Road to the Trials

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Peter Bromka sits down with Chris Maxon, one of the most intriguing first-time marathoners to emerge this cycle. Chris made his marathon debut at the California International Marathon and finished an eye-opening fifth place. While many runners need time to forget the pain of their first marathon before even considering another, Chris walked away both satisfie...

In this episode of  Road to the Trials , Peter Bromka sits down with JP Trojan, who delivered a breakthrough performance at the California International Marathon with a 2:10 finish and a fourth-place result that even surprised him. For much of the build to CIM, JP wasn’t sure how the race would go — telling his coach the day before he wasn’t confident — yet when the gun went off, he showed up as a...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Lindsey Hein and Peter Bromka sit down with Maddie Block, one of the many women who qualified for the Olympic Trials Marathon at CIM in December. Maddie ran 2:36:27 in what was her fifth marathon, all while balancing life as a third-year medical student. Maddie’s path to the Olympic Trials standard is anything but linear. She shares how she began her college...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Peter Bromka and Matt Chittim sit down with Jacob Thomson, a name American distance running fans should know well. A former national champion in the half marathon and a top-10 finisher at the California International Marathon, Jacob has been competing at a high level for more than a decade and continues to evolve as a marathoner. Based in Flagstaff, Arizona,...

This episode of Road to the Trials is one for the books. On Sunday, January 11, Zouhair Talbi ran 2:05 to win the Houston Marathon in a course record, marking a major milestone in a long and steady rise that has already seen him run 2:06 and now firmly establish himself among the world’s top marathoners. Just 30 minutes later, his wife Elizabeth crossed the same finish line in 2:35, securing her o...

Turner Wiley may have flown under the radar for years, but his performance at the Marathon Project made everyone pay attention. After previously running 2:11:59 and quietly qualifying for multiple Olympic Trials as a club runner with Club Northwest in Seattle, Turner delivered a massive breakthrough by finishing second at the Marathon Project in 2:09:27. The result marked a turning point in his ca...

Carter Norbo joins Road to the Trials after earning her first Olympic Trials qualifying time at the Marathon Project, running 2:36:25 just over four months postpartum. It is a breakthrough years in the making, built on persistence, patience, and a deep love for the marathon. Carter ran her first marathon in 2015 at the Chicago Marathon, clocking 2:56, and has since completed more than a dozen mara...

Michael “Magic” McCann joins Road to the Trials after sliding into Peter Bromka’s DMs with a bold claim: he might be the youngest Olympic Trials qualifier so far. At just 22 years old, Michael ran 2:14 at CIM, and his energy is exactly what you’d expect from someone whose running story feels like it is accelerating in real time. Mike walks through his background in Division III running and how he...

Ben Rosario joins Lindsey Hein, Peter Bromka, and Matt Chittim on Road to the Trials to recap the return of The Marathon Project, which took place last weekend in Chandler, Arizona. Ben is the co-founder and CEO of The Marathon Project and brings decades of experience across nearly every corner of the running world. From elite athlete to coach, event director, and program founder, he offers a rare...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, host Matt Chittim sits down with Maya Weigel, who has emerged as one of the most compelling athletes in the marathon space. Maya recently finished top 10 at the USATF Marathon National Championships at CIM, running an impressive 2:28 and further establishing herself as a rising contender heading toward 2028. A former Division III national champion and multipl...

Hosts Matt Chittim and Peter Bromka sit down with elite marathoner Colin Mickow, one of the most consistently underrated men in American distance running. Colin is a two-time top-20 finisher at the Olympic Marathon Trials (15th and 21st), and he represented the United States on the world stage at the 2022 World Championships. This fall, he delivered another standout performance at the Chicago Mara...

Hosts Lindsey Hein and Peter Bromka sit down with Tessa Barrett, the 2013 Foot Locker National Champion and Penn State All-American whose return to elite racing has been nothing short of remarkable. Tessa won the Marine Corps Marathon this fall, running 2:34, only to learn afterward that the race wasn’t eligible for Olympic Trials qualification. Instead of letting the setback define her, she regro...

Lindsey Hein and Peter Bromka are joined by one of the most respected and generous voices in the sport,  Stephanie Bruce , on this episode of  Road to the Trials . Stephanie joined the show during a busy weekend surrounding the California International Marathon, where she played a pivotal role as both mentor and pacer. Through the Tracksmith Stamata team, Stephanie spent the weekend supporting and...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Peter Bromka sits down with Amanda Mosborg, whose rise in the marathon over the past year and a half has been nothing short of remarkable. Amanda ran her first marathon at Grandma’s with a 2:47, followed it up with a breakthrough 2:37 at the Boston Marathon, and then capped off the year by running 2:31 to win the Indy Monumental Marathon. A former Division II...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Peter Bromka and Matt Chittim sit down with Leigh Anne Sharek, a Brooklyn, New York based marathoner and founding member of Brooklyn Track Club, fresh off a huge breakthrough at CIM. Leigh Anne shares what most people do not admit out loud. She spent much of the race wanting to drop out, managing the mental grind mile by mile, before something shifted around...

Lindsey Hein and Peter Bromka sit down with  JaQuavious Harris  for one of their first post-race interviews from the California International Marathon. Jaquavious ran more than two minutes under the Olympic Trials standard, setting a massive marathon personal best and delivering one of the most energetic finish-line interviews of the weekend. In this conversation, he shares his journey to the mara...

In this episode of Road to the Trials, we speak with Futsum Zienasellassie, the winner of the US Marathon Championship at CIM. Futsum tracked down Joe Whelan with one mile to go to grab the win! We explore his journey from his first marathon victory in 2022 to his recent triumph, discussing the changes in his training environment and primary sponsor. Futsum shares insights into his mental and phys...

This episode is a CIM weekend recap with Lindsey Hein, Peter Bromka and Matt Chittim. They share what it was like on the ground in Sacramento, from the expo and live shows to race day on a nearly perfect marathon weather day. You will hear behind the scenes stories from the OTQ packs, finish line interviews and why CIM has become such a go to race for chasing big goals. This episode is sponsored b...

On this episode of Road to the Trials, Peter Bromka and Matt Chittim sit down with the fourth and fifth place finishers from the Indy Monumental Marathon, teammates and training partners Gabby Hentemann  and  Alyssa McElheny of Gazelle Elite. They broke the tape just seconds apart in Indianapolis, but arrived there through very different paths. Gabby, a Division I alum, debuted at the marathon wit...

Matt Chittim and co-host Peter Bromka sit down with marathoner and coach Andrew Bowman, a new dad who has already punched his ticket to the 2028 Trials. Andrew talks about qualifying again this fall after a tough weather day at Detroit Free Press, turning around quickly to race Indy Monumental, and how he and his wife, marathon standout Sydney Devore, support each other through parenting, coaching...

Lindsey Hein, Matt Chittim, and Peter Bromka sit down for a California International Marathon preview as CIM hosts the USATF Marathon Championships. They break down the top storylines on the men’s and women’s sides, talk about who might contend for the win, who is chasing OTQs, and what to expect from the Road to the Trials live shows at the expo. They also share some CIM history, favorite athlete...

In this episode, Lindsey Hein and Peter Bromka catch up with newly qualified athlete Lucy Dobbs, who ran a standout 2:32 at the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, taking second place and earning a four-minute personal best. Lucy shares how she approached race day in Indianapolis, what clicked for her in training, and why Monumental has been home to several breakthrough moments in her...

Road to the Trials brings on marathon workhorse Joe Whelan, also known on this episode as “The Marathon Wolverine.” Joe digs into what it looks like to be incredibly durable in the marathon, as Joe has already raced Berlin, Boston, Grandma’s, Austin, and Indianapolis Monumental in 2025, with California International Marathon circled as his true A-race. Joe shares how he thinks about stacking marat...

In this special Road to the Trials episode, Peter Bromka and Matt Chittim team up with Brendan Gregg, the Course Director of the California International Marathon and a former CIM champion, for the ultimate 2025 race preview. Brendan brings insider knowledge from both sides of the barriers: years of experience designing and refining the course, and firsthand insight as an elite athlete who has mas...

Kristin Dailey joins hosts Lindsey Hein and Peter Bromka to share her late-blooming rise in the marathon. After years of running for fitness, a stranger encouraged her to try 26.2. She ran her first marathon at the age of 40 in 3:07, then teamed up with Mary Johnson’s Lift Run Perform team to break three hours in Indianapolis. Now training with DW Running in the Chicago area, Kristin has elevated...