Parker Wolfe

After an unforgettable 2024-25 indoor season, North Carolina coaching legend Chris Miltenberg is back on the podcast and ready to dish on the recent performances from his Tar Heel stars. Coach Milt has overseen the development of standout athletes Ethan Strand and Parker Wolfe, in addition to female mid-distance star Makayla Paige. Makayla and Ethan both are coming off NCAA Indoor titles— the former in the 800m with a time of 2:00.39; the latter with a 7:52.03 in the 3,000m in an incredibly fierce collegiate field. This run has been happening since the 2023-24 cross country and track and field seasons, where Coach Milt and the Tar Heels landed in the Top 10 at the NCAA Championships, while also claiming 6th place in cross country and 5th place in outdoor track and field. The Tar Heels also won their first ACC Cross Country Championship since 1985 and their first ACC Indoor Championship since 1996 that year. Coach Milt led Parker Wolfe to winning North Carolina's first-ever 5,000m National Championship at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Wolfe has won five ACC championships under Coach Miltenberg and set five school records, while also becoming the Tar Heel's first runner in history to be named to The Bowerman Award Watchlist.Whether it’s coaching Strand, Wolfe or Paige—or leading an impressive array of talent, Coach Milt has cemented himself as a transformative force in the world of track and field, while also mentoring and leading his many successful athletes. He has created an enduring legacy as one of the sport's most exceptional and influential coaches, and seems poised to add to it in the years to come. In today’s conversation, Coach Milt takes me through exclusive insights from the 2025 indoor season, how he balances the wins with not getting complacent, his thoughts heading into the outdoor season, what Makayla's win means for the women's program if he'll ever coach pros, and so much more. Tap into the Coach Chris Miltenberg Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!S H O W N O T E S-BUY MERCH BEFORE IT’S GONE: https://shop.therunningeffect.run-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

“What we're doing is working. Let's continue, let's be consistent, and let's not go overboard. How we got to running 7:30 is how we're going to try to win a national championship in three months. There's no reason to change anything. It's just keep on staying steady.”

My guest for today's episode is Ethan Strand, a senior at UNC. Just last weekend, Ethan ran a stunning 7:30.15 in the 3000m at the Sharon Colyear-Danville season opener at Boston University – not only smashing the NCAA record but also vaulting him to No. 4 on the all-time U.S. list. Ethan now sits alongside legends like Grant Fisher, Yared Nuguse, and Bernard Lagat.

His journey from being a 201st place finisher at his first NCAA Cross Country Championship to an Olympic Trials finalist in the 1500m and NCAA top-eight finisher just a few weeks ago in Madison, and now the fastest collegiate 3000m runner in history, is fascinating to unpack in today's episode.

We dive into his race in Boston, his dynamic training partnership with Parker Wolfe, and what's next for him as he gears up for an exciting 2025 season.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram

Guest: Ethan Strand | @ethan_strand

Time stamps:

3:39 - Reflections from setting the collegiate 3000m record

4:53 - Thoughts on competing over chasing times

5:40 - Training with teammate Parker Wolfe

7:08 - His relationship with Coach Chris Miltenberg

10:59 - Rebounding from outdoor season

12:40 - Learning from Coach Milt’s former athletes, like Grant Fisher

15:57 - Growing up in a running family

17:10 - How he got his start in running 

20:43 - His training structure dating back to high school

21:37 - His mileage progression 

26:00 - Breaking down his 3000m collegiate record

32:00 - Being among the big names of American distance running

35:56 - What’s next for indoor season

37:31 - Looking ahead to goals for next summer

39:01 - UNC’s team culture

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Last one, fast one?!

The final day of the Olympic Trials was one for the history books. In every. single. event. that took place on the tracks yesterday afternoon, the Olympic Trials meet record was broken. In multiple events, simply qualifying for Team USA meant you had to produce a performance that ranked in the U.S. top-10 of all time.

12.37 in the 100m hurdles, 3:56.75 in the women’s 1500m, and 1:44.12 in the men’s 800m were only good enough for fourth place. The mantra of “iron sharpens iron” normally applies to training groups, but it certainly also applies to American track and field right now. When being top 10 in the world is not a guarantee of being top 3 in the U.S., the choice is simple: you elevate your game or you go home.

The afternoon began with the 5000m final, where last year’s U.S. champ Abdi Nur and this year’s 10,000m champ Grant Fisher treated the fans to an epic duel over the final few laps. It took a sub-4 1600m to break the rest of the field, and in the final strides, Fisher was able to re-pass Nur and get his second title of the week, the first time he’s completed the 10/5 double. Behind them, it was a similar battle for third between collegians Parker Wolfe and Graham Blanks, and it’s still not clear whether Wolfe or Blanks will end up on Team USA. Wolfe needs a few scratches in the world rankings ahead of him, and Blanks has the auto standard.

In the men’s 800m, Bryce Hoppel won his sixth straight U.S. title (counting indoors), but he did it in the fastest time of his career, a 1:42.77. His training partner Hobbs Kessler snagged third and qualifies for both the 800m and 1500m, the first time an American man has done that since 1976. In the women’s 100m hurdles, you could throw a blanket over the whole field with two hurdles remaining, but it was Masai Russell who closed the best and clocked a 12.25, the good for #4 on the world all-time list.

Rai Benjamin did Rai Benjamin things in the men’s 400m hurdles, cruising to a 46.47 world lead and meet record well ahead of the competition. The women’s 1500m was an absolute battle — more on that below. And then we closed the weekend with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

McLaughlin-Levrone is used to being the star of the show, and honestly her biggest competition is usually the shadow of her past self. In the 400m hurdles final she had the benefit of a fast-starting Anna Cockrell on her outside, who stayed even with the Olympic champ for the first three hurdles and kept the pressure on early. But the real difference was that, coming around the final turn, McLaughlin-Levrone didn’t shut it down like she normally does through the rounds, instead powering down the homestretch to an incredible new world record 50.65.

For those keeping score at home, that’s the fifth time McLaughlin-Levrone has lowered the world record. When she started, the world record she was breaking was Dalilah Muhammad’s 52.16 from 2019, and now it’s an incredible 1.51 seconds faster.

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We just wrapped up a jam-packed weekend with track and field taking place in Eugene with the NCAA Championships, Portland for the Portland Track Festival, Rome for the European Championships and New York City for the NYC Grand Prix.

NYC GRAND PRIX

Lots of action to recap including Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone giving the 400m American record a scare; Noah Lyles clocked a 19.77 into the wind, Eric Holt goes viral after taking 2022 world champion Jake Wightman to the line in the 1500m, Elaine Thompson Herah may be seriously injured after pulling up after the 100m. But the biggest story was 2022 World champion Fred Kerley and his sponsor Asics decided to part ways. Kerley came out onto the track wearing a competitor's product. Kerley did not end up racing after slipping in the blocks twice. He was not disqualified but elected not to race.

NCAA Championships

From McKenzie Long and Parker Valby to Shane Cohen and Parker Wolfe, we look at some of the collegiate stars who could be poised for a breakthrough to make the U.S. Olympic team in just a few weeks.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Host: Anderson Emerole | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@atkoeme on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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