Evans Chebet

Jason and Kevin discuss the favorites and dark horses for the 2025 Boston Marathon, including Evans Chebet, Sisay Lemma, Conner Mantz, Hellen Obiri and Emma Bates. Then the guys chat about the return of Athing Mu, Fred Kerley and Noah Lyles podcasting about each other and the newest iteration of super shoes. 

The 2025 Boston Marathon promises an exciting blend of redemption stories, debut intrigue, and head-to-head rivalries across both elite fields. On the men’s side, defending champion Sisay Lemma returns after last year’s audacious front-running victory, facing off against 2024 Chicago champ John Korir, two-time Boston winner Evans Chebet, rising Kenyan Daniel Mateiko, and U.S. hopeful Conner Mantz. Other contenders include Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana and Americans Clayton Young and CJ Albertson, each hoping to outlast the pack or capitalize on race-day chaos.

In the women’s race, Hellen Obiri is chasing a rare three-peat in Boston, entering as the clear favorite despite a strong field. She’ll be challenged by past podium finishers Amane Beriso and Sharon Lokedi, 2:16 marathoner Yalemzerf Yehualaw, and rising marathon star Irene Cheptai. The American field is led by Keira D’Amato in her Boston debut, Emma Bates returning to form, and Dakota Popehn riding Olympic momentum. Young talents like Gabi Rooker, Jessica McClain, and Jackie Gaughan round out a promising domestic squad, with veterans Des Linden and Sara Vaughn adding experience to the mix.

Cooler temperatures, slight winds, and the Newton Hills promise another unpredictable Patriot’s Day. Tactics, toughness, and timing will determine who claims the tape on Boylston.

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“Especially after 36K, I was telling myself, ‘Even if they speed up, I have to go deep today…’ I was telling myself, ‘This is my moment.’”

My guest for today's episode is Abdi Nageeye, whose journey in 2024 could only be described as redemption at its finest. The Dutch marathoner and 2021 Olympic silver medalist who just three months ago grappled with his appointment after withdrawing late in the Olympic marathon in Paris, roared back to claim the biggest victory of his career at the TCS New York City Marathon.

In a thrilling showdown against one of the strongest fields in race history, Nageeye deployed patience, strategy, and a powerful finishing kick to secure his first World Marathon Major title in 2:07:39 seconds, making history as the first Dutchman and the first European since 1996. To win the New York City Marathon from his self coach training in Eldoret to a race plan honed by years of experience on the course, Abdi turned heartbreak into triumph.

We dive into his reflections on Paris, his mental and physical preparation for New York City, and what this victory means for him moving forward. But first, you'll also hear a never before released interview with Abdi from my trip to Kenya in June 2023, where we discussed a bit more of his backstory and upbringing from being born in Somalia to settling in the Netherlands as a refugee and spending time in Syria before finally being adopted by a Dutch family.

I initially planned for this to be released last fall, but didn't have a chance to, but I'm now glad it's finally out. It's fun because towards the end of that first interview, I asked him what he wants to accomplish and he finally gets it done. Part one is my interview with him in Kenya and then part two is my interview with him reflecting on New York.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram

Guest: Abdi Nageeye | @abdinageeye on Instagram

Time stamps:

2023 Interview live from Eldoret, Kenya:

3:37 - Reflecting on training 

5:02 - Why he likes to train in new places, what he enjoys about training in Kenya 

9:05 - His backstory + stories from growing up 

18:10 - Why he considers Africa to be his home 

20:33 - Being embraced by the Netherlands 

22:06 - Why shifting to the roads panned out so well for him 

25:49 - What he learned from training with athletes like Eliud Kipchoge 

28:20 - Future goals for his running career 

2024 Interview after winning the NYC Marathon:

34:51 - How training has been going since the NYC Marathon

38:17 - What life has been like since our first interview in 2023

41:00 - Current training setup 

43:28 - Paris Olympics marathon experience 

47:55 - Thoughts after dropping out of the Olympic marathon 

54:44 - NYC Marathon race breakdown 

59:03 - The final miles of the race 

1:01:03 - Thoughts when Tamirat Tola was closing on him and Evans Chebet

1:02:36 - The point when he knew he was going to win 

1:06:13 - Emotions after crossing the finish line 

1:08:12 - Looking ahead to future races 

1:11:18 - Reflecting on his marathon career so far 

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“I’m not in charge of how fit those guys are. No matter how hard I work, they could be working harder, they could be doing something better, they could be more talented. I was trying to take that out. My main goal in this race was just to execute. Execute my race plan, make sure I ran a race that afterward I felt good about. I think I did really well for most of the race.”

My guest for today's episode is Conner Mantz, the American Marathoner who just capped off an extraordinary year by setting an American course record at the New York City Marathon. He placed 6th overall in 2:09:00. Conner was the top American as usual and he showed us his relentless competitiveness.

He pushed through a conservative start and a fierce mid-race surge led by Evans Chebet, the 2022 New York City marathon champion, that splintered the rest of the field. Conner hung tough and ultimately finished with the fastest closing mile among all of the runners in the top ten.

In his young marathoning career, Conner has already established himself as the top American in Boston, Chicago, the Olympic Trials and an 8th place finish at the Olympics. Now he's setting his sights on closing the gap between being the best in America and being among the best in the world.

In this episode, we dig into his journey, his strategic approach under coach Ed Eyestone's “deploy, enjoy and destroy” race plan, and how he handles a little bit of friendly competition with training partner Clayton Young.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠

Guest: Conner Mantz | ⁠@connermantz on Instagram⁠

Time stamps:

4:03 - Why he wasn’t satisfied with his performance at the NYC Marathon

5:46 - What would’ve made it a satisfying race 

7:43 - Overall fitness heading into the race

8:17 - Best workouts leading into the race 

13:07 - Going after the half marathon American record at the Houston Half in 2025

16:09 - Pre-race chat with coach Ed Eyestone: deploy, enjoy, destroy

19:30 - Responding to moves during the race 

25:40 - Sharing bottles during the race, Evans Chebet makes his move 

34:19 - Clayton catching up to him, snapping back into the race, final few miles

42:40 - Feelings after crossing the finish line 

47:27 - Grading his marathons throughout 2024

52:50 - Looking ahead to spring marathons 

54:35 - Future training plans with Clayton 

58:53 - Thoughts on joining Grand Slam Track as a challenger

1:03:34 - Overrated/underrated: training methods

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WAHOO: KICKR RUN - a new revolutionary treadmill offering the freedom and form of outdoor running at home, from Wahoo Fitness. Run hands-free and focus solely on the joy of running with the innovative RunFree Mode - which adjusts to your stride and pace automatically. For the first time runners can now fully benefit from indoor training apps such as Zwift Run and the Wahoo app for an immersive training experience that delivers unmatched realism and results. Learn more at ⁠WahooFitness.com⁠OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at ⁠drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In a fitting theme for the city of Broadway, the 53rd edition of the New York City Marathon was all about breakout stars finally getting their time in the spotlight. Both winners of the men’s and women’s elite races in NYC are frequently recurring characters near the front of major races, but neither had completed a signature performance before today. 

Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won their first World Marathon Major titles by defeating fields full of former NYC champs, with Nageeye outkicking 2022 champ Evans Chebet down the homestretch and Chepkirui beating 2023 champ Hellen Obiri at her own game with a late surge through Central Park.

Time stamps:

Women’s race:

2:10 - Breaking down Sheila Chepkirui’s win

5:03 - Hellen Obiri talking a big game + reflecting on her career

13:20 - Kudos to Vivian Cheruiyot for her third place finish

16:10 - Sara Vaughn’s top American performance

19:42 - More top results: Jess McClain, Sharon Lokedi, Kellyn Taylor, Tristan Van Ord, Dakotah Popehn

22:38 - Reflecting on Jenny Simpson’s career

Men’s race:

26:47 - Breaking down Abdi Nageeye’s win

31:24 - Evans Chebet’s performance, 30th career marathon 

33:18 - More top results: Albert Korir, Tamirat Tola

35:19 - Conner Mantz and Clayton Young’s races

39:45 - Kudos to CJ Albertson

More thoughts:

44:27 - 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials 

48:40 - Valencia Half Marathon recap

54:50 - What’s ahead on the CITIUS MAG Podcast

56:18 - Sydney Marathon becoming the newest World Marathon Major

Mentioned in this episode:

Watch: NYC Marathon Watchalong

Read: Parting Thoughts From The 2024 NYC Marathon: Abdi Nageeye and Sheila Chepkirui Win + More

Listen: 2024 NYC Marathon Pre-Race With Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, Hellen Obiri, Dakotah Popehn, Jess McClain + More

Listen: Jenny Simpson Reflects on Her Career from High School to 2019, Shares 2020 Plans and Hopes

Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Isaac Wood | @isaacew on Instagram

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WAHOO: KICKR RUN - a new revolutionary treadmill offering the freedom and form of outdoor running at home, from Wahoo Fitness. Run hands-free and focus solely on the joy of running with the innovative RunFree Mode - which adjusts to your stride and pace automatically. For the first time runners can now fully benefit from indoor training apps such as Zwift Run and the Wahoo app for an immersive training experience that delivers unmatched realism and results. Learn more at WahooFitness.com

OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The final World Marathon Major of 2024 is almost here! In a banner year for road running, it’s hard to imagine how anything could top the Olympics, a historic Chicago, or even the early thrills of the U.S. Trials, but NYC has assembled a field full of living legends, rising stars, and fascinating narratives primed to end the year on a high note.

Three 2024 Olympic medalists are hitting the five boroughs: Olympic champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia, silver medalist Bashir Abdi of Belgium, and bronze medalist Hellen Obiri of Kenya. Obiri and Tola also happen to be the reigning NYC champions, and Obiri will be trying to win the Boston-New York double for the second straight year. Five other former NYC champions are in the mix (three men and two women), plus a pair of stacked U.S. fields vying to produce top-10 overall finishes… or even higher.

Here’s a compilation of our interviews from the NYC Marathon press conference, including Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, Hellen Obiri, Dakotah Popehn, Jenny Simpson, Sharon Lokedi, Evans Chebet and Jess McClain. 

Time stamps:

0:05 - Conner Mantz

6:10 - Clayton Young

15:30 - Hellen Obiri

20:17 - Dakotah Popehn

24:29 - Jenny Simpson

34:09 - Sharon Lokedi

40:31 - Evans Chebet

43:35 - Jess McClain

Read: 2024 New York City Marathon Insider Notebook: What The Pros Had To Say Ahead Of Sunday’s Race

Read: Top Storylines To Watch At The 2024 New York City Marathon

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WAHOO: KICKR RUN - a new revolutionary treadmill offering the freedom and form of outdoor running at home, from Wahoo Fitness. Run hands-free and focus solely on the joy of running with the innovative RunFree Mode - which adjusts to your stride and pace automatically. For the first time runners can now fully benefit from indoor training apps such as Zwift Run and the Wahoo app for an immersive training experience that delivers unmatched realism and results. Learn more at WahooFitness.com

OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode of the Marathon Running Podcast, we have a chat with Claudio Berardelli, head coach at 2 Running Club in Kenya and the man behind the plan that is producing some of the fastest distance athletes in the world right now, including Evans Chebet, Benson Kipruto, Amos Kipruto, and many more.

We delve into Claudio's background and experience, exploring how he started coaching elite marathoners and what initially drew him to Kenya. He shares fascinating success stories of the athletes he's coached and provides insights into how elites train compared to "normal" people, ie do they follow the 80-20 rule? Claudio gives us a glimpse into the life at his training camps, detailing the daily routines and commitments of his athletes. We also discuss the influence of Kenyan culture on training, addressing why Kenyans excel at running, the role of certain tribes, and how cultural factors bolster the mental game of athletes.

Claudio offers his thoughts on the Paris marathon course and concludes with valuable tips for recreational runners. Tune in as you don't want to miss this episode!

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Carrie and John Anderson (ESPN) interview five Boston Marathon champions: Des Linden, Carline Rotich, Edna Kipligat, Evans Chebet, and Hellen Obiri! In front of a live audience, the panel discusses what it is like to win Boston, what they did after, advice for the athletes, rapid fire questions (one of the best ones was what they would be if they weren’t runners!), and so much more!

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Eric Jenkins will preview all of the top athletes and storylines to watch for the men's and women's elite races at the 2024 Boston Marathon. Evans Chebet, Hellen Obiri, Emma Bates, Sharon Lokedi, Zouhair Talbi, Gabriel Geay, Des Linden, CJ Albertson, Jenny Simpson, Sara Hall are among the notable stars competing at the historic race. We will also share our picks at the end of the show. HOW TO WATCH THE RACE ON TV: All the Marathon Monday action gets underway on April 15th with pro races beginning at 9 a.m. The professional men’s field starts at 9:37 am E.T. and the pro women at 9:47 am E.T. Locally, the race will be viewable live on TV or online at WCVB-5. If you’re not in Massachusetts, the race will be shown live on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 8:30 am E.T. READ OUR PREVIEW: https://citiusmag.beehiiv.com/p/2024-boston-marathon-preview-evans-chebet-hellen-obiri

This bonus episode from Ben's trip to Kenya features a conversation with Claudio Berardelli, head coach at 2 Running Club in Kenya and the man behind the plan that is producing some of the fastest distance athletes in the world right now, including Evans Chebet, Benson Kipruto, Amos Kipruto and many more. Is there such a thing as the 'Kenyan' training method? Let's find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices