The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show

“I’ve watched too many Chicago Marathons. I’ve been in too many Chicago Marathons. My experience in this race is unparalleled right now — and it felt good when it mattered on Sunday.”

Clayton Young is the top American at the 2026 Chicago Marathon, now officially the second-fastest American in history on a record-eligible course with a 2:05:23. He did it on a hamstring with a 12-centimeter tear that his doctor had recommended four weeks of rest for.

The race itself was one of the more dramatic in recent American marathon history. Vinny Mauri went to the front at 15K, dropped the pacers, and made a genuine bid for something bigger — at 30K he had 38 seconds on the rest of the Americans and was on 2:04 pace. Then it was his hamstring that started talking. He stopped several times to stretch in the final miles, the chase pack caught him. Charles Hicks surged hard trying to catch Mauri after the pacers stepped off, and Clayton simply followed before making his big move with a  4:38 mile.

Clayton was chasing Connor Mantz’s American record of 2:04:43 the whole time since he he called that shot publicly weeks ago — and it didn’t happen. But he ran his fastest time ever, finished seventh overall in a field that included the likes of Amos Kipruto and Jacob Kiplimo… again, he did it all while managing a torn hamstring he’d been babying for a month. He called it one of the best marathon performances of his career. I agree.

We discuss:

– The night-before meeting with Coach Eyestone
– The chaos of those Mauri miles
– The moment he decided to throw down
– The faith that carried him through four weeks nobody could have scripted
– What comes next for the hamstring, the spring, and 2027
+ More

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠⁠⁠

WAHOO: With the Wahoo KICKR RUN, you can simulate your goal marathon course right in your own home. You can also use the run free mode, which uses sensors to automatically match the belt speed to your stride. No buttons, no interruptions, and no breaking your flow.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠When you use code CITIUS at checkout, you'll also get a free KICKR Headwind Smart Fan. Check it out today at wahoofitness.com.

"I’m coming away happy with taking a big swing at it. It’s better to hit the wall early than in March of ’28 or at something that matters a little bit more.”

My guest for today’s episode is Vinny Mauri. And Sunday’s Chicago Marathon was exactly as exciting as you hoped it would be thanks to him. At 15K, running 2:04 pace in his first world major, Vinny looked around, decided that was too conservative, and made a move for something he described as “astronomical”. He led the Americans by 38 seconds at 30K. He was on American record pace at mile 21. And then the hamstrings started talking, he had to stop and stretch about six times in the final ten miles, and he finished tenth in 2:06:45. He also still managed to walk away with the U.S. 30K record.

Vinny is 25 years old, still self-coached, still working at Second Sole in Niles, Ohio, now signed with ASICS, and now in two marathons has run 2:05 and 2:06 — one alone on a bike path and one in the lead pack of the Chicago Marathon where he spent the first nine miles fist-bumping his competition (who maybe didn’t hit him back) and making faces at his family on the sidelines.

He says his third marathon will be a little different. He said so himself on Strava that he’ll plan to take it a bit more seriously. People who don’t know him might read that as disrespect for the distance. People who do know him understand it’s the opposite.

In this conversation, we discuss:

– The weekend vibe he and his girlfriend set for themselves the moment they landed in Chicago
– The start tent energy
– The Strava post that previewed everything
– The green light moment at mile nine when he decided to go
– The stops to stretch and what he was calculating each time
– The moment Clayton and Charles caught him and he waved them on
– What he’s actually going to change for the next block.
– We also get into the four hours in the drug testing room and his belated celebration for it all

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠⁠

WAHOO: With the Wahoo KICKR RUN, you can simulate your goal marathon course right in your own home. You can also use the run free mode, which uses sensors to automatically match the belt speed to your stride. No buttons, no interruptions, and no breaking your flow.⁠ ⁠⁠When you use code CITIUS at checkout, you'll also get a free KICKR Headwind Smart Fan. Check it out today at wahoofitness.com.

I always want to take it in and appreciate it because I feel so lucky to get to have those moments. And I know it takes a village.”

