This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez.
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In this week's newsletter: 
– The Best of Boston: Presented by Kyle 

Quincy Wilson Is The Next Big Thing, NCAA Indoors' Biggest Winners, What If Track Had Jersey Numbers + More | The Lap Count

Track and field's biggest names on the track, in the coaching ranks and within the industry sit down and open up in-depth to share brilliant insights and vivid snapshots from their professional/personal accomplishments and experiences in the sport. 

Hosted by CITIUS MAG founder Chris Chavez.

The show was named one of "The Best Running Podcasts" by Runner's World.

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Sports

Running

"That Olympic stamp on my running resume didn't really change anything. That's why 2022 was so hard for me. I had built up these expectations and I felt that I still had to prove to myself because it seemed like it wasn't enough. That pressure didn't bode well for me. I suffered injuries and sickness...At the end of the day, World Championships and Olympics are just another race. If you're racing just to make the team, you're not going to be happy because someone else could get that spot. That's when I changed my mindset. I don't know if you've seen the show Fallout but in the first episode the ghoul says, 'I do this shit for the love of the game.' That's kind of how I feel."
Val Constien is a professional runner for Nike and was a member of the 2021 Olympic team in the steeplechase. We had her on the show in the spring of 2021 and it was a memorable episode because she announced herself to the U.S. as a contender to make the team and then backed it up at the Trials.
Following the Games, she remained unsponsored for more than a year. We talk about how Tokyo didn’t ultimately change a whole lot for her but her passion for the sport remained. She won the 2023 U.S. Indoor 3000m title and then signed a contract with Nike. However, in her first race in the pro kit, she tore her ACL at the Doha Diamond League and that 2023 season was a wrap. She underwent bilateral ACL reconstruction and thought maybe she wouldn’t race again until 2025.
Things quickly changed and she accelerated through her recovery and is back to racing. In her first steeplechase race in a year, she went on to win the Sound Running Track Fest in 9:27.22. That’s her fastest steeple opener. She’s now back in the conversation to make the Olympic team in the steeplechase since it’s a bit wide open without Emma Coburn. I think you might find someone to root for in Val after this conversation. 
Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Guest: Val Constien | @valerieconstien on Instagram
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Val Constien's Comeback From A Torn ACL To Return To The U.S. Olympic Steeplechase Conversation

"I feel like I was underlooked a little bit on social media. Everyone was talking about Cam (Myers) and Olli (Hoare) and Stewy (McSweyn), but I think that kind of worked in my favor. There's no pressure – I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. So I was like, “Alright, let's go out here and have a crack at it.” I think it was kind of a blessing in disguise almost."
Wisconsin's Adam Spencer is the Australian 1500m national champion. He was the runner-up in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships back in March. In Adelaide, he just narrowly beat out fellow Badger legend and Olympic finalist Olli Hoare. It was widely considered the best 1500m field in Australian history and it delivered with a tactical race that came down to the final 100 meters.

Adam has the Olympic standard from his 3:31 personal best at last summer’s London Diamond League. Now, he’s just got to prove his fitness to selectors and he’ll be squared away to make his Olympic debut in Paris. He did represent Australia at last summer’s World Championships in Budapest.
We recorded this a few weeks ago and since then, he just won the Big Ten title in the 800 meters. Watch for him as the NCAA season heads into its championship run, where he’ll be looking to win his first NCAA title.
Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Guest: Adam Spencer | @adam.spencer on Instagram
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Wisconsin's Adam Spencer Wants An NCAA Title And To Solidify His Olympic Team Spot After Winning The Australian 1500m Title

Chris Chavez and Anderson Emerole dissect all of the biggest performances from the Doha Diamond League, Sound Running's Track Fest, SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Jamaica Athletics Invitational + some other underrated performances.






