Cole Sprout returns to the podcast to breakdown his final seasons at Stanford. The long-time Cardinal, originally from Littleton, Colorado, most recently competed at the Washington-Dempsey Indoor meet on January 17 and 18 (where he came in ninth in the mile with a time of 3:57.64 and second in the 3k with a time of 7:45.24). He also threw down at the very competitive Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on December 7, 2024, where he came in 21st in the 5k with a time of 13:30.17. Cole's run at Stanford was very successful, with impressive PRs to show: he ran 1:51.79 in the 800m; 3:56.53 in the mile; 3:42.27 in the 1500m; 13:24.38 in the 5k; and 27:42.42 in the 10k. Before moving out west to compete at Stanford, Cole won the Colorado state cross country title in 2019, breaking his own meet record with a time of 15:12.7. He also came in seventh at the 2019 Nike Cross Nationals, after placing third in 2018. Cole won six Gatorade State Athlete of the Year honors – three in track and three in cross country. Cole graduated with a bachelor's from Stanford in Symbolic Systems. Showing how well-rounded a person he is, Cole has volunteered in the past with the Denver Rescue Mission–an organization that helps the homeless and those suffering through addiction with emergency services, rehabilitation, transitional programs, and community outreach. Additionally, Cole has gone on a mission trip to Ethiopia. Cole always offers great insight and wisdom, and we're excited for you to hear this latest offering from one of the sport's most insightful athletes. In today's conversation, Cole gives in-depth insights into his last six months of running, how he's going into his final two seasons at Stanford, how he views his legacy there, his plans post-college, how to overcome negative thoughts, and so much more. I love Cole and our conversations, and this was a good one. We cover a ton of topics that are relevant to your life & running journey. Tap into the Cole Sprout Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W N O T E S -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sadie Engelhardt returns to the podcast today.

Back on the podcast is the 18-year-old American track and field mega-star from Ventura, California. Sadie is a senior at Ventura High School, where she has had a storied career and is considered one of the best high school runners ever.

The NC State commit (and only the third girls competitor from California to be named Gatorade Best Player of the Year) has excelled in both cross country and track and field. Most recently, she came in 11th at the Girls XC Nationals on December 7. She has also maintained a 4.59 GPA in the classroom.

Sadie has even found time to volunteer locally on behalf of Runners For Public Lands, helping to clean trails and other places to run around Ventura County. With all that said, it's the oval where she truly separates herself from the rest.

Her PRs include times of 2:03.46 in the 800m, 4:08.86 in the 1500m, 4:28.46 in the mile, and 9:50.69 in the 3200m. The aforementioned mile time was a national high school record in the outdoor mile. Sadie has had three consecutive 1,600m state titles, and she helped her school win a state championship in the 4x800 relay.

In 2024, Sadie ran in her first professional outdoor meet at The TEN, where she stunned the world by running a 4:09.7 in the 1500m. She then zeroed in on three professional meets to try and make the Olympic qualifying standard, and at the Portland Track Festival on June 9 she pulled off a 4:08.86 in the 1500m, earning her spot at the qualifier–becoming the third high school athlete to ever qualify for the 1500m in the Olympics.

While Sadie only competed in the preliminary round, it was a valuable experience for this rising phenom to keep in her arsenal.

In today's conversation, Sadie shares reflections from her XC season, her hopes and dreams for the 2025 track season, insights from her training, how she plans to go out with a bang in HS, and so much more.

Sadie is truly doing unprecedented things in the sport, and it's always a privilege to sit down with her and have a meaningful conversation with her.

Tap into the Sadie Engelhardt special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W N O T E S

