Back In The Booth For Trials of Miles' Track Night NYC + Birmingham Diamond League Preview

This is the CITIUS MAG Newsletter by Chris Chavez. We love track and field. If you love track and field and have been forwarded this email or stumbled upon a link online, you can sign up and subscribe here to stay in the know about all the best action happening.

We’ve got some fun track and field action taking place this weekend! The CITIUS MAG team returns to the broadcast booth for Trials of Miles’ Track Night NYC on Friday night, and the Diamond League makes its second stop in Birmingham, Great Britain, on Saturday morning. 

Last year, Kyle Merber and I called races in Texas, Kansas City and New York City as part of Trials of Miles’s Qualifier series in hopes of providing athletes with the opportunities to race and chase qualifying marks for the U.S. Olympic Trials and World Championships. As the sport has returned to a full calendar of meets across the country, we’re only doing one meet this year – don’t miss out. We’ll have quality fields and some entertaining/off-the-wall exhibition events that’ll make for a fun night. I’ll highlight some of the key races below. We’ll also be doing several giveaways on the broadcast so tune in and subscribe for your chance to win. 

Find all of the entries, a full schedule and live results here.

For the Diamond League meet, you’ll be able to watch live on TV at 9 a.m. ET on CNBC or stream it through NBCSports.com/live, the NBC Sports app, or by signing up for Peacock. You can find entries, a full schedule and live results here.

If you’re looking for some Thursday night track viewing, you may also want to tune into the USATF Distance Classic tonight at 8:30 p.m. E.T. on USATF.TV+ (subscription required). You can view the entries for track events here, which include a few deep fields, particularly in the men’s and women’s 1500m, but entries are not posted for the four field events in the competition. You’ve got to dig around for a link to live results on USATF’s website or social media. While the meet has not received much promotion, it does feature three Olympic medalists and a number of national record holders.

Here’s what to watch for at Track Night NYC:

Exhibition Mile (7:40 p.m. ET)

Last year, I helped kick off the night of racing with a mile showdown against New York Times best-selling author and Revisionist History podcast host Malcolm Gladwell. I got my butt kicked and Gladwell ran an impressive 5:15 mile that made plenty of headlines. The YouTube video of that race has been viewed more than 250K times. While I may have mentioned the possibility of a rematch in our post-race interview, neither of us is ready to return to the track yet. I do think we can see where things are in two years… when he turns 60. This year’s exhibition mile field includes Nev Schulman (host of MTV’s ‘Catfish’), Survivor’s Xander Hastings, The Bachelorette’s John Paul Jones, former BYU and Temple runner Emma Gee, Beer Mile Podcast hosts Chris Robertson and Adam Shurson, and our very own photographer Johnny Zhang.

Men’s 800m (7:48 p.m. ET)

Professional action gets started right after that with a strong 800m field that includes District Track Club’s Festus Lagat, who ran 1:44.47 last summer. He’s coming off a 3:37.75 personal best and victory at the Sound Running ‘Track Meet’ men’s 1500m. But the one to watch in this race may just be Marshall High School (KY) senior Cade Flatt (1:47.04 PB). New York City has been good to him – it’s where he won the New Balance Nationals Indoor title in March that propelled him to stardom with entertaining post-race interviews. He has made it known that he wants to try and break Michael Granville’s 1:46.45 mark, which has stood since 1996. He’s also not afraid to try and contend for the win against the pros.

“I know a few names in the field who are top guys, like Festus Lagat,” Flatt told The Lap Count this week. “So with guys like him, it’s hard to say that I’m going to lead the whole thing. But then again I’m still going out there as a threat and as a dangerous man, like always. I’m not scared of anybody at any level. I have to go out there and stay out of trouble, but I’ll bring some trouble if I have to.”

Women’s 800m (7:56 p.m. ET)

Two-time Olympian and reigning World Indoor champion Ajee’ Wilson has not lost a race on New York soil since 2016. She is undefeated in all her indoor and outdoor 800m races in 2022, too. It’s truly remarkable the consistency that she’s been able to bring to one of track and field’s hardest events for the past decade. She’ll have a slew of young stars trying to get their first one on her this Friday night. The biggest challenger could be Atlanta Track Club Elite’s Allie Wilson, who holds the world-leading time of 1:58.18. Her teammates Sadi Henderson and Olivia Baker (2022 World Indoor Championships qualifier) could be ready to lower their personal bests. Nikki Hiltz will also be opening up their season with the 800m/1500m double, their first track races since moving to Flagstaff to train under new coach Mike Smith.

Men’s 3000m Steeplechase (8:18 p.m. ET)

Last year’s men’s steeplechase race at the New York City Qualifier was a thrilling one that saw Canada’s Jean-Simon Desgagnes come away with the win in 8:29.41. We’ve got some of the best steeplechasers on the East Coast going head-to-head weeks after many of them opened up their season at the Penn Relays. Empire Elite’s Isaac Updike, who was fifth at last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, took the win in Philly in 8:22.96. He’s got the fastest personal best of the field with his 8:17.74 from last year. This will also provide a chance for redemption for Jordan Mann, who took this tumble and got soaked on the final lap of the Penn Relays. 

Men’s 1500m (8:44 P.M. ET)

Empire Elite’s Eric Holt burst onto the scene with victories at all three Trials of Miles Qualifier meets in 2021. His victories meant the audience on YouTube would be treated to electric post-race interviews and “Holtamania” was born. Sharing Eric’s voice with our audience helped bring in new fans, who then helped fund part of his trip to the U.S. Olympic Trials. He’s back but it won’t be easy for him to repeat as champ. He’s facing off against Festus Lagat (doubling back from the 800m), 2016 Olympian Robby Andrews, and former Georgetown star/prolific YouTuber Spencer Brown.

Women’s 1500m (9:02 P.M. ET)

We should have a good battle here between 2019 World Championship finalist Nikki Hiltz and Atlanta Track Club’s Yolanda Ngarambe, who finished fourth at the recent American Track League meet in 4:07.23 – her fastest time since 2019. New Yorkers will also have a couple of local pros to root for in Jamie Morrissey and Karisa Nelson of Atalanta NYC. 

Non-Alcoholic Beer Mile (9:30 P.M ET)

Canada’s Corey Bellemore holds the world record for the beer mile (run four laps and down four beers) with a 4:28 run at the 2021 Beer Mile World Classic last October. Chris Robertson holds the American record of 4:37.40 set in September 2020. These two faced off last year in Connecticut for the first major world record attempt for the non-alcoholic beer. It’s tougher because Athletic Brewing comes in cans, which slows the flow down compared with bottled beer. Bellemore ended up winning and setting the record at 5:06.00. The beer mile had its Roger Bannister moment in 2014 when James Nielsen ran 4:57 and became the first person under five minutes. Eight years later, a total of 13 men have gone under that mark and six have broken 4:50, according to Beermile.com.

The women’s world record is 6:29.17 by Elizabeth Laseter, a 2020 Beer Mile World Classic silver medalist. Kassandra Marin, who raced at that championship, is in the field for Friday night.

Here’s what to watch for at the Birmingham Diamond League:

Women’s 1500m (9:17 A.M. ET)

Grab some coffee and maybe witness the first sub-four of the year. Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji currently leads the world with a 4:01.50 that was run at altitude in Nairobi on May 7. She will have a strong group of women to push her including Olympic silver medalist Laura Muir (who is racing for the first time since January), British star Jemma Reekie (4th in the Olympic 800m final), Spain’s Marta Perez (Olympic finalist), and U.S. Olympian Cory McGee. 10 of the women in the field will be opening their season at the distance. 

Women’s Long Jump (9:25 A.M. ET)

There’s quite a bit of star power in this field with Olympic gold medalist Malaika Mihambo of Germany and World Indoor gold medalist Ivana Vuleta of Serbia opening up their seasons. World Indoor Championship silver medalist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine is moving over from the triple jump in Doha to the long jump here. The home crowd will undoubtedly be behind reigning heptathlon world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson and fellow Brit Jazmin Sawyers. KJT jumped 6.33m in her season opener in Florida last month.

Men’s 100m (9:29 a.m. ET)

Trayvon Bromell, Andre De Grasse, and Marvin Bracy headline this field. Bromell and De Grasse have already gone head-to-head once this season, with Bromell winning a lowkey meet in Florida on April 30 in a wind-aided 9.75 to De Grasse’s 10.07. Bromell is coming off a 9.92 win at the American Track League meet in Puerto Rico, which is the fastest wind-legal time by an American in 2022. Surprisingly, Bracy is racing De Grasse for the first time in his career, but they’ll match up again two weeks in a row, both competing at the Prefontaine Classic next weekend.

