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

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Preet Majithia recap all of the major action at the 2026 Prefontaine Classic. Streaks ended, young stars arrived, and the whole distance-and-sprint order got shaken up in a single afternoon in Eugene.

Discussed in this episode:

– Tate Taylor wins the men’s 200m in 19.75 into a -0.9 headwind: The biggest surprise of the meet. Tebogo was the overwhelming favorite. We discuss why it’s different from the Gout Gout 19.67. Taylor confirmed he will not be running USAs, and the World U20 Championships in Eugene in August is now the most anticipated junior...

CITIUS MAG crew is LIVE from Hayward Field in Eugene, previewing everything you need to know before the meet with special guests, athlete interviews, and predictions across the whole card. This show is a partnership between CITIUS MAG and TrackTown USA, streamed from the VIP Village and Fan Festival stage.

Fans looking to watch every minute of the action will have to toggle between a few different networks, but the easiest and most consistent way to watch is on Peacock (subscription required), which will stream the final hour of Friday, July 3, from 11:30pm-12:30am EDT and the...

CITIUS MAG crew is LIVE from Hayward Field in Eugene, previewing everything you need to know before the meet with special guests, athlete interviews, and predictions across the whole card. This show is a partnership between CITIUS MAG and TrackTown USA, streamed from the VIP Village and Fan Festival stage.

Fans looking to watch every minute of the action will have to toggle between a few different networks, but the easiest and most consistent way to watch is on Peacock (subscription required), which will stream the final hour of Friday, July 3, from 11:30pm-12:30am EDT and the...

“A big part of it was finding the right environment, the right people, and the right team that I was excited to be a part of.”

My guest for today's episode is someone we've had a great joy of watching develop from high school through the collegiate ranks. Gary Martin is now a professional runner. He's signing with Brooks and joining the Brooks Beasts, and it feels like it was just yesterday that we were sitting down with him at the Armory after his New Balance Nationals mile victory.

For those who've been following along with...

The Prefontaine Classic is this weekend at Hayward Field in Eugene, and CITIUS MAG will have a live pre-show on both days streaming on our YouTube channel.

This episode is the full breakdown of every event on the card:

– Men’s 800m (Friday): Cooper Lutkenhaus makes his Pre Classic debut as a professional alongside last year’s World Championship team — Donavan Brazier and Bryce Hoppel.

– Men’s 2 Mile (Friday): Grant Fisher is coming off his 5000m victory at the Paris Diamond League to go up against Andreas Almgren and Parker Wolfe.

– Women’s 100m...

In near-perfect conditions following a week of brutal French heat, Sunday’s Paris Diamond League produced three Diamond League records.

In this episode:

– Audrey Werro came to Paris explicitly targeting the women’s 800m world record and ran a personal best of 1:53.80 — a Diamond League record, meet record, world lead, and Swiss national record. She’s now the only woman ever with multiple sub-1:54 performances (three of them, all this season). The world record is 1:53.28, set by Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1983. Werro is 0.52 back.

– Femke Broeders-Bol’s 800m transition is real. The reigning 400m hurdles world...

Disclaimer: Both Chris and Kyle were watching the Knicks when multiple big track performances happened, so some of the detail recall is shakier than usual. No regrets.

Discussed in this episode:

– Knicks NBA Champions: Chris and Kyle grew up as New York sports fans, and CITIUS MAG as a company exists in part because the two bonded over the Yankees and Knicks.

– Cooper Lutkenhaus beats Emmanuel Wanyoni in Oslo, 1:42.08: Photo finish — 1:42.08 to 1:42.09. World lead. Personal best. At 17 years old, he has now beaten the Olympic gold medalist and the Olympic silver medalist in the sa...

Three more collegiate records fell on the final day of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, bringing the total for the most insane week anyone has ever seen to nine.

Dejanea Oakley and Adaejah Hodge, who are roommates for the week, both smashed the NCAA records for 400m and 200m, respectively, putting up 20 points for the eventual team champion Georgia Bulldogs. Oakley covered one lap in 48.79, while Hodge bounced back from a 100m defeat to run 21.68.

