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Cover Photo Credits Joe Hale @jkh_photo, Wake Forest Athletics, Kutoven Stevens, D.V. Gregori @dvgregori Jay Bendlin @jaybendlinphoto, Bill Andrews, Matt Parker @mattflynnparker, Ashley Landis @ashphotog

Photo Credit: Georgetown University Athletics

I was pretty devastated to hear that my first ever collegiate outdoor track season had to wait another year, since at that time the unrelenting coronavirus pandemic showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. After a redshirt cross country season and a rather difficult indoor season, that's what I needed to end my freshman year on (hopefully) a high note. But that would have to wait.! Nonetheless, I continued to train throughout that entire summer and most of the following fall and winter since cross country was delayed until the late winter. Throughout those months, I built fitness that I had never had before; I was running 8000 meter PRs in workouts and running the most consistent mileage I ever had. I kept looking forward to competing with this newfound fitness, and my excitement for my first race grew quite fast. Of course, as many athletes may know, progress is never linear, and improvement isn’t something that comes without some hardship first.! Shortly after arriving back to Georgetown University’s campus in late January, I tested positive for coronavirus. This meant that I had to isolate myself for 10 days without any sort of training in order to keep myself and my teammates safe. While a forced 10-day break sounded really nice after some intense training blocks, this wasn’t quite what I had in mind. I knew that with this “break” I would lose most, if not all, of my fitness that I gained which honestly sucked to think about. I hoped for a fast recovery, and that I would be able to get back into running as soon as possible. !After my 10 days of isolation, the week that followed was extremely difficult. I could barely run three miles without taking a few breaks and felt like I could barely breathe. It was very difficult to stay positive at this point, and to be honest, I was quite pessimistic about having any success this year, since I would be so far behind everyone else in the NCAA. After about two or three weeks, things were looking up. !I started to crush some pretty difficult workouts, and built just enough strength to maybe run a 10000 meter race for cross country. My first cross race, the conference championships, was approaching fast and I was quite nervous about whether I could even finish it. I tried to stay confident in the fitness I had built, but it was tough considering everything from the past few weeks. I managed to finish 13th, which I was more than 5Barriers By Parker Stokes, Georgetown University Stokes and teammate Jack Salisbury pose with the results after running sub-4 miles. Photo Credit: Georgetown University Athletics

happy with, and was the confidence booster I needed going into the NCAA Championships in March. NCAAs was an amazing experience, and one of the most intense cross country races I’ve ever run. At this point, I was quite confident in myself, but Oklahoma State’s cross country course had other plans for my race. I think a lot of the athletes who competed there would agree with me in saying that that course chewed me up, and spat me out after a grueling half hour of racing. I managed 74th place, which I was actually ecstatic about. After cross, outdoor season was finally in full swing, and I finally started to feel like myself again. In my very first collegiate steeplechase in early April, I ran a collegiate lead, which was one of the most satisfying races I’ve ever had.! After crossing the finish line, I realized really quickly that I could do great things this season and that any setbacks I had early in the year didn’t matter and couldn’t limit my abilities anymore. Later that month, I broke four minutes in the mile, which was another amazing moment. I carried this positive momentum all the way to the NCAA final in the steeplechase, where I finished 8th. So many things went against me this year, but I was determined to make the most of it. I think now, looking back on it, I can confidently say that I did. I went from hurdling some mental barriers to literally jumping over 100s of them. 6Stokes clears the water barrier. Photo Credit: Georgetown University Athletics“I went from hurdling some mental barriers to literally jumping over 100s of them.”

I check each pin on my bib number to make sure they are secured to my T-shirt. Then, I kneel in the grass and tighten the laces on my Skechers. Standing back up, I take a deep breath. My heart pounds. The starting line is crowded and the other girls are in constant motion. I stand still with both feet on the white line and wait. Finally, the sound of the lifeguard’s whistle cuts through the chatter. On your mark. Get set. The sound of the whistle sends me sprinting toward the baseball field. At the backstop, I veer right toward the playground. I run by my mom and she yells, “Come on, Emily!” My legs start to burn as I reach the volleyball pit. “Come on, buddy. Finish strong!” my dad urges me along. There is a slight uphill before the finish and I drive my arms as fast as they will go, hoping my legs follow. At the finish line, the lifeguard reads off the times. Ignoring her, I head straight to the cooler filled with popsicles. My parents materialize by my side, hugging me and asking how it was. I smile and ask to play on the playground. Fast forward almost twenty years. I check my bib number to make sure it is secured to my singlet. I tighten the laces on my white Nike Dragonfly spikes. I take a deep breath and wait to be walked to the starting line. The clerk talks to himself as if he needs confirmation that he is doing his job correctly. His monologue contributes to the anxiety that has been accumulating in my chest for the past week. The first heat of the women’s 1500 meter race is led across the track. My heart pounds. Weren’t we already at the starting line? Why are they being walked to the other side of the stadium? Disoriented, I jog over to my coach. “Where is the starting line?” Concerned, he points in the direction the other girls went. “Heat 2, follow me.” One of the officials leads us across the track and we are told to take our positions. I stand still behind the white line and wait. 8Finding the Starting Line By Emily Pomainville, SUNY Geneseo A young Pomainville. Photo Credit: Emily Pomainville

On your mark. A starting gun replaces the lifeguard’s whistle. It has a similar effect of sending me sprinting, only this isn’t the Fun Runs from my childhood, it is DIII Nationals.! Over the course of those twenty years, a lot has changed for me. Technically, I started running around the same time I started walking, but that was just the first starting line. For me, there is a new starting line at the beginning of each day. Every morning when I wake up, I choose to be a runner. Each day, I rededicate myself to my goals and ask myself why. It took me a while to realize that this was how I wanted to live my life. One day at a time. Like many other runners, I had a desire to be faster in the future. But this desire did not come with any changes to my present reality. Often, I would get so caught up in what I had done in the past, or what I would do in the future, that I didn’t give any attention to what I was doing at that moment. In my experience, this mindset only leads to making excuses for the present. People keep asking me how I transformed my fitness. They ask about my training, my nutrition, my routine. Everyone is asking how I got to the finish line. To me, this is the wrong question. While those things are important, every runner is an individual and what works for one person will not necessarily work for anyone else. A better question would be how I get to the starting line. For me, the answer lies within these two races: the Fun Runs and the 1500 prelims. Within both is the childlike ability to exist in the present without regard for past and future successes or failures. Running is a form of rest. It is a fun break from the day where I can exist without any responsibility beyond my own body. In this way, running brings me joy. Once I realized this, I stopped looking to the future and making excuses for the present. Instead, I just ran. 9Pomainville’s roster photo for SUNY Geneseo. Photo Credit: SUNY Geneseo Athletics “Running is a form of rest. It’s a fun break from the day where I can exist without any responsibility beyond my own body.”

Photo Credit: Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber

As things heat up on the track this summer (Eugene clocked triple-digit weather this weekend), thousands of Americans turn their attention to mainstream and independent broadcasting to get the latest updates on athletic performances and behind-the-scenes interviews off the track.! While track and field has never garnered the viewership or funding of sports like football or basketball, media outlets like YouTube, FloTrack, RunnerSpace, and others are making it easier to promote the sport and grow following.!! In addition to access to race footage, both mainstream and independent outlets provide savvy commentating and analysis. Engaging commentators can make lifelong fans out of newcomers to the sport, while more viewing opportunities, like free live streams, and low-cost paywalls, make reaching new fans easier than ever.! Commentators and analysts bear the burden of providing quick, play-by-play detail and the background fans need to have the best viewing experience, but what happens when they fail?! Viewers of the 2021 Istanbul full and half-Marathon saw the damage poor commentary can do to a monumental race. While little could overshadow Ruth Chepngetich’s world record, the rather abysmal commentary was an injustice to the athlete’s performances.! A Return To The Track As we near the close of the COVID-19 pandemic, live sporting events are the light at the end of the tunnel for many. Athletes and fans alike were overjoyed to see a return to live racing and track meets with the Trials of Miles Qualifier series this spring, which was just a glimpse into the performances we can expect to see this summer.! “I think we’re on the cusp of a special moment with people getting into running during the pandemic and soon being able to run their first 5K, half marathon or marathon with the masses,” says 11Photo Credit: Chris ChavezTrack Talk: Commentating Running By Sarah Moxham

Sports Illustrated writer and CITIUS MAG founder Chris Chavez. Hosted by Chavez and retired professional runner Kyle Merber, the Trials of Miles race series was groundbreaking for a number of reasons: Athletes finally had a stage to perform on, the events were all live streamed for free on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel, and Chavez and Merber gave us runner-nerds the juicy details and commentary we crave.! “I was approached by the Trials of Miles team, Cooper Knowlton and Dave Alfano, about helping broadcast two low-key meets in the Tri-State area last fall by putting it on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel,” says Chavez. “When Cooper and Dave said they wanted to do it again in the spring with meets in Austin, Kansas City, and New York, I was on board.”! While previous iterations of Trials of Miles events have garnered entry from mostly sub-elite runners, this spring saw turnout from several Olympians and World Championship medalists, quickly turning the meet series into a professional event.! By streaming the Austin, Kansas City and New York Qualifiers for free on YouTube, the producers of CITIUS MAG gave viewers the chance to see top-notch performances for free. Not to mention, Chavez and Merber have untouchable chemistry. “I think a reason why people enjoy listening to me and Merber on a broadcast is because we keep it fairly chill and have a chemistry that works when you blend his experience as a professional runner for nearly a decade with my experience as someone who covers the sport super closely for almost a decade,” says Chavez.! It’s this dynamic that invites fans and new viewers into an inclusive, exciting experience that challenges everything we’ve previously seen in track and field commentating.! “Speak to the people who are getting online to watch the live stream,” says Merber. “They don’t need to have things explained to them, they’re in. So make it as entertaining as possible for them. Meanwhile, there should still be 12The logo for the CITIUS Mag Podcast. Photo Credit: CITIUS Mag Podcast

opportunities to bring in new fans without a barrier to entry.”! Merber and Chavez seem to have nailed the niche presentation of track and field events this spring, and will continue to do so well into the summer.!! You can follow this summer’s competition with plenty of athlete insights with Chavez and Merber on the CITIUS MAG Podcast or Merber’s newsletter, The Lap Count.! Their collaboration with Trials of Miles and the continuing work of CITIUS MAG to bring the excitement of running to the masses is an indicator of the change we can expect in the future surrounding track and field coverage in the media: keeping the engaging details while inviting new viewers into the community.! “My hope is that we start to build up some other individual events outside the Olympics to a much greater degree,” says Merber. “Races like Drake Relays or Penn Relays, the Millrose Games, they’ve already been around forever and are already established. If we hype it up with media attention it will become a big deal and it’s just one more thing for fans to follow along with.” Telling Athletes’ Stories For many professional and sub-elite runners, social media is an essential part of connecting with each other and fans, providing a platform for athletes to share their journeys.! Whether they’re sharing workouts, recovery meals, or other snippets of their lives, athletes' social media presence helps to humanize their experience and bring the running community together. Think: Kyle Merber’s Twitter presence, Colleen Quigley’s “Fast Braid Friday,” Alexi Pappas’ cult following of “braveys,” and Nikki Hitlz’s advocating for trans athlete rights. As the spotlight moves toward athlete narrative, the pressure is on for commentators and analysts to keep up and share the details fans are looking for.! It’s a big ask of professional runners to balance an intense training schedule with the responsibilities of effectively acting as their own PR representative. Social media presence helps, but if track and field aspires to grow its viewership, much of the heavy lifting falls on broadcasting. “A big thing is getting people to care about the people who are competing. How do we get people to gravitate toward a couple individuals to start following and whose story resonates with them? I think once you get a couple people you’re rooting for consistently, you slowly get exposed to more and more and, hopefully, become hooked,” says Merber.! A s s u m m e r c o m p e t i t i o n r a m p s u p internationally, attention turns not only to athletes on the track or in the field, but also to the commentators and analysts covering their events.! Be it mainstream media like Kara Goucher on NBC, or through independent streaming like CITIUS MAG or FloTrack, sharing the athletes' stories and providing insightful commentary has never been more important.! “We need to capitalize on this moment and keep those people involved within the sport. Let’s enhance the experience for those who are already here and keep our arms welcome for anyone willing to join,” says Chavez.! 13The CITIUS MAG Podcast can be streamed on Apple Music, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify. The CITIUS MAG Podcast website can be found here. The CITIUS MAG page can be seen here. More information regarding Merber’s Newsletter, The Lap Count, can be found here.

