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

"I didn’t do anything yet. I only made the Olympic team. I made the Olympic final. I only ran 19.4. I’m not saying that like it’s slow. I didn’t medal yet. I don’t have a world record yet. It’s not over. I don’t think this is the highest point."

Erriyon Knighton is just 18 years old but has already shattered some of Usain Bolt’s junior sprint records. He also turned pro as a high schooler and signed with Adidas. Back in April, he ran a wind-legal 19.49 at a meet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to become the fourth-fastest man in history. Only Bolt, Yohan Blake and Michael Johnson are ahead of him on the all-time list. Knighton ran 19.84 for the previous U20 record in the semifinal of the Olympic Trials. He made the team and was the youngest U.S. male track Olympian since Jim Ryun in the 60s. He finished fourth at last year’s Olympics and you’ll hear just how much he wants a piece of hardware. My colleague Mac Fleet and I traveled to Tampa earlier this month to spend some time with Erriyon and his coach Jonathan Terry. We will be releasing a video on our YouTube channel with some of the highlights of our time with him so subscribe and set your alerts to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel for that and all our content from the upcoming US Championships and World Championships.

🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube <- Video feature on Erriyon coming soon!

SUPPORT THE SPONSORS

GARMIN: Music. Training. Data. The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is my favorite running partner. You do the running. This GPS running smartwatch does the thinking. It even gets to know you and your body better, mile after mile and song after song. Get one for yourself here >> https://bit.ly/3Pcu0qo

ADIDAS: The Adizero Adios Pro 3 is here! Adidas' latest edition of their super shoe was built for runners looking to take their performance to the next level and run after new records. Worn by Olympic champion + New York City Marathon and Boston Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, it's got a proven track record. The Adios Pro 3 features the new EnergyRod 2.0 system, Lightstrike Pro foam, a brand new upper and continental rubber outsole – all while being made of recyclable materials. Mark your calendars. The shoe will be available for sale on Adidas.com on June 23.

HYDROW: Hydrow is a state-of-the-art rowing experience. Hydrow works 86% of major muscle groups, compared with only 44% from cycling. That’s twice the benefit in half the time! It’s a perfect low-impact workout to add to your training cycle for both endurance and resistance training. Use code CITIUS100 for $100 off of the rower (stackable with any current offerings) >> https://hydrow.com/

OREGON22: We are less than 60 days until the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (7/15-24). The outdoor track season is underway and the journey to Hayward has begun. Don’t miss out. Buy your tickets today to see the world’s best athletes in action at the first-ever world outdoor championships being held on U.S. soil. You can get your tickets by visiting WorldChampsOregon22.com/Tickets

“I went into NCAAs thinking, ‘I need to perform for my team.’ In those times that you’re doubting yourself, that’s partly why our team is so special. I see how hard my teammates work and I think, ‘OK. I owe them my best performance.’ Even if I don’t think I can pull it out for myself, I can pull it out for them.”

You can make the case that Anna Hall is the best athlete on the University of Florida campus, which is wild considering all their sports teams. She won the heptathlon and finished second in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Championships. It was one of the most impressive performances. That’s seven events and two rounds of the 400m hurdles all out. I’m tired just thinking about it. She is also the U.S. champion from the USATF Combined Events Championships in May and has qualified for Team USA for the upcoming World Championships. She’s been a multis star since high school. We go back to those days, why she gravitates towards challenging things, how she overcame disappointment from getting injured at last year’s Olympic Trials and how she views her potential across so many different events.

SUPPORT THE SPONSORS

GARMIN: Music. Training. Data. The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is my favorite running partner. You do the running. This GPS running smartwatch does the thinking. It even gets to know you and your body better, mile after mile and song after song. Get one for yourself here >> https://bit.ly/3Pcu0qo

ADIDAS: The Adizero Adios Pro 3 is here! Adidas' latest edition of their super shoe was built for runners looking to take their performance to the next level and run after new records. Worn by Olympic champion + New York City Marathon and Boston Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, it's got a proven track record. The Adios Pro 3 features the new EnergyRod 2.0 system, Lightstrike Pro foam, a brand new upper and continental rubber outsole – all while being made of recyclable materials. Mark your calendars. The shoe will be available for sale on Adidas.com on June 23.

