Today I’m joined by SouthLake Carroll high school senior Caden Leonard!

Last year Caden completed the triple crown in Texas by winning the cross country state title and both the 1600 and 3200 in outdoor track. He also placed 3rd at Nike Cross Nationals last year and will go into this season as the number one returner. But the path won’t be easy, as high school distance running is as stacked and competitive as ever.

Caden holds personal best’s of 4:02 in the mile, 8:47 in the 3200 and 14:19 in the 5k.

Next fall he will move from Texas to North Caroline where he’ll run for The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

In this episode we touch on a little bit of everything including Caden’s upbringing in the sport, his commitment to UNC, the upcoming season and more.

Tune in to hear about how one of the best high school runners in the nation is approaching this cross country season.

Today I’m joined by Cooper Lutkenhaus!

Cooper just did the unthinkable at USA’s and shocked the world.

He ran a 1:42.27 800 as a 16 year old and placed 2nd to qualify for the world athletics championships in Tokyo where he will represent the U.S.

I talked to Cooper a couple weeks back leading up to the meet and after his historic high school season.

During the high school season he was dominant in every race he ran and set the high school national record for the 800 as a sophomore.

During our conversation before USA’s Cooper told me “I’m just going into that race just trying to do the best I can, stick to my race plan. Who knows, maybe that’s to qualify for the semifinals, that’s a big goal I have. But going into the race, I wanna have fun with it. It’s my last race of sophomore year.”

Little did he know he would end up running a huge personal best and make the team.

Tune into this conversation to hear Cooper’s thoughts before he ran what will go down as one of the most historic races a high schooler has ever ran!

My instagram- https://www.instagram.com/runningincircles.podcast?igsh=MWtwN2Fma2V5NHI3MA==

Cooper’s instagram- https://www.instagram.com/cooper.lutkenhaus?igsh=NzJ2MDc2bWI3bGpl

Today I’m joined by Brock Kelly for his second time on the podcast!

Brock has been living life to the fullest recently as he finished up his collegiate running career, ran Grandma’s marathon and traveled to Switzerland.

Now that Brock is done with school he’s focusing on full time content creation and working on growing his brand OE Athletics.

You’ve probably seen Brock on instagram reels where his series “The Daily Mile” really took off. What started as him documenting swimming a mile everyday while he was injured has turned into much more and it’s something a lot people really resonate with.

In Today’s conversation we discuss what the past couple months have been like for Brock and how his goals in running have changed now that he’s not in the NCAA, along with many other topics.

If you enjoy the episode be sure to leave a five star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts because it only takes a few seconds.

My instagram- https://www.instagram.com/runningincircles.podcast?igsh=MWtwN2Fma2V5NHI3MA==

Brock’s instagram- https://www.instagram.com/bkelly5192?igsh=eDZoaXN5d2t6MHRw

Today I’m joined by Christian Jackson!

Christian runs for Virginia Tech where his primary event is the 800.

This year at the ACC championships he clocked a 1:44.83, getting the win and breaking the meet record.

He went on to win the East regional 800 which qualified him for nationals. Last week he traveled to Hayward field to compete against the nations best and placed 7th.

After ACC’s I sat down with Christian to discuss his season and this is that conversation.

Tune in to hear the thoughts of one of the nations best before nationals.

Christian is just getting started with making his mark on the sport.

On this episode we discuss Christian’s journey to becoming one of the best in the NCAA, how he adapted to more intense training once getting into college and more.

My instagram- https://www.instagram.com/runningincircles.podcast?igsh=MWtwN2Fma2V5NHI3MA==

Christian’s instagram- https://www.instagram.com/chrissjaxx?igsh=cGFiMjNzbHB3ODNp

Today the Wake Forest sophomore sensation, Rocky Hansen returns to the podcast!

Rocky was an incredibly accomplished runner in high school and wasted no time before he started mixing it up with the big dawgs in the NCAA. This past indoor season he helped his DMR team qualify for nationals by splitting a 3:50 1600 as the anchor leg. Then at nationals he ran the 5k where he placed 3rd and ran a personal best of 13:12.

His success continued on into this outdoor season where so far he placed 6th in the ACC 1500m final and won the East regional 5k which qualified him for nationals. Later this week he will look to get his first NCAA title in Eugene, Oregon.

This conversation is a very fun and insightful one as it revolves a lot around how Rocky and his teammates at Wake have been able to see so much success right out of high school and his thoughts before nationals. 

If you enjoy the episode please share it with a friend who might find it interesting and leave a comment!