After missing Athing Mu’s collegiate record by just .01 at Regionals, Sanu Jallow of Arkansas made sure there we...

Another pair of collegiate records fell inside Hayward Field on Friday night at Day 3 of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi cemented himself as the greatest quarter-miler to ever grace the NCAA, winning the 400m title in 43.38 — becoming the fourth-fastest man ever in the process. LSU’s Jaiden Reid broke 20 seconds under legal conditions in the 200m for the first time, and got way under 20 seconds. His 19.63 broke Walter Dix’s NCAA record that had stood for nearly two decades.

Simeon Birnbaum delivered a thrilling 1500m victory in front of a home Hayward...

Georgia freshman Adaejah Hodge did her best to put Ja’Kobe Tharp’s historic hurdles race out of viewers minds today on Day 2 of the NCAA NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the 100m, Hodge shattered Sha’Carri Richardson’s collegiate record with a 10.63 clocking, becoming the fifth-fastest woman ever in the process. A few hours later, she scorched the track again, leading all 200m qualifiers in 21.96, equalling the fastest single-day double in history.

In the 10,000m final, Iowa Stare freshman Mercyline Kirwa pulled off an incredible upset over Pamela Kosgei and Jane Hedengren, closing in 61.84 to win t...

My guest for today’s episode is Agnes Ngetich: the 10,000m world record holder on the road, the reigning World Cross Country champion, and one of the most compelling athletes in distance running right now. She is 25 years old. She grew up in rural Kenya, lost her father to cancer at 10, and spent much of her adolescence working on farms and carrying bags of charcoal to help feed her family. She missed school to earn money. She showed up to race barefoot and hungry anyway.

A coach named Ruth Bundotich saw something in her at 14 and opened a...

The first day of the 2026 NCAA Championships delivered in many ways, the biggest of which came in the form of Ja’Kobe Tharp’s 110mH world record. The Auburn junior navigated the barrier in 12.75 seconds, breaking Aries Merritt’s 14-year-old mark of 12.80. Tharp’s record led the charge for an incredible day for the Tigers, which also featured three qualifiers in the 100m and a 4x100m collegiate record.

In the evening’s only track final, New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel reclaimed the 10,000m title, winning a race reminiscent of a fartlek in 27:51.31.

In other prelim actio...

Chris Chavez, Preet Majithia, and Mac Fleet unpack the best week of the 2026 outdoor season with Rome and Stockholm delivering back-to-back historic performances.

Discussed in this episode:

– Audrey Werro’s 1:53.98: The third-fastest woman in 800-meter history, only the third woman ever under 1:54, beats Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson (1:54.33 personal best, British record) in Stockholm. Historical context: the two women ahead of her — Kratochvílová (1:53.28, 1983) and Olizarenko (1:53.43, 1980) — are from countries that no longer exist and from the peak of the Eastern Bloc doping era. Many can regard Werro’s 1:53.98 as the de facto clean world record.

– Cooper L...

USA Track & Field and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee have selected St. Louis, Missouri, to host the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials. The races will be held on March 25th, 2028, and will be USATF’s first Olympic Team selection event for the 2028 Summer Games.

The top three men’s and women’s finishers across the finish line will earn spots on Team USA for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games… as long as they have secured the Olympic qualifying standard or are sitting inside the World Athletics rankings quota within the qualifying window. The Olympic standard...

Solo episode from Rome as Preet Majithia steps in while Chris Chavez finishes his book on deadline. Preet covers Götzis, a full Rabat Diamond League recap, a Rome preview from press conference day, and a Stockholm preview for the following Sunday.

Discussed in this episode:

Rabat Diamond League recap:

- Tina Clayton wins the women’s 100m in 10.85

- Cambria Sturgis surprises with a win in 22.21

- Audrey Werro wins in 1:56.56 by running ran away from 2024 world indoor champion and Olympic silver medalist Tsigie Duguma and Tokyo world cha...