HYDROW: Hydrow is a state-of-the-art rowing experience. Hydrow works 86% of major muscle groups, compared with only 44% from cycling. That’s twice the benefit in half the time! It’s a perfect low-impact workout to add to your training cycle for both endurance and resistance training. Use code CITIUS100 for $100 off of the rower (stackable with any current offerings) >> https://hydrow.com/

OREGON22: We are less than 60 days until the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (7/15-24). The outdoor track season is underway and the journey to Hayward has begun. Don’t miss out. Buy your tickets today to see the world’s best athletes in action at the first-ever world outdoor championships being held on U.S. soil. You can get your tickets by visiting WorldChampsOregon22.com/Tickets

Happy Friday! This is the 10th edition of Track Snacks – a mini-series taking you into the weekend where Chris Chavez and a CITIUS MAG staffer or friend share the story of an athlete who they're excited about right now that you can expect to see compete at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (July 15–24, 2022).

For this episode, we're joined by David Melly to discuss the brilliance of Faith Kipyegon. She is the two-time Olympic 1500m champion from Kenya. Last summer, she also ran 3:51.07 to lower her own national record and move in to the No. 4 slot on the all-time list. We go through her upbringing in Kenya, how she's been successful through the youth and junior global scene, her rise against Genzebe Dibaba and how she's been an amazingly positive figure and model example for mothers in the sport.

Track Snacks is presented by Hayward Magic. Everyone knows how much all of us in the CITIUS MAG family love track & field, and how much we enjoy sharing that love with you all. Well, we’ve got a few big love-sharing ideas in the works and it all takes place in Eugene, Oregon this summer. Hayward Field will be the home to the Prefontaine Classic, the USATF Outdoor Championships and the World Athletics Championships. We'll be there and you should be too. Visit https://citiusmag.com/summerofhayward/ for all the information on dates and tickets.

Track Snacks is sponsored by @HaywardMagic, the Instagram home for the true track & field diehards, dreamers and fans. Sharing the magic of the sport and elevating the athletes that push it forward. Follow them on Instagram @HaywardMagic.

Intro music: "Believe In Yourself" by Norm Cotone

"I never want the one-liners or personality to outweigh the analysis. That's kind of the focus I took in football. You want to tell the players' story and tell it the right way. I kind of just took that same thing over to track and told the athlete's story the right way. Talk about their accomplishments. Talk about what they're working on. The trick is – and I'm not giving away any secrets because you know this because that's what you're supposed to do in the broadcast – to get in and get out. Be able to tell the story quickly in 10-15 seconds...You can tell stories in football that can track the whole game. In track and field, you can't do that. As soon as the 100 is done, you have the hurdles. As soon as the hurdles are done, you've got the 400, then the 800. You have to work on your timing and how to tell those stories in the right way while also engaging the viewer."

Robert Griffin III (RG3) is a former 400m hurdler from Baylor, former Big 12 conference champion, the third-place finisher and All-American at the 2008 NCAA Championships, U.S. Olympic Trials semifinalist but most people know of him for his football accomplishments including being a Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Bowl NFL quarterback. Well, he returned to track and field this weekend as an analyst with ESPN’s broadcast of the NCAA Track and Field Championships and he crushed it. I had to get him on to talk about his experience getting behind the mic and hyping up what he believes to be the best athletes in the world. 

SUPPORT THE SPONSORS

GARMIN: Music. Training. Data. The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is my favorite running partner. You do the running. This GPS running smartwatch does the thinking. It even gets to know you and your body better, mile after mile and song after song. Get one for yourself here >> https://bit.ly/3Pcu0qo

ADIDAS: The Adizero Adios Pro 3 is here! Adidas' latest edition of their super shoe built for runners looking to take their performance to the next level and run after new records. Worn by Olympic champion + New York City Marathom and Boston Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, it's got a proven track record. The Adios Pro 3 features the new EnergyRod 2.0 system, Lightstrike Pro foam, a brand new upper and continental rubber outsole – all while being made of recyclable materials. Mark your calendars. The shoe will be available for sale on Adidas.com on June 23.

HYDROW: Hydrow is a state-of-the-art rowing experience. Hydrow works 86% of major muscle groups, compared with only 44% from cycling. That’s twice the benefit in half the time! It’s a perfect low-impact workout to add to your training cycle for both endurance and resistance training. Use code CITIUS100 for $100 off of the rower (stackable with any current offerings) >> https://hydrow.com/

OREGON22: We are less than 60 days until the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (7/15-24). The outdoor track season is underway and the journey to Hayward has begun. Don’t miss out. Buy your tickets today to see the world’s best athletes in action at the first-ever world outdoor championships being held on U.S. soil. You can get your tickets by visiting WorldChampsOregon22.com/Tickets

"Becoming a champion is a byproduct of becoming a team player. Everyone has to play a role and do their own part."

This past weekend, Florida's Joseph Fahnbulleh won the 100 and 200 meters at the NCAA Track and Field Championships. He won the 100 meters in a personal best of 10 seconds. He won the 200 meters in 19.83 seconds, which is the fourth-fastest in collegiate history. Florida won the team title with 54 points. Last summer, Fahnbulleh competed for Liberia at the Tokyo Olympics. We touch on all of that, his roots as a distance runner in Minnesota, his goals for the World Championships and much more including your listener questions. He also addresses the internet coaches who still hate on his 100 meter start.

SUPPORT THE SPONSORS

GARMIN: Music. Training. Data. The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is my favorite running partner. You do the running. This GPS running smartwatch does the thinking. It even gets to know you and your body better, mile after mile and song after song. Get one for yourself here >> https://bit.ly/3Pcu0qo

ADIDAS: The Adizero Adios Pro 3 is here! Adidas' latest edition of their super shoe built for runners looking to take their performance to the next level and run after new records. Worn by Olympic champion + New York City Marathom and Boston Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, it's got a proven track record. The Adios Pro 3 features the new EnergyRod 2.0 system, Lightstrike Pro foam, a brand new upper and continental rubber outsole – all while being made of recyclable materials. Mark your calendars. The shoe will be available for sale on Adidas.com on June 23.

HYDROW: Hydrow is a state-of-the-art rowing experience. Hydrow works 86% of major muscle groups, compared with only 44% from cycling. That’s twice the benefit in half the time! It’s a perfect low-impact workout to add to your training cycle for both endurance and resistance training. Use code CITIUS100 for $100 off of the rower (stackable with any current offerings) >> https://hydrow.com/

OREGON22: We are less than 60 days until the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (7/15-24). The outdoor track season is underway and the journey to Hayward has begun. Don’t miss out. Buy your tickets today to see the world’s best athletes in action at the first-ever world outdoor championships being held on U.S. soil. You can get your tickets by visiting WorldChampsOregon22.com/Tickets

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

"(In 2016), I thought it was cool to be in Eugene for the Olympic Trials. I was still young. I was not a fast athlete in the field. I just had a good experience after that race and from there, I was like, 'OK. I want to be better. I want to be the top athlete. I want to make Team USA.' I started playing with my mind like that and just reminding myself I can be one of those guys."

My guest for this episode is Biya Simbassa. We recorded this back in late March. Bear with us since we had a couple of microphone and audio issues that kept this episode pent away for the past couple of weeks. We did our best to repair it and still wanted to share his story with you all. Biya is a professional runner for the newly rebranded Under Armour Mission Run Dark Sky Distance team based in Flagstaff, Arizona and coached by Stephen Haas. Biya was last year’s USATF Running Circuit champion with solid performances week after week on the roads including personal bests in distances from 5K to the half marathon. He also finished seventh at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 10,000 meters despite being one of the last men entered in the race. This year, he finished 11th at the U.S. Championships. We touched on how he wants to improve this year both on the track and the roads but also dive into his upbringing being the son of an Ethiopian refugee, going through JUCO before landing at Oklahoma and then navigating his career post-collegiately.

SUPPORT THE SPONSORS

GARMIN: Music. Training. Data. The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is my favorite running partner. You do the running. This GPS running smartwatch does the thinking. It even gets to know you and your body better, mile after mile and song after song. Get one for yourself here >> https://bit.ly/3Pcu0qo

ADIDAS: The Adizero Adios Pro 3 is here! Adidas' latest edition of their super shoe built for runners looking to take their performance to the next level and run after new records. Worn by Olympic champion + New York City Marathom and Boston Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, it's got a proven track record. The Adios Pro 3 features the new EnergyRod 2.0 system, Lightstrike Pro foam, a brand new upper and continental rubber outsole – all while being made of recyclable materials. Mark your calendars. The shoe will be available for sale on Adidas.com on June 23.

