Jenny Simpson

All-time U.S. women's distance great Jenny Simpson joins The FloTrack Podcast about a month removed from the end of her professional running career at the NYC Marathon, reflecting on her storied career as well as looking ahead to the future. Plus, Simpson recounts running The Great World Race just days after the NYC Marathon and gives more insight into her upcoming Run USA journey with her husband, Jason, that is planned for 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I like having new goals and challenges. The marathon feels like almost a different sport. It's like a second career. It’s breathed a lot of life into my training, just having fresh goals all the time.”

My guest for today's episode is Sara Vaughn, who just delivered a standout performance at the New York City Marathon where she finished as the top American in sixth place overall running 2:26:56 in a year marked by comebacks.

The 38 year old mother of four wasn't about to let a tough season slow her down after battling illness and dropping out of the Chicago Marathon. Just three weeks ago, Sara decided to make a quick pivot and set her sights on New York and it paid off massively.

In this episode, she shares a bit about her untraditional journey to the starting line and how she balances elite competition with her family life. We talk about her remarkable rebound, her plans to keep pushing forward and what drives her as a professional runner and mother.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram

Guest: Sara Vaughn | @smevaughn on Instagram

Time stamps:

3:09 - Initial reflections from the NYC Marathon

5:01 - Having to drop out of the Chicago Marathon, shifting her focus to the NYC Marathon

6:14 - What her goals were for Chicago, how those goals changed for NYC 

8:40 - When things started to click for her in training

10:29 - How her training has changed since starting to work with coach Alistair and Amy Cragg

11:52 - What’s kept her in the sports for so long

15:37 - Racing her daughter Kiki in an 800m

21:12 - What her goals were on the day of the NYC Marathon

22:57 - Thoughts when the big move was made at 1st Ave

24:37 - Reflecting on Jenny Simpson’s marathon

27:58 - Hardest part of the race 

28:49 - Crowds during the final part of the race 

33:46 - Feelings after crossing the finish line 

36:16 - Going after the 2025 World Championships team 

36:50 - Answering listener questions

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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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

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.

Today on the podcast, my guest is Jenny Simpson, who just ran the Boston Marathon. She ran 2:31 and was the fourth American and 18th place over all. And this was just 10 weeks after a disappointing Olympic marathon trials where she made the decision to step out of the race at mile 18. We ... 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 is a different moment in my career compared to any other one in the past because I’ve suffered a major disappointment. It’s up for debate if I should’ve taken a break after the Trials and reset but, man, I didn’t feel like I could stop. All of this training is in me and this motivation to show the world the hard work I’ve put in. I didn’t take this journey lightly. I really care about making this transformation from middle distances to the longer stuff. I just really wanted to keep going.”

20 minutes of catching up with Olympic medalist and world champion Jenny Simpson before she takes on the NYC Half on Sunday. It is her first race since unfortunately dropping out of her marathon debut at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Orlando last month.

We chat a bit about her lessons from that race, whether she would’ve done anything differently and how she’s taking that into her next few races. Moments before we did this interview, the BAA announced Jenny has been added to the Boston Marathon field for April 15 – along with Sara Hall, Caroline Rotich, Elkanah Kibet and Sam Chelanga. So we discuss her plans for that race and a wider shot of how she views this chapter of her legendary career.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Jenny Simpson | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@trackjenny on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In 2023, the CITIUS MAG Podcast will try to bring you a weekly podcast that unpacks some of the biggest news stories and headlines in track and field with our team's own commentary, analysis and occasionally jokes.

In this episode Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Jasmine Todd cover:

– What are we most excited and optimistic about in 2023?

– Houston Half Marathon fields were announced ahead of its running on Jan. 15. U.S. recorder holder Emily Sisson headlines the women's field but will be up against Hiwot Gebrekidan and Tirunesh Dibaba. Fan favorites Conner Mantz and Edward Cheserek are in the men's field but face three East African men who have broken 60 minutes. Vanessa Fraser and Jenny Simpson will be making their debuts at 13.1 miles.

– What events are you looking forward to at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on Feb. 3 and Millrose Games on Feb. 11th.

– 'Buy or Sell' features a discussion on World Athletics' Olympic qualifying standards, Handicap Races, World Cross Country Mixed Gender Relay, the Devon Allen rule change and the closing of The Wild Duck. 

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Betsy Hughes of the legendary shoe store Track Shack in Orlando talks about the process and excitement for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials, her and her husband Jon's passion for running, people and their love for their company of 45 years, the tight bond with Jenny Simpson, spinach lasagna, the importance of kindness, the growing Orlando running scene that they're responsible for, the power of a pair of running shoes and more!

Lactic Acid is partnered with TrackBarn! Be sure to visit the website at https://trackbarn.com and use the code LACTICACID10 at the checkout for 10% off of your order.

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"As my idea of how those years would unfold so dramatically changed, I started to embrace this saying just for myself that it would always be a surprise ending. I was never going to be able to control exactly how I kept going. It was not the storybook ending to my track career that I imagined. But more recently, even after the whole surprise ending revelation, I decided I can make this a surprise middle. It doesn’t have to be the end...In the last few months, changing things up has been reinvigorating. It’s given me energy and it’s just a new scene."

My guest for this episode is Jenny Simpson. This is her second time on the show. Her last appearance in November 2019 is one of my all-time favorite episodes. Now she’s back and she’s repping a new sponsor. Last week, she signed a new deal with PUMA and announced that she will be shifting much of her focus to the roads. She won three World Championship medals and an Olympic bronze medal in her track career. One of the most astonishing stats is that she broke four minutes for the 1500m in 2009 and 2019, which really was a decade-long stretch as one of America’s shining middle-distance stars. We discuss all of the big changes and also discuss some of the hardships from the past two years with injuries and also being displaced from her home due to the Colorado wildfires last December. Jenny is always one of the most thoughtful people to chat with. I’m sure we could’ve kept going for hours.

Listen to Jenny's first appearance on the podcast here.

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