“I had every excuse in the book. The perfect narrative to show up and have fun and chalk it all up to injury and sponsor change. But there was this constant question: how can I be true to myself and respectful of the fitness I’ve gained?”

My guest for today’s episode is Clayton Young. He’s back after the 2026 Boston Marathon, which was his tenth marathon and this his tenth appearance on this podcast. He ran 2:05:41 for 11th place in the fastest and deepest field the race has ever seen. That time makes him one of the five fastest American men in marathon history on all courses.

What makes this performance worth a full conversation is everything that went into it. Clayton came into Boston off a foot and ankle injury that kept him cross training for sixteen weeks. He switched sponsors to Brooks, he had ten weeks of actual running, and he made the decision, consciously and explicitly, to compete — not to show up and let the circumstances be the excuse, but to play to win. The result was a two-and-a-half-minute PR and a Wellesley College high-five moment that went viral.

In this conversation, we go deep on the psychology of that decision, the Coach Ed Eyestone mantra of “fresh, flow, fearless, and faith,” the intel Clayton gathered from Rory Linkletter the night before that told him exactly how the race was going to go, the power data that said he was 1-2% less powerful than the year prior, and what it felt like to relive Chicago 2023 while dueling Ryan Ford in the closing miles of Boston.

We also get into the top 10 streak that Boston broke, what Clayton thinks about his spot in the American marathon pecking order heading toward LA 2028, and the sunglasses saga involving my own pair of shades.

____________

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez

Guest: Clayton Young | @_clayton_young_

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

OLIPOP: Olipop’s Tropical Punch tastes like a vacation in a can. It has the perfect balance of pineapple, passionfruit, mandarin, and apple. Every can contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠

XENDURANCE: When you finish a hard workout, the work isn't actually done. That's when recovery starts. Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.