Axel's Personal Best – Details, episodes & analysis

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Axel's Personal Best

A Mile. A Minute.

Sports

News

Frequency: 1 episode/34d. Total Eps: 13

I’m Axel Ryan Nzi — a Division III runner at Bowdoin College.

And this is my Personal Best.

Every Tuesday, I explore the sport of running through interviewing the best pro runners insiders and personalities about a journey that begins with the feet and ends with landing in a solid headspace.

Axel's Personal Best is brought to you by A Mile. A Minute. — the daily home of running shoes, news, food, in depth journalism, features, podcasts, photos and the culture of the sport. Unlock more at www.amileaminute.com

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Data updated on 31/07/2026

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇺🇸 USA - Running
31/07/2026
#70
🇨🇦 Canada - Running
16/07/2026
#96
🇨🇦 Canada - Running
15/07/2026
#78
🇨🇦 Canada - Running
14/07/2026
#59
🇨🇦 Canada - Running
13/07/2026
#48
🇺🇸 USA - Running
09/09/2025
#99
🇺🇸 USA - Running
08/09/2025
#79
🇺🇸 USA - Running
18/06/2025
#82
🇺🇸 USA - Running
17/06/2025
#93

Spotify

No recent rankings available

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 62%

Publication history

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Establishing Staying Power on Any Course with Emma Grace Hurley

Season 1 · Episode 13

Tuesday, July 28, 2026 • Duration 28:52

Making a name for herself on her own merit has been the formula of Emma Grace Hurley's consistency as an emerging distance talent who has shined in her breakout moments with a second place finish at the 2024 USA Cross Country Championships and making the U.S. national team for the world cross country champs later that year.

And she's practiced the kind of patience and consistency that has put her in the conversation for the 2028 Olympics for one of three coveted women's marathon slots,

But the path hasn't come easy. She found herself tied to a bit of drama and controversy in March when a pace vehicle mistakenly led her off course USA Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta and off of the podium. After the matter was mostly resolved, Hurley continued a strong season on the road and heads into the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen in September ready to prove why the stage she continues to face courageously is the one she belongs on.

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Rebounding into a Chapter of Reinvention with Sinclaire Johnson

Season 1 · Episode 12

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 • Duration 33:36

Adjustments are inevitable in the sport and so far this year has been a mix of world leads, athletes moving up in disciplines or even using the season of no world championships or Olympics to start families.

But the track has stayed active and the road racing is equally as busy — while Sinclaire Johnson has been taking the mental notes to find and establish her place among podium chasers.

In this episode, Johnson, who is the current North American record-holder in the mile, offers a wide-ranging and honest take on her progression, her sponsor switch to Hoka, navigating injuries and defining what clarity looks like on race day.

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The Blueprint to Elevate with Ben Allen of Empire Elite

Season 1 · Episode 11

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 • Duration 22:02

Consistency and improvement are probably the two main pillars that Ben Allen routinely leans on when he lines up at the track on race day, but also in his approach to training. The Minnesota native has specialized in distances between the 800m and the mile for New York-based Empire Elite Track Club where he's defined his mark on the professional scene.

After his collegiate career at Concordia University, St. Paul, Allen was unsure where running would take him but connected with Empire after seeing current teammate Eric Holt's animated reaction during an interview at a track meet.

In this episode, Ben talks about embracing the nuances of progression that sometimes comes with detours — and even setbacks — and finding the tools to prevail as he continues to press to break 3:50 in the mile.

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A Truce of Authenticity with Nikki Hiltz

Season 1 · Episode 10

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 • Duration 12:57

A commitment to the grind remains one of the main tools Nikki Hiltz is taking into the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships this weekend in Poland as they lock in and seize the chance to crack another finish line tape first and win on the international stage.

Just weeks prior, a familiar tale played out in New York as Hiltz grabbed a fourth straight women's indoor 1,500m title in 4:11.34 — their tenth national crown overall — and dominated during an early season buildup that won't include major outdoor championship or Olympics.

Still, the plan is simple as it is clear and Hiltz spoke on what matters most in a wide-ranging chat about pushing even harder on the track, continued advocacy, the decision to go pubic about a personal decision regarding their body and finding the formula to close out the indoor season at the top of the podium.

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Leveling Up and Remaining There with Cole Hocker

Season 1 · Episode 9

Tuesday, March 10, 2026 • Duration 14:08

Olympic gold put Cole Hocker on global stage at the 2024 Paris Games when a final surge in the men's 1,500m silenced favorites like Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr — and propelled his growing legend as the one to beat.

