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

“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

Tinman Elite’s Drew Hunter is making his fourth appearance on the podcast. I first had him on the show after his first pro season back in 2017 and then we did a live show in Boston in 2018. A lot has happened in his life since then... He’s run personal bests of 3:35.90 for 1,500 meters, 7:39.85 for 3,000 meters and 13:17.55 for the 5,000 meters. However, the past year was fairly difficult for him. He raced just once indoors in February and then tore his plantar, which forced him to miss the U.S. Olympic Trials. Tinman Elite also went through a very public breakup with coach Tom Schwartz and now the team is coached by his mother, Joan Hunter. We unpack all of those changes, the comeback from injury and what it was like to stamp his return with a win at the USATF 5K Championships in New York City, where he captured his second national title. My co-host for this episode is Mac Fleet, who has been working hard behind the scenes to also now bring you some of these conversations and other fun video content on The CITIUS MAG YouTube channel. Subscribe, like and comment – do everything the typical YouTubers say. We’re hoping to really grow that channel out in 2022. 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

“I truly believe in my heart that if it wasn’t for my recovery journey, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this. I kept thinking of that during the marathon. I kept thinking about all the hard times and trials and tribulations. All the stuff that I got through and I thought, ‘If I can do that, then why can I do this?’” My guest for today’s episode is Mario Diurno. Just a few days ago, you got to hear the story of Molly Seidel who finished fourth in the elite women’s race. I want to share with you the story of a friend of mine and one of the last people across the finish line.  While many of the people who ran on Sunday were getting ready for bed, Mario was working his way through Central Park and crossed the finish line just before 11 pm – 10 hours and 55 minutes after he started in Staten Island.  Mario is a client support specialist at Release Recovery. You’ve heard me speak about Release Recovery in previous episodes. I interviewed the founder and my friend, Zac Clark, after he was on The Bachelorette and before we did the Goggins Challenge in April. Mario works to get people treatment for addiction and substance abuse and sometimes that means he travels out to meet people and get them the help they need. He’s one who speaks openly about his recovery story and message in order to inspire others.  He is a bigger fella with not much of a running background or consistent training so when he said he was doing the marathon, many of us had our doubts he’d be able to do it. We did these Monday night community runs in Central Park and Mario would be there every week pushing himself to make it through two miles, four miles, six miles no matter how long it took. The journey to the starting line was enough of a win. When I Facetimed him at 4 pm on Sunday from a restaurant and the Release Recovery afterparty, he was only at the halfway point but all smiles and he made a new friend along the way named Freddi that helped him get to the finish line.  He just kept going and truly shifted my perspective on the power of what setting your mind on a goal can accomplish. 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

"Despite everything, somehow this race turned out so much better than I could’ve imagined. I am so excited about how New York went because there were so many times throughout the build-up where we didn’t even know if I was going to make it to the line." We welcome back Molly Seidel to the podcast and I get to introduce her as the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon and also now the fastest American woman to ever run the New York City Marathon. This past weekend, she ran 2:24:42 and finished fourth overall. The previous record was 2:25:53 set by Kara Goucher in 2008. The race was won by Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya in 2:22:39. Molly is now four for four in her marathons. Makes the Olympics in her first. Runs a PR and places high in London amid the pandemic. Earns a bronze medal at the Olympics and now breaks a record at the New York City Marathon. We touch on Molly’s run in Sapporo and New York City but also get some more details on the less-than-ideal build-up that somehow led to this incredible performance. Molly opens up about the two broken ribs she had and some of the mental struggles coming off the Games. Thanks to everyone who submitted listener questions, we got to as many as we could in the time we had with Molly.  My co-host for this episode is David Melly, the host of Run Your Mouth which is also on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network.  There’s some good insight in this episode and a little bit of breaking news at the very end. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS TRACKSMITH is a Boston-based running brand, who crafts performance apparel for training, racing and rest days. With fall races quickly approaching they know race day is as much about reaching the finish line as it is about the consistency and determination it takes to get to the start. 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

"When you guide somebody, there is a bond that is formed that is undeniable to know that they couldn't have done it without you and also that you're doing it because of them as well." Dr. Joe Park is a good friend of mine and some of you might know of him from his time on Tayshia Adams’ season of The Bachelorette or his brief stint on the latest season of Bachelor In Paradise. But he’s more than just a reality TV show contestant. He’s a full-time anesthesiologist and interventional pain specialist in New York City. He’s one of the nicest guys out there and you’ll hear a couple of stories of why that’s the case. He and I will be running the NYC Marathon together next weekend and hoping to run under 3 hours and 30 minutes. He is fundraising for Achilles International, whose mission is to transform the lives of people with disabilities through athletic programs and social connections. There are 28 chapters in 19 states. Joe has been a guide for the New York City chapter before and in this episode, you’ll learn a lot about the power a guide can have on an athlete living with a disability. Dr. Joe's fundraiser: https://give.achillesinternational.org/DrJoe SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS TRACKSMITH is a Boston-based running brand, who crafts performance apparel for training, racing and rest days. With fall races quickly approaching they know race day is as much about reaching the finish line as it is about the consistency and determination it takes to get to the start. 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