New Jersey. Known for consistently producing some of the greatest runners in the country. From the historic Holmdel Park to the infamous bubble, New Jersey runners are constantly pushing their limits to break incredible records. To many, a record is just a number on a clock. It’s how long it took one to run a certain distance on a specific day. What they don’t see, however, is beyond a record. It’s the tiring workouts and the lonely long runs that cause you to question why you are doing what you are doing. Sacrificing sleep for the 6 AM runs before school and the late night practices are what produces records. !Starting with Covid-19 in the spring of 2020, I was able to take my training to another level, running faster workouts and more miles than before. I used the time of no races to develop my love for running and my reason for doing it. I have to say, though, finding that reason during a time where racing consisted of lonely time trials on a local track wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. What made it possible were the goals I set for myself and my hopes of toeing the line with my competitors again one day. Fortunately, a few months later, everything seemed to be worth it when I found myself racing 3.1 long miles up hills and through trails.!Cross country was back! While it was a modified season, my team and I were grateful for any opportunity we got to display the fitness we had built. We raced every race like it was our last and continued to train for a hopefully normal indoor track season. Indoor track was much of the same, racing only twice when we used to be concerned about racing too much! Between polar bear races, dual meets, and time trials, I was eager to have a “normal” season. Luckily, spring track brought everyone just that, as crowds were no longer limited and races filled our schedules. This sense of normalcy was what we were all yearning for during isolated cross country races and sparse indoor track competition.! Outdoor track was a pivotal moment for me as I began to view races more as a gift than a job. I realized that all of the training I did was ultimately for the races I was running. Being my first outdoor track season ever, I was quickly able to validate its hype of being the best season. I found success in the races where I put the pain aside and went for a fast time.! The best race of my season came from an iconic race many New Jersey runners know. The Holmdel Twilight Series Night of 1600s. Running under the lights with music blaring and the fans lining the track was what this race was all about. I was able to clear my mind and think only of the energy on the track and in the crowd. The race seemed to take seconds and, before I knew it, I was sprinting down the last 100 meters, giving it my all. All I could see was the big red numbers of the clock before me and all I could hear was my coach yelling, “you have a shot to break the record.”! Never before have I smiled crossing the finish line. I always find myself expressing the pain I'm feeling through my facial expressions, but this time was different. I knew what I had done and all I could do was smile. Smiling not only because I broke the state record, but because everything I had done prior to the race had paid off. Reflecting back on the race, I realized that the focus all along was less about the record and more about the process of improving every day and with every race. Records aren’t broken in a day, a week, or even a month, but rather a whole lifetime of sacrifice and dedication.!!15Beyond a Record By Lilly Shapiro, Colts Neck HSShapiro crosses the finish line. Photo Credit: MaeKellert, MileSplit

Photo Credit: Joe Hale, @jkh_photo

“I want you to ask anything and everything.” A tired, half-sick, and hobbled Sam Parsons sits across the computer screen. The NC State alumnus and Delaware-made runner has a lot of pride, but is wholly transparent and vulnerable in his introduction over Zoom. Parsons had just recently received PRP injections into his soleus as he continues to recover from an injury he sustained in the German championships, and while running again is on the horizon for him, the most he can do now is talk about it. Parsons had just returned to Boulder, Colorado after being in Eugene, Oregon and despite the comedown after returning home from the recently wrapped up U.S. Olympic Trials, it was clear that Parsons’ fire was well-lit. Aside from the occasional mid-sentence cough, Parsons’ focus was to be an open book. Those who follow Parsons as a runner and a person in the sport understand that he is normally one to be smiling and outspoken, choosing to relish in the company of others while being open enough to always say it. The same Parsons is still there underlying his emotions, but the windows for him to be himself are small right now. His goals have shifted — with the first one being to walk without crutches — and he knows that things still have a ways to go before normalcy. However, a big smile appeared on Parsons’ face when asked about what he was most excited for in the coming months for Tinman Elite.! For those who are deeply integrated into the running world in 2021, odds are you have heard of Tinman Elite. The Boulder-based group that began in 2017 has created a breadth of exposure in the sport, from their striking hammer-and-axe logo being worn by runners at every big meet, to their 50,000+ YouTube subscribers, waiting patiently for the next video drop. As Parsons explained, Tinman Elite was formed for a few reasons: to give guys who might have been overlooked or forgotten about another shot at post-collegiate running, bridging the gap between the amateur and professional running circuits, and to qualify for the Olympic Trials.! Another important part of Tinman Elite’s beginnings, Parsons pointed out, was that they were just having fun doing their thing, something that no other group was really doing at the time.! “We had nothing to lose, and we had everything to just gain… when we hit 1,000 followers… when we sold our first 50 T-shirts… It was amazing. There were no big six-figure contracts that we had to uphold and represent… now, people are watching.” 17Parsons juggles snowballs. Photo Credit: Joe Hale, @jkh_photoThrough Dead Ends and Bad Scenes By Ethan Hermann

Fast-forward a couple years, and the group’s burgeoning success led to not only a plethora of fans, but also skeptics, doubters, and outright disbelievers of the group. After a string of less-than-ideal performances — by both the group’s and the outside world’s standards — it seemed a change was inevitable. A split from their widely renowned coach, on the other hand, was not what most folks had had in mind.! And yet, Parsons analogized this split to any other sport — when there isn’t success, odds are someone is getting fired or a change is going to come. While it wasn’t the most ideal time in the world in an Olympic year for all and a contract year for many, it was the right time for it to happen with Tinman. — Despite this crossroads that Tinman has come to, Parsons is ultimately optimistic moving forward. The most exciting thing for Parsons about this change and the post-Olympics period is that it will give Tinman Elite “the chance to be raw again.” He has accepted the pushback and the drawbacks the team has faced, but pointed out that other groups — such as the aforementioned On Athletics Club — are finding success in the things they initially found success in as well. However, while other running groups are forming, creating similar content and sharing similarly vulnerable stories along the way, Tinman was not created around a shoe brand or a big company backing, and the guys they sign aren’t the ones other groups such as Bowerman Track Club and other professional groups are signing.! This, of course, doesn't mean that the confidence to compete at the highest level isn’t in the group, and taking swings and misses can be hard and viewed through a negative lens.! “We didn’t think we would ever be competing with the NAZ Elites, the Bowermans, the people that can sign the top-level talent out of the NCAA every year. The people we sign are the people that every other team forgets about… and we tell their story in the best way we can in order to give them that second chance.”! When the group’s professionalism rose over time in the quality of their gear — with the help of Adidas — and in the quality of their videos and marketing on their YouTube and social media platforms, the group strayed a little from what made them who they were in the first place. Parsons, along with the other members of Tinman, is willing “to take a hard look in the mirror” to figure out what they need to do best. — “I saw… 90% of the [Olympic] Trials is heartbreak, but 90% of what is shown on social media and to the public is the exhilaration of the Olympics. This experience that these athletes go through, pushing so hard just to get to this point… 18Parsons and Reed Fischer stand together. Photo Credit: Joe Hale, @jkh_photo

there is a laundry list who broke themselves before they could even get there, or at the Trials they broke themselves, and there is a whole other list of people who broke themselves emotionally.” Parsons gave this answer after a period of reflection, where he wracked his brain about what people watching from home could have missed at the trials. Instead of the medal ceremonies and the post-race interviews, a lot of spectators and athletes witnessed the runners away from the races, behind the rolling cameras, and with their emotions and dreams spilled onto the track in front of everyone. “I’m watching [Cole] Hocker celebrate… the same way I watched Eric Avila shaking his head, saying ‘I was just too far back’... it was honestly cathartic for myself after having a very tragic thing happening to me at my Trials also, it’s not just me going through this.” Parsons wasn’t bitter or reclusive about this fact, and seemed very understanding that this was something he has known for a while now. He understands how much running can give to athletes, but is keenly aware of how much it takes as well. “This sport doesn’t owe us anything… no matter how much our hearts want it, it doesn’t owe you shit… We put so much pressure on ourselves to need to crush this, to do this… that mindset, you don’t need to do anything special. You get to… I don’t need to qualify for the Olympics. I get the chance to qualify for the Olympics.” Taking this sport for granted might be one of the greatest missteps that one person can make, and being able to get to a starting line, to get the chance to test yourself against other athletes and your mental fortitude, is a blessing that a lot of 19Parsons runs on a track with snow in the infield. Photo Credit: Joe Hale, @jkh_photoParsons in a Tinman shirt. Photo Credit: Joe Hale, @jkh_photo

people may not realize. Parsons has not been on a starting line without some form of external or internal pressure in far too long, and returning to the view of running being a joy rather than just a job has kept him going throughout this time without the sport. — “I mean, the person who is pushing me most right now is Joe Klecker. Joe was my roommate when we moved to Boulder together. It was Drew, myself, Reed, Klecker, and Morgan Pearson… We all wanted to work and see how far we could make it.” While Parsons saw plenty of heartbreak at the Olympic Trials, getting a front-row seat to some seriously raw and intimate discussions of the highs and the lows that the sport of track and field can bring, he didn’t leave the Trials empty handed in terms of inspiration. “Myself and Drew put ourselves in a position to qualify for the Olympics, Morgan and Joe did qualify for the Olympics… you know, and to see Joe take that next step… I think is so inspiring for me to see him, and it’s time in these next coming years to take that next step also, because if he can do it I can do it also.” It is one thing to grow up idolizing the running greats, but to pull inspiration from people you lived with who are even a little younger than you is something that forms when some of the ego goes away. This can come from training with them, living with them, or simply just being inspired by the work and the effort that can go into making an Olympian. — These may seem like a bunch of snippets from a runner who is finding ways to stay connected to the sport while injured, and even if that is all they are — so be it. Parsons, aside from his ambitious desires as an athlete, also wants to push the sport of running forward as much as he can. In fact, what makes him happiest is when people reach out on Instagram saying they are inspired by him and the things he and Tinman do. The willingness to be vulnerable and transparent and to talk about the aspects of running that simply suck — not everyone is willing to do that, or at least not to have shared to the world. As for the lighthearted aspects of Parsons, he simply loves @trackjeans on Twitter. He thought that New Balance Boston’s Heather MacLean and the high school phenom turned Adidas pro Erriyon Knighton had the best Olympic Trials performances. He highly supports The Wild Duck in Eugene for a good time. He would always run the 5th Avenue Mile over the Long Island Mile — sorry, Kyle Merber — and he loves the USATF Club Cross Country Championships. Parsons didn’t give a timetable for when he expects to be back, and there wasn’t a real need to ask. He knows he’ll be back, and he won’t be shy about it when he does return. We’ll just have to wait for him. 20Parsons looks down at the camera while perched on a roof. Photo Credit: Joe Hale, @jkh_photo

Since 2004 NCAA athletes have been fighting the name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules that the corporation has in place that prohibits athletes from profiting off their personal brand. As student-athletes, we work extremely hard every day to improve and impress. The majority of us dedicate tiring hours to training and conditioning on top of our responsibilities as students. There is very little time for an extra job as a college student, especially with such an intense and physically demanding lifestyle, which often comes with multiple external pressures. To be realistic, one of the easiest ways that a student-athlete can make money is by using their name, image, or likeness. It is beneficial, especially in a society where those factors are so prominent because of social media. For the NCAA to prohibit us from being paid if we are not “working” to earn money is absurd. Student-athletes work every day in various ways to earn and deserve that money. It is about time for a change. We deserve the freedom to make money off of our personal brand.!Recently I have seen many NCAA athletes posting about how on July 1st, “All student-athletes have been granted permission to capitalize off of our name, image, and likeness.” Because the NCAA said they would have these new rules in place by July 1st, athletes have started interacting with brands to form NIL-based deals. It is a bittersweet feeling because while it is nice to see my fellow NCAA athletes feel empowered and get involved with their NIL, it is saddening that so many athletes are getting the wrong idea because the NCAA has not officially put out any rules based on the NIL. The NCAA has 22Hutchins competes in the DMR at the Indoor ACC Championships. Photo Credit: Wake Forest Athletics NIL with Aleeya Hutchins

done a poor job of educating athletes thus far and making things clear and concise. Any student-athletes who are currently engaging in these endorsements before the new official rules pass are in danger of breaking the current rules. This can result in the loss of scholarships or student visas. A lot of athletes have been misled by the corporation. Another thing is that in the NCAA there are over 20,000 international student-athletes who compete for various schools and divisions. The majority of these athletes are on an F-1 Student Visa. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services defines this visa as one which “allows you to enter the United States as a full-time student at an accredited college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution or in a language training program. You must be enrolled in a program or course of study that culminates in a degree, diploma, or certificate and your school must be authorized by the U.S. government to accept international students.” Students under this visa are only allowed to work on campus or under extreme conditions, which include financial difficulties or major-related jobs that are approved by their institution. If the NCAA does officially pass the new NIL rules, international students like myself will be the only ones who will not be qualified to earn.! Regardless of how hard we work to build our brand or profit, it will be illegal. At the end of the day, I feel that it is amazing and historic to see this change in the NCAA, but it is upsetting for a large portion of NCAA athletes to be excluded from this amazing opportunity and for the NCAA to not be clear with its athletes. I am thankful that I am able to use this platform to bring attention to some of these issues that many individuals are currently unaware of. Regardless, it is a blessing to see progress. As NCAA athletes, we must remember that we are the ones who got ourselves this far.! I hope that we are all able to make money off of our brand shortly, as we deserve. 23Hutchins competes at Clemson’s indoor track. Photo Credit: Arik Morton, Wake Forest University Athletics

Photo Credit: D.V. Gregori @dvgregori

The Oval sat down with Team Boss athlete Maddie Alm to talk about her experience competing in the US Olympic Team Trials. Walking onto the University of Colorado Boulder team her sophomore year, Maddie Alm questioned whether she’d keep running even to her junior year. Five years after graduating college, she has continued running, slowly chipping away throughout the years. Unsponsored and working full time as a registered dietician, Alm resides in Boulder, Colorado, living and training with the esteemed Team Boss group coached by Joe Bosshard, husband of World Champion steeplechaser Emma Coburn. After achieving a big lifetime Personal Record (PR) of 15:19.03 for the 5000 meter race in May, Alm notched an automatic qualifier for the US Olympic Team Trials where she successfully navigated the preliminary race, landing herself a spot in the final. The final, which decided the Tokyo 2021 Olympic team for the women’s 5000, was won by Elise Cranny with Alm finishing a very respectable 12th. Going into the trials seeded 28th, this was an incredible performance by her. Initially, the goal was to make the 5000 final, but once Alm had successfully achieved that, she started dreaming bigger. MA: I had felt so good in the prelim, and I closed harder than I've closed all year. And I was like, wow, I feel so good right now, so why stop here with just being happy to be in the final? I want to get to the final and I want to compete! Mentally and physically prepared to give it her best shot, Alm lined up for the Olympic Trials 25Women’s 5000: Maddie Alm’s Perspective By Ruby WylesAlm races at the USOT. Photo Credit: D. V. Gregori, @dvgregori

final: a race in which the top three finishers would make the US Olympic team for the Tokyo Olympics. MA: I went into the race ready to compete, but when there was a huge surge with a mile to go, I just didn't have it. That was kind of a bummer, but I felt really, really good until then, and it was so fun. Despite being one of only 16 women to make the Olympic trials 5000 final, Alm still struggled with imposter syndrome, not feeling like she belonged on that start line. MA: I worked on letting go of that fear of competing on a big stage, not restricting myself to saying, oh, these women are too good for you to run with, instead saying, no, you ran with them and you’re right up there and you earned your way onto this start line. There is no limit to what I can do here, just stick with it and go for it. This self-talk released Alm from her own self-imposed limitations and she held her own amongst the best athletes in the country, far exceeding her pre-race seeding of 28th, finishing 12th.! MA: It was very freeing. And it was just really fun to compete there instead of constantly chasing the clock. As to the magic of Hayward Field and competing at the Olympic trials, the moment was not lost on Alm. Competing on the biggest stage of her life to date, she had the support of her family and Team Boss alongside the rest of the track fans inside the stadium. MA: My parents were there, my brother was there, and he hasn't seen me run since early in college. It's just so different from any other race, it's a true stadium and we don't get to compete in that environment very often. It was really fun for me to be in a stadium and feel like, wow, this is a really cool event to be an athlete at. In her mind, what makes Hayward Field the site of stellar performances and world-leading times is not the track itself, but the atmosphere created by such knowledgeable fans of the sport. Less than an hour before Alm’s final, Team Boss teammate Cory McGee finished 2nd in the 1500 meter final, earning herself a spot on the US Olympic Team. The best of intentions to focus on her own race proved fallible, and Alm said she just could not resist taking a sneak peak at how Cory was faring. MA: I was trying so hard not to get caught up in her race because if she didn't make it, I was going to be really bummed going into my race. I was like, don't look, don't look. And then I couldn't help it, I had to go over there. I ended up just standing at the back of the crowd yelling "Go Cory" out loud! Cory was doing her victory lap when my race was starting, so that was really cool to see her out there. It put me in a really good place going into my race, feeling so excited and so happy for her. It was inspiring to watch, and built some great momentum going into my race. Post-race, Alm recalls a moment when she bumped into Cory in the tunnel out of the stadium.! MA: I actually caught her in the tunnel as we were leaving; we ran up and hugged each other and she exclaimed, "I'm an Olympian!” It was so, so cool to see and to be there. She works so hard and it was just such an amazing moment for her. Back to Alm and her plans for the rest of the season: she’s not done yet! Alm hopes to build 26Alm walks away from the camera at the USOT. Photo Credit: D. V. Gregori, @dvgregori

upon her success at the trials and chase down some fast times in the coming weeks. MA: I'm still racing! After my race, Joe [Coach Joe Bosshard] was like, "I hate to break it to you, but your season's not over yet." And I replied, "Good!" It's going to be a long summer, and I just can't wait to keep racing and carry this momentum, then watch my teammates crush it in Tokyo and get back to training all together again in the fall. I'm already excited for the fall training! With the Olympic Trials experience under her belt now, she senses a change in her mindset as she approaches future races. MA: I feel like I've got the mental piece in check right now, which is the hardest thing for the 5k. In my opinion, half of it you're running with your mind, the other half with your body. Training day in and day out with some of the best women in the world, coupled with the camaraderie within Team Boss, gives Alm confidence in her ability too. MA: They've been my biggest supporters, telling me "You can do this, we know you can do it, you're pulling us along in some workouts and so you can have this success too." Back to the Olympic Trials, the only Team Boss athlete in the women’s 5,000m final, Alm really held her own. MA: It was fun to really show myself that I can do it and prove my teammates right I guess, because they've always believed in me. It felt really good to show up and really represent all the hard work that Team Boss and Joe especially puts in, because he's been such an amazing coach and I feel so, so lucky to work with him. And how does one of America’s best athletes celebrate a successful performance... MA: My parents were here, so we went to a nearby burger place and I got a Coke, chicken fingers, and fries. I was so thirsty from the heat, and after racing your stomach doesn't feel great;! I was just trying to get something to eat that sounded good. Afterwards, we [Team Boss] went to celebrate Cory making the Olympic team with some drinks and having some fun. 27

You might have heard of Kutoven Stevens and his undefeated 2021 season running as a one-man cross country team. If you haven’t, it’s time to hop on the bandwagon because this kid is going places.!The rising senior is currently ranked number one in the state of Nevada for both the one and two mile on the track.! Over the weekend of June 19, Stevens clocked a 4:19 mile and a 9:20 two-mile at the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento, California. He’s not even in season yet.! Coming into his 2020-21 cross country season, Stevens became acquainted with training solo and pushing himself to new levels, after several of his previous teammates left the Yerington cross country team to pursue other activities.! While this is a massive change from the team dynamic that often carries athletes through tough training, Stevens took it in stride.! “I’ve always kind of been in my own league, so it wasn’t too different. My teammates could sometimes keep up with me for the first few reps of a workout, but otherwise it was usually just me, so in that sense I guess it was pretty similar,” says Stevens.! Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stevens has developed his own training plan to stay on pace with his goals for spring track season. This past November, Stevens was topping out at 56 miles per week leading up to the beginning of his season in February. “I was kind of flying blind developing my training. My plan was really just to stack miles and remember workouts that I did last year,” says 2952 Miles to Yerington By Sarah Moxham Stevens runs smiling through water, sporting an Oregon Ducks shirt. Photo Credit: Kutoven Stevens

Stevens. “I started training to stay on pace for the season, and just never really stopped.”! A driving force in the monumental grit and determination Stevens has shown is representing his people, the Yerington Paiute Tribe. Stevens attributes this motivation to the novel Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown.! Stevens listened to the audiobook over his long runs, which could reach up to 16 miles.! The novel tells the story of the tragic history of Native peoples in the United States, which hit home for Stevens.! “I finished the book and I was on this road in the middle of nowhere and I could just imagine my people out here just living their nomadic life, and I just dropped to the ground and started crying,” says Stevens.! “From that point on my mentality was 'this is for my people,'” says Stevens. “They got me this far, the chances of me even being here are unbelievable. The best thing I can do right now is to represent my people and do the best that I can because that’s what they would have wanted.”! Stevens currently resides on the Yerington Paiute Tribal reservation, though he grew up in the Yerington colony town.! “I’ve always had connections to my ancestral land,” says Stevens. Steven’s family is hosting an event called the Remembrance Run on August 15th to pay tribute to Native American individuals who were forced into reform schools like the Stewart Indian School in Carson, Nevada.! “My great-grandfather was put in Stewart Indian School, I’ve had a lot of relatives go there, and so have a lot of Native people,” says Stevens. “He ran away from there three times. He was eight years old and the route from Carson back to Yerington is 50 miles through the mountains.”! Safe to say running is in Stevens’ genes.!As Stevens looks forward to his senior season, he keeps in mind the legacy he carries and his hopes for the future.! “My plan senior year is to break four in the one mile. My workouts reflect it, I believe I can do it,” says Stevens.!! Stevens’ dream is to attend the University of Oregon, where he hopes to run.! “I’ve committed myself to going to Oregon since I was in sixth grade, it's been my dream forever to run there,” says Stevens.! 30Stevens sits smiling in an Oregon Ducks shirt. Photo Credit: Kutoven StevensStevens runs on a dirt road. Photo Credit: Kutoven Stevens

