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

"Sprinters are just this A-type. Because they have to be. What you realize is this sport is probably won and lost in those moments right before, it’s won and lost on the line, it’s won and lost when the gun goes off. It's all about projecting your presence onto your biggest competitor. As soon as we got into it, these guys didn't hold back, whether it was Noah (Lyles) or Fred (Kerley), whether it was the rivalry between the Jamaican women, it was all there and none of them held back with it." Paul Martin is the co-founder of Box to Box Films, the production company behind the hit Netflix sports documentary series including Drive to Survive and Full Swing. Track finally got its version as SPRINT was released on Netflix on July 2nd. In this episode, we discuss the making of the series; the Netflix effect that people talk about in sports and what were some of the challenges in capturing an individual sport like track, which has tons of stars who could pop out of nowhere. Plus: Is a middle distance series on the table? Time Stamps: – 3:56 - The impact that Formula 1: Drive to Survive has had on Paul’s career. – 8:57 - How Paul and James transitioned into athletics + what made it compelling to them.  – 14:12 - What Paul loves most about today's sprinters + why he wants to share their stories.  – 19:46 - How Paul was able to get the biggest sprint stars onto the show.  – 23:00 - The timeline of how season one came together.  – 28:54 - Why Paul chose to hone in on sprints first as opposed to other areas of track and field.  – 32:27 - Elements from Drive to Survive that could help track and field break into the mainstream. – 36:01 - Ideas on how to make following along track and field more engaging. – 41:04 - The moment in SPRINT that Paul found the most emotional. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 🍊 OLIPOP – For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. Use code CITIUS25 at DrinkOlipop.com 🐾 PUMA – Meet the Deviate NITRO™ Elite 3, PUMA’s lightest raceday shoe ever designed for those who want to stand out. Packed with PUMA’s innovative NITROFOAM™ Elite for superior energy return and a stiffer carbon fibre PWR Plate for maximum speed, this shoe is all about race day performance. Shop and learn more at PUMA.com/Running

Newly minted Olympian and 5x NCAA champion Parker Valby joins us live in Eugene after her runner-up finish in the 10,000m and 4th place finish in the 5000m. Parker shares about how she almost decided not to contest the Olympic Trials 10,000m, how she’s been able to stay mentally composed with how often she’s raced this year, what it’s been like racing among the pros at the Olympic Trials, what her training has looked like the past month while in Eugene, why she goes off the grid on social media before races, and what she’s looking forward to most in Paris.  Parker also chats with us about her love for kombucha and her favorite music. Hear more from Parker and what’s ahead for her in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Karen Leciewicz | @kara_les on Instagram  Guest: Parker Valby | @parkervalby on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

“It’s bigger than me. It’s about my purpose and what I want to show in track and field, what I want to show people who are watching, and the younger generation. It’s about that. If you get caught up in, ‘I need to prove to everyone that I belong here and deserve this,’ it’s not really about that.” 2x Olympic medalist and 2x world medalist Gabby Thomas joins us live in Eugene after defending her Olympics Trials 200m title to secure her spot on another Olympic team. Gabby walks us through the sequence of her 200m rounds, why she decided to go all-in on the 200m for the Olympic Trials, how she handles the pressures of racing, her purpose for competing, her goals for Paris, and how she hopes to inspire the next generation. Hear more from Gabby and her incredible journey in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram + Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_kxnaomi on Instagram Guest: Gabby Thomas | @gabbythomas on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

“We see upsets all the time in this sport. Anything can happen to anybody on any given day. Those two are just on a whole other level. It’s kind of motivating to me. They’re #1 and #2 of all-time. They are the best two in the sport. They are active, they’re in their prime right now… As a guy who’s a little bit of a peg down from them, it’s super motivating. I want to beat those guys more than anything – because if I'm able to beat them, I'm beating absolute legends of the sport.”  Payton Otterdahl joins the show after qualifying for his second Olympic Games in shot put. Payton shares about how he approaches head-to-head competition with shot put legends Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs, breaks down the depth of the shot put field that he’ll face in Paris, how his shot put practices compare to his actual competitions, how he uses the offseason to his advantage, and lots more. Hear more from Payton in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Guest: Payton Otterdahl | @paytonotterdahl on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

