The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show

“This year, with all the challenges and setbacks, gave me a lot of confidence in that I was still able to come out and deliver and make this team. I have a lot of confidence from experience and just knowing that no matter the circumstances, I'm able to stay focused and get the job done; just focus on myself and what I need to do to be the best runner I can be. That’s where I draw my confidence from.”

My guest for today's episode is Emily Mackay. In the 1500m, the margin between heartbreak and a ticket to the World Championships can be a lean, a lunge, or a fraction of a second. For Emily, it was the last 100m at Hayward Field, stride for stride with her former training partner Heather McLean, both fighting for the third and final spot to Tokyo. Mackay pulled ahead in that final stretch and stopped the clock at 4:04.38 for third place behind Nikki Hiltz and Sinclaire Johnson and secured her place on Team USA for Tokyo.

It's been less than a year since Mackay qualified for her first Olympics — a breakout 2024 season that saw her win World Indoor bronze in Glasgow in the 1500. She went on to run 3:55 to move to #3 all time among Americans and stood on the podium at the U.S. Olympic trials. She also reached the semifinal of the 1500m at the Paris Olympics, but in the months since, She's navigated change and injury.

She parted ways with Team New Balance Boston's training group during the outdoor season and is now coached by Pete Julian. She’s still sponsored by New Balance while living in Boulder, Colorado. In this episode, we talk about the U.S. championships, the transition between training groups, and the confidence it takes to keep climbing in one of the most competitive eras of American distance running.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠

Guest: Emily Mackay | @emily_mac7 on Instagram 

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠

Mentioned in this episode…

Watch: USATF Championships women’s 1500m final

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NEW BALANCE: The FuelCell Rebel v5 was built to feel fast—and look the part. With a sleek, race-inspired mesh upper and lightweight PEBA/EVA foam blend, it offers a responsive, energetic ride that’s ideal for everything from steady miles to speedwork. A redesigned heel and added forefoot rubber provide comfort and traction, making this your go-to for runs when you want to pick up the pace. The Rebel V5 shows up every time. ⁠⁠⁠Find the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 at newbalance.com or your local running shop today.⁠

This week, Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia unpack the top highlights from the Gyulai István Memorial in Budapest earlier today, from Oordegem, Belgium on Saturday, and more of the biggest shakeups in rankings that took place over the weekend. 

We preview everything you need to know about the Silesia Diamond League, including the top athletes competing, matchups to follow, and records to watch for. We also dive into the latest drama in the track and field world, break down the qualification process for the World Championships, explain how the Diamond League wild card process works, and lots more.

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Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Preet Majithia | @preetmajithia on Instagram

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | @jasminefehr on Instagram

Mentioned in this episode…

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OLIPOP: Straight out of Bikini Bottom, Olipop’s limited edition SpongeBob cans have arrived. Pineapple Paradise features a burst of juicy pineapples and a splash of mandarin. It's on shelves now at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Circle K, Amazon, and select stores nationwide.⁠⁠ ⁠You can check out all of their flavors and get 25% off your orders at DrinkOlipop.com using code CITIUS25 at checkout.⁠⁠⁠

NEW BALANCE: The FuelCell Rebel v5 was built to feel fast—and look the part. With a sleek, race-inspired mesh upper and lightweight PEBA/EVA foam blend, it offers a responsive, energetic ride that’s ideal for everything from steady miles to speedwork. A redesigned heel and added forefoot rubber provide comfort and traction, making this your go-to for runs when you want to pick up the pace. The Rebel V5 shows up every time.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Find the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 at newbalance.com or your local running shop today.⁠

“Every year the top three resets. It doesn’t matter what you did the previous year. If you need any more evidence than this 1500 final, then I don’t know what to tell you. Everything is so cutthroat. Just getting on that top three was a big relief. I know that the big peak is coming in September, so I can live with this for now. Now I know where I’m at exactly.”

My guest for today’s episode is Cole Hocker, who is no stranger to championship moments. But even Olympic champions can go through droughts. Since winning gold in Paris last summer, Hocker hadn’t claimed a single 1500 or mile final — 0-for-8 — in a year that’s tested his patience, his poise, and his place in one of the most ruthless eras of middle-distance running.

But in 2025, Hocker has also been focused on something new in taking on the 5000m. On Sunday, in the biggest 5K win of his career, he stormed down the Hayward Field homestretch to take the U.S. title in 13:26.45 — closing in 51.76 for the last lap, 25.69 for the final 200, and outkicking Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher and U.S. 10,000 champ Nico Young to punch his ticket to the World Championships in Tokyo.

It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t record-breaking. It was tactical execution — Hocker biding his time, slipping to fifth with 200 to go, and trusting that if the race came down to pure speed, he’d have the last word. And he did.

With that win, the double dream is alive: Hocker will line up in both the 1500 and the 5000 at Worlds — just as he set out to do at the start of the year. He’s stronger than last season, more confident than ever, and ready to see if that closing gear can stand up to the world’s best in Tokyo.

