Citius Mag Podcast

“The pieces were there – but getting them to mesh and come together, we had to embrace the imperfect. We had to have these women realize that if you're scared of something, the only way to get over that fear is to conquer it. That was what this championship was for a lot of the women.  My guest for today's episode is Diljeet Taylor, Head Coach of BYU’s women's cross country and track team. She's one of the most inspiring leaders in the sport. Coach Taylor just wrapped up a storybook season by guiding BYU to the 2024 NCAA Cross Country women's team title. It's their second national championship under her leadership and the program's sixth overall. This victory wasn't just about redemption. It was about resilience one year after a devastating 14th place finish at NCAAs – the lowest moment of her coaching career. Coach Taylor and her team embraced the imperfect, leaned into their depth, and executed when it mattered most. From butterfly mantras to pajama parties to brilliant race strategies, Coach Taylor proved

“The only magic thing about running is consistency. Consistent competence equals eventual excellence. That's kind of my mantra. So we try to stay healthy so that we can be consistent. We just keep on getting the miles in, getting the workouts in, and over time, good things happen. What was special about 2024? Who knows other than having the right athletes in the right position, the right belief and faith in their parts and goals, and going, ‘Hey, maybe we can do this.’” My guest for today’s episode is BYU director of track and field and cross country Ed Eyestone, the architect of one of the greatest years ever for American distance running. From Olympic medals and top-10 marathon finishes to NCAA titles, 2024 was nothing short of historic for Coach Eyestone and his athletes. Just this weekend, Ed capped it all off by leading the BYU men to their second NCAA cross country title in six years, holding off a stacked field at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course. It’s been a dream season for Eyestone, whose year

Harvard senior Graham Blanks successfully defended his NCAA Division I cross country championship on Saturday, winning the 10,000-meter race in 28:37.2, narrowly edging New Mexico's Habtom Samuel. BYU became the first school since 2002 to win both men's and women's team titles at the same championship. Men's Championship Blanks' Victory: Blanks is the 13th runner in history to defend his title, cementing his legacy on the Thomas Zimmer course. BYU's Team Triumph: The Cougars scored 124 points for their second men's title, led by Casey Clinger's 6th-place finish and Creed Thompson's 12th. All BYU scorers placed in the top 50. Team Standings: Iowa State (137 points) finished second, followed by Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Northern Arizona. Defending champion Oklahoma State placed eighth. Women's Championship Doris Lemngole: The Alabama runner won the 6,000-meter race in 19:21, improving on her runner-up finish from last year. Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico was second in 19:27.8. BYU Women Dominate: The Cougars scored

For the third time in three months, the cross country world will descend upon Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, and the stakes couldn’t be any higher. 31 men’s teams and 31 women’s teams punched tickets last weekend and a handful of star individuals round out each field. Both team races feature heavy preseason favorites looking to reclaim their top spots after late season losses, while both individual races are deep at the top with a handful of runners eyeing national titles. Fans are planning to pack the course in Madison, and they could be treated to a picture perfect setting with snowfall potentially in the forecast. More information on how to watch the meet, with ESPNU coverage kicking off at 9:30am E.T. Below we break down all four races, with a few sleeper picks to keep an eye on amidst the chaos that is NCAA cross country. You can read our official preview here: https://citiusmag.com/articles/ncaa-division-1-cross-country-championships-2024-preview

“Especially after 36K, I was telling myself, ‘Even if they speed up, I have to go deep today…’ I was telling myself, ‘This is my moment.’” My guest for today's episode is Abdi Nageeye, whose journey in 2024 could only be described as redemption at its finest. The Dutch marathoner and 2021 Olympic silver medalist who just three months ago grappled with his appointment after withdrawing late in the Olympic marathon in Paris, roared back to claim the biggest victory of his career at the TCS New York City Marathon. In a thrilling showdown against one of the strongest fields in race history, Nageeye deployed patience, strategy, and a powerful finishing kick to secure his first World Marathon Major title in 2:07:39 seconds, making history as the first Dutchman and the first European since 1996. To win the New York City Marathon from his self coach training in Eldoret to a race plan honed by years of experience on the course, Abdi turned heartbreak into triumph. We dive into his reflections on Paris, his mental and