“Especially seeing people who were young and doing track now, to kind of be like, ‘Listen. You CAN do it, even if it takes you 20 years,’ because I’ve actually been doing track officially for 20 years.” Chari Hawkins joins us live in Eugene to share about her path to becoming one of the world’s best heptathletes. She chats with us about how she’s stayed patient while working her way to the top, the bond and sense of respect that she shares with other heptathletes, how she structures her season to optimize her world ranking, advice for younger athletes, and lots more. Hear more from Chari on her powerful story in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram Guest: Chari Hawkins | @_charihawkins on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

“If you can't bet on yourself at the end of the day, then what the hell are you doing? I know if my life depended on it, I know I can show up… I can only lose to myself and that's when I'm not executing my race plan.” 5x world champion and world record holder Grant Holloway joins us live in Eugene after booking his ticket to another Olympic Games. Grant breaks down all three of his sub-13 performances in the Olympics Trials 110m hurdles, shares about his training group, his thoughts on Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track league, how he was able to regroup after the Tokyo Olympics, how he studies his competitors, and his perspective on the state of the men’s 110m hurdles in the U.S. Hear more from Grant and what’s ahead for him in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_kxnaomi on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram  Guest: Grant Holloway | @flaamingoo_ on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

“I feel like there’s moments where you’re like, ‘Should I go or should I not go?’ after such a big loss. Go. That’s the best time you can go and do something after a big loss. Let’s do it, let’s try again. The most important thing you can always do is just try again… Just because you had a loss doesn't mean you can’t pick yourself up and try again.”  World Championship medalist Brittany Brown joins us live in Eugene after qualifying for her first Olympic team. She never won an NCAA title and didn’t sign a pro contract out of college, but she continued to bet on herself and it paid off big time. Brittany shares about her perseverance through setbacks to get to this point in her career, other women who inspire her, how she uses her 400m training to help her grow stronger in other events, what her training group is like, and more. Hear more from Brittany and her incredible path to the Olympics in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram + Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_kxnaomi on Instagram Guest: Brittany Brown | @_brittanyshamere on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

“Every time I felt like I was going to fall off, I said, ‘No, I’m not going to let it happen. Mentally I am way stronger than this…’ I talked to myself in the last minute. I said, ‘No. I am mentally struggling, this is not hard. I’ve been running a lot faster than this during practice, so I can do this.’ That helped me to come back again.” 2x U.S. champion Weini Kelati joins us live in Eugene after winning the Olympic Trials 10,000m and qualifying for her first Olympic team. Weini shares about why she went all-in on the 10,000m at the Trials, how she fine-tuned her training to prepare for the 10,000m, what she tells herself during the toughest parts of races, what it means to her to represent the U.S. at the Olympics, and what message she hopes to impart to the millions of people who will be watching her compete at the Olympics. Hear more from Weini and her path to the Paris Olympics in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Mitch Dyer | @metchosketch on Instagram Guest: Weini Kelati | @weini_kelati on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

“After the 100, you could see I was really ticked off because I knew I should have won that and I lost it. But with the 200, there was a lot of upside and I was happy to see the performance because I was like, ‘Hey I was there and I let off the gas because I had to, but Paris is what matters and I know I'm going to be ready.” 2x Olympian and 3x World Championship Medalist Kenny Bednarek joins us live in Eugene after his runner-up finish in the Olympic Trials 100m – his first national team in the event. Kenny breaks down the 100m rounds at the Trials, his thoughts on who should be on the 4x100m relay, and more. Hear more from Kenny and what’s ahead for him in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram  Guest: Kenny Bednarek | @kenny_bednarek on Instagram _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

