The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show
CITIUS MAG
Recent Episodes
“Especially after 36K, I was telling myself, ‘Even if they speed up, I have to go deep today…’ I was telling myself, ‘This is my moment.’”
My guest for today's episode is Abdi Nageeye, whose journey in 2024 could only be described as redemption at its finest. The Dutch marathoner and 2021 Olympic silver medalist who just three months ago grappled with his appointment after withdrawing late in the Olympic marathon in Paris, roared back to claim the biggest victory of his career at the TCS New York City Marathon.
In a thrilling showdown against one of the strongest fields in race history, Nageeye deployed patience, strategy, and a powerful finishing kick to secure his first World Marathon Major title in 2:07:39 seconds, making history as the first Dutchman and the first European since 1996. To win the New York City Marathon from his self coach training in Eldoret to a race plan honed by years of experience on the course, Abdi turned heartbreak into triumph.
We dive into his reflections on Paris, his mental and physical preparation for New York City, and what this victory means for him moving forward. But first, you'll also hear a never before released interview with Abdi from my trip to Kenya in June 2023, where we discussed a bit more of his backstory and upbringing from being born in Somalia to settling in the Netherlands as a refugee and spending time in Syria before finally being adopted by a Dutch family.
I initially planned for this to be released last fall, but didn't have a chance to, but I'm now glad it's finally out. It's fun because towards the end of that first interview, I asked him what he wants to accomplish and he finally gets it done. Part one is my interview with him in Kenya and then part two is my interview with him reflecting on New York.
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Abdi Nageeye | @abdinageeye on Instagram
Time stamps:
2023 Interview live from Eldoret, Kenya:
3:37 - Reflecting on training
5:02 - Why he likes to train in new places, what he enjoys about training in Kenya
9:05 - His backstory + stories from growing up
18:10 - Why he considers Africa to be his home
20:33 - Being embraced by the Netherlands
22:06 - Why shifting to the roads panned out so well for him
25:49 - What he learned from training with athletes like Eliud Kipchoge
28:20 - Future goals for his running career
2024 Interview after winning the NYC Marathon:
34:51 - How training has been going since the NYC Marathon
38:17 - What life has been like since our first interview in 2023
41:00 - Current training setup
43:28 - Paris Olympics marathon experience
47:55 - Thoughts after dropping out of the Olympic marathon
54:44 - NYC Marathon race breakdown
59:03 - The final miles of the race
1:01:03 - Thoughts when Tamirat Tola was closing on him and Evans Chebet
1:02:36 - The point when he knew he was going to win
1:06:13 - Emotions after crossing the finish line
1:08:12 - Looking ahead to future races
1:11:18 - Reflecting on his marathon career so far
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
WAHOO: KICKR RUN - a new revolutionary treadmill offering the freedom and form of outdoor running at home, from Wahoo Fitness. Run hands-free and focus solely on the joy of running with the innovative RunFree Mode - which adjusts to your stride and pace automatically. For the first time runners can now fully benefit from indoor training apps such as Zwift Run and the Wahoo app for an immersive training experience that delivers unmatched realism and results. Learn more at WahooFitness.com
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. Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com.
Chris Chavez and cross country expert Isaac Wood are back to recap conference weekend and preview each regional meet going down across the country this Friday. Join us for our thoughts and predictions on who will qualify for the big dance in Madison, Wisconsin on November 23rd.
You can listen to our last NCAA cross country season check-in episode here.
Hosts: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Isaac Wood | @isaacew on Instagram
Time stamps:
1:51 - Conference weekend recap
4:34 - Isaac’s biggest takeaways from conference weekend
5:31 - Wake Forest’s men’s team looking strong heading into Regionals
6:59 - Big 12s men’s recap: thoughts on BYU, OSU
11:39 - Big 12s women’s recap: thoughts on BYU, West Virginia
16:05 - Oregon women looking to become a title contender
17:45 - Projected top teams at NCAAs
20:52 - Explanation on how to qualify for NCAAs
22:36 - Auto-qualifiers + at-large predictions: men
30:05 - Auto-qualifiers + at-large predictions: women
35:10 - Regions to pay most attention to on Friday
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
WAHOO: KICKR RUN - a new revolutionary treadmill offering the freedom and form of outdoor running at home, from Wahoo Fitness. Run hands-free and focus solely on the joy of running with the innovative RunFree Mode - which adjusts to your stride and pace automatically. For the first time runners can now fully benefit from indoor training apps such as Zwift Run and the Wahoo app for an immersive training experience that delivers unmatched realism and results. Learn more at WahooFitness.com
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. Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com.
