Today on the podcast is the return of Sophia and Victoria Rodriguez from Mercer Island High School.

The last time I had them on the podcast was last February and since then, Sophia has won 3 state titles, Victoria won a national title in the steeplechase, they finished 8th and 12th at NXN, and Victoria is committed to run at Wake Forest University next fall.

So, there’s a lot to unravel.

We discuss what it’s like with it being Victoria’s final year of high school running and how their sibling relationship is going to change, what it was like for Sophia to win a state title individually, and as a team on both the boys’ and girls’ side, their NXN experience in the mud, the importance of a mental reset, as well as how they are able to maintain joy in running despite the challenges that the sport brings.

Please give this podcast a follow and a five-star review on whatever platform you are listening on. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of The Sunday Shakeout so that I can keeping bringing to you some of the greatest stories in the sport of running and in that process, share love and passion for track and field and distance running.

Without further delay, please enjoy my conversation with Sophia and Victoria Rodriguez

Today, ladies and gentlemen, is the first panel episode on The Sunday Shakeout.

To start off this series, I partnered up with Jean Claude, also known on Instagram as Startline Running, to bring to you some of the top athletes in the Washington State 3A division, including Owen Powell, Vince Recupero, Hudson Atrosh, and Kade Brownell.

I have had a few of these on the show before, but bringing them together on one panel episode was truly something else. These guys are national caliber and some of the biggest stars in all of high school running. It was great to hear some of their perspectives and banter as we draw closer to the 2025 Outdoor Track Season. The guys gave their thoughts on it being their senior year, the final dance of their high school careers, some of the personal growth and transformations they have undergone throughout their four years of high school, and really everything in between.

Truly, this episode has it all. It gets a little spicy at times with rivalries but I know that anyone listening is here for the action. And we have delivered.

Before we get into today’s episode, please, wherever you are, in your car, at work, on a run, give this podcast a follow and a five-star review on whatever platform you are listening on. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of The Sunday Shakeout so that I can keeping bringing to you some of the greatest stories in the sport of running and in that process, share love and passion for track and field and distance running.

So, without further delay, please enjoy the inaugural panel episode of The Sunday Shakeout.

Today on the show I am joined by TJ Hansen.

TJ is a senior out of Michigan and finished 2nd place at NXN after crawling to the final qualifying spot at NXR. He is also a back-to-back state champ in cross country and ran under 15 minutes for 5K seven times during the season.

TJ is set to run at the University of Colorado after flipping his commitment from University of Tennessee following the Sean Carlson coaching change.

We will talk all about how he went from tripping, being sick, and barely making it to NXN, to being second in the nation. We also talk about running back to his tent a minute before winning his 2nd consecutive state title, getting hit by a car his Sophomore year the day before winning his state qualifier, and so many other crazy stories.

Before we hop into today’s episode, please wherever you are right now, in your car, on the bus, in your home, please take a second to give this podcast a follow and a five-star review on whatever platform you are listening on. That goes a long way in supporting The Sunday Shakeout and some of the exciting things that we got going on in 2025. Thank you.

Without further delay, please enjoy my conversation with TJ Hansen

Happy New Year!

The new year is often a time to look forward and set intentions for ourselves as we journey through the next chapter of our lives. However, I also believe that reflection is a huge part of turning the clock.

So today, I am looking back and revealing some of the biggest lessons that I have learned on this podcast in 2024. Whether you run in high school, college, or are just getting into it in your adult years, I think anyone can take something from this episode to apply to their daily lives.

Stay tuned for some of the panel episodes that I have on The Sunday Shakeout coming very soon!

Today on the podcast marks the return of Erik Semling!

Last time I had Erik on the podcast was back in August right after the Olympic Games in Paris. We discussed all the action that happened at this year’s games, as well at the 70 minute half marathon that he ran at just 14 years old. Today, being Erik’s third time on the podcast, we discuss his freshman cross country season that he just ran.

Let me run off some accolades:

Despite all of this, Erik says that he was disappointed with his season. Today, we will unpack his mindset, motivations, how we is working on speed and strength over the winter, why accountability is so important, and much more.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

Thank you so much to all of my listeners for the support!