Photo Credit: Ava Dzurenda

As a young child, I despised math and numbers. The infinite range compiled of ten contrasting digits nearly made my insides overflow and erupt with frustration and rage. I vividly remember many times where I sat at the dinner table, crying over my math homework that seemed downright impossible to complete. As I started to grow up, however, I became ambitious, disciplined, eager for control, and a total perfectionist — one that was now conditioned to structure her life towards metamorphosing limitless goals into reality. Taking up competitive running and the aspects necessary for success in the sport entirely changed my life and taught me valuable lessons. Numbers, for the first time, suddenly turned into more than digits on a math worksheet — they were now unreservedly defining the limits of my success.!In 7th grade, I started to become more serious about running. It was something that I genuinely enjoyed because it gave me an incomparable euphoric feeling, allowed me to be outside and enjoy nature, and relieved a great deal of built-up stress and anxiety. As I started to train more, especially throughout the end of middle school, my times subsequently improved. From there, that is the moment when I focused solely on striving for continuous improvement and perfection in the sport. Going into 9th grade, I had set many goals for myself in both cross country and track. Some attainable, a few more far-fetched. However, being ambitious, I knew deep down that if I wanted to achieve these goals, I needed to be completely dialed-in on running and do whatever it would take to reach success. This mindset, one composed of purely concentrating on my goals, managed to lead me into a spiral downfall during my sophomore year of high school.!During my sophomore year, I faced a very disappointing cross country season. I trained a lot in the summer, but something that I neglected (looking back) was treating my body correctly. I felt my body slowly deteriorate as the season progressed. My times suffered, and the numbers on the clock soon defined my worth. To me, my times had to be exactly what I wanted them to be, and if not, I deemed myself unworthy of eating and being happy. That’s the thing about numbers. Between them lie empty space which is the ideal opportunity for minuscule decimal points, fractions 32Dzurenda breaks a finish tape. Photo Credit: Ava DzurendaWhen Numbers Became More than Numbers By Ava Dzurenda **TW: This article discusses Eating Disorders**

of digits, and to some, failure — complete, utter failure.!The last race of my season was filled with fatigue, weakness, and downright exhaustion. Worst of all, it physically showed. I was unable to realize how much weight I had lost until I stepped on the scale at the end of the season, also causing me to lose my period. As the season wrapped up, I felt as if I was at a total loss of control. No matter what I did, it seemed like nothing would help me get “fast” again. Therefore, I decided that if I wanted to get faster, I needed to start lifting weights again, running more, and eating perfectly clean.!I quickly started eliminating certain foods and ingredients from my diet such as dairy, added sugars, and natural flavors. What seemed a rather innocent and healthy idea at first, soon turned into orthorexia, an eating disorder that obsesses over clean eating. I thought what I was doing was helping. Besides, my indoor track times were phenomenal. What I failed to realize, however, was that the way I was treating my body was far from sustainable. I contracted mononucleosis and started to feel weak. My days were constantly filled with thoughts about food, and numbers became more than numbers. Calories now had a valuable meaning in my life and so did the number on the scale. They were now used as a measuring scale for my success. By the end of my indoor track season, one of my worst fears had come true — I was injured.!The next few weeks were filled with devastation, tears, and havoc. I had sustained stress reactions in both of my tibias at the same time and was in constant pain. To make matters even worse, I additionally fell down a flight of steps a week later, breaking my ankle. Suddenly, my life, which had been one consumed by running, was now stripped of that passion. Rather than on the track, I now lived in the pool, the doctor's office, and on the stationary bike. Returning to running was a nightmare. I found myself in a constant injury cycle. My junior year was filled with only a handful of good races, while the rest of the season was consumed by injuries, iron deficiency, and genuine misery. I wanted to return to running with enjoyment so badly, but I was trapped.!When the coronavirus pandemic evolved, I had sustained another stress injury in my tibia. Boot-ridden, I decided that I really needed to make a change in my life. Still struggling with eating, I decided to start going to therapy where I was diagnosed with atypical anorexia and ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder). 33Dzurenda is pictured with a foot boot. Photo Credit: Ava Dzurenda

Recovery is probably the hardest thing I’ve done, and I still am getting through it day by day. To continue, I also chose to start lifting at a new gym with new coaches. Overall, that is one of the best decisions I’ve made. Lifting gave me a new sense of empowerment and, for the first time in my life, I finally felt strong—both mentally and physically.!My senior year track season was the first time where numbers became just numbers again. Calories didn’t mean as much, neither did the time on the clock. Sure, I have my goals, but I have learned to enjoy the journey of running more, rather than just solely focus on these goals. Although never linear, eating disorder recovery got easier overall, my mood was lifted little by little every day, and I learned to genuinely have fun with running once again. Failure is still difficult to fathom, but all humans fail. Even with failure comes valuable lessons, and life is about learning and growing. Now, the infinite range compiled of ten contrasting digits makes my body calm, knowing that numbers are just numbers. 34Dzurenda competes in a cross country race. Photo Credit: Mike McNeil

Photo Credit: Jay Bendlin, @jaybendlinphoto

Waleed Suliman, a recent graduate of Ole Miss, has been showing all of us what it looks like to come out of quarantine swinging. During his 2021 season, he placed third at the DI NCAA Championships in both the mile (indoors) and the 1500 meters (outdoors), placed in the top-50 at the DI NCAA Cross Country Championships, and, to top it all off, made the final of the 1500 at the US Olympic Trials.! Out of all three NCAA championship experiences, Suliman says that cross country was his favorite.! “It’s the season that I looked the most forward to at the beginning of every new year of college because it's a team sport,” says Suliman. “With cross country, the reward is a team reward, it's not an individual reward. Although individual awards happen, the one that everybody looks forward to is the team reward and which team won and which team upset the others.”! Though Suliman has had great success in the 1500 and the mile (he was the 2019 SEC Champion for the Indoor and Outdoor 1500), it’s the camaraderie of cross country that continually energizes him each season.! “If I could do cross country forever, I would. The thing is that you go through the hard part of it with your teammates, you don’t go through it alone… when you do it all together – same conditions, same race, same course – and race next to each other, pushing each other, it’s way better than having six guys cheering on the side [of the track] and only one person running… Everyone is in the same race and pushing each other, which is the beautiful part to me,” says Suliman.! Suliman concluded his cross country season having finished competing at indoor nationals, running three events over the course of two days. Though his coach, Ryan Vanhoy, offered him the chance to take time to rest and forego competing at cross country nationals, Suliman was determined to show up for his teammates.! “I said, 'No, I want to do it because of the team.' I knew we could do well and I just wanted to be part of that,” says Suliman.! Suliman and teammate Mario García Romo were the only men from the Ole Miss team who qualified for indoor nationals this season and also run cross country. Both men were faced with strategizing their indoor races, and deciding whether or not to compete at cross country nationals shortly after.! “I had to sit down with my coach and talk about whether I should do the 3000 or not. We were hoping that we could get some points in that so we could finish in the top-five as a team. So my 36Suliman is pictured in an Ole Miss uniform. Photo Credit: Abbey Santoro, @abbeysantorophotoThe Making of a Beast By Sarah Moxham and Hannah Ballowe

thought was, 'whatever, just put me in and I'll try to do as well as I possibly can.'” says Suliman.! His time at the indoor championships earned him spots in both the prelim and final heats of the men’s mile, where he went 3:58 and 3:57 respectively, placing third overall.! 40 minutes of recovery later, and Suliman was back on the track for the 3000, hoping to garner points for his team.! “I didn’t realize how fatigued I was because I was distracted by the excitement of doing the 3000 to try and score points for the team,” says Suliman.! Though Suliman battled fatigue for the majority of the 3000, his focus remained on his team’s performance and standing.! “The last five or so laps I’m literally on E – just jogging and trying to finish the race. And I’m looking aside trying to see how Mario is doing and he was doing well, he was in a good place. While I couldn’t go with him, my mind could still function and I just was thinking 'we’re going to do it,'” says Suliman.! On his day off, Suliman spent his day in the training room stretching and preparing for his race at cross country nationals the next day. “Just like with the 3000, I was just excited and amped to run the Cross Country race and to finally be running with the guys again as a team,” says Suliman.! Suliman and Garcia Romo both homed in on their strength built up from the indoor to tackle the race ahead of them. Both men focused on the mile and 3000 m on the track, and were exhausted from the championships a few days before.! While he started off strong, Suliman quickly felt his body fatigue from his earlier performance. However, he remained motivated to support his team as best he could. “Then it all hit me at once and I was just done. At that point, I immediately switched from attack-mode to survival-mode for, like, the last seven 37Suliman and fellow Ole Miss Alum Craig Engels shake hands after the 1500 at the USOT. Photo Credit: Jay Bendlin, @jaybendlinphoto

kilometers. I was just trying to survive and finish with as few points for the team as I could.”! Suliman’s team-based focus and motivation is reflective of the recent momentum the Ole Miss men’s distance program has been building over the past few years. A huge motivating factor in his decision to run at Ole Miss was the legacy of men like Craig Engels and Robert Domanic.! Their lasting vision remains a guiding force on the team that can still be felt today.! “Those guys, they just sacrificed. They sat down and said 'let’s just go and have a go at it and see what this program is about,'” says Suliman. “It was just a small program that was looking to become something big and I just wanted to be a part of that – a program that was not known becoming very well-known.”! Of his classmates, Suliman says “we all – the freshmen class – promised each other that we’re just going to do our absolute best to make this team one of the best programs in the NCAA and it worked.”! Though the road to reaching their goal was far from easy, Suliman and his teammates noticed when they had veered off track and redirected their focus, holding each other accountable for their shared vision. According to Suliman, “A lot of the old guys had left and the whole team was brand new and we were in a position where we didn’t really have anyone to tell us what to do and what not to do. We kind of got lost in that but I’m glad that we realized that at some point saying 'hey look, we can’t keep going down this path. We need to focus and get back to what we were doing before.' That was a good restart for us and that was kind of the beginning of where Ole Miss is right now.”! He reflects on that progress and his decision to join Ole Miss’s mission, saying “You always want to start your own thing, you don’t want to be the continuation. Although we were continuing a dream that the older guys had, we still were part of the big dream. The beginning of Ole Miss distance, kind of. Like the second generation.” We would be remiss to not mention how much the team culture at Ole Miss has played into their success. Suliman’s reflections on his time at Ole Miss are nothing but positive as he cites the team culture as a driving factor in his choice of school and his enjoyment of his time in college.! “Running was the number one priority and was the reason that all of us had come to that university but we could still have fun and goof around and do things to keep our minds away from running in a healthy way. Because you need to have that perfect balance and the team had that and every other team did not in the same way.” To help with this balance, Suliman and his teammates have a lot of the typical college events like holiday parties and tailgates. But the fun in Oxford extends beyond that, too.! “We’ll have Canadian Thanksgiving. Everyone will dress up in denim suits and flannels and we have a Canadian flag, sing the Canadian national anthem. We’ll have turkey and we’ll watch football too like normal Thanksgiving things just with a Canadian theme.” 38Suliman on the start line of the 1500 at the NCAA East Regional Championship 2021. Photo Credit: Billy Schuerman, Ole Miss Athletics

