The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show Leonard Korir After Finally Qualifying For The 2024 Olympic Marathon & Why It Means A Lot For His U.S. Army Family
"It means a lot to me. Especially to all my teammates and my leadership in the Army. If you make the Olympics while you are in the Army, it's a huge accomplishment. Making these Olympics is not only for me. It's about people serving in the Army. All those people in the Army.
Also