HYDROW: Hydrow is a state-of-the-art rowing experience. Hydrow works 86% of major muscle groups, compared with only 44% from cycling. That’s twice the benefit in half the time! It’s a perfect low-impact workout to add to your training cycle for both endurance and resistance training. Use code CITIUS100 for $100 off of the rower (stackable with any current offerings) >> https://hydrow.com/

OREGON22: We are less than 60 days until the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (7/15-24). The outdoor track season is underway and the journey to Hayward has begun. Don’t miss out. Buy your tickets today to see the world’s best athletes in action at the first-ever world outdoor championships being held on U.S. soil. You can get your tickets by visiting WorldChampsOregon22.com/Tickets

"We want to prepare for the World Championships, run fast before the World Championships to get confidence and then try to win the World Championships."

Happy Friday! This is the eighth edition of Track Snacks – a mini-series taking you into the weekend where Chris Chavez and a CITIUS MAG staffer or friend share the story of an athlete who they're excited about right now that you can expect to see compete at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (July 15–24, 2022).

For this episode, we're joined by Brazilian hurdle star Alison Dos Santos after he won the Prefontaine Classic men's 400m hurdle race in a world-leading time of 47.23. Last summer, he was part of one of the greatest races in track and field history – the Olympic 400m hurdle final. Norway's Karsten Warholm made history by becoming the first person to break 46 seconds with his victory (45.95). Rai Benjamin went 46.17 for the second-fastest time in history and the silver medal. Dos Santos rounded out the podium with a 46.72 for the bronze medal.

We chatted more with him about how he got his start in track and field because he was competing on big stages as a teenager including winning a bronze medal at the 2018 World U20 Championships. He’s earned gold medals at the South American Championships and the PanAmerican Games. His first senior global championship came in 2019 when he finished 7th at the World Championships in Doha – just a quarter of a second away from the bronze medal.

I watched Dos Santos during the practice session at Hayward Field. He’s six feet, seven inches tall and puts down tremendous force into the ground. While he’s fierce and focused on the track, if you catch him anywhere off-the-track, he’s always willing to stop and chat, crack some jokes, tell stories and even share a dance.

Track Snacks is presented by Hayward Magic. Everyone knows how much all of us in the CITIUS MAG family love track & field, and how much we enjoy sharing that love with you all. Well, we’ve got a few big love-sharing ideas in the works and it all takes place in Eugene, Oregon this summer. Hayward Field will be the home to the Prefontaine Classic, the USATF Outdoor Championships and the World Athletics Championships. We'll be there and you should be too. Visit https://citiusmag.com/summerofhayward/ for all the information on dates and tickets.

Track Snacks is sponsored by @HaywardMagic, the Instagram home for the true track & field diehards, dreamers and fans. Sharing the magic of the sport and elevating the athletes that push it forward. Follow them on Instagram @HaywardMagic.

Intro music: "Believe In Yourself" by Norm Cotone

We recorded this on Global Running Day, which is perfect because Hellah Sidibe is someone who gets the most joy out of the sport. He just recently celebrated his five-year run streak so we take a trip back to 2017 when and why it all began for the former MLS player. We also discuss his amazing 3061-mile run from Los Angeles to New York, which he accomplished in 84 days and made history as the first Black man to run across America. My co-host for this episode is my good friend, Zac Clark. He is a big fan of Hellah’s charitable work and his attitude toward running so I invited him on to kick it on the pod.

SUPPORT THE SPONSORS

GARMIN: Music. Training. Data. The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is my favorite running partner. You do the running. This GPS running smartwatch does the thinking. It even gets to know you and your body better, mile after mile and song after song. Get one for yourself here >> https://bit.ly/3Pcu0qo

ADIDAS: The Adizero Adios Pro 3 is here! Adidas' latest edition of their super shoe built for runners looking to take their performance to the next level and run after new records. Worn by Olympic champion + New York City Marathom and Boston Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, it's got a proven track record. The Adios Pro 3 features the new EnergyRod 2.0 system, Lightstrike Pro foam, a brand new upper and continental rubber outsole – all while being made of recyclable materials. Mark your calendars. The shoe will be available for sale on Adidas.com on June 23.

HYDROW: Hydrow is a state-of-the-art rowing experience. Hydrow works 86% of major muscle groups, compared with only 44% from cycling. That’s twice the benefit in half the time! It’s a perfect low-impact workout to add to your training cycle for both endurance and resistance training. Use code CITIUS100 for $100 off of the rower (stackable with any current offerings) >> https://hydrow.com/

OREGON22: We are less than 60 days until the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (7/15-24). The outdoor track season is underway and the journey to Hayward has begun. Don’t miss out. Buy your tickets today to see the world’s best athletes in action at the first-ever world outdoor championships being held on U.S. soil. You can get your tickets by visiting WorldChampsOregon22.com/Tickets

"We have never liked the way that track did business. They’re only focused on business and not the athlete. I feel like we want to change that. It’s athlete first and business second. I want to change that and we are changing that." – Tara Davis

"I think that we want to do that in two steps. One is being that person and those athletes making the change. It’s also trying to do things on our own to make that more accessible to athletes. I think it’s easier said than done a lot of times because those resources aren’t available to athletes. A lot of times there isn’t someone there teaching athletes what to do or how to market themselves and how to use these platforms to grow their brand to be able to connect with brands and support themselves." – Hunter Woodhall

U.S. Olympic long jumper Tara Davis and Paralympic sprinter Hunter Woodhall are two of the most fun personalities in the sport. You may remember Davis celebrating making the U.S. Olympic team and rocking a cowboy hat and then celebrating by running into Woodhall’s arms. They’ve chronicled much of their relationship as well as their on and off-the-track story very well on social media. They’ve done such a great job of marketing themselves that they boast more than 420K subscribers on YouTube and have a combined TikTok following of more than 3 million followers. They sat down with me and my colleague Jasmine Todd to share the news that they’ve just signed a sponsorship deal with Lululemon as global brand ambassadors. In this episode, we touch on that deal, why they’ve gone about sponsorships and contracts differently in the track space and the importance of athletes harnessing their own story. 

SUPPORT THE SPONSORS

GARMIN: Music. Training. Data. The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is my favorite running partner. You do the running. This GPS running smartwatch does the thinking. It even gets to know you and your body better, mile after mile and song after song. Get one for yourself here >> https://bit.ly/3Pcu0qo

HYDROW: Hydrow is a state-of-the-art rowing experience. Hydrow works 86% of major muscle groups, compared with only 44% from cycling. That’s twice the benefit in half the time! It’s a perfect low-impact workout to add to your training cycle for both endurance and resistance training. Use code CITIUS100 for $100 off of the rower (stackable with any current offerings) >> https://hydrow.com/

OREGON22: We are less than 60 days until the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (7/15-24). The outdoor track season is underway and the journey to Hayward has begun. Don’t miss out. Buy your tickets today to see the world’s best athletes in action at the first-ever world outdoor championships being held on U.S. soil. You can get your tickets by visiting WorldChampsOregon22.com/Tickets

“It was very nerve-wracking…You just have to be attentive to everything that’s happening & thinking how can I put myself in the best position to kick for this team”

Hear from Olympian and On Athletics Club star Joe Klecker the morning after he won the USATF 10,000 meter championship race in 28:28.71 over American record holder Grant Fisher. With the victory, Klecker has secured his spot on Team USA for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon this July. This is his second U.S. national team after qualifying for last year's Tokyo Olympics and finishing 16th at the Games in the 10,000 meters. 

Catch Klecker's first appearance on the podcast from last summer here: https://apple.co/3NGaxNc

SUPPORT THE SPONSORS

GARMIN: Music. Training. Data. The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is my favorite running partner. You do the running. This GPS running smartwatch does the thinking. It even gets to know you and your body better, mile after mile and song after song. Get one for yourself here >> https://bit.ly/3Pcu0qo

HYDROW: Hydrow is a state-of-the-art rowing experience. Hydrow works 86% of major muscle groups, compared with only 44% from cycling. That’s twice the benefit in half the time! It’s a perfect low-impact workout to add to your training cycle for both endurance and resistance training. Use code CITIUS100 for $100 off of the rower (stackable with any current offerings) >> https://hydrow.com/

OREGON22: We are less than 60 days until the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (7/15-24). The outdoor track season is underway and the journey to Hayward has begun. Don’t miss out. Buy your tickets today to see the world’s best athletes in action at the first-ever world outdoor championships being held on U.S. soil. You can get your tickets by visiting WorldChampsOregon22.com/Tickets