“Every day you go through these mental battles — how do I keep going? You’re in a sport where you don’t just leave college and start making a million dollars. You just got to build yourself, almost by yourself.”

My guest for today’s episode is Sam Blaskowski. Not a ton of you probably knew his name before this weekend. At the Music City Track Carnival in Cleveland, Tennessee last Saturday, he ran 9.89 seconds in the 100m: a wind-legal personal best that shaved 0.16 off his previous mark of 10.05, making him the fastest American of 2026 so far, and putting...

“By the time we get there, I don’t think we’ll leave any stone unturned for the first one. There’s still room to grow, but I do think I’ll be very ready.”

My guest for today’s episode is Emma Grace Hurley: an ASICS athlete and one of the most consistent American road racers of the last two years. She trains under Andrew and Amy Begley at Heartland Track Club in Indianapolis, and in 2026 she has already set the American Record at 8K (24:29 at the Shamrock Shuffle), won the USATF 10-Mile title at Cherry Blossom, won t...

Emergency bonus episode triggered by World Athletics dropping the Beijing 2027 qualification system.

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia spend nearly an hour walking through every significant change in qualifying. The core shift: the hybrid model of entry standards plus world rankings is being tilted from a 50-50 split to 40% via entry standards and 60% via world rankings — achieved by making standards significantly tougher across nearly every event.

The episode covers:

– The four qualification pathways

– The new wild card structure (including the unprecedented wild card for World Ultimate Champions)

– Qualifying windows

– Mara...

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber close out Memorial Day weekend with a debrief on the Enhanced Games, a quick Xiamen Diamond League recap, and a full LA Track Fest breakdown.

Discussed in this episode:

– Enhanced Games debrief: It’s not track and field, it’s not a competitor to the sport, and last night was actually a best-case scenario for Enhanced Games skeptics because no athlete watching thought, “I should take drugs, look how well it worked.”

– Xiamen Diamond League: Masai Russell’s 12.14 was the race of the meet. Broke her own American record and mis...

Chris Chavez, Preet Majithia and Paul Hof-Mahoney are back for a packed episode covering the biggest throw in fourteen years, a viral North Carolina high school DQ, the Enhanced Games coming up, ATHLOS expanding to two meets, conference championship weekend, and the full Shanghai Diamond League recap.

Discussed in this episode:

- North Carolina 8A State Championships DQ: Mallard Creek anchor Nyan Brown raised five fingers in the final two meters of the four-by-four relay — signaling a fifth consecutive state title — and was immediately DQ’d for unsportsmanlike conduct. The team title went to Jordan High S...

Chris and Preet are back for This Week In Track & Field with Diamond League week finally here, and a lot of hypotheticals to sort through before they get there.

Discussed in this episode:

– Quincy Wilson runs the 300 meter hurdles: The Olympic 400 gold medalist and high school record holder debuted in the 300m hurdles at his Bullis school league meet, winning in 38.77, about 30 minutes after winning the open 400 in 45.8.

– Grant Holloway update: The reigning Olympic 110 hurdles champion posted on Instagram confirming he’s been dealing with a torn hamstring.

– Cross country not added to...

The World Athletics Relays wrapped up Sunday with world records, championship records, and the first automatic qualifiers secured for Budapest and Beijing 2027.

Discussed in this episode:

- Jamaica broke their own mixed 4x100m world record — 39.62 in the final

- USA smashed the mixed 4x400m championship record — 3:07.47

- Host nation Botswana won the men’s 4x400m in 2:54.47 — third fastest in history — in front of a packed home crowd described as one of the best atmospheres in recent track memory

- Norway stunned the field in the women’s 4x400m wit...

“I just had to always remind myself: be yourself, put in the work, stay present, and trust that it gets better as you go.”

My guest for today’s episode is Sharon Lokedi: the back-to-back Boston Marathon champion. Last month, she became only the second athlete since 1994 to win Boston in consecutive years, crossing the finish line in 2:18:51 for her second straight crown. The way she won it was extraordinary: she sat patiently through a 19-woman lead pack, waited until the hills, and then between 35K and 40K ran a 14:48 5K split — faster than the NCAA outdoor 5K record...