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Today, the next director and head coach of the Northern Arizona University Cross Country program, Coach Jarred Cornfield, returns to the podcast. With legendary Coach Mike Smith stepping down, Coach Cornfield takes over one of the most storied programs in the country. This was announced this past fall. It's an exciting time for Jarred and the program, but he wasn't just handed this job; he earned it with years of hard work. Coach Cornfield has spent nine years with NAU, six of which were as the Assistant Coach—after starting as a Graduate Assistant in 2015. Coach Cornfield is a distance and mid-distance specialist and a terrific recruiter. The Lumberjacks have won an impressive six men's national championships since 2016. On a personal level, Coach Cornfield attended Liberty University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Sport Management and then his Master's degree in Educational Leadership. He also competed as a member of the cross country and track teams. As a college runner, Jared has PRs of 1:54.47 in the 800m, 3:55.45 in the 1500m, 4:15.33 in the Mile, 29:42 in the 5K in XC, and 32:03 in the 10K in XC. While working closely with coaching legend Coach Mike Smith, Coach Cornfield has also branched out on his own, having coached Olympic athletes like Elise Cranny this past summer in Paris for the 5,000m. The NAU program is in the best of hands, and we're excited for you to hear this discussion with one of the up-and-coming coaching stars in the NCAA. In this conversation, I tackle Coach Cornfield's brain on many different coaching subject matters, and then we dive into his news, how this role came about, the lessons he's learned from Coach Smith, his ambitions and vision for the program, and so much more. Tap into the Coach Jarred Cornfield Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. S H O W N O T E S -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Back on the podcast is my good friend, Sam Parsoni. And today, here's here to spill the tea. He's not holding back. You the listener will be blessed being a fly on the wall for a conversation that is normally reserved for private-conversations. Sam is a free-agent and goes IN-DEPTH on the realities of the sport, the ins and outs of contracts, how companies take advantage of athletes, his hope for the future, all the updates on Tinman Elite, and more. If you don't know who Sam Parsons, you've probably been sleeping under a rock. Or you just didn't recognize that name because I exclusively call him Sam Parsoni. But to bring you up to speed, he's represented Germany at the 2019, 2022, and 2023 World Athletics Championships. Sam had a terrific high school career, running 1:58 in the 800, 4:12 in the Mile, 9:00 in the 3200, and 14:47 in the 5K. He qualified for Nike XC Nationals as a senior. At NC State, Sam ran 3:44 in the 1500, 13:52 in the 5K, and 28:43 in the 10K. He was a 4-time participant at the NCAA XC Championships, finishing as high as 51st at the 2016 Division 1 XC Champs with a time of 30:33. Sam signed his first pro deal in 2018 with Adidas. Sam currently holds PRs of 3:36.22 in the 1500m, 3:54 in the Mile, 7:39 in the 3k, 13:12 in the 5k, and 28:43 in the 10k. In today's conversation, we cover all of Sam's updates, how much I need to pay him to rock a singlet of my choosing, the ins and outs of pro-contracts, and so much more. This one is packed with info and discussion that you won't find anywhere else. Do not miss it! Tap into the Sam Parsons Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Tap into the Sam Parsons Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W N O T E S -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

He's coming for it all.

2025 is the year of Hobbs Kessler.

Back on the podcast today is 21-year-old mid-distance Olympic star Hobbs Kessler, who is gearing up for the Wanamaker Mile at the Milrose Games in New York City on February 8, 2025. (Hobbs came in 2nd last year at this race with a time of 3:48.66; fellow American star Yared Nuguse took the win.)

Hobbs was most recently on the episode right after placing 5th in the 1500m in Paris, running a 3:29.45, in the most stacked and competitive 1500 race of all time. He also ran the 800m in the Olympics, but was eliminated in the semifinals.

Hobbs competed for Skyline High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan (the school he attended for academics did not offer competitive sports). It was in high school that Hobbs ran an indoor mile record of 3:57.66. Hobbs then ran a 3:34.36 in the 1500m while still in high school, which was faster than the NCAA record at the time; this catapulted him to his first Olympic Trials in 2021.

While Hobbs' father was his high school coach, he delegated most of the planning for his son's training to Michigan coach Ron Warhurst, whom he still trains under as a member of the Very Nice Track Club in Michigan.

This 21-year-old is chock full of professionalism and has a laundry list of accomplishments.

In today's conversation, we dive into Hobbs's fall training, his mindset for the Millrose games and the 2025 season, how he views breakthroughs, advice to make your 2025 your best year yet, why 2025 is the year of Hobbs Kessler, and so much more.

We can't wait for you to hear this episode. Lace-up your shoes, throw in your AirPods, and enjoy this conversation with the legend Hobbs Kessler.

