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

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber recap the final day of the 2026 USATF Outdoor Championships at Icahn Stadium
We discuss:
FINALS:
– Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17 years old, dominated the men's 800m in 1:43.48, winning his second US title of 2026 and negative-splitting a 52.26-51.23 for a 1.07-second margin over Wes Ferguson. Six 800m finals in 2026. Six wins. Now including a US title against a full professional field.
– Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran a stadium-record 21.69 to win the women's 200m — just 0.01 off her winning time at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. She got out of the blocks like a rocket and had the race decided before the straightaway. Cambrea Sturgis was second in 22.22.
– The men's 200m turned into drama for the wrong reason. Garrett Kaalund, running for USC, won in 20.04 — becoming the first collegian to win the US 200m title in 18 years. But two-time defending champion Noah Lyles pulled up with an apparent injury coming off the turn and walked it in for last.
– Cordell Tinch won a men's 110m hurdles final decided by 0.004 seconds.
– Nia Akins won her fifth US 800m title in 1:59.25, timing her kick perfectly to overhaul early leader Roisin Willis and runner-up Addy Wiley.
– Anna Cockrell led from the first hurdle to break her own stadium record in the 400m hurdles at 52.94.
– Chris Robinson finally broke through with a 47.61 for his first US title in the men's 400m hurdles.
– Emily Mackay made up for her dive-to-the-line third-place 1500m by winning the women's 5000m in 14:55.82.
– Vince Ciattei took the men's 5000m in 13:46.75 with a 26.71 last 200m in a photo finish over Cooper Teare and Sam Prakel.
– Valarie Allman won her eighth consecutive US discus title with a 69.54m throw — a streak that dates back to 2018.
Plus a moment worth mentioning: longtime NYC middle-distance coach Frank Gagliano was honored at Icahn Stadium in front of literally hundreds of former athletes and coaches he mentored. Six decades of coaching, dozens of Olympians, and lineage that runs through Chris Miltenberg, Diljeet Dosanjh Taylor, Vin Lananna, and much of the current generation of American middle-distance coaching.

Day 3 delivered upsets, dynasties extended, and a mayor in the stands — NYC's Zohran Mamdani made it out to Randall's Island for what has become the sports event of New York's summer, alongside the Knicks' NBA title and the World Cup.
We discuss:
FINALS:
- Women's 400m — Aaliyah Butler, 49.93: In her first full season as a professional, the 22-year-old ran a perfectly executed race to win her first USATF outdoor title. Alexis Holmes was second in 50.47.
- Men's 400m — Chris Bailey, 44.39: Bailey adds an outdoor title to his 2025 U.S. indoor crown — but not without drama. Justin Robinson crossed first in 44.31 before being disqualified for a lane violation, promoting Bailey to gold.
- Women's steeplechase — Lexy Halladay-Lowry, 9:12.54: A stadium record and a successful title defense. Halladay-Lowry let Gabbi Jennings lead the first six laps before unleashing a devastating final 600m to pull away. Jennings held on for second in 9:17.42 — a career-best championship finish.
- Men's steeplechase — Nate Mountain, 8:13.81: The upset of the meet. Mountain finished ninth at NCAAs just six weeks ago. On Saturday, he dove for the line to beat Carson Williams by 0.07 seconds (8:13.88 — a lifetime best for Williams). A national champion nobody saw coming.
- Women's 1500m — Nikki Hiltz, 4:06.92: Eight consecutive U.S. 1500m titles, stretching back to 2023 indoors. Hiltz ran a 58.80 final 400m to hold off Addy Wiley by 0.04 seconds, who in turn beat Emily Mackay by 0.02. Three athletes separated by six hundredths of a second at the line.
- Men's 1500m — Nathan Green, 3:50.27: A comically slow tactical race set up a predictable conclusion — Green showed his tactical savvy with a 51.65 final 400m to take the win.
- Women's 100m hurdles — Alia Armstrong, 12.38: The unsponsored hurdler wins her first national title in a stacked final, running a season's best 12.38 to beat Alaysha Johnson by 0.04 seconds. A breakthrough moment for an athlete still without a shoe deal.
- Women's pole vault — Sandi Morris, 4.90m: Ten U.S. titles. Morris cleared 4.90m on her first attempt to defend her 2025 outdoor title.
- Men's javelin — Curtis Thompson, 87.59m: The greatest throw saved for last. Thompson trailed UGA's Davis after an 82.36m final-attempt effort, then launched 87.59m on his own last throw — improving his mark by over 10 meters — to win his sixth U.S. title and complete a four-peat.
+ More from the 200m and 400m hurdles prelims.

The sprint finals delivered on every promise. Noah Lyles ran a world-leading 9.79 and Sha'Carri Richardson put on a show in the women's 100m. The 800m prelims produced some genuine surprises.
We discuss:
FINALS:
- Women's 100m — Sha'Carri Richardson, 10.77: Richardson was in a different gear, pulling away from the field by halfway to win in 10.77 — equaling her season's best and breaking the Icahn Stadium record. Star Athletics teammate Kayla White was second in 10.90, Tamari Davis third in 11.00. Richardson has now won three of the last four U.S. 100m titles.
- Men's 100m — Noah Lyles, 9.79: Lyles delivered when it mattered most — his eighth USATF outdoor title and a wind-legal world lead of 9.79, equaling his lifetime best. Ronnie Baker ran a strong season's best of 9.88 for second, Kenny Bednarek third just 0.005 seconds behind Baker, also at 9.88.
PRELIMS:
- Women's 400m heats: Aaliyah Butler leads all qualifiers winning heat 2 in 50.53, Sanaria Butler won the final heat from lane 1 in 51.10. Alexis Holmes took heat 1 in 51.71. Britton Wilson grabbed the last final spot in 52.12.
- Men's 400m heats: Christopher Bailey (45.14) looks like the favorite after a win from an inside lane. The big news — 2024 Olympic champion Quincy Hall fails to make the final, finishing sixth in 46.47. Hall has struggled all season.
- Men's 800m heats: Cooper Lutkenhaus and Hobbs Kessler go 1-2 in heat 1 in 1:45.83 and 1:45.93; Wes Ferguson leads all qualifiers with a fierce homestretch move to win in 1:45.17; Atlanta Track Club goes 1-2 in another heat — Sean Dolan (1:46.11) and Camden Marshall (1:46.40); Defending champion Donavan Brazier fails to advance, finishing fourth outside the time qualifiers in 1:46.93.
- Women's 800m heats: Roisin Willis takes heat 1 in 1:59.83, overhauling Meghan Hunter in the final 50 meters; A tactical heat 2 produces only two qualifiers — Nia Akins (2:01.78) and Juliette Whittaker (2:02.22) advance. Ajee' Wilson finishes third in 2:02.45 and does not make the final; High school standout Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic (NJ) runs 2:00.99 for fifth in heat 1 — fast enough for the last time qualifier spot, putting a high schooler in the final alongside the pros.

Start spreading the news… because the U.S. national championship for track and field has officially landed on the East Coast, taking over Randall’s Island and Icahn Stadium for the next four days of action.
As the sun set over the Harlem River, U.S. titles were handed out in the men’s and women’s 10,000m, men’s long jump and hammer throw, and women’s javelin. The finals were set in the 1500ms and the steeplechase, and we got our first look at Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and more of the country’s best sprinters in the first round of the 100m.
The most memorable moment of Day 1 wasn’t exactly a feat of history-making speed — it was the 1:39.55 first 400 meters of a ridiculously tactical women’s 10,000m final, where the field crawled through halfway over 18 minutes before Sydney Vaught took control and never looked back, covering the second half in 15:21 to break the field and the tape with a 33:30.60 victory.
In the men’s race, a similarly slow early pace (16:12 through halfway) seemed to be playing perfectly into Grant Fisher’s hands, but after he dropped a 60-second lap with 4k to go to winnow his rivals down to Drew Bosley and Woody Kincaid, the pace over the final laps slacked just enough that Kincaid was able to uncork his signature finishing speed to lethal effect, closing in 25.95 for the final 200m to beat Fisher to the line, 30:13.66 to 30:14.66. While Fisher has two Olympic medals, he only has one U.S. 10,000m title, and Kincaid picks up his third at the age of 33.
Despite a relatively light program, there was plenty of drama in the middle-distance prelims, as pre-race contenders like Sam Prakel and Gracie Morris found themselves on the wrong side of the time cutoffs in the men’s and women’s 1500m, respectively. Nikki Hiltz had no problem advancing to the final in their heat in pursuit of a fourth straight U.S. outdoor title, and Andy Powell disciples had a romp of a time with the men’s heats, as four of the twelve finalists are current or former UW Huskies.
The biggest shock of the day came in the men’s steeple prelims, because for the first time since 2022 there will be a new national champion. Kenneth Rooks failed to advance to the final after a spotty 2026 season to date, which opens the door for someone like Parker Stokes, who led all qualifiers, or last year’s third-placer Benard Keter to claim the title.
Our YouTube channel is full of mixed-zone interviews with all the top athletes. Make sure to follow along on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky as we continue to bring you live action as the weekend of running, jumping, and throwing continues.

My guest for today’s episode is Josh Kerr – mile world record holder. On July 18th at the London Diamond League, in front of 60,000 people, Josh ran 3:42.66 to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s record that had stood for 27 years, which was the longest-standing mile world record in the history of the event, and one that many believed might never fall. He did it by calling his shot four months in advance, locking himself into a specific date and venue before he had even finished rehabbing the calf he tore at the World Championships in Tokyo last September.
Josh is already one of the most decorated middle-distance runners of his generation — world champion, two-time Olympic medalist, two-time world indoor champion at 3000 meters. But the world record puts him in a different category entirely. He is now the seventh Brit to hold the mile world record, and the first since Steve Cram in 1985, joining a line that runs through Roger Bannister, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, and Steve Cram. The race commentator on the world feed, Tim Hutchings, called it the ballsiest world record in the history of middle-distance racing. It was hard to disagree.
This conversation was recorded two days after the race, with Kyle Merber joining as co-host. We get into the full arc of Project 222. We go deep on the spike Brooks built specifically for his foot strike and what it actually contributed to the margin. Josh walks us through the whiteboard session in Albuquerque where they debated every split for an hour, the 1200m time trial two weeks out that converted the last remaining skeptics, the mental performance framework that kept him in flow state when 60,000 people were watching, and what was happening internally when he cracked that smile before the gun and went completely deaf with 150 meters to go.
We also get into what Tokyo taught him, the cage door philosophy Danny Mackey lives by, and who the performance was really for…which is not the answer you might expect.
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