CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at 12pm PT. Today’s guests include USATF President Vin Lananna, Matt James, and Manteo Mitchell. Kick back for fun interviews with CITIUS MAG Podcast host Chris Chavez and the crew over the next ten days.
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You can find a full schedule for today’s events here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8cdQyuOwBO/?igsh=bXl6MWVtN2d3b3Vs
You can find live results here: https://results.usatf.org/
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New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run – just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. NewBalance.com/Running
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We’re hosting three shows a day on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel. You’ll be able to find many of the shows under our “Live” tab on our channel.
LIVE SHOWS
Good Morning Track and Field will start your day with some takes and updates from Eugene hosted by Eric Jenkins, Mitch Dyer and Karen Lesiewicz at 8:30 a.m. PT.
CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at noon PT.
TRIALS TALK – our hit daily podcast series from 2021 – returns on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed + streaming live immediately post-race to unpack all of the action immediately following the meet.
LIVE MEET COVERAGE
Stay updated on live results, mixed zone interviews and more on the CITIUS MAG Instagram, X and Threads pages while the meet is underway each evening. All interviews will be uploaded to our aforementioned YouTube channel.
MORNING RUNS
CITIUS MAG and New Balance will be hosting group runs on Sunday, June 23rd at 8 a.m. ET; Tuesday, June 25th at 8 a.m. and Saturday, June 29th at 7:30 a.m. Come on by to our pop-up next to Prince Puckler’s Ice Cream shop to meet for some easy morning miles.
All paces are welcome. We’ll be giving away shirts, hats and more. Plus, you’ll have an opportunity to try all of the latest and greatest from New Balance. We’ll also have Olipop, coffee, games and cold plunges to enjoy afterward.
Also, CITIUS MAG Newsletter subscribers will be getting daily emails from the Trials as David Melly rounds up all of the biggest results, stories + our best interviews, photos and original content from Eugene. If you want to hook a friend, there’s no better time than the Trials so forward them the emails or encourage them to sign up today for FREE here: https://citiusmag.beehiiv.com/
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yeah me Matt CU from Cho up [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] w [Music] B [Music] is it yeah I think mine’s [Music] on all right welcome to Eugene Oregon City of Mag live in Eugene I’m Chris Chavez joined by my colleague here Eric Jenkins Jenkins just had good morning track and field the debut how’ you feel it went show number one I thought went great and I think Vibes are high only get gets better from here so we are here for the next 10 days New Balance has been so great in carving out the space for us newbound celebrates Runners of all levels and styles they believe that there’s no single right way to run just your way if you run no matter the distance no matter the pace or frequency you’re a runner new balce run your way exactly what I was saying on this morning show it’s your Pledge of Allegiance my Pledge of Allegiance awesome so what we heard from all of our supporters and followers is that you guys seem to love these interview shows that we do we kick this off at the world championships in 2022 we ran it back at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest just tapping in with the athlet the coaches any notable VIPs who are in town No guest is too big or too small to be on the city of Mag uh set we’ve had everyone from the likes of shelan Fraser price Michael Johnson you a gold medalist world record holders so I’m excited for the next 10 days as we get to kick back with some of these athletes and one of the Staples that we’ve had on the first day of each one of these championships is that we get a little bit of like a State of the Union Address from the usatf President also the director of track and field and cross country at the University of Virginia so we’re gonna kick things off with our regular Vin Lanana Vin come on up we’ll have you sit over here scoot over hey great to see you great to see you you are high up here I know I we’ve come a little bit of a long way since our backyard show two years ago I like the backyard yeah the backyard was was cozy I mean we got to always remember a humble beginning yeah exactly so here wearing many hats obviously usatf president coach like your schedule must be just jam-packed um not really I I actually cann’t prioritize my schedule and uh first couple of days are really paying attention to our athletes and then uh then the USA Track and pill stuff yeah so you’re coming off of the NCAA championships we had a great showing by the U UVA Cavaliers High highlighted of course by Shane Cohen’s big victory were you going nuts in the stands how was that for you well you know I think everybody who knows me know that that is not the way I would have scripted the way he runs but when we got to the ACC he started really delivering on that um I just said hey just do what you’re doing and it’s working so he’s I was I thought it was good possibility actually the way he runs but uh hey you got to you got to stay out of trouble and got to hit the gas in that last uh that last 100 meters so I did a podcast interview with him and he was fantastic just kind of telling his story of just you know from the Tampa days all the way to getting you know the call from Trevor and you so I want to hear from your side of things what stood out to you when this kid from division 2 you know who had was what was the untapped potential that you saw in him that you know led to the call on the offer to give him a spot on uva’s 10 you know it’s it’s really pretty routine and typically what happens is Trevor Darbar who is um who is my assistant and really does a wonderful job he does the initial contacts and if he thinks I I’ll like the kid uh uh I’d make the call and uh he was absolutely right I thought he was you know ju not not just his running but his attitude about competition his confidence uh and yes it’s grounded in humility and um I from the first day I talked to him I really liked him I didn’t like him when he was around 154 though no likes you when you’re running 154 exactly but I liked him as a person I wasn’t so sure about his running but then when he arrived at um at UVA he just got a great uh positive attitude and the other student athletes on the team really like him so it’s um it’s good it’s all it’s all great and um we followed him all year he had as he probably told you he was injured but he had run well his previous year but he was injured last year with a stress fracture of his femur and um but he came back nicely started to run pretty well at the end of the season but season ended arrived at UVA and um he was he probably didn’t tell you that he was the the alternate on our distance medal for the NCAA did you tell you that no he didn’t tell me that so he’s come a long way as the alternate to the he reminds me of that every day of how he was the alternate and now he’s the NCAA Champion I I’m just thinking you because you famously found and recruited Andrew weeding out of high school um was there something that stood out with with Shane I mean we’re talking about this is was a guy who was 154s I mean what what qual does he just when you see him does he strike you as someone who is a really good racer and has a lot of potential um because you clearly have a good eye for developing these really good 800 meter Runners well I think the really if I if I’m going to be completely honest uh with Andrew it was Jeff Johnson who um who turned me on to him and then with uh Shane it was really Shane’s uh actually marketing and branding I mean he’s really good I mean he um he’s he’s just the right amount of confidence and he’s got big expectations and then he comes out and he delivers it so I’m more in these last bunch of years that I’ve U that I’m going to be coaching I’m only coaching kids I like so that’s how it’s that’s how it’s happening you’ve obviously done this at you know numerous schools now but just sort of building that team like chemistry and that team culture it it takes a while what is clicking so well because it’s not just Shane you’ve got Gary you’ve got Connor like they’re all clicking at the right time right now well I think it all comes down to you have to have talent M and uh I think the attitude of the guys on the team uh men and women are really it’s really quite positive and you know you get down it’s nurturing it’s almost like having a training group a professional training group you know I mean you know pretty well if you you get people together and they’ve all have a common goal and there great camaraderie big things can happen and that’s what what’s going on at UVA right now what’s it like uh to come back to Eugene um a place that has been home for you for many years the you did you were pretty instrumental in getting it to be where it’s at today it must be you know kind of emotional and and really fun at the same time for you get coming back well when I was driving when I was driving over here today and I should know the area pretty well I just I hearkened back on when we were in Budapest and you guys were lost on the subway yeah yeah you remember that and um I thought driving around through town and I’m thinking okay London Paris Budapest Eugene Oregon and uh to come back here and be in a community that Embraces the