United States
"It means a lot to me. Especially to all my teammates and my leadership in the Army. If you make the Olympics while you are in the Army, it's a huge accomplishment. Making these Olympics is not only for me. It's about people serving in the Army. All those people in the Army.
Also, it's about my teammates. When I make the team I know my teammates will also want to make the team because I am one of the leaders in our platoon. If you see the leader making the team, you want to make it too...It's not about me. It's about representing other people who are looking up to me. I'm so happy. I'm grateful. I can't wait to represent Team USA and represent the Army too."
Finally! After four months of stress and uncertainty, Leonard Korir is heading to the Olympics. Just last week, World Athletics added one universality place and four rankings places to the Olympic marathon field on Tuesday. With that, Korir gets the United States’ final spot – thanks to CJ Albertson’s ranking unlocking it – and he will be racing on Aug. 10th.
Korir was third at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, which was awesome because he had just missed the U.S. Olympic marathon team for Tokyo by just three seconds. This will be his second Olympic team after representing the United States in the 10,000m in Rio de Janeiro back in 2016.
Following the Trials, Korir went to Rotterdam in April in hopes of getting under the Olympic standard but faded in the second half of the race to a 2:12:47 finish. We discuss that race, his preparations for Paris and why this means a lot not just to him but also to his fellow members of the U.S. Army.
We waited until it was official to get Lenny on the podcast. Now we’ve completed the set. We have podcasts with all six of the U.S. Olympians for Paris + the two alternates (Jess McClain and Elkanah Kibet, who have amazing stories) – you can go back and listen to those race recaps and reflections.
Time Stamps:
5:44 - How he’s feeling after officially qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team.
7:56 - How he and his coach structured his training after the Olympic Marathon Trials.
10:07 - Reflecting on his race at the Marathon Trials.
14:12 - What qualifying for his second Olympic team means to him.
15:44 - How he fits in his training while serving in the army.
17:21 - How training has been going leading into the Olympics.
19:40 - His running career trajectory.
23:06 - Thoughts on the Olympic Marathon course.
28:28 - His goals and mindset for the Olympic Marathon.
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“This is a different moment in my career compared to any other one in the past because I’ve suffered a major disappointment. It’s up for debate if I should’ve taken a break after the Trials and reset but, man, I didn’t feel like I could stop. All of this training is in me and this motivation to show the world the hard work I’ve put in. I didn’t take this journey lightly. I really care about making this transformation from middle distances to the longer stuff. I just really wanted to keep going.”
20 minutes of catching up with Olympic medalist and world champion Jenny Simpson before she takes on the NYC Half on Sunday. It is her first race since unfortunately dropping out of her marathon debut at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Orlando last month.
We chat a bit about her lessons from that race, whether she would’ve done anything differently and how she’s taking that into her next few races. Moments before we did this interview, the BAA announced Jenny has been added to the Boston Marathon field for April 15 – along with Sara Hall, Caroline Rotich, Elkanah Kibet and Sam Chelanga. So we discuss her plans for that race and a wider shot of how she views this chapter of her legendary career.
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Jenny Simpson | @trackjenny on Instagram
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🩴 VELOUS RECOVERY FOOTWEAR is the active recovery footwear brand that is designed to help you Restore, Revive and Reenergize before and after you train. They are launching two new styles to their recovery mix for Spring ‘24. The Active Slide and Active Flip collection. Enjoy a 20% discount by entering the code: CITIUSMAG20 at checkout at VelousFootwear.com
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"I was in Atlanta (for the 2020 Olympic Trials) watching on the sidewalks. Here, I was a player in the race. And now it's just focusing on 2028 and just continuing to get better each and every day. That's been my focus since I started running – just being faster today than I was yesterday and just checking off all those boxes to do that. Focusing on the process makes the outcome not easy to get over, but it makes it more bearable knowing how far you've come and how far you still have to go."
My guest for today’s episode is Zach Panning – a marathoner for the Hansons Brooks Distance Project. He just finished sixth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando but that doesn’t tell the full story. He went for it and found himself at the front of the race by Mile 5 and led for about 17 miles of the whole thing. Eventually, Conner Mantz and Clayton Young pulled away and Panning was left on his own to fend off a challenge from a charging Elkanah Kibet, Leonard Korir and CJ Albertson. Those three guys managed to pass him in the final three miles.
Panning made that race. He fell short but he was still super proud of the effort in his interviews afterward. Almost two weeks since the race, we checked in to see how he was feeling and how he’s going to take that as a major learning opportunity for future marathons.
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Zach Panning | @zachpanning on Instagram
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🎽 Bandit is a performance-running brand based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2022, they just had 9 athletes compete in the Marathon Trials and told those stories via their documentary-style YouTube series "Dialed": Check those out here.
They also just relaunched their Membership, a program that enhances your relationship with Bandit via early access, discounts, and exclusive events/gear/content/you-name-it. For a limited time, get 20% off the Membership (and any product if it's your first order) by using code Citius20.
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"My running talent has taken me to so many places. I've come to this country, I became a citizen, and that's an opportunity that a lot of people don't have. And I got it, and I'm very thankful for that. That’s why I feel it would be a great honor for me to make the Olympics. That's why I keep pursuing that dream. And I know it's going to be valid one time."
My guest for today’s episode is Elkanah Kibet. The 40-year-old was in third place by 15 seconds going into the final mile of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials but a charging Leonard Korir managed to catch him for the final spot that will likely go to the Paris Olympics. Kibet finished fourth in 2:10:02 – which set a new U.S. masters marathon record. He was so gratuitous after the race and handled the fourth place finish with so much humility. It was remarkable.
Kibet has improved as a marathoner in his late 30s and isn’t ready to call an end to his Olympic dreams. He’ll be 44 at the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and he’s already planning the road there.
When he’s not running in the early or late hours of the day, he is a husband and a father of three. He also works a full-time job in the U.S. Army as a financial comptroller in Fort Carson, Colorado. He has a tremendous pride for this country. He shares his story of coming from Kenya and all of the opportunities that America has given him, which is why he doesn’t hesitate to represent the red, white and blue at a World Championships and has done so four times in his career.
We know the guys who make the Olympic team. Let’s not forget the hard work of those who come close.
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Elkanah Kibet | @airbornrunner on Instagram
Time Stamps:
04:45: His thoughts on placing fourth at the Trials.
06:33: What was going through his mind as third-place finisher Leonard Korir went by him during the race.
07:55: Looking ahead to the 2028 Olympics, where he will be 44 years old.
08:59: Breaks down his race and how he was able to move up throughout the race.
12:32: Shares about moving to the U.S. on a scholarship, joining the army after finishing college, and how he was able to continue training while working full-time.
16:50: What running for the U.S. means to him.
17:36: His desire to bring a medal home to the U.S. next year.
19:30: How shoe technology has helped him stay consistent.
21:14: How he manages his training load around working full-time.
23:41: How splits runs into singles/doubles + his focus on recovery.
25:04: His relationship with his coach.
28:09: How he balances training while working for the army + getting deployed.
32:25: How long he plans on continuing to run competitively for.
36:59: What's next for him.
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🍊 OLIPOP is a prebiotic soda with only 2-5g of sugar that is 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)
HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST
🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG
🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel