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

*Note: The first few minutes of Ben's interview were cut due to audio issues. The audio quality improves throughout the interview.

Canadian distance runner and Olympian Ben Flanagan is finally making his marathon debut at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon this Sunday. Fresh off his 2024 season that included his Olympic debut in the 5000m, Flanagan opens up about the challenges of transitioning to the marathon, including an injury-shortened build in 2025. He’s focused on winning the Canadian Championship and using this race as a launching pad for his marathon future.

Jon Green, Flanagan's coach, also joins us live in Toronto to share about guiding him towards his marathon debut. The two share a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to step up to the marathon and the mindset of an elite runner in transition.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠

Guest: Ben Flanagan | @ben_flanagan on Instagram

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NOMIO: Made with 80% broccoli sprout juice, 15% lemon juice, and 5% sugar, Nomio activates your body’s natural defense systems to reduce lactate, speed recovery, and enhance muscle adaptation. Take one 60 ml shot three hours before training or racing and feel lighter, stronger, and more resilient. Available at The Feed — use code CITIUS15 for 15% off | ⁠https://thefeed.com/collections/nomio⁠

WAHOO: The KICKR RUN isn’t just another treadmill; it’s a complete rethink of indoor running. With Dynamic Pacing, it automatically adjusts to your stride—no buttons, no breaking form, just pure running freedom. Its Terrain Simulation makes the deck feel like a track or trail, while lateral tilt mimics real-world conditions so you’re always prepared for race day. So whether you’re chasing your first half-marathon finish, a marathon PR, or your next trail adventure, the KICKR RUN is built to help you Run Your Run. Check it all out at ⁠WahooFitness.com⁠ and use code CITIUS at checkout.

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.⁠

“If I had even one race like one of my many races this year in another year, I would have been like, “This year was phenomenal because I had that one really good race.’ This year felt like every race but one went very well. Every race, I ended up like, ‘I can’t believe I just did that’ or, ‘That was awesome!’ Things maybe weren’t perfect, but a lot of my races were close to perfect and that was special to me.”

My guest for today’s episode is Conner Mantz, the new American record holder in the marathon.

On a crisp October morning in Chicago, Mantz ran 2:04:43, smashing Khalid Khannouchi’s 23-year-old mark and becoming the fastest American ever over 26.2 miles. It’s a record that survived generations of greats from Meb Keflezighi to Ryan Hall to Galen Rupp but Conner Mantz, the soft-spoken racing assassin, made it real.

If you’ve caught all of Conner’s post-marathon recap podcast episodes that we’ve done on this show, you’ll notice that he carries the same naïve faith that once made him think he could win NCAA titles and make Olympic teams. It’s the same inner voice that still says he can win a World Marathon Major some day or medal at the 2028 Olympics.

We talk about what it means to finally get the record, how the race played out into something historic and the proof of what hard work and self-belief can bring you to.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠

Guest: Conner Mantz | @connermantz on Instagram 

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

NOMIO: Made with 80% broccoli sprout juice, 15% lemon juice, and 5% sugar, Nomio activates your body’s natural defense systems to reduce lactate, speed recovery, and enhance muscle adaptation. Take one 60 ml shot three hours before training or racing and feel lighter, stronger, and more resilient. Available at The Feed — use code CITIUS15 for 15% off | https://thefeed.com/collections/nomio

WAHOO: The KICKR RUN isn’t just another treadmill; it’s a complete rethink of indoor running. With Dynamic Pacing, it automatically adjusts to your stride—no buttons, no breaking form, just pure running freedom. Its Terrain Simulation makes the deck feel like a track or trail, while lateral tilt mimics real-world conditions so you’re always prepared for race day. So whether you’re chasing your first half-marathon finish, a marathon PR, or your next trail adventure, the KICKR RUN is built to help you Run Your Run. Check it all out at WahooFitness.com and use code CITIUS at checkout.

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.⁠

What. A. Day. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa unleashed two of the fastest marathons in history in Sunday’s Chicago Marathon. Kiplimo’s 2:02:23 makes him the seventh-fastest man ever and he did it in only his second career marathon. Feysa’s 2:14:56 announced her arrival as one of the five fastest women of all time with a perfectly paced negative split.

Behind the fireworks, storylines kept coming: Kenya’s Amos Kipruto and Alex Masai rounded out the podium, while Conner Mantz lit up home soil fans with a North American record of 2:04:43. On the women’s side, Megertu Alemu and Magdalena Shauri joined Feysa in a flurry of personal bests. It was a good day to run fast.

