THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Tayvon Kitchen joined one of the deepest programs in college running as a freshman, and immediately became top billing. 

He kicked the door down, and in just a few months at BYU, he’s gone from high school phenom to All-American, Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and now one of the fastest U20 5,000-meter runners in American history.

Tayvon earned All-American status in his NCAA Cross Country Championships debut in 2025, finishing 32nd overall and as the top BYU runner. He was also named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned All-Big 12 honors.

In his indoor track debut for BYU, he ran an indoor 5,000m time of 13:30.74, which ranked as the American U20 #3 All-Time performance at the time. And then came January of 2026: he clocked an even faster time of 13:19.17 in the 5000 meters at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic. 

Tayvon’s other PRs include 3:41.62 in the 1500m, 3:59.61 in the mile, 7:55.48 in the indoor 3,000m, 8:41.21 in the 2 mile, and 29:01.5 in the 10,000 on grass.  

From Oregon state records to All-American honors, Tayvon is showing what’s possible when talent meets fearlessness and the right environment. And at BYU, he’s only just getting started.

Tap into the Tayvon Kitchen Special. 

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S H O W  N O T E S

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run 

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Jeffrey Stern is an elite ultrarunner, a coach obsessed with keeping athletes happy, and a storyteller inside the sport who understands what it really takes to stay in it for decades, not just seasons.

Jeffrey has completed the oldest trail race in America, the Dipsea Race, an astounding 16 consecutive times–and even recorded a personal best in his most recent foray. 

He’s also set several Fastest Known Times (FKTs), including the Backbone Trail (a 68-mile traverse in the Santa Monica Mountains), and the Los Padres Traverse (42 mile route).

These FKTs didn’t appear overnight: he has a history of crushing long-distance races of all kinds. His overall PRs in running include 15:55 for the 5000m, 1:12 for the half marathon, 2:36 for the marathon, 3:22 for the 50k, 6:07 for the 50 mile, 8:29 for the 100k, and 15:35 for the 100 mile. 

In the summer of 2024, he undertook a challenge to run two mountainous 100-mile races (Cascade Crest 100 and Angeles Crest 100) just two weeks apart. 

Jeff impacts the sport in many ways beyond just setting impressive long distance times. He serves as an assistant editor and columnist for Ultra Running Magazine, where he writes event recaps and athlete profiles.

As a coach he provides customized training plans for endurance athletes. And he is the race director for the Tamalpa Headlands 50K, the same race that originally drew him into ultrarunning. His day job also includes being the Head of Sports Marketing for Suunto.

If you care about running well, running long, and running for the right reasons, you don’t want to miss this one.

Tap into the Jeffrey Stern Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. 

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 
If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run 

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Hello 2026, and goodbye to another longstanding record in the world of professional running. 
 
Mr. Versatility himself, Hobbs Kessler, barged into the New Year like a storm and crushed Kenenisa Bekele’s 2,000m Indoor World Record with a 4:48.79 at Boston University on January 24 to set a new standard. (Grant Fisher also beat the World Record time with a still-sizzling 4:49.48.)  

Hobbs is a one-time World Indoor Championship Bronze Medalist (he earned the bronze medal in the 1500m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow); a one-time World Road Running Champion (he won the inaugural road mile event at the 2023 World Road Running Championships in Riga, setting a world record at the time); he finished fifth in the 1500m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics); and he is a two-time National Indoor Champion (in 2025, he won U.S. National Indoor titles in both the 1500m and the 3000m). 
 
Simply amazing numbers for an athlete who is just 22 years old. 

If you want to understand where the sport is going, you need to hear from the athletes already living there. And Hobbs is at the frontline of a group of stars ready to etch their names in the history books. 

Tap into the Hobbs Kessler Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. 

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run 

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

The Mitch Ammons story is no longer just a comeback story. He’s now a living case study of what happens when discipline compounds.

Last time Mitch was here he had run a 2:16 marathon, which was fast enough to qualify for the 2024 US Olympic Marathon trials. But he had bigger dreams.  

And the quiet workhorse has since improved upon that impressive time with a new marathon PR of 2:14:48 at the California International Marathon in December of 2025. (This qualifies him for the 2028 US Olympic Marathon trials.)

He also won the 2025 Austin Half Marathon with a time of 1:08:34, winning in a big way on his home course. Mitch continues to train as a member of the Bat City Track Club in Austin. He is also an athlete for BPN (Bare Performance Nutrition) and Altra Running.

In the ultra-running realm, Mitch has expressed that he wants to run the 2026 Go One More Last Man Standing Ultramarathon again, an event he competed in last year (he finished third with 126 miles). Outside of running, he continues to work as a full-time realtor in Austin for the Landy Frost Group.

Mitch Ammons didn’t come back to retell the same story. He came back to show what sustained belief looks like in real time. 

Tap into the Mitch Ammons Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. 

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 
If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run 

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Cole Sprout and Charles Hicks are here: two Stanford running legends in the same place, ready to chop it up at the exact moment their careers diverge.

Cole Sprout is just stepping into the professional ranks, leaving behind a dominant NCAA résumé to test himself on the roads and rethink how far his talent can stretch. Charles Hicks has already taken the leap to the roads, running 2:09:59 in his marathon debut at the New York City Marathon, instantly placing himself among the top American marathoners in history.

Cole made the transition from a decorated career at Stanford to running professionally under Jerry Schumacher. At Stanford he was a five-time All-American. He placed 4th in the 10,000m at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships and 5th in the 5,000m at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships as a Cardinal. 

Since turning pro, he has shifted focus toward road racing, where he placed 2nd at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K in NYC.

For Charles he became the first-ever Stanford runner to win the individual NCAA Division I Cross Country title in 2022. In November 2025, he completed his first-ever marathon in New York City with a remarkable 2:09:59.

If you want to understand what it really takes to move from potential to permanence at the professional level, Cole and Charles are here to give you some of that insight. 

Tap into the Cole Sprout and Charles Hicks Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. 

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. 

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W  N O T E S

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run 

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz