big boost because for so long you're scrapping and fighting. I was 5th, 6th, 7th in a lot of these races and I kept saying, ‘This is going to be the year I'm going to get over the hump.’ For it to finally happen was just such a big moment for me, for my own confidence. After that I knew that I belonged and could really compete with all these guys.” 2x Olympic medalist and 12x U.S. champion Galen Rupp joins us live in Eugene to catch us up on life since the Olympic Marathon Trials in February. Galen reflects on his favorite races from his career, his experience competing for the University of Oregon, what his training was like during the peak of his career, the support he’s received from his wife and family, how he stays looped into the running community, and what it’s been like recovering from surgery a few months ago. Hear more of Galen’s updates in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chave

Last one, fast one?! The final day of the Olympic Trials was one for the history books. In every. single. event. that took place on the tracks yesterday afternoon, the Olympic Trials meet record was broken. In multiple events, simply qualifying for Team USA meant you had to produce a performance that ranked in the U.S. top-10 of all time. 12.37 in the 100m hurdles, 3:56.75 in the women’s 1500m, and 1:44.12 in the men’s 800m were only good enough for fourth place. The mantra of “iron sharpens iron” normally applies to training groups, but it certainly also applies to American track and field right now. When being top 10 in the world is not a guarantee of being top 3 in the U.S., the choice is simple: you elevate your game or you go home. The afternoon began with the 5000m final, where last year’s U.S. champ Abdi Nur and this year’s 10,000m champ Grant Fisher treated the fans to an epic duel over the final few laps. It took a sub-4 1600m to break the rest of the field, and in the final strides, Fisher was able

A fitting theme for the penultimate day of competition at the 2024 Olympic Trials: it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. Just ask Monae’ Nichols, who sat in fourth place in the final of the long jump competition. Nichols has a 6.97m personal best from 2022, but heading into Trials she was one centimeter shy of the Olympic qualifying standard with a 6.85m season’s best. In her last jump of the competition, Nichols came up clutch in multiple ways, jumping her way from 5th into 3rd and improving her season’s best to the 6.86m auto-qualifier. The long jump was full of drama, with eventual champion Tara Davis-Woodhall needing a mark in the third round just to keep jumping and eventually pulling out a 7.00m leap in the fifth round to defend her national title. And three different women held the third position in the final round of competition, with Lex Brown starting the round in third at 6.77m, then Quanesha Burks landing a 6.80m jump, and finally Nichols taking the critical final spot with her final effort. There’s plent

“The expectation was we want to chase this and put her on the line in a way to be able to compete. Physically, I think things went really smooth. This is probably the best build she’s had in the eight years I’ve coached her. Mentally, it probably wasn't the best build. There were some battles that she faced and the race never tells the whole story. Being someone that saw what she overcame to make this team is what I think is going to make this one really special.”  Newly minted Olympian Courtney Wayment and Coach Diljeet Taylor join us live in Eugene after Courtney finished runner-up in the U.S. Olympic Trials steeplechase. Coach Taylor shares about Courtney’s ability to overcome challenges as she worked towards the Trials and what it’s been like coaching Courtney for the past eight years. Courtney shares about having “the best support system in the world” at BYU with past and present teammates, her training partners, and family. She also shares about her progression over the past few years that’s helped

“We are going into a new phase of track and field. And with that new phase, there has to be a new element. The standard is shifting, it’s only a matter of time that the world record is in danger. I’m not saying by who, but I’m just saying that if the standard keeps on going lower… it’s only a matter of time before 19.9 will get you sixth.”  2x Olympian Joseph Fahnbulleh joins us live in Eugene after competing at the African Championships this past week. Joe takes us through his questionable experience at the African Champs, his journey traveling from Africa to Eugene to catch the last half of the U.S. Trials, his analysis on some of the sprinters + events to watch for at the Olympics, his prediction for the future of the sprints, and lots more. Hear more from Joe in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_kxnaomi on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram  Guest: Joseph Fahnbulleh | @joefahn.xi on Instagram ____

“I’ve spent a lot of my career getting outkicked in the last 400… The marathon is something people always wanted me to do, it was just a matter of when I was actually ready to do it. It’s a long way to run.” 3x Olympian for Australia and 2:07:45 marathoner Patrick Tiernan joins us live in Eugene. Pat breaks down his previous Olympic experiences, weighs in on the U.S. Trials qualifying system, why he chooses to base his training in the U.S. instead of Australia, his thoughts on the top Australian track and field athletes, why he decided to transition to the marathon + how his training changed, and more. Hear more from Pat in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram + Mitch Dyer | @metchosketch on Instagram  Guest: Patrick Tiernan | @tiernan_pat on Instagram _________ CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at noon PT each day. Our guests for Day 9 of the Olympic Trials include Valarie Allman, Z