Today on the show has been a long-awaited episode, something that I personally have wanted to do for a long time.

Today we have a panel with six of the top high school athletes in the entire country: Owen Powell, Tayvon Kitchen, TJ Hansen, Charlie Vause, Jack Graffeo, and Caden Leonard. They are all seniors, except for Caden, who is a junior. Very diverse group of guys today, we have the NXN Champ, NXN runner-up, two high school national record holders, and just a show full of studs. I don’t think there needs to be much of an introduction to these guys and if you have been following on Instagram, you know all about this project, so I won’t waste anymore of your time, but…

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.

Also, one final note before we get into the show, I am doing this panel with my legendary co-host, the man himself, Jean Claude, from Startline Running on Instagram. I really like his addition to the show, he asks a lot of great questions, adds some spice and interesting takes to the interview, so go follow him on Instagram, his handle is @startlinerunning. Jean, if you are listening, and I know you are, thank you bro. This one was fun.

So, without further delay, please enjoy the high school boys nationals panel

Today on the podcast is Nick Gargano!

The Tale of Two Nicks, I guess you could say.

Nick is a senior out of Sehome High School in Bellingham, Washington.

I had a lot of fun chatting with Nick today. He’s a super humble guy, also very thoughtful and he has one of the most remarkable progressions that I have seen in high school. A while back I had my teammate Sam Kurtz on the show. He ran 26 minutes his freshman year and now runs 18 as a senior. Nick ran 19:25 as a freshman and now is a 15:11 guy, so huge progression for him.

Today, I ask all about his progression, how injuries plagued him his freshman year and how he was able to work through them physically and mentally to be a runner up at state and running 15:11. I won’t reveal too much, but the team culture aspect is something that is very much highlighted a lot in our conversation today.

Nick is also committed to run at the Gonzaga next fall under the legendary Pat Tyson.

He holds PRs of:

• Cross Country 5K: 15:11
• 3200 Meters: 9:22
• 1600 Meters: 4:23

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.

Without further delay, please enjoy my conversation with Nick Gargano.

This is the second ever video podcast I have done and the first in a series that I am doing to document my recovery journey after dislocating my knee.

This is an extremely unscripted episode. I am just speaking what is on my mind. I recently came across a question this past week: "When was the last the last time you cried in front of someone?" Today, I unpack my thought that question and the relevance to my situation, as well as my first time every going to PT, the harsh truth of hip strength, and the void that needs to be filled in my life due to not being able to run.

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout/

Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review!

Today on the podcast is a banger episode.

I had a mini panel with two of the top competitors in the 4A classification of the State of Washington: Connor Rickey and Isaac Benjamin. Shoutout to Connor committing to this show despite being in France.

Connor is a senior out of Issaquah High School.

He holds PR's of 1:54.29 (800m), 4:14.15 (1600m), 9:11.65 (3200m), and 14:46.9 (5K XC).

Isaac is a junior out of South Kitsap High School.

He holds PR's of 2:03.03 (800m), 4:18.19 (Mile), 9:11.99 (3200m), 15:01.8 (5K XC), and 30:18 (10K Road).

Today was just a fun show, getting to chop it up with some of the top guys in Washington. This is the second ever panel episode of The Sunday Shakeout and I partnered with Jean Claude, also known as Startline Running on Instagram. He is the other voice in today’s conversation and asks a lot of great questions, so it was a fun one today.

We talk all about their thoughts on what went down in the Super Bowl, including Jean Claude losing a bet and having to run 24 miles. We also talk about what it took for Isaac to go from 76th at State his Sophomore year running 17:06, to being second and dropping 15 flats on a weekly basis, and what event they think would be the perfect match in the middle for them.

I also asked them what they thought the over/under would be in 4A for each event this season, their thoughts on mentality and rivalries, and so much more.

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.

Without further delay, please enjoy my chat with Jean Claude, Connor Rickey, and Isaac Benjamin

Follow me on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesundayshakeout/

Follow Jean Claude on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/startline_running/

This week on the show is my first video podcast.

I recently dislocated my knee on my birthday. Today is the the day I tell the story of that and some of the lessons that I have learned so far, as well as looking forward. I also speak a little bit about where I think the world of track and field is headed after some of the world records that have gone down recently.

Thank you everyone so much for the support!

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout!

Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review!

Today on the show marks the return of Michael Maiorano.

Michael holds PRs of 4:06 (Mile), 8:14 (3000m), 14:01 (5000m), 29:51 (10,000m)

Last time I had him on the show was in early September, right before he started his cross country season at Salt Lake Community College, an NCJAA School. Now, y’all might be thinking:

"JUCO? Who would want to run for a JUCO school?”

I will tell you straight up before getting into the conversation, not enough people take Salt Lake and JUCO in general seriously. Many of the guys who run there are sub 4 guys, 60 minutes in the half marathon. JUCO is no joke, and especially a team like Salt Lake, that won a national title. In fact, in today’s conversation, Michael talks about how just this past weekend, the team went up to UW and beat 5 or 6 D1 squads. So, JUCO demands respect.

Michael ran at Gonzaga for a bit so he’s the real deal.

Aside from that, Michael and I had an awesome conversation today. We talk all about the vibrant running culture in Utah, the personal journey for Michael transitioning to JUCO, and some of the experiences and valuable lessons he has learned, what it means for him to find purpose in the sport, and so many other things.

Michael is such a wise dude. He has so many amazing things to say and is very intentional with his life and how he carries himself. It would be a disservice to yourself if you clicked away from our chat because there is something for everyone in our conversation.

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.

Yes, he is only a Sophomore in high school.

No, this isn't fake.

Today on the show is Cooper Lutkenhaus. Cooper is a Sophomore out of Northwest High School, and is one of the best 800m runners in the nation. Last June, as a freshman, Cooper stunned the field at the 2024 Brooks PR 800, running 1:47 and beating a star-studded field with his crazy kick in the last 200, setting the Freshman National Record.

He also won the Brooks PR JR 800m as an eighth grader, and is a State Champ in the 800m, NON Champ in the 800m, and to be honest, the list goes on and on. I could go on and on about how talented this guy is and everything he has achieved only as a Sophomore, which is the same grade as me right now (lol).

In my chat with Cooper today, we discuss how he solo time trialled an 800m in the middle of December and ran 1:52, what it meant for him to break the Sophomore Indoor 800m Record, running a converted 1:49.8 at the Texas Tech Invitational. Cooper also talks about pressure, his relationship with cross country as an 800m runner, and his thoughts on having his own Wikipedia page.

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 my conversation with Cooper Lutkenhaus

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