Latest / The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show / USATF OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026: DAY 1 REACTIONS | WOODY KINCAID SHOCKS GRANT FISHER FOR 10K TITLE + MORE

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USATF OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026: DAY 1 REACTIONS | WOODY KINCAID SHOCKS GRANT FISHER FOR 10K TITLE + MORE · The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show

0:00
All right, welcome to the cities back podcast US as edition Chris
0:05
Chavez and Kyle Merber here to recap all the action that took
0:08
place. We are live from New York City
0:12
rush back to my apartment in Brooklyn.
0:16
So actually let's let's start there.
0:19
First impressions US as comes to New York crowds.
0:22
A little thinner to begin, but it's also a Thursday.
0:26
Well, Saturday, Sunday, we're going to have the New Balance
0:28
section going absolutely wild. We'll have packed section in the
0:32
city of Smack New Balance area doing Bleacher creature.
0:35
Cheers. You won't be able to miss us.
0:36
We have Did you see the the shirts neon green?
0:39
They are loud and as needed because.
0:42
But, you know, it's a Thursday afternoon.
0:45
Like you, we knew what to expect.
0:48
I I say you got to judge New York on Saturday and Sunday.
0:52
Yeah, Yeah. The host.
0:54
Weather and conditions seem to be.
0:55
I mean, it was a great day for racing all things considered.
0:58
Icon can sometimes be a little too windy, but today looked
1:01
great. It was great.
1:02
It was perfect. I mean, this morning when I got
1:04
up for a run, there was like a a Adirondack type chill in the
1:07
air. It was, it was nice.
1:09
I could have had a a light sweater, but it was comfortable.
1:14
And in terms of wind, I don't think you can ask for much more
1:18
at 5:00 PM. Yeah, in in New York on
1:22
Randall's Island, it didn't smell like.
1:24
Poop. No, it was on the other side as
1:28
like, yeah, New Jersey, the. Other side of.
1:31
No, the smell kind of kept to to one side of the island.
1:34
So we're fortunate for now. I can say we survive.
1:38
So day one in the books, solid day of racing, although like,
1:43
like, like you said, the action's going to ramp up as we
1:46
kind of go along. So for some of these events,
1:48
like there really isn't a whole lot to to say.
1:51
Men's hundred, literally, I think they had 32 people
1:56
competing and five of them got eliminated today.
1:59
Yeah, tough for those five, but you know what, we got a glimpse.
2:04
It's a good warm up. We ease into it.
2:05
You can't just start a meet like with a bang.
2:08
You got to ease yourself into it a little bit and the men's
2:13
hundred, we got a little glimpse and I think I, I, I got a little
2:19
sense some people are looking pretty good.
2:21
Yeah, all right. So in each one of the heats,
2:24
Christian Coleman won the first heat and Noel Lyos took the
2:27
second heat. Kenny Bernard took the third.
2:30
Courtney Lindsay took the the 4th and final one.
2:32
Lots of surprises. I mean, that's everything we
2:35
expected. And I think like when we we
2:37
talked about like who the big contenders in this one would be
2:40
like obviously this is sizing up to be Kenny versus Noah come the
2:44
final, OK, Christian Coleman is. Looking I saw Christian do a
2:48
stride that must have been 90 meters long and it's hardly a
2:53
stride. It was quite quick.
2:55
He was explosive today and you saw it in the start.
2:59
I mean, his the way he got out of the blocks, the 1st 20
3:04
meters, it was not a prelim of he didn't run it like a prelim
3:09
as if everyone was just automatically getting into the
3:11
steady he practices. I mean, that's what Christian
3:14
Coleman has made his name on as his start and he showed it to
3:17
us. He was able to coast in.
3:19
He ran 996 but his legs are there.
3:22
His legs are under him. And so this is not going to
3:28
necessarily be all no, like Noah needs to show because I think
3:33
Christian is starting to fire. For the hundred, I guess like
3:36
Noah's got it so easy. I think in the 200, which we'll
3:39
we'll come to see in a little bit.
3:40
But for Noah, I guess like we were, we were kind of trying to
3:44
muster up the storyline of he's been in New York for the past
3:47
like 2 weeks doing all this other stuff.
3:49
So treating today as a rust Buster and just going out and
3:51
coasting to 997. Good sign of things for him.
3:56
He's got like quite a lengthy schedule while he's here even
3:59
more during the meet because I guess like he started like this
4:03
trading card thing on the side. And so he's going to be in the
4:06
stands signing cards for for people at some point during the
4:09
championships. And so once again, I guess like,
4:12
kudos to Noah for like, really, I guess like he's one of the
4:15
guys who like, is probably thinking like, I want New York
4:19
to, to have a good showing here 'cause it's a big market and
4:22
he's someone who benefits from from that.
4:25
So good to see him engaging with, with the crowd.
4:29
Yeah. Kenny look good.
4:31
Courtney Lindsay look good. So the BIG4 all through.
4:35
Yeah, no, no, again, no real surprises.
4:38
I look, Ronnie Baker did look good in his race behind Noah.
4:44
I thought Courtney probably looked the freshest that we've
4:47
seen so far this season, but no one's showing all their cards
4:52
yet. No, now the women's Hundred had
4:56
27 athletes competing and all of them made it through.