Emma Grace Hurley ran 2:20:47 at the 2026 Chicago Marathon on Sunday — the fastest marathon debut by an American woman in history, breaking a record that stretches back to Deena Kastor in 2001 and runs through Kara Goucher, Jordan Hasay, and Fiona O’Keeffe. She finished seventh overall on a warm day where most of the lead women finished minutes off their goal times or didn’t finish at all. She did it mostly alone aside from the miles shared with her pacemaker Caleb Kerr.

If you’ve been following Emma Grace’s year — the 8K American record in Chicago in March, the USATF 10-Mile title at Cherry Blossom, the Copenhagen team silver — none of this is entirely surprising. But it is also only her first marathon, and she is already the sixth-fastest American woman in history at the debut.

We discuss:

– The feelings from race day and the aftermath
– Her Debrief with Coach Andrew Begley and Race Takeaways
– How she fueled for this one
– What made Chicago feel different
– The baby steps that got her here
– Thinking back to her half marathon and marathon debut
– Race day execution
– The cameraman, the watch, the finish
– Izzi Batt Doyle and the “American Battle” confusion
– The Champions dinner and meeting Joan Benoit Samuelson
– Ranking her American records
– The U.S. debut record and the lineage from it
– The press conference word game
+ More

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠

WAHOO: With the Wahoo KICKR RUN, you can simulate your goal marathon course right in your own home. You can also use the run free mode, which uses sensors to automatically match the belt speed to your stride. No buttons, no interruptions, and no breaking your flow.⁠ ⁠When you use code CITIUS at checkout, you'll also get a free KICKR Headwind Smart Fan. Check it out today at wahoofitness.com.

Chris and Preet are back to break down the biggest highlights from the Chicago Marathon yesterday, including:

– After finishing second in 2025, Amos Kipruto claimed his Chicago title in 2:01:09, tying Eliud Kipchoge for No. 5 on the all-time list.

– Reigning champion Hawi Feysa and two-time Chicago champion and former world record holder Brigid Kosgei went out hard, covering the opening 10K in 31:04 (2:11:05 pace).

– Sharon Lokedi’s marathon career is a picture of consistency. Her runner-up finish in Chicago came with a three-minute PB of 2:14:07 and moved her to No. 8 on the all-time list. 

– There was plenty of hype around Emma Grace Hurley’s marathon debut, to which we contributed with a pre-race podcast and workout video. Given her fifth place finish at last month’s World Road Running Championships half marathon and her 2026 season as a whole, the excitement was warranted. 

– Another seventh-place finish for Clayton Young! This time, he ran a huge PB of 2:05:23 to finish as the top American at a World Marathon Major for the first time in his career.

– Charles Hicks rolled the dice in pursuit of the top American spot and still came away with a 2:05:35. 

– All things considered, Mauri’s 2:06:45 for tenth was a great performance. 

– Galen Rupp is so back. At 40, he ran 2:06:55 to finish as the fourth American, just 48 seconds off his lifetime best of 2:06:07 from Prague in 2018. I wasn’t out on the course enough Sunday to judge how much the humidity affected the race, but it’s wild to think he might have come even closer to his PB in better conditions.

– Kieran Tuntivate put together a remarkably steady race to finish in 2:08:01. He went through halfway in 1:03:41 and ran the second half in 1:04:20 for a 39-second positive split.

– Izzi Batt-Doyle took two minutes off her PB and jumped from fourth to first on the Australian marathon all-time list.

+ Lots more

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OLIPOP: Like sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings blending into one, Olipop's Crisp Apple is so tantalizingly sweet and refreshing it makes every day feel like a celebration. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠

“If I could teleport back a thousand times over, I’d probably make the same decision without the knowledge I have today. But going forward into every race, I’ll have that knowledge.”

Twelve months ago, Charles Hicks had never run a marathon. Since then he’s raced three of them: sixth in New York, seventh in Boston, and yesterday in Chicago, eighth in 2:05:35. That’s the third-fastest time ever by an American on a record-eligible course. He was second American in all of them. He’s 25 years old and still technically in his rookie year at the distance.