Then we have the Rebel Olympics which is where our distance team – boys and girls – are decided into teams of six (three girls, three guys) and we’ll have a series of games and competitions like tug-of-war, egg toss, and stuff like that to get points. And the team that one gets a trophy and an MVP so it’s just something that we do during spring break to pass the time and have a lot of fun.” ! And in the heart of Mississippi, you certainly can’t count out those “country” activities:! “Every now and then people will say we should go fishing and we have our own fishing group chat so we’ll go fishing together. Then something that rarely happens but when it happens it’s fun, is that we go mudding. Everybody who has a four-wheel drive will go out to the lake and we’ll get stuck and try to get out.” Life in Mississippi introduced Suliman to more than mudding, as it also fostered a newfound love for country music in him.! “If I’m listening to music [on race day], it’s country music, not rap anymore… I like to listen to country music in general. I listen to Zac Brown Band a lot. "Pop a Top" (Alan Jackson) is probably my favorite song. That one is pretty good, I listen to that one a lot. Luke Combs is definitely pretty good.” The Ole Miss team culture has also helped Suliman to develop a more healthy mindset, which is what he says has caused a lot of his recent success.! “I decided to take this new approach right after my sophomore year. And now, if I tell you to go think about a pink elephant, that isn’t stressful. And my new approach is just trying to think of it in a calm way. Just go into the race knowing it’s just another race and knowing that I will do well based on my training. And to just try to go and have fun and not be too stressed about it. And it worked! It’s unbelievable how well it worked.” 39Suliman races the 1500 at the USOT. Photo Credit: Jay Bendlin, @jaybendlinphoto

Just trying to be a normal me, joke with my friends, act like it’s a normal day. I’m trying to talk to people from other teams and get to know them and just chat with them. I don’t listen to rap anymore, I just sit down, listen to country music, calm down, dance every now and then, and just treat it like another race, don’t be too silent. And I try to talk to my teammates that are warming up with me. And if everybody else who is warming up is from another team and I’m warming up alone I just try to go and warm up with them and calm them down too.” When asked, Suliman kept his biggest advice for high-schoolers simple:! “Just relax… Calm down, dog.”!With his move to Seattle to join the Brooks Beasts track club, Suliman is leaving behind the small southern town of Oxford for the city streets of Seattle. Though he never imagined he’d live “in the middle of nowhere in Mississippi,” his time at Ole Miss made him fall in love with Oxford and its residents.! “Obviously every college town has its own fan base and the college is the whole town, and all that. But, there’s just something about Ole Miss. If you do well and you’re in an Ole Miss jersey or you were at Ole Miss at some point, everyone knows who you are, everyone is cheering for you, everyone is excited for you to do well. It has a special place in my heart. I know every single corner of that town and it just feels like I’ve lived there forever and it was only four years. The town and the people of Oxford are just some of the best people ever.” Though he looks forward to a life of running without the stress of school, Suliman ensures that he’ll be back to visit his college stomping grounds and will miss the feel of campus life and a big team.! Another thing Waleed will miss as he heads out to the west coast? Cookout. His go-to post-meet order is one you’ll want to remember for your own trip to what Suliman dubs the “best fast food restaurant to ever exist.”! “Always gotta go get the tray. You get the burger with everything on it. Then you get a side of cheese bites, fries, and you can substitute and get some chicken nuggets instead. And you also have to leave with an Oreo milkshake.” If Cookout isn’t enough to keep him coming back east, his excitement for the future of Ole Miss certainly is. Of Ole Miss next year, Suliman says, “The atmosphere and the spirits are very high and everyone is just excited and ready to absolutely kill it this upcoming season. We also have a lot of talent coming in next year. Not a lot of people know about them but they’re going to show up and do what is best to put Ole Miss up there.” Suliman will run alongside Ole Miss distance alum Craig Engels at the Sir Walter Mile on August 6th in Raleigh, NC. Keep an eye out for Suliman in his beastly new singlet on the track in the coming years.! To read a full transcription of our Q&A with Suliman, check it out here!! 40Suliman and Garcia Romo race the 1500. Photo Credit: Billy Schuerman, Ole Miss Athletics

Photo Credit: Messiah Athletics

Track athletes seem to have a love of their sport that is unlike any other athlete I have met. People talk about the “runner’s high” and it’s evident that once people start running, they tend to keep doing it and they don’t like to let go. It hasn’t always been that way for me, though. In fact, after running for two years in high school, I almost completely walked away from the sport. I turned down a number of DI track offers thinking I wanted nothing more to do with it and instead, went to a small DIII school called Messiah to play soccer.! What’s funny is that by the end of my fall soccer season, I found myself sitting in the track coach’s office talking about the possibility of running track. I had always felt a lot of pressure and anxiety associated with the sport which led me to believe that the joys of the competition would never outweigh the constant mental and emotional battle going on inside my head. This is what had caused me to leave the sport behind in the first place. Despite these feelings, there was part of me that thought I might be missing out on something if I didn’t give it another try. I wasn’t even necessarily all-in for track as I sat in his office, but after some encouragement from my parents, I decided to give it one more shot. College track didn’t offer a magical solution to the pressure and anxiety, though, and I was still kind of unsure as to why I was doing it. After the success I had seen in high school, people knew who I was and seemed to automatically have expectations for me. As I started to see more success at the college level, it felt like the pressures and expectations only got stronger. It seemed like my face had been plastered everywhere for everyone to see and yet all they knew about me were my times and numbers. That’s a hard burden to bear as an 18-year-old, and it really left me a bit confused and overwhelmed. When I started that first track season, my coach knew about the struggles I faced with the sport and about my hesitations. I could tell myself to let go of the pressure and that my anxiety was completely irrational, but my mind didn’t want to accept that. I remember my coach saying to me that his goal for me was to learn how to run free, but to be totally honest, I had absolutely no idea what he meant and I thought he was kind of crazy.! Every time I would feel like I was making some progress, I would fall back into the same pattern of self-doubt and uncertainty. I loved to win but I didn’t love all the other stuff associated with it. By the end of my freshman year, I won the DIII Outdoor Track and Field National Title in the 800 meter race. Although winning gave me a boost of confidence, it only seemed to ramp up the pressure and expectations.! The two years between winning that first national championship my freshman year and coming back to win it again my junior year were a long two years, but in that time, I think I’ve finally started to understand what my coach meant when he talked about running free. Over the course of those two years came COVID-19 and a long break from competing. I never stopped running, but all of a sudden there were no meets and as hard as that was, I think it’s what I needed to get where I am today.! With so much time spent training, I had to learn how to be comfortable being alone. I had to deal with my own thoughts. I had to learn to push through long, hard workouts. I had to learn how to 42Running Free By Esther Seeland, Messiah College Seeland leads the pack. Photo Credit: Messiah Athletic Communications

run against a clock and not against competition. I had to work on hitting splits. This was all preparing me for the moment I was able to compete again, and I was growing my confidence all along the way. It wasn’t easy at all but it was necessary.! When I finally stepped back out on the track to race, things felt different. It wasn’t that the pre-race jitters were gone, but they weren’t like they used to be. Rather than fearful jitters, they were more of excited jitters. I had a new mentality of “let’s see what I can do” rather than “what if I can’t?” I wasn’t feeling the need to compare myse lf t o o t h er p eo pl e o r t o prev io us achievements, and was being reminded that looking lateral never does you any good; it’s a battle you will never win. I didn’t care what people expected of me – they weren’t the ones training for two straight years since the last national championship. The pressure wasn’t gone, but I was learning to handle it as I finally had the opportunity to compete again. Moving into this year’s national championship, the pressure and expectations were definitely there: I was expected to win. But as I prepared to race, I came to the realization that it really didn’t matter what the time or place ended up being. It wasn’t about proving myself to anyone else but myself. And for the first time ever, I walked out onto the track before finals and I looked up into the stadium and found my mom and I smiled right at her. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled like that before a race. I wasn’t scared because I knew I had done the work and the preparation to get there and I was ready. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen but no one could take away from me what I had already accomplished that season and no one could steal the mental and emotional progress I had made. The race was going to hurt no matter what but I was ready to run free.! All of this has led me to realize that track isn’t everything but it is a big part of my life, and if I’m going to put so much time and energy into one thing, I want to be able to enjoy it. I don’t do this for other people, but I do this because God has given me the ability to and because it brings Him joy to see His children use their gifts. No one else really matters. So in Him, I have the freedom to run without the external pressure of others or internal anxiety. In Him, I can run free.! 43Seeland competes at the NCAA Championships. Photo Credit: Messiah Athletic Communications

Photo Credit: Matt Parker, @mattflynnparker

Professional track is difficult for even those athletes in the most elite groups. It requires long, strenuous hours spent perfecting their crafts, not to mention constant time away from family. And for those athletes without the financial safety net of an established sponsor, the sport becomes even more unforgiving, as pressure mounts with each passing race to either make a career of the sport or move on.! Dave Kendziera, a 400 meter hurdler for Bell Lap Track and Field who recently qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, found himself in this conundrum. Unsponsored coming out of college at the University of Illinois, he followed his college coach to Chapel Hill. He had faith that through hard work and perseverance, he could become one of the premier one-lap hurdlers in the United States. And through a combination of the right dream, the right coach, and the right group, he did.! The Dream Kendziera was one of the most accomplished hurdlers in the NCAA, finishing his senior year with Illinois on the podium for both the 110 meter and 40 0 met e r hurdl es a t t h e 2019 N C AA Championships. Yet as he started this outdoor season — his first normal one as a pro after a chaotic 2020 — he was looking for that next piece in his training to put him over the edge. “I opened up with my fastest ever season opener and thought I was in a good position,” recalls Kendziera. But that momentum was short-lived. He admits, “After that, I just started to regress a lot. I’m not sure what it was. We tried a lot of new things this year, especially with the biomechanists at USATF conventions telling us our training was lacking in some of the strength components. We tried to focus on those components and put them in our training, and towards the beginning of the season, it seemed like it was working. But then the next couple of races I was stagnant in the 50s and 51s and was struggling mentally with it.”! He knew he was capable of being one of the best hurdlers in America. But something wasn’t adding up. Banking upon eight years of accumulated trust, Kendziera went in to meet with his coach. The Coach “I went into my coach’s office and told him we needed to change something, because this is not who we are,” says Kendziera.! And though other coaches might remain stubborn about their training philosophies, Coach Wheatley said, “You’re right.” Acknowledging both of their roles in the setback, Kendziera stated, “It was both of our faults, where I let outside voices change who we are. I wanted to stick with Coach Wheatley because what we did was working.” All great partnerships — whether in track or life more broadly — are built upon communication. Kendziera, who has been coached by Wheatley for the past eight years, recognizes this as the foundation of their success: “He’s been super helpful and an athlete coach, where he’s willing to meet you in the middle... I try to challenge and push him as a coach since he has dreams of being a head coach one day. It’s now more of a two-way 45Clearing the Biggest Hurdle By Joe Cullen Kendziera competes for Team USA. Photo Credit: USATF

