430: Charles Hicks - Go For What You Love Most

C Tolle Run

Sports, Fitness, Running, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 555 Ratings

🗓️ 26 February 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

At just 24 years old, Charles Hicks is already building an impressive résumé. The professional Nike athlete recently placed 7th at the TCS New York City Marathon, clocking a blazing 2:09 (finishing as the second American in his debut marathon), and captured his first USATF Championship title at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. In this episode, Charles shares what’s fueled his breakthrough at longer distances, what it was like running alongside Eliud Kipchoge in New York, and the key lessons he’s learned throughout his rise in the sport. We also look back at his standout collegiate career at Stanford, preview what’s next on his racing calendar, and get a glimpse into who he is beyond the starting line. From mindset to mileage, this is a deep dive into one of American distance running’s brightest young stars.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Olympian Kerry Tullifson and welcome to the C-Tali Run podcast.
0:10.5	This week on C-Talai Run, we have Charles Hicks.
0:13.1	Charles is a professional runner for Nike and trains with the Swoosh T-C group in Eugene, Oregon.
0:18.6	He was seventh at the New York City Marathon this past fall, and he ran
0:22.4	209 in his marathon debut. Yep, that was his first 26.2. And not only did he play seventh overall,
0:29.7	but he was the second American. Pretty awesome. He also won last spring his first USATF championship.
0:36.6	He won the Cherry Blossom 10 mile in a course record.
0:40.7	He was a 2022 NCAA cross-country champion while he was at Stanford. He was the first ever to win
0:47.5	cross-country championships at Stanford. He was a three-time European U-23 champ, two times in cross, and one time on the track.
0:56.2	And he's getting ready to tackle the USATF half marathon championships in Atlanta at the public's half.
1:01.9	And then we'll run another world marathon major at the Boston Marathon this spring.
1:06.2	Such a great career already.
1:08.0	In this episode, we talk about his recent success at the longer distances
1:11.8	running with the goat, Ilya, in New York City. We learned about that race, what he hopes for
1:19.7	his next marathon, his journey into the sport as a kid, a bit about his time at Stanford,
1:26.2	altitude training, and upcoming races. So much fun in this
1:29.9	little episode. So let's get after it.
1:36.8	All right, Charles, welcome to see Talley Run. It's good to be here. Thanks for having me.
1:43.2	You know, I'm a huge fan. I have been for so long. And not only of you, but of your fam, like, I got to just tell you quickly. I reached out to your dad because he had texted me a picture of me broadcasting at the Boston Marathon. And I met him at the NCAAs and stuff when you were racing. But he was like, yeah, I'll get you a picture, but I'm heading into surgery. Did you know that I've talked to him already today? Oh, that's hilarious. Yeah, no, I know. It's a big day, isn't it? He's out in Colorado. We were just talking about that. So I'm hoping that all goes well. Fingers crossed, obviously. But, yeah, he's a tough one. I mean, he's like, I'm about to get wheeled in. I'm like, please ignore this message. I can ask Charles for a picture. But then your mom sent me eight pictures of you. Oh, my gosh. That's hilarious. I know. You have such a nice family. It's been really
2:37.4	fun to watch your career blossom. And so first and foremost, I just want to say congratulations on
2:43.6	your marathon and everything that's coming up now here this spring. I mean, you've had a blast of a year.
2:52.9	Oh my gosh. Yeah, it's been crazy.
	...

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