CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez

Camille Herron joins the show after she ran at the the Desert Solstice Invitational at a local high school in Phoenix. It's not your average track meet at a high school. It was a 24-hour track race. She ran a stunning 162.9 miles over 24 hours and finished her first 100 miles in 13 hours and 25 minutes, both new world records on a track. Herron only started focusing on ultrarunning in 2015 after her successful marathon career, in which she won 21 events and qualified for the trials three times. The Oklahoma City native won the Comrades Marathon, a grueling 89K race in South Africa, in 2017, and she entered the Desert Solstice after scratching from several races due to a femur injury. Only 33 runners were invited to compete in the meet, which serves as a qualifier for the 24-hour U.S. national team. (Competitors had to previously run at least 124 miles in 24 hours or 100 miles in less than 17 hours and 30 minutes.) I caught up with Herron on Tuesday for this interview, which initially ran as a Q&A that you can read on SI.com – the link is in the show notes. Now for my podcast listeners, this is the full interview. Uncut. So you get a little extra than what's online to read. We discuss her training, performance and how Taco Bell and beer helped her run just under 656 laps on the track. It's a remarkable performance and I think you'll enjoy the episode so let's start the show. Read the interview from SI.com here: https://www.si.com/edge/2018/12/12/camille-herron-24-hour-run-world-record-track-desert-solstice-162-miles Subscribe to Runners of NYC and catch up on the new hit podcast in the CITIUS MAG family: https://apple.co/2Cc9SRS Support the Legs Are Feelin' Good movement: Mugs: https://rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ Shirts: https://rdbl.co/2UyTphs

Over the weekend, Brogan Austin won the 2018 USATF Marathon Championships, which were held at the California International Marathon. Matt Llano looked like the early favorite in the race. He had the fastest personal best and took off from the start and once held a two-minute lead on the rest of the field. It wasn't until the 26th mile that Austun caught and passed Llano. He won the race in a huge personal best of 2:12:38. A lot of the running community was wondering: Who the heck is this guy? We've got your answer on this week's podcast. Get to know the 2015 Drake University graduate, why he decided to keep running post collegiately, why he loves the treadmill, how his life changed under coach Tom "Tinman" Schwartz and how this whole race almost didn't happen. Plus we take some of your listener questions from Instagram. --- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ If you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

20 years after he won the NCAA individual cross country title, Adam Goucher joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to take a trip down memory lane and re-visit that special 1998 Colorado Buffaloes team. The story of that team is captured vividly in Chris Lear's book "Running With The Buffaloes." We talk at length about that book and that team. We hit on Colorado and legendary coach Mark Wetmore's training philosophy. We also take some listener questions including the tough one...Adam has to assemble his all-time Buffs top 7. Episode 100!! Thanks to everyone who has supported the show and helped us get to this point. --- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ If you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

Leah O'Connor joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after releasing a lengthy and open blog post called "Hey, Struggling Runner", which she dedicated to "the frustrated runner, the anxious runner, the hurting runner, or any runner who feels irritated with themselves, like they might want to throw in the towel on their dreams" Leah was a two-time NCAA champion while at Michigan State and owns a personal best of 9:18.85 for the 3,000 meter steeplechase as a professional for adidas. Shortly after that personal best was set at the 2016 Prefontaine Classic, Leah suffered a partial tear of her right plantar fascia and then ruptured it during the steeplechase final at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She had a brief stint training in California but still dealt with injuries that didn't allow her to return to that top form. After nearly three years of struggles, Leah opened up about things in her blog post. We delve deep into some of the key parts that she disclosed including her fear of never getting back, watching U.S. women's steeplechasing going to the next level, what does it mean to grab a spoon and deal with things "one spoonful at a time." Plus, she talks about how three-time U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, her new coach, has been a major resource in keeping her career alive. This isn't your usual interview where we talk about training and races but it's a great and honest conversation with Leah. I hope you all enjoy it. You can check out Leah's post here: https://bit.ly/2B7SvAQ --- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ If you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