We talk about what it took to win this one, the mental discipline to ride out the noise of a long season while also focusing on the double, and why patience—even for an Olympic champion—combined with his supreme confidence makes him one of the most dangerous racers in the world.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠

Guest: Cole Hocker | @colehocker on Instagram

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mentioned in this episode…

Watch: ⁠USATF Championships men’s 5000m final⁠

Watch: USATF Championships men's 1500m final

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Straight out of Bikini Bottom, Olipop’s limited edition SpongeBob cans have arrived. Pineapple Paradise features a burst of juicy pineapples and a splash of mandarin. It's on shelves now at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Circle K, Amazon, and select stores nationwide.⁠ ⁠You can check out all of their flavors and get 25% off your orders at DrinkOlipop.com using code CITIUS25 at checkout.⁠⁠

NEW BALANCE: The FuelCell Rebel v5 was built to feel fast—and look the part. With a sleek, race-inspired mesh upper and lightweight PEBA/EVA foam blend, it offers a responsive, energetic ride that’s ideal for everything from steady miles to speedwork. A redesigned heel and added forefoot rubber provide comfort and traction, making this your go-to for runs when you want to pick up the pace. The Rebel V5 shows up every time.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Find the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 at newbalance.com or your local running shop today.⁠

“I thought I had missed my moment last year. I didn’t want that to define me, but I didn’t want to put way too much pressure on this year, because it wasn’t going to make up for last year. It was really hard. But in the last month, I said, ‘We’re going to go for it. We’re going to put our ego to the side and see what happens.’”

Sage Hurta-Klecker knows heartbreak. In her first U.S. Championships in 2021, she fell and broke her wrist. In 2023, she finished a painful fourth in the 800m, just one spot shy of making the team. Last year, she was fifth after getting tangled in the ripple effects of a fall by Athing Mu. Even indoors this year, she was again one place away from qualifying for a world championship team.

But this past weekend at Hayward Field, Hurta-Klecker rewrote the script. Charging down the final straight in the women's 800, she leaned hard for the finish line and went down hard after crossing it. She stopped the clock at 1:59.48 to edge out 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials champion Nia Akins by just four hundredth of a second.

This time, the fall didn't mean heartbreak; it meant joy, it meant redemption, and finally, it meant her first U.S. team and a ticket to the World Championships. “Don't let your narrative of the past limit your future,” she wrote afterward on Instagram. Sage did not, and now she's heading to Tokyo. We talk all about that race, the shortcomings along the way, and the overwhelming sense of relief to finally make a team.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠

Guest: Sage Hurta-Klecker | @hurtasage on Instagram

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠

Mentioned in this episode…

Watch: USATF Championships Women’s 800m final

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Straight out of Bikini Bottom, Olipop’s limited edition SpongeBob cans have arrived. Pineapple Paradise features a burst of juicy pineapples and a splash of mandarin. It's on shelves now at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Circle K, Amazon, and select stores nationwide. ⁠You can check out all of their flavors and get 25% off your orders at DrinkOlipop.com using code CITIUS25 at checkout.⁠

NEW BALANCE: The FuelCell Rebel v5 was built to feel fast—and look the part. With a sleek, race-inspired mesh upper and lightweight PEBA/EVA foam blend, it offers a responsive, energetic ride that’s ideal for everything from steady miles to speedwork. A redesigned heel and added forefoot rubber provide comfort and traction, making this your go-to for runs when you want to pick up the pace. The Rebel V5 shows up every time. ⁠⁠⁠Find the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 at newbalance.com or your local running shop today.⁠

“The other part is that he loves it. He doesn’t miss. A ton of people are—to be cliche—talented, but they don’t do the things to maximize their talent. So how is he there? Because he’s doing everything to at least give him the chance to maximize his talent. Do we know it’s going to be 1:42? No, we don’t know that. We have no clue what it is… He’s doing the things it takes to see how good he can be—and he loves finding out what that looks like.”

My guest for today's episode is Chris Capeau, the coach behind one of the most remarkable performances in American track history. As the head distance coach at Northwest High School in Texas, Capeau found success with his middle distance programs. Even before that at other Texas high schools, he was a bit of a journeyman in coaching at various universities and learning from other accomplished coaches in the sport.

But this summer, the spotlight found him after 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus stunned the track world with a 1:42.27 in the men's 800m at the U.S. Championships. That time was a three second PR, a new U18 world record, the fastest time ever run by a high schooler, and the fourth fastest time by an American ever. More than that, it earned Lutkenhaus a spot on Team USA for the World Championships in Tokyo, making him the youngest man in history to compete at a global outdoor championships. It was a moment that defied logic, but it didn't happen by accident.

Capeau has been building upon a strong foundation established by Cooper's parents. A former NAIA marathon standout and collegiate coach with deep experience in building programs, Capeau brings a thoughtful athlete-centered approach that prioritizes trust, patience, and long term development. That philosophy has now helped produce a once in a generation talent and has rewritten what we thought was possible for high school middle distance running.

This conversation pairs well with our previous episode with Cooper. You can find it here. In this one, we try to make even more sense of the performance by speaking to the man who worked on making it happen day in and day out.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠

Guest: Coach Chris Capeau

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mentioned in this episode…

Listen: Cooper Lutkenhaus Breaks Down His 1:42.27 800m At 16 Years Old To Make History, Qualifies For The 2025 World Championships + Goals For Tokyo

Watch: ⁠USATF Championships Men’s 800m final⁠

_____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Straight out of Bikini Bottom, Olipop’s limited edition SpongeBob cans have arrived. Pineapple Paradise features a burst of juicy pineapples and a splash of mandarin. It's on shelves now at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Circle K, Amazon, and select stores nationwide.⁠ ⁠You can check out all of their flavors and get 25% off your orders at DrinkOlipop.com using code CITIUS25 at checkout.⁠⁠

NEW BALANCE: The FuelCell Rebel v5 was built to feel fast—and look the part. With a sleek, race-inspired mesh upper and lightweight PEBA/EVA foam blend, it offers a responsive, energetic ride that’s ideal for everything from steady miles to speedwork. A redesigned heel and added forefoot rubber provide comfort and traction, making this your go-to for runs when you want to pick up the pace. The Rebel V5 shows up every time.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Find the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 at newbalance.com or your local running shop today.⁠