The XC Podcast

Host Alex Cyr is joined by Eugene, Oregon correspondent Caela Fenton, and together they will each draft their fantasy team for this weekend's U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials. DISCLAIMER: This podcast was recorded before Shelby Houlihan tested positive for a banned substance and was handed a four year ban. We also recorded before Evan Jager pulled out of US Trials due to injury.

On this week's episode, I chat with Kitchener, Ontario's Ben Flanagan, who lives and trains in Virginia as part of the Reebok Boston track club. The 26-year-old Flanagan has forced his way into the consciousness of Athletics Canada's Olympic team selection committee by posting solid results across in the 5,000m and 10,000m this year. Most recently, Flanagan set a new 5,000m PB of 13:20 at Tracksmith's Platinum PT qualifier in Boston last week, winning the race in the process. Ben and I talked about how he hopes to punch his ticket to Tokyo, high mileage vs low mileage, Ben's fascination with Utah, what it felt like to beat Ben True, and more.

Today's guest on The XC Podcast is Canadian marathon record holder and Hoka One One athlete Cameron Levins. Last week, some would have called the best Canadian athlete without Olympic standard. Then, on Sunday, with just a week remaining in the Olympic marathon qualification period, that changed. Between raindrops and nine time zones away from his residence in Portland Oregon, Levins won the S7 marathon in Loipersdorf, Austria in a time of 2:10:14 - comfortably under Olympic standard of 2:11:30. In this episode the 32-year-old takes Alex Cyr through his latest race in great detail, he shares the wise advice American track star Jenny Simpson gave him back in 2012, and at one point he admits to having a soft spot for Korean dramas.

Welcome to "The Rings," a weekly update on all things about the upcoming Olympics, brought to you by The XC. This week, we talk all about Canada's Olympic marathon squad — who we think will be selected, including Cameron Levins, who qualified in dramatic, last-minute fashion over the weekend in Austria, of all places. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter at thexc.org Host: Alex Cyr

Welcome to the kick-off episode of The Rings, a weekly podcast and newsletter updating you on all things related to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, including who's qualified, who hasn't, and other storylines as they break. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter, as The Rings will go out each Monday straight to your inbox, along with a link to this podcast. On this week's pod, just days after winning the 5,000m at USATF’s Golden Games in Walnut, California in a personal best of 15:02, Julie-Anne Staehli chats with Alex Cyr about what went through her mind as she smashed Olympic standard of 15:10. The 27-year-old runner from Lucknow, ON also shares her thoughts about how she developed from a strong varsity runner into an Olympic-level athlete. Host: Alex Cyr Guest: Julie-Anne Staehli

The Kipper is back! Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle react to Eliud Kipchoge's triumphant (if perhaps highly choreographed) return to marathon dominance. They look at all the action from the NN Mission Marathon event in The Netherlands, including the surprisingly fun storylines that unfolded behind Kipchoge's comfortable 2:04 win, and the implications the event will have on the Olympic picture.

Eliud Kipchoge will be racing on a converted airport in the Eastern Netherlands Sunday morning (at 2:30 a.m. ET). Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle break down what to expect, what's not yet known, and the each make their bold predictions for Kipper and the gang. And check this feed on Sunday for our instant reaction pod right after the race wraps up! Follow us on social @theXCorg Subscribe to the newsletter at thexc.org

Hosts Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle discuss what's known (and unknown) about next week's NN Mission Marathon, which has been moved to the Netherlands. They then break down a pair of impressive world records, and why one of them won't count in the end. Follow the The XC on social: @thexcorg And subscribe to our newsletter at thexc.org

It's been a year of almost no real races for many of us, so this week Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle chat about the races they've missed and why they've missed them; then they are joined by contributor John Lofranco to do a sort of fantasy draft, where they each pick one of the following in order to create their post-pandemic bucket list: a marathon, a track event, an ultra/trail or cross-country race, a non-marathon road race and "wild card" pick. A few pretty legendary races get left on the board!

The Top 5 Running Show is back. This week, we take a look at a more intimate and autumnal Boston Marathon, Chris Thompson's UK Olympic Trials triumph, high schooler Hobbs Kessler's mind-bending two miler, and ASICS' attempt at creating two new "Vaporfly Killers" Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes in order to score points.

In an extraordinary move to make sure the 2021 Tokyo Olympics indeed happen, the IOC and the organizing committee have announced that foreign fans (and volunteers) will not be permitted to attend the Games. How will this decision alter how the athletes experience the Olympics, and what will it be like for viewers around the world watching a one-third capacity stadium during, say, the 100m finals? Hosts Alex Cyr and Michael Doyle break it all down, and speculate on what will be different at this Pandemic-era Games.

On this week's episode of The XC's Top 5 Running Show, our panelists discuss a wild week of NCAA action, plus the IOC's plan to offer China's vaccine to Olympians. Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes to the host, Michael Doyle, who rewards them in points. The panelist with the deepest knowledge and hottest takes will emerge from this five-lap sprint of ideas the victor. The prize? We give them the mic atop the podium to tell us something important or exciting they want to share with you. And seven days of bragging rights, of course.

Today's guests on The XC Podcast are both in quarantine, they are both fighting for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team, and they were both wearing the same new balance t-shirt. Charles Philibert-Thiboutot and Julie-Anne Staehli join host Alex Cyr from their respective homes in Edmonton, Alberta and Lucknow, Ontario. Julie-Anne recently broke the Canadian indoor two mile record at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston, running 9:22.66. Charles, meanwhile, recently ran a near-PB in the 1,500m of 3:39.64, making of him a front runner for a spot on the metric mile start line at these upcoming games. The three had a in-depth conversation and covered a wide range of topics. You can find them in the show notes below. Show Notes: 6:30 - Should athletes have to self-isolate for 14 days upon returning to their home country? 16:30 - Julie-Anne breaks down her Canadian indoor two-mile record-setting race 23:00 - Why CPT decided to go race in Europe during COVID-19 25:30 - The importance of World Athletics points in qualifying for races 33:00 - How CPT has found health in this past year 36:00 - How Julie-Anne kept training at a high level despite a race-less year 38:30 - CPT's good relationship with ASICS and his move to New Balance 43:30 - Julie-Anne's and CPT's relationship with Instagram 56:00 - Putting a price tag on one's athletic career 66:00 - How Julie-Anne and CPT plan to make Canada's Olympic team 68:00 - CPT, who is an athlete representative at Athletics Canada, breaks down the qualification system, and the rationale for giving the eventual winners of the Olympic trials a golden ticket to Tokyo.

The XC's Top 5 Running Show is back. This week, Jakob Ingebrigtsen catches a break, Yohan Blake wants nothing to do with a COVID-19 vaccine, and athletes reckon with the power of the Nike Dragonfly spikes. Host: Michael Doyle Guests: Alex Cyr, Justin Horneker

Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes to the host, Michael Doyle, who rewards them in points. The panelist with the deepest knowledge and hottest takes will emerge from this five-lap sprint of ideas the victor. The prize? We give them the mic atop the podium to tell us something important or exciting they want to share with you. And seven days of bragging rights, of course. This week panelists Alex Cyr and Justin Horneker break down: Tokyo's organizing committee chairman resigns The state of North America's Olympic Trials Nike's new too-good-to-be-true Dragonfly track spike, and two jaw-dropping times run in them And, finally, we crown the king and queen of the 2021 indoor track season, so far We’ll be pushing this show out both as a podcast on The XC’s feed each Monday, and as a video on our YouTube and IGTV channels, at around 7 p.m. ET. So be sure to follow us @thexcorg and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

In this episode of the Top 5 Running Show pits defending champion Justin Horneker against show veteran and nerd runner Alex Cyr. In this episode, they debate: Who took home the Prickly Pear? The American Track League - a saving grace, but too soon? The father-son 4-minute mile club - which duo did it best? Colleen Quigley leaves world famous training group - good move? And finally, what is the Super Bowl of running? Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes to the host, Michael Doyle, who rewards them in points. The panelist with the deepest knowledge and hottest takes will emerge from this five-lap sprint of ideas the victor. The prize? We give them the mic atop the podium to tell us something important or exciting they want to share with you. And seven days of bragging rights, of course. We’ll be pushing this show out both as a podcast on The XC’s feed each Monday, and as a video on our YouTube and IGTV channels, at around 7 p.m. ET. So be sure to follow us @thexcorg and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Host: Michael Doyle Guests: Alex Cyr, Justin Horneker

Today's guest on The XC Podcast is Andrea Seccafien, one of Canada's most accomplished distance runners who now trains in Australia. Seccafien, a 2016 Olympian from Guelph, Ontario now trains under coach Nic Bideau with the Melbourne Track Club. In 2019, she became the fourth Canadian woman to dip under the 15-minute barrier for 5,000m and three months after that, she set a new Canadian half-marathon record of 69:38. The 30-year-old is currently navigating the highs and lows of the pandemic in Australia, which involved a 111 day lockdown last summer, followed by a nearly COVID-free fall and winter. Through it all, she's built some great fitness. She recently competed in a road 10k and set a personal best time of 31:45. In this episode, Alex Cyr asks Seccafien about her current training, how she clawed out of a nasty injury cycle in 2018, how life in the Southern Hemisphere is different than in North America, and how she used baking to keep her mental health in check during a long lockdown. Host: Alex Cyr Guest: Andrea Seccafien

Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes to the host, Michael Doyle, who rewards them in points. This week's topics: The Gamestop Reddit mastermind was a near 4-minute miler! Will the NCAA ban wavelight technology? HBO's Real Sports takes a look a the Nike Oregon Project scandal The American Track League is pulling all-star talent The 2021 Florida Summer Olympics? The panelist with the deepest knowledge and hottest takes will emerge from this five-lap sprint of ideas the victor. The prize? We give them the mic atop the podium to tell us something important or exciting they want to share with you. And seven days of bragging rights, of course. We’ll be pushing this show out both as a podcast on The XC’s feed each Monday, and as a video on our YouTube and IGTV channels, at around 7 p.m. ET. So be sure to follow us @thexcorg and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Host: Michael Doyle Panelists: Andrew Cruickshank, Justin Horneker

Last week, amid a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Japan, reports in The Times of London stated that the Japan government privately concluded that the 2021 Olympic games be cancelled due to the Coronavirus. That led to immediate pushback from the IOC and Japan's own Olympic committee, and the Japanese government, which called the reports “categorically untrue.” Organizers and I.O.C. officials have said that no further postponement is possible and that if the Games do not proceed in the summer of 2021 they will be canceled, which would be the first time the Games have been scrubbed since World War II. Hosts Michael Doyle and Alex Cyr speculate about the logistical and financial feasibility of the 2021 Olympics, how the IOC could use this trying year as a springboard for a better Olympic model, and what changes in sports, customs and traditions would make the Games better for 2021 and beyond.

Each week, two of our contributors or special guests face off in The XC's Top 5 Running Show, dissecting five stories from the week in the world of distance running and track and field. They offer their best and hottest takes to the host, Michael Doyle, who rewards them in points. The panelist with the deepest knowledge and hottest takes will emerge from this five-lap sprint of ideas the victor. The prize? We give them the mic atop the podium to tell us something important or exciting they want to share with you. And seven days of bragging rights, of course. This week's topics: What is going on with the Tokyo Olympics? Heartbreak, as a 100K world record is missed by just 12 seconds The London Marathon is going big this October Racing is back, sort of And one running streak for the ages We’ll be pushing this show out both as a podcast on The XC’s feed each Monday, and as a video on our YouTube and IGTV channels, at around 7 p.m. ET. So be sure to follow us @thexcorg and subscribe to our YouTube channel. This week: This third episode of the Top 5 Running Show pits two of The XC's regulars against each other: Alex Cyr and Andrew Cruickshank.