The Future of Distance Running Has a Name: It’s Quentin Nauman Closing a 3:58 Mile in 54 Seconds at The Festival of Miles | The Start of a Legacy That Might Just Catch Alan Webb

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

Running, Sports

4.8 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 15 June 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

He broke the barrier—and the sport felt it.

Quentin Nauman is back on the pod in the final episode of our Festival of Miles series—a fitting finish to a week that reminded us just how far the sport is moving.

Just days ago at the HOKA Festival of Miles, Quentin lined up against the top high school milers in the country and ran 3:58.65—joining the elite ranks of sub-four athletes and pushing the ceiling of what high school runners can do.

It wasn’t just a win. It was a cultural moment in high school track.

This year has been something different. Sub-four miles are no longer mythical, they're happening. But Quentin’s not just following the wave. He’s setting it.

Earlier this season, he became the first high school athlete in U.S. history to run sub-1:50 in the 800 and sub-4:00 in the 1600 at the same meet. That’s not progression. That’s a shift in what young athletes believe is possible.

What’s fueling this surge in high school distance running? What does it mean to carry the weight of a generational leap? And where do we go from here, now that the old limits are falling?

This isn’t just a fast kid running fast. This is a flashpoint in the evolution of the sport and Quentin Nauman is right in the middle of it.

In today's conversation, Quentin takes me through a race that will define him and his legacy for years to come. We dive into the BTS of the 2025 FOM and Quentin's legendary performance, where he won in 3:58 in a 54 close; we talk about the rest of his season, his ambitions for the future, including breaking Alan Webb's record, and more.

Tap into the Quentin Nauman Special.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I mean, I really do want to go for Alan Webb's record. It's definitely a bold statement.
0:03.8	The guys are talking to me. Like, I talked to Josiah and Tavion, or Tavon, sorry, about, you know go for Alan Webb's record. I was just like, you know, I might have to.
0:23.6	Like, it's going to be a long reach.
0:25.2	353 is moving.
0:27.3	Like, that's college, Olympic, like, that's just moving.
0:32.2	And it would be a really cool goal to put on the sheet.
0:38.1	Ladies and gentlemen, May 31st, there was a proposal by yours truly.
0:42.9	I've coronated Jackson Hidish as the King of Iowa.
0:45.7	May 31st, 2025, I proposed Quentin Nauman as the Prince of Iowa.
0:51.2	And I would say confidently, June 5th at the St. Louis University High School
0:55.5	Track was his coronation. I think he is officially the Prince of Iowa. I think he's going to go
1:01.1	down in the record books. Here to break it all down, the man himself. Quentin, welcome back to the
1:05.6	podcast. Thank you for having me. This Prince title, I think you can accept it now.
1:11.3	How do we feel about it?
1:12.0	I think you can, you can confidently accept it now.
1:14.9	358 to your name.
1:17.0	How do you feel about it?
1:18.1	I can confidently take it.
1:19.5	I mean, it's very nice.
1:20.4	And again, like I said, Jackson keeps the king.
1:24.2	I'll take the Prince.
1:25.3	It's really cool.
	...

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