Tap into the Hobbs Kessler Special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W N O T E S

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Today's discussion on the podcast is one of depth around the hot topic of NCAA roster limits and how they will fundamentally change the nature of the NCAA forever. In my opinion, there's no better person to have this conversation with than Liberty University's Assistant Track Coach and Meet Director, Mark Fairley. Coach Mark recently written a letter to Congress in hopes of standing before a Federal Judge in April as an advocate for the removal of the NCAA's new proposed changes to roster limits. Coach Mark discusses his involvement and how he has educated his own athletes at Liberty on this issue, getting many to participate and get their voices out there. Coach Mark is a native of Dubuque, Iowa, and has worked his way up the ranks since joining as an interim assistant. Coach Mark found success as an athlete in the world of triathlon, earning his professional racing license in 2019. Coach Mark was a standout athlete at Central College, where he captured the men's steeplechase national title at the 2018 NCAA Division 3 Outdoor Championships as a senior. He has the school record in the steeplechase with a time of 8:57.39. His other PRs include a 4:16.42 in the mile; 8:23 in the 3K and 14:42.67 in the 5K. He was the Central Region Men's XC and Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Coach Mark graduated from Central College with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science. He has a Master's Degree in sport management and is working toward a second in biblical studies. In today's conversation, we go through Coach Mark's individual accolades and accomplishments, how he rose in his coaching career, and then tackle the hot topic of roster-limits. He takes me through the 2.8 billion dollar NCAA settlement, revenue-sharing, and roster-limits. We discuss all of this at length and what it means for the next era of the NCAA. Tap into the Coach Mark Fairley Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W N O T E S -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The NXN Champion returns to the podcast today!

Last month, Jane won NXN in dominant fashion, running a course record time of 16:32 in Portland, Oregon. She won by over 40-seconds in muddy, rainy, cold conditions.

Two weeks earlier, she recorded the fastest 5K ever in high school girls XC, running a 15:50 in the NXR Southwest race this past November.

She's only the second girl to break 16 on a XC course.

The Timpview senior is headed to BYU next season.

She has PRs of 9:45.44 in the 3200, 4:35.69 in the mile, 4:17 in the 1500, and 2:07.85 in the 800, winning 2 state titles and 1 national title.

Her mom, Sarah, ran in high school. Her dad, John Hedengren, ran in high school and was an All American runner at BYU. Her brother Isaac currently runs for BYU.

In today's conversation, Jane takes me through her 2024 XC season and shares many of the setbacks she experienced for the first publically in today's conversation. She walks through how she maintained self-belief through it all and exclusiveinsights on her training, mindset, and more from her 2024 season.

Tap into the Jane Hedengren Special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W N O T E S

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Today's conversation is one of my favorite in recent memory. I have the privilege of speaking with 26-year-old track and field star Gabbi Jennings. Gabbi is from Slidell, Louisiana, where she attended First Baptist Christian School. Gabbi notched 44 state titles in Track and Cross Country during her time there. Yes, you read that right. FORTY FOUR. Gabbi then competed at Furman University and was a three-time All-American. During her time at Furman she had PRs of 2:04.66 in the 800m; 4:12.60 in the 1500m; 4:37.46 in the Mile; 15:33.59 in the 5k in track; and 16:55.1 in the 5k in Cross Country. Among her notable achievements in college include qualifying for the NCAA East Preliminaries in an unprecedented four events (800m, 1500m, 5k, 3k Steeplechase). Gabbi came in 20th at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships and qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track Championships in the Mile. She graduated with a degree in Communication in 2020. Gabbi would go on to sign a professional contract with Team Boss and eventually Adidas. In 2022, at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she came in 4th in the Steeplechase, running a new PR of 9:25.05. She also represented the United States in 2022 at the NACAC Championships winning the gold in the Steeplechase. Most recently, she ran a 9:07.70 in August at a Diamond League event in Rome. In today's conversation, Gabbi and I dive deep into her backstory, how she won 44 state-titles, what winning her first one as a 5th grader meant, her years at Furman and how they shaped her, how she's striving for more in this next stage of her professional career, learning under Emma Coburn, her thoughts and ambitions for the future, and much more. This one was fun, deep, full of wisdom, all the things that make a great podcast. Lace-up your shoes, throw in the AirPods, and be blessed by the stories and wisdom of Gabbi Jennings. Tap into the Gabbi Jennings Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W N O T E S -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