Athing Mu

Our editors Alex, Katelyn and Michael select the best runners, athletes, performances, the biggest controversies and defining moments this year on the roads, track and trails, with our first annual Marathon Handbook Awards!

But to start things off, Michael shares what the trail running scene is like in Hong Kong, as well as the experience of running UTMB TransLantau, one of the premiere ultramarathon events in South East Asia.

Then, they kick off year-in-review season by culling over all the biggest performances, emerging athletes, and the most compelling storylines in running in 2024.

00:00:00 - Intro Chat
00:03:35 - Trail Running in Hong Kong + UTMB TransLantau
00:25:35 - The Biggest Controversy of 2024 Award
00:38:12 - The Defining Moment of 2024 Award
00:52:26 - The Running Event of the Year Award
01:01:22 - Inspirational Runner of the Year Award
01:09:00 -  Male Runner of the Year Award
01:18:00 - Female Runner of the Year Award
01:27:04 - Ultra-Trail Runner of the Year Award
01:36:40 - A Special Announcement!

Let us know your picks in the comments!

Hosts: Alex Cyr, Michael Doyle and Katelyn Tocci

Also check out the video version of our pods on YouTube! Find us at: https://www.youtube.com/@marathonhandbook

Further Reading:

Opinion: Why It’s Hard To Trust Ruth Chepngetich’s Marathon World Record:
https://marathonhandbook.com/opinion-why-its-hard-to-trust-ruth-chepngetichs-marathon-world-record/

The Awesomesauce Controversy Explained:
https://youtu.be/bxun7YO-_r4?feature=shared

The Josh Kerr vs. Jakob Ingebrigtsen Rivalry Is Exactly What Track and Field Needs:
https://youtu.be/dbxF4Qo9mqA?feature=shared

Parkrun Records Are Gone To “Promote Inclusivity” And Runners Aren’t Happy About It:
https://marathonhandbook.com/parkrun-records/

Why Lululemon Dropped Ultrarunner Camille Herron | Wikipedia Controversy Explained:
https://youtu.be/919mUxIRZMc?feature=shared

Who Is Jasmin Paris? Meet The First Woman To Finish The Barkley Marathons:
https://marathonhandbook.com/who-is-jasmin-paris/

WATCH: Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman To Complete The Barkley Marathons:
https://marathonhandbook.com/jasmin-paris-finishes-barkley-marathons/

Is Sifan Hassan Nike's Perfect Replacement for Eliud Kipchoge ?
https://youtu.be/gyHXQmLW2EY

Live from New York! Our NYC Marathon Instant Reaction Pod:
https://youtu.be/hFVnlEIsWXQ

Kelvin Kiptum’s Marathon World Record: Pace and Splits Analysis:
https://marathonhandbook.com/kiptum-marathon-world-record-pace-splits/

WATCH: Olympic Champion Athing Mu Will Not Defend Title In Paris After Nasty Fall In U.S. Trials 800m Final:
https://marathonhandbook.com/athing-mu-2024-us-olympic-trials-fall/

Abbott Announces Sydney Marathon as Newest Addition to the World Marathon Majors:
https://marathonhandbook.com/sydney-marathon-wmm-announcement/

How Boston Marathon Qualification Times Have Changed Throughout History:

• 00:00 Introduction and Welcome
• 00:15 Henry's Race Recap
• 02:32 London Diamond League Highlights
• 07:51 Men's Mile Drama
• 13:12 400 Meters and Other Highlights
• 14:08 Podcast Announcements and Sponsorship
• 15:35 Holloway Invite Recap
• 18:20 Athing Mu's Performance
• 22:24 Christian Taylor's Farewell
• 24:01 Olympic Games Air Conditioning Controversy
• 26:54 Olympic Village Air Conditioning Controversy
• 29:02 Upcoming Olympic Events and Betting Odds
• 30:12 Women's 1500m Betting Analysis
• 36:23 Men's 1500m Betting Analysis
• 40:12 Women's 800m Betting Analysis
• 42:36 Men's 800m Betting Analysis
• 50:17 Women's 5000m Betting Analysis
• 52:38 Men's 5000m Betting Analysis
• 55:55 Conclusion and Upcoming Coverage

Thank you Ketone-IQ for offering 30% Off Ketone-IQ: https://ketone.com/SWEATELITE

Thank you Pillar Performance for offering listeners 15% off all orders this month at Pillar Performance, use code: SWEAT15 at https://pillarperformance.shop/ and for North Americans at https://thefeed.com/products/pillar-performance

Access the Sweat Elite Private Podcast Feed: https://www.sweatelite.co/shareholders/

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In this episode of The Action in Running on the Sweat Elite podcast, hosts Alex and Matt delve into the major happenings in the running world for the week of June 17th. Topics discussed include Kipchoge's new sponsorship deal with Shox Headphones, Jakob Ingebrigtsen's race plans and recent fatherhood, and Justin Knight's decision to shut down his season. The episode also covers doping news involving sprinter Arian Knighton, the major results from the US Olympic Trials in various events such as the men's 10,000m, men's steeplechase, men's 1500m, women's 5,000m, and women's 800m. Additionally, there is a noteworthy discussion about the potential implications of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics possibly not hosting the track and field events in the city itself. The episode concludes with farewells and acknowledgments for sponsors Pillar Performance and Ketone IQ.

Topics:

The CITIUS MAG team breaks down another action-packed evening at Hayward Field! Some of the biggest highlights from Day 3 of the U.S. Olympic Trials include:

– Men’s 100m final: The pre-race drama and hype delivered on the track as Noah Lyles won the U.S. title in 9.83, tying his lifetime best. Kenny Bednarek made his first 100m team with a lifetime best of his own running 9.87. Currently unsponsored Fred Kerley’s big bet on himself paid off with a season’s best 9.88 and a third place finish to make his second Olympic team.

– Women’s 400m final: After going 6 years between personal bests, Kendall Ellis got her second PB in two days with a 49.46 in the 400m final to win the title and book her ticket to Paris. 

– Men’s 400m semifinal: 16-year-old Quincy Wilson advanced to the 400m final with a 44.59 – which broke his own U18 world record and U.S. high school record that he set just two days ago.

– Women’s 800m semifinal: Athing Mu led all qualifiers to the final in 1:58.84 + led three other women under two minutes in her heat. 

– Men’s 3000m steeplechase: Kenneth Rooks won his second straight U.S. title in 8:21.92 and made his first Olympic team.

+ More

_________

CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at noon PT each day. 

LIVE SHOWS

Good Morning Track and Field will start your day with some takes and updates from Eugene hosted by Eric Jenkins, Mitch Dyer and Karen Lesiewicz at 8:30 a.m. PT.

TRIALS TALK – our hit daily podcast series from 2021 – returns on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed + streaming live immediately post-race to unpack all of the action immediately following the meet.

LIVE MEET COVERAGE

Stay updated on live results, mixed zone interviews and more on the CITIUS MAG Instagram, X and Threads pages while the meet is underway each evening. All interviews will be uploaded to our aforementioned YouTube channel.

MORNING RUNS

CITIUS MAG and New Balance will be hosting group runs on Sunday, June 23rd at 8 a.m. ET; Tuesday, June 25th at 8 a.m. and Saturday, June 29th at 7:30 a.m. Come on by to our pop-up next to Prince Puckler’s Ice Cream shop to meet for some easy morning miles.

All paces are welcome. We’ll be giving away shirts, hats and more. Plus, you’ll have an opportunity to try all of the latest and greatest from New Balance. We’ll also have Olipop, coffee, games and cold plunges to enjoy afterward.

Also, CITIUS MAG Newsletter subscribers will be getting daily emails from the Trials as David Melly rounds up all of the biggest results, stories + our best interviews, photos and original content from Eugene. If you want to hook a friend, there’s no better time than the Trials so forward them the emails or encourage them to sign up today for FREE here: https://citiusmag.beehiiv.com/

This is Des and Kara at their finest, like listening in on two best friends shooting the s**t about their favorite sport. Yes, the recent World Championships in Budapest is the backdrop for the discussion, but they weave in so much more than just event recaps. Plus, Kara dishes all the behind-the-scenes, broadcasting tea, including the back story behind the now-infamous pic of a shirtless Trey Hardee on Instagram. Who's mad about it? Absolutely no one.

Topics include a race recap from Des on her 20K tune-up in New Haven, fangirling Courtney Dauwalter, pressure as an athlete, "new" media vs. traditional, Athing Mu, Sha'Carri, and so much more. Grab your coffee or go for a run, and listen in!

