Making a name for herself on her own merit has been the formula of Emma Grace Hurley's consistency as an emerging distance talent who has shined in her breakout moments with a second place finish at the 2024 USA Cross Country Championships and making the U.S. national team for the world cross country champs later that year.

And she's practiced the kind of patience and consistency that has put her in the conversation for the 2028 Olympics for one of three coveted women's marathon slots,

But the path hasn't come easy. She found herself tied to a bit of drama and controversy in March when a pace vehicle mistakenly led her off course USA Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta and off of the podium. After the matter was mostly resolved, Hurley continued a strong season on the road and heads into the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen in September ready to prove why the stage she continues to face courageously is the one she belongs on.

Adjustments are inevitable in the sport and so far this year has been a mix of world leads, athletes moving up in disciplines or even using the season of no world championships or Olympics to start families.

But the track has stayed active and the road racing is equally as busy — while Sinclaire Johnson has been taking the mental notes to find and establish her place among podium chasers.

In this episode, Johnson, who is the current North American record-holder in the mile, offers a wide-ranging and honest take on her progression, her sponsor switch to Hoka, navigating injuries and defining what clarity looks like on race day.

Consistency and improvement are probably the two main pillars that Ben Allen routinely leans on when he lines up at the track on race day, but also in his approach to training. The Minnesota native has specialized in distances between the 800m and the mile for New York-based Empire Elite Track Club where he's defined his mark on the professional scene.

After his collegiate career at Concordia University, St. Paul, Allen was unsure where running would take him but connected with Empire after seeing current teammate Eric Holt's animated reaction during an interview at a track meet.

In this episode, Ben talks about embracing the nuances of progression that sometimes comes with detours — and even setbacks — and finding the tools to prevail as he continues to press to break 3:50 in the mile.

A commitment to the grind remains one of the main tools Nikki Hiltz is taking into the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships this weekend in Poland as they lock in and seize the chance to crack another finish line tape first and win on the international stage.

Just weeks prior, a familiar tale played out in New York as Hiltz grabbed a fourth straight women's indoor 1,500m title in 4:11.34 — their tenth national crown overall — and dominated during an early season buildup that won't include major outdoor championship or Olympics.

Still, the plan is simple as it is clear and Hiltz spoke on what matters most in a wide-ranging chat about pushing even harder on the track, continued advocacy, the decision to go pubic about a personal decision regarding their body and finding the formula to close out the indoor season at the top of the podium.

Olympic gold put Cole Hocker on global stage at the 2024 Paris Games when a final surge in the men's 1,500m silenced favorites like Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr — and propelled his growing legend as the one to beat.

It also help reinforced the idea this era of middle distance racing could deliver dramatic finishes and storylines like its sprint counterparts.

But for Hocker, remaining grounded is a part of a formula that has ensure that the main event is whenever he steps on the track, with a constant them of reminding the no lead is secure when he's involved.

Before his win in the men's 3,000m at the USATF Indoor Championships in New York, Hocker spoke on the outlook for his season, his sudden boost in notoriety after the Paris and if he had any side quests planned in a year of no Olympics or world championships.

Teen phenom Quincy Wilson walks — and runs — a fine line that stretches to a budding pro career while navigating his final year of high school at Bulls School in Maryland. In the fall he won't be too far away from home after committing to the University of Maryland and stepping into the collegiate arena.

Despite already being an Olympian, repping New Balance and becoming part of the lead pack of next generation sprint talents that will headline Team USA's roster in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Wilson chatted with Axel about how he manages his own rising stock while staying grounded and composed.

The impact of making the Paris Olympics as part of Team USA's squad still resonates with Allie Wilson.

She punched her ticket as part of a chaotic women's 800m final in Eugene last year as part of a whirlwind season where she also signed a contract with Nike — part of a sign that things were changing and the pauses in life would soon become rarer.

But in a fast sport, the time away from the track feels even faster and 2025's long season on the track has wrapped and road races now dominate calendar.

Wilson spoke with me last month after a frantic Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City and touched on several points as she caught her breath — including her move up to the 1,500m (and mile) — and what a post-Olympic mindset means for the chase to be healthy and consistent.

T'Mars McCallum is accustomed to running in a tough collegiate conference — the SEC — and boldly proud of being one of the leaders of Tennessee's track and field squad.

But his world shifted a bit last weekend at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis when he ran the world lead in the 200m in 19.73. The eyes of the sport suddenly looked his way and he was far from a face in a crowd of sprinters. And in a few weeks he could be among those competing for a world title in Tokyo.

In this episode, McCallum talks about his whirlwind weekend, team camaraderie and even coaching himself in high school as he tried being a sprinter and jumper.