Isaac Wood, a CITIUS MAG contributor and author of The Wood Report (our NCAA cross country projections), joins the show to preview the 2018 NCAA Cross Country National Championships. Isaac has been producing a very strategic and statistical algorithm to predicting where everyone will finish in the race and who will win. He shares insight into who he predicts will win the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships, which take place on Saturday, Nov. 17 in Madison, Wisconsin. Some of the points addressed: - The NAU vs. BYU narrative (Isaac is also the director of operations at BYU so he delves into why we decided not to include the Cougars in the projections and columns) - Who will be this year's Portland Pilots and surprise the field to make the podium? - Can anyone stop Morgan McDonald? - What does anyone know about Bradley? - Can the New Mexico women go back-to-back? - Hot takes about Arkansas' women's team - Weini Kelati. Sharpie. Listener questions are addressed and more on this bonus episode. Follow Isaac Wood and the Wood Report on Twitter: @Wood_Report

John Anderson, who is familiar to many people as one of ESPN's longtime SportsCenter anchors, joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast. He is one of the voices of ESPN's broadcast for the New York City Marathon alongside Carrie Tollefson and Tim Hutchings. His voice will be familiar for years to come since New York Road Runners, WABC-TV, and ESPN extended their partnership to broadcast the New York City Marathon through the 2022 event. I met John for the first time when I was an intern at ESPN in 2014 and we've been friends ever since. We usually get together when he's in town for the marathon so I decided to ask him to come on the podcast. He said he was down so we chatted it up. John was a high jumper at Mizzou but he shares why his high school cross country team was his favorite, an epic tale from his first marathon and what are some of the challenges in covering track and field on TV for everyone. I've seen a lot of criticism of the ESPN broadcast on Twitter. Some of it is fair and for some other points, you may be able to better understand how a broadcast is run after you hear from John. Come for the sports media talk, stay for when John imagines what his call would be if I won the New York City Marathon. ------- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ If you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

Cam Levins joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after winning the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and breaking a four-decade-old Canadian record in 2:09:25. The previous record was held by Jerome Drayton in 2:10:09.  Levins, 29, was a 2012 Olympian for Canada in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. He was a standout star at Southern Utah and won the 2012 Bowerman Award. He was legendary for weeks that topped out at 180-191 miles per week. He spent time training with the Nike Oregon Project under Alberto Salazar. In recent years, he has been sidelined by injuries and was unable to race at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.  We discuss his comeback, the plan that went into his marathon debut and a return to high mileage. Levins plans to compete in the marathon at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but what do his 2019 race plans entail? New York Times best selling author Malcolm Gladwell, also the host of the hit podcast 'Revisionist History', submitted his own questions for Levins so we get to those.  Plus: We share your listener questions that were submitted on Instagram.  ------- This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Kudos. They're our new partner and they're providing a great new way to show off race medals. Check them out at https://www.kudos2u.com/citiusmag/ – if you hit that link and get yourself a coaster, a portion of the sales come back to CITIUS MAG so that we can continue producing these shows that you enjoy. Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akudos2u/

Allie Kieffer joins The CITIUS MAG Podcast before she takes on the 2018 New York City Marathon. The Big Apple was the site of her major marathon breakthrough in 2017. She finished fifth overall in 2:29:39, which was also a personal best by more than 15 minutes. The only American woman ahead of her was Shalane Flanagan, who became the first U.S. woman to win the race in 40 years. Since last November, Allie signed a professional contract with Oiselle and moved to Boulder to train under Brad Hudson. If the name sounds familiar, he is also the coach of past podcast guest Parker Stinson. Workouts seem to indicate that Allie may be in for another big race and she says that she wants to run fast. We discuss her training including why she's raced back-to-back half marathons. Allie reveals what she's learned from studying tape and film of other marathoners. Allie is also very vocal about body image activism. Her Instagram page is filled with various posts about her past struggles with weight and body image and how she is now comfortable with her body. We discuss the process of what's made her comfortable in that conversation and how others have responded. We also make note of the LetsRun message boards and why she's OK with reading some of the criticism that can sometimes end up there. All that plus listener questions from Instagram... ------ This episode is brought to you by Runners of NYC. Check out the latest show in the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network. Jeanne Mack and I bring you untold stories behind luminaries and legends of the New York City’s running culture. Episode 1 is out! Episode 2 drops Oct. 30! Subscribe today: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/runners-of-nyc/id1438435120?mt=2