Chicago was a strange, thrilling race. It was the warmest marathon Charles has run. Vinny Mauri broke away at Mile 9 and went chasing the American record or something bigger. When the pacers stepped off at 30K, Charles and Clayton Young had to decide whether to sit in the pack and settle for second American, or roll the dice and try to go get him. He went. He caught Vinny.

Then, with three miles to go, Clayton dropped a 4:38 mile and it was enough to seal Charles’ fate for another runner-up American finish.

What I love about this conversation is that Charles doesn’t hide from any of it. He explains the tactical mistakes made but why he’d probably make the same call again. He puts us inside his shoes for the first 60 minutes of the men’s American race that we never got to see on TV. We talk about the lessons taken from this one and more.

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Like sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings blending into one, Olipop's Crisp Apple is so tantalizingly sweet and refreshing it makes every day feel like a celebration. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠

My guest for today’s episode is Anthony Rizzo — three-time All-Star, 2016 World Series champion with the Cubs, and as of Sunday morning, a marathoner. He is running the Chicago Marathon for the first time, on the tenth anniversary of that World Series title, in support of the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, with a goal of raising a million dollars for pediatric cancer research.

Anthony was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 22, beat it, and played 12 more seasons of Major League Baseball. He signed up for Chicago after watching his wife Emily run New York in 2023, got inspired, pulled in former teammate Jake Arrieta as a running partner, and has spent the last several months discovering that distance running is, in his words, a whole underground world he never knew existed.

In this conversation we talk about what drew him here, what training actually looked like, getting plugged in with Brooks, and what he wants to find out about himself when it gets hard on Sunday.

My guest for today’s episode is Adriaan Wildschutt — a NAZ Elite athlete, South African national record holder in the half marathon, and as of Sunday, a marathoner. He makes his debut at the Chicago Marathon four days from now, which means he is currently listed last on the start list. He has no marathon personal best. He is completely fine with that.

Adriaan grew up in South Africa, playing rugby, cricket, and soccer before discovering running in tenth grade. He came to the US on a scholarship to Coastal Carolina — recruited by Zola Budd — and later transferred to Florida State to compete in the ACC. He spent his post-collegiate career on the track, made the Paris Olympics in 2024, and then had to make a decision: where does a runner who keeps getting dropped in the final 150 meters of a 1500 actually belong? Everyone around him had been saying marathon for years. He decided they were probably right, and with the LA Olympics two years out, he didn’t have time to ease into it.

His transition has moved quickly. A 59:13 half marathon debut in Valencia — a South African national record. A win at the NYC Half in March. A pacing assignment at the Cape Town Marathon where he was supposed to step off at 35K, instead dropped the field by 30 seconds before the wheels came off at 33K, and came away with exactly the experience he needed: proof of the engine, clarity on the work still required.

He goes into Chicago planning to run with the American record group at 2:04 pace. The South African marathon record is 2:05:36. He’s not ruling out a podium.

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Like sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings blending into one, Olipop's Crisp Apple is so tantalizingly sweet and refreshing it makes every day feel like a celebration. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠

The Chicago Marathon goes Sunday on a course that has produced a world record or an American record every year since 2022. Defending champions Jacob Kiplimo and Hawi Feysa return, and multiple men in the field have openly said they’re chasing Conner Mantz’s American record.

The weather: 59°F with a 54°F dew point at 7 a.m. local, rising to 64°F and a 57°F dew point by 9. Manageable for the elites, warmer than ideal for records. The margin for error shrinks as the race goes on.

The men’s favorite: Kiplimo has a 2:00:28 PB from London — a minute faster than anyone else entered, and faster than Kiptum’s old world record, in a race he finished third. He’s skipped a tune-up this year after opening with a 58:29 half before winning Chicago in 2:02:23 last fall.

The women’s race: Brigid Kosgei returns to the site of her 2:14:04 world record for the first time since 2019, off a resurgent year — wins in Shanghai (2:16:36) and Tokyo (2:14:29), where she beat Feysa.