“The difference between confidence and arrogance is evidence. Boston gave me the ability to train like a 2:04 guy without it being irrational. That’s the greatest thing this race could have done for me.”

My guest for today’s episode is Charles Hicks: the 24-year-old Nike athlete, Stanford alum and former NCAA Cross Country Champion who just ran 2:04:35 at the 2026 Boston Marathon. That’s the second-fastest marathon ever run by an American and it’s only his second marathon. He did the entire build on simulated altitude — not a single breath of real mountain air outside of a layover in D...

“No clocks on the course. I had average pace and current pace on my watch, nothing else. I popped into the finishing stadium and I thought the clock said 2:09. Then two seconds later I realized it said 2:05. I was like: what is going on today?”

My guest for today’s episode is Vincent Mauri. You’re probably wondering: Who?! Well, we’ll answer that question in the next hour.

On Sunday morning in Toledo, Ohio, the 24-year-old biomedical engineering graduate and shoe store employee from Youngstown ran 2:05:53 in his marathon debut. He has no agent. No sponsor...

In an emergency episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast, Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia react to one of the most historic moments in distance running: Sabastian Sawe becoming the first athlete to officially break two hours in the marathon in a record-eligible race, running 1:59:30 at the London Marathon.

They break down how it happened: highlighting the blistering negative split, the late-race surge, and the role of Yomif Kejelcha pushing the pace in his debut. The conversation explores every factor behind the performance: race tactics, depth of field, super shoe innovation, fueling, weather, and the psychological barrier finally...

“Once you become a champion instead of a medalist, it shifts something. I used to think a medal was the best thing ever. Now I’d probably be a little disappointed with just a medal. That’s a blessing and a curse.”

My guest for today’s episode is Georgia Hunter Bell. In March, at the World Indoor Championships in Torun, Georgia won gold in the 1500m, completing a remarkable arc from Olympic bronze in Paris in 2024 to World Indoor silver in Tokyo in 2025 to world champion this spring. She did it as part of one of the most e...

“I tangoed way too much in the first half and didn’t have enough left to do it again when it counted. The marathoner who dances smart wins. I danced too early.”

My guest for today’s episode is Rory Linkletter: a Canadian Olympian, co-host of the Out and Back Podcast, and one of the most analytically sharp pro voices in the sport right now. At the 2026 Boston Marathon, he ran 2:06:04 for 14th place overall and the second-fastest marathon in Canadian history. He came in with the best build of his career — two sub-60-minute halves, workouts that never...

“I had every excuse in the book. The perfect narrative to show up and have fun and chalk it all up to injury and sponsor change. But there was this constant question: how can I be true to myself and respectful of the fitness I’ve gained?”

My guest for today’s episode is Clayton Young. He’s back after the 2026 Boston Marathon, which was his tenth marathon and this his tenth appearance on this podcast. He ran 2:05:41 for 11th place in the fastest and deepest field the race has ever seen. That time makes him one of the fiv...

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia hop on the mics for a bonus edition of This Week In Track & Field to preview the London Marathon this Sunday. Chris and Preet break down all the biggest names and storylines to watch for in London and share some of their race day insights and predictions.

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Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Preet Majithia | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@preet_athletics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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“Dathan said: you didn’t run it perfectly, but the way you competed tells us your ceiling might be much higher than we even thought when we recruited you.”

My guest for today’s episode is Ryan Ford: a member of the On Athletics Club roads squad who just ran 2:05:46 at the 2026 Boston Marathon, finishing among the top Americans in one of the fastest and deepest fields the race has ever seen. Twelve months ago, Ryan ran 2:08:00 at Boston in 2025 in what was his breakthrough performance, the race that landed him his On sponsorship and got him training...

“When I crossed the line and saw 2:24, I was actually in shock that I’d still managed a PR given how bad I felt. David [Roche] looked at my GPS file and said being able to bring yourself back from those depths is a sign of a real marathoner.”

