Road to the Trials

Michael Morris has been chasing the Olympic Trials qualifier for over six years. In this conversation, he shares what it actually looks like to stay committed through near-misses, setbacks, and years of steady progress, ultimately breaking through with a 2:15:07 at the McCurdy Micro Marathon to secure his spot at the 2028 Trials.  Michael reflects on the evolution of his training, from balancing t...

Andrew Storer, the filmmaker behind one of the most impactful running series in recent memory, joins  Road to the Trials to share how he built a documentary-style look into elite marathoning from the ground up.  After being laid off and pushed into freelancing, Andrew took a risk on telling the story of athletes like Clayton Young, recognizing a gap in how the sport was being documented. What foll...

Abby Shoemaker joins Road to the Trials after a standout performance at the Napa Valley Marathon, where she ran 2:35 to secure her Olympic Trials Qualifying time and set a course record. Abby shares her unconventional path to the marathon, from running Division III at the University of Chicago to building her career and training life in New York City. She reflects on the breakthrough moment that s...

Rebecca Schmitt joins Road to the Trials after a breakout performance at the California International Marathon, where she placed sixth overall and ran 2:28 to secure her Olympic Trials qualifier. Balancing a full-time career as an engineer with high-level training, Rebecca’s path to this moment has been anything but linear. In this episode, Rebecca shares her progression from a 2:55 marathoner run...

Head coach Sam Butler joins Road to the Trials to share how he’s building one of the most exciting emerging marathon groups in the U.S. through Gazelle Elite. Based in Michigan and supported by Gazelle Sports and adidas, the team has quickly gained momentum with multiple athletes qualifying for the Olympic Trials and many more knocking on the door. Sam walks through the origins of Gazelle Elite, f...

JP Flavin joins the show after a breakthrough win at the Marathon Project and a massive leap forward to 2:09. His journey hasn’t followed a traditional path, but that’s exactly what makes it compelling. From a solid but not standout college career to becoming one of the top American marathoners, JP has built his success through consistency, self-awareness, and a willingness to evolve. JP shares ho...

Matt Lenehan joins Road to the Trials after qualifying for his third Olympic Trials, most recently breaking 2:16 at CIM. What stands out most about Matt’s journey isn’t just the progression from 2:38 to sub-2:16, but how he’s approached running the entire time: with consistency, curiosity, and a commitment to keeping it fun. Matt shares how his progression has been steady rather than explosive, bu...

Emily Saul joins Road to the Trials for a thoughtful conversation about the mental side of racing and what it takes to pursue big goals without letting pressure take over. A sports psychologist based in Boston, Emily works with athletes at every level and brings both professional expertise and personal experience as a marathoner to this conversation. This episode explores the psychology behind cha...

Kristoffer Mugrage joins  Road to the Trials  to talk about his journey through multiple Olympic Trials cycles and what it takes to build a career in the marathon over the long term. Kris first came close to the Trials standard at CIM in 2019, missing by just seconds, and has steadily improved since then through years of high-mileage training and consistent racing. Kris shares how his confidence a...

This week on Road to the Trials, Peter Bromka talks with Macy McRowe, whose marathon training looks very different from the typical elite approach. Instead of the standard 7-day training cycle, Macy structures her training around a 14-day schedule, often running long only once every two weeks and mixing in significant cross training alongside limited running volume. Despite the unconventional stru...

Zach Kreft joins Road to the Trials after a remarkable 2025 season that included five marathons and a major breakthrough at the California International Marathon. After narrowly missing the Olympic Trials standard at the Chicago Marathon with a 2:16:30, Zach returned later in the year and delivered a huge performance at CIM, running 2:13:05 to secure his place at the Olympic Trials. Zach shares wh...

Felicia Pasadyn joins Road to the Trials after qualifying for the Olympic Trials Marathon in New York City with a 2:35 performance—her third marathon and part of a rapid progression from 2:49 to 2:44 to 2:35. At just 23 years old, Felicia brings one of the most unique backgrounds in the field. A former Harvard swimmer who later swam while completing her master’s at Ohio State, Felicia spent most o...