It also help reinforced the idea this era of middle distance racing could deliver dramatic finishes and storylines like its sprint counterparts.

But for Hocker, remaining grounded is a part of a formula that has ensure that the main event is whenever he steps on the track, with a constant them of reminding the no lead is secure when he's involved.

Before his win in the men's 3,000m at the USATF Indoor Championships in New York, Hocker spoke on the outlook for his season, his sudden boost in notoriety after the Paris and if he had any side quests planned in a year of no Olympics or world championships.

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The Next Giant Leap with Quincy Wilson

Season 1 · Episode 8

Tuesday, February 3, 2026 • Duration 11:19

Teen phenom Quincy Wilson walks — and runs — a fine line that stretches to a budding pro career while navigating his final year of high school at Bulls School in Maryland. In the fall he won't be too far away from home after committing to the University of Maryland and stepping into the collegiate arena.

Despite already being an Olympian, repping New Balance and becoming part of the lead pack of next generation sprint talents that will headline Team USA's roster in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Wilson chatted with Axel about how he manages his own rising stock while staying grounded and composed.

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A Post-Race Mental Sprint with Allie Wilson

Season 1 · Episode 7

Thursday, October 9, 2025 • Duration 11:15

The impact of making the Paris Olympics as part of Team USA's squad still resonates with Allie Wilson.

She punched her ticket as part of a chaotic women's 800m final in Eugene last year as part of a whirlwind season where she also signed a contract with Nike — part of a sign that things were changing and the pauses in life would soon become rarer.

But in a fast sport, the time away from the track feels even faster and 2025's long season on the track has wrapped and road races now dominate calendar.

Wilson spoke with me last month after a frantic Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City and touched on several points as she caught her breath — including her move up to the 1,500m (and mile) — and what a post-Olympic mindset means for the chase to be healthy and consistent.

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A Stride to the World Lead with T'Mars "TJ" McCallum

Season 1 · Episode 6

Friday, July 18, 2025 • Duration 16:13

T'Mars McCallum is accustomed to running in a tough collegiate conference — the SEC — and boldly proud of being one of the leaders of Tennessee's track and field squad.

But his world shifted a bit last weekend at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis when he ran the world lead in the 200m in 19.73. The eyes of the sport suddenly looked his way and he was far from a face in a crowd of sprinters. And in a few weeks he could be among those competing for a world title in Tokyo.

In this episode, McCallum talks about his whirlwind weekend, team camaraderie and even coaching himself in high school as he tried being a sprinter and jumper.

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The Great Progression with Isabella Whittaker

Season 1 · Episode 5

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 • Duration 11:07

During in the beginning of a pandemic era that rattled the world in 2020, Isabella Whittaker saw her own beginnings as a student at the University of Pennsylvania. But it was after those days at Penn — after enrolling at Arkansas in 2024 as a graduate student — that Whittaker kickstarted the current state of her place in the track landscape.

Her times in the 400m fell and fell again with her 50.48 performance at the 2024 U.S. Olympics trials propelling her to the women's final. And while she finished sixth, the time earned her a slot in the American relay pool — with her biggest moment coming as her collegiate career was coming to a close.

On March 1, she hurled herself to seventh all-time on the women's 400m world indoor list with a 49.90 at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.

And suddenly, Whittaker progressed, with the pace of the professional ranks — and her performances — ensuring that she will likely be a factor as world championships approach.

In her own words, she illustrates her own great progression.

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Chasing A Harvard Degree and Pro Dreams with Graham Blanks

Season 1 · Episode 4

Tuesday, July 1, 2025 • Duration 13:22

The pivot from the classroom to lining up with the top pro runners in the world was an adjustment Graham Blanks had to quickly figure out after announcing last December that the signed with New Balance. His remaining time at Harvard was still a priority, but Blanks knew a portion of the bigger stage was reserved for him.

Blanks spent his collegiate years stacking up the kinds of accolades that shifted the spotlight to his conference, becoming the first Ivy League runner to win the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in November 2023. Later that month he set the collegiate mark for the indoor 5,000m in 13:03.78.

More was always part of the plan as Blanks punched his ticket to the Paris Olympics in the 5,000m in 2024 and getting a glimpse of the competition he will face for rest of his career. In June, just before he posted a 12:48.20 personal best in the 5,000m at the Bislett Games, Blanks spoke with me about his journey within a journey as we all witness him leveling up in real time after walking the graduation stage at Harvard.

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Axel's Personal Best – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Axel's Personal Best – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Instagram1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Instagram1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify