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

“For some reason, I think everyone on this team is kind of an underdog. Everyone has that same killer mentality. We want to be at the top and we want to have that respect we deserve. Even Danny as a coach has been an underdog. Time after time, people are starting to understand these guys are legit. Josh is the best example of that. I think over the next couple of years, there will be more people winning medals.”

Isaiah Harris is taking his 1:44.42 personal best for 800m and 3:42.63 personal best for 1,500m to the Brooks Beasts. In this episode, he tells CITIUS MAG why he decided to make the move after a year where he finished fourth in the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials and recorded a victory at the British Grand Prix at Gateshead. He takes us through his early roots in finding success in track as a high schooler in Lewiston, Maine. By the end of his high school career, he held the Maine state record in every event from 200 meters through 800 meters. Riley Masters considers him the greatest athlete to come out of Maine. Now, Isaiah wants to give back to his community at home as a professional because Lewiston ranks as Maine's poorest city so you'll get to hear a bit about those plans. Consider Isaiah someone to watch in the 800 in 2022.

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"I was planning to go to the marathon last year but this injury came up. I still have unfinished business on the track so after world champs, I’m going to try to debut at a fall marathon. Hopefully New York or something. That was my main thing. Once I switch my focus and I’m doing the marathon, I’m going to do some damage there."

Shadrack Kipchirchir is the newly-crowned 2022 USATF cross country champion. He is a 2016 Olympian and has not missed a U.S. world outdoor championship team since he switched allegiances from Kenya to America in 2014. After he kicked to the win on Saturday, I tried doing a little bit of research into his upbringing and his career path and honestly couldn’t find much. This is someone who has the 4th-fastest U.S. 10,000 meter time and has won six U.S. titles. So I reached out to him and invited him onto the show. This is his first-ever podcast interview and we went through his early days in Kenya growing up as one of nine kids, why he came to America to run for Western Kentucky and then Oklahoma State, why he enlisted in the Army before even thinking of the opportunity of being able to run for Team USA and how he’s found success. Last year, he suffered the first major injury of his career with a torn calf that knocked him out of making his second Olympic team. He cross-trained his butt off and roared back with the cross country victory in his first race in 294 days.

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At 20 years old, Cole Hocker has put himself atop the United States middle distance scene. I profiled him for Sports Illustrated last July after he outkicked reigning Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz for the win in the men’s 1,500 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Trials – which was one of my favorite races to watch of the whole trials. Hocker’s finishing speed is world-class. He went on to run 3:31.40 for sixth place in the Olympic 1,500 meter final. 

In September, he signed a professional contract with Nike and now sets his sights on his first professional indoor season, which includes headlining the men’s 3,000 meters at the Millrose Games. In this episode, we discuss his plans for the new year, the decision to turn professional after just one full NCAA campaign at Oregon, thoughts on American records and much more.

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🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

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"I never thought I would inspire anybody in life. I quit everything. I was never an inspiring person. To see me now, by just sharing my story of going from really sad to really glad and that being able to inspire somebody is a dream come true. I love making videos. I love sharing my story. I love oversharing, as my husband would say. The fact that it can help people is like, 'Are you kidding this is amazing?!" It is just more motivation to keep going, keep making videos and keep running because there are so many benefits that it's brought to me. Seeing the change that it brings other people is addicting and it never gets old."

We welcome Erin Azar – also known as Mrs. Space Cadet. She’s a rapidly-growing social media star with 720,000 TikTok followers and 70,000 Instagram followers. She describes herself as an "expert struggle runner and struggle lifer making running more approachable for beginners." I first learned of her in Dec. 2020 when she was a guest on Dana’s podcast. She is one of the people who really picked up the sport during the pandemic and chronicled her journey on Tiktok to millions of viewers. The sport is growing right now and there are thousands of people like Erin. In this episode, we recap her experience in this running journey including running the NYC Marathon and also how we can get someone like her to connect with track and field since there’s typically that disconnect. This is a fun conversation and I hope you all enjoy it as we wrap up the year and start an epic 2022.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

TRACKSMITH has launched the Tracksmith Foundation. If you’re not able to attend the Midnight Mile but would like to make a donation to the foundation, you can do so through the Tracksmith website. Listeners get 15% off their purchase using code CITIUS15 at checkout. Visit Tracksmith.com today.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG

👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

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“I've been cutting it close in training every week like, ‘Am I going to be able to get sharp in time and build up enough endurance to handle it.’ I did a workout the other week that gave me a lot more confidence that we’ve got a really strong shot at it. But a shot is still the idea. I think the range I could run is a 3:58 to a 4:02. If I were to predict my time, I’d say a 3:59.7 so that’s only just getting under.”

