Off The Rails With Eric And Aisha

Aisha Praught-Leer and Eric Jenkins discuss all the week's happenings including the half marathon world record being broken, the Silesia Diamond League and some updates on Eric Jenkins' marathon training.
Discussed in this episode:
– Eric's marathon build — current status: Ten miles. High 8:30 average. Ninety minutes. First double-digit run in possibly two years.
– Yomif Kejelcha, half marathon world record, 56:51: Set at the Buenos Aires Marathon. Took 21 seconds off Kiplimo's 57:20 from Lisbon in March. Was checking his watch the whole race, fully aware. Post-race quote included the phrase "full of beans" — not a fueling strategy, a British idiom meaning full of energy and enthusiasm, which neither host had ever encountered before.
– Harry and Meghan moving back to the UK: Short-term, up to six months, keeping the Montecito mansion. Nobody knows why.
– Tupac murder trial: Dwayne Davis, accused of the 1996 drive-by shooting, has pleaded not guilty. Conspiracy theories about Diddy resurfacing.
– Lindsay Clancy case: Duxbury, Massachusetts. Pleading not guilty by reason of insanity — postpartum psychosis and a combination of medications. Mother-in-law testified in her defense that she was begging for help beforehand. Husband has since remarried. Netflix series incoming.
– Casey Musgraves and the disco balls: She opened her tour perched atop giant testicle-shaped disco balls.
– Diamond League recap: Ethan Strand wins the men's 1500 in a loaded field featuring Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Cole Hocker; American men went 2-3-4 in the Lausanne 5000m (Parker Wolf, Nico Young, Graham Blanks); Tsige Duguma wins the women's 1500 with a last-50m burst that nobody saw coming; El Bakkali gets beaten in the steeple for the third time in four years; Marco Arop goes out in 48.5 through 400 meters in the men's 800 and goes for the world record — doesn't get it but the bravery is noted; Rai Benjamin's flat 400 is real; Femke Bol is getting exponentially better every race in the 800m
– Why changing your running form is harder than it sounds: Aisha shares her drill philosophy from her days with coach Mark Rowland
– New York City Marathon elite field announced
– Jenny Simpson speaks publicly: Diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy — scar tissue in the heart causing an arrhythmia.
– Voicemails include: A former shot-putter explains why throwing is the objectively superior sport; best competition roommates; and some surprises from Eric and Aisha's Wikipedia pages.
📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.
📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OffTheRailsWithEricandAisha
Follow your hosts on Instagram:
🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠
🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer
----
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.

One of the longest episodes in Off the Rails history and one of the most eventful.
Discussed in this episode:
– Eric vs. the bike: Three rides in. Main problems: sweating while commuting and not wanting to wear shorts.
– Pre-race rituals: In response to a voicemail from Jean Nicole, a theology professor who uses athletic analogies in teaching monastic practices.
– Freddie Crittenden is a middle school math teacher: Retired at USAs. Now posting the most wholesome content on Instagram — previewing his classroom, talking through the transition. 
– Wiz Khalifa is running: The touchstone that running has arrived in culture. He got called slow at a nine-minute pace, went out and ran fast to prove people wrong. Shame on anyone who shamed him for his pace. 
– AOC's egg-freezing journey: Aisha opens up for the first time publicly about being almost two years into an IVF journey that hasn't been going great. The power of seeing someone do this in real time (not at the end of the story when everything is resolved) is felt.
– Brad Pitt is drinking again: Seven years sober. Now not. All his kids have dropped his last name. He owns a vineyard. The comment section is on fire. He's in the Leo/Pitt class — too big, too beloved, too beautiful for PR to fully catch them. 
– Fayetteville-Manlius and Bill Aris: 12-time national championship coach let go over overtraining allegations. The broader conversation centers on: What is the right intensity for high school athletes? 
– Jonah Koech gets a three-year blood doping ban: Full ABP explainer from Aisha. The Athlete Biological Passport tracks blood values over time and flags when they're consistent with doping, even if no single test detects a substance. Two tests flagged: July 30, 2025 (one day before the USATF prelims he'd go on to win) and August 8th (six days after his final win). Values consistent with blood doping. Standard four-year ban reduced to three for admitting use of a prohibited method. He's since come out saying he was pressured into the admission. 
– European Championships recap: Jakob Ingebrigtsen wins the 5K gold in his first race back in 11 months; Mark English wins his first European gold in the 800m at age 33; Gesa Krause wins the women's steeple in one decisive move at the final water jump; Audrey Werro beats Keely Hodgkinson again; Andreas Almgren's 10K is a clinic in front-running from the start and finishes with a 40-second winning margin, European record.
– Lausanne Diamond League is back on Friday August 21st: Audrey Werro vs. Femke Bol women's 800 rematch. Winfred Yavi, Faith Cherotich in the women's steeple. Graham Blanks, Grant Fisher, Parker Wolf, Nico Young in the men's 5K. Brandon Miller, Emmanuel Wanyoni, Marco Arop, Djamel Sedjati in the men's 800. 
– Eric is running the New York City Marathon: First marathon. New Balance team. Goal: 3:30. Eight-minute pace. That's actually running. Current long run: 8 miles. Fueling: never done it, has to figure it out immediately. 
Voicemails include: Did someone set Eric up in his bad host family experience; who would you want to host for a race; what would your running celebration be
– MERCH IS LIVE: Link in the show notes. They said it couldn't be done. They were almost right. Against all odds — it's done.
Get your Off The Rails merch here: https://off-the-rails-pod-shop.fourthwall.com/

📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.
📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OffTheRailsWithEricandAisha
Follow your hosts on Instagram:
🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠
🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer

Eric Jenkins calls in from a Cleveland Airbnb a few hours before the Guardian Mile, mic clipped to a Celsius can, surrounded by friends. Aisha is home in Boulder. It's a Saturday edition.
In this episode:
– Guardian Mile tonight: Colby is running the stroller mile with his son. Colby is not quite at race weight and is racing on a course that goes uphill for the first 800 and downhill on the back half. 
– Community road miles: There should be more of them everywhere. One mile is the perfect community race distance — not intimidating, done in 30 minutes, everyone has a frame of reference. 
– Presidential Fitness Test: Created 1956 under Eisenhower. Obama softened it into a non-competitive program in 2013. RFK is now restoring it.
– Sir Walter Mile results
– Host family philosophy debate: Eric's one bad experience: divorced man, post-dinner guitar serenading, Beach to Beacon 10K, never again. Aisha has had uniformly excellent host family experiences and is still friends with most of them.
– Tour de France Femmes — bra-maxing/aero-fairing scandal: Riders allegedly stuffing sports bras to create a larger chest profile in the aero tuck position, which is aerodynamically advantageous (called aero-fairing).
– Will Geoghegan = Handsome Will: Women in Eugene and around the track circuit have been calling him this for years. The canon grows. His Beach to Beacon course record attempt build-up — posting workouts, weekly Instagram updates — was one of the best pieces of athlete content of the summer.
– European Championships — August 10-16, Birmingham UK: Watch on Eurovision Sport (free globally) or BBC for UK listeners. Jakob Ingebrigtsen races the 5K on day one. Women's 800 final Friday August 14th at 9:46 PM UK time. Full field breakdown covered.
– Jake Heyward’s comeback story: 20 months off — nearly two years without racing. Double Haglund's surgery. Was on the shortlist of top British milers until the injury. This is one of the great comeback stories of the year and is flying under the radar.
Voicemails: – Air quality and running: Owen from Bozeman is calling from his work treadmill because the AQI outside is 165; Alan from Raleigh asks about the best post-race after-parties on the circuit; Vanessa from Boston with daughters Melanie and Aubrey make a group call — first-time callers who've been listening to Jimothy clips as a family, asking which animal each host would domesticate; James from San Francisco, Survivor alum, reports on Canicross and the alleged 11:56 5K world record run with a dog named Kazuma, and offers to be a Survivor audition coach

📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.
📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OffTheRailsWithEricandAisha
Follow your hosts on Instagram:
🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠
🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer
----
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.

Discussed in this episode:
– Standing desk philosophical debate: Aisha is 50/50 sitting and standing. Eric has his at the lowest setting and sits.
– Women's Professional Baseball League launches: Boston Hunters, New York Heights, Los Angeles Queens, San Francisco Fireballs — all playing in Springfield, Illinois.
– The national anthem at the WPBL opening game: Potentially the worst national anthem performance ever captured on video.
– Shoutout to Kari Cotone-Chavez, whose a cappella group (The High Notes) sang the national anthem at USAs.
– Usher concert, Gabrielle Cheyenne, and the Facebook clap back: Usher's team pre-screens fans to bring on stage. Gabrielle was selected, froze completely when the lights came on, Usher visibly realized and had her removed, the video went everywhere.
– Nicolas Cage WWII film stolen from Netflix: An unencrypted master copy of a film called Fortitude — seven years to make, $45 million to produce — was stolen from the Hollywood studio.
– The Odyssey: Eric saw it, not in IMAX (technically only saw one third of the film), the AC was broken, he was fully dehydrated and fidgeting while the stranger next to him complained.
– Jimothy update: Eric is warming up. Not fully on board, but open to the journey.
– Commonwealth Games recap
– The Josh Kerr weight discourse: Hobbes Kessler raised it at USAs. Aisha addresses it carefully
– The return of Jakob Ingebrigtsen at European Championships
Voicemails include: Jimmy's Eric Jenkins redemption arc; rules for pacers contracted for races; live from a port-a-potty caller; MLB hat survey from a recent Europe trip by a Rail Rider; Amy's cross country team cemetery laps.
Coming up: European Championships. Eric is racing the Guardian Mile. Shoutout to the Alexander family.
📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.
📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OffTheRailsWithEricandAisha
Follow your hosts on Instagram:
🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠
🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer
----
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.

Aisha Praught-Leer and Eric Jenkins recorded on July 26th, delayed slightly so they could watch the final day of USAs. Aisha is running on post-Olivia Dean concert fumes. A bear came to her house.
Discussed in this episode:
– The fridge broke while Will was away. Aisha threw out an entire freezer's worth of food. A bear found it.
– Olivia Dean concert: Ball Arena, Denver. Peak girlhood.
– House switch voicemail (Hadley from Minnesota): If Eric and Aisha switched houses for a week, what's the first thing each does?
– Jimothy is a raccoon in Seattle with no tail, a compressed body, and what can only be described as arms rather than front legs. An internet sensation. The new Moo Dang.
– Raccoon general concerns: Aisha has been in a multi-year battle with the raccoons in her trash cans and they have outsmarted her every time. She does not want them domesticated.
– The Odyssey movie
– Eric's viral video: A friend with a new camera came over and cut old training footage against current footage of Eric doing a shirtless pull-up. The result: a genuinely cool video that went unexpectedly viral
– Off the Rails Running Coaching is now open: Eric is taking clients. DM him.
– Tour de France and the 2 AM drug test: Aisha breaks down the full legal context (speaking in personal capacity only). Normal testing hours: 6 AM to 11 PM. Overnight testing is permitted with "serious and specific suspicion." WADA and UCI rules both require a higher threshold for overnight tests than standard daytime tests. The suspicion in this case appears related to microdosing — timing drug use overnight so it metabolizes before morning testing. Jonas Vingegaard was tested at 2 AM, went back to sleep, and later crashed on a mountain stage, breaking his collarbone.
– USATF Outdoor Championships recaps and highlights
– NCAA removes altitude conversions: As of this week, altitude conversion factors for times run at elevation are no longer valid for NCAA purposes.
Voicemails include: How much can a mom account for pace adjusting while pushing a stroller; applying DMSO on your skin and racing and eating hot dogs.
📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.
📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OffTheRailsWithEricandAisha
Follow your hosts on Instagram:
🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠
🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer
----
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.