Chris Chavez and cross country expert Isaac Wood are back to recap conference weekend and preview each regional meet going down across the country this Friday. Join us for our thoughts and predictions on who will qualify for the big dance in Madison, Wisconsin on November 23rd.  You can listen to our last NCAA cross country season check-in episode here. Hosts: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Isaac Wood | @isaacew on Instagram  Time stamps: 1:51 - Conference weekend recap  4:34 - Isaac’s biggest takeaways from conference weekend 5:31 - Wake Forest’s men’s team looking strong heading into Regionals 6:59 - Big 12s men’s recap: thoughts on BYU, OSU 11:39 - Big 12s women’s recap: thoughts on BYU, West Virginia 16:05 - Oregon women looking to become a title contender  17:45 - Projected top teams at NCAAs 20:52 - Explanation on how to qualify for NCAAs 22:36 - Auto-qualifiers + at-large predictions: men 30:05 - Auto-qualifiers + at-large predictions: women 35:10 - Regions to pay most attention to on Fr

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia review the second season of the Netflix documentary series, SPRINT. We share our thoughts and analysis on all four episodes and break down the top storylines throughout the season. You can listen to our review of the first season of SPRINT here. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Preet Majithia | @prm_32 on X Time stamps: 1:22 - Season 2 overview: cast, notable athletes missing  3:42 - Season 1 highlights  Episode 1: ALL AMERICAN 5:32 - Noah Lyles 10:21 - Fred Kerley 13:10 - Christian Coleman  15:40 - Gabby Thomas, Dennis Mitchell’s pro group  17:57 - Little focus on athletes’ personalities outside of track  19:48 - Highlights of episode 1 Episode 2: CHANGING OF THE GUARD 20:35 - Jamaican storylines 22:23 - Kishane Thompson, Oblique Seville  25:53 - Shericka Jackson  31:27 - Julien Alfred Episode 3: GOING FOR GOLD: PART 1 33:45 - Series shifts to the Olympics 37:00 - Marcell Jacobs  39:01 - Sha’Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson, TeeTee Terry   44:10 - Shell

“What made me sign on is just how it was pitched: the fastest people in the world. There’s not many leagues that sign you on as contracted racers. That’s new. And I like to be a part of change.” Grand Slam Track has confirmed that Kingston, Jamaica will be one of four cities that will play host to the action in the professional track league's inaugural season. In 2025, the first slam will be held at the national stadium at Independence Park on April 4th, 5th and 6th. Back in June when the league was first announced, Los Angeles was one of the four cities that was announced, but Kingston is the first city confirmed with dates. This is the same stadium that hosts the Racers Grand Prix and the same stadium that is packed for five days when it hosts the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships in March. Grand Slam Track’s events will take place over three days with athletes racing twice. Athletes will receive points for their finishing position in each race and then the athlete with the highest points tota

“We’re kind of on this journey to the marathon. The next logical step is a half marathon. That will be in the new year. We don’t know exactly where yet but we want to go attack a half marathon. That’s what all the training is focused on and that’s why it’s been so fun. Not that the training is easy but it’s the training that comes the most naturally to me.” My guest for today's episode is U.S. Olympian Joe Klecker of the On Athletics Club. He joins us with some news that he’s gearing up for his half marathon debut in early 2025 after a challenging comeback from injury. Joe is back and looking to tackle a new distance with a keen eye on Ryan Hall's American record in the half marathon. While his 2024 outdoor season was sidelined by a torn abductor, he's now fully focused on the 13.1 mile distance. He doesn't say it, but I think all signs point that it will likely be at the Houston Half Marathon in January, which is traditionally perfect weather and very fast. And while he's not quite ready to step away from th

