Hobbs Kessler

New high school mile record-holder and future Washington Husky, Owen Powell, joins the show just days after crushing his second sub-4-minute mile in February, etching his name in history books.First, Owen ran a sizzling 3:57.74 on February 14 against collegiate runners at the Husky Classic in Washington. Then, to add to his incredible start to 2025, he blew the doors off the national high school indoor mile record (held by Hobbs Kessler) with a time of 3:56.66 at BU's Terrier DMR Challenge on February 21. The signs have been pointing toward this type of performance for a while; last season Owen was named 2023-24 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington, running a 1:48.60 in the 800m to gain national attention. Owen also won the Washington 3A State Championship in the 1,600m in 2023, and state championships in cross country and the 800m in 2024. In addition to his mile and 800m PRs, he has also run 2:24.41 in the 1,000m, 3:44.70 in the 1500m, and 8:04.83 in the 3,000m.Heading into his senior year he had an impressive 3.68 GPA in the classroom. Outside of school, Owen is an avid mountain biker and rock climber, while also volunteering locally as a youth track coach.In today's conversation, Owen takes me through his remarkable week of performances, his mindset leading into this outdoor season, and his thoughts on Webb's record, what his training looks like, and so much more. Tap into the Owen Powell Special.  If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word "PODCAST" below and I'll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!S H O W  N O T E S-BUY MERCH BEFORE IT'S GONE: https://shop.therunningeffect.run-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jason and Kevin discuss Josh Hoey, Nikki Hiltz, Hobbs Kessler, Shelby Houlihan, Grant Holloway and all the other news makers from this year's USATF Indoor Championships. Then, the guys chat about Jacob Kiplimo possibly breaking two hours in the marathon, a trio of boys going sub four minutes in the mile and the state of track and field on television.

On today’s show, we have a lot to talk about. Josh Hoey just ran 1:43.24 for 800 meters—indoors. That’s the second-fastest time ever run indoors, behind only Wilson Kipketer. We’ll break down what this means for the American 800m scene, how he’s addressed skepticism that inevitably comes with a performance like this and whether Hoey is suddenly a legitimate outdoor medal contender.

Hobbs Kessler doubled at USAs, taking both the 3000m and 1500m titles like it was just another weekend at the track. We’ll talk about what impressed us the most about Kessler's double, how the men’s middle distances are shaping up for 2025 and why it was OK for Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker to skip out.

And then there’s the "rivalry" that was quickly dispelled by the athletes – Nikki Hiltz vs. Shelby Houlihan. Just a few years ago, Houlihan was untouchable. Then came the four-year ban, and now, she’s back—and already battling for the top spot. In the 3000m, Houlihan got to the front, squeezed the pace, and dared anyone to come with her. And Nikki Hiltz? They came with her. And then passed her. In the final strides of the women’s 3000m, Hiltz outkicked Houlihan, officially stamping themselves as America’s best championship racer in the middle distances.

Plus, we’ll get into the results of the sprints and why the 2025 World Indoor Championships in Nanjing might be one of the weirdest global meets we’ve ever seen—between withdrawals, travel logistics, and a US team that’s missing some of its biggest stars.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠ 

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The 2025 Millrose Games delivered historic performances, with Grant Fisher setting a 3000m world record (7:22.91) and Yared Nuguse breaking the Wanamaker Mile world record (3:46.63) in a night that rewrote the record books.Breaking it down:🔹 Fisher vs. Hocker in the 3000mFisher, the Olympic 5000m & 10,000m medalist, held off a stunning challenge from Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker in a race for the ages.Fisher ran 29.82, 29.82, 29.54 splits in the closing laps but couldn’t shake Hocker. With three laps to go, Hocker surprisingly surged into the lead, pushing the pace in pursuit of a world record.Fisher reclaimed the lead in the final stretch, securing the win and the $25,000 WR bonus with7:22.91, as Hocker clocked7:23.14—the second-fastest time in history.🔹 Nuguse dominates the Wanamaker MileJust an hour after Fisher’s record, Nuguse made history with a world record of3:46.63, breaking Yomif Kejelcha’s3:47.01 mark.Despite Josh Kerr withdrawing due to illness, the race delivered fireworks.Hobbs Kessler (3:46.90) also broke the previous WR, finishing second.Australia’s Cam Myers set a world U20 record (3:47.48), and France’s Azeddine Habz set a national record (3:47.56).+ more highlights and analysis

He's coming for it all. 

2025 is the year of Hobbs Kessler. 

Back on the podcast today is 21-year-old mid-distance Olympic star Hobbs Kessler, who is gearing up for the Wanamaker Mile at the Milrose Games in New York City on February 8, 2025. (Hobbs came in 2nd last year at this race with a time of 3:48.66; fellow American star Yared Nuguse took the win.)

Hobbs was most recently on the episode right after placing 5th in the 1500m in Paris, running a 3:29.45, in the most stacked and competitive 1500 race of all time. He also ran the 800m in the Olympics, but was eliminated in the semifinals. 

Hobbs competed for Skyline High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan (the school he attended for academics did not offer competitive sports). It was in high school that Hobbs ran an indoor mile record of 3:57.66. Hobbs then ran a 3:34.36 in the 1500m while still in high school, which was faster than the NCAA record at the time; this catapulted him to his first Olympic Trials in 2021. 

While Hobbs' father was his high school coach, he delegated most of the planning for his son's training to Michigan coach Ron Warhurst, whom he still trains under as a member of the Very Nice Track Club in Michigan.

This 21-year-old is chock full of professionalism and has a laundry list of accomplishments. 

In today's conversation, we dive into Hobbs's fall training, his mindset for the Millrose games and the 2025 season, how he views breakthroughs, advice to make your 2025 your best year yet, why 2025 is the year of Hobbs Kessler, and so much more. 

We can't wait for you to hear this episode. Lace-up your shoes, throw in your AirPods, and enjoy this conversation with the legend Hobbs Kessler. 

Tap into the Hobbs Kessler Special.  

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W N O T E S

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run 

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Today's podcast is an exploration and deep dive into how to go from "good" to "great" in the sport of running in the coming months, and many insights on training, racing, and well-being. All with Coach Patrick Henner, one of the greats. 

If you're not familiar with Coach Henner, Coach Henner has coached Mike Smith (current coach of NAU), Chris Miltenberg (current coach of UNC, formerly Stanford), Brandon Bonsey (current coach of Georgetown), and more in his tenure. He has also coached studs Isaiah Jewett and Will Sumner over the past few years.

This past year, Coach Henner worked extensively with Hobbs Kessler going into his performances at the US Olympic Trials, where he placed in the top-3 in both the 1500m and 800m to send himself to the Paris Olympics, where he then went on to place 5th in the 1500m. 

Prior to successful coaching stints at Georgia & USC, Henner was the director of track and field and cross country at Georgetown from 2007-15, and prior to that he had spent eight seasons as the Hoyas' head men's cross country coach and assistant coach for the men's and women's track and field team. Henner's coaching resumé also includes a nine-year stay at James Madison, where he led both the men's and women's cross country teams to their first CAA titles, trained 28 track and field All-Americans, and was twice named CAA Coach of the Year. He began his coaching career at Blacksburg High in Blacksburg, Va., where both the men's and women's teams won state championships in 1984, 1985, and 1986.

In today's conversation, Coach Henner and I dive-deep into training theory, speed development, the things great athletes do during this next month of the year, his thoughts on racing, lessons and insights from working with Hobbs Kessler, and so much more. 

This one is PACKED with wisdom from truly one of the greatest coaches of all-time. You'd be a fool not to listen. It's free wisdom. 

Tap into the Coach Henner Special.  

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! 

S H O W N O T E S

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run 

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Back on the podcast after placing 5th in the Olympic Games is Hobbs Kessler!

Hobbs placed 5th in the 1500m in Paris, running 3:29.45. This was the greatest 1500m championship race of all-time. 

Hobbs competes professionally for Adidas, having turned professional directly after high school. He holds the North American U20 record in the 1500 meters, having run 3:34.36 at the Portland Track Festival in May 2021. He also holds the American high school record for the indoor mile, with a time of 3:57.66 set in February 2021. He was named the 2021 Gatorade National Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Hobbs competes for The Very Nice Track Club based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hobbs is one of the greatest runners of our generation.

Hobbs is also a World Road Running Champion and holds the World Record for the Road Mile. Hobbs is also a Bronze Medalist from the 2024 World Indoor Championships in the 1500m. 

In today's conversation, Hobbs takes me through his 1500m performance at the Olympics, his take on USA 1500m running, his 2024 season, his thoughts on Jakob sticking with the 1500m, him never winning an XC State Title, going pro out of HS, and so much more.

Hobbs is such an awesome guy and I always love my conversations with him. Put in your airpods, lace up your shoes, and hit the pavement with Hobbs. 

Tap into the Hobbs Kessler Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! 

S H O W N O T E S

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-My Newsletter: https://therunningeffect.substack.com

Today’s excitement was off the charts! Day three’s events were a rollercoaster of thrills, but stealing the spotlight was the men’s 100m final – a race that had fans across the world on the edge of their seats from start to finish. In today’s edition of Torch Talk, we recap…

– Noah Lyles wins the first Olympic gold of his career by taking the 100m crown over Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. Both men ran 9.79 and the gold was decided by thousandths-of-a-second. American Fred Kerley came through for bronze in 9.81.

– World record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh won her first Olympic high jump title with a mark of 2.00m. Australia's Nicola Olyslagers won her second straight Olympic silver, while Iryna Gershchenko and Eleanor Patterson tied on countback for the bronze medal.

– Ethan Katzberg won the Olympic gold in the men's hammer with a mark of 84.12m, the second-best mark in Olympic history. It was the largest margin of victory since 1920. Hungary's Bence Halasz took silver and Ukraine's Mykhaylo Kokhan took bronze.

– Grant Holloway posted the fastest time of the Olympic 110m hurdles qualifying by a HUGE margin, clocking a 13.01 to win his heat by 0.41 seconds.

– The women’s 800m finalists were determined: Keely Hodgkinson, Tsige Duguma, Prudence Sekgodiso, Shafiqua Maloney, Juliette Whittaker, Rénelle Lamote, Mary Moraa, and Worknesh Mesele.

– The men’s 1500m finalists were determined: Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Josh Kerr, Cole Hocker, Brian Komen, Stefan Nillessen, Pietro Arese, Yared Nuguse, Hobbs Kessler, Neil Gourley, Niels Laros, Timothy Cheruiyot, and Narve Gilje Nordås.

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HOSTS:

Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mac Fleet | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@macfleet on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mitch Dyer | ⁠@metchosketch on Instagram⁠

Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram

Aisha Praught Leer | @aishapraughtleer on Instagram

Katelyn Hutchison | @_kxnaomi on Instagram

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Last one, fast one?!

The final day of the Olympic Trials was one for the history books. In every. single. event. that took place on the tracks yesterday afternoon, the Olympic Trials meet record was broken. In multiple events, simply qualifying for Team USA meant you had to produce a performance that ranked in the U.S. top-10 of all time.

12.37 in the 100m hurdles, 3:56.75 in the women’s 1500m, and 1:44.12 in the men’s 800m were only good enough for fourth place. The mantra of “iron sharpens iron” normally applies to training groups, but it certainly also applies to American track and field right now. When being top 10 in the world is not a guarantee of being top 3 in the U.S., the choice is simple: you elevate your game or you go home.

The afternoon began with the 5000m final, where last year’s U.S. champ Abdi Nur and this year’s 10,000m champ Grant Fisher treated the fans to an epic duel over the final few laps. It took a sub-4 1600m to break the rest of the field, and in the final strides, Fisher was able to re-pass Nur and get his second title of the week, the first time he’s completed the 10/5 double. Behind them, it was a similar battle for third between collegians Parker Wolfe and Graham Blanks, and it’s still not clear whether Wolfe or Blanks will end up on Team USA. Wolfe needs a few scratches in the world rankings ahead of him, and Blanks has the auto standard.

In the men’s 800m, Bryce Hoppel won his sixth straight U.S. title (counting indoors), but he did it in the fastest time of his career, a 1:42.77. His training partner Hobbs Kessler snagged third and qualifies for both the 800m and 1500m, the first time an American man has done that since 1976. In the women’s 100m hurdles, you could throw a blanket over the whole field with two hurdles remaining, but it was Masai Russell who closed the best and clocked a 12.25, the good for #4 on the world all-time list.

Rai Benjamin did Rai Benjamin things in the men’s 400m hurdles, cruising to a 46.47 world lead and meet record well ahead of the competition. The women’s 1500m was an absolute battle — more on that below. And then we closed the weekend with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

McLaughlin-Levrone is used to being the star of the show, and honestly her biggest competition is usually the shadow of her past self. In the 400m hurdles final she had the benefit of a fast-starting Anna Cockrell on her outside, who stayed even with the Olympic champ for the first three hurdles and kept the pressure on early. But the real difference was that, coming around the final turn, McLaughlin-Levrone didn’t shut it down like she normally does through the rounds, instead powering down the homestretch to an incredible new world record 50.65.

For those keeping score at home, that’s the fifth time McLaughlin-Levrone has lowered the world record. When she started, the world record she was breaking was Dalilah Muhammad’s 52.16 from 2019, and now it’s an incredible 1.51 seconds faster.

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The track is HOT.

Okay, it’s actually quite pleasant by Eugene-in-June standards, with temperatures in the high 70s and a pleasant breeze that always seems to be a tailwind in Hayward Field. But the performances laid down last night in Day 8 of the Olympic Trials sure heated up the stadium — even in events where we’re not on finals yet.

For the first time in history, three men broke 13 seconds in the same 110m hurdles race as Grant Holloway picked up his second national title, made his second Olympic team, and clocked the fourth-fastest performance in history ahead of Freddie Crittenden and Daniel Roberts’s lifetime bests. Five men broke 20 seconds in the 200m semifinals led by Noah Lyles’s wind-aided 19.60, and another epic battle between Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson is set up in the women’s 200m final.

While middle-distance rounds can sometimes get tactical, they sure didn’t tonight. It took 4:05.36 to make the final of the women’s 1500m, and the “heavy hitters” heat did not disappoint with Nikki Hiltz making a statement with a 4:01.40 win and five finishes at 4:02.14 or faster. The 1500m final will be absolutely stacked, and in the mixed zone competitors were suggesting that it may make times well under 4 minutes just to make the team.

In the men’s 800m, it’s clear that qualifying for the Games in the 1500m has lifted a weight off Hobbs Kessler’s shoulders, as he seems to be absolutely elated in each round of racing and led all semifinal qualifiers with a huge personal best of 1:43.71. Kessler skipped the 1:44s entirely as his PB heading into this weekend was 1:45.07.

It’s now officially the weekend and, bittersweetly, our final two days of action, so make sure you don’t miss any of these incredible competitions over the last few finals. If we’ve learned anything form the action we’ve seen so far, we’re in store for something very, very fast in multiple events.

CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at noon PT each day. Our guests for day three of the Olympic Trials include Nico Young, Payton Otterdahl, Kendall Ellis, and Matthew Wilkinson. 

LIVE SHOWS

Good Morning Track and Field will start your day with some takes and updates from Eugene hosted by Eric Jenkins, Mitch Dyer and Karen Lesiewicz at 8:30 a.m. PT.

TRIALS TALK – our hit daily podcast series from 2021 – ⁠returns on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed⁠ + streaming live immediately post-race to unpack all of the action immediately following the meet.

LIVE MEET COVERAGE

Stay updated on live results, mixed zone interviews and more on the CITIUS MAG ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠ and ⁠Threads⁠ pages while the meet is underway each evening. All interviews will be uploaded to our aforementioned YouTube channel.

MORNING RUNS

CITIUS MAG and New Balance will be hosting group runs on Sunday, June 23rd at 8 a.m. ET; Tuesday, June 25th at 8 a.m. and Saturday, June 29th at 7:30 a.m. Come on by to our pop-up next to Prince Puckler’s Ice Cream shop to meet for some easy morning miles.

All paces are welcome. We’ll be giving away shirts, hats and more. Plus, you’ll have an opportunity to try all of the latest and greatest from New Balance. We’ll also have Olipop, coffee, games and cold plunges to enjoy afterward.

Also, CITIUS MAG Newsletter subscribers will be getting daily emails from the Trials as David Melly rounds up all of the biggest results, stories + our best interviews, photos and original content from Eugene. If you want to hook a friend, there’s no better time than the Trials so forward them the emails or encourage them to ⁠sign up today for FREE⁠ here: https://citiusmag.beehiiv.com/

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS👟 NEW BALANCE: New Balance celebrates runners of all levels and styles. They believe there’s no single ‘right’ way to run - just your way. If you run, no matter the distance, pace or frequency, you’re a runner. New Balance, Run your way. ⁠NewBalance.co⁠m/Running