sport like none other uh it’s really it’s exciting it’s exhilarating uh I love the look on the kids faces when they arrive and they look at the stadium I mean uh Phil and Penny knight uh created something that is really special and it is nothing else like it and so it’s exciting for me to actually have played a role in um in what track town is but Track Town has always been what it is now it’s just it’s really elevated it feels like 2021 and 2022 we were still kind of coming off of the pandemic kind of return to full Sports full scale just sort of like these big Grand you know events where you know filling the stands was hard and then I think this most recent pre-classic we just saw kind of like the potential of what we see at the old Hayward where it was you know loud for every one of the sessions you know I I’m pretty optimistic about these trials and the potential turnout we might have with the fans yeah I I don’t know what the I don’t know what the numbers project to be but I can say this that uh if you follow track and field or even if you casually follow track and field and travel and uh track sport you know forget the track and field but just the sport itself I mean you got the greatest athletes in the world and you’ve got Paris coming up as one one two three and go I mean what more drama could you have in any athletic event and if there’s there’s no no better place in the world to have a track meet than Eugene Oregon yeah so looking at at these trials like they’re coming at a very interesting time where we’re starting to see just sort of like all these new initiatives popping up within the sport what do you think was the lasting impact of you know everyone seem to have believed that like the 2022 World Championships were going to be this big Catalyst for track and field in America didn’t pop exactly as big as we maybe had hoped and now it’s sort of just like okay we are recognizing is it just the feeling of an Olympic year that like track seems to be having a little bit more of a moment right now well I hope it’s more than just every four years and it’s always been the issue uh in the US is the uh the excitement for the Olympic Games is something which energizes the track Community but I hope that with a lot of these um I call them disruptions yeah that are coming about are actually I hope creating a buzz creating a catalyst and giving us the uh potential to be a springboard for what I believe you know I think all of you have heard me say the greatest sport in the world and I think that um doing something here letting the Olympic trials go you guys that are doing these uh doing these interviews and getting people on board they’re all part and if everybody kind of gets together I think we can really do something really special for the sport and that’s that’s really what I hope to do yeah we can have some fun here because it’s like they took Kyle away from us MJ scooped up Kyle so he’s got like some pretty good people in his corner just kind of guys who know the sport and then also they’re bringing in people from you know all other industry areas people from the NFL from you know Red Bull Formula 1 just to kind of pull from what it takes to Stage Grand scale you know sporting events and so what were your sort of First Impressions when they announced gr slam track as someone who is like you know the Track Town summer series was something that you threw yourself behind for a bit and it you know didn’t exactly pan out to be a big like major league thing but what advice if anything do you have for it’s like it’s like good luck right like it’s hard it’s hard to take it to undertake like I’m going to popularize track and field in America yeah well I think the initiative is I think you you you have the biggest uh you you have kind of the greatest asset in your corner and that that that will be our athlete nothing is better than our athletes and I think that if you could get people energized around it Michael and his crew I think will be a great job you did lose a good guy and Kyle uh but I do think that um I’m hopeful that they’re going to be able to get others behind it and I think it’s all right now is probably the most I don’t think we’ve ever been at this kind of inflection point because if you look at what’s going on with the n CAA and are the greatest feeder system that any Federation in the world has and we have to really join together and come up with something that is exciting that is energizing that is optimistic and I’m not sure that there is anything better than the NCAA yeah and I hope that when whenever these initiatives come up I hope that we’re all looking at the the athletes and it’s not just the American athletes it’s the international athletes who are all doing great at the uh at the at the US University system so I’m I’m excited I’m optimistic I hope Michael gets this thing done uh he’s a known quantity and a respected name so I hope it works yeah when Eric and I were kind of like pouring over just sort of like the actual like you know details of it you can you wear various hats so like you could tell us what how do you feel about a 3K 5K you know two days apart if it was one of your athletes just sort of that’s one of the challenges I think that a lot of the coaches are kind of hung up on right now is just sort of like how am I going to make this work for the athlete they’re looking at it like that’s a huge payday how do I pass on on that but like the priority still seems to be the way the contracts are built out the way coaches approach the season the priority still World Championships and Olympics so do you have to reframe anything in your head too as to like how do I let my athlete do a 3K 5K on two you know within three days you know I think that question is better posed to the actual athletes yeah because I’m so tired of listening to people who don’t do it yeah uh offering an opinion and give all the reasons why you can’t do something I’m a can do guy and I believe that you have to think differently uh we could think about the same thing we always think about and we could say exactly where we are or we can actually look ahead and uh if I I don’t have any opinion at all about 3K 5K but I think the athletes do and I told you guys last time I think the people who should be offering experience opinions and uh valid opinions are the athletes who are doing it they I’m sure they provide for you whether they can run the three and the five and U or whatever it is prelims everybody talked about oh athletes can never double in a 5k and a 10K get all of them doubl in the 5K and 10K so somehow we missed what the coaches think and what the they think I don’t know always the same yeah you’ve got a little bit of skin in the game in the 800 this this trials is there any other races you’re really looking forward to anything that um you’re excited to watch I’m excited to watch every single event whether it’s a shop putut or whether it’s the Long Shop whether the cathlon or tlon um you know UVA we have athletes in uh in the men’s 1500 the steeple chase and discus and the shut and not the shut the discus and the 400 hurdles so I’ll have a special interest in those events but I have them in every single event they’re all great at the trial yeah all right so 1500 first rounds today we got some news this morning sentro out as a guy who saw him from the very beginning what have you sort of made of his entire career we were talking about it just sort of this morning it’s like no it’s so hard to think of like how a future 1500 meter Runner is going to try and replicate that greatness over the span of a decade nowadays with just like how quick you know how fast these races are getting the longevity of these athletes and so Sentry was a special talent what do you remember kind of like the early days well it’s pretty simple I I would work backwards I I start with gold medal I talk about the number of number of years that were between gold medals and I think Matthew Switz is the uh was a young guy who I visited on a recruiting trip and it’s it’s actually a this is what I remember most about tell us the story all right I had um talked to Matthew on July 1st um and I said hey I’m going to come and visit you uh he was like yeah great great I knew his dad and his mom so I uh I was in New York and he lives in in in Baltimore area and I was out going for a little jog and I tripped and I like killed my hamstring I was like down I had the hitchhike home to not how not how you want to run no and I I went face first and I got up hitchhiked and I still had to go see Matthew that same day so I flew from New York to Baltimore and the Southwest terminal couldn’t have been further away from where I was trying to get my car and then I got this car and I had the seat so far back cuz I couldn’t even move and I got to his house he had four steps that I had to go up and I I drag myself into the house go in and then he has you have to go downstairs to get to his living room and I was hobbling around my hamstring was so black and blue and um but Matthew came so it was well worth the whole thing and then he he asked me we have some food up up the stairs I I was like no chance I’m going up those stairs so that’s my view of Matthew you’re like I almost wanted you to just meet me out in the on the front lawn but then I think he told me that I was the only one who visited him and I told him this old soft story of how I dragged myself here my Anam was killing me and I mean to get to you exactly so I was wor when I saw him win the gold medal um and all the other things she did Matthew is just a great I think great for the sport maybe maybe um maybe in the last couple of decades maybe one of the one of the best ones yeah what else has got you excited you know kind of of the the state of track and field in America right now you you mentioned the NCAA being like this huge you know potential it’s a feeder system for the rest of world as well as well as you know the the United States but you know it’s a mini World Championships anytime there’s a NCAA Championship if someone I guess like the on the marketing side of it what do you think could be done better to prop up the NCAA stars to set them up for potentially lucrative professional careers and and earn that Spotlight yeah well I think it’s really all about it’s all about two things is creating value for the sport just as any brand tries to do you’re creating value and then you have to expose that uh value so I think that the more we can uh present our sport in know exciting young enthusiastic uh Innovative way the more we’re going to get people engaged in it so all the things that we have here like you have to look at it to me it’s a Continuum and you look at the youth you look at high schools you look at colleges and you look at the professional side of the sport and I I think for too long we have just taken some of that stuff for granted so what I’m most excited about is the initiatives that are taking place with youth uh I think Sam seams has done a marvelous job with uh with the uh the coaches association and the Hall of Fame I’m I’m really heading up this initiative to try to get USA Track and Field and the coaches association to work more closely together because I’m looking at all of the things that going on with the NCA and we have all the Doom and Gloom I refused to look at it that way way I’m looking at the C cup being half full and uh I see the changes in the NCA as being very positive for our sport but it isn’t going to happen just by itself I mean we have to join together as an entire track of field community and protect to me and we the NCAA institutions invest all of them a billion dollars in the sport of track and field with a b and if we have to be sure we protect that invest M if we’re going to really get the sport going so I’m excited about getting the coaches together and hoping everybody’s going to get on close to the same pitch is that the same coaches meeting where we have to put in our little complaint about like the NCA indoor championships in Boston were I thought a little kind of it wasn’t loud like I I wanted music some entrances like who is that the meeting we have to attend to just be like hey guys like how do we spice this up a little bit because you know the high schoolers were in there a couple days later and it was electric is that just the coaches being like I want to speak to my athletes and I want them to be able to hear I don’t think so I think it’s I think it’s probably I don’t this coach would yeah you’re not trying to talk I don’t I don’t care about that I I think that people like this your this group your group as you know uh and I’m not saying this to blow smoke I think that your initiative the excitement that you bring is something that can Electrify it and I think yeah I think Sam seams Jeff molinsky I’ll call out Jeff right now I think that Jeff and the committee will embrace it I mean somebody just needs to present it yeah do it this week yeah all right we’ll do it uh Vin I guess over the next couple days what with these athletes that you’ve got competing like what is the last sort of like piece of AD like wisdom advice like is it just sort of business as usual how do you treat an Olympic trials when it comes to getting your athletes ready in the proper mindset to you know hit the track for a chance to make the Olympic team yeah I think it’s you know when you’re looking at making the Olympic team uh you only make the Olympic team if you get through each round so we’re taking each round as it comes and uh you know there’ll be a strategy that uh is a Continuum of what they’ve been doing all season whether it’s the ACC or the regional meet or the NCAA it’s a long season but it’s the same thing they’ve been doing so they’ll get through each round and then if they get to the finals which I sure hope they will uh they’ll be able to execute their excitement should carry them down the final straightaway awesome well we’re looking forward to it and Vin we always appreciate you making your annual trip onto our set giving us kind of a temperature check on the state of the sport here in the United States and so uh thank you and also thank you for the award that you gave me like I I totally this the first time I’m seeing you since I received it in the mail but uh 2023 usatf presidents Award winner all thanks to this guy I appreciate it well well deserved and I think the whole not just you but the whole initiative that you guys do the team does a great job so um I typically don’t do these things but I do like to do it with you guys of course anytime Ben well we appreciate you coming by uh grab yourself an ice cream we we’re giving free ice cream to all of our guests uh keep yourself cool and uh enjoy the races thank you thanks for having me on awes awesome all right and we’ll be back in a little bit with our next guest thanks all right all right we are back CS mag live in Eugene joined by Mitch Dyer Karen lewitz and our next guest is Bachelor star Matt James who what’s your Marathon per now is it 3 3 hours 41 seconds 41 seconds close I’m on the precipice all right so my favorite thing about just kind of bringing you on is that you flew out here as a track fan yes and you were just sort of like Allin on the sport you’ve got a partnership with Lulu where you you tapped in with Nikki hilts with Colleen Quigley and so you’ve gotten to know some of the top Pros what hooked you into becoming a big track fan I think it’s like anything um when you let’s say when you’re growing up and you know you have your favorite basketball players is Jersey your favorite football players is Jersey some like me I’m from the south so I grew up playing those things uh as I’ve gotten older and phased out of you know competitive basketball and football um what I found myself doing a lot of is running and naturally you know uh you gravitate towards the uh the upper eon of that feeli like like I wonder what the fastest marathon is I wonder what the fastest you know 5K is and as I you know struggle to finish my workouts I’m like seeing these amazing athletes just crushing their times and um it was it was an easy and I’m going to as many Meats as I can and um I’m just a big fan you did the rare double back in February where it was like we saw you at the marathon trials you came over to our popup and then I was like oh are you coming back you hanging around in Orlando you’re like no I’m getting on a flight in just a couple hours cuz I got to go to the New Balance Indoor Boston Grand Prix and I was like I was like wow I’m not even pulling that one off I’m like that’s dedication is that a sentence you thought you’d say you know like what five six years ago you know it’s it’s actually crazy I it’s it’s my Super Bowl you know it’s um I I got to watch uh Fred Curley race Noah lyes which was amazing um I got to watch Gabby Thomas run I got to watch Tara wood Hall jump like all these people that are going to be competing for spots on our Olympic team like I’m just getting a little preview as to like what we can expect and it was an intimate audience like the the field up at uh the New Balance facility is amazing um so yeah any he got the plugin he got the plug in good all right we’re good they do a good job I mean put on an amazing race the my fastest most recent Marathon was in um uh London and they had an amazing setup in London for runners uh that’s who I got my bid through so I’m I’m a fan I mean you see what I’m I got going on right now come on now but uh yeah it’s uh I’m just happy to see some fast times today yeah well you you ran London how many of the world Majors have you checked off and is that a goal of yours it is um as the travels progress so like uh I haven’t done Germany uh Berlin right that’s yeah I haven’t done Berlin uh and that’s on the list and I met some amazing men and women at the London Marathon who were like when you come out here we’re going to host you and they German so I’ve got like a a host family now when I go to Berlin uh and then I’ve got to run Tokyo I haven’t that’s like impossible to get into so I’m going to try to I think you can find a way I’ll figure out a way I’ll figure out I’ll figure out a way but the coolest thing about like I mentioned that host family in in Berlin is is how inclusive the running community’s been like it doesn’t matter where you are I feel like there’s a there’s a a running club or Community that’ll invite you in to join on a run to help with training and I think that as you see uh more and more people gravitate towards these like Community running groups you’re going to have more and more people turning out for events like you know the Olympic qualifiers and uh Olympic trials so I’m I’m excited to have uh you know more people like myself who are just fans coming out here and supporting these amazing athletes yeah I I was in New York last year here standing on first half I was actually looking for Chris you came through and there were people in the crowds like oh my God it’s Matt James like look at Matt James go this guy looks incredible you kind of have this responsibility now to put running on the map for your you know you do like it’s it’s awesome to have you involved in the sport but do you ever feel that and what a cool opportunity for you to to bring people in here and like you said hopefully filter them through to come and see these Olympic trials in the future and everything like that you know it’s it’s it’s some of the the most uh rewarding