And that’s a wrap on the 2023 World Championships! Kyle Merber, Jasmine Todd, David Melly and David McCarthy break down the ninth and final day of the meet, where we saw a thrilling 800m final on the women’s side, an electric final lap to cap off a tactical 5000m on the men’s side, a shocking finish in the women’s 4x400m relay and so much more. Day 9 in Budapest did not disappoint!

Here are a few highlights from the last day of the World Championships: 

– Women’s 800m: Mary Moraa won the stacked final in a personal best of 1:56.03 + Keely Hodgkinson snuck through on the inside for silver in 1:56.34 + Athing Mu faded to third in 1:56.61.

– Men’s 1500m: Back-to-back 5000m golds for Jakob Ingebrigtsen! Ingebrigtsen and Mo Katir dusted the field in the final 400m to run 13:11.33 and 13:11.40.

– Women’s 4x400m relay: Femke Bol showed that she can deliver on relays, moving from 3rd to 1st in the final 100m to give the Netherlands the victory in 3:20.72.

– Men’s 4x400m relay: Team USA won its 30th medal through the men’s 4x400m! The quartet of Quincy Hall, Vernon Norwood, Justin Robinson and Rai Benjamin put on a dominant performance, winning the race in 2:57.31.

– Men’s marathon: Victor Kiplangat claimed the victory in 2:08:53 + Zach Panning ran 2:11:21 to place 13th as the top American.

– Lots more!

As an official partner of World Athletics, ASICS is proud to support all of CITIUS MAG’s content throughout this year’s World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. CITIUS MAG is the premier destination for real-time competition updates, in-depth analysis and interviews with your favorite track and field athletes.

CITIUS MAG LIVE AT WORLDS: The show will air on the CITIUS MAG YouTube Channel between the morning and evening sessions of competition (Every day at 8 a.m. EST in the U.S.). 

CHAMPS CHATS ON THE CITIUS MAG PODCAST DAILY: The CITIUS MAG team of Chris, Kyle, David McCarthy, Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison will unpack all of the day’s biggest surprises and offer up their insights and analysis from being at the new National Athletics Centre and interviewing athletes each day. The podcast recording will be streamed on YouTube at the end of every day and will be also available on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to shows. 

DAILY CITIUS MAG NEWSLETTER: David Melly will recap all of the biggest moments, highlighting his must-watch athletes and events for each day while also pulling together some of our best content, photos and social moments that the CITIUS MAG team captures.

We’re a full week into the World Championships and the meet just keeps getting better! Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, and Jasmine Todd are joined again by Mitch Dyer to break down the electric 200m finals on both the men’s and women’s sides, the women’s triple jump where Yulimar Rojas secured gold on her final jump, the stacked 4x100m relay semifinals, and much more.

Day 7’s most notable moments include:

– Women’s 200m: Shericka Jackson won with a 21.41 championship record and 2nd fastest mark of all time + Americans Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson took silver and bronze respectively. 

– Men’s 200m: Four days after his 100m victory, Noah Lyles returned to the top of the podium with his third straight gold in the 200m with a 19.52 win + the silver and bronze medals went to Erriyon Knighton and Letsile Tebogo.

– Women’s triple jump: After sitting in 8th place heading into her final attempt, Yulimar Rojas leapt 15.08m to win over Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk’s 15.00m jump.

– Keely Hodgkinson ran 1:58.48 for the fastest time heading into the final + Athing Mu got tripped up during the race but managed to qualify for the final with a 1:58.78.

– Men’s 4x100m relay: Team USA and Team Jamaica both advanced smoothly to the final with the U.S. finishing just ahead, 37.67 to 37.68.

– Women’s 4x100m relay: The Jamaican squad cruised through the semifinal with a 41.70 heat win anchored by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

– A lot more!

As an official partner of World Athletics, ASICS is proud to support all of CITIUS MAG’s content throughout this year’s World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. CITIUS MAG is the premier destination for real-time competition updates, in-depth analysis and interviews with your favorite track and field athletes.

CITIUS MAG LIVE AT WORLDS: The show will air on the CITIUS MAG YouTube Channel between the morning and evening sessions of competition (Every day at 8 a.m. EST in the U.S.). 

