“I also learned that I just love working with athletes who truly have that passion about seeing how good they can be. The outcome isn't as important to me as I thought. It's just, ‘Let's go see how good we can be and see where that lands us...’ Stepping away from college and taking this really windy journey to where I am now, I've been able to work with all different levels of athletes and it's been equally rewarding to those who run their first mile without stopping all the way to the world stage. It's been a non-conventional path, but I've been loving it.”
My guest for today’s episode is someone who’s seen—and shaped—American middle-distance running from just about every angle. Juli Benson was a 1996 Olympian in the 1500 meters, a world-class competitor in her own right, and now she’s one of the most respected coaches in the sport.
Over the past two decades, Juli’s coaching journey has taken her from college programs like Georgetown, Air Force, and Penn to working with World Champions, Olympians, and emerging pros. She coached Jenny Simpson to her gold medal at the 2011 World Championships. She guided Kevin Sullivan back to the global stage. And today, she’s the coach behind Nikki Hiltz, helping them chase a 2028 Olympic dream of their own.
In this episode, we get into it all:
– What makes Nikki tick and how their partnership is evolving
– The differences between coaching NCAA athletes vs. pros
– How Juli learned to balance intensity with recovery—the hard way
– Her reflections on being a woman in the coaching world before there were many to look up to
– And what it’s like now to see coaches like Shalane Flanagan, Diljeet Taylor, and Laurie Henes rise to national prominence
We also talk about Juli’s time at Air Force, the unique challenges of coaching across every level of the sport, and what it’s meant to mentor everyone from Olympic finalists to first-time runners.
This is a conversation about resilience, evolution, and quiet excellence—and it’s one of my favorite coaching deep-dives we’ve done yet.
Hosts: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Juli Benson | julibensontraining.com
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