Ethan Shuley joins  Road to the Trials  after running 2:07:14, the seventh fastest marathon in American history. At just 27 years old and only a few years into serious marathoning, his rise has been fast, from 2:18 to 2:11 to 2:07 in a short window. But as Ethan explains, the breakthrough didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of years of trial, error, and steadily applying simple principles at...

Lindsey Hein, Peter Bromka, and Matt Chittim are all together for this episode for a behind-the-scenes “group chat” episode of  Road to the Trials . Between some friendly banter they swap highlights from recent interviews, call out a few standout guests, and share why certain episodes feel like essential listens. The bigger takeaway is how wide the range of “successful paths” really is. Different...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Lindsey Hein and Peter Bromka sit down with one of the most accomplished American distance runners of her generation: Emily Sisson. Emily is the American record holder in the marathon with her 2:18:29 performance at the Chicago Marathon, a five-time Olympic Trials qualifier, and a two-time Olympian in both the 10,000m and the marathon. She reflects on the def...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Matt Chittim and Peter Bromka sit down with Piper Atnip for one of the most powerful conversations of the season. Piper’s journey to the Olympic Trials is anything but ordinary. From profound personal tragedy to earning her spot on the start line, her story is one of resilience, perspective, and quiet strength. With clarity, humility, and emotional honesty, P...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Peter Bromka and Lindsey Hein sit down with Melissa Berry, fresh off an incredible marathon debut at the California International Marathon, where she ran 2:35:57 to qualify for the Olympic Trials. Melissa grew up in Eugene, Oregon and ran collegiately at the University of Oregon, navigating the ups and downs of a six-year college career that spanned the COVID...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Peter Bromka and Matt Chittim sit down with Reed Fischer to talk about competing on the world stage, staying consistent at the top of U.S. marathoning, and what comes next on the road to 2028. Reed reflects on his experience racing at the World Athletics Championships, breaking down how the race unfolded, what he learned from competing against the best in the...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Matt Chittim sits down with Hannah Chau, a newly minted Olympic Trials qualifier whose story blends big racing goals with an equally demanding path in medicine. Hannah reflects on her first attempt at qualifying for 2024 while still at UC Irvine, when she narrowly missed the standard at CIM in a debut marathon that was both chaotic and unforgettable. She shar...

In this episode of  Road to the Trials , Peter Bromka is joined by Mimi Smith, fresh off a sixth-place finish at the Houston Marathon. Mimi’s path to this breakthrough has been anything but overnight. She grew up in Chicago, ran collegiately at Wake Forest University, and made her Olympic Trials debut at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, where she finished 65th in just her third marathon. Aft...

In this episode of  Road to the Trials , Peter Bromka sits down with Hansons-Brooks Project teammates Ethan Gregg and Awet Beraki, two rising marathoners who recently made their debuts in Houston and secured Olympic Trials qualifying times. Ethan and Awet share what it’s like joining one of the most storied marathon programs in the country, Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, where high mileage, long...

In this episode of  Road to the Trials , Matt Chittim sits down with  Katie Watson , a two-time Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier whose path to the start line is defined as much by service as it is by performance. Katie balances elite-level marathon training with demanding work supporting children who have experienced trauma, a responsibility that shapes how she approaches running, recovery, and r...

Today on Road to the Trials, we’re sharing a special conversation originally recorded on the  Human Performance Outliers  podcast with host  Zach Bitter . In this wide-ranging discussion, Peter Bromka reflects on his own Olympic Trials journey, the fine margins of marathon performance, and why storytelling has become such a powerful force in modern running. The conversation explores what it really...

Five months into Season 4, Peter, Matt, and Lindsey sit down for a behind-the-scenes check-in on what’s working, what’s surprised them, and what’s coming next. They talk about how the show came together, why CIM became the season’s biggest inflection point, and how the team is balancing an ever-growing wave of qualifiers with the goal of featuring every athlete who makes the standard. They also sh...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Peter Bromka and Lindsey Hein talk with Lisa Goodin, who ran 2:36 at CIM to qualify for the Olympic Trials Marathon in what she considers her second marathon. Lisa shares how an early, rocky marathon experience in college pushed her away from the distance for years, and how she eventually found her way back through half marathons, postpartum training seasons,...