street where we try to help each other and I feel free to speak my opinion.” Using that mutually beneficial communication to regain his form, Kendziera regained his confidence and speed in the next few meets. “After Drake Relays, we switched back to what we were doing. I had a couple of meets overseas that were still around 50-point. I finally dipped under 50 and hit 49.97,” said Kendziera.! A dream without the right support system is just that: a dream. And Coach Wheatley was one of the devoted people who stayed in Kendziera’s corner.! The Group After the end of his collegiate career, Kendziera was in an odd spot: not quite fast enough for a professional contract, but still fast enough to pursue a professional career in hopes of getting even faster. Enter Bell Lap Track and Field. A group dedicated to selling athletes’ old gear in order to support them financially (all revenues from their sales go towards athletes), they had not yet expanded beyond this mission in fall 2019.! Yet its founders, brothers Bryce, Reid, and Brant Basting, knew David and had something bigger in mind.! “I have a personal connection with Bryce Basting, since we were on the Illinois track and field team together. Reid was in the area as well, since my teammate cut his hair. We got very close that way,” says Kendziera. “My rookie season in 2019, they reached out to me asking if they could help get me a kit to run in since I didn’t have an official uniform. They first sent me the 2017 Nike World Championship kit, and I didn’t think I should be running that. They’ve helped me so much, and I didn’t want to be a free billboard for a sponsor if they weren’t helping me get any type of money. So then they started coming up with their own logo, and put it on the uniforms they sent me.” Thus began Kendziera’s career as a Bell Lap Track and Field athlete. For an unsponsored athlete, this honor and the accompanying gear didn’t go unappreciated: “They’ve helped in so 46Kendziera competes at the USOT. Photo Credit: Matt Parker, @mattflynnparker

many ways, especially in sending gear that helps you feel more confident when you’re at the race. It’s totally different when you’re warming up in an unmatching tracksuit, but now I have Bell Lap, Bell Lap, Bell Lap. Now I feel more elite,” adds Kendziera. But even as Kendziera’s profile has grown, Bell Lap’s intentions have stayed pure: to help the athlete.! “The other nice thing is they want us to get sponsorships too. They want to do what’s best for us and not hold us back; they do stuff behind the scenes to contact representatives and companies to try to get us something to get us out of their gear. It feels backwards, but that’s who they are; they’re such nice guys,” Kendziera expresses.! With a coach and a group believing in him, Kendziera marched into the Trials with the momentum necessary to become an Olympian. The Race Heading into the Trials, Kendziera tried to take some of the pressure off of himself: “Our goal was to still make a US team, even if it wasn’t this year. We started building distractions talking about what we were going to do next year.”! Yet as he progressed through rounds in Eugene, he realized his dream might be a couple years closer than he thought.! “I knew I had some speed, but I wasn’t confident in my strength. When I got to the first round of the Trials, I didn’t know what was happening. I just wanted to make it to the semifinals and finals. After the first round, I ran a season’s best with 49.19, which felt good,” summarized Kendziera of his first round.!! Recalls Kendziera of the second round, “In the semifinals, I also let off the gas after the ninth hurdle, which almost cost me when the other two athletes caught me. Luckily, that landed me in a good lane position for the finals. I definitely took that opportunity and combined the races I had in the first two rounds to be confident going into the finals.”! Those two races set the stage for a breakthrough finale, and Kendziera did not leave his supporters hanging: “That was the biggest thing I was focused on, having that breakthrough. When I crossed the line, me and the fourth and fifth place athletes were all crossing the line at the same time. When they disappeared from my peripheral vision, I realized I made the team, and I saw Rai Benjamin and Kenny Selmon. And then I saw that 48.38, and it was the cherry on top.” Kendziera not only cemented his spot on the American Olympic team, but set a personal best by .61 seconds, which might as well be an eternity in a sprint race. Unsurprisingly, the celebration afterwards with his family was nothing short of cathartic.! “And then when I crossed the line and saw my name in third, I looked into the stands and saw my family. They were out there, and I wanted to celebrate with them. They’ve been with me every step of the way — my mom, my dad, my siblings — so I looked for them immediately. They had tears in their eyes and they got one out of me too,” describes Kendziera of the post-race jubilation.! Looking ahead to Tokyo, Kendziera does not plan on racing before then with his spot already locked up. But after his performance at the Trials, he knows he belongs with the best in the world: “My goals for Tokyo are to continue to progress and run fast. I want to make that final and contend for a podium spot there.” It would be foolish to count Kendziera out, like shoe companies did two years ago: With the right athlete, the right coach, and the right group, anything is possible. 47“They had tears in their eyes and they got one out of me too.”

Late into Sunday evening on June 27th, a new name was crowned US Olympic Trials Champion in the heptathlon: Annie Kunz. Running, jumping, and throwing personal bests (PBs) in almost every event, Kunz really felt the Hayward magic! In fact, during those two days of competition, Kunz achieved or matched her PB marks in six out of the seven events. Composed of seven events across two days of competition, athletes compete in the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 meters on Day 1, and then in the long jump, javelin, and 800 meters on Day 2.! Behind the scenes of a professional athlete: setup, sponsorship, and sports TO: What’s your training setup like? Where are you based? AK: I’m at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, San Diego, and it's kind of like a college setting. There's dorms on site, a dining hall, weight room, coaches, and medical professionals. Here they have athletes in BMX, archery, paralympic track and field, able-bodied track and field, and rowing. We're all on site residents and I stay there during the week and go back to my boyfriend’s on the weekends. It's a bunch of almost 30-year-olds living at summer camp, basically! TO: Have you been at the Olympic Training Center since you graduated from Texas A&M in 2016? AK: No, I actually stayed for about six months after college. I worked as a co-host on a radio show talking about all things sports, college and professional football mainly. Then, after that, I reached out to the center because they had recruited me right after the 2016 Olympic Trials, and they told me to move out there. I packed up my stuff and moved out in a week, and I have been there ever since! TO: Now you’ve been there almost 4 years, do you think that setup has contributed to your big improvements?! AK: Yeah, it's definitely conducive to being able to just focus all your time and energy on track. When you live on site everything's really convenient: we have all the facilities, the weight room, and are surrounded by really, really high-level competing athletes. There's a bunch of gold medalists around, and it's a really good atmosphere to train and compete in, and to learn a lot from different people. TO: What’s your favorite event to train? AK: You know, I've really been falling in love with long jump in the last couple years. I feel like it's starting to click, and that's been super fun. TO: And what’s your hardest event to train? AK: Obviously, 800m workouts are the hardest, but I think I have even learned to appreciate those a lot more, and kind of accept the pain! What I like about training for the heptathlon is that you just get to bop around. If you have one bad practice – one event that 49Run, Jump, Throw, and… Kick? By Ruby Wyles Kunz after her trials win. Photo Credit: D.V. Gregori, @dvgregori

doesn’t go well right then – you can move on to something else and know that you’re still getting better. TO: Come race day, what event do you get most excited to compete in? AK: Probably the hurdles: It's the first event, so you have a lot of adrenaline, you want to set yourself up well, and you’re in a race atmosphere going head-to-head with other girls. I like shotput too because it's my best event, so it's always fun when you're winning! TO: I may be wrong, but it doesn’t appear like you have a big brand footwear or apparel sponsor like a lot of the women you beat at the Olympic Trials. Is that true, and how do you support yourself financially? I bet it’s really difficult! AK: When I’m at the training center I have things like coaching, training facilities, rent, and food covered if I live in the dorms and eat in the dining room. And then they help with domestic travel for me, so if we have a meet in a different state, they'll pay for that, and our health insurance is covered through the center. Other than that, we're on our own.! I don't have any type of sponsorship shoe deals; I have a supplement company that pays me in products, so I get that free from them, which is awesome because that stuff racks up. But for the most part, my mom and my dad are still helping me with things like gas and groceries, and my boyfriend has also helped support me the last four years that we've been together. It's obviously not ideal, and they do as much as they can to help me. TO: Hopefully, as the US Olympic Trials Champion, that will change soon though! Have you had many opportunities come up yet, or started having any discussions? AK: Yeah, because of what happened in the Trials, I'll be able to hopefully get a shoe deal. I'm in talks right now, so hopefully something comes out of that. It's been really hard just to not be 50Kunz scores a goal during her Texas A&M soccer days. Photo Credit: Texas A&M Athletics

financially independent but still trying to chase the dream. TO: As a heptathlete, competing in seven events across two days, wearing many different shoes and outfits, you seem like the perfect athlete for brands to want to sponsor! So many opportunities for brand exposure with you modeling lots of different products. Living a double life: student-athlete x2 TO: Looking back to college, what was your experience like as a student-athlete at Texas A&M? Did you always plan on competing in track and field post-college? When did that idea first become something you wanted for yourself? AK: My whole scholarship was for soccer. I was on a full ride for soccer, so technically, I was a walk on for track. That last year going into the 2016 Olympic Trials, where I finished 8th really opened my eyes, and I fell in love with the sport again, and really became super passionate about track. For me, that made my decision to pursue it further post-collegiately, and see what I could do in the sport, because originally I was gonna go pro in soccer. TO: I’m a little confused, the whole way through college you did both sports? How did that work? AK: Yes, I would do soccer in the fall and go straight into season and do track in the spring. And I did that for four years. They definitely complement each other, but it was just tough because I never got the foundational stuff that you get in the fall for track, like all the technical and base fitness stuff. And then for soccer, I didn't get the spring training either. Being constantly in season was super fun, because I never got burned out from one sport; I got to bounce around and had so many friends and it was so great. TO: So after you graduated and committed to only focusing on track and field, this starts to explain your massive breakthrough at the Trials. AK: Finally I could just focus on track and field. It was the first time in my life where I could actually develop technical skills for all the different events, because even in high school I didn't do that. It kind of took off for me there. US Olympic Track and Field Trials TO: As a heptathlete with so much equipment, what’s traveling like? I bet luggage costs are expensive! AK: Well, just shoes alone, I had 2 pairs of trainers and then 6 competition shoes. I have a suitcase just for my shoes! TO: Wow! So alongside all the outfit changes and snack breaks between events, how do you keep your composure when you've got events that are just clicking for you and ones that aren’t? PB after PB at the trials, how do you come off that high, and mentally refocus for the next event? AK: I think it's all about not allowing yourself to get too high or too low, no matter what happens. I'm focused on neutral thinking and just staying level. At the trials, I committed to staying present no matter what happened and on being 51Kunz and coach Kris Mack celebrate her win. Photo Credit: Kris Mack

