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The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show

The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show

Galen Coaches Kyle (Episode 2) | The Most Excited He’s Been Before A Race In A Long Time

Oct 5, 2026 · 1h 14m

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“I really haven’t been this excited heading into a race in a long time. And that’s all rooted in the training I’ve done.” Kyle Merber’s second conversation with Galen Rupp ahead of the Chicago Marathon comes with bittersweet news: Kyle is scratching. A jagged rock on the exit of a river after a good run turned into a trauma-induced plantar situation that worsened until Chicago was no longer feasible. He takes full responsibility and exonerates Galen completely. The coaching experiment, which produced some of Kyle’s best training since retiring, just ran out of luck in the final stretch. Galen, meanwhile, is entering race week as the most excited he’s been before a race in a long time. We…