My instagram- https://www.instagram.com/runningincircles.podcast?igsh=MWtwN2Fma2V5NHI3MA==

Rocky’s instagram- https://www.instagram.com/rocky_hansen_?igsh=b2N6dG5wc2d3dnR1

Today I’m joined by Matti Erickson!

Matti runs for The University of Oregon and just put on a masterclass in tactics to win the 800m national championship at NCAA indoors with a time of 1:46.4.

He also won the Big Ten title in the 800, helping build his momentum going into nationals.

Before the conference championships Matti wasn’t even qualified for nationals but he stayed focused and was able to squeeze in with the 15th spot.

In this episode we discuss how he stayed composed in races and didn’t lose confidence when he wasn’t qualified for nationals and much more.

The story of Matti Erickson is a special one. 

My instagram- https://www.instagram.com/runningincircles.podcast?igsh=MWtwN2Fma2V5NHI3MA==

Matti’s instagram- https://www.instagram.com/mattiericksonn?igsh=NTV2NXFjMjBzcnkw

Today I’m joined by Grant and Aidan Matthai! They attendUW-Lacrosse where they run D3 cross country and track and they have played a pivotal role in establishing one of the most dominant programs in D3 history.

This past fall Grant and Aidan finished 1st and 2nd on their team, respectively, to help bring home the cross country national team title! This was an especially meaningful title because the year before they lost the team battle by just one point.

Most recently they competed at indoor nationals where Grant won the national championship in the 5k and Aidan placed 4th. Then they opened up their outdoor season with a fast 5k where Grant ran 13:56 and Aidan ran 14:06.

Grant and Aidan also have a YouTube channel where they document their lives and running journey which we touch on in this episode. When you listen to Grant and Aidan talk you can clearly see how dedicated they are to the craft and how much they love the sport. 

If you enjoy the episode please consider sharing it with a friend who you think might like it!

The Sinclaire Johnson interview is here.

Sinclaire just placed 2nd at the U.S. indoor championships in the 1500 and earned her spot on the world indoor team. She’ll compete later this year at world indoors!

Last year Sinclaire ran 3:56 in the 1500 and cemented herself in history as one of the greatest U.S. 1500m athletes ever but fell just short of the Olympic team, placing fourth at the trials. Her season wasn’t without adversity as she faced injury shortly before the trials started but still have it her all.

In this episode we go over the emotional roller coaster of placing 4th at the trials, her expectations for world indoors and much more.

Sinclaire was a part of Bowerman track club when she first when pro, the ran for Union Athletics club but recently announced she’s now being coached by her soon to be husband Craig Nowak. We go over how this transition has been so far and what the key to a smooth transition is.

If you enjoy the episode please consider sharing it with a friend or you think might also enjoy it! It goes a long way in helping the podcast grow.

Sinclaire’s instagram- https://www.instagram.com/sinclairejohnson?igsh=cXQ3b2lmZWI0Mmh4

My instagram- https://www.instagram.com/runningincircles.podcast?igsh=MWtwN2Fma2V5NHI3MA==

Today I’m joined by 400m hurdle Paris Olympian Trevor Bassitt!

Trevor has made 3 global teams in a row, and in 2022 he won the bronze medal at the world championships.

Before becoming a pro he attended Ashland University where he ran D2 track and field where he was able to develop a lot as a person and an athlete.

Despite putting up a lot of consistent results Trevor is an unsponsored athlete.

In today’s podcast he takes me through the journey of what it’s like to be unsponsored and have the underdog mentality, his 400m season opener where he ran 45.6 and more.

Trevor also shares about his faith and how God has played a role in his running journey.

This is one for the books!

My instagram- https://www.instagram.com/runningincircles.podcast?igsh=MWtwN2Fma2V5NHI3MA==

Trevor’s instagram- https://www.instagram.com/trevorbassitt30?igsh=MTRrbTRndjVmeXptbw==

Today I’m joined by Bullis senior Colin Abrams!

Last year Colin was the runner up in the 800 at New balance indoor nationals and set the junior class national record with a time of 1:49.71.

Just a few weeks ago he anchored his teams sprint medley relay with a 1:51 to help them secure the U.S. high school national record! But most recently he went up in distance and ran a 4:17 mile at the milrose games.

Colin is commited to run for Stanford next fall and is making the most of the final year of his high school running career.

In this episode we dive into what it’s like being a part of so many historic relays, how Colin and his teammates make each other better in practice, his commitment to Stanford and more.

Sit back, relax and enjoy!

My instagram-https://www.instagram.com/runningincircles.podcast?igsh=MWtwN2Fma2V5NHI3MA==

Colin’s instagram-https://www.instagram.com/colin.ab?igsh=MWw3NmM5Z3Z0cXp6Ng==