“I think as I run more and more and get more miles on my legs, I'll be able to hang with that lead pack later and later. But I stuck to my guns. I didn't really have a race plan going in other than taking the first few miles to feel it out. Then really just believing that I belonged in that lead pack for as long as I could hang with them.” My guest for today’s episode is Jess McClain, who just wrapped up a heck of a year with an eighth-place finish at the New York City Marathon, running 2:27:19 and finishing as the second American. It was Jess’s first World Marathon Major, and she showed incredible grit, moving steadily from 11th to 8th in the final miles and securing a spot among the top marathoners in the world. As we’ve explored on this show with her in January, Jess’s journey to the marathon stage has been anything but typical. A former Stanford standout who took a hiatus from professional running, she’s reemerged with stunning results. Earlier this year, she finished fourth at the Olympic Marathon Trials

“I’m not in charge of how fit those guys are. No matter how hard I work, they could be working harder, they could be doing something better, they could be more talented. I was trying to take that out. My main goal in this race was just to execute. Execute my race plan, make sure I ran a race that afterward I felt good about. I think I did really well for most of the race.” My guest for today's episode is Conner Mantz, the American Marathoner who just capped off an extraordinary year by setting an American course record at the New York City Marathon. He placed 6th overall in 2:09:00. Conner was the top American as usual and he showed us his relentless competitiveness. He pushed through a conservative start and a fierce mid-race surge led by Evans Chebet, the 2022 New York City marathon champion, that splintered the rest of the field. Conner hung tough and ultimately finished with the fastest closing mile among all of the runners in the top ten. In his young marathoning career, Conner has already established hi

“I like having new goals and challenges. The marathon feels like almost a different sport. It's like a second career. It’s breathed a lot of life into my training, just having fresh goals all the time.” My guest for today's episode is Sara Vaughn, who just delivered a standout performance at the New York City Marathon where she finished as the top American in sixth place overall running 2:26:56 in a year marked by comebacks. The 38 year old mother of four wasn't about to let a tough season slow her down after battling illness and dropping out of the Chicago Marathon. Just three weeks ago, Sara decided to make a quick pivot and set her sights on New York and it paid off massively. In this episode, she shares a bit about her untraditional journey to the starting line and how she balances elite competition with her family life. We talk about her remarkable rebound, her plans to keep pushing forward and what drives her as a professional runner and mother. Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram Guest:

“[Coaching] is fulfilling, but it also sincerely does make me better. It makes me a better athlete. Miguel (Marin), just the way that he wanted to get better as a person and as a runner. He was a young person, didn't have life figured out and was still trying to figure himself out. I'm still trying to figure myself out. Just seeing him put the effort into himself that he did. There were so many times that made me be like, ‘I can do this. I can be better and improve upon things about myself and my emotional stability, my mental stability.’ All these things improve just by the relationship that we had.” My guest for today’s episode is CJ Albertson. Just three weeks after setting a personal best of 2:08:17 at the Chicago Marathon, CJ came into the New York City Marathon and delivered another stellar performance, finishing 10th in 2:10:57. CJ's year has been nothing short of extraordinary—top American at both the Boston and Chicago Marathons, a 5th-place finish at the Olympic Trials, and now, another top-10 finis

“You never know which build you're pulling from on race day. The most recent build is the most important build and indicator of what you can do on race day, but there's no reason why you can't be pulling from the Paris build, the Chicago build, and the Olympic Trials build. Fitness stacks over years and that lifetime fitness is just getting really, really big for me. I tried to lean into that. I think I did alright.”  Within the past 14 months, Clayton Young and his training partner Conner Mantz have become synonymous with performing in high stakes marathon racing, finishing neck-and-neck at four marathons. Now, most recently at the New York City Marathon, Clayton crossed the finish line in an impressive seventh place finish just 21 seconds behind Conner Mantz, clocking 2:09:21. This year has been nothing short of remarkable for Clayton, from the Olympic Marathon Trials to the Paris Olympics and now New York. We've got episodes with him after each one of those. We decided to keep the tradition alive as we d

In a fitting theme for the city of Broadway, the 53rd edition of the New York City Marathon was all about breakout stars finally getting their time in the spotlight. Both winners of the men’s and women’s elite races in NYC are frequently recurring characters near the front of major races, but neither had completed a signature performance before today.  Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won their first World Marathon Major titles by defeating fields full of former NYC champs, with Nageeye outkicking 2022 champ Evans Chebet down the homestretch and Chepkirui beating 2023 champ Hellen Obiri at her own game with a late surge through Central Park. Time stamps: Women’s race: 2:10 - Breaking down Sheila Chepkirui’s win 5:03 - Hellen Obiri talking a big game + reflecting on her career 13:20 - Kudos to Vivian Cheruiyot for her third place finish 16:10 - Sara Vaughn’s top American performance 19:42 - More top results: Jess McClain, Sharon Lokedi, Kellyn Taylor, Tristan Van Ord, Dakotah Po

We opened up The CITIUS MAG Podcast to have ANYONE join us to share their NYC Marathon stories. It’s a rapid-fire, live podcast recording where we don’t know the guests and just want to connect and hear cool stories from the community. Thanks to HOKA for creating a safe and welcoming space for all these people to share their stories with us. The race kicks off on Sunday, November 3rd with the women’s race starting at 8:35am E.T. and the men following at 9:05am E.T. (Don’t forget to set your clock back an hour the night before!) The race will be streamed nationally on ESPN and locally on ABC. You can read our full NYC Marathon preview here. CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with HOKA for our coverage of the 2024 NYC Marathon.

NAZ Elite's Paige Wood (née Stoner), Abby Nichols and Katie Wasserman join us for a live interview ahead of the 2024 NYC Marathon. The race kicks off on Sunday, November 3rd with the women’s race starting at 8:35am E.T. and the men following at 9:05am E.T. (Don’t forget to set your clock back an hour the night before!) The race will be streamed nationally on ESPN and locally on ABC. You can read our full NYC Marathon preview here. CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with HOKA for our coverage of the 2024 NYC Marathon.

"The marathon is the longest event. You have to believe in yourself: 'I can do this.' It gets tough at the end. If you don't have that belief, if you don't believe in your training, it's going to get tough. It's just the mindset that, 'I can do this, but I need to be patient enough so that I can finish strong." Wesley Kiptoo of NAZ Elite sits down with us for a live interview ahead of the 2024 NYC Marathon. He shares about transitioning from college racing to the marathon, his reflections from his debut marathon, how he prepared for the NYC course, and his race plan for tomorrow. The race kicks off on Sunday, November 3rd with the women’s race starting at 8:35am E.T. and the men following at 9:05am E.T. (Don’t forget to set your clock back an hour the night before!) The race will be streamed nationally on ESPN and locally on ABC. You can read our full NYC Marathon preview here. CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with HOKA for our coverage of the 2024 NYC Marathon.

"It's more me against the distance instead of me against the field. That's how I like to think of the marathon." Futsum Zienasellassie of NAZ Elite sits down with us for a live interview ahead of the 2024 NYC Marathon. He shares about how his training block for NYC compared to his training for the U.S. Trials, what it's been like training with teammate Wesley Kiptoo, how he hopes to improve upon his 2:09 PR, and his race plan heading into tomorrow. The race kicks off on Sunday, November 3rd with the women’s race starting at 8:35am E.T. and the men following at 9:05am E.T. (Don’t forget to set your clock back an hour the night before!) The race will be streamed nationally on ESPN and locally on ABC. You can read our full NYC Marathon preview here. CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with HOKA for our coverage of the 2024 NYC Marathon.

"I want to reach the goals that I know I'm capable of reaching. It's going to require me to do things I have not done in the past. I feel like I just kept doing the same thing over and over in the past where I'm just coming top three, top four, top five. Sometimes I was satisfied with that. But I think if you want to be a champion, you can't be satisfied with that." Ahmed Muhamed of NAZ Elite sits down with us for a live interview after winning the 2024 Abbott Dash To The Finish Line 5K in 13:38. The race kicks off on Sunday, November 3rd with the women’s race starting at 8:35am E.T. and the men following at 9:05am E.T. (Don’t forget to set your clock back an hour the night before!) The race will be streamed nationally on ESPN and locally on ABC. You can read our full NYC Marathon preview here. CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with HOKA for our coverage of the 2024 NYC Marathon.