Joe Klecker

Today on group chat, we have Kofuzi, Peter Bromka, and Laura Thweatt.

Episode Rundown:

Houston marathon and half marathon recap

Recapping Kofuzi’s race in Houston

Kofuzi’s reflections on working with the Runna app

Joe Klecker’s half marathon debut

The rivalries being built up 

Josh Hoey’s American Record in the indoor 1000m

Take on Barilla’s Protein Pasta Winter Energy Challenge on the Strava Fitness App

Complete 10 days of movement for your Barilla Pasta reward! Go to Strava.com/Barilla

Chris Chavez and Mac Fleet recap the 2025 Houston Half Marathon, where Conner Mantz shattered Ryan Hall's 18-year-old American record with a stunning 59:17 in a thrilling sprint finish and Weini Kelati broke her own American record for the second consecutive year.

Facing freezing conditions, headwinds, and a late quad injury in training leading up to the race, Mantz delivered one of the most historic performances in U.S. distance running. Overall, the American depth was on display with seven men breaking 61:00 and Amanda Vestri moving to No. 8 on the all-time U.S. list with her 67:35. Plus, they break down Joe Klecker’s debut and what some of these performances mean for the track and spring marathons ahead.

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SPOKANE SPORTS COMMISSION: In Spokane, Washington, there’s Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and now, Fast.. Fifth Season is hosting elite indoor track and field events all throughout January and February. All events take place at the Podium Powered by STCU, SPOCAN’s state-of-the-art indoor track facility. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more at SpokaneSports.com/FifthSeason⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: I’ve got a question for you: how’s your Dry January going? Whether you’re crushing it or just dipping your toes in, our friends at Olipop are here to make it a lot more fun—and way more delicious.  It’s not just another soda—it’s soda reimagined. Think of all the nostalgic flavors you love, but with way less sugar and a third of your daily fiber in every can. ⁠⁠Get 25% off all your orders at DrinkOlipop.com using code CITIUS25 at checkout.

In this episode we chat about Shelby's return to the athletics world, Josh Kerr's secret love affair, and Morgan's debut in the Houston Half Marathon alongside Joe Klecker. We also get into life updates, injury updates, and other random news like some fun road racing in Valencia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5 star review! We appreciate the support ❤️

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George Beamish: https://www.instagram.com/georgebeamish/

Morgan McDonald: https://www.instagram.com/morganmcdonald__/

Olli Hoare: https://www.instagram.com/ollihoare/

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Intro Artwork by The Orange Runner: https://www.instagram.com/theorangerunner/

Intro Music by Nick Harris: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Zab8WxvAPsDlhlBTcbuPi

Before we get to Boston, the elite American [half-]marathoning circuit kicks off this Sunday in Houston, Texas, where fast times historically abound thanks to pancake flat topography, mild Texas “winters,” and top-tier talent converging from all across the country and world. And while the rest of us were deep in winter hibernation, plenty of the sport’s best and brightest spent their holiday season with one weekend in January circled on the calendar. 

CITIUS MAG’s been cooking up an exciting behind-the-scenes docuseries following Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, and Joe Klecker as they prepare for the Houston Half. [Check out the trailer here, and stay tuned for the first episode, which premieres later today… like, subscribe, etcetera!] Klecker has already gone on record stating that the American record—59:43, set by Ryan Hall back at this same race in 2007—is something he’s been training toward in his debut at the distance.

But perhaps the most likely American record performance may come from the very athlete who already holds the women’s mark: Weini Kelati. At Houston last year—are you sensing a trend here?—Kelati ran 1:06:25 in her debut at the distance, kicking off a banner year highlighted by an eighth-place finish in the Olympic 10,000m. With her confidence buoyed and another full year of training under her belt, Kelati seems poised for a big day. 

Chris Chavez chatted with Kelati’s coach, Stephen Haas, to check in on what fans might expect come Sunday, and learn a bit more about Kelati’s preparation with her Under Armour Mission Run Dark Sky Distance teammates in Flagstaff, Arizona. (Read the full interview here.) 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

SPOKANE SPORTS COMMISSION: In Spokane, Washington, there’s Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and now, Fast.. Fifth Season is hosting elite indoor track and field events all throughout January and February. All events take place at the Podium Powered by STCU, SPOCAN’s state-of-the-art indoor track facility. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more at SpokaneSports.com/FifthSeason⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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: I’ve got a question for you: how’s your Dry January going? Whether you’re crushing it or just dipping your toes in, our friends at Olipop are here to make it a lot more fun—and way more delicious.  It’s not just another soda—it’s soda reimagined. Think of all the nostalgic flavors you love, but with way less sugar and a third of your daily fiber in every can. ⁠Get 25% off all your orders at DrinkOlipop.com using code CITIUS25 at checkout.

This week on group chat, we have Peter Bromka, Lindsey Hein, Tommie Runz, and Kofuzi.

Episode Rundown:

Will Laura become a shoe tester with Kofuzi?

It’s race week for Kofuzi!

What we’re looking forward to in 2025

Ingebrigtsen’s marathon (and his tattoo game!?)

Woody Kincaid and Joe Klecker’s marathoning career and Joe's half marathon debut

What’s on Kofuzi’s calendar for 2025

In part two of our interview with Woody Kincaid, we dig a bit deeper into his rivalry with Joe Klecker, the differences between Mike Smith and Jerry Schumacher, and appreciating the various types of team cultures.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5 star review! We appreciate the support ❤️

Special Guest:

Woody Kincaid: https://www.instagram.com/priceofamile/

Follow us here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffeeclub.pod/

George Beamish: https://www.instagram.com/georgebeamish/

Morgan McDonald: https://www.instagram.com/morganmcdonald__/

Olli Hoare: https://www.instagram.com/ollihoare/

Coffee Club Merch: https://coffeeclubpod.com

Morgan's discord: https://discord.gg/uaCSeHDpgs

Morgan's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorganMcDonaldisaloser

Intro Artwork by The Orange Runner: https://www.instagram.com/theorangerunner/

Intro Music by Nick Harris: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Zab8WxvAPsDlhlBTcbuPi

NEW HOLIDAY MERCH!!! Order expedited shipping by December 16th to receive by 12/24 (US & EU). https://www.coffeeclubpod.com

In today's episode Joe Klecker subs in to get into all of the running news and chat a bit about his (and Morgan's) Half Marathon debut in Houston. We cover everything include Graham Blanks new pro announcement, all of the craziness at the recent BU Meet, Euro XC Champs where Sinta took home the relay W, and a bunch of other random race results. We also get into some of the training differences in half marathon training vs our typical fall build and some of the things Joe is thinking about for next year and beyond.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5 star review! We appreciate the support ❤️

OAC Artiken Bracelets are live! 100% of Profits will go to funding a clean water source in Hellen Obiri's hometown in Kenya: https://www.artiken.com

Special Guest:

Joe Klecker: https://www.instagram.com/joe_klecker/

Follow us here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffeeclub.pod/

George Beamish: https://www.instagram.com/georgebeamish/

Morgan McDonald: https://www.instagram.com/morganmcdonald__/

Olli Hoare: https://www.instagram.com/ollihoare/

Coffee Club Merch: https://coffeeclubpod.com

Morgan's discord: https://discord.gg/uaCSeHDpgs

Morgan's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorganMcDonaldisaloser

Intro Artwork by The Orange Runner: https://www.instagram.com/theorangerunner/

Intro Music by Nick Harris: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Zab8WxvAPsDlhlBTcbuPi

This week we are joined by the one and only Mr. Morgan Pearson. Morgan is a professional triathlete with a super strong running pedigree. He started his career as a runner at the University of Colorado in Boulder and still competes every now again in road races and cross country (4th at USA's!). He is also a good friend of the Coffee Club boys and OAC. We talk about his recent half marathon performance in Valencia, his plans for the future (running or triathlon?!), and his thoughts on the Matt Choi situation. We also reminisce about our trip to New York City for our live event at the New York Marathon and meeting Rich Roll.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5 star review! We appreciate the support ❤️

Special Guest:

Morgan Pearson: https://www.instagram.com/morgan_cadwell_pearson/

Follow us here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffeeclub.pod/

George Beamish: https://www.instagram.com/georgebeamish/

Morgan McDonald: https://www.instagram.com/morganmcdonald__/

Olli Hoare: https://www.instagram.com/ollihoare/

Coffee Club Merch: https://coffeeclubpod.com

Morgan's discord: https://discord.gg/uaCSeHDpgs

Morgan's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorganMcDonaldisaloser

Intro Artwork by The Orange Runner: https://www.instagram.com/theorangerunner/

Intro Music by Nick Harris: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Zab8WxvAPsDlhlBTcbuPi

“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.