Citius Mag Podcast

“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

It's taken me too long to release this episode but about a month ago, I hosted a live panel at the Atlanta Track Club's marathon weekend experience that lined up with the 2020 U.S. Olympic marathon Trials. I sat down and talked with Matt McDonald, Alyssa Bloomquist, Ann Mazur and Duriel Hardy about how they manage to balance their full workload and sometimes classes with training at a high level. The COVID-19 pandemic definitely has lots of us working from home and thrown us out of our routine but I hope that this episode brings you a little bit of inspiration into understanding the importance of balance in work, life and running for when things do go back to normal and that no dream is too big to chase. Hailey Middlebrook of Runners World did a fantastic job profiling each of these guests in the leadup to Atlanta. You can find all of her stories below and their result: Matt McDonald, Ph.D. student in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech (2:12:19 for 10th place) – https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/

Chris Chavez and Matt Meyer get together over Skype to recap the biggest news of March. As races are canceled or postponed, the Olympics were the last major domino to fall. On March 24, the decision was officially made by the International Olympic Committee and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to move the Summer Games to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.  We react to the news, explain why it was the best decision and break down what it means for the sport of track and field ahead. Plus, we share what's the biggest thing that we were looking forward to in the lost 2020 outdoor track and field campaign.  ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag | instagram.com/citiusmag | facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris via Email: chris@citiusmag.com | twitter.com/ChrisChavez | instagram.com/chris_j_chavez ✩ Connect with Matt on Instagram: Instagram.com/matthewlukemeyer

Chris Chavez and Ryan Welsh sit down (maybe six-feet apart) to discuss the impact coronavirus has taken on the world, sports and running.  Topics discussed include: Running in uncertain times, listening and heeding the advice of experts, Boston and London Marathon postponed, should the Olympics and trials get cancelled or postponed and more. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag | instagram.com/citiusmag | facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris via Email: chris@citiusmag.com | twitter.com/ChrisChavez | instagram.com/chris_j_chavez

The sports world has stopped but the world could use the positivity of Aliphine Tuliamuk. At the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, Tuliamuk made her first U.S. Olympic team by winning in 2:27:23.  On this show, we'll discuss how the race was the culmination of her American dream and why she is very appreciative of the opportunity to represent the United States – a place that has given her so many opportunities in her life. We talk about how she developed the self-belief that she could win the race and much more. Support for this episode comes from Stryd. They’re helping ensure that you nail the perfect pacing strategy so you can keep a consistent effort in challenging conditions - all in real-time. I’m digging all the data that it’s collecting and you’ll see a bunch of people wearing them on their shoes at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Learn more by visiting STRYD.COM/CITIUS ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag | instagram.com/citiusmag | facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris via Email: chris@citi

Jacob Riley joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to share how he managed to make his first Olympic team after a 2:10:02 personal best to finish second at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Jake wrote on Twitter, "Been saving end of segment things so I can savor this feeling longer. Yesterday was watching the race coverage, today was finishing my log. Final entry isn’t twitter appropriate, but I got to write “I’m an Olympian”. The way I felt writing that I’ll remember forever." What's the not-Twitter appropriate version and what's the training log say? Jake put us in his shoes for the race and recounts what we likely missed from the broadcast since he had to work his way to catch the leaders.  More in this episode on:  - Snatching the American flag with 600 meters remaining in the race and instant regret - Getting in the right mindset for the race and how it compared to Chicago - Looking back at his approach to racing as an All-American at Stanford - What he learned from his five years with the Hansons-Brooks

Team Boulder's Lee Troop joins the show to share how Jake Riley went from an Achilles injury that nearly ended his career to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials runner-up and headed to the Olympics. Riley ran 2:13 for his first marathon in 2014 and then finished 15th at the 2016 trials. He also went on to finish 12th at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore. but then his career got rocky. He went through a divorce, moved from Michigan to Colorado to pursue his mechanical engineering masters and then joined Troop's training. An Achilles injury was later diagnosed as Haglund's syndrome and he had to undergo surgery. Troop shares the process of how they worked back to the starting line and then what ultimately led to his major breakout of a 2:10:36 in Chicago last fall.  Among the key pieces of insight shared by Troop are the pre-race talks that he shared with Riley and race plans in both Chicago and Atlanta. We also share how Riley developed the "No more next times" mantra, the deci

Chris Chavez and Matthew Luke Meyer unpack all of the madness from the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. Galen Rupp took the win on the men's side by pulling away after 21 miles to win his second consecutive U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials title in 2:09:20. Jacob Riley ran the race of his life and pulled one of the ballsiest moves by snatching a tiny American flag with less than half a mile to go. Abdi Abdirahman hung on for the third spot and qualified for his fifth Olympic team at the age of 43. Aliphine Tuliamuk won the women's race after surging ahead at Mile 20 to win in 2:27:23 and head to her first Olympics. Molly Seidel, who had not run a marathon in her career but was an accomplished cross country and 10,000m star at Notre Dame, was the runner-up in 2:27:31. She will also head to her first Summer Games. Sally Kipyego returns to the Olympics as a mother for the first time. In 2012, she won an Olympic silver medal in the 10,000m while representing Kenya.  We recap the races, break down th

Chris Chavez and Ryan Welsh post up at the Brooks Hyperion House at Switchyards in downtown Atlanta to test out a new podcast concept –  talking to strangers to get to know their running story. For this first episode, we sat down and got to meet some of Brooks' Hometown Heroes. They're sub-elite runners who hold full-time jobs and still manage to find the time to run fast. You'll be surprised at who we meet. We knew nothing about these people beforehand. It was blind speed dating of sorts. Garrett Heath of the Brooks Beasts (27-minute mark) happened to be working at the lounge and so we got his thoughts on being in town for the trials, what it's like to compete for an Olympic team spot and some of his own predictions for the race. Teresa McWalters (41-minute mark) is a four-time U.S. Olympic trials qualifier with a newfound perspective on running after an injury in this buildup.  Kelly Calway (51-minute mark) is a U.S. Army officer who ran at NC State. She is a combat veteran with two deployments un