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

Another pair of collegiate records fell inside Hayward Field on Friday night at Day 3 of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi cemented himself as the greatest quarter-miler to ever grace the NCAA, winning the 400m title in 43.38 — becoming the fourth-fastest man ever in the process. LSU’s Jaiden Reid broke 20 seconds under legal conditions in the 200m for the first time, and got way under 20 seconds. His 19.63 broke Walter Dix’s NCAA record that had stood for nearly two decades.
Simeon Birnbaum delivered a thrilling 1500m victory in front of a home Hayward crowd, pulling away down the home straight with enough cushion to celebrate to his heart’s content. Habtom Samuel dashed Marco Langon’s title hopes by completing the 5K-10K double, while Colin Sahlman cemented one of the best season in collegiate distance running history with an 800m title to end his NCAA career.
A disaster-filled 4x100m saw Tennessee come out on top of a race that only five teams finished, while a ridiculously fast 42.99 anchor leg from Georgia freshman Jonathan Simms led the Bulldogs on an incredible comeback to 4x400m glory.
When the dust settled and the points were tallied, the Arkansas Razorbacks came out on top, completing the season sweep for head coach Doug Case after he took over for Chris Bucknam at the end of the cross country season. The Hogs scores 56 points, seven ahead of the runner-up Dogs of Georgia.
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Host: Paul Hof-Mahoney | ⁠⁠@phofmahoney⁠⁠
Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Georgia freshman Adaejah Hodge did her best to put Ja’Kobe Tharp’s historic hurdles race out of viewers minds today on Day 2 of the NCAA NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the 100m, Hodge shattered Sha’Carri Richardson’s collegiate record with a 10.63 clocking, becoming the fifth-fastest woman ever in the process. A few hours later, she scorched the track again, leading all 200m qualifiers in 21.96, equalling the fastest single-day double in history.
In the 10,000m final, Iowa Stare freshman Mercyline Kirwa pulled off an incredible upset over Pamela Kosgei and Jane Hedengren, closing in 61.84 to win the NCAA title for the Cyclones. Hedengren, who finished third, will race again in Saturday’s 5000m final.
The women’s 800m prelims featured the fastest rounds we’ve ever seen, with 1:59.93 being required just to make the final. All of the 1500m favorites qualified, setting up the final we’ve all been waiting for. Akala Garrett, Aaliyah McCormick and Dejanea Oakley all posted fast qualifying times ahead of Saturday’s finals.
In the field, Amanda Moll established a new collegiate record in the outdoor pole vault at 4.84m, while Axelina Johansson (Shot put) and Alyssa Jones (Long jump) both notched championship records on their way to a title. Ben Barton (Decathlon), Elisabet Rut Runarsdottir (Hammer), and McKyla Van der Westhuizen (Javelin) all earned wins as well.
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Host: Paul Hof-Mahoney | ⁠@phofmahoney⁠
Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My guest for today’s episode is Agnes Ngetich: the 10,000m world record holder on the road, the reigning World Cross Country champion, and one of the most compelling athletes in distance running right now. She is 25 years old. She grew up in rural Kenya, lost her father to cancer at 10, and spent much of her adolescence working on farms and carrying bags of charcoal to help feed her family. She missed school to earn money. She showed up to race barefoot and hungry anyway.
A coach named Ruth Bundotich saw something in her at 14 and opened a door. From that point, the progression has been relentless: junior titles in Kenya, an African Championships silver, a World U20 bronze, and then the slow build toward the longer distances where she now lives.
In 2024 in Valencia, she ran 28:46 for 10 kilometers on the road — the first woman ever under 29 minutes — a record she had to earn three times: once on a course that turned out to be 25 meters short, once in atrocious weather in Lille where she fell eight seconds shy, and finally in Valencia where it was made official. In January 2026, she won the World Cross Country title in Tallahassee by 42 seconds — the second-largest winning margin in the history of the event.
Last weekend here in New York, she came back after getting hypothermia at the United NYC Half in March and ran a course record 30:07 at the Mini 10K, blasting the first mile in 4:47 and pulling away from Hellen Obiri before the race was even a kilometer in.
In this conversation that we recorded while she was in town, we dive into her childhood, the coach who changed her life, getting to the point of running world records, her World Cross Country dominance, what she thinks of the marathon and more.
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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠
Guest: Agnes Ngetich | @jebet.agnes
Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠@jasminefehr⁠
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OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

The first day of the 2026 NCAA Championships delivered in many ways, the biggest of which came in the form of Ja’Kobe Tharp’s 110mH world record. The Auburn junior navigated the barrier in 12.75 seconds, breaking Aries Merritt’s 14-year-old mark of 12.80. Tharp’s record led the charge for an incredible day for the Tigers, which also featured three qualifiers in the 100m and a 4x100m collegiate record.
In the evening’s only track final, New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel reclaimed the 10,000m title, winning a race reminiscent of a fartlek in 27:51.31.
In other prelim action, distance favorites like Simeon Birnbaum, Gary Martin, Colin Sahlman, and the Arkansas 800m duo of Tyrice Taylor and Rivaldo Marshall all easily qualified for Friday’s finals.
Five more titles were handed out in the field, with Angelos Mantzouranis (Hammer), Dyson Wicker (Pole vault), Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi (Javelin), Tafadzwa Chikomba (Long jump), and Ben Smith (Shot put) all earning top podium spots.
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Host: Paul Hof-Mahoney | @phofmahoney
Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chris Chavez, Preet Majithia, and Mac Fleet unpack the best week of the 2026 outdoor season with Rome and Stockholm delivering back-to-back historic performances.
Discussed in this episode:
– Audrey Werro’s 1:53.98: The third-fastest woman in 800-meter history, only the third woman ever under 1:54, beats Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson (1:54.33 personal best, British record) in Stockholm. Historical context: the two women ahead of her — Kratochvílová (1:53.28, 1983) and Olizarenko (1:53.43, 1980) — are from countries that no longer exist and from the peak of the Eastern Bloc doping era. Many can regard Werro’s 1:53.98 as the de facto clean world record.
– Cooper Lutkenhaus wins the Stockholm men’s 800 in 1:42.7: Diamond League debut. 17 years old. Junior year of high school in Texas. Beats Marco Arop (1:43.11), the former world champion and fourth-fastest man in history.
– Mondo loses: First defeat since July 2023. 44-meet winning streak snapped
– Noah Lyles wins the Rome 100m in 9.88: Noah typically builds slowly in the 100, but 9.88 is early and good. Jordan Anthony faded to fourth after looking promising at 60m.
– Women’s 200 landscape: Gabby Thomas runs 21.7 at the Lone Star Grand Prix in College Station — third fastest of her career; ulien Alfred has already run 21.86 in Rome, beating Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (her first loss in over a year). MJW bounced back in Stockholm with a 100m win and 10.84. If Shericka Jackson stays healthy, she’s probably the pick.
– Tate Taylor, 19.97: The second American high schooler to break 20 seconds in the 200. Hear Preet’s full objection to the concept of high school records as a category
– Looking ahead: LA Grand Prix this weekend. NCAA Championships in Eugene — Mac’s pick is Simeon Birnbaum in the 1500, though Carter Cutting will be right there.
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Hosts: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez + Preet Majithia | ⁠@preet_athletics⁠ + Mac Fleet | @macfleet
Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
____________
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