grateful for the opportunity that I was getting. With the year of COVID, we haven't had opportunities to have big competitions like this, and you're never guaranteed another Olympic Trials. So I really committed to going into it with the mindset that if I failed, if I came up short of an event, I was going to smile through it and enjoy it anyway. TO: As cliché as it is to ask, how did you feel going in? AK: I knew I was in the best shape mentally and physically I've ever been in. But two weeks out, I was just a ball of anxiety, obsessing over needing everything to be perfect! I hadn't put together a heptathlon that year yet, so I was putting extra pressure on myself to execute, and was just trying to micromanage all my events. I was getting in my own way. I had a meeting with my sports psychologist the week before the trials and he told me that I needed to decompress and relax, and to remember all that we’ve worked on the last eight months to be present and enjoy the moment, accepting whatever is right then. He gave me a reality check, which allowed me to let go of those anxieties and worries and get out of my own way. TO: I’m sure your performance at the Trials was no surprise to you, your coaches, or those who really know you, but to the rest of the world you did go in as a bit of a dark horse, and then you winning is the true feel-good underdog story. AK: Yeah, I think I've always kind of felt like an underdog. I've always felt like I was a soccer girl playing catch up in track, surrounded by these girls who have been doing it since high school and some even earlier. Come Trials, you always know yourself and the things you can do in practice, but it's so much different to execute well on a big stage. For example, I knew I'd thrown 16 meters in practice in the shot put, and I've done that multiple times, so I knew what I was capable of in certain events. But, I was even shocking myself, I was surprised after a lot of events! TO: Going into the Olympic Trials without the Olympic Standard, was achieving that on your mind? AK: Not really, my coach and I didn’t think standards were going to be an issue. If I just performed my best, and got in the top 3, the standard was going to take care of itself. If I just executed it, I knew that wasn’t going to be a concern of mine. TO: Well, that certainly did happen! You far exceeded the 6420 points standard, scoring over 6700! AK: When I crossed the line of the 800 and I saw my points total, I just lost it emotionally because it's just been so hard. It was everything at once just hitting me, all of the work that I put in the last five years, all the hard days, the tears, the frustration and the self doubt; it felt like I finally proved it to myself that yes, I can do this! TO: So, you won the US Olympic Team Trials, you’re the US champion, you’re going to the Olympics! What a couple of days! AK: I'm just so grateful for the whole experience, it was such a magical moment. I'm so glad that I did stay present, and I really did enjoy every step of it. 52“When I crossed the line of the 800 and saw my points total, I just lost it emotionally because it’s been so hard.”

Fueling a US Champion TO: The morning of a competition, what do you eat for breakfast? AK: I actually have steak – filet or a ribeye or something – for breakfast. I get in my protein and it keeps me full, my energy up, and it's not heavy in my stomach for me. TO: As a combined eventer, you have hours of competition to get through, so what do you snack on to stay fueled and keep your energy high for your next event? AK: So I have steak in the morning and then I buy another one that I cut up into little pieces and save that for during the meet; it's pretty easy to find in most places that I'm at. And then I have my nuts and berries, and I just go between those and protein shakes. That’s my routine in and out of competition, and I try to just stay on what I normally do. TO: Alongside snacking on steak, what else do you do between events? AK: We have our massage therapists down there to give us a rub down and make sure our legs are feeling fresh and loose and not tight. I do meditations sometimes, definitely in the morning before competition. I also spoke to my sports psychologist to deal with the delay in competition on Day 2, and I went back to my Airbnb and napped, watched Netflix, and showered. TO: After a big and successful competition like the Olympic Trials, what do you like to eat? AK: A big pepperoni pizza, that's usually my go to. And some type of sweet dessert, I love butter cake or brownies or cookies. Annie the Olympian!!TO: How did you celebrate making the team besides pizza and dessert? AK: We didn't get back to our families until 2:30 in the morning, because we had to go straight to drug testing, media, and then to team processing where they give you all your gear and 53Kunz competes for Team USA. Photo Credit: Errol Anderson, Texas A&M Athletics

you get set with the other athletes who have made the Olympic team. By the time we got to our families, we're just exhausted.! The next day, it was great to just see all my people, my whole support system, my friends and my family. I was able to spend all my time with them and just enjoy it. They've been on this long journey with me for five years now, well, my whole life really. So my biggest celebration was just getting to enjoy that moment of becoming an Olympian with them. TO: How did your coach react to you making the team? Obviously, he knew you were capable of becoming an Olympian, and so did you and those close to you, but this was really your coming out party on the national scene. AK: With the Olympic Standard being 6420, one of my coaches actually said that he would pay me $1 for every point I got over the standard, so he just Venmoed me that yesterday. He sent me a good amount of money, like $300 or something. He’d been saying that for months, and I didn’t expect he would actually go through with it, so it was really nice to see him follow through with it!! TO: When I, and others, tell you that you’re an Olympian, what does that mean to you? AK: I still get chills even just when people say to me, "You're an Olympian now." TO: Cliché I know, but what does the next month look like preparing for the Olympics, and do you have any specifics about the plan for Tokyo? AK: It's just back to the lab: We go back to training on Monday, and we're not gonna change anything crazy. We're going into another training cycle for a few weeks, and I’m also going to sit down with my coach to discuss the areas that we can improve on to get more points at the Games. I leave for Tokyo on July 25th and I compete on the 4th and 5th of August, so I have a week or so to adjust after my flight. TO: Best of luck in Tokyo, Annie! Go crush it!54Kunz, Erica Bougard, and Coach Kris Mack celebrate after Kunz and Bougard qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Photo Credit: Kris Mack

Photo Credit: Greg Itahara

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, millions of Americans were stuck in their homes, forced to pick up hobbies or begin new projects in order to keep themselves from going crazy amidst the shutdown. Greg Itahara, a graphic designer and avid runner based in Chicago, was no exception.!“Prior to the pandemic I was doing graphic design work for road races,” Itahara explained, “but since the pandemic started and there were no races, there was no work. So I'm creative, I like to color, so I started painting stuff and I'm like 'oh, I wonder if I could do shoes,' so I started painting running shoes and then I was like 'hmm, I could do shoes, I wonder if I could do fabric,' so I did this arm sleeve, a phoenix with the Nike 2020 barbed wire design, and I posted it, just for fun.” Unknowingly, Itahara had set off a chain of dominos: What began as a solution to the monotonous life of quarantine quickly turned into Itahara becoming one of the most highly regarded custom designers in the world of running. If Itahara posting his custom made arm sleeve served as knocking over the first domino, the second came in the form of an Instagram direct message just moments later from a collegiate athlete asking if he could do the same type of design on a one-color singlet. After posting the one-color singlet came an inquiry of twelve singlets. “I was like 'all right, sure, I have nothing else to do,'” Itahara joked.!And just like that he was putting his graphic design skills to work, sketching mockups, making digital stencils, printing them out and airbrushing his designs onto white Nike singlets. “It was the most stressful thing I've ever done,” Itahara chuckled, “and it's very messy.”!So messy, in fact, that by the end of the design process Itahara discovered that the excess paint from the airbrush had coated the books, floors and walls of his home office. Itahara was toughing it out the hard way, designing twelve singlets without a proper studio or machinery and no forgiveness for any blemishes or mistakes; if a single speck of paint made its way outside of the stencil, Itahara would lose $75 and be forced to order a new singlet and restart. Despite Itahara’s lack of high-tech machinery, you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at his finished product. His singlets and spikes look as if they’re directly from Nike headquar ters, made with pinpoint laser technology.!Thankfully, Itahara’s meticulous and detailed style hasn’t gone unnoticed. Some of the most popular running pages on Instagram such as @protosofthegram and @benjohnson763 have featured his work on their pages after discovering his account, leading to an influx of orders from their followers. It was through the instagram page @bell.lap.track.and.field.gear’s owners that Itahara was introduced to Tim Rossi, the co-founder along with Jeremy Mulvey of the New York based Lost Boys Track Club (@lostboystrackclub), a collaboration for which Itahara has made some of his most iconic singlet designs.!From covering half of a singlet in black and white elephant print to using unique “summer style” tie dyes, Itahara has made some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful singlets the sport has ever seen, all with the same classic elongated “LOST” on the upper right breast.!But perhaps the most esteemed client Itahara has worked with came to him the same way as his 56Designing with a Purpose By Jack Balick One of Itahara’s designs. Photo Credit: Greg Itahara

first, via an Instagram direct message. Following Greg’s rapid ascension in the running world he received a message from none other than Olympic medalist and US 800 meter champion, Clayton Murphy. Murphy reached out to Itahara requesting a special Kobe Bryant “Mamba” design on a pair of track spikes. “I was always a huge fan and still am a huge fan of the [Nike] Oregon Project, especially when he was on it,” says Itahara. "I would always follow him and his career. So when I look in my messages I’m like is this for real? Is this the real Clayton Murphy?’ I was so ignorant to Instagram at the time that I had to ask someone 'what does this blue check mark mean?'”!The blue check mark Itahara was referring to was of course the sign of a verified account, meaning this request was coming straight from the fingers of Clayton Murphy himself. Itahara would go on to do multiple customs for Clayton Murphy and eventually even design the logo for his new podcast “Track Boys” which is co-hosted by another Olympic athlete Devon Allen.!“Clayton and Devon are world-class, not just on the track but off as well,” Itahara quips. “I remember Clayton made a group chat and now I'm in a group text with Devon Allen and Clayton Murphy and Clayton's like 'Hey, just want to introduce you to Devon, Devon this is Greg, Greg This is Devon,' and I'm like man, 2021 has just been the most crazy year, everything just exploded.”!After his collaborations with such big names and features on popular Instagram accounts, Itahara’s page started to accumulate more attention and praise than he had ever imagined. But with all of that being said, Itahara’s intentions for his work have not shifted from his original purpose.! “I started doing custom design stuff in elementary school,” Itahara recalls. “My parents really weren't that rich, you know, we're sort of like lower middle class so I would always have the generic shoes. “So when I saw other kids with Nike shoes I was like 'Oh my gosh, I would love a pair of those one day,' but I would always get the ones from a Payless shoe store, where it almost looks like a swoosh but it's like a whale or something. So, when I first got my first pair of Nike's I was like 'All right, these are cool but I just want to add a little color to it,' so I would just take a Sharpie and make the swoosh black or, you know, make accents on the shoe, just to do something a little bit different than everybody else. “When I’m doing this custom design work It's not really like 'Hey, I want to do cool stuff and post it,' it's more like I just want the client to feel how I felt when I was back in elementary school, like, 'oh yeah, this is sick.' I recognize that a lot of the singlet and track shoes and stuff that I do, they have a purpose and the purpose is different for each person, but they have a reason to come to me and say, 'Hey, can you make this possible.'”!Itahara doesn’t see his work as an avenue to gaining more exposure, money or attention; his lack of ego allows him to pursue custom design as an art and a way to connect with people who share the same devoted love for running as he does.! “I feel like track is just getting so exciting right now which is totally overdue for me,” Itahara explains. As the sport continues to explode, it’s people like Itahara that are pushing track and field into places it’s never been before.!57One of Itahara’s designs. Photo Credit: Greg Itahara

