THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST Simeon Birnbaum: The Quiet Killer of NCAA Running — How a 3:52 Miler Is Rising to Greatness & An Inside Look At His Breakthrough NCAA Season
PSA: the audio on this is weird. We have no clue why it's like this, but I would rather release then it never see the light of day.
He went from Rapid City to Hayward Field.
From high school phenom to NCAA standout.
And now, toeing the line with the best in the world, Simeon Birnbaum is bridging the levels in a way few athletes do.
In his return to the show, we catch up with Simeon just 24 hours after his electric 3:56.64 mile at the Prefontaine Classic—his first real taste of pro racing on one of the sport's biggest stages.
This isn't a rehash of what you already know. We're looking ahead: what it felt like lining up against Diamond League vets, how that race taught him more than any workout ever could, and why he's hungrier than ever to chase greatness at the highest level.
The journey that brought him here is important, though: like the 3:57.53 mile he ran as a high school senior (and the 3:59.51 he clocked as a junior), the 1:47.96 800m speed he still carries, and the 3:37.02 1500m PR he dropped this spring at Oregon Twilight.
Add in his 13:31.87 5000m from Big Tens (a meet record), and you're looking at one of the most versatile young talents in U.S. distance running. He came in 7th in the 1500m at NCAA outdoors in June of 2025.
From his days winning 13 South Dakota state titles and earning 2023 HS Boys Athlete of the Year, to bouncing back from early setbacks in his freshman year and finishing 3rd at NCAAs in the 1500m, Simeon's story is just getting started.
Whether you're a high schooler dreaming big or a fan of the sport tracking the next American great, this is the kind of conversation you'll want in your earpods for your next long run.
In today's conversation, Simeon gives me a deep dive look into his Sophomore year. We dicuss the tactics, training, and races that made it successful. We walk through his first-ever NCAA Outdoor Championships, running the Pre-Classic, and his ambitions for domination in the future.
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