Best Usatf Podcasts (2026)

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USATF's Amy Begley and Rob Mullett on Supporting Athletes Behind the Scenes | Episode 27 29:38

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4d ago29:38

29:38

This one's for the real running/T&F nerds! Amy Begley, USA Track & Field's general manager of high performance, and Rob Mullett, USATF's director of long distance running programs, talk to Sarah Lorge Butler about some of the initiatives they're currently working on. Amy discusses the recently-announced USATF Tour and Rob discusses the fact that US…

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USATF Cross Country Championships Recap, Valencia Marathon Results, OTQ-mania At CIM + Josh Hoey Breaks The 600m WR & Jane Hedengren Shatters The NCAA 5K Record + More 1:52:11

21d ago1:52:11

1:52:11

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia unpack all the biggest highlights from this weekend in the running world: - US Cross Country Championships Recap – Who made Team USA for Tallahassee? - Valencia Marathon Recap | Joyciline Jepkosgei – 2:14:00 (Course Record, World Lead) + John Korir – 2:02:24 - California International Marathon (CIM) Highlights | Moll…

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Jonathan Gault on T&F Journalism | Episode 28 34:25

1h ago34:25

34:25

Sarah Lorge Butler talks to LetsRun's Jonathan Gault about his background, track & field media, mixed zone etiquette, LetsRun's often toxic message boards, and his recent reporting on Citius Mag. Jonathan Gault on X: https://x.com/jgault13 Sarah Lorge Butler on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slorgebutler.bsky.social Fast Women on Instagram: http…

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What is "Training?" The Principles, Science and Art of the Training Process with Dan Cleather 54:26

4d ago54:26

54:26

Dan Cleather is a strength and conditioning coach, professor at St. Mary's University, and author of The Practice of Change: The Art & Science of Training. So, what exactly is "training?" Is it different than "exercise?" In this episode, we discuss what training specifically is, what it's not, and what it's attempting to do. Once you understand tha…

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Jane Hedengren On Making The Leap From High School Phenom To NCAA Record Holder At BYU 1:07:23

1d ago1:07:23

1:07:23

“That is the fun part for me – being able to be pushed to my limits, be out there doing it with other strong women, working off each other, and having a great coach and support staff. That’s so fun to me: the really, truly hard work. There’s just so much I love about this sport and this team, but that’s definitely how I would describe this first se…

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Katie Izzo: On to World XC After a Breakthrough | Episode 26 31:06

7d ago31:06

31:06

Sarah Lorge Butler catches up with Katie Izzo after her runner-up finish at the USATF Cross Country Chamionships earlier this month. By finishing in the top six, Izzo earned a spot on the team that will represent the U.S. at the World Cross Country Championships on January 10 in Tallahassee, Florida. Katie discusses what makes her so good at cross …

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Office Hours: Peninsula Distance Club’s Dena Evans On 25 Years Of Excellence In Coaching + Developing Talent And U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifiers 1:09:49

13d ago1:09:49

1:09:49

“One of the things we talk about on our team is if everyone is giving 51% or more and never taking more than 49%, your ecosystem is always going to be in balance. But if everyone isn’t willing to give more than 49% and they’re always taking more than 51%, then the ecosystem is never going to be in balance. We just try to keep an environment where p…

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Olympic Champion Julien Alfred To Race 60m At 2026 Millrose Games, Indoor Plans, Handling Pressure + 2025 Lessons 56:20

14d ago56:20

56:20

Our guest for today’s episode is one of the most exciting sprinters in the world right now. Julien Alfred is the reigning Olympic champion in the 100m, a World Indoor champion in the 60m, and the athlete who is rewriting history for St. Lucia on the biggest stages in track. On February 1st, 2026, Julien will return to The Armory in New York City to…

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Zone 2 for Beginners, Hot Tubs vs. Altitude, & Improving Economy with Sport Scientist Jonah Rosner 47:48

7d ago47:48

47:48

Jonah Rosner is an applied sport scientist who spent 10 years working with athletes and teams from all major American professional team sports, particularly the National Football League. He's a certified running coach and strength and conditioning specialist and he previously partnered with Nike to run the Nike Running Performance Lab in New York C…

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Grand Slam Track Files For Bankruptcy, We’re Owed $272K + Athing Mu Switches Coaches, Sinclaire Johnson Nearly Breaks The Road Mile WR (Bonus: Interview w/ Ben Rosario On The Marathon Project) 2:23:12