messages I get on on Instagram they haven’t always been like that um are from you know people who are like you inspired me to do my first 5k like I I entered the New York Marathon Lottery and I and I won and I’m excited to train because of you like those type of things are exciting um running with chellan Flanigan was is the peak of all of those things like that is really what pushed me to you know want to be a stronger Runner because you know you can’t fake it on the course like you can fake it in a lot of things in life but like when you’re out there on the course like there’s it’s it’s not forgiving and um and it’s the the courses have beat me up numerous times and um getting to run beside an Olympian like that uh I’m like man if I’m going to get this opportunity again I got to make sure that you know I I don’t look like an idiot so that’s kind of powered my training well so I think the big thing that I come back to is like there’s a difference between like the running community and the track and field community that’s very true that’s very true the running Community they’re healthy like it’s huge like it’s booming right now the track and Fields Community is like waiting for like its big sort of popping moment the Olympics feel special because every everything’s like a bit more elevated that’s when the Olympic year is when these stars get their shine and so what I want to know is like what was it that hooked you I know running is the entry point mhm but then to fully become a track fan and you’re sort of reverse engineering Yourself by like learning you run with ch now you got to learn what her credentials are and then after that you run with Nikki you got to learn what their credentials are and over time like you just become a bigger fan of these athletes like is that the way to do it so Chris that’s a great question I I’m very fortunate to be in positions to be able to train with yeah uh the the people that like people like you’ve mentioned like Nikki they’re an amazing athlete I’ve had an opportunity to run with them and the the distinction between you ask some weird you you you kind of like in your head you get in your own head where you’re like I don’t want to ask a question cuz I bet it’s a dumb question and but you know I think all these track athletes are just so nice that they’re like no there is no such thing as like a dumb question like we welcome any and all questions but it is funny yeah I mean I’ve again very fortunate you know the uh the nickies of the world um who else is competing today uh I ran with Savannah Shaw who uh is uh yeah yeah 10 men um uh Kira deato um so like all scattered throughout the the course are people that you know I’ve like uh met through met along my you know running journey and and meeting them and diving into their stories and seeing how phenomenal an athlete are like Kira like someone who had a kid came back and is now like competing to go back it’s like I just want to get the word out because I feel like if people understood and knew um the the the length of of work and and how impressive it was I think that you’d have um you know people as stoked as I am to be out here totally right and I was going to say some you know viewers at home may be you know questioning well how deep is he immersed in this track and field you know world every Runner post I see on Instagram it’s got a comment from you and it’s a hilarious Matt James is active in the city comment section Hey listen my favorite my favorite like little beef going on right now is um is Josh and like and and and it and it pains me when I see people like getting frustrated about like that beef because like like that is what like that is what draws people in like there needs to be drama like that’s the reason we watch the Kardashians that’s the reason we watch like reality television like we want to see people rip each other’s heads off like it’s always better if it’s somebody else so when you have these athletes that are like you know I I want you know Noah and Fred to have like bad blood I want you know um I want everybody who’s competing I want there to be like you know uh an opposite Force that’s like making there some some sort of competitiveness that’s driving us in um cuz anytime they’re racing anytime I know that there’s two athletes that are like you know at oddz with each other I’m locked in like I’m hoping that like you know Jared or Jared um yeah yard and Goose yard I hope he like you know somehow we create some fake beef for him so he gets pulled into it but he’s such a nicey the ni too nice but yeah all right hit me with like your favorite then like on the Josh yakob side pick a side I’m a yakob guy really yes like love that I think that and and I’ll and I’ll say it for these reasons um coming off of an injury um well I’m going to start with Parker actually uh who’s running the yeah who’s running the 10K or is itk and 5K so like my thing with with athletes who are in the games uh who are in the trials today it’s either super young or someone who has experience because if you’re young like you have no idea you’re like I’m going to go out there and send it so like hopefully like that inexperience just like catapults him to a a qualifying spot and then a veteran’s like I’m going to sit back I’m going to like wait for my time and go um and I think that’s going to play to the advantage of a of a Kesler today yeah um or not today I don’t know when he’s racing but yeah he’s in the first first round I freaking love that kid I saw him race in uh in um newbounds at the Grand Prix and I was like I was blown away by this kid like he’s got such a motor and he has so much potential that like these uh and I saw him race I was at the New York uh New York New York Grand Prix as well and I saw him race again and you know he didn’t come out on top but all these lessons are stacking for an amazing race so that’s my I don’t even know if you can call that a dark horse like that’s my Dark Horse and then uh Grant Fisher yeah yeah Grant Fisher he didn’t have a great race but again like another veteran like I think those two um you know if there was like odds to to put you know some some ched on I like those two yeah I think we got to check DraftKings cuz they did have it for last trials and I’m hoping they have something uh for this one all right let’s close the loop on on Josh versus yakob why are you a yakob guy oh yakob uh I just like I like his uh I followed his story so like I saw that he ran uh in the pace group with uh Kip chogi uh like how long ago was that 2017 2017 this kid’s been groomed like he’s a beast and like and I and I also I feel like a lot of people are team cerr and like I have nothing against him but like he was a little Saucy against my guy last time in the in the presser and he won the race so like major ups but like dude I I follow yakob and and his training and like he’s I feel like he’s so locked in um I think that he’s going to come out and have an amazing race and I think he’s going to get gold so that’s I don’t even know if that’s a hot take like it’s I just like Olympic champ yeah it’s an Olympic champ like I just I think he’s going to he’s got it if that’s if my guy uh Jared y yard doesn’t it’s people don’t understand the speed like it’s it’s a it’s a distance race but these guys are moving like and and if he gets out early I don’t know he he’s got to run an interesting race if he wants to beat those two like he can’t sit back like I he’s got a um like like that one lady did in the uh outdoor Championship or that was might have been indoor who pushed it like crazy and like people thought that she was on the Emily M I think people thought she was on the wrong lap so he needs to run a race like that for him to be like like oh my gosh we got to like I’ve got I got I got high hopes for him too so I you talk like you’ve been an analysis of of Jack and field for a long time I’m taking notes yeah did you ever think you’d get this deep like you’re pretty deep you’re sitting in Eugene in a in a New Balance Tower uh come over here on your own going like you’re pretty deep did you anticipate this when you started running that you be doing this I think that yeah cuz we ran together in 2019 and like it was just sort of like all right we’re running for fun it was never track and field no we had no talk of trackfield right super casual um I I just I I have an obsessive personality so like when I go down the rabbit hole um it’s hard to stop and so and now that I’m in the rabbit hole I’m just like you know I’m just I’m I’m I feel like a kid in a candy store like I’m finding out all these things for the first time and having access to these athletes and whatnot has has made the world a difference because when you have a personal a relationship with a lot of them um you just want to see him succeed so uh it’s it’s a lot of you know uh being a fan as much as it is like personally invested like as a friend of these people and also of athletes that can’t be here like the Emma cobr like it’s just like you know as someone who a former uh football player who you know had his fair share of injuries like it’s it stinks when you have these people who put their lives work into to get into this moment um to you know have something like that happen but um yeah I just I feel like an attachment now that I have a personal relationship with a lot of these people what is Rachel made of just sort of like the track obsessiveness because like it leads to just sort of sometimes like I can speak from like you know my own relationship with my fiance where just like sometimes like I’m up at 12 like watching a race on the west coast and it’s like she’s trying to go to bed and I’m like no I got to watch these people run a 10K at 11:00 p.m. right now that you couldn’t have said something that’s more relatable right one of those clips where it’s like you know how do you know your man’s not cheating on you and it’s like really hard to justify anybody you couldn’t have said it better like some some in some relationships you know it’s golf like oh my boyfriend’s always out golfing or doing whatever like there’s times on our vacations where you know I’m up in another country like with a like a crazy VPN so I could watch race on my laptop and like family’s like you know in the other room doing family stuff and I’m like no babe I got to watch like there’s implications on like my boy Hobs is on the track right now right so uh but she gets it now and and it’s and it’s a healthy you know uh hobby so she’s cool with it and um she she actually is friends with some of the people that you know I form relationships with so she’s going to be texting me throughout the day to see um how everyone’s doing I know Nikki’s not racing today but she’s a really big fan of there so um it’s it’s fun to bring her into my world yeah well and I follow along with your journey I love your food Instagram it’s my favorite thing the number of times I’ve have not had access to like the caliber that you’re posting and I’m just salivating uh but my question is for you have you found anything Instagram worthy and Eugene yet and can you you haven’t G in yet right huh you still haven’t gone inside the stadium I haven’t gone into the stadium yet but I I went to uh farmer Union uh cafe or farmer Union coffee or something like that and they had this uh sausage egg and cheese biscuit that was like amazing oh wow and the and the ice cream place downstairs is Prince puckers Prince puckers is or do are you uh you know leaning towards all right so this is going to I’m going to get super judgment for this but like to to figure out if it’s an actual good ice cream for me I need a baseline so I order vanilla in a lot of places bro don’t fix it man there’s a reason why chocolate and vanilla are the most popular flavors like you know I know there’s like you know you know Oreo explosion firecracker but like I’m a purist I just need to know what the vanilla’s like and then I’ll work my way back from there I’m not a one scoop guy I’m going be back you’re a good guy yeah yeah you’re a smart guy I’ll be back I can feel it I’ll be back yeah where did Eric and uh ma they’re just down there Max and out on Pilla see they’re ahead of me I’m going to I’m going to make my way down there so yeah yeah what are you what do you expect to be like like what do you add at other sporting events like emotionally when you’re watching a football game what do you like in the stands and then like how do you expect that’s going to compare to being a track fan watching the Olympic trials like you said like you have emotional ties to some of these athletes so I think the the the biggest difference between you know going to let’s say an NFL game opposed to a a track me is like for the most part you kind of have an idea of what’s going to happen um it might happen in like a lot of different forms with interceptions and you know crazy uh ingame experiences but like for the most part you know if the Ravens are playing the Titans like nine times out of s I’m expecting a win from the Ravens um but with track and field any day any athlete can show up in you’re you’re separated by milliseconds so like there’s no telling what you’re going to experience when you tune in and that’s what like has me on the edge of my seat and like it’s it’s it’s an addicting feeling it’s like especially when you’re not the one having to run like I loved competing but I I would I wouldn’t sleep the night before I’m a nervous wreck it’s nice to like like put that on someone else and just enjoy it as a viewer you know what I mean so yeah I would love to know about your personal journey I mean we talked about you know your most recent Marathon London I know you’re touching you know super close to that three-hour barrier uh what’s your training been like cuz I think I’ve seen some some pretty good tempos from you that you’ve been posting yeah I um I I I so I switched up the the training I have an amazing coach in Julia Lucas she’s a beast and has been the most helpful person in in my running Journey just being a sounding board and uh with this most recent race I I feel like I had the Fitness in London to run under three but I didn’t have the legs and um and after the race I texted my coach I’m like I’d love to start training 5K so that um when I go into my next Marathon block I’ll have some speed the wheels you know I have the wheels for it so these past like three or four weeks I’ve been running like faster than I’m I’m used to and it’s been amazing like it’s so much fun to go fast and the runs are shorter so it’s like it’s palatable it’s like okay I know I’m going to be on the track for like 36 minutes opposed to like man I got like a 2hour long run and like in the middle of that is like you know marathon pace like H like I got to get to bed like but with this new training Block it’s like exciting something I’m not used to and a 5k is like you know hopefully less than like 18 minutes so it’s like you’re done like it’s you’re stting you’re done so uh uh uh it’s it’s been a lot of fun to train new muscles and uh add another tool to the to the tool shed um but yeah the the the plan is to go fast I want to um I want to run the fifth AB mile oh oh I want to run the fifth AB mile uh I don’t think I’m going to win it Eric but but I just want to go fast it’s fun to go fast after you’ve you know been going like you know relatively fast for 26 it’s fun to like send it and then just like see where you’re at um so I’m excited about running the fifth AV Mar the fifth a mile and then I think I’m doing the Prospect Park 5K so like those are like my next two races love it yeah oh man well Matt it is so good to see just how much of a track fan you’ve become and like we need just like a million more versions of you to pop up and then the sport will be like in a really healthy place but uh we’ll let you go get some of the ice cream go head to the track take in hey word and then enjoy the races appreciate you coming by thank y’all for having me I’m going to try to stir up some uh track beef so that we can you know keep pulling people in get some drama going I love that I love it and he’s you know you’re a hat guy do we got a hat for him oh yeah we got to get him a love track and field hat for love I think there we go that oh that’s fire yeah dang I’ll have this on today I appreciate you amazing awesome thank you man appreciate it appreciate you all right so great so great meeting you thanks apprciate all right we will be back shortly with our next guest Dylan beard [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] all right we are joined Now by Dylan beard who shocked the world at the milrose games and then is coming in with the second fast as the second fastest hun meter 110 hurdler here at the US Olympic trials Dylan thanks for popping by to City of Mag live and Eugene oh my pleasure thank you for having me so you made an appearance I think it was a Today’s show or like Good Morning America one of those morning shows and kind of shared your story went viral during milrose games because you opened up about just like the jobs that you were working outside of track to support this essentially like the Olympic dream so catch us up I guess what is the status of just sort of your career right now just both track on the track and off the track uh to get to this point uh that’s I guess that’s a lot give us the long the long story give was the long story we got time um I mean as of right now just you know I’m here obviously the goal absolute goal is to make the Olympic team uh but just that I still work my job at Walmart uh you know five days out of the week I mean I got a little time off obviously for this situation right here make the team but U I’ve been ever since milrose ever since the Today’s Show ever since whatever I’ve been working uh you know I still got to provide for myself to compete travel meals and everything so that’s just what I’ve been doing and then consistently been on the track I mean it’s a lot better now since I have to uh you know I get to compete now so uh everything’s just been it just works out I mean honestly doesn’t feel any different you know whether people know or don’t know that I’m working you know and competing I know it’s kind of pretty common in the sport as well so I already took that into my mind when I first applied and wanted to continue running love that that chip on your shoulder like how much does that fuel you I guess when it comes to when you do get on the track and in training like you know just thinking about like all right like I have it a little bit harder than some of my biggest competitors but the times are speaking for themselves M oh at first it was definitely like a um like I’m already out of disadvantage you know guys aren’t necessarily doing what I’m doing they probably have it a little probably a lot easier than myself so um just I mean I know I’ve had some disa disappointments in like my past performances like last year specifically but I just see it as though I get to wake up I get to do this uh there’s no reason to dwell on the past or dwell on you know not necessarily winning or you know just it’s like as long as I got a good mental good physical and I can do my best I’m going to always do my best you know with respect to myself and can you talk about like the balance right we were talking about even it was a little bit challenging to get here you didn’t get as much sleep coming off of yesterday and all that but how do