![SPRINT Season 2 | Episode-By-Episode Recap And Review [Your Unofficial Companion Podcast]](https://us-central1-podcastguru-217d6.cloudfunctions.net/gcf_get_image?image_url=https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode/1415435/1415435-1731508538057-77eacc49f8e23.jpg&width=300&height=300&api_key=xqFmUFX5BHLBTA)
Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia review the second season of the Netflix documentary series, SPRINT. We share our thoughts and analysis on all four episodes and break down the top storylines throughout the season. You can listen to our review of the first season of SPRINT here.
Hosts: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Preet Majithia | @prm_32 on X
Time stamps:
1:22 - Season 2 overview: cast, notable athletes missing
3:42 - Season 1 highlights
Episode 1: ALL AMERICAN
5:32 - Noah Lyles
10:21 - Fred Kerley
13:10 - Christian Coleman
15:40 - Gabby Thomas, Dennis Mitchell’s pro group
17:57 - Little focus on athletes’ personalities outside of track
19:48 - Highlights of episode 1
Episode 2: CHANGING OF THE GUARD
20:35 - Jamaican storylines
22:23 - Kishane Thompson, Oblique Seville
25:53 - Shericka Jackson
31:27 - Julien Alfred
Episode 3: GOING FOR GOLD: PART 1
33:45 - Series shifts to the Olympics
37:00 - Marcell Jacobs
39:01 - Sha’Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson, TeeTee Terry
44:10 - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
48:17 - Shericka Jackson
50:24 - Julien Alfred
Episode 4: GOING FOR GOLD: PART 2
56:32 - Men’s 100m final
1:02:19 - Kenny Bednarek
1:03:50 - Letsile Tebogo
1:05:10 - Men’s 200m: Noah Lyles getting COVID
1:08:36 - Women’s 200m: Gabby Thomas, Julien Alfred
1:11:32 - How the series ends + U.S. men’s 4x100m relay
Final takeaways:
1:14:39 - Parting thoughts and final rating
1:17:53 - What comes next + will there be a Season 3?
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
WAHOO: KICKR RUN - a new revolutionary treadmill offering the freedom and form of outdoor running at home, from Wahoo Fitness. Run hands-free and focus solely on the joy of running with the innovative RunFree Mode - which adjusts to your stride and pace automatically. For the first time runners can now fully benefit from indoor training apps such as Zwift Run and the Wahoo app for an immersive training experience that delivers unmatched realism and results. Learn more at WahooFitness.com
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. Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com.
“What made me sign on is just how it was pitched: the fastest people in the world. There’s not many leagues that sign you on as contracted racers. That’s new. And I like to be a part of change.”
Grand Slam Track has confirmed that Kingston, Jamaica will be one of four cities that will play host to the action in the professional track league's inaugural season. In 2025, the first slam will be held at the national stadium at Independence Park on April 4th, 5th and 6th.
Back in June when the league was first announced, Los Angeles was one of the four cities that was announced, but Kingston is the first city confirmed with dates. This is the same stadium that hosts the Racers Grand Prix and the same stadium that is packed for five days when it hosts the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships in March.
Grand Slam Track’s events will take place over three days with athletes racing twice. Athletes will receive points for their finishing position in each race and then the athlete with the highest points total after both events will win the slam and the $100,000 grand prize.
So what does this mean for the league? Grand Slam Track will have a host city where the Diamond League has not tapped into with one of the most devout track and field fan populations in the world. The fandom around the sprints is a national tradition from the high school to the Olympic level and the league has already invested in Jamaican talent with three Jamaican racers in Roshawn Clark, who will contest the 400m and 400m hurdles; Ackera Nugent, who will run the 100m and 100m hurdles; and Rushell Clayton, who will run the 400m and 400m hurdles.
So to get excited about the league and the first slam in Jamaica, we caught up with two-time world championship medalist Rushell Clayton at the Grand Slam Track Racer Summit in Los Angeles.
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Rushell Clayton | @rushellclayton on Instagram
Time stamps:
6:04 - Excitement for racing in Kingsport for GST
8:06 - Why she decided to sign on with GST
9:32 - When the 400m hurdles event rose to a new level
10:27 - What led to her 5th place finish at the Paris Olympics
12:30 - Chasing after a new 400m PB
13:05 - Thoughts on her competitors
14:21 - Goals for 2025
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
WAHOO: KICKR RUN - a new revolutionary treadmill offering the freedom and form of outdoor running at home, from Wahoo Fitness. Run hands-free and focus solely on the joy of running with the innovative RunFree Mode - which adjusts to your stride and pace automatically. For the first time runners can now fully benefit from indoor training apps such as Zwift Run and the Wahoo app for an immersive training experience that delivers unmatched realism and results. Learn more at WahooFitness.com
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. Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com.
“We’re kind of on this journey to the marathon. The next logical step is a half marathon. That will be in the new year. We don’t know exactly where yet but we want to go attack a half marathon. That’s what all the training is focused on and that’s why it’s been so fun. Not that the training is easy but it’s the training that comes the most naturally to me.”
My guest for today's episode is U.S. Olympian Joe Klecker of the On Athletics Club. He joins us with some news that he’s gearing up for his half marathon debut in early 2025 after a challenging comeback from injury.
Joe is back and looking to tackle a new distance with a keen eye on Ryan Hall's American record in the half marathon. While his 2024 outdoor season was sidelined by a torn abductor, he's now fully focused on the 13.1 mile distance. He doesn't say it, but I think all signs point that it will likely be at the Houston Half Marathon in January, which is traditionally perfect weather and very fast. And while he's not quite ready to step away from the track just yet, Joe is already embracing the marathon mindset and this is one step forward to getting to the full distance with a personal best of 12:54 for 5K and 27:07 for 10K.
Joe's incredible speed and dedication are setting him up for a strong entry into the longer distance. So in this episode, we'll hear about his approach to injury recovery, his plans for that debut, all with the guidance of his coach Dathan Ritzenhein and the support of his training partner and Olympic medalist, Hellen Obiri. He also shares why he's hoping for one more team on the track.
Many thanks to New York Road Runners for allowing us to host this conversation in front of an audience at the Citizens Bank stage at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo.
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Joe Klecker | @joe_klecker on Instagram
Time stamps:
3:43 - Getting to ride on the lead vehicle at the NYC Marathon
5:21 - Thoughts on racing the marathon himself in the future.
5:19 - Thoughts on teammate Hellen Obiri’s build leading into NYC
7:09 - Details on Hellen’s workouts
9:30 - Coming back from injury this summer
11:04 - How his training has evolved since graduating college
12:16 - Future races on the calendar
15:03 - Going after the half marathon American record
17:14 - OAC’s team culture
22:30 - What keeps training exciting
23:37 - How he approaches his future career in the marathon
24:34 - Why track and the marathon feel like different sports
25:48 - Overrated/underrated: training methods
32:51 - Goals for 2025
34:29 - Why now is a good time to shift to the marathon
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
WAHOO: KICKR RUN - a new revolutionary treadmill offering the freedom and form of outdoor running at home, from Wahoo Fitness. Run hands-free and focus solely on the joy of running with the innovative RunFree Mode - which adjusts to your stride and pace automatically. For the first time runners can now fully benefit from indoor training apps such as Zwift Run and the Wahoo app for an immersive training experience that delivers unmatched realism and results. Learn more at WahooFitness.com
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. Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com.