The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show

Chris and Preet are back to break down the biggest highlights from the Chicago Marathon yesterday, including:

– After finishing second in 2025, Amos Kipruto claimed his Chicago title in 2:01:09, tying Eliud Kipchoge for No. 5 on the all-time list.

– Reigning champion Hawi Feysa and two-time Chicago champion and former world record holder Brigid Kosgei went out hard, covering the opening 10K in 31:04 (2:11:05 pace).

– Sharon Lokedi’s marathon career is a picture of consistency. Her runner-up finish in Chicago came with a three-minute PB of 2:14:07 and moved her to No. 8 on the all-time list. 

– There was plenty of hype around Emma Grace Hurley’s marathon debut, to which we contributed with a pre-race podcast and workout video. Given her fifth place finish at last month’s World Road Running Championships half marathon and her 2026 season as a whole, the excitement was warranted. 

– Another seventh-place finish for Clayton Young! This time, he ran a huge PB of 2:05:23 to finish as the top American at a World Marathon Major for the first time in his career.

– Charles Hicks rolled the dice in pursuit of the top American spot and still came away with a 2:05:35. 

– All things considered, Mauri’s 2:06:45 for tenth was a great performance. 

– Galen Rupp is so back. At 40, he ran 2:06:55 to finish as the fourth American, just 48 seconds off his lifetime best of 2:06:07 from Prague in 2018. I wasn’t out on the course enough Sunday to judge how much the humidity affected the race, but it’s wild to think he might have come even closer to his PB in better conditions.

– Kieran Tuntivate put together a remarkably steady race to finish in 2:08:01. He went through halfway in 1:03:41 and ran the second half in 1:04:20 for a 39-second positive split.

– Izzi Batt-Doyle took two minutes off her PB and jumped from fourth to first on the Australian marathon all-time list.

+ Lots more

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SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠

“If I could teleport back a thousand times over, I’d probably make the same decision without the knowledge I have today. But going forward into every race, I’ll have that knowledge.”

Twelve months ago, Charles Hicks had never run a marathon. Since then he’s raced three of them: sixth in New York, seventh in Boston, and yesterday in Chicago, eighth in 2:05:35. That’s the third-fastest time ever by an American on a record-eligible course. He was second American in all of them. He’s 25 years old and still technically in his rookie year at the distance.

Chicago was a strange, thrilling race. It was the warmest marathon Charles has run. Vinny Mauri broke away at Mile 9 and went chasing the American record or something bigger. When the pacers stepped off at 30K, Charles and Clayton Young had to decide whether to sit in the pack and settle for second American, or roll the dice and try to go get him. He went. He caught Vinny.

Then, with three miles to go, Clayton dropped a 4:38 mile and it was enough to seal Charles’ fate for another runner-up American finish.

What I love about this conversation is that Charles doesn’t hide from any of it. He explains the tactical mistakes made but why he’d probably make the same call again. He puts us inside his shoes for the first 60 minutes of the men’s American race that we never got to see on TV. We talk about the lessons taken from this one and more.

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Like sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings blending into one, Olipop's Crisp Apple is so tantalizingly sweet and refreshing it makes every day feel like a celebration. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠

My guest for today’s episode is Anthony Rizzo — three-time All-Star, 2016 World Series champion with the Cubs, and as of Sunday morning, a marathoner. He is running the Chicago Marathon for the first time, on the tenth anniversary of that World Series title, in support of the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, with a goal of raising a million dollars for pediatric cancer research.

Anthony was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 22, beat it, and played 12 more seasons of Major League Baseball. He signed up for Chicago after watching his wife Emily run New York in 2023, got inspired, pulled in former teammate Jake Arrieta as a running partner, and has spent the last several months discovering that distance running is, in his words, a whole underground world he never knew existed.

In this conversation we talk about what drew him here, what training actually looked like, getting plugged in with Brooks, and what he wants to find out about himself when it gets hard on Sunday.

My guest for today’s episode is Adriaan Wildschutt — a NAZ Elite athlete, South African national record holder in the half marathon, and as of Sunday, a marathoner. He makes his debut at the Chicago Marathon four days from now, which means he is currently listed last on the start list. He has no marathon personal best. He is completely fine with that.

Adriaan grew up in South Africa, playing rugby, cricket, and soccer before discovering running in tenth grade. He came to the US on a scholarship to Coastal Carolina — recruited by Zola Budd — and later transferred to Florida State to compete in the ACC. He spent his post-collegiate career on the track, made the Paris Olympics in 2024, and then had to make a decision: where does a runner who keeps getting dropped in the final 150 meters of a 1500 actually belong? Everyone around him had been saying marathon for years. He decided they were probably right, and with the LA Olympics two years out, he didn’t have time to ease into it.

His transition has moved quickly. A 59:13 half marathon debut in Valencia — a South African national record. A win at the NYC Half in March. A pacing assignment at the Cape Town Marathon where he was supposed to step off at 35K, instead dropped the field by 30 seconds before the wheels came off at 33K, and came away with exactly the experience he needed: proof of the engine, clarity on the work still required.

He goes into Chicago planning to run with the American record group at 2:04 pace. The South African marathon record is 2:05:36. He’s not ruling out a podium.

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Like sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings blending into one, Olipop's Crisp Apple is so tantalizingly sweet and refreshing it makes every day feel like a celebration. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠

The Chicago Marathon goes Sunday on a course that has produced a world record or an American record every year since 2022. Defending champions Jacob Kiplimo and Hawi Feysa return, and multiple men in the field have openly said they’re chasing Conner Mantz’s American record.

The weather: 59°F with a 54°F dew point at 7 a.m. local, rising to 64°F and a 57°F dew point by 9. Manageable for the elites, warmer than ideal for records. The margin for error shrinks as the race goes on.

The men’s favorite: Kiplimo has a 2:00:28 PB from London — a minute faster than anyone else entered, and faster than Kiptum’s old world record, in a race he finished third. He’s skipped a tune-up this year after opening with a 58:29 half before winning Chicago in 2:02:23 last fall.

The women’s race: Brigid Kosgei returns to the site of her 2:14:04 world record for the first time since 2019, off a resurgent year — wins in Shanghai (2:16:36) and Tokyo (2:14:29), where she beat Feysa.

Plus: We unpack the intense races for top American on the men’s and women’s side.

How to Watch – TV: NBC5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago; Streaming: NBC Sports NOW, NBC Chicago channel on Peacock

Full preview to come in the CITIUS MAG Newsletter. You can subscribe here.

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Like sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings blending into one, Olipop's Crisp Apple is so tantalizingly sweet and refreshing it makes every day feel like a celebration. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the marathon. You get around 10 days of battery with daily use and 24 hours in performance mode with dual frequency GPS. The watch also tracks your sleep, HRV, and training balance, so you know when to push and when to back off in your workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're in the market for a new watch, check out the Suunto Run 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

KAIZEN: kaizen is a training app that starts with your running history to set the baseline and then updates around the training you do. kaizen looks at the bigger picture of your training to know your current fitness. The app translates your last few months of training into an accurate view of how your current fitness, taking a big picture view that quiets the noise of individual workouts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download today in the App Store or Google Play and get two weeks free with code CITIUS within the app.⁠