you kind of balance being prepared for an Olympic trials where you’re one of the top guys but still having all those other things kind of going on outside uh like you said is is it’s all about balance uh I mean that’s why I’m talking to you guys now get my mind off the you know the job at the end of the day but uh it’s really just about balancing you know you can’t necessarily be 110 all in and not have no you know relief or stress or anything so that that’s how it works for me I know I can get into my mind a little bit like getting ready ready to run getting a little excited getting a little anxiety but I mean I just got to find ways to get by I mean yesterday was a long day but still a travel day for me so I’m like I got to see you know just a little bit you know I’ve only been out here twice this is my second time out here so I love seeing the greenery out here and just enjoy the little things honestly yeah so obviously the big win at milrose games and then kind of you know when I was looking through writing previews and kind of going through just like a list like I was a little surprised to see you at like the second you know the second fastest American at the 110 hurdles right now cuz your that PR of yours 1310 fresh yeah literally like two weeks ago right yeah pretty much right off the cut off for uh entries or declaring for the um Olympic trials so uh I mean that was honestly it something that was in me for probably since the first race I had at uh Tom Jones this year I just is uh like I said it’s a little hard balancing not hard but you know I’m still working at in the day I’m still trying to travel still trying to get it together and it’s still year one of not necessarily having that support of a a college or you know a full sponsorship or anything so I’m just adjusting uh you know still getting everything right to I mean I’m in a new environment new job new everything’s new now so I’ve really gotten comfortable with how everything is going and I’m I’m ready to reproduce well how are you a approaching some of these races right you’re not always at the diamond leagues or some of these big races but you’re still putting down these really big marks are you coming into it knowing okay I have to kind of prove myself or are you kind of keeping consistent you know meet to meet oh I have nothing honestly I have nothing to prove uh I mean at the end of day it is a race there there’s no set outcome but uh my motto is or my you know thought process is opportunity is opportunity whether it’s small or large you I mean you got to you got to do something at the smaller level so you can be prepared for the bigger level so that’s that’s how I take it in there’s no I mean and it it’s it shouldn’t be that it’s oh I’m not at the diamond leag it’s like okay I want to be at the diamond league so I’m going to do this to get to the diamond league so I’m just preparing myself to have that opportunity so I want to know like what does your day look like a normal day when you have to work at Walmart like the hours how do you fit in the training take me from the moment you wake up to when you go to sleep at night uh just a little forethought it’s all I mean it’s all CU of Walmart that it’s even possible they they’re working with me very being very flexible with everything from from day one um but pretty much I wake up uh about 700 a.m. pretty much any given day um I’m out the door by 9:00 a.m. to make sure I get the weights weights from 10: to 11: and depending on how our coach wants to do practice uh we might do practice at 12 2 or 4: depending on you know whatever range works for him best we’re on his time you know so uh we’ll practice you know I’ll stay at the uh facility and uh we’ll practice right away I’ll go back home which is about 40-minute drive and get some rest and then come back and practice later and then right after practice I’m working in the evenings at at Walmart uh 3 days of the regular you know Monday through Friday and then on the weekends um 8 hour shifts you know 3: to 11: and yeah I mean it it sound I guess it does kind of sound crazy but this is what I’ve been living I’ve worked every weekend if I’m not competing I work every weekend so wow it’s really no time to be social it’s all all business and all work yeah do you get like balance when you do come to the track meets is that like kind of a uh work away from work in a sense um it definitely I definitely consider it work away from work but it’s more like this is why I’m doing it like this is like I guess my why like this is why I work those hours anyway like cuz I don’t I don’t have to do that you know I I have two degrees I I could definitely be doing something but tracking field that’s that’s my main love right now that’s what I love to do and and I’m I literally will sacrifice anything to be able to stay in the sport where did this all stem from like the passion that you have for the sport uh probably just cuz I got into the sport real uh late compared to other people I started when I was a sophomore in high school uh first season as a hurdler first season running all together was just like uh and then that second season I was like okay I’m dropping some time Dro times and then uh you know the goal was like okay let’s try this in college and um you know it was it was rough getting to college I had injuries in high school um I broke my tailbone so I was like uh maybe running is not really it for me you know how do you break your tailbone running but um I mean just perseverance persevered through I mean I definitely got to thank God for all of it cuz without him I’d probably be somewhere unhappy but um I mean yeah just it’s just like anything else that goes on in life it’s like you got your your bad your downfalls and everything it’s just like well you could either sit in it or you could just get through it and something better will always come along so that’s really my motto uh college was the same way you know co co happened my fourth year in college uh so that fifth year I actually didn’t get to compete uh at all cuz uh they had another second Co year for us so uh that was another situation just trusted in God he got me to Howard University and then you know things really took off there for me if you don’t know and I mean just just off of that just I knew I had a little more left in the tank you know especially since I wanted to run as a professional since I was in high school and I just I trusted it it looked bad starting like oh I got to work I got to provideed for myself a bit got to travel on my own and I mean it’s probably the best decision I could have ever made nice and so now we’re in Eugene you said it’s only your second time in Eugene I mean what was it like stepping off the plane here knowing you’re competing at Olympic trials you got to treat it just like another I was I was like I didn’t even really think about I like man I’m tired I got to get the best get some sleep but yeah I mean it’s literally just another meat it’s I mean quite a few eyes this time you know everyone’s watching I had a lot more support so the support of others uh I didn’t really think it mattered but it it actually helps like tremendously a lot like I feel a lot more confident in my abilities you know no need to Second guest you know I’m not just doing it well I am doing it for myself at the end of the day but you know it’s a lot more people that like you know showing me some love like okay like you know I got to I got to step up out here so I’m ready to go I’m ready to compete uh like it is just another meet you know a little more running within the week but it’s just another meet you know I had this conversation with Val conin who was a steeple Chaser and she was unsponsored made the 2021 US Olympic team in the Steeple Chase and then you know kind of H after the Olympics had this thought that like my life is going to change and the sponsorships are going to be calling and it didn’t happen immediately and there was sort of like a little bit everyone talks about like the Olympic Comedown and you know just the fact that the bright lights of the Olympics are going to change everything I kind of really like your mindset going into things where you’re just sort of like I’m here to do this I’m really good at it and whatever happens happens that not necessarily like hey if you finish top three in the 110 hurdles that you know you’re going to have a call from a sponsor and then like you set for the next couple years like am I reading this right that you’re just sort of like very chill at the point of like hey my life the Olympics may not change my life and that’s okay oh I’m definitely okay with that like I said I from from the standpoint of like high school when I first thought oh you have to kind of work your way and run I was like okay I’m I’m set like I want to do that anyway so a SP I mean a sponsorship would probably be be amaz I say no but I mean it’s like I said this is year one for me I know uh you know I think for other people it goes well past year one two and three where there’s no sponsorship so I’m not going to you know dwell on something that many people have already faced and you know try to get excited about it but I I I want to say I don’t care like I’m I’m doing the best I can without the maximum help I need so that’s all that matters like I said I’m giving it my all my this is just another opportunity to be good be great and I mean I’m sure it’ll work out one way or another I mean if anything I I’m glad can be some kind of inspiration to other people and that’s that’s really all that matters get other people to want to do something like this and follow their dreams I love that can you talk about because you said you’re from Baltimore right and obviously