14d ago2:23:12

2:23:12

In this week’s episode, Chris, Mac and Preet discuss: – Grand Slam Track declares for bankruptcy – Our partnership with them and being owed $272K – The impact of the bankruptcy declaration and the athletes – Recapping the European Cross Country Championships – Athing Mu has parted ways with coach Bobby Kersee – Highlights from the Merrie Mile and H…

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Pacing Strategy, Zone 2, Easy Runs, & More with Running Explained's Elisabeth Scott 1:09:07

14d ago1:09:07

1:09:07

Elisabeth Scott is a USATF, RRCA, and UESCA certified running coach and the host of the enormously popular Running Explained Podcast. She and Jason are answering questions from Jason's Instagram about: Optimal ratio of hard to easy mileage Physiological benefits of moderate paced running Helpful cues to ensure you're truly running easy How you figu…

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Ben Rosario on the Return of the Marathon Project | Episode 25 37:34

16d ago37:34

37:34

Host Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Ben Rosario, CEO of the Marathon Project, about the return of the race, which takes place December 20-21 in Chandler, Arizona. Ben discusses what fans and runners should expect from the race, and how things have gone so far in year one. He also discusses as well as his decision to leave NAZ Elite, and how he's balan…

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Scott Fauble Retires: An Exit Interview On A Marathon Career Built On Toughness, Belief & Boston Brilliance 1:10:11

22d ago1:10:11

1:10:11

“As much as I wanted to win – what I really was after, what really drove me was finding out how good I could be. And it turns out I did. I found out how good I could be. I had a four or five-year stretch where seventh place in Boston was as good as I could be and 2:09:02 and 2:08:52 – right in that range was as fast as I could run. So, I found out.…

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Laurie Henes on Building NC State's Winning Culture | Episode 24 31:43

22d ago31:43

31:43

Sarah Lorge Butler talks to longtime NC State coach Laurie Henes, coming off the team's fourth NCAA cross country title in five years. Laurie discusses teamwork, managing nerves, what she's looking for in recruiting, the dynamics behind coaching some of the best collegiate runners, and much more. Laurie was an eight-time All-American at NC State an…

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The Best Advice to Run Faster, with Extramilest Host & 2:44 Marathoner Floris Gierman 1:04:56

22d ago1:04:56

1:04:56

Floris Gierman is a 2:44 marathoner, cofounder of Path Projects, 100-mile ultramarathon finisher, and author of the new book Running Breakthroughs. He's done something rare: interview the world's best runners (like Eliud Kipchoge, Courtney Dauwalter, and Killian Jornet) and put all the best lessons, insights, and wisdom into his new book. You'll le…

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USATF Cross Country Championships + Valencia Marathon Preview | Catching Up On LA 2028 Schedule, Grand Slam Track’s Mess + More News 1:54:25

30d ago1:54:25

1:54:25

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia are back at it to preview the USATF Cross Country Championships in Portland this Saturday as well as the Valencia Marathon on Sunday. They also unpack the L.A. 2028 Olympics schedule, dive into some of the updates surrounding Grand Slam Track's financial situation, and lots more. ____________ Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠…

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How the Fitness Industry Began: Exploring 200+ Years of Training Evolution with Professor Conor Heffernan 1:01:00

1M ago1:01:00

1:01:00

How did we transition from a society with no "sports" or competition, to one where they're ubiquitous? Learn the history of the fitness industry: how weightlifting and running emerged, early versions of equipment, how people trained 200+ years ago, and more. Dr. Conor Heffernan explores the main themes from his book, When Fitness Went Global. If yo…

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Mike Smith: From NAU to the Swoosh TC | Episode 23 36:16

1M ago36:16

36:16

Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Mike Smith about his transition from coaching cross country and track & field at Northern Arizona University to coaching Nike's Swoosh TC Flagstaff hub. Mike discusses his decision to leave NAU, work-life balance in coaching, how building a pro team is different from building a college team, the impact of NIL and the tra…

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Evan Jager Retires: An Exit Interview With The Olympic Silver Medalist, U.S. Steeplechase Record Holder 1:50:44

1M ago1:50:44

1:50:44

“I've been thinking about it for a while… It was pretty apparent. I think because I'm very happy with how my career went, it made the decision easy. Realizing that I'm not in the mix for making teams anymore, I didn't want to keep running just to try to make USAs year in, year out. I felt good about everything and it felt like the right time.” Evan…

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2025 NCAA XC Championships Recap: Habtom Samuel Finally Victorious, Doris Lemngole Defends Title, NC State Women Win Team Battle, OSU Gets Redemption For Men's Title + More 19:29

1M ago19:29

19:29

The 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships delivered on the hype! Isaac Wood and Paul Hof-Mahoney recap all the biggest takeaways from an action-packed morning in Columbia, Missouri, including: - Women’s individual champion: Defending champion Doris Lemngole puts her championship experience to use, running 18:25.4 to win over Jane Hedengren’s 18:38.…

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Elise Cranny on Joining the M11 Track Club | Episode 22 29:27

1M ago29:27

29:27

Two-time Olympian Elise Cranny discusses her decision to join the M11 Track Club, which is based in Manchester, England. The team is coached by Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows and includes Olympic medalists Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell. Thank you to Aletheia Run for sponsoring this episode. Visit aletheia.run to start your free, no obl…

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Long Run Strategy, Balancing Intensity vs. Volume, Heavy Lifting, & More (Q&A with Jason) 41:29

1M ago41:29

41:29

Listen in on a Team Strength Running coaching call, where Jason takes questions from the community about training, long runs, workout strategy, and more. To join one of these calls, join the team here. We discuss: Long run strategy (related podcast with David Roche!) The value of lifting heavy weights (start here) How to balance speed and mileage T…

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Cole Hocker & Grant Fisher On Their Rivalry Ahead Of Millrose Games 2-Mile Showdown + 2026 Plans 50:58

1M ago50:58

50:58

“You get these really unique matchups that you probably wouldn’t get in the lead-up to a championship, but you can in a lead-up to Millrose because people are looking to race and have some fun.” - Grant Fisher Buckle up because one of the greatest indoor matchups that we've ever seen is officially coming back to the Armory. Today's episode is all a…

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2025 NCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW 1:12:04

1M ago1:12:04

1:12:04

Chris Chavez and Isaac Wood preview the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships set to take place in Columbia, Missouri this weekend. - The NCAA Cross Country Championships are Isaac’s Super Bowl - Key Regional performances and takeaways - The Case For and Against NC State, BYU, Florida, New Mexico, Notre Dame and Oregon on the women’s side - The Cas…

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Office Hours | On Athletics Club Coach Laura Thweatt: From Marathoner To Mentor And Guiding Greatness With Hellen Obiri, Joe Klecker 1:01:32

1M ago1:01:32

1:01:32

“My biggest thing has been remembering that I’m not Dathan, I’m not Kelsey, but that’s why I was hired. The three of us all have very different experiences, we bring different things to the table, and we’re just hoping to give the athletes this well-roundedness in support and resources... That’s the really cool part about what OAC is doing. We’re t…

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Chris Lundstrom on Coaching Minnesota Distance Elite | Episode 21 34:29

2M ago34:29

34:29

Sarah Lorge Butler talks to Minnesota Distance Elite coach Chris Lundstrom, whose athletes just had a great showing at the New York City Marathon. Annie Frisbie finished fifth in 2:24:12, Joel Reichow was sixth in 2:09:56, and Elena Hayday placed 12th in 2:31:22. Chris discussed his team's recent success, a key workout they did leading up to the ra…

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How Geordie Beamish Pulled Off the Race Of The Year For Steeplechase Gold | 2025 World Championships Recap + Reflection 1:25:43

2M ago1:25:43

1:25:43

“I had worked too damn hard to get back to the line to just accept defeat and sit there and not even finish the race. I didn’t even have to think about it. I just got straight back into it… I think it was a bit of a blessing in disguise since I didn’t know what my fitness was like coming in. I thought it was decent, but this was almost an extra tes…

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Fiona O’Keeffe After Running An American Course Record At The New York City Marathon In 2:22:49 + What Happened At The Paris Olympics 57:30

2M ago57:30

57:30

“Sometimes you have these workouts on paper that look pretty intimidating. To be able to get them done and feel strong towards the end of them is always an exciting feeling. Obviously you don’t always nail it, but doing things that maybe you haven’t done before or that you’re not quite sure if you can do is always exciting.” My guest for today's ep…

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How to Learn From Any Injury (So You Stay Healthier) with Physiotherapist Brodie Sharpe 1:10:26

1M ago1:10:26

1:10:26

Brodie Sharpe is a physiotherapist, the host of the Run Smarter Podcast, and author of Run Smarter. As a Physical therapist who specializes in endurance runners, Brodie Sharpe takes a holistic approach to injury prevention. He helps runners learn how to correct mistakes and work with their bodies to get healthy. Brodie emphasizes the importance of …