For more reactions and parting thoughts from Chicago, you can read our recap here. You can also catch the replay of our watchalong here.

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

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

WAHOO: The KICKR RUN isn’t just another treadmill; it’s a complete rethink of indoor running. With Dynamic Pacing, it automatically adjusts to your stride—no buttons, no breaking form, just pure running freedom. Its Terrain Simulation makes the deck feel like a track or trail, while lateral tilt mimics real-world conditions so you’re always prepared for race day. So whether you’re chasing your first half-marathon finish, a marathon PR, or your next trail adventure, the KICKR RUN is built to help you Run Your Run. Check it all out at ⁠⁠⁠WahooFitness.com⁠⁠⁠ and use code CITIUS at checkout.

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.⁠

Join CITIUS MAG hosts Eric Jenkins, Karen Lesiewicz, Paul Hof-Mahoney and Mac Fleet as they break down the biggest storylines of the 2025 Chicago Marathon. Some of the topics the crew dives into include:

- What to expect for weather and the course

- Who to watch in both the men's and women's elite fields

- Top American men and women who are looking to shake things up

- Race winner predictions

- Top American predictions

- Predictions on what Conner Mantz will run

+ More

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For more:

Read: Chicago Marathon preview article

Listen: Chicago Marathon preview podcast

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Hosts: Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram, Karen Lesiewicz | @karen_les on Instagram, & Paul Hof-Mahoney | @phofmahoney on Instagram

Produced by: Mac Fleet | @macfleet on Instagram & Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

HOKA: We’re takin’ over Happy Camper Chicago (Old Town) with HOKA during the Chicago Marathon festivities. On Sunday morning, we’ll be posted up as part of the HOKA cheer zone to host our alternate broadcast watchalong, where Eric Jenkins, Karen Leciewicz, Paul Hof Mahoney and other guests will be providing their own commentary, reactions, insights and analysis live as the elite races unfold. Stay tuned for some surprise giveaways that we’ll have on-site for marathon finishers. Don’t miss the HOKA Hub at the expo for a chance to demo the all-new Rocket X 3 and the up-tempo Mach X 3. ⁠⁠⁠RSVP to all of these events via the HOKA Eventbrite page at the link here.⁠

Our guest today is Faith Kipyegon, the greatest 1500m runner the sport has ever known. In Tokyo, she won her record fourth World Championship 1500m title — seven global golds in this event including her three Olympic golds. It is a reign that now stretches over four years and twenty-two straight victories.

In Tokyo, that 1500m final was also a masterclass performance. She led from the gun and never looked back and ran 3:52.15 to win by nearly three seconds, the largest margin of any of her global titles. It was Faith at her purest: precise, patient, untouchable.

In this episode, we talk about how Kipyegon continues to perfect the impossible by breaking world records three years in a row and racing not for dominance but for legacy. She’s won everything there is to win, yet somehow, it feels like she’s still getting better. Faith Kipyegon has redefined what greatness on the track looks like.

You can watch the full interview with Faith Kipyegon here.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Faith Kipyegon | @faithkipyegon on Instagram

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

HOKA: We’re takin’ over Happy Camper Chicago (Old Town) with HOKA during the Chicago Marathon festivities. On Sunday morning, we’ll be posted up as part of the HOKA cheer zone to host our alternate broadcast watchalong, where Eric Jenkins, Karen Leciewicz, Paul Hof Mahoney and other guests will be providing their own commentary, reactions, insights and analysis live as the elite races unfold. Stay tuned for some surprise giveaways that we’ll have on-site for marathon finishers. Don’t miss the HOKA Hub at the expo for a chance to demo the all-new Rocket X 3 and the up-tempo Mach X 3. ⁠⁠RSVP to all of these events via the HOKA Eventbrite page at the link here.⁠

WAHOO: The KICKR RUN isn’t just another treadmill; it’s a complete rethink of indoor running. With Dynamic Pacing, it automatically adjusts to your stride—no buttons, no breaking form, just pure running freedom. Its Terrain Simulation makes the deck feel like a track or trail, while lateral tilt mimics real-world conditions so you’re always prepared for race day. So whether you’re chasing your first half-marathon finish, a marathon PR, or your next trail adventure, the KICKR RUN is built to help you Run Your Run. Check it all out at ⁠⁠⁠WahooFitness.com⁠⁠⁠ and use code CITIUS at checkout.

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.⁠