went to Howard and DC at least talk about kind of the community there and like some of the people that supported you to get to where you’re at now in that Journey uh I mean it all starts with my parents I mean I was playing sports since 5 years old and there there’s still my you know r or dies out there when I’m on the well on the track now but when I was on the field and on the court so I mean it it I think that Community got a little better with me since I since I decided to come you know back home you know DC and Baltimore area but uh it was just um I don’t know it was it was the same kind of culture but it was just like a lot more serious you know that’s probably the coaching staff at you know how are you coach Oliver coach cousins I had you know just an amazing group set of coaches and it was just like we have a standard here everywhere everyone has a standard but they have a standard it’s just like you’re kind of watching this standard now like he’s done it he I mean I think he was in a situation similar to myself at one point in his early career and I mean it’s just like I literally watched I trained with this guy he’s not even like a celebrity or anything this just like a a mentor like he just wants the best for me and I I think I just appreciated that mindset and then I mean it’s just it’s kind of a good step to follow in so that Community I mean it’s at least the track and field aspect is it’s definitely a lot around him he uh kind of gave me a little more driv and stop not being nonchalant about it but be determined and you know actually won it and then I mean when I was getting his records or tied his record efforts and then breaking his records just like okay like that’s that’s that guy you know what I mean like I got him yeah I got I got a little something going on so I mean that was just good for me morally and conf you know a bunch of confidence in that so uh I mean the Howard Community definitely switched up everything and then I was a lot more focused there too I was all pretty much all about business uh when being at Howard you know first few years of college I you know but the last two years I was definitely like all about my business I was serious about it I wanted the absolute best cuz I I knew I you know I’m either dealing with a short window or some more could happen no I’m really excited for you know your racing here at the trials I mean just seeing what you did at the midrose games and even just like the high stakes of the event like the men’s 110 hurdles in the United States has always been sort of a Powerhouse and for you to insert your name given sort of like your circumstances and everything like that it’s really really commendable so Dylan I appreciate you stopping by sharing your story and you know I’m sure you just converted some more fans out there to be like Dylan beard fans going into the Olympic trials appreciate it I appreciate you and thank you so much for your time both of you appreciate you man thanks man all right and we’ll be back with our final guest manio Mitchell will be joining us shortly [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] check [Music] one all right we are back with our final guest of day one of cids Mag live at Worlds we are joined by 2012 Olympic silver medalist Mano Mitchell from that 4×4 you’ve got a gold as well right from World indoors yeah yeah got a gold in 12 as well yep I love that all right so Manny what’s what’s your role here we’re kind of just talking off camera it’s I love just how you know post you know track and field career you’re you know pursuing the bob sled Winter Olympic dream right but you’re still here at the trials tapped in what what what are you up to these days yeah so obviously Bob slit takes a lot of my time but still back with the first love in track and field um I’ve always been for the athletes so in any capacity that I could obtain to help the athletes in any way be that voice for them when they are silenced or feel like they don’t have a way I’d love to do that so um I got with usatf and I said hey if there’s any way I can volunteer my time uh to to do anything to help the athletes just let me know so I became an athlete advocate in a sense uh helping with protest uh jury of appeals um getting entries in things like that that you think are kind of like overlooked that are really really important in the first step of even being here so uh just again just being with the athletes helping them out any any way I can yeah so I got into the track and field media space back in 2012 and in 2013 I was out on the circuit in Europe you were one of kind of the faces that like ushered me into the space and kind of like welcomed me and was like yeah exactly we were we were in Canada together and it was like for me it was like nice to see a familiar face and I always thought even just throughout all these years what like 12 years later that like you would make for a great media personality as an an analyst and you know now we we’ve got you on the show and I’m hoping we could get a couple takes here and there oh yeah but you also enjoy that side of things Sprint content is like popping off nowadays Anderson’s got his show Justin Gatlin has his podcast Caitlyn and Jasmine have their podcast you know you’d be another welcome voice in the space yeah you know it’s interesting as I I’m asked all the time like hey when are you going to do your own thing and I’m like man I’ve been a guest on like so many different shows so many podcasts and like giving my takes and my expertise on the events and even going into something I’m not as familiar with with the distance side cuz I actually love the I love the distance events I’m just letting y know Josh C or Yak Bing oh my God here you go I like okay so I like both of them in for different things like I love the not cocky but conceited version of them but I also like the relaxed like I’m just going to do my job like I’m the goat but I’m not going to let you know I’m the goat I like both of them so I like them in different ways but you know C’s got the upper Edge right now in my opinion um we’re disclaimer I’m I’m not saying who’s going to win but I’m just saying they’re going to be there yeah anyways uh yeah yeah I would love to to explore that space eventually um obviously I I got a few goals in mind right now that I’m I’m working on I want to hit to those first and then uh yeah we’ll see what happens nice well I mean take us back a little bit in terms of your journey to get here between competing of course at the Olympics and then you know going through your career but now at you know on the other side supporting athletes what was that transition like from athlete to now kind of the support role yeah great question um for me I’m always like what’s next what can I do so I remember even in 2013 2014 coming back from injury from the London Games I remember uh getting with like NBC and saying hey I want to I want to do this so after my rounds were over if or if I didn’t make the final or whatever the case may be I would be in the booth like just learning and trying to get that expertise so I’ve always been in and around some capacity outside of the sport within the sport um and I think that’s something that’s very important for the athletes to kind of explore while you’re you know you got to know what you want to do when this is over because it’s going to end at some point but there’s always avenues that you can explore and and and kind of see what you want to do so that’s kind of how I made the journey and transition over while still doing bob sled and um having officially retired from track and field I’m definitely not running any 400s anytime soon I wouldn’t mind I wouldn’t no no it’s not George and Wheezy I’m going move down so 100 m I would like to see what I could run for 100 MERS because in Bob SL is like so much power and speed involved and I went from being 180 lbs to 100 or to 220 lbs of just straight muscle speed and you know I just want to expl sounds like mac yeah yeah well what’s your what’s your 100 PB so my 100 PB is 10:04 oh you’re a sub 10 guy yeah yeah so I I definitely believe I can run a lot of people are not going to think this cuz I’m 36 years old but I really do believe with the training and stuff that I’ve been doing and the numbers I can run sub 10 I really do I mean Justin he was like 40 years old almost running N9 right so nothing’s yeah he definitely definitely put some numbers out there for those Masters records that probably won’t be touched thank you Mr Gatlin appreciate you so we’re here at the trials and like all these races are going to be epic what are the what are the ones that you’re looking forward to the most I mean because I think the best part is that we there’s no shortage of personalities and storylines that we could look at at any one of these races but what are your eyes on for me you know being that I was heavily involved in the sport I look at it a whole lot different than maybe the Super Fan may look at it because I’m a fan of the sport as well um but having that inside scoop on what people’s training has been like and um seeing the numbers that people are doing in training I’m like oh my gosh this is going to be special so I I believe there’s a host of events that we’re going to see some surprises um I’m always about the underdog I remember in 2012 nobody knew who I was but I I made a name for myself that day when I made that team and then obviously fast forward into London with all that crazy stuff that happened so I’m I’m always going to root for that Underdog but everybody has a story it’s just like how are you going to reveal yourself to show that story and tell that story so um I can’t give you one specific event I’m looking forward to all the events not just the Sprints I’m talking about distance I’m talking about steeple I’m talking about the throws I’m looking forward to just having fun and being being a fan of the sport and just clean fun and just good excitement around the events all right I’m going to dig deeper though on a cou here he goes no but like I just want to hear you talk about some some of these athletes in particular so what makes all right let’s start with the 400 because it was your specialty event like this year without with with Fred moving down it’s a revolving door yeah it’s wide open yeah it really is it’s wide open you think the high schooler could make it ah relay team oh yeah for sure if we’re talking top three and this is not a down I believe his name is Quincy right yeah Quincy Wilson um having a phenomenal season and not just season but just career like I’ve been following his path and and his journey and it’s great it’s good to see I saw him training yesterday he looks fit he looks great my only thing is is when you’re at that level and especially in high school you’re you’re running a lot now I know they they’ve tapered him off I can tell they’ve tapered him off here recently great coaching on your part coach Joe Joe Joe Lee yeah so great job of of you know sequencing that and getting that calendar right and I think that that’s going to make him do really well here now top three I don’t know no top six I think that’s doable I feel it’s top eight now right the edition of the mixed relay if you make the final I was talking to Andrew valman about this earlier I was like man I wish we had those when I was in my that’s how many more teams that’s like four teams right there at least olymp I’ve always made the finals so it’s like man that’s four teams right there if I would have did all four but you know but te eaches on I I believe uh I’m looking forward to my my sleeper is Vernon Norwood in the 400 he’s always shown like Fitness and it I feel like this year is his year I feel like this Olympic trials is his year to really show what he is capable of doing and it shows up right at the right time so I’m going to be interested in seeing the first round today seeing how the younger people in the group how they reply and respond to the vets that are going to just go out and do just enough and to make it to the next round so I’m interested to see that obviously in the 100 everybody’s got the the namesakes like shakeri and uh Christian Coleman I’m excited to see this high school kid though Chris Miller the other Christian right I’m excited to see him last weekend right yeah and he ran that at pen right if I’m not mistaken that that’s pretty quick on Penn’s track not to separate any other tracks but you don’t really usually see anybody go sub 10 there uh in the in the 100 meter dash so um but I think there are some some surprises that are going to shake up this and it’s always good to see like the Fresh Faces I’m I’m all about the stories I’m all about those lines and the headliners or whatever but I like to to hear from the people that that have a story and we don’t know it yet yeah we literally just had Dylan beard on and he’s one of those guys in the story great guy 110 hurdles I believe looking forward to seeing him compete and the thing is like I think what people back home may not or if you’re watching this right now obviously you’re fan of the sport which we appreciate you thank you so much but what people don’t realize is is that there’s a lot of work that goes into getting here but once you’re here everybody’s on the same playing field it’s it’s even it doesn’t matter what you’ve run it’s all about what you’re going to do for those three rounds or how many other rounds you have to go through so I always look forward to it it’s like starting over once you get here it’s like Ground Zero who’s going to come out on top who’s going to who’s going to be the best on that day so it’s going to be great I’m excited as someone who had success on this stage How do you take those nerves because it’s like this is the meat that your contract and your whole livelihood and everything’s been building up towards yeah there’s a lot riding of course I just said live in the moment but there’s a lot riding there’s a lot writing on your success so to speak here um obviously contracts may be on the line or if you’re want a further one the better your performance the better that looks obviously making the team is a a Sure Fit for most people but then you have athletes that don’t have contracts that should have contracts but the way tracking field is just set up is just like man I feel so bad for some of these athletes that I know deserve to have money in their pocket from a sponsor but they don’t have that access so I’m like man what can I do to help that that’s that’s why I’m like still here trying to put my head and hat and everything so um but yeah once you’re here it’s you got to let all that stuff go because I mean for me I was more nervous in practice and training than I would be at a race or something like that because at in training you’re doing way more than you would here now it’s just one and you got to think about in the moment so I I always say that this year it’s like my thing you have to go round for round lap forlap can’t worry about the the semi-final or the final you have to run this and get to there so just athletes if you’re watching if you if you watch this on the playback cuz right now you’re probably warming up um focus on what you can control right now and everything else will fall into place if you’re training your coaches your staff your people have your best interest in mind so you’re here for a reason you made it here so I really think that if you just follow the plan don’t try to change anything now it’s too late yeah just follow the plan I think you’ll be okay well I’m curious with like fallowing the plan you have a lot of professionals who are here but then going back to like Quincy or you know Christian Miller like do they have to approach a little different where it’s their first time competing against yeah they got nothing to lose so and that’s literally what I was going to say so number one have nothing to lose if anything they gain so much whether they win or lose um I’m reminded of when I had my first Olympic trial in 2012 I remember um David verberg was one of the athletes that was there he was at George Mason at the time and he was I remember him coming up to me as a as a fan of the sport or or myself and I’m like dude you’re at the Olympic trials and you’re a senior in college this is crazy like I’m I’m 24 years old I’m not supposed to be here I I wasn’t highly touted but there’s going to be athletes like that the younger athletes obviously don’t have anything to lose have everything to gain tons of experience whether they win or lose but at the same time that does bring bring in a different element because you’ve never been around this type of talent before I mean you typically these high school kids I want to say kids cuz there are girls as well that are here um they’ve they’re the top of the top in what they do so now you’re going to be faced with a little bit of adversity because you have people that run it what what you run or faster so um it’s going to be interesting to see you know how that breaks down but again just stay stay in your element do what you do don’t change it run your own race all that H spill I’m sure your coaches are saying that and they’re embedding that in your head so yeah I think it I think they’ll be off be okay yeah all right we’re in store for a jam-pack next 10 days we haven’t even seen one of the races yet it feels like it’s been I don’t know it’s been a long day I’m like man when when are the RAC is popping off I mean I enjoy watching the U the throws this morning but ideally 10day championships are you a three-day Championship guy what do you think we we got to knock that time down it’s too long it’s too long almost two weeks to track it’s I mean for the fans it it’s great that’s like but do you get burnt out yes you get burnt out so shorten it a little bit I think is is ideal does that help the athletes in a sense not really but I feel like there’s a way that we can Market this and and and package it to being more condensed but still get good quality out of it so I would like to see that if anybody’s interested in bringing your boy in on that I have some ideas um but yeah there you go yeah we’ll see all right man well we appreciate you popping by you know maybe after one of these races we’ll get your analysis on things I think the comment section here was saying we need more man on the mic so it’s like hey hey I think like you’ve got a career in this you definitely got to jump in so what I’m going to do I’m going to keep this one right I’m going to take it with me and we’ll think about it I’ll come back and plug it in when you guys need it again all right I appreciate you stopping by yeah thanks for having me I appreciate it all right that does it for day one of cious SM live in Eugene many thanks to usatf president Vin Lanana uh Dylan beard Matt James Manel Mitchell for stopping by we will be back live on the Citys mag YouTube channel tonight immediately following the races we’re running out of Hayward we don’t have as far of a run to get back to the set and we’re breaking down races we’re giving our you know commentary on just sort of what is happening uh on day one of the trials we’ve got some Olympians to name tonight so meet you we meet you back here on the C mag YouTube channel tonight after the races I’m kavez Anderson Emerald Manuel Mitchell on behalf of Mac Fleet behind the camera thanks for tuning in MA day one in the books awesome manate yeah no [Music] [Music]
