Ethan Strand Ran 3:30.25 in Just His Second Pro Race—Now the NCAA Record-Holder Is Headed to the World Championships With One Goal: Win a Medal
THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST
Dominic Schlueter
4.8 • 686 Ratings
🗓️ 7 August 2025
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ethan Strand isn’t a prospect anymore: he’s the problem everyone else is trying to solve.
Just months after rewriting the NCAA record books with blistering indoor times in the mile (3:48.32) and 3,000m (7:30.15), Ethan took another quantum leap—this time on the pro stage.
In only his second race as a professional, he lined up at Hayward Field for the U.S. Championships and ran 3:30.25 in the 1500 meters, finishing second in a stacked field and earning his first senior Team USA berth for the World Championships in Tokyo.
He’s back on the show with The Tokyo World Championships right around the corner.
What makes this moment even more remarkable is the velocity of his ascent. From his days as a state-record holder at Vestavia Hills High School to his reign at UNC (where he became the first collegiate athlete ever to break both the indoor mile and 3,000m records in the same season), Ethan’s trajectory has been jaw-dropping.
In Eugene, he didn’t just hang with the nation's best. He outkicked nearly all of them, including Olympic and World Championship finalists.
His 3:30.25 ranks as the second-fastest in NCAA history and confirmed what close followers of the sport have sensed for a while: Ethan Strand is trying to become one of the best to ever do it.
In today's conversation, Ethan walks me through this remarkable, career-defining result, as well as his newfound ambition as a pro. Why he thinks he can compete with anyone in the world and what it's going to take to get to the top.
We dive deep into his recent races and future beliefs.
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Do you think there's anyone in the world in the 1500 who you view as not being able to beat yourself? |
| 0:06.0 | Right now, no. On any given day, I think I'm able to compete with anybody in the world. |
| 0:11.0 | I think if being top three in the U.S. gives me good enough confidence that I can do that. |
| 0:16.0 | I think on any given day I can I medal a world. |
| 0:19.0 | It's just a, can I put it together on the on the day |
| 0:22.8 | and can I keep keep myself excited going into over the next six weeks? So, |
| 0:27.0 | so. Ladies and gentlemen, you know him, you love him. That was Ethan Strand, |
| 0:35.3 | fresh off of making his first U.S. team, this time for the 2025 World Championships held in Tokyo, Japan. |
| 0:42.5 | Next month, Ethan ran 3.30 and changed in place second. And the men's 1500 at the 2025 U.S. Track and Field Championships held this past weekend in Eugene, Oregon. |
| 0:51.4 | So fresh off the press, Ethan is joining the podcast today. He's back. He's a fan favorite. He's been on the podcast probably five, six times at this point. And he dives deep into this performance, the training, the mindset, the tactics that made this all possible, as well as I look forward to his career. He thinks he can be one of the best in the world at this event. And it was really awesome to dive |
| 1:11.5 | into that specific mindset with him. I'm going to keep this one short because I want you guys to just hop into this one here. Ethan's kind of breakdown of everything. If you enjoy it, share with a friend, a family member, a teammate, someone who you think would find value and benefit from it. Give us a five-star review. I genuinely think this episode is worthy of that. and it takes three seconds of your time. |
| 1:08.4 | And hit the follow or subscribe button |
| 1:09.6 | so you never miss another episode. |
| 1:11.4 | Got some massive... five-star review. I genuinely think this episode is worthy of that and it takes three seconds of your time. And hit the follow or subscribe button so you never miss another episode. |
| 1:30.6 | Got some massive conversations coming up with people like Cooper Lutton House, Jack Fleming, |
| 1:35.3 | the president of the Boston Marathon in many other studs that you haven't heard recently. |
| 1:39.5 | And so hit the follow button so you don't miss those conversations. And without further ado, |
| 1:42.6 | enjoy my conversation with recent U.S. team member and one of the best to do it in the 1500 in the world at this point, |
| 1:49.6 | Mr. Ethan Strand. |
| 1:53.3 | Ladies and gentlemen, he's back. |
| 1:54.9 | He's here this time with a U.S. second place title to his name. |
| 2:00.4 | He's going to the World Championships in Tokyo. |
... |
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