SEC Championships – Arkansas won the men’s team title for their 23rd in school history. On the women’s side, LSU won the women’s title over Arkansas for their first SEC title since 2012. We break down why this meet rocked.
Jamaica Athletics Invitational
The biggest performance was Zharnel Hughes beating Fred Kerley in the 200m. He ran a 19.96, which a good sign for this early in the season. Plus more highlights.
Sound Running's Track Fest
This was supposed to be a meet where people targeted Olympic standards, especially in the women’s 5000m and 10,000m but no one got any. What's this mean for U.S. women's distance runners?
What's Up With Leonard Korir?
We’ve summed up some of the latest developments after World Athletics’ updated Road To Paris qualification list added 11 universality places to the rankings. 
Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Host: Anderson Emerole | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@atkoeme on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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This Week In Track and Field: Kenny Bednarek Makes A Statement In Doha, SEC Championships Was The Best Meet Of The Weekend + An Update on Leonard Korir's Status For Paris

“It's through storytelling that I keep myself going… I've been blessed to be able to stick with it all these years. I had a partial knee replacement in the middle of COVID and we waited until I found a surgeon who told me that I'd run again… When you set your sights on something, it's hard to let go. I always try to finish what I start. I was on that six-star journey and I wanted to complete it.”
Joan Benoit Samuelson is a legend in our sport. The first-ever Olympic women’s marathon champion, two-time Boston Marathon champion (1979 & 1983), 1985 Chicago Marathon champion and former American record holder is still running and inspiring at 66 years old. In March, she finally received her Abbott World Marathon Major six star medal after completing the Tokyo Marathon in 3:38:37.
Before the pandemic, Benoit Samuelson was looking to extend her sub-three hour marathon streak across six decades. She ran 3:02:21 at the 2019 Berlin Marathon and then underwent a partial right knee replacement surgery in 2020. Two years ago, she ran 3:20:20 at the London Marathon and won her respective age group.
I had the pleasure of catching her for a bit while in Boston, where she was on-site as an ambassador for Abbott. In this conversation, we talk about how she continues to utilize running as storytelling, her mark on the sport, how she’s inspired so many women and a little bit about what’s next after completing all six World Marathon Majors.
Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Host: Joan Benoit Samuelson | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@joanbenoitsamuelson on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Time stamps:
4:48 - How she’s feeling after becoming a World Marathon Majors Six Star finisher.
6:02 - How she finds the motivation to continue training + how she goes about goal setting. 
8:25 - The story she wants to begin writing for herself now that the Six Stars are accomplished.
10:10 - How she inspires others through sharing her story. 
15:04 - Her relationship with other elite women marathoners. 
16:44 - Her philosophy on running + what the sport means to her. 
18:20 - Her relationship with the running community. 

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1984 Olympic Women's Marathon Champion Joan Benoit Samuelson On Using Running As Storytelling; Completing All Six World Marathon Majors At 66 Years Old

Chris Chavez chats with Anderson Emerole, who is still in the Bahamas after covering the 2024 World Relays.
In this episode, they discuss:
WORLD RELAYS TAKEAWAYS
– 14 teams qualified for each of the five relay events at the Paris Olympics. We decide what we learned about the Olympic connection to World Relays and whether it's easy to understand.
– Team USA's women swept the relay titles in the 4x100m and 4x400m to go along with the mixed relay title.
– Ireland's Rhasidat Adeleke was maybe the meet's MVP with her 48.45 to lead Ireland to a bronze medal in the mixed 4x400m relay.
– Who is the ideal U.S. men's 4x100m relay squad for the Paris Olympics?
EMMA COBURN TO MISS 2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS DUE TO BROKEN FOOT
Three-time U.S. Olympian, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2017 world champion Emma Coburn has announced that she will miss next month’s U.S. Olympic Trials after breaking her right ankle in her season opener at the Shanghai Diamond League. 
Read more about it here: 
https://citiusmag.com/articles/emma-coburn-will-miss-2024-us-olympic-trials-broken-ankle-steeplechase
+ more
Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Host: Anderson Emerole | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@atkoeme on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Quincy Wilson Is The Next Big Thing, NCAA Indoors' Biggest Winners, What If Track Had Jersey Numbers + More | The Lap Count

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