My guest for today’s episode is Amanda Vestri. We just had the Brooks pro marathoner on a few weeks ago and talked about how she is one of the most exciting young American marathoners in the sport right now. Now, in just her second marathon, she finished 15th overa...

“You can’t just say from nowhere that you’re going to podium. My bib number was 15, which means there were 14 faster than me on paper. What you can do is read your body during the race. In Boston this year, once it started unfolding, I just knew everything was clicking.”

My guest for today’s episode is Zouhair Talbi. This is his second time on the show this year. We had him on in January after his victory at the Houston Marathon in 2:05.

On Monday at the Boston Marathon, he finished fifth overall in 2:03:45, became the...

“The biggest takeaway after writing the book was: I really believed in myself this whole time. For a long time, I thought of Ryan as a hero of my story. But I realized I’m actually the hero of my own story. I hope everyone feels that way.”

My guest for today’s episode is Sara Hall — a 2:20 marathoner, the former American record holder in the half marathon, and the runner-up at the 2020 London Marathon, which remains the best performance by an American woman in that race since Deena Kastor’s win in 2006. She has been competing at the highe...

Chris Chavez is back from Boston and joins Preet Majithia to break down one of the most historic days in Boston Marathon history with near-perfect racing conditions, a course record, five men under 2:04, and a dominant back-to-back title defense. But first, the guys knock out a loaded week of track results before getting to the marathon.

On the sprint side: Noah Lyles opens in 19.91, Elaine Thompson-Herah returns to the 100 with a 10.92 in her first race at the distance in nearly two years, Michael Norman makes his comeback, and Gabby Thomas heads to Ethiopia chasing sub-11 in a...

"The fact that I let myself just enjoy that last year — I think that was my biggest takeaway. It's one of the most lucid, last 200-meter memories of a race that I've ever had."

My guests for today's episode are Jess McClain and Kenny Krotzer, recorded live at the Brooks Hyperion House in Boston ahead of the 2026 Boston Marathon. Jess was the top American at Boston last year and is back to chase a podium finish in a field she believes Americans can land on. Kenny is a senior innovation footwear developer at Brooks with over a de...

Chris and Preet Majithia break down the biggest stories from the first full weekend of the 2026 outdoor season and then preview the 2026 Boston Marathon.

Discussed in this episode:

– Gout Gout runs 19.67 in the 200m — is it legit?

– The wind theory explained

– Cam Myers goes sub-3:30 to announce himself as a global 1500m force

– Jess Hull’s controversial 1500m disqualification and defiant 5000m win

– Crippa and Demise close historic splits at the Paris Marathon

– Paris Marathon bans single-use cups and bottles — good idea or race disruptor?

– Jakob Ingeb...

“The fact that I’m getting to the starting line totally healthy is the biggest win in my eyes. As I said before for New York, I was not healthy going into that race. I had been dealing with so many things that were physically hurting me in runs and workouts. So the fact that I'm still enjoying training up to this point has been a huge win. If I can compete for a top three American finish in this field, I'll be very happy with that.”

My guest for today’s episode is Amanda Vestri. This is a rea...

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia break down one of the first weekends of the early 2026 outdoor season.

Discussed in this episode:

– Intro: Magic Boost at the Florida Relays

– Sha’Carri Richardson wins the Stawell Gift and goes viral

– The “fastest woman alive” discourse explained

– Collen Kebinatshipi runs 9.89 in the 100m twice

– Max Thomas runs 9.90 at the Florida Relays

– Kishane Thompson’s world 150m best in Miramar

– Jane Hedengren breaks the collegiate 10,000m record in her debut

– Parker Valby vs. Jane Hedengren: the comparison debate

“I’m just a regular guy who has put years and years of work in and it finally paid off… If you keep working at it, the sky is the limit. I only ran 30:50 for the 10K in college and now I’m running 2:09 for the marathon. If you like people who put their nose to the grindstone and don’t quit on their dreams, then I’m probably the guy to root for.”

My guest for today’s episode is Turner Wiley. If you’re looking for one of the most relatable stories in American marathoning right now, he migh...