CHAMPS CHATS ON THE CITIUS MAG PODCAST DAILY: The CITIUS MAG team of Chris, Kyle, David McCarthy, Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison will unpack all of the day’s biggest surprises and offer up their insights and analysis from being at the new National Athletics Centre and interviewing athletes each day. The podcast recording will be streamed on YouTube at the end of every day and will be also available on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to shows. 
DAILY CITIUS MAG NEWSLETTER: David Melly will recap all of the biggest moments, highlighting his must-watch athletes and events for each day while also pulling together some of our best content, photos and social moments that the CITIUS MAG team captures.

Today on Group Chat we dive into the hottest topics of the last week (literally and metaphorically). First we do a frame-by-frame breakdown of what may, or may not, have been a flying elbow between Addisu Yihune and Conner Mantz 200 meters from the finish in a battle to win the Beach to Beacon 10k. Click here to see for yourself.

Then we revel in the greatness of Keira D'Amato and discuss if she has the title of the best women's road runner.

Athing Mu was in the news this week after her coach raised the prospect of her not running in the World Championships. We chat about the potential reasons for that announcement and the surprising heavy load that track athletes have had to carry over the last several years.

Finally, we get into a breakdown of the Olympic Marathon Trials start time, it's potential effects on the athletes, and how USATF could have packaged the release to maximize the positives despite the challenging weather situation.

This Group Chat episode features Relay contributors Kara Goucher, Laura Thweatt, Stefanie Flippin, Lindsey Hein, Tommie Runz, Peter Bromka, and Matt Chittim.

“I think the only time I thought about that American record was that last 100m because I was like, ‘You have to beat Elise no matter what. If you guys are going fast enough and you’re not in front of her, she’s going to get it.’ I think I barely outleaned her and ended up getting sixth. The results took forever to load and come up on the screen but when they did it was such a party because everyone set their national record. Seven of us were out there stoked. At this event, everyone is so happy for everyone. It’s cool to see the camaraderie. We know that if one of us is going to do well, we’re all going to rise to that.”

Nikki Hiltz is putting together one of the most impressive outdoor seasons.

Last month was an absolute triumph for Nikki, as they clinched the U.S. 1500m title, kicking to victory ahead of the likes of the 800m Olympic champion Athing Mu, U.S. Olympian Cory McGee and the reigning U.S. champion, Sinclaire Johnson. My interview with Nikki went viral after they dedicated the victory to the transgender community.

Now, Nikki is gearing up for their second career world championships. Back in 2019, in their very first season as a professional runner, they made it to the 1500m final. Since then, they've continued to progress and currently holding the U.S. titles in the indoor and outdoor 1500m, as well as the road mile.

Nikki took their momentum to Monaco, where they clocked a jaw-dropping 4:16.35, shattering Mary Slaney's American record that had stood tall since 1985. It was awesome to see so many national records fall in that race behind Faith Kipyegon’s world record.

In this conversation, we dive deep into their unforgettable performance at the U.S. Championship, that epic race in Monaco, and what they're looking forward to at the World Championships in Budapest next month. 

Nikki is not only a phenomenal athlete but an incredible human being as well. Their passion and dedication shine on and off the track, making them an absolute joy to root for.

Host: Chris Chavez | @Chris_J_Chavez on Instagram

Guest: Nikki Hiltz | @NikkiHiltz on Instagram

Sign up for the Pride 5K here: https://runsignup.com/Race/AZ/Flagstaff/Pride5k2022

This year's race is fundraising for Point of Pride, a nonprofit organization that provides financial aid and direct support to trans folks in need of health and wellness care

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

🍊 OLIPOP is a prebiotic soda with only 2-5g of sugar that is actually good for your gut health. – and it's delicious. Use code CITIUS25 for 25% off non-subscription orders. Learn more at https://DrinkOlipop.com (click the link or use our promotional code for the discount)

💤 LAGOON: Looking to sleep more comfortably - including falling asleep faster, and experiencing more deep, restful sleep? Find the Lagoon pillow that’s perfect for you. Take the 2-min quiz now at https://lagoonsleep.com/citius | Use code CITIUS for 15% off your first order.

👣 CURREX: CURREX insoles are technologically advanced and instantly improve any shoe.  They come in LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH arch profiles that deliver more comfort and support, enhance shoe fit, and reduce pressure which leads to less body fatigue. | Use code CITIUS20 for 20% off your order.

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