“It was a very, very low point and I feel like track wasn't loving me like I was loving it. I was ready to be done. Every athlete has their own story. Every athlete gets to a point where it's like, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this…’ Going through that, it's very motivational to be in a place like this. I never thought I would be here, I never thought I was going to be on an Olympic team.” Olympic Trials 110m hurdles runner-up Freddie Crittenden joins us live in Eugene after qualifying for the Paris Olympics. Freddie shares about the hardships he went through in 2021, where he almost quit the sport completely, and how he was able to build off those low points to become an Olympian. Freddie also shares about what it’s like training with Grant Holloway and how he was able to step up at the Olympic Trials when it mattered most. Hear more from Freddie and what’s ahead for him in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_kxnaomi on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram  Guest: Freddie Crittenden | @freddiecrittenden on Instagram SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

“After the (2012) Olympics, it just was such a big boost because for so long you're scrapping and fighting. I was 5th, 6th, 7th in a lot of these races and I kept saying, ‘This is going to be the year I'm going to get over the hump.’ For it to finally happen was just such a big moment for me, for my own confidence. After that I knew that I belonged and could really compete with all these guys.” 2x Olympic medalist and 12x U.S. champion Galen Rupp joins us live in Eugene to catch us up on life since the Olympic Marathon Trials in February. Galen reflects on his favorite races from his career, his experience competing for the University of Oregon, what his training was like during the peak of his career, the support he’s received from his wife and family, how he stays looped into the running community, and what it’s been like recovering from surgery a few months ago. Hear more of Galen’s updates in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Mitch Dyer | @metchosketch on Instagram Guest: Galen Rupp _________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running

Last one, fast one?! The final day of the Olympic Trials was one for the history books. In every. single. event. that took place on the tracks yesterday afternoon, the Olympic Trials meet record was broken. In multiple events, simply qualifying for Team USA meant you had to produce a performance that ranked in the U.S. top-10 of all time. 12.37 in the 100m hurdles, 3:56.75 in the women’s 1500m, and 1:44.12 in the men’s 800m were only good enough for fourth place. The mantra of “iron sharpens iron” normally applies to training groups, but it certainly also applies to American track and field right now. When being top 10 in the world is not a guarantee of being top 3 in the U.S., the choice is simple: you elevate your game or you go home. The afternoon began with the 5000m final, where last year’s U.S. champ Abdi Nur and this year’s 10,000m champ Grant Fisher treated the fans to an epic duel over the final few laps. It took a sub-4 1600m to break the rest of the field, and in the final strides, Fisher was able to re-pass Nur and get his second title of the week, the first time he’s completed the 10/5 double. Behind them, it was a similar battle for third between collegians Parker Wolfe and Graham Blanks, and it’s still not clear whether Wolfe or Blanks will end up on Team USA. Wolfe needs a few scratches in the world rankings ahead of him, and Blanks has the auto standard. In the men’s 800m, Bryce Hoppel won his sixth straight U.S. title (counting indoors), but he did it in the fastest time of his career, a 1:42.77. His training partner Hobbs Kessler snagged third and qualifies for both the 800m and 1500m, the first time an American man has done that since 1976. In the women’s 100m hurdles, you could throw a blanket over the whole field with two hurdles remaining, but it was Masai Russell who closed the best and clocked a 12.25, the good for #4 on the world all-time list. Rai Benjamin did Rai Benjamin things in the men’s 400m hurdles, cruising to a 46.47 world lead and meet record well ahead of the competition. The women’s 1500m was an absolute battle — more on that below. And then we closed the weekend with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. McLaughlin-Levrone is used to being the star of the show, and honestly her biggest competition is usually the shadow of her past self. In the 400m hurdles final she had the benefit of a fast-starting Anna Cockrell on her outside, who stayed even with the Olympic champ for the first three hurdles and kept the pressure on early. But the real difference was that, coming around the final turn, McLaughlin-Levrone didn’t shut it down like she normally does through the rounds, instead powering down the homestretch to an incredible new world record 50.65. For those keeping score at home, that’s the fifth time McLaughlin-Levrone has lowered the world record. When she started, the world record she was breaking was Dalilah Muhammad’s 52.16 from 2019, and now it’s an incredible 1.51 seconds faster. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. ⁠⁠⁠NewBalance.co⁠⁠⁠m/Running