Elise Cranny

Two time Olympian Elise Cranny returns to the podcast for one of the most natural, easy conversations I have had in a long time. Elise shares why she recently made a major training change, joining M11 Track Club and spending much of the year in South Africa and the UK. We talk about craving training partners again, getting back into a beginner mindset, and why she wants to pay closer attention to the 1500 this season while keeping the 5000 in the bigger picture.

Elise reflects on the mental side of championship racing, developing an alter ego on the track, and what she learned during the 2024 Olympic cycle working one on one with coach Jarred Cornfield. We dig into overtraining, identity as an athlete, and how zooming out and setting process based goals helped her find a healthier balance. She also shares what cross training looks like now (swimming three days a week), why breaking two minutes in the 800 still matters to her, and how she thinks about “racing where you are” on the world stage.

This is such a fun conversation, enjoy!

Topics we cover

• Returning to the show as a two time Olympian

• Joining M11 and what pushed her to make a big change

• Training partners, discomfort, and renewed excitement

• Shifting focus toward the 1500 and what it can unlock for her racing

• The 2024 Trials double and why joy mattered in that build

• Overtraining, burnout, and stepping away from a group environment

• Confidence, an on track alter ego, and showing up locked in

• Cross training and swimming as part of her weekly routine

• Race strategy, mental skills, and setting A/B/C goals

• Big picture career thinking: no regrets, curiosity, and leaving no stone unturned

• Life outside sport: working on her MPH at George Washington University

Books mentioned

• Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

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Two-time Olympian Elise Cranny has long been a model of precision, patience, and perseverance in American distance running. 

A Stanford All-American turned professional with Nike, Cranny owns a résumé that blends range and record-setting speed, most notably the American records for both the indoor 5,000m (14:33.17) and outdoor 3,000m (8:25.10). 

Now 29 and training under NAU coach Jarred Cornfield, with an altitude base in Flagstaff, she continues to redefine consistency at the highest level.

After U.S. titles in 2021, 2022, and a 10,000/5,000 double in 2023, Cranny entered 2025 seeking balance: new coach, new league (Grand Slam Track), and renewed joy in the grind. That recalibration paid off this summer at USATF Outdoors in Eugene, where she claimed silver medals in both the 10,000 m (31:44.24) and 5,000 m (15:14.26). The double podium secured her spot on the U.S. team for the World Championships in Tokyo.

In Tokyo, Cranny finished 12th in the 10,000 m final and contested the 5,000m heats, wrapping a long season that tested both resilience and recovery. 

Whether lowering records, mentoring young athletes through Voice in Sport, or pioneering a new professional model in Grand Slam Track, Cranny remains one of the sport's clearest voices on fueling, self-trust, and sustainable success.

Tap into the Elise Cranny Special.

  

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We’re talking paydays. Primetime. Professional track.

Welcome to Grand Slam Track, launching this weekend in Kingston, Jamaica—the first stop in a brand-new, big-budget, athlete-first pro league created by Michael Johnson.

You want Olympic stars? Try Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Grant Fisher, Cole Hocker, Fred Kerley, Mary Moraa—the best of the best, signed and showing up.

You want stakes? How does $100,000 per event winner sound? Yeah.

And you want drama? It's all baked in: Racers vs. Challengers. One weekend. Two events per athlete. Only one Slam Champion.

This all kicks off in Kingston, which is basically sprinting’s holy land. If anyone’s gonna test Fred Kerley or Kenny Bednarek on their 100m trash talk, it’s the Jamaican crowd… and Oblique Seville.

We’ve got Gabby vs. Marileidy. Yared vs. Kerr vs. Hocker. Elise Cranny sweating it out after a 30:36 in SoCal, now lining up in 88-degree heat for the 5000m. Sydney McLaughlin opening her season in April. And a 1500m/800m field on the men’s side that looks more stacked than your TikTok algorithm.

So let’s get into it: the matchups, the payouts, and the storylines that’ll define Grand Slam Track.

It’s officially that time again: The spreadsheets are out and the ranking formulas are loaded. Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia have returned with the kind of number crunching that would make a tax accountant blush.

Yes — we’re talking about The Ten, and more broadly, the increasingly anxiety-inducing state of the 10,000 meters heading into the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.

Because apparently World Athletics took one look at the event and said, ‘What if we made this harder, more confusing, and fully dependent on vibes, shoe tech, and whether your country’s federation knows how to read the rankings page?’

So here we are. The women’s standard dropped to a vicious 30:20.00. The men’s remains at a world-class 27:00.00. And unless you’re from Kenya or Ethiopia—or somehow running 10Ks on the road in super shoes fast enough to melt tarmac—you’re probably counting on the whims of the World Rankings gods to punch your ticket to Tokyo.

In the U.S., Weini Kelati is still the queen of consistency. Parker Valby and Karissa Schweizer skipped The Ten entirely. Elise Cranny has re-entered the picture and Jessica McClain quietly garnered some valuable points by PR’ing by half a minute.

On the men’s side, it’s a little simpler: Grant Fisher, Nico Young, Graham Blanks, and Woody Kincaid are qualified. All they have to do is battle at USAs.

There’s still time. A 10K at Mt. SAC is coming. Maybe Pre will host a last-minute 10K.  So let’s break down who’s up, who’s down, who’s close and who’s hoping UK Athletics doesn’t screw them over again.

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

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