Please enjoy my conversation with Erik Semling.

Today on the podcast is Cassidy Armstrong!

Cassidy is a junior at Ballard High School in Seattle Washington and is the recently crowned Girls Footlocker West Champion in a time of 17:42. She also won the NIKE Hole in The Wall Invitational in a time of 16:43, just barely missing the course record set by Anna Callahan one year earlier.

Today, Cassidy and I talk all about her 2024 season and her massive progression from last year to this year, the greatest stories and lessons from her 2024 cross country season, what it means to have balance in the sport of running, the importance of consistency in the sport of running, and more.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

Without further delay, please enjoy my conversation with Cassidy Armstrong.

Ladies and Gentlemen…

Today on the podcast is guy who won it all, a national champion, Charlie Vause, your 2024 Boys NXN Champion.

Last weekend, Charlie Vause won the Nike Cross Nationals Meet in a time of 15:28 in one of the most treacherous races in meet history. Previous to NXN, Charlie didn’t even win his state meet, nor his NXR, yet he pulled it all off.

Learn how in today’s show.

Today, I also have a very special co-host with me on the show, Jean Claude. Jean is the owner of Startline Running on Instagram, who does interviews with the best cross country and track and field athletes in the State of Washington, making amazing and genuine content. Jean is the future of media in the sport of running and today that got put on full display.

We dive into Charlies perspective on what happened at NXN, how his faith is so intertwined with his journey in running, his transformational journey from finishing 14th at NXR last year to winning NXN this year, what it meant for him to go rock bottom after his junior track season and how he came back, what it means to embrace the underdog mentality, and much more.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

Learn about how he did it.

Listen now.

Today on the podcast is Baltimore Marathon Winner Willy Fink.

Willy is a professional runner for Under Armour Baltimore Distance, and is one of the top track athletes in the United States.

Willy’s story this past year has been pretty incredible, because this time last year, at the BU Opener, he ran 13:19 for 5K indoors and had tons of momentum going into 2024, and Olympic Year. However, in the spring, Willy sustained a terrible achilles injury that even left him unable to walk for a bit, yet he came back, ran at the Olympic Trials, won the Baltimore Marathon in October, and just overall had an incredible comeback story.

So in our conversation, we did into his rollercoaster 2024 journey, the value of patience and how he defines discipline, the power of positivity and how we pulled off the victory at the 2024 Baltimore Marathon.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

Without further delay, please enjoy my conversation with Willy Fink!

Welcome back to The Sunday Shakeout! I’m your host, Nicholas, and today we’re diving into one of the most prestigious moments in athletics—the announcement of the World Athletes of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco.

This year, a the women’s side, we have Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and on the men’s side is Letsile Tebogo of Botswana.

We’ll explore their incredible accomplishments, what this recognition means for the sport, and what makes them true legends in the sport of track and field. I will also be giving my thoughts on what I think are the characteristics that define an athlete of the year, and some thoughts for 2025.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

Without further delay, please enjoy my breakdown of the World Athletes of the Year.

Today on the podcast, I had an awesome conversation with Chloe and Hannah Huyler.

Chloe and Hannah are twin sisters that are seniors at Lakeridge High School in Oregon. Both Hannah and Chloe are committed to run at D1 schools next year, with Hannah running at Vanderbilt and Chloe running at Notre Dame. Chloe recently won the NXR Northwest Girls Championship race and if I am getting the dates right, they will both be racing on December 7th, with Chloe racing at NXN and Hannah racing at Footlocker Nationals.

What’s crazy about their journeys is that Chloe and Hannah started doing cross country just last year and since then, they have become some of the top runners not only in Oregon, but also in the Pacific Northwest and only time will tell if they can stand on the podium at Nationals.

Today, we talk all about their experiences at NXR and how Chloe made up a 10 second deficit in the final k from Sophia Rodriguez in order to take the win in the last 200. We also talk about their relationship in the sport of running and how much it has helped their journeys, why they chose Notre Dame and Vanderbilt, how they envision the future of their respective running careers, and much more.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

Without further delay, please enjoy my conversation with Chloe and Hannah Huyler.