5:01
So literally it was just a public practice today for
5:05
everybody. It didn't matter if you ran the
5:07
fastest time of the day. 1090 by Shakira Richardson looking
5:11
fantastic or if you ran 11/7 which Paige Brady from BYU did
5:19
and as the last time of the day and they all made it through
5:22
into to the semi finals. Yeah, I I mean, Shakari looked
5:27
really strong. Great start.
5:30
I mean, we've seen already the last month that she is firing.
5:34
Yeah, Curious. I know you had a conversation
5:38
with her coach. Yeah.
5:40
Did we learn anything? Just that she's, she's good
5:45
right now. I think like, well, so it was
5:47
more so we didn't learn anything new.
5:49
No, no, not, not really. I, I, I had a chat with Dennis
5:52
Mitchell and yeah, it, it was, it wasn't like an interview or
5:59
anything like that, but more bigger picture.
6:01
Like we were talking about LA and all that kind of stuff.
6:04
I was more interested in just sort of like how he's manages,
6:08
he manages to keep his composure handling like the biggest stars
6:12
and also the public pressure of, you know, he's the coach who has
6:17
to deliver a gold medal for the United States in those in that
6:20
marquee event. So had a fun.
6:23
I'm just, you know, at a dinner that I attended and so.
6:27
So, all right, so Speaking of keeping your composure in these
6:29
moments, the 100 today, I mean the 1500 too, multiple
6:34
callbacks. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
6:36
I had flashbacks of Bolt. I had flashbacks of the Fred
6:41
Curly block situation from a couple years ago because it's
6:44
the same. Blocks, yeah, I there's a lot of
6:48
callbacks in these races. So the ability to stay composed,
6:53
I mean, look, that's why we have the prelim.
6:54
Yeah, so everyone got, you know, the nerves out of the way today
6:58
in the women's hundred. I, I will note one of the aside
7:01
from everyone having cues next to their names, the one notable
7:05
thing is Kayla White 1098 seasons best for her.
7:10
We, I was pretty high in buying stock in her, you know, after
7:15
the 200 that she ran a couple what, a week or two ago, But now
7:20
she's dabbling in the, in the 100 here and it was a, it was a
7:23
good showing. So Kayla White's fantastic
7:26
season continues and she's actually probably with the
7:30
absence of TG Terry due to injury and Melissa Jefferson
7:33
wouldn't only doing the 200 A Star Athletics 1-2 could be
7:38
still in the in in the cards with Shakari and Kayla White.
7:41
So that was the hundred and then we got into the 1500 first round
7:50
of the men's wear the top three from each heat and then the next
7:53
three fastest advance to the finals.
7:54
So I mean, these were actually pretty fun races all things
7:58
considered, because the top five from last year's championships
8:03
there there really isn't just sort of like the one guy that
8:06
you can look at on the start list and be like, oh, that is
8:08
the clear favorite. Yard's not here, Cole's not
8:11
here, Ethan Strand's not here. So it honestly, you know, I
8:17
think puts it up for grabs a bit more.
8:19
So let's go heat by heat 'cause these were actually really,
8:22
really entertaining. So the first one, the winning
8:25
times 344. Luke Houser powers through in
8:29
the final 100 meters to just get it just ahead of Nick Plant.
8:31
Did I tell you I took the I was standing at 125th.
8:34
I took Metro North down waiting for the M35.
8:39
Boss was very delayed called I was like I got to get there
8:42
called an Uber, saw a couple wearing an Atlanta track club.
8:47
You're also looking like kind of stressed by the fact that I was
8:50
like you guys want to hop a ride got in Luke Houser's parents.
8:53
Oh wow. And I ran for his coach, so nice
8:56
connection and. And so they had a good day today
8:59
at the track because they got to watch their son come over with
9:01
the victory here to the three guys to make it through Luke
9:04
Houser, Nick Plant, Leah Murphy and notable because Luke Hauser
9:11
has made US teams before in indoors Nick plant though, Ben
9:17
Thomas guy. So there is some, some Ben
9:20
Thomas like Cole's not here but Ben, but he's got Nick Plant.
9:25
Yeah, I mean. And then Liam's like, trending
9:28
upward 'cause he had, I think, a little bit more of a delayed
9:31
start to the season. So if there was a heat of death,
9:34
it would have been heat 1 and the fact that they let it go out
9:37
in 210. So he has three heats, top three
9:40
in each heat get through automatically next three fastest
9:42
times 210. Like this is one of those where
9:47
you just like scratch your head and look, we've all like been
9:52
that guy where you're like, I wish after the fact that maybe
9:54
we could have just run a 2O four.
9:56
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the fact that like these
9:58
guys didn't get time qualifiers, I mean, Waleed, Sam Simeon,
10:05
Burma, like Jackson Hook, like these guys looked like they were
10:09
poised to make a final. But that 210 just threw it out
10:12
the window. And we've seen Luke so
10:14
consistently run really well in these tactical races.
10:17
And he looked really, really good.
10:20
Big run for Nick Plant after disappointing and said Blaze, he
10:23
didn't make that final. Bounces back looked really
10:26
strong. So a good run for him.
10:28
And then Leah Murphy, no surprise that he would make it
10:31
through. He to another kicker's race and
10:35
the two time NCAA champion Nathan Green ends up getting it
10:40
just ahead of Gary Martin. The results initially though I
10:44
guess like had Sam Ellis like in the automatic qualifiers, but
10:48
then a protest was filed and he was dequeued.
10:52
So as a result, Wes Porter is now moving into third and
10:57
advances to the final. Yeah, I mean, look, Nathan
11:02
Green's really running well. We just saw it in Europe.
11:05
He's a guy who can win races. I was surprised not to see Gary
11:10
take it at some point just because we know Gary runs well
11:15
in fast races but was able to to get through no problem.
11:20
I would say I'll, I'll let I'll hide my pick for one more heat
11:24
of who I think is going to win this thing.
11:27
I would think a lot of people right now are picking Nathan
11:29
Green to take it. Yeah, I think it you, I think
11:34
kind of called it beforehand that like it this could be a
11:36
good championships. It's setting up well and nicely
11:39
for an Andy Powell type to win. And so he did have a bunch of
11:46
guys advance so you can take your pick.
11:48
So then at that point it was 2 for two for Andy Powell's
11:52
athletes. Well, Sam Pregel, but yeah.
11:55
Yeah, I'm just saying 22 for two on the win out of this one.
12:00
I guess I was, you know, I think on the preview pod I said Abel
12:03
Tefra would was a dark horse for me.
12:05
He ends up just on the outside. Craig Engels doesn't make it
12:09
through. So some names did get eliminated
12:12
today. And then that brings us to Heat
12:13
3, where again, it was tactical and Vinciotti comes away with a
12:22
victory. He's been running super well all
12:24
season, so not a total shocker, but the the close by Joe Wascom,
12:30
he could have honestly have taken it, but he knows.
12:32
I think that there's a whole the, the, the round that matters
12:34
is coming. Up so the the Joe Wascom is my
12:38
pick to win. I think he's got it.
12:40
I think coming off of a 332, he's got his momentum.
12:44
He's made teams before. The thing that I saw though
12:49
today was the way he navigated that backstretch.
12:52
I mean, he weaved in and out multiple guys unnecessarily but.
12:56
There's a pivot step in there. Yeah, like I you didn't have to
13:00
do that. But the fact that he was fresh
13:02
enough and comfortable enough and knew that he was able to do
13:07
that move that late in the race is a very promising sign.
13:10
And then the last 40 meters, I mean, his head was like an
13:15
ostrich, like it just all over the place.
13:18
And it would almost like to an unnecessary amount, like he was
13:21
good, he was comfortable. I think his legs are where he
13:25
needs to be. I think he's got the momentum.
13:27
I know he's coming out of this with a ton of confidence out
13:30
feeling really good. That would be my pick.
13:32
NCAA indoor mile champion Carter Cutting ended up taking the
13:35
third auto qualifier and then the rest of the time qualifiers
13:39
all came out of this one. Ruben Reyna, Reinhard Harrison
13:42
and Eric Holt. Some feel goods there.
13:45
Yeah. Reuben Rayna, I think he's still
13:49
rocking the Washington singlet. I just feel like you have
13:52
eligibility left. I've watched Reuben go with
13:55
moves or make moves all season long.
13:58
Yeah, yeah. And just seemingly like on a few
14:00
different occasions, it just come up short, like a guy's
14:02
making a big move in at conference or and so, but
14:06
whatever, like he's always game to make it a race.
14:10
And I, I feel like he just deserved to, to make this final
14:16
and then. He was on the Europe circuit
14:17
before this I think like post Ncas he's been out.
14:20
Getting Ireland, I think so, yeah.
14:22
Then Reinhart Harrison, I mean, just obviously a high school
14:26
stand out finding himself. And then Holt, hometown guy, I
14:31
heard he was yelling in the mix zone.
14:33
Yeah, can't, can't shut New Yorkers up.
14:37
So. Holden five, yeah.
14:39
Holden 5 yeah, So the little cues some, some feel good
14:47
opportunities there all. Right, so that was the men's
14:52
1500. Brings us to the two heats of
14:56
the women's 1500. Two very different races where
15:02
the. I think maybe the stronger one
15:05
was heat 1 where you've got Addie Wiley, who's won a Diamond
15:09
League earlier this year, Emily Mackay, who has been running
15:14
fantastic all season, Heather McClain, someone who has been
15:18
used to making teams. And it was those three really
15:23
duking it out, I think in the second-half of the race where
15:27
Makai was doing a lot of leading.
15:28
Yeah, I mean, look and Emily's very good at holding a rail and
15:32
when when she takes the lead, she doesn't run slow.
15:36
I mean, look, four O 4 for the win here.
15:39
It's it's a pretty honest prelim in what is like in both the the
15:45
heats. That's pretty quick, especially
15:48
considering that the number of women that would have make it
15:51
through. But she's strong.
15:54
She knows that keep it honest. I thought it was a great run for
15:57
Addie Wiley coming off. She's always doing a lot of work
16:01
in lane 2. She does, she does this thing
16:03
where she doesn't commit to passing like she she hangs on
16:08
the outside of lane 1 and it's just like it's just like just go
16:12
around like take it. Probably running a little bit of
16:16
extra distance, but was able to get it done today.
16:18
Really excited about Heather though.
16:20
I feel like this is your season's best.
16:22
We've just been waiting for that this season.
16:25
It's clicking. She is just a gamer, always
16:30
shows up when it's time prelim so feel good.
16:33
I will say the one that that pains me a little was seeing
16:36
Lindsay Butler miss out. Yeah, obviously, like I think
16:39
the Bandit unsponsored project and and that team has been doing
16:42
a ton of fantastic storytelling around Lindsay Butler and she's
16:47
someone who you can use in a final to really make it.
16:49
Like we're always thinking who's going to hit person to try and
16:53
do something, do something to disrupt.
16:56
Just sort of the expected kick from Nikki Hilltz and Lindsay
17:02
did that indoors and we probably could have used her in the in
17:06
the final, but ends up on just outside of the auto of the time
17:12
qualifier. So the two two of the four time
17:16
qualifiers came out of this one where you had Otto's Wiley
17:20
Mackay, McClain, Hansen and then Claire Stagall from the
17:25
University of Florida, where I think we've been singing her
17:28
praises on this pod because of how well she ran at U 20s now
17:32
holding it down against, you know, the pros ends up fifth in
17:35
this one and and makes it through.
17:37
So and then Kylie Finger was sixth in this one and also
17:42
advances to the final. I want to.
17:44
Just I I said this on a podcast recently, I think before
17:49
Prefontaine. I hate when we announce athletes
17:53
signing the day around meets. Yeah.
17:56
And Chloe Foster announcing today that she joined Nike
18:01
Swoosh. Someone who's fully capable of
18:04
being in that final. I I just don't like the
18:07
announcing right before big meets.
18:09
It's too much pressure. It's too exciting, too much
18:12
dopamine. I'm out on it.
18:14
This is AI mean at some point for the lap count or something
18:17
like that, we're going to have to just do like a big case study
18:19
of like how do athletes do in their first race post pro
18:23
announcement? It's either amazing or not
18:26
amazing. What's the No one just does OK?
18:28
What's the best one? I can't.
18:30
I can't. Like, we'll need to research
18:32
this for sure. I've heard people debut at the
18:36
trials, but it's a little different, yeah.
18:38
Often times I think the the most difficult thing that I've heard,
18:43
and I have friends who've been in this situation and it either
18:46
works out really well or it doesn't, is basically a company
18:49
between the semis and the finals.
18:52
Say you're unsponsored, they'll basically say, all right, if you
18:55
make it, you get this contract. If you don't make it, you get
19:00
this contract. And I've seen it go both ways
19:04
and the numbers are significantly different.
19:07
And I'm just thinking like, wow, I'm about to try to make an
19:11
Olympic team. Do I really have to like see the
19:15
financial implications so. That's also on your agent.
19:18
Like do you relay that information to the person?
19:21
Well, I've also had, yeah, I know.
19:22
I've also had teammates who basically told their agent just
19:27
get me the best deal and just tell me what uniform to put on.
19:31
And just basically we're getting didn't know details or anything
19:34
really. Just basically just got a new
19:35
uniform and it was just like trust, which I wouldn't always
19:39
do. That would stress me out on
19:40
like, what shoes am I going to wear tomorrow?
19:43
But then I guess like there's always the caveat of like they
19:47
let them. They let people wear whatever
19:49
you wore in college you're most comfortable with for a very
19:52
short period of time. All right.
19:55
But yeah, all right, do. You have a pick one.
19:57
Do you have a pick? Oh.
19:58
No, we haven't talked about he too.
19:59
Yeah, he too. To your point, which you brought
20:03
up on the on the preview show is like this field is going to look
20:06
around and try and figure out what is Nikki going to do,
20:09
right? Like Nikki is the top dog.
20:11
And so they'll defer to just sort of where they'll be at.
20:16
And Nikki was just in the middle, like didn't go all the
20:20
way to the back, didn't go to the front, stayed in the middle,
20:23
bided their time before ultimately I think going with
20:26
what, 500 to go. There was a really good move
20:30
here and I'm trying to remember who it was.
20:33
Gracie, it was Gracie. Oh yeah.
20:34
So Nikki came up on Gracie around a lap to go and Gracie
20:41
did not want to take the pace yet.
20:43
And Nikki just applied so much pressure on the outside of
20:48
Gracie that Gracie had to take the lead.
20:51
And Nikki was able to just slide in and they just wrote it.
20:54
And I mean, Nikki could have won this anyways, but it it was a
20:59
very nice tactical move to ultimately for someone else to
21:03
get the thing going. Yeah, and then from there, the
21:06
summer of the Brooks Beast continues.
21:08
They're so hot right now, yeah. It's.
21:12
So hot Who? Do we, I guess, like who was the
21:15
obviously there's the Josh effect, but you got to give, I
21:19
think some credit to Brandon Miller for really, I guess, like
21:21
lighting the fire that day in London.
21:23
Oh, I was going to give it to Duke Simmons.
21:25
OK. Really.
21:28
Yeah, I was going back a. Little further, but no, this was
21:31
a breakout race for Tegan Scheinbecker, who local.
21:35
Yeah, not that far from here. Went to school at Ryder is now I
21:39
believe in her second or third year as a pro with the Brooks
21:45
beast like with someone constantly racing at the Armory
21:49
and at these East Coast races. Sometimes I think just always
21:55
bopping back and forth between the 8 and the 15.
21:57
And so today to walk away from this one with a four O 4
22:01
personal best and US final, you know, birth.
22:07
Fantastic showing for, you know, the Brooks beast once again and
22:12
for and for Tegan. So really was closing well in
22:16
the final 100 I would say. Something that I think to.
22:19
Pass some folks. Something I I think we'll see
22:23
more of the next few days 'cause I I do believe the weather is
22:26
supposed to continue to be pretty favorable. 5 women got
22:30
PBS in a prelim at AUS Championship.
22:34
Yeah, pretty sweet like Carly Hanson, Kylie Finger, yeah.
22:38
So yeah, the others that got them from Heat 2, Taron Parks,
22:43
UNCUNC star, then Rachel MacArthur, who quietly just put
22:50
in a training stint out in France at the ASICS camp that
22:53
they have out there and then got some racing in and I think ran
22:56
like a four O 3, so proving some good fitness come championship
23:02
season. And then Jessica Kane was fifth
23:06
with a personal best of four O 6.
23:09
But unfortunately for Gracie Morris, a lot of time in the
23:13
front and then just really tied up in the final, final stretch.
23:16
Yeah, I mean, look, Gracie had such a strong start to the year.
23:21
The last couple out haven't been everything, but it's still look
23:24
at the end of and the season's not over.
23:27
And obviously she closed out last season so well, but when
23:30
you look at the last year, the amount of progress that she's
23:34
made be like that's not going anywhere.
23:37
That fitness is still there. So really good performance for
23:42
the entire body of work. Not a good one today, but it's
23:46
in there, it's coming. Let's talk about the final
23:49
prediction. Prediction of how it goes.
23:52
Yeah, yeah, 'cause I think we're picking the same winner.
23:54
But, you know, I look, I think Nikki is going to win, yes.
23:58
I don't think it's going to be easy.
24:00
No, who makes it tough? I think Emily.
24:03
Emily 100%. Emily's gotten enough reps
24:08
against Nikki at this point and the pre classic mile, I don't
24:15
think necessarily was the race that Emily wanted to to to run.
24:21
So that one obviously like worked in in Nikki's favor
24:25
because Nikki was able to get in great position and react
24:29
accordingly. I think Emily found herself in
24:31
the front not ideal when Faith didn't go with the pace.
24:35
And so this time around, just sort of with a more dialed in
24:38
plan and less of those variables, I think like it
24:42
could, it could also play in Emily's favor too.
24:46
I don't know if we can make this thing pretty damn close I would
24:48
say. I mean, remember indoors, I
24:52
think everyone kind of counted Emily out against Ellie and and
24:56
there, there she was. So I would say if I'm Nikki, I'm
25:02
playing the hits, I'm weighing the last 100.
25:05
We know that Nikki can do it so many other ways, but I think
25:08
Emily is a very strong 1500 runner and probably thinks her
25:14
best chance is to try to to really wind it up strong the
25:17
last 600 meters. You're saying 600?
25:19
I was definitely going to say at least 400.
25:20
And if I'm Nikki, I just say let's let's like, give me your
25:24
best shot and let's see if you can do it.
25:26
And may the best one win the last 100.
25:29
Yeah. Other than that, I think we're
25:32
also, well, Addie Wiley could also end up being someone who
25:35
could disrupt things. Yeah, I think it is,
25:37
particularly if they do let it go slow.
25:39
Addie would be the one to go to the front.
25:42
I mean, Addie would probably be happy if it goes slow.
25:45
Yeah, he's got the best 800 time out of all of them, right?
25:49
Yeah, I presume so. She won the diamond.
25:52
She won the diamond. Well, at least he had the most
25:54
accomplished on paper in the 800.
25:55
Definitely. So yeah, I think like your
25:58
podium looks like some combination of Nikki, Emily,
26:02
then Addie. No hot takes there.
26:06
Unless Heather really, I think like if this ends up being
26:11
anything close to A4 flat race, then it really is just Nikki and
26:17
Emily right now. Like right, we're looking at
26:21
just sort of like some. Of the.
26:23
Athletes who have run seasons best today, yeah.
26:27
So yeah, it's going to be a good showdown.
26:30
It's a when in our preview we're talking about like which races
26:33
were really good ones. This is one of the really good
26:35
ones. Nikki versus Emily, then Addie
26:39
and Heather. I would throw their names in
26:40
there, yeah. All right.
26:42
So those were the 1500s, I guess on the men's side, you said your
26:47
final prediction was? Joe Wascom.
26:50
Wascom I'll take well, I think I said Holden 5 right, but I might
26:55
go. It's only this is the second.
26:57
Yeah, OK. This is the second.
27:00
I might go. Nathan Green.
27:01
Yeah. All right.
27:04
Then we had first round of the men's steeplechase.
27:07
Again, this is 1 where it's like not that many shockers.
27:12
They did away with the first round of the women's
27:17
steeplechase and so that's a straight final.
27:19
And yeah, of the top guys in this one, Parker Stokes, another
27:26
Brooks Beast victory on the day, Bernard Keeter, Duncan Hamilton,
27:30
Nathan Mountain and Daniel Mikulski, that's like your your
27:33
top five. And you'd expect those guys to
27:37
make the final. Now, I guess like the one thing
27:40
that we just have to talk about is once again, Kenneth Brooks.
27:47
I know. Just looked rough.
27:49
Didn't you make it 1200 with the lead pack in this?
27:52
One, it was the sort of thing where it's just like something's
27:54
not right. Like we got to get the iron
27:55
checked. Granted.
27:58
New father, correct? Yeah.
28:01
Hey, maybe it was a tough week. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
28:05
So yeah, hopefully figured out if there's a year to to have a a
28:10
stinker at USA, this is a good one.
28:12
But it's been 2 years. Yeah, hey, it's in there.
28:15
I'm not. I'm not quitting.
28:16
But yeah, I mean, look, there's a lot of depth right now in the
28:23
men's steeple. I think outside of Kenneth,
28:26
we're like really looking for our star of someone who could
28:30
really show up on the international stage.
28:32
Wilkinson has demonstrated a little bit on the Diamond Link
28:37
circuit that it maybe could be him.
28:39
Today, though, he's just did exactly what he had to do.
28:42
Yeah, yeah, that's true. Actually.
28:43
That's why I didn't mention him before.
28:44
It's because he's a bit buried in the overall results, the
28:48
compiled results, Wilkinson, Corrigan, who'd made the Olympic
28:51
team. He sneaks in with a little cue.
28:54
And then Cooper Cothra is again, I think like fresh into the
28:58
steeple chase, a wild card and could be a wild card.
29:01
We were saying this during the race that it was lost on us in
29:05
our previewers noting like a 1500 guys trying the steeple and
29:09
they remember like he's coached by Corey Leslie, who like went
29:13
on the same exact path of him and made a really great career
29:16
out of it. So a little bit of wild card.
29:19
I also thought Duncan Hamilton looked really strong today, took
29:22
some laps up front. So this There's no clear
29:28
favorite here, no wide open. I might lean Parker Stokes just
29:32
to the the Brooks Beast momentum is really swaying me here.
29:36
Yeah, that's fair. I think I'm going to go
29:39
Wilkinson just because I think he's been so consistently good.
29:44
Someone on his Strava, I think, like he was sick like today all
29:49
week. Yeah, yeah.
29:50
Oh, what do we have? We have two days rest.
29:54
It's not tomorrow, No. So he'll be fine.
29:57
OK, all right. And then it brings us to our 2
30:03
finals on the track of the day. First one women's 10K final
30:08
which was really slow at the very.
30:13
Beginning. I kind of loved it.
30:15
It was. It was exactly what we thought
30:18
would happen, but better. Yeah.
30:20
So first 1K was 351. No, I mean, it was slower than
30:26
that, but 351 up in the front for Sydney Vaught.
30:30
And that's after she took the lead because the very beginning,
30:32
it was like Vanessa Fraser's like in the front looking around
30:35
me like no one wants to run. Today, I mean, the first lap was
30:38
99 seconds. That might be that.
30:42
I've never heard of that. It was pretty awesome.
30:46
And then it took them a little while to get going and then they
30:48
open it up and but. 1809 through the 1st 5K.
30:54
Yeah, hey, it's not about how you start, it's how you finish.
30:57
Not about time. Sydney bought recently
31:00
graduated, finished up at Arkansas.
31:02
Yeah. So if if people are wondering
31:03
like who is this? Like where did they come from?
31:05
That's because previously raced is Sydney Thorbolton right So.
31:10
She had she, I mean, look, won her first US title immediately
31:15
after finishing up college. The thing that I so she's
31:20
finished 11th and 13th, I believe her highest finishes at
31:23
Ensemble Cross. And we've seen her start to
31:26
dabble on the roads a little bit.
31:28
And today I I kind of got the vibe of like this in a in a few.
31:35
This might be laying the groundwork for a great Rd. racer
31:39
one day, yeah. Yeah, Yeah.
31:41
I mean, we're seeing that already.
31:42
I think like across the board of like, I mean this year in
31:46
particular, it's like we look at this field and it's like
31:48
obviously like the biggest names are missing for a variety of
31:51
different reasons. Like again, I think we brought
31:53
it back to the fact that for World Championship qualifying
31:57
purposes for next year, qualifying windows isn't even
32:00
open. And also the you're not going to
32:04
run a fast time here. So there isn't a whole lot that
32:07
you benefit from doing this. So I've I, I mean, from the
32:11
people that were missing, I was like, why isn't like Emily
32:13
Venters, who's on this hot streak on the roads here?
32:16
And like, Sidney Vaught is kind of of that same archetype right
32:19
now of just, you know, dabbling on the roads.
32:21
And then at the same time, I mean, for today at least, like,
32:25
she got back on the track. Katie Izzo, same exact thing.
32:27
Like these two competed at Peachtree not that long ago.
32:30
It's a transition, but I Sydney did run really well.
32:33
At Peachtree was was the top American, Yeah.
32:35
And so, yeah, I mean, it's, it's like that you don't have to, was
32:41
it the Drew Hunter where it's like you don't have to commit to
32:43
one or another? Like you can do cross, you can
32:46
do roads, you can do track. And I, I think that archetype
32:50
of, of athletes who know that they're eventually going to be
32:53
marathoners. We had a lot of those today, but
32:58
Katie did her absolute best to hang at the end.
33:03
There was like a moment there where I thought maybe she could
33:05
close the gap, but Sydney did just save that one last year.
33:08
With like 600 to go where, like I don't think this race is over.
33:11
And then like with 400 to go where like actually I think
33:13
like, yeah, Sydney Vaught is going to hold on.
33:15
So it it was just again, like one of our spin zones about
33:19
having a USAS this year, given the context of it all is it's
33:25
like, you know what? How many more people now are
33:27
aware of Sydney, what she's capable of, what she looks like
33:31
You can watch across the finish line.
33:32
Her, Katie and Allie were all like pumped after.
33:36
Yeah, sometimes. What is it?
33:38
Is there bonuses in contract in the top three?
33:41
Definitely, yeah, there's, there's they made money.
33:45
It's $8800 for the win, a standard contract bonus.
33:50
This is the most money some of these women in this field will.
33:53
Win the US championship is easily 10 grand in the most
33:57
contract like Mac, right like that.
34:00
That's like the the very the some maybe more like it's you're
34:05
making money and you're getting Instagram posts and we're
34:09
talking about you. We just watch you for 30
34:11
minutes. Like now you're on everyone's
34:12
radar. And so I think it's a good
34:16
exposure and we had fun watching 99 seconds.
34:19
That's a memorable race. We're going to be talking about
34:21
that for a while. Well, and I think like because
34:24
at some point, like you could go the other way, right?
34:25
And and totally think like I don't think they should have the
34:29
10K at USA. It's like on a in an off year.
34:32
Yeah, I mean. There's a, there's an argument,
34:35
yeah. And also, yeah.
34:37
You can make an argument, yeah, making a road race, mass road
34:41
race, 10K in Central Park tomorrow morning instead of
34:44
this. Oh, and to yeah, to award the
34:48
the national title, well, I think that would be the 10K.
34:51
We do already have that. We also have the 8K, the seven
34:54
K, the 6K, the 5K. 11K12K13K yeah.
35:03
So I don't know, it still ended up being, you know, a of race
35:07
that puts her on the map. Shout out to all the 10K
35:10
athletes who came out and ran in the heat.
35:12
Yep, all 15 of you. All right, let's then take this
35:17
to the men's 10K, which was the most exciting finish of the day.
35:22
Yeah, because we're watching it and we're seeing, what was it,
35:26
246 for the 1st 800 meters, and then five, what, 515 for the 1st
35:34
1600? Yeah, and.
35:36
So we're like, I mean. We made a graphic for how slow
35:39
the first lap for the women were.
35:41
Like we'll make a graphic for how slow the 1st 800 for the men
35:44
were. 246 is incredible. Yeah.
35:47
Yeah, I mean, Vincent Mowry runs 40 miles a day at that pace and
35:56
then does it again. Yeah, it takes 15 seconds rest
35:59
and does it again. Which today was announced that
36:03
he's running the Chicago Marathon this fall so.
36:05
Oh really? Yeah.
36:06
Oh hell yeah. He's going to run 159 and then
36:12
take 15 seconds rest and do it again.
36:17
I know we're sidetracking, but I am his biggest fan.
36:20
I think I send his. I think I send his Java to the
36:24
group chat every single day. I mean, quick tangent for sure,
36:28
but we any time there's been a Vincent Mowry the the treadmill
36:34
video or a follow up post about like, you know, him running 30
36:39
miles on for his Sunday long run or something like that.
36:42
That's that comes from Kyle because I'm sure you have him
36:45
like started as a favorite you get.
36:47
To know I'm like, guys, you'll not believe.
36:48
You, Vincent Mowry, just finished a run and then like,
36:51
Kyle opens up his phone and then sees like, oh, there it is, 20
36:55
miles with, you know, one minute rest and then by 4.
36:59
It's the best thing out there right now.
37:01
All right, Chicago. Awesome.
37:02
Yeah, so it's Charles Hicks versus the Mad Men, Vincent
37:06
Mallory. Two very different approaches.
37:08
And Clayton Young's in it as well.
37:10
So it's like you've got Clayton Young like the most dialed in,
37:13
like every, everything's measured with him.
37:17
He's got 7 different gadgets measuring.
37:20
He's wearing cadence, all that stuff.
37:22
Wraps around his arm, whatever it is, and then every Chamber of
37:26
his heart giving independent level of beat.
37:29
Yeah, and then you've got Vincent Mowry, who's at Planet
37:31
Fitness just absolutely making that employee's life hell with
37:37
with with just like the pounding of his ASIC shoes on his on the
37:42
on the treadmill. So yeah, it's going to be great.
37:46
It's going to be fantastic. I wish Vincent Mowry was in.
37:49
This race, dude, I'll tell you what, we're not going out in 246
37:53
if my boy Vincent's in this race.
37:57
So he's going to sit out in 236, waiting 10 seconds, doing
38:01
another 800. Would have been the perfect race
38:05
for him, but no. So this thing was just like
38:08
these guys are bidding their time.
38:10
They go through the 1st 5K in 16-13 and then from there.
38:17
Give some shout outs to some of our early race leaders.
38:20
Chandler Gibbons took it on. OK, Evan Bishop took it on.
38:25
Everyone in the. Field took it on everyone.
38:28
In the field, took a lap. They took a blood oath before
38:30
the race started and they said everyone has to do at least one.
38:33
And then Woody Kincaid said. I'll take the last.
38:35
Yeah. But yeah, so then at some point,
38:38
I think, what, 20 minutes into this race, that's when Grant
38:41
Fisher goes to the front and then starts to pull, which he
38:44
took with him Woody Kincaid and Drew Bosley, who we expected to
38:48
be the other contenders in this one.
38:51
And then the problem is you just can't leave Woody in contention
38:56
for all that long. I mean, how many times are we
38:58
all going to fall for this? Yeah, well, Grant's pulled for
39:02
it several times and he's only, I guess it's, I guess David
39:08
pulled it up and it's like Grant's only got 3 national
39:11
titles on the track and Woody, I think at this point is I, I
39:14
don't know, like can you pull it up to see how many he's got?
39:17
But. I would just ask you generally
39:19
be how I pull things. Yeah, my track GPT mind.
39:22
But I mean Woody, all right, so Woody is in solid shape coming
39:28
in. We know that he ran 2720 earlier
39:30
in the season. He, you know, ran 1312.
39:36
It it's he's in good shape, but he's not in crazy shape, but
39:41
he's in good enough shape that I don't want to leave get to the
39:45
last 400 with him because he just always finds it somehow.
39:49
He closed in 50. He closed in 54 seconds. 2595
39:52
for the last 200. He just has like it.
39:55
He's he has this ability to tap into like a completely different
39:58
system and he just goes like X Games.
40:04
Mode so now you just it what he Kincaid has now tied Grant
40:06
Fisher for the same amount of national titles on the track 3
40:10
and this is Woody's actually third US title.
40:13
They've all come in the 10 K 20/21/2023 and now 2026, the
40:18
winning times of each of those races.
40:21
They've only gotten this is the slowest one of the bunch, 2753
40:25
at the trials, 2823 at the 2023 championships, and then today
40:32
30/30/13 for the win. So if Woody wins the 10K in two
40:37
years, expected to be even slower and it'll be 32 minutes,
40:42
Yeah. So the thing that's so exciting
40:46
about this is that they're both entered in the 5K.
40:48
Oh yeah. Which now, if you're Grant
40:51
Fisher. Flashbacks in Miami.
40:53
Yeah, you don't. You just don't let it happen
40:55
again. It's that messy meme where it's
40:58
like, I think Jude. Belt Oh, you don't piss him off?
41:00
Yeah, you don't piss him off 'cause now he's going to do
41:01
something crazy in this 5K. Yeah.
41:04
So, and the interesting thing about the 5K, which we think we
41:08
noted previously is that there are going to be some 1500 guys
41:12
potentially doubling back up. I think I think Grant, Gary
41:15
Martin, I I would put money down that that last mile is sub for
41:21
in that five Ki think he's going to pull so hard with a mile to
41:25
go. And The thing is with with Grant
41:27
is that he's able to do this at times, like at trials.
41:31
I think we've seen him in the past, like if he wants to make
41:34
the race hard and he's going to be the only person going for
41:37
like going for it. It's worked in the past a couple
41:40
times, Yeah, not all the time, because sometimes Woody's just
41:44
been left in contention and he's got it done.
41:47
So the Wood man with his third US title in the 10K.
41:53
So the podium was Woody Grant, Drew Bosley, which was all, I
41:57
think kind of how many people expected this one to go.
42:01
All right, So looking ahead to tomorrow on the track, the
42:05
finals that we've got are the women's hundred, men's hundred.
42:11
And I guess like it's Friday night in New York City, your
42:16
opportunity to go and see Shakira Richardson and O Lyles
42:20
in action give me a good time. They're selling beer at the
42:24
track. That, yeah, good development,
42:27
long line. So Friday night sounds like a
42:31
good night. Good start.
42:32
Yeah. And then we got some 800
42:36
prelims. Which this will be interesting,
42:40
right? If aren't, is Nikki Nikki's
42:44
entered in the? That's a that's seeing who comes
42:47
back was that was that an insurance policy in case
42:50
something happens in the 1500, I think Addie is also entered in
42:55
the 800. Yeah.
42:57
So it's like, all right, who's actually showing up and trying
43:00
to double and who's just doing it just in case of trip and fall
43:03
happened. All right, well, we will find
43:06
all of that out tomorrow, but that is day one of the 2026
43:11
USATF Outdoor Championships in the books.
43:14
If you want to keep up with all the action, be sure to follow
43:16
along with CDs Mag on all of our social channels because we've
43:19
got, you know, quick post going up immediately after the races
43:23
happen. Our newsletter has gone daily
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over the next couple days, so you know you can subscribe to
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the the CDs Mag Substack and and what else we.
43:33
Got group run tomorrow morning with.
43:34
Yeah, if you're, if you're listening to this sometime
43:37
between 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM Eastern Time and you're in the
43:44
tri-state area and want to make your way over to the New Balance
43:47
tour on the Upper West Side. Well, like you don't have much
43:51
time. Get some good rest and we'll see
43:54
you in the morning for some easy miles.
43:56
And then from there, yeah, one more day to wait before the we
44:01
unleash the Sidious mag and New Balance faithful out at icon.
44:06
Because I'm really excited for what that cheers on is going to
44:08
look like. We're just going to look like
44:09
this green mob in the stand and it's going to be great.
44:14
So that does it. I've been Chris Chavez with Kyle
44:16
Merber. We'll see you guys tomorrow.