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

Happy Friday! This is the sixth 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, Ali Feller (Host of The Ali On The Run Show) joins me to chat about Olympic 800m champion and U.S. record holder Athing Mu. Last year, she put together one of the best seasons of any athlete by running personal bests of 49.57 for 400m, 1:55.04 for 800m and winning two NCAA titles and the Olympic gold medals in the 800m and 4x400m relay. We discuss what impresses us the most about her talent, the excitement around her potential and the New Jersey pride that comes with it all. Oh, we also discuss her pug, Bentley.  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

"From the moment I step foot in this sport in 2011 in college, I had no idea what to expect. I always had heard of Trey Hardee, Dan O’Brien and Ashton Eaton so they were my role models. As someone who is so competitive at heart, I wanted to be like them and push my scores to get up next to them. The fact that I’ve passed a few and I’m getting so close to the others, I’m just honored. That’s the only word I can think of and I’m so blessed to have the path that they set for me to carry on this tradition.” This past weekend, Garrett Scantling secured his place for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon by winning the USATF Combined Events Championships. His 8,867 points not only gave him the victory but moved him up to No. 3 on the U.S. all-time list and makes him the 7th best decathlete ever in the world. He finished fourth at last year’s Tokyo Olympics but the most interesting thing about his path to success is that he took a break away from the sport. After finishing fourth at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, Scantling decided to retire and then signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a receiver for their 2017 spring camp. He also spent some time with the Jacksonville Jaguars. And when football didn’t work out, he took a desk job as a financial advisor. We go through all of that and what eventually drew him back into the sport, which he really loves and wants to grow. He’ll be joined by Georgia junior Kyle Garland, who broke the NCAA decathlon record this weekend, and two-time Olympian Zach Ziemek on Team USA for Worlds. 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 90 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 THERABODY: Their new RecoveryAir JetBoots are the first of its kind as the world’s most advanced pneumatic compression system ever created. RecoveryAir flushes out metabolic waste more fully and brings back fresh blood to your legs at three times the speed of competitors. Faster cycles mean faster recovery, so you don’t have to wait for..the legs to be feelin' great. For more information and to get a discount visit: https://therabody.com/citius

Happy Friday! This is the fifth edition of Track Snacks – a mini-series taking you into the weekend where Chris Chavez and a fellow CITIUS MAG staffer 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, Mac Fleet (CITIUS MAG's video specialist) joins me to chat about Bahamian sprinting and its current stars. Shaunae Miller-Uibo is the reigning Olympic champion in the 400m. Steven Gardiner is the reigning Olympic champion in the 400m and has not lost a race since earning silver at the 2017 World Championships. Both sprinters have been working on their one-lap craft for a decade and now they're the best in the world. In Tokyo, Miller-Uibo became the first woman since Marie-José Pérec in the 90s to win back-to-back Olympic 400m gold medals. Gardiner became the first man from the Bahamas to win Olympic gold in the 400m. In total, the Bahamas has won 25 medals – 8 gold, 9 silver and 8 bronze. That’s more than the 16 medals they have at the Olympics across all sports. At the Games, they’re always in the mix for a relay medal. They have six medals in the 4x100 and 4x400 combined. This country loves its sprints and we love a country that loves track and field. 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 saw any of this as a way out. I just went through life and just survived. Whatever happens, happens. I never dreamt big. I just wanted to go to college and get a job like the typical college student. But it was never this. This came into the picture when I was 18 years old. After running a 55 in the 400m and then watching the Olympics in 2016, I was like, 'Pshh...I'm only like four seconds away. I can do this.'" Wadeline Jonathas' story is truly remarkable. She was bullied. She went to three different high schools. She was homeless. She found inspiration to get serious about track by watching the 2016 Olympics on TV which led to her to one of the most successful Division III careers at UMass Boston – where she initially walked onto the team. After sophomore year, she transferred to the University of South Carolina, where she truly blossomed into the star that she is now. She won the 2019 NCAA title, qualified for the U.S. national team and then finished fourth at the World Championships in 49.60.  She opens up about the struggles of the pandemic and why she had her doubts about making the U.S. Olympic team in 2021. Last summer, she took third at the Trials to accomplish her dream and then reached the semifinals of the 400 in Tokyo. She earned a gold medal as a member of the U.S. 4x400m relay. She's still hungry for that individual medal and at 24 years old, she's got potential. Outside of the track, she also wants to make some big changes. I loved this conversation that we recorded at the Team USA summit ahead of their White House visit. 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 at Garmin.com 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 90 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 THERABODY: Their new RecoveryAir JetBoots are the first of its kind as the world’s most advanced pneumatic compression system ever created. RecoveryAir flushes out metabolic waste more fully and brings back fresh blood to your legs at three times the speed of competitors. Faster cycles mean faster recovery, so you don’t have to wait for..the legs to be feelin' great. For more information and to get a discount visit: https://therabody.com/citius