Unfortunately, due to the rising COVID-19 cases in New York City, Tracksmith and race organizers have made the decision to cancel the upcoming Midnight Mile Gala on December 31st at the Armory. Our guest for today’s episode is recurring fan favorite and guest Nick Willis. He was supposed to try and break four minutes for the mile at the strike of midnight at the Armory but now instead, he will still be going for it in a private setting without any spectators. 

I chatted with Nick a few weeks back while I was in town for the Chicago Marathon and we did a live show but this still hasn’t been announced. My co-host, Kyle Merber, joins this conversation for a bit of a mini Masterclass on the mile from Willis since he’s one of the best to ever do it and 20 years of breaking four minutes for the mile is truly remarkable.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

TRACKSMITH has launched the Tracksmith Foundation. If you’re not able to attend the Midnight Mile but would like to make a donation to the foundation, you can do so through the Tracksmith website. Listeners get 15% off their purchase using code CITIUS15 at checkout. Visit Tracksmith.com today.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG

👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

"We have to understand the changing nature of broadcasts and how people consume our sport. I want it to be as accessible as possible, as exciting as possible, as understandable as possible and that does mean getting rid of some rules and regs that slow us down...It's multifaceted. I just want noisy, passionate, young fans in a stadium who when they're grandparents, they've still got their grandchildren wanting to be there."

We welcome four-time Olympic medalist, former 800 meter and 1,500 meter world record holder and current World Athletics President Seb Coe to the show. We got the chance to pick his brain on his vision for this current moment that the sport is in with two World Championships and an Olympics ahead of us and why it’s crucial. 

We talk about changes and improvements that can be made in the sport’s presentation and accessibility, especially for athletes and fans. Of course, I bring up Formula 1’s rapid growth and what pages he may be taking from that sport’s playbook. 

Plus some fun questions at the end like what he thinks he’d run in super spikes and much more.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

TRACKSMITH has come up with a very creative way to celebrate our sport by hosting a New Years’ Eve spectacular in New York City. All proceeds from the Midnight Mile at the New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory will go to support the Tracksmith Foundation. If you’re not able to attend the Midnight Mile but would like to make a donation to the foundation, you can do so through the Tracksmith website. Listeners get 15% off their purchase using code CITIUS15 at checkout. Visit Tracksmith.com today.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG

👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

“I really want to develop more of that 1,500-meter/mile speed. Hopefully, after that, we’ll have another crack at a quick mile like we did last year at Arkansas – who knows, maybe go for an American record there. We were pretty close last year so hopefully if things keep trending the right way, we’ll have a shot at that. USAs indoors obviously but not sure what we’ll do there yet. Cole is trying to maybe look toward some of that higher-end stuff like 3K-5K so maybe he’ll give me a shot at taking the mile title and he’ll go for the 3K. We haven’t figured out everything yet but it’s all geared toward making that World team. That’s the biggest thing to do. I know what I have to do now after getting fourth at Trials.”

Cooper Teare just announced his decision to turn professional and signed a contract with Nike. We hear some insights into what that means for his future plans. He put together a really great last 12 months. He ran 3:50.39 for the mile and 7:46 indoors for the 3,000m. Outdoors, he ran 3:35 for 1,500 meters, broke the long-standing Oregon school record in the 5,000 meters with a 13:12.27 and claimed the NCAA outdoor title in the 5,000 meters to go along with the Oregon DMR and team title from indoor season. He was also fourth in the 5,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

In high school, Cooper ran 4:00.16 and just narrowly missed out on getting under the four-minute barrier. He eventually got it done as a freshman at Oregon but then really takes a step back to look at why the progression to becoming a 3:50 guy and NCAA champion worked out almost flawlessly.

– We also did a video where we pulled up some of Cooper’s old Instagram posts and had him tell us the stories behind them so that’s only on YouTube so go ahead and subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel for more cool content.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

TRACKSMITH has come up with a very creative way to celebrate our sport by hosting a New Years’ Eve spectacular in New York City. All proceeds from the Midnight Mile at the New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory will go to support the Tracksmith Foundation. If you’re not able to attend the Midnight Mile but would like to make a donation to the foundation, you can do so through the Tracksmith website. Listeners get 15% off their purchase using code CITIUS15 at checkout. Visit Tracksmith.com today.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG

👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

Olli Hoare is an Australian Olympic finalist in the 1,500 meters who runs professionally for the On Athletics Club under coach Dathan Ritzenhein in Boulder. Before turning pro, he was a stud at Wisconsin where he won the 2018 NCAA title in the 1,500 meters. In 2021, he set personal bests of 3:32 for the 1,500 meters both indoors and outdoors. He ran 3:51 for the mile and 3:50 for the mile on the roads. He ran 13:22 for the 5K outdoors and then just ran 13:09 this past weekend in Boston. He finished 11th in the Olympic 1,500 meter final. We touch on that race, his run at BU, what’s his view for how the 1,500 meters has evolved and much more. 

Olli is also the host of the Coffee Club Podcast that he co-hosts with his teammates and training partners so be sure to check that out. We talk podcaster-to-podcaster a bit at the start before my co-host Mac Fleet chimes in to talk athlete-to-former athlete. All of that plus, your listener questions.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

TRACKSMITH has come up with a very creative way to celebrate our sport by hosting a New Years’ Eve spectacular in New York City. All proceeds from the Midnight Mile at the New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory will go to support the Tracksmith Foundation. If you’re not able to attend the Midnight Mile but would like to make a donation to the foundation, you can do so through the Tracksmith website. Listeners get 15% off their purchase using code CITIUS15 at checkout. Visit Tracksmith.com today.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG

👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

"In the huddle, that's kind of what I ended with: At the end of the day, you don't know going into a season like this if everything is going to work out. We are here with an opportunity to be successful...We said it at the regional meet – because you could kind of feel it building and our Top 5 were really dialed in and running well. I said, 'Take the time and appreciate what you're doing right now. There's no guarantee of it. All you can ask for is an opportunity.' And they really took advantage of that. I'm thankful for these people I'm surrounded by. This staff is awesome. This team is awesome."

North Carolina State coach Laurie Henes joins the show just days after the Wolfpack won the team’s first-ever NCAA cross country title. 

Early on in the conversation, you’ll be quick to hear Coach Henes point out that NC State won AIAW Cross Country titles in 1979 and 1980 before the NCAA. She knows her NC State history because as an athlete, she was an NCAA champion and a six-time All-American for them and then went on to have a professional career that included representing the U.S. at the World Track & Field Championships in Sweden in 1995. She finished just two spots away from making the Olympic team the following year. By that point, she had already been a member of the NC State coaching staff for four years. Now, she’s been the women’s head coach for 16 years.

In this conversation with me and my co-host Mac Fleet, you’ll hear more about how she’s fostered and created such a successful team and atmosphere and a bit about her thoughts on the success of female coaches within the NCAA. Right after we got off the call with her, she was named the Southeast Regional Coach of the Year and I’m sure that’s not the last honor that’s going to come from this remarkable year for her and the team.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

TRACKSMITH is a Boston-based running brand, who crafts performance apparel for training, racing and rest days. Gear up for going far with their fall running essentials and check out the Tracksmith Journal for some marathon tips from the Tracksmith team. Listeners get 15% off their purchase using code CITIUS15 at checkout. Visit Tracksmith.com today.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG

👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

"Running became this focal point for me, especially these last few years...The stigma is real. People don't want to talk about this kind of stuff, especially in the military. You're trained as much you can to be emotionless because that can be a liability."

Joey Maiocco is a lead editor at Newsy and a veteran of the U.S. Army. His work at Newsy encompasses the entertainment industry as well as national news but it has all come full circle for him with his most recent project: In Real Life: Post-Trauma.

It is a 22-minute special that shares his personal story on treating post-traumatic stress and how other war veterans cope and find their own treatment upon returning home. For Joey, running has played a major role in it and he just recently ran the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. I connected with him back in December through a mutual friend and sensed his excitement about what the sport has brought him and we decided to talk about it on this podcast because that’s also part of his healing and way of helping others – through sharing his experience. 

You can watch the special on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayvuCeeAheU

Happy to share this episode just a little after Veteran’s Day when we pay our respects to those who have served this country.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

TRACKSMITH is a Boston-based running brand, who crafts performance apparel for training, racing and rest days. Gear up for going far with their fall running essentials and check out the Tracksmith Journal for some marathon tips from the Tracksmith team. Listeners get 15% off their purchase using code CITIUS15 at checkout. Visit Tracksmith.com today.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG

👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel