THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

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

A recent 59:23 half-marathon for American long-distance star Alex Maier wasn’t a case of him catching lightning in a bottle.

It was the culmination of years of quiet dominance: from Oklahoma State to national titles, American records, and a seamless transition to the roads.

And with his stellar race in Houston, he’s now the second-fastest U.S. man of all time at the half-marathon distance. 

But this isn’t a random one-off occurrence. In 2025, he won the Düsseldorf Marathon in April with a time of 2:08:33; it was a top-15 all-time mark for a U.S. runner. 

He also claimed his first national title in March in Atlanta, running 1:00:48 to secure a spot on Team USA; and then set a 10-mile American record of 45:15 at the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in April. 

He was a former standout at Oklahoma State, where he earned multiple First-Team All-America honors, including a 5th-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships. He also placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 3,000m and 5,000m in 2023.

He’s gone from NCAA standout to national champion; from American records at 10 miles on the road to becoming the second-fastest U.S. half marathoner ever.

His trajectory is impossible to ignore. And the most interesting part? It all feels like he’s just getting started.

Tap into the Alex Maier 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

Everett Smulders has seen and done a lot in his running and coaching career: he went from running 3:58 for the mile at Ole Miss, to finishing one of the most brutal endurance events on the planet, the Ultraman Florida (a 321-mile, multi-day test of resilience). 

That doesn’t even include the dent he’s made as a coach. 

Everett competed for the University of Mississippi, where he became an All-American. On January 20, 2020, he became the 565th American to break the 4-minute mile barrier, clocking a time of 3:58.93. 

Following his collegiate career, he pivoted to ultra-marathons and triathlons. In 2022, he completed a 100-mile solo ultra-marathon in 18 hours. 

Then, In February of  2023, he completed the Ultraman Florida, a 321-mile triathlon consisting of a 6.2-mile swim, 261-mile bike, and 52-mile run– finishing in 29 hours and 52 minutes. 

This next phase also brought with it coaching; he is the founder and CEO of WesFly Athletics, a coaching and media company focused on helping runners optimize their training and lifestyle.

He also serves as the head cross country and track coach at his alma mater, The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia.

Everett Smulders’ story isn’t just about distance, it’s about depth, and he’s here to offer a very unique and inspiring perspective that all runners can benefit from.

Tap into the Everett Smulders 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

In the last 12 months, Andreas Almgren has rewritten European distance running history.

He ran 26:45 for 10,000m (beating his previous European record), 12:44 for 5,000m and 58:41 for the half marathon.That’s three European records in one calendar year. 

What makes Andreas’ story so compelling is the winding road that led to these records: he was one of Europe’s most promising middle distance talents a decade ago, winning 800m bronze at the 2014 World Athletics U20 Championships before finishing fourth at the 2015 European Indoor Championships at the age of 19. But a prolonged period of uncertainty and injury forced him to make a pivot to the longer stuff, and boy did he succeed there.

In 2025 he won a bronze medal in the men's 10,000m final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. 

Andreas’ next confirmed major event is the Drammen 10,000m in April, followed by the European Championships in August. He has chosen to skip the indoor season to focus on road races and the main outdoor championships and drop down to the 1500m in a Diamond League meet in June. 

From winning 800m medals as a teenager to smashing European records, Andreas is brimming with confidence and poised to make 2026 the best year yet in a storied running career.

Tap into the Andreas Almgren 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

If you care about running for the long haul–physically, mentally, and emotionally–this episode is for you. We want to look at what actually moves the needle for runners, and we’re back with Alex Ostberg to recap his recent newsletters from The Rundown to do just that.

We start with a hard truth many athletes learn too late: performance doesn’t fix identity. That idea sets the tone for a broader reflection on what success in running really looks like when the noise fades.      

From there, we zoom out. Over the past year, certain lessons kept repeating themselves across training, racing, and life; lessons that hit harder than any single workout or result. And they tend to show up whether you’re chasing a state title, a marathon PR, or just consistency.

We also look back at 2025 as a whole. What trends mattered? What narratives were overblown? And what quietly reshaped the sport in ways most people missed?

That leads into habits nobody talks about enough. Not revolutionary breakthroughs, but small, underrated behaviors that compound over months and years. 

Finally, we tackle one of running’s most persistent myths, which is especially relevant in an era of super shoes, carbon plates, and constant gear discourse.

This episode isn’t about hacks or hot takes. It’s about clarity; it’s about cutting through performance culture, training dogma, and external validation to understand what really lasts in this sport.

Tap into the Alex Ostberg Rundown Recap 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