Photo Credit: The Butler Eagle, a local newspaper for Vavro

Over the past couple of months, running has become so much more to me. It took me a while to understand it all, but I’ve come to realize that running is not just about winning or losing. It’s so much more than that. It’s the little things about it that truly make it great. I think that’s the beauty behind it. That feeling of accomplishment that you get when you finish a tough workout or simply just the memories made with all your friends make it all worth it. The lifelong friendships that I’ve made over the years all seem so surreal. Meeting new people from all over and hearing their stories and experiences inspire me to become better every day. Running has not only pushed me physically but mentally as well. The amount of perseverance a long distance runner has to have is unimaginable. Over the years, running to me has been a complete mix of ups and downs. Oftentimes, many more downs than ups. From battling an injury my sophomore year that took me out for the entire duration of my season to losing my junior year due to COVID-19. As I entered my final cross country season as a senior, I felt like I wanted to quit running for good. I lacked any motivation for the sport. I felt like I had better things to do. Simply put, I just didn’t care. When the season finally rolled around, I felt like I was getting punched in the face a thousand times. I wasn’t in shape at all, every race hurt, and as the season progressed I saw little improvement. I was barely running the times that I had accomplished with ease in my previous years. I would blow up mid-race and eventually die. It seemed inevitable that I would die in almost every race. Every long run and workout felt like a marathon. I dreaded going to practice because it would absolutely exhaust me. I would go home and immediately crash into my bed.! The day of districts came and I wasn’t even sure if I was going to qualify for states. The top fifteen individuals would all advance to the state final that following weekend. It had poured the night before, making the entire course a complete muck mess by the time my division finally got to race it. As I hopped on the line, ready for my last district race ever (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League–WPIAL), I was more nervous than ever. In the opening 400 meters, I found myself trapped on a tight bend. I slipped and penguin-slid across the mud as the immense pack behind rushed over me. Trying to recollect myself, covered in mud from head to toe, I slipped and got knocked right back down as the pack kept coming. With everything I had, for the third time, I jumped back up and immediately took off sprinting trying to find my way back up to the lead pack. I managed to finally catch back up to the lead pack but there was a lot of race left. With about a mile to go, I could feel myself dying, kids were passing me left and right. I didn’t know what place I was in but with half a mile to go I knew I 59A Journey of Ups and Downs By Skyler Vavro Vavro stands on the left with friends. Photo Credit: Skyler Vavro

was close. I decided that I wasn't going to go out without trying my hardest. I passed a couple kids and even managed to get a guy in the final meters of the race. As I reached the line, I collapsed, believing that my season was finished. My coach ran over to yell that I had made it. I was the last qualifier for states. I couldn’t believe it. I was relieved that I qualified but at the same time I felt so angry at myself. I felt like I didn’t deserve it. When the season was finished, I took some time to mentally regroup and decide if I actually wanted to continue running or not. I felt like my mind and body were broken. I told myself that I didn't want to go out in track like I did in cross country. I picked up my training once again in early January. I ran on a crushed limestone trail through the woods about five minutes from my house. I mostly just did mileage with a lot of runs by myself. I feel like running by myself most of the winter and early spring gave me the edge to better my mentality. It allowed me to really have time to myself and just think about what I wanted to accomplish by the time I started racing on the track again. One thing was for sure, and that was that I wanted to go out with a bang my senior track season. I told myself that I was going to take my fitness to the next level so that I could compete with anyone. When March came around, I felt like I was really maintaining a good level of fitness. I had slowly brought up my mileage and I knew I was ready to start racing again. Early in my training I was only running about 25 miles a week but I had soon reached 50-plus mile weeks without any complications. Right before outdoor track officially started I hit a 60 mile week with a 16 mile long run in the mix. During the duration of the long run, I had climbed over 1500 feet in elevation and maintained about an average pace of 6:30 minutes per mile. That day made me realize how bad I wanted to be good. I wanted to outwork everyone around me. Running was constantly on my mind. I felt like I was in the best shape of my life.! About a week before my school team started the regular season I decided that I wanted an opportunity to run in a big race. It was my senior year and I just wanted to enjoy it. I had heard about the Texas Distance Festival before and I knew that it was coming up soon. I immediately rushed to my mom to ask if she thought it would be a good idea. It took some time to get my mom to 60Vavro charges down the straightaway in a pack wearing number 2. Photo Credits: Phil Grove, PA MileSplit

buy into the idea but eventually she would say yes. She’s my biggest supporter and she knew how much a chance like that would mean to me. Soon enough, my mom and I were boarding a flight from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Dallas, Texas. I was entered in the 1600 meter run and seeded at 4:20. My best time before that was only 4:27, a mark from my freshman year. It would be my first outdoor track race since my freshman year. I knew that Texas had some elite-level competition. When the heat-sheets came out, I was beyond ecstatic. I was in the hot heat of the elite 1600. Times ranged anywhere from 4:08 to 4:22. It was a great opportunity to run fast. The day of the race came and I wasn't even nervous. I was just glad to be there and to have the opportunity to race some incredibly talented guys. The gun shot off and the pace went out blazing fast. I sat near the back of the pack. I knew that the field would pull me along, all I had to do was hang. I came through 800 meters right on pace. The entire time I kept telling myself just to hang, it was all mental. I could tell that I wasn’t used to racing on the track but I wanted to hang on so bad. My legs were burning. At 1200 meters, I was still hanging on. At that point I knew I had it. One lap to go and I gave it everything I had to keep moving. I collapsed at the line, not knowing what I had just done. I closed in 62 seconds to ensure a new personal best of 4:21. It was now 6th all-time on my school’s top-ten list. After I saw my time I ran over to my bag to grab my phone and call my dad. He had to work all weekend so he didn’t get to come watch me race but I knew he was watching it from the livestream. Out of pure excitement I told him “Those mother****ers were fast.” I was in disbelief that I managed to hang on after feeling like giving up during the cross country season. It was awesome to finally see some success.! When I arrived home from Texas I picked my training right back up, wanting more and more. I told myself that I wanted to be one of the most elite guys in the state. I trained almost every day with one of my best friends, CJ Singleton. He was already amongst the top guys in the state. Only in his junior season, he placed sixth in the state in cross country and had a mark of 9:10 for a full two-mile indoors. In a way, his determination to succeed pushed me to strive to do the same. We were killing our workouts and running our long runs together every Sunday. In almost every dual meet we would run together, securing points for our team. With every week of training, I knew my fitness was getting better and better. During the invite season, I felt like I ran some solid times. Early on, I had soloed the 800, coming across the line in 1:59. I also decided that I wanted to show everyone that I could run a variety of distances so I ran the two-mile for my first time ever. I came across the line in 9:22, a Pennsylvania #5 time at the time. The week after that I felt that it was only right to start chasing the mile again, my favorite race. It was my school’s home invitational and I had big goals of going under 4:20 for the first time. Race day came and something just felt off. Mentally I could tell that I wasn’t prepared. 61Vavro stands in the middle of friends. Photo Credit: Skyler Vavro

When the race started, I got out quickly but the pace just felt fast. About halfway through the race I could feel myself giving up. After a very upsetting race I took some time off to mentally regroup and focus on training again. The next couple of weeks would be made up of some intense strength workouts.! My next big race was my state qualifier, WPIALs. The day came and it was blazing hot. I was entered in the 4x800 meter relay and the 1600. We ended up winning the 4x800 in a fashionable runaway win. Only about 30 minutes later I was getting back on the line for my real challenge. I didn’t feel great and initially my goal was just to place inside the top four. The top four finishers would all advance to the state final. As the gun went off, I got out with the rest of the pack, sitting comfortably. CJ, with no hesitation, pushed the pace early and was running away from the field. At 600 meters I looked over to my right at fellow competitor Mike Formica. He was a guy who I had become pretty good friends with over the winter and we had run some long runs together. I knew he had the same plan as me, sit and kick. For some reason I thought that it would be a good idea to try and fist bump him mid-race. He looked over at me in slight confusion not realizing what I was trying to do. Around 800 meters Mike and I surged, pulling us away from the rest of the pack and stringing things out. Mike and I went back and forth multiple times, fighting for second place. Not fully realizing what we had done, all of our surging had put us only about ten meters out from CJ. The bell lap came, and, with 300 meters to go I made my final move on Mike to start chasing CJ. As I surged around the final bend I hopped onto CJ's shoulder making one final effort to claim the title. It came down to the final meters, where I had just clipped CJ at the line. I threw my arms up in the air in disbelief. I stood there with my hands on my head. I couldn’t believe it. It felt like a dream. I had a new personal best of 4:13. I felt like I was on top of the world.! The day to leave for states came and I was so eager to get on the bus. There was a bittersweet feeling in the air knowing that it would be my last time ever getting on that bus with the team. The day of the race came and the weather was awful. It was cold and rainy. The wind was also pretty bad. I was so nervous when they were calling out numbers for lane assignments. I just sat there shaking not knowing if it was because of the cold or because of my nerves. I just bounced my legs eagerly as I waited for my name to be called. When we got on the line I could feel the wind moving. I got out quickly but was overwhelmed by the pack as everyone fought for their spot in the opening 400 meters. I sat behind the pack, not wanting to eat the wind early on. I made a move at 800 meters to try and put a gap on the rest of the field. I didn’t look back at all but somehow I knew that nobody was breaking even the slightest amount. As the bell lap rang, I was sitting in third only to be passed in the final 50 meters by one other guy. I finished fourth in the state. I was beyond happy to medal at states but part of me also felt like I held back for sitting until two laps to go. I felt like I had so much more. I let the rest of the field decide the race, not myself. I feel like it was a great learning experience, though, hopefully allowing me to become more comfortable in bigger races as the years go on. After failing miserably in cross country to placing fourth in the state in outdoor felt amazing. It truly felt like all the hard work had paid off. I think the biggest lesson that I’ve learned from all the years is to never take anything for granted, because one minute it can be there and the next minute it can’t, and it all happens so quickly. When the negative stuff comes around, just let it go. It all leads to the positive as long as you keep a positive attitude. Enjoy everything that you get. I really feel like one of the most important things in life is really appreciating it because we only get to do this once and it’s not for a long time. It’s about enjoying the little things and finding that one true desire that is close to your heart. Without running this year, I don’t know where I would be. A big shout-out goes to my parents, coaches, and all my friends for supporting me with everything that I chose to do over the years. You have no idea how much it truly means to me. Without you guys, none of this would have even been possible. Thank you. 62

The Pittsburgh Track Club is a non-profit designed to support post-collegiate athletes while growing track and field and distance running in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Track Club has taken inspiration from teams and clubs across the country to form their team. The goal is to blend all of these together and build something unique and self-sustaining. Sounds like wishful thinking, eh? If you ask the founder, Juris Silenieks, he would agree, but he offers some counterpoints for why they can succeed. First off, the elite athletes of the club will work for the club, not just run for them. The team plans to start hosting youth camps next year, something inspired by ZAP Fitness adult camps and Bowerman Track Club youth camps. They will also organize their own events and races, giving the athletes valuable work experience. The first event they plan to host is a five-mile road race with prize money in North Park just outside of Pittsburgh. It’s a place where the team runs countless miles and workouts around the lake. Which brings us to Juris’s second point: Pittsburgh is a great place to run and train with an underrated running culture. As Juris likes to say, “Rising tides raise all ships, and we think the ocean here is larger than people realize.” Everyone, regardless of their ability, is welcome to train with the elite team, and that in turn will make everyone better and help grow running in Pittsburgh.! Right now, the team is on the ground floor: “Most of the elite team are runners that I have trained with for years already,” says Juris. “We’d love to bring in other elite runners, but we can’t try to help support too many runners too soon.” Still, Juris says they are accepting and encouraging runners to apply to join the elite team. How successful their fundraising campaigns and events are this year will determine how much support they can give to each athlete. Everyone on the team still works full-time, and that won’t change anytime soon. The short-term goals are to organize a team and to help athletes afford gear, travel, and therapy to help them train and race at their best. We’ll see how it works when they all line up at The Lake Loop on August 8th.! If you want to support their team, sign up for the race or donate at Pittsburghtrackclub.com. 63The Same, But Different By Juris Silenieks Members of the PTC run together. Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Track Club

Back Cover Art by: Maggie Donahue