We'll be back to your regularly scheduled CITIUS MAG Podcast interviews this week. Our next guest is Allie Kieffer so look for that interview later possibly on Thursday or Friday. Just wanted to take a moment to give you all a preview of the newest show on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network. This is a project that I am very proud of and I've got high hopes for the new show. It's a show that I co-host with Jeanne Mack. She interviewed me on this podcast a few weeks back. We announced this was going to happen. Now it's here. Introducing "Runners of NYC". This is the first episode. You may not be from NYC but this show will give you some good insight into the many people who make up such a great city. It's every day runners in an every day setting but not your common backgrounds. In a city of 8 million people, Jeanne and I have a lot of stories to tell. We're excited to share them with you. The show is now available on iTunes and Soundcloud so subscribe today! iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/runners-of-nyc/id1438435120?mt=2 ----- Our first ever guest on the 'Runners of NYC Podcast' is Joe DiNoto. Joe is a runner whose ties to New York City go back multiple generations. He is someone who has had a huge and lasting influence on the sport and culture of running here in the city. He is the founder of the Orchard Street Runners, a co-ed running group that meets on Tuesday nights in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Through Orchard Street Runners, Joe started organizing and holding unsanctioned races for men and women through the streets of New York. Those races have continued to grow in scope and competition, so we dive into Joe’s process of bringing those races to fruition, along with how he became a runner, and what keeps him running. This is Runners of NYC. A new podcast from CITIUS MAG. Hosts Jeanne Mack and Chris Chavez look to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture. For more information on the Orchard Street Runners, follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/orchardstreetrunners/ Follow the show on Instagram: @RunnersOfNYCPod. Don’t forget Twitter as well: @RunnersOfNYC Music for the show is by Future Generations. Portrait of Joe DiNoto taken by Jason Suarez. Podcast artwork by Kyle Klosinski.

Intern Matt (also known as my good friend Matt Kulling) joins me over a beer at Murphy's Bleachers in Chicago just one day after he ran the 2018 Chicago Marathon. He was not a runner before July and so I decided to catch up with my buddy about what he learned from his first marathon. Why did he sign up to do this? What was the hardest part of training? What were the highs and lows of the actual race? Would he ever do it again? Here's what he said, when I asked him what he learned from this whole process. "It doesn't really matter if you run in 2:04 or if you run in 6:04, people will cheer you on the same amount. This is me kind of patting myself on the back but it's a tremendous accomplishment to just finish or even say that I'm going to do this at all. It's a self-imposed goal. The fact that people are so supportive of you – if you have to walk, it doesn't matter. If you're really old, it doesn't matter. If you're really young, it doesn't matter. People really rally around you and that's what I thought was cool about seeing you run Berlin and London and now something I experienced in Chicago." Congrats, Matt.

Jeanne Mack takes over the CITIUS MAG Podcast to put me in the guest position for once. Maybe we should've done this at the start of the podcast so that listeners can get to know me better but here we are. I turn 25 on Sunday, Sept. 25. Before I start this quarter-life crisis, Jeanne asked to interview me and so we sat down in a park to chat about my background. This episode delves into how I got started in track and field as a sprinter at Xavier High School in New York City. Was I any good? (Spoiler: No) How did I gain interest in distance running? What spurred me to start running distance? Jeanne asks about my professional life as a writer for Sports Illustrated and then how I came about with the idea to start CITIUS MAG. What's the story behind #LegsAreFeelinGood? What's the hope for the future of CITIUS MAG? How can the readers and listeners help out? There's a lot to unpack in this episode so it's a bit longer than usual. We sat down and then realized that we had been recording for at least 80 minutes. Enjoy this pod at your leisure. Let me know what you think by tweeting at me: @ChrisChavez. Stay tuned for a special announcement in the middle of the show. This episode is brought to you by the Legs Are Feelin Good™. Get out there and get yourself the most popular running mugs! SHIRTS: rdbl.co/2O9nMeh MUGS: rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ

Parker Stinson joins The CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss his training and expectations for the 2018 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Before we delve into his preparation, we discuss how he got involved in the sport at an early age thanks to his father and then landing at the University of Oregon where he became a nine-time All-American for the Ducks. After a solid collegiate career, Parker signed a professional contract with Saucony and moved to Boulder, Colorado to train under esteemed coach Brad Hudson. Parker's training has been chronicled in a very well-done video series called 'Endure' which is produced by Trackster. In the latest video, Parker completes a 35K workout (21.75 miles) on dirt roads at 5,200 feet of elevation and at 5:12 pace per mile. We definitely discussed that workout and what it means to embrace the suffering. Listener questions include: - What's the best version of the Saucony Kinvara? His favorite trainer and racer? Plus, will we be seeing his all-white kicks in Chicago? - What are his thoughts while leading a race? - Dissecting Brad Hudson's filming of workout videos while driving - Would he ever attempt a sub-four minute mile? - What's his focus while coming back from injury? - How long did it take for him to grow out his hair? Shampoo? - Plus: The Final Four Questions ------ This episode is brought to you by the Legs Are Feelin Good™. Get out there and get yourself the most popular running mugs! SHIRTS: https://rdbl.co/2O9nMeh MUGS: rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ

Checking back in with Jason Suarez, a CITIUS MAG contributor also known on Instagram as @NotAfraid2Fail. Jason announces that he will be running the 2018 New York City Marathon and has found his love for running again. Jason joined the podcast in March and talked about how he did his first marathon to prove to himself that it's not that difficult to run a marathon. He didn't train for it. He even stopped for a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich along the way. By the time that he finished, it was dark and there weren't too many people behind him. If you haven't listened to his first episode, it's a recommended listen.  Now, he's been running with Project Moonshot in New York City and has been working with a big training group to stay motivated for this year's race. Jason also has a lofty goal of raising $30,000 for Girls Gotta Run. We previously helped raise $1,805 for Girls Gotta Run on International Women's Day. Let's help Jason raise some money. With $30,000, Jason hopes to back 120 girls in Bekoji, Ethiopia. Jason explains more of his thought process behind the fundraising on the show. The link to his fundraising page can be found here: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/accelerate-girls-gotta-run-back-to-school/ LEGS ARE FEELIN' GOOD MERCH Get your swag below: Shirts - https://rdbl.co/2O9nMeh Mugs - https://rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ

Claus-Henning Schulke was a champion to many watching the Berlin Marathon on TV or monitoring social media during Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01:39 marathon world record. The 52-year-old amateur triathlete was amped up whenever he successfully passed off bottles to Kipchoge. He would emphatically fist pump. On Twitter, people were referring to him as "Der Flaschenbro" which translates to The Bottle Bro. I loved the guy. Shortly after the race, I decided to get in contact with Kipchoge's reps, who then passed along Claus's contact information. When I reached out to him about doing a brief interview, he got back to me within a minute to make it happen. Claus knows how to deliver. He also still brought 100% energy to the call. I wish I started recording immediately because he started the call with a loud, "HELLO, NEW YORK!!" since he knew that I was in the Big Apple. LetsRun.com posted their own Q&A with Claus on Monday but we figured our listeners would still love to hear from the man himself. This episode is brought to you by the Legs Are Feelin Good™. Get out there and get yourself the most popular running mugs! Link here: rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review.

We decided to check in briefly with our friend Nick Roche, who made his first appearance on the CITIUS MAG Podcast in April, and CITIUS MAG stats editor Scott Olberding. In his first appearance on the show, Nick publicly stated that he would like to get after a U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier even if his personal best is 2:27 from last year's Berlin Marathon. Scott also has OTQ dreams. Both these guys manage full-time jobs while training at a high level. Nick works at Adidas. Scott works at Columbia Sportswear. They train together as members of the Jacuzzi Boys Athletic Club. They're a group of fun guys with lofty, fast goals. Now they're both in Germany for this weekend's Berlin Marathon. Nick will go for the trials mark. Scott recently had an Achilles scare and will be looking to run his best. I decided to tap into their minds before their big race and get some insight into how two normal dudes approach their biggest race of the year. Follow them: Nick Roche - https://www.instagram.com/nickroche/ Scott Olberding - https://www.instagram.com/isthatsol/ This episode is brought to you by the Legs Are Feelin Good™. Get out there and get yourself the most popular running mugs! Link here: rdbl.co/2MWgkSZ