Happy Friday! This is the FOURTH edition of Track Snacks – a mini-series taking you into the weekend where Chris Chavez and a fellow CITIUS MAG staffer 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, Dana Giordano (Host of the 'More Than Running' Podcast) joins me to chat about Sifan Hassan. She is the reigning Olympic champion in the 5000m and the 10,000m and the Olympic bronze medalist in the 1500m. Hassan burst onto the scene in 2014 as she started putting The Netherlands on the podium at European championships. In the last eight years, she's gone on to break world records in the mile, road 5K and one-hour run. She's got some of the best range in the sport and demonstrated it best at the 2019 World Championships in Doha where she became the first person to win gold in the 1500m and 10,000m. At the Tokyo Olympics, she attempted an unprecedented triple. We're excited to see if she can do it all over again in 2022. 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

“One of my colleagues said this in a meeting, and I’ve heard this before, but it really had an impact on me during 2020/2021. It’s the Maya Angelou poem where she says, and I’m paraphrasing to a degree here, ‘You may not remember what I said. You may not remember what I did. But you’ll remember how I made you feel.’ That right there is it. That’s what we can all do in our own little space: have people feel amazing, have a great experience, walk away with a smile on their face.” Last year, Ted Metellus made history when he was named the race director of the New York City Marathon. Not only that, he became the first Black race director of any of the World Marathon Major races. In 2020, New York Road Runners faced criticism and allegations of discrimination and racism and vowed to make changes within its leadership roles and internal structure to make things better. The move with Metellus also came at a time when the running industry was coming back from a year full of cancellations and postponements for major races. New York Road Runners canceled all in-person races from March 2020 to September 2020. In this episode, you’ll learn more about how an event like that comes together but also learn a bit about Ted’s story from growing up as a kid in the Bronx to lessons he learned from the entertainment industry and other sports. He’s so down to earth.  We recorded this conversation in late February at the Running USA Conference. For this episode, I’m joined by Joshua and Aaron Potts of the 2 Black Runners Podcast.  SUPPORT THE SPONSORS FINAL SURGE: No matter if you are an athlete or a coach, Final Surge helps plan and attain both short, and long-term training success. Their free online training log is compatible with Garmin, Strava, Polar, Stryd, COROS and a slew of other apps and devices. If you are a coach, Final Surge makes planning and analyzing workouts simple and helps streamline communication with your athletes. If you’re an athlete out there hammering miles and tempo runs solo with no guidance or direction, Final Surge is also here to offer up some world-class training programs. Check out their offerings today: FINALSURGE.COM – USE CODE CITIUS FOR 10% OFF. BROOKS RUNNING: The Brooks Hyperion Elite 3s were released earlier this month and its Brooks' latest road-running shoe built for speed with ultralight foam and a carbon fiber plate to help propel you forward. THERABODY: Their new RecoveryAir JetBoots are the first of its kind as the world’s most advanced pneumatic compression system ever created. RecoveryAir flushes out metabolic waste more fully and brings back fresh blood to your legs at three times the speed of competitors. Faster cycles mean faster recovery, so you don’t have to wait for..the legs to be feelin' great. For more information and to get a discount visit: https://therabody.com/citius OREGON22: We are less than 90 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

Nell Rojas joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast for the first time after finishing as the top American at the Boston Marathon for the second time in a row. The Boulder-based running coach placed 10th over in a new personal best of 2:25:57 – which took 75 seconds off her time from her sixth place finish last October in Boston.  In this episode, we go through her build-up to this race which wasn’t perfect and then the decision-making process into leaving her contract with Adidas that she signed in April to run in a pair of Nike VaporFly shoes.  We touch on the conversation around unsponsored runners since her decision to ditch the contract has been a topic of discussion on Twitter and message boards. Plus: Why representation matters for her as a Latina on the start line of these major races, where she sees herself in the U.S. marathoning scene + much more. Outside of running, she’s a strength and running coach based in Boulder Colorado.  For this episode, I’m joined by David Melly for a crossover episode with the Run Your Mouth Podcast. SUPPORT THE SPONSORS FINAL SURGE: No matter if you are an athlete or a coach, Final Surge helps plan and attain both short, and long-term training success. Their free online training log is compatible with Garmin, Strava, Polar, Stryd, COROS and a slew of other apps and devices. If you are a coach, Final Surge makes planning and analyzing workouts simple and helps streamline communication with your athletes. If you’re an athlete out there hammering miles and tempo runs solo with no guidance or direction, Final Surge is also here to offer up some world-class training programs. Check out their offerings today: FINALSURGE.COM – USE CODE CITIUS FOR 10% OFF. BROOKS RUNNING: The Brooks Hyperion Elite 3s were released earlier this month and its Brooks' latest road-running shoe built for speed with ultralight foam and a carbon fiber plate to help propel you forward. THERABODY: Their new RecoveryAir JetBoots are the first of its kind as the world’s most advanced pneumatic compression system ever created. RecoveryAir flushes out metabolic waste more fully and brings back fresh blood to your legs at three times the speed of competitors. Faster cycles mean faster recovery, so you don’t have to wait for..the legs to be feelin' great. For more information and to get a discount visit: https://therabody.com/citius OREGON22: We are less than 90 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 third edition of Track Snacks – a mini series taking you into the weekend where Chris Chavez and a fellow CITIUS MAG staffer 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). In this episode, we're actually joined by the actual athlete. Marcell Jacobs is the reigning Olympic champion in the 100m, the reigning 60m world indoor champion and the European record holder in the men's 100 meters. Jacobs was one of the biggest surprises of the Tokyo Olympics when he ran the race of his life to become the first Olympic champion not named Usain Bolt since 2008. He proved it was no fluke by winning the World Indoor Championships in the 60m in a long-awaited clash against 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman. The fans are in for a real treat because they won't have to wait until July to see them go head-to-head again. This week. Prefontaine Classic race organizers announced Jacobs, Coleman, Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley, Olympic bronze medalist Andre De Grasse, Noah Lyles, Marvin Bracy, Kenndy Bendarek and Ronnie Baker would be part of the deepest 100m race in history. It's the appetizer before the main course at Worlds. 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

"When I pass someone, I think: Poker face and pass them with authority. You don’t want to give someone hope. There are a lot of opportunities to feel sorry for yourself in a marathon. I don’t want someone that I’m going by to have a little something to fight for. I want to put them away immediately.” Scott Fauble makes his return to the CITIUS MAG Podcast after taking seventh at the Boston Marathon in a personal best of 2:08:52, which moves him to No. 10 on the all-time U.S. list. He is the third-fastest active U.S. marathoner. This was a big performance for Scott since he shook things up a bit toward the end of 2020 by leaving his sponsor Hoka and parting ways with coach Ben Rosario and Northern Arizona Elite. He eventually teamed up with coach Joe Bosshard and spent the past few months in Colorado to prepare for Boston. We catch up on the decision-making process behind that, his brilliant race tactics in Boston, how he’s shifted his thinking after a big performance and what’s got him excited about the future. We also go through a bunch of the listener questions that you submitted on Instagram. SUPPORT THE SPONSORS FINAL SURGE: No matter if you are an athlete or a coach, Final Surge helps plan and attain both short, and long-term training success. Their free online training log is compatible with Garmin, Strava, Polar, Stryd, COROS and a slew of other apps and devices. If you are a coach, Final Surge makes planning and analyzing workouts simple and helps streamline communication with your athletes. If you’re an athlete out there hammering miles and tempo runs solo with no guidance or direction, Final Surge is also here to offer up some world-class training programs. Check out their offerings today: FINALSURGE.COM – USE CODE CITIUS FOR 10% OFF. BROOKS RUNNING: The Brooks Hyperion Elite 3s were released earlier this month and its Brooks' latest road-running shoe built for speed with ultralight foam and a carbon fiber plate to help propel you forward. THERABODY: Their new RecoveryAir JetBoots are the first of its kind as the world’s most advanced pneumatic compression system ever created. RecoveryAir flushes out metabolic waste more fully and brings back fresh blood to your legs at three times the speed of competitors. Faster cycles mean faster recovery, so you don’t have to wait for..the legs to be feelin' great. For more information and to get a discount visit: https://therabody.com/citius OREGON22: We are less than 90 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

"There was an academy called the Transcend Running Academy. That’s where I came through. It’s sponsored by (2012 Boston Marathon champion) Wesley Korir. I was working out with Wesley when I was in Kenya during high school. He taught me most of the things about running. I didn’t know I would make it in running but when he started talking to me about the benefits of going to school and continuing running, I started being serious in those two areas.” Wesley Kiptoo is the 2021 NCAA Indoor 5000m champion and put together a third and second-place finish at the last two NCAA cross country championships. He was a standout star at Iowa State but now it’s time for a new chapter in his career. Wesley has decided to turn professional and sign with Hoka’s NAZ Elite. He will be training under coach Ben Rosario and he will be making his debut tonight in the 5000m at the Mt. SAC Relays. While in college, Wesley shows fierce competitiveness by pushing the pace from the front. He earned himself personal bests of 13:14.74 for the 5K and 27:37 for the 10K. In this episode, you’ll hear about his big goals as a pro but also a dive into his personal history with the sport. This signing is a dream come true as he hoped to be a pro runner while growing up in Kenya running and walking 40 kilometers to and from school most days. I hope you get to learn more about him and keep tabs on his future as a pro. SUPPORT THE SPONSORS FINAL SURGE: No matter if you are an athlete or a coach, Final Surge helps plan and attain both short, and long-term training success. Their free online training log is compatible with Garmin, Strava, Polar, Stryd, COROS and a slew of other apps and devices. If you are a coach, Final Surge makes planning and analyzing workouts simple and helps streamline communication with your athletes. If you’re an athlete out there hammering miles and tempo runs solo with no guidance or direction, Final Surge is also here to offer up some world-class training programs. Check out their offerings today: FINALSURGE.COM – USE CODE CITIUS FOR 10% OFF. BROOKS RUNNING: Check out our programming and plans for Boston Marathon weekend. THERABODY: Their new RecoveryAir JetBoots are the first of its kind as the world’s most advanced pneumatic compression system ever created. RecoveryAir flushes out metabolic waste more fully and brings back fresh blood to your legs at three times the speed of competitors. Faster cycles mean faster recovery, so you don’t have to wait for..the legs to be feelin' great. For more information and to get a discount visit: https://therabody.com/citius OREGON22: Friends, more than 100,000 tickets have already been sold for this summer’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (7/15-24). Some of the sessions have sold out. 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