How This United States Air Force Airman Placed 4th In The World At The World Championships: How Sam Gilman Defied The Odds & Made His Dreams A Reality

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

Running, Sports

4.8 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Personal challenges have not dimmed the force that is Sam Gilman.

A former Air Force Academy distance star, Sam came into the New Year with a blast, securing bronze at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in February with a time of 7:38.64 in the 3,000m.

Sam followed that up with a 7:34.69 on March 2 at Boston University, a new PR for the distance. Sam has additional PRs of 13:15.58 in the 5k, 3:35.40 in the 1500m, 3:52.81 in the mile, and 1:52.50 in the 800m.

Sam’s impressive start to the New Year earned him a spot on Team USA for the USATF Indoor Championships in China; he clocked a 7:47.19, and was 0.1 seconds shy of a podium finish, claiming fourth in the 3,000m.

Sam was a two-time All-American at Air Force; he finished 5th in the 2022 NCAA outdoor 5K championship and 6th in the 2021 NCAA XC Championship. He graduated in 2023, and is currently heading out to Utah to train with Grant Fisher and his well-respected coach, Mike Scannell.

Sam went to Hilton Head High School in South Carolina, where he accounted for two state titles in the 1600m, and one in the 800m and 3200m. He also set a South Carolina state record in the mile with a time of 4:06.50.

In today's conversation, Sam walks me through his time as a professional runner, his performance at World Indoors, getting accepted into WCAP, lessons from training with Grant Fisher, his ambitions for the future, and so much more.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I could kick and stream all I wanted. I could complain on Instagram or Facebook about how I thought I deserved it or how I heard it.
0:06.9	But that wasn't going to change anything.
0:09.8	You have two options when something doesn't go your way.
0:12.4	You can give up and complain or you can put your head down and say, I'm going to make it work.
0:17.6	And that's kind of what I did.
0:19.3	And I kind of had to make them say yes,
0:21.2	I thought. I have to make you say yes. That was Sam Gilman today back on the Running Effect
0:29.7	podcast. He came on the podcast, I want to say about two years ago when he was running for
0:34.3	the United States Air Force Academy based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
0:39.3	And Sam has been on a tear recently.
0:41.4	He recently placed fourth at the World Indoor Championships in the 3K in China, and he recaps that experience in depth in today's conversation.
0:50.3	He was in the hunt for a medal with a lap to go and had a crazy sprint finish, which was so exciting to watch.
0:56.7	He also has some news to drop in today's conversation.
0:59.7	He got accepted into the WCAP program, and he will be training under coach Mike Scannell,
1:05.0	based out of Park City, Utah, from here on out, starting at the end of April.
1:09.9	He's also run 734 in the 3K, which he ran on March 2nd,
1:14.4	by Sam Gilman stock people. He's also just so honest and vulnerable, which I always so appreciate
1:19.0	because it makes the conversation so much better. And you guys are going to enjoy this one.
1:23.0	I so appreciate Sam, his service to our country and his dedication to his craft. If you do enjoy it,
1:28.2	share with a friend, a family member, a teammate, someone who you think would find value and benefit
1:32.4	from it. And with all of those notes aside, I hope you all enjoy this conversation with the one
1:36.6	and only Mr. Sam Gilman. Mr. Sam Gilman, a lot has happened since we last spoke. No snowy mountains in the background
	...

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