690. Chris Chavez, 2:59 Marathoner & Founder of Citius Mag

01/18/24 • 65 min

Chris Chavez has made a living out of being track and field's biggest fan and hype person. And when he's not obsessively covering the sport for Citius Mag, Chris is pursuing his own running goals. For the past several years, it's been no secret that Chris wanted to run a sub-3:00 marathon. This past weekend, that dream came true at the Houston Marathon, where Chris crossed the finish line in 2 hours 59 minutes and 12 seconds. This is his official race recap.

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SPONSORS:

UCAN: Click here to get a FREE UCAN energy bar sample pack (you’ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.
Sidekick: Click here to get 15% off any recovery tool.

FOLLOW CHRIS @chris_j_chavez

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Previous Episode

689. Everything You Need to Know About the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

"This is the race they’re going to tell their grandkids about — that they took part in the race to pick the marathon team for the Olympics."

We are just three weeks away from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon! On Saturday, February 3, the fastest distance runners in the country will line up in Orlando in pursuit of their Olympic dreams. To qualify for the Trials, women had to run a sub-2:37 marathon or a sub-1:12 half marathon, and men had to run a sub-2:18 marathon or a sub-1:03 half. The top three men and top three women will earn spots on Team USA.

To answer all of your questions about the Trials — like what's the deal with the men having to unlock spots, and how are the roommates assigned? — we have media director for the local organizing committee Jay Holder (who was the press chief for the 2020 Trials in Atlanta).

The men start at 10:10 AM ET, and the women start at 10:20 AM. The marathon will stream live on Peacock starting at 10 AM ET, and the taped broadcast airs on NBC at 12 PM ET. For more information (and to read all the athlete bios!), check out the official Trials website.

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Next Episode

691. Gabi Rooker, 2:24 Marathoner

"You take what you have and make the most of it."

Gabi Rooker was an anti-running competitive gymnast growing up. After college, she began working full-time as an internal medicine physician's assistant. Now, she's headed to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon as the eighth-fastest woman in the field. In this conversation, Gabi talks about her unconventional road to becoming a 2:24 marathoner. Gabi ran her first marathon in 2021 — a 2:56 finish at Grandma's Marathon in her home state of Minnesota — and in just two years progressed to a 2:24 finish at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Gabi is coached by her husband, Alex, and she just signed her first major sponsorship deal with Nike at age 36. The Trials are just 11 days away, and Gabi's name is one you should know.

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SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to shop New Balance’s latest releases for the season. (The SuperComp Trainer is my favorite shoe!)

What you’ll get on this episode:

On being “one to watch” at this year’s Olympic Marathon Trials, and what live has been like lately for Gabi (2:45)
On the pressure and stakes of this year’s Trials (6:00)
How Gabi’s life changed after the 2023 Chicago Marathon, and her thoughts on experience vs. newness (7:20)
How Gabi feels about being the 8th-fastest woman lining up at the Trials (10:50)
Gabi shares her goals for the 2024 Marathon Trials (12:20)
Growing up Gabi: the life of a competitive gymnast (14:55)
Gabi’s introduction to running (23:00)
How Gabi’s husband, Alex, became her coach (29:30)
All about Gabi’s work as a physician’s assistant (32:15)
Why Gabi wanted to run a marathon (39:45)
On signing with Nike, and moving to part-time PA work leading up to the Trials (48:30)
The magic of the Mill City Running community (54:10)
How Gabi is feeling a few weeks out from the Trials (57:00)