This week’s guest is Johnny Gregorek, a 1500-meter runner for ASICS who will be representing Team USA this weekend at the World Championships in Eugene Oregon. Johnny is a 3:49 miler and 3:34 1500m runner who made the final in this event back in 2017 and is back with even bigger goals this time around. He’s been splitting his time training between Boston, where he just finished his first year of law school, and Seattle, where he’s coached by UW distance coach and middle-distance guru Andy Powell.

Johnny and I had a fantastic conversation about his perspective as one of the veterans of the 1500m on the U.S. scene, giving us an insight into his wisdom as well as his humor and his super positive attitude. We also talked about his background as a steeplechaser, his Massachusetts and Rhode Island roots, and how he’s managed to balance being a law student and a professional runner.

You can root for Johnny and the rest of Team USA at the World Championships in Eugene Oregon starting this Friday, July 15th. We have a ton of programming coming your way from the CITIUS family, including group runs, live shows, daily podcasts and newsletters, and much more so you’ll be able to follow along with every minute of the action and get exclusive behind-the-scenes tidbits. I’m personally looking forward to finally joining the crew in Oregon after covering USAs remotely and can’t wait to share plenty more takes, writing, and talking with you as we all watch Worlds together.

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NOTABLE QUOTES AND NOTES

On reacting to making the team with a 6th-place finish at USAs:

“No matter if you have the standard or not, everyone’s just trying to win the race you’re in. Initially, when I crossed the line, my initial emotion was disappointment that I hadn’t gotten in the top 3 or won the race.”

On 1500m tactics:

“As I’ve gotten older as an athlete, I’ve realized that part of why I always had a big kick at the end of races was actually a lack of trust in myself and my fitness. I’m actually more proud of the races where I’ve put myself in the mix and executed a plan with authority.”

On being a veteran on the U.S. middle-distance scene.

“I’ve gone through failures and setbacks that a lot of the younger guys haven’t experienced yet. It’s great to see these super talented guys crushing it, but personally, I know that I’ve had to overcome a lot. That’s its own advantage that I draw confidence from.”