Plus: We unpack the intense races for top American on the men’s and women’s side.

How to Watch – TV: NBC5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago; Streaming: NBC Sports NOW, NBC Chicago channel on Peacock

Full preview to come in the CITIUS MAG Newsletter. You can subscribe here.

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Like sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings blending into one, Olipop's Crisp Apple is so tantalizingly sweet and refreshing it makes every day feel like a celebration. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠

“I really haven’t been this excited heading into a race in a long time. And that’s all rooted in the training I’ve done.”

Kyle Merber’s second conversation with Galen Rupp ahead of the Chicago Marathon comes with bittersweet news: Kyle is scratching. A jagged rock on the exit of a river after a good run turned into a trauma-induced plantar situation that worsened until Chicago was no longer feasible. He takes full responsibility and exonerates Galen completely. The coaching experiment, which produced some of Kyle’s best training since retiring, just ran out of luck in the final stretch. Galen, meanwhile, is entering race week as the most excited he’s been before a race in a long time.

We discuss:

– The taper and why flat legs are normal
– Mike Smith’s observation heading into Chicago
– Race week food — what Galen actually does
– Antrim half marathon — the tune-up
– The coaching relationship with Mike Smith
– How Galen thinks about competition
– Training logs — handwritten vs. phone
– The 200s session — Galen takes responsibility
– Why the speed work unlocked the threshold session
– The 24-miler on time, not pace
– Gut training
– The green light workout
– Kyle’s injury — and why he’s scratching
– Galen on injury management and longevity
– The case for real time off
– Chicago race week schedule in detail
– Chicago course notes
– Galen’s mindset heading in

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Like sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings blending into one, Olipop's Crisp Apple is so tantalizingly sweet and refreshing it makes every day feel like a celebration. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠

“Toledo was a debut effort. This is my debut race of the marathon. Those are two different things.”

My guest for today’s episode is Vinny Mauri — and the last time we had him on, he had just run 2:05:53 in his marathon debut on a bike path in Toledo, Ohio, self-coached, without a pacer, without a shoe contract, and with no course clocks anywhere on the route. He looked up at the finishing clock expecting to see 2:09 and it said 2:05. He had no idea.

A lot has happened since then. He signed a professional contract with ASICS. He hired Hawi Keflezighi as his agent. He kept his hours at Second Sole running store in Niles, Ohio, where he fits customers for shoes and occasionally gets asked by someone how training is going. He has not raced once. And he has built one of the more unconventional marathon training blocks any American professional has put together ahead of a world major — seven consecutive weeks of 26-plus mile long runs, a 138-mile peak week, a September day that became 45 miles on the treadmill at Planet Fitness, and an 86-mile stretch across three consecutive days that included 36 miles at 4:56 pace.

The central question of the block was simple: how do you make 26.2 miles feel short?

This conversation was recorded one week before the Bank of America Chicago Marathon — his first world major, his first race since Toledo, and the first time in his career he can honestly say he arrived at a start line healthy and ready. He is joining a field that includes Clayton Young, who has publicly committed to going after Connor Mantz’s American record, and Charles Hicks, who ran 2:04 in Boston this spring. Vinny’s position on the American record conversation is: There is an extremely high probability it gets rewritten on Sunday.

In this conversation we get into:

– Why Chicago
– Why no races since Toledo
– How he handled the process of signing with Hawi Keflezighi and landing on Asics
– Why he’s chosen to keep his hours with Second Sole
– The architecture of this training block
– His work on fueling better
– Treadmill vs. the roads
– Why he doesn’t train much at goal marathon pace
– A guest question from Emma Grace Hurley
– Where he lands on the American record talk and hype
– The moment of the race that he’s visualized the most
– A Planet Fitness partnership?
– What he wants people to takeaway from his 2026

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Like sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings blending into one, Olipop's Crisp Apple is so tantalizingly sweet and refreshing it makes every day feel like a celebration. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