Women’s 100m (9:46 a.m ET)

Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah was supposed to open up her Diamond League season here. Whenever she races this year, there’s obviously world record discussion, after she ran 10.61 in the Olympic final (with a headwind) and 10.54 at the Prefontaine Classic for the second-fastest time in history – only behind Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 10.49 from 1988. A meet in mid-May in the UK (forecasted high for Friday is 63F, which is cool for sprinters) might not be the biggest stage for her to do it – especially with her intentions focused on trying and peak at the World Championships in Eugene – but anytime she steps to the track, she’s going to have a chance. She opened up her season with a 10.89 in California on April 16 and just won the American Track League meet in Puerto Rico in 10.93. However, on Thursday morning and just before I published this, it was announced that she scratched from the race.

“The decision not to travel to Birmingham was taken out of an abundance of caution after she experienced some discomfort in training,” organizers said in a statement.

The fastest season’s best in the field belongs to former North Carolina A&T star Cambrea Sturgis, who has run 10.87 this year. 100m Olympic bronze medalist Shericka Jackson and 200m Olympic bronze medalist Gabby Thomas are both in the field, as well. The British home crowd will be behind reigning 200m world champion Dina Asher-Smith.

Men’s 1500m (10:28 a.m. ET)

Not enough attention has been brought to the fact that we’re getting Olli Hoare vs. Josh Kerr for the first time since their hot mile at the Millrose Games where Hoare (3:50.83) beat Kerr (3:52.27) by nearly two seconds. The banter that followed was fantastic.

For those who need a refresher: In our After The Final Lap show, Hoare said he “outclassed” Kerr in the final stretch. Kerr responded with his own rant on his YouTube channel saying, ‘How many medals you got, son?’ and ‘You don’t know what class is.’ Hoare then doubled down on his outclassed comments in a later episode of his podcast. 

Sure, this race has world leader Abel Kipsang of Kenya and a little duel between Spain’s Adel Mechaal vs. his compatriot Mohamed Katir but my attention will be on the latest episode in the Kerr and Hoare saga as they continue to build their rivalry toward the World Championships but also (maybe more importantly for them) the Commonwealth Games. Kerr leads the all-time head-to-head record at 3–2 so this can be an opportunity for Hoare to even up the score.

Quick hits for the other Diamond League events:

– Olympic champion Val Allman headlines the women’s discus (8:21 a.m.)

– Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi looks to rebound from a rough Diamond League opener in Doha, where he finished seventh in the men’s high jump. (8:24 a.m.)

– We have our first Sandi Morris vs. Katie Nageotte showdown of the outdoor season. Nageotte is coming off a bout with COVID. (8:47 a.m.)

– Olympic silver medalist Dalilah Muhammad looks for her first Diamond League win since last summer’s Pre Classic. (9:04 a.m.)

– World Indoor Championship bronze medalist Bryce Hoppel gets his first outdoor chance at redemption against Spain’s World Indoor champion Mariano Garcia. We’ll also see Clayton Murphy coming off his win at the American Track League meet in Puerto Rico.  (9:37 a.m.)

– Sweden’s Olympic champion Daniel Ståhl looks to keep his Diamond League winning streak alive. His last loss came at the Rabat Diamond League meet in June 2019. (9:53 a.m.)

– The last two Olympic champions Omar McLeod (2016) and Hansle Parchment (2021) go head-to-head for the first time since last year’s Jamaican national championships, where McLeod hit the first hurdle and never recovered, missing his shot at the Tokyo Games. He was the second-fastest man in the world at the time. McLeod is 10–2 in his career vs. Parchment. (10:41 a.m.)

– Sage Hurta of the On Athletics Club has made the trip across the pond with her teammates looking to see if some international competition can help her continue chipping away at that fresh 1:59.76 personal best from the Penn Relays. (10:51 a.m.)

🙏 Thanks again for reading and sharing. Follow me on Twitter: @chrischavez and Instagram: @chris_j_chavez. Tell your friends to sign up for the newsletter to stay in the know on what and how to watch the best track and field action.

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