In this episode, George and Amby talk with prolific fast marathon runner CJ Albertson--a fan favorite and dark-horse contender to make the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team at the Feb. 3 Trials in Orlando.

Prior to the 2020 U.S. Marathon Trials in Atlanta, Albertson was a little known road racer competing without a shoe contract. That changed after he finished 7th in 2:11:49.

He signed a contract with Brooks, and has been racking up consistently fast marathons ever since. This includes finishes among the top American runners in the last 3 Boston Marathons.

Known for his strength and hard-fast training runs, Albertson holds the world record for 50K on the roads. And last December he won back to back weekend marathons at Cal International (2:11:09) and Baja MEX (2:11:08). This means he has achieved the Paris Olympic "B" qualifying time, and will make the U.S. Olympic Team on Feb. 3 if he finishes in the top 2 or 3 positions among those with Olympic qualifiers.

(It's not yet clear if the U.S. will send 2 or 3 male marathoners to Paris. No one can go to Paris if they haven't run under 2:11:30, not even if they win the Trials.)

Married with two young children, Albertson is also a teacher and coach at Clovis Community College in Fresno, CA. In this podcast, Albertson talks candidly about his earnings from professional running and his chances of making the Olympic Team.

He also discusses how he is training for the possible heat in Orlando by running on a treadmill with 11 infrared lamps pointed at him.

Amby was intrigued by Albertson's training and any future ultra-running ambitions he might have. George gave Albertson big points for saying that his Fairy Godmother wish for 2024 was completion of an track facility at Clovis, preferably with a large scoreboard. (He didn't mention the Olympic Trials.)

You can follow CJ Albertson on Instagram here.

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"Running: State of the Sport" is brought to you by MarathonHandbook.com and RunLongRunHealthy.com. Marathon Handbook is the world’s leading marathon website, with a special focus on trustworthy running information and free, runner-tested training plans for all ability levels.

Run Long, Run Healthy is Amby’s weekly newsletter with the newest, most scientific, and most useful training advice for runners.

Audio engineering by BJ McGeever.