2x NCAA XC Champion Graham Blanks Turns Pro & Signs With New Balance, Reflecting On His Career At Harvard And Running 12:59.89 For 5000m

"I was talking to my mom the other day and she said, 'It's important to be who you are so that the right people love you.' I was like, 'Yeah. That's what it is.' I just felt like it is really important to continue to show up as myself in all areas of my life so the right people are on my side, the right people are following me and I can lean into that more than anything." Nikki Hiltz is now a two-time guest on this show. Our first episode together April 17th, 2019 during the Boston Marathon weekend. For this one, I’m joined by David Melly, the host of the Run Your Mouth Podcast, for another crossover episode. April 2019 was just the start of Nikki’s hot streak that year. They finished third at the U.S. Championships and qualified for the world championships. They went on to make the final in Doha and ran a personal best of 4:01.52. Expect Nikki to be in the mix for that Olympic team in the 1,500 meters, which is shaping up to be one of the must-watch events at Hayward Field during the Trials. We touched on Nikki’s recent announcement that they identify as trans non-binary on Transgender Day of Visibility, which was March 31. Now if you caught us using multiple pronouns for Nikki during this episode, it’s because Nikki explains that they now use she/they as personal pronouns.  We also touch on plans for the 2021 Pride 5K, Olympic Trials training and much more. 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more. 🥇 Support for this episode also comes from the Eugene Marathon. Register for the 5k, Half Marathon, or Marathon today and use code CITIUS25 to save 25% on your race entry! ✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

19 Huhti 20211h 4min

Conner Mantz is a junior at BYU and just won the NCAA Cross Country Championships last month. Right from the start of the race, he went with the hot pace established early by Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo and eventually pulled away to win by 22 seconds. Mantz is the first American man to win the NCAA individual title since 2008. He was BYU’s first champion since 2006. Just two weeks or so after that race, he went on to run 13:24.78 for 5,000 meters in the men’s 5000m at the Hayward Premiere – the first meet held at the newly renovated Hayward Field. The time is a school record and a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier. Hear more about his development at BYU (and way before that since he ran his first half marathon at 12 years old), his plans for the rest of the season, thoughts on turning pro and much more. 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more. 🥇 Support for this episode also comes from the Eugene Marathon. Register for the 5k, Half Marathon, or Marathon today and use code CITIUS25 to save 25% on your race entry! You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! ✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

16 Huhti 20211h 23min

48 miles in 48 hours and more than $48,000 raised for the Release Recovery Foundation over the weekend in New York City. On national tv, Zac Clark opened up about his history with drug addiction/substance abuse and his recovery. In 2017, he co-founded Release Recovery to help others reclaim their lives from addiction. His foundation is a non-profit that helps provide scholarships to those who may not have the financial means to go and recover. A few months back, he convinced my, Ryan Welsh and Zac Price to embark on the David Goggins Challenge of running 4 miles at the top of the hour every 4 hours for 48 hours. The goal was to use running as a way to raise awareness on addiction and mental health four miles at a time. In this episode, we talk about all the highs and lows from the weekend and the power running can have for good. 🙏 The fundraising page is still open and active, if you want to consider donating to the cause: https://releaserecoveryfoundation.org/goggins-challenge/  💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. Use CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more 🥇 Support for this episode also comes from the Eugene Marathon. Register for the 5k, Half Marathon, or Marathon today and use code CITIUS25 to save 25% on your race entry! SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter 🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

13 Huhti 202147min

"I do some of my best thinking when I'm on my long runs. Today, we've talked a lot about my recovery and my sobriety. Running is one of the greatest tools I've been given because any time I can go reset the mind. People in my life know that. They'll say, 'Dude, go for a run. Let's talk after.' Because it's such a release for me." Some of you might be familiar with Zac Clark since he won the most recent season of The Bachelorette and is currently engaged to Tayshia Adams. In this episode, you’ll learn a lot about Zac’s come-up in New Jersey and the many struggles along the way in his life that really spiraled after he underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor and got addicted to pain medication shortly thereafter. Drinking, drugs and partying took a toll on him and his relationship at the time. There’s a lot in his life story, which was shared a bit on national TV last fall. Zac went to rehab and got his life together and now serves as the co-founder of Release Recovery, which is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to ensuring all who are ready and willing to seek professional treatment are able to. Release Recovery’s Foundation offers scholarships to bridge the gap between what people can afford and what they need to get the resources and help that they need. Trust me. Running comes into the picture and it’s one of Zac’s biggest passions. He’s run the New York City Marathon four times. He plans on running London and New York this fall. He’s been joining me and some friends for workouts the past couple of months. We’re working on getting him faster. In response, he says we need to commit to doing one hard effort with him a year so that’s how I got roped into attempting the David Goggins Challenge with him next week. That’s four miles every four hours for 48 hours for 48 miles total. A bunch of people did it at the beginning of March. We recorded this conversation at the beginning of the month and now we’re doing it April 9-11. Keep your eyes peeled on Zac’s social media pages as well as my own for updates on how we’re doing. I know it’s not gonna be easy but I’m ready to push my limits and hopefully raise some good money along the way. If you feel inspired by Zac’s story, we’re calling on you to see if you can find 48 bucks for the 48 miles we’re gonna run or maybe 4 dollars and 80 cents. Donate here: https://releaserecoveryfoundation.org/goggins-challenge/ 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. Use CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more 🥇 Support for this episode also comes from the Eugene Marathon. Register for the 5k, Half Marathon, or Marathon today and use code CITIUS25 to save 25% on your race entry! SUPPORT THE PODCAST 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

1 Huhti 20211h 19min

Matthew Luke Meyer and I discuss all of the good things that have happened in the sport since we last caught up in early February to unpack the biggest storylines and headlines in the sport. In this episode we discuss: – Our NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship MVPs and why we should maybe taper expectations on Cole Hocker – The brilliance of BYU's women and coach Taylor at the indoor and cross country championships – Outdoor season appears to be in full swing with the Bowerman Track Club still proving they're fast but witholding some of the top stars – Hayward is finally opening, Des Linden is running a 50K, Eliud Kipchoge returns with a marathon and meets will be poppin' off in May – How weird it sounds like the Olympics are going to be – Dopers Gonna Dope with a Russian scandal that's made for a Netflix special + Much more... 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more. 🥇 Support for this episode also comes from the Eugene Marathon! Here's your chance to earn and own a piece of history! The 2021 virtual Eugene Marathon medals are crafted from the salvaged east grandstand steps at historic Hayward Field. Register for the 5k, Half Marathon, or Marathon today and use code CITIUS25 to save 25% on your race entry! ✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter 🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel ✩ Connect with CITIUS MAG: Twitter | Instagram

29 Maalis 20211h 1min

"We brought in a copywriter to work with us for this running club. She started writing copy. One of the sentences she wrote was, "Hey, you've been behind the bar all day, you've earned your right to jog." In my conversation with my partner, I was like, "I'm not feeling that sentence." She's like, "What do you mean?" I was said, "We don't use the word 'jog." They're like, "Who's we?" I said, "Runners, we don't do that." He's like, "What the hell is up with that?" ... And I was like, "Gosh, you know what, you're right. What's my problem?" Frankly, what's the difference here? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the bartenders are a running club? Maybe it's the first-ever jogging club? If there's one demographic who can make jogging cool and relevant again, it's bartenders because bartenders are damn cool, way cooler than I'm ever going to be." My guests for this episode are Chris and Tim Heuisler. Chris is a good friend of mine who I’ve known for about six years now. He’s one of the nicest people and a huge fan and supporter of the sport on all levels. He worked as Westin's Run Concierge for a few years and really got to work with runners at events across the country at all levels. He's innovative and has an eye for what the general running community is into and how to connect the elite side into things. He’s been working with his brother to launch the Knob Creek Jogging Club. I can’t wait for you guys to hear more about it because I feel the same way you might when you hear the word jogger or jogging. You get a little defensive about it. There’s nothing wrong with being a jogger. So in this episode, you’ll get to know the two brothers and how they want to flip the connotation of the word “jogging” for the running community through the help of bartenders – which has been an industry hit pretty hard due to the pandemic. My friend Ryan Welsh, who has co-hosted with me in the past, also joins the fun chat that we recorded back in mid-January. If you're interested in the program or know a friend who can be a match, feel free to reach out to Chris and Tim: Chris on Instagram: @chrisheuisler Tim on Instagram: @theuisler 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG

23 Maalis 20211h 37min

"If the Olympics had been held last year, I think I would have had a pretty outside shot of making the team. Maybe if things went perfect, I could have maybe snagged a third or something. But at the same time, I didn't even have the standard. It's tough to say but I do think this extra year has kind of served me pretty well. My confidence is much higher that I can make this team. It’s going to be incredibly hard. I don't think you should count out anybody in this situation." I’ve covered Grant Fisher's career since he was running for Grand Blanc (MI) High School and won the Dream Mile at the 2015 Adidas Grand Prix. He went on to become the seventh U.S. high school runner to break four minutes for the mile. He was a 12-time All-American and an NCAA champion in the 5,000 meters while at Stanford. He turned professional and signed with the Nike Bowerman Track Club in 2019. He’s thriving under Jerry Schumacher's training with personal bests of 13:02.53 for 5,000 meters and 27:11.29 for 10,000 meters. He’s got both Olympic standards in his back pocket ahead of the trials. We unpack those recent performances. We look back at his high school career and career development. Of course, we discussed shoe technology. As a bonus: We discuss the famous LetsRun thread saying: "Grant Fisher is not the best kid in Michigan." Grant is also a podcaster now. Check out and subscribe to The Half Step Podcast that he co-hosts with Connor Lane. 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! ✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

17 Maalis 20211h 24min

"Other sports like cycling and swimming are very homogeneous because the cost of bike equipment runs in the tens of thousands of dollars. Swimming is a very homogeneous sport because not everyone has access to a swimming pool. In running, we can kind of toss off those shackles and you only really need a pair of shoes and an opportunity to race and train, which is more accessible than any other sport that exists. But when you start adding the technological constraint that says 'if you want to be good in this sport you have to have the sponsorship or the money' just think about what this is going to do at the high school level with kids that are racing in your $60 Eastbay spikes vs. being able to afford a $250 shoe that gives them 10 seconds to win the state championship or run a time that gets them a college scholarship. That is all of a sudden way different than the sport we knew and creates an in-equitability that is not just at the pro level but across the entire spectrum.” Mason Ferlic is currently an unsponsored professional runner but trains alongside Nick Willis and Hobbs Kessler in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was an NCAA champion at the University of Michigan in the steeplechase. He also teaches a statistics class there and works as a research engineer and lab manager at Michigan’s Exercise & Sports Science Initiative. He's a super-smart guy so it’s no surprise when he was asked by Flotrack’s Kevin Sully about his thoughts in the great spike debate that’s engrossed the sport that Mason delivered a great answer so I wanted to get him on the pod to talk a bit more about it, where he views the inequities are within the sport and how we move forward now that this arms race is in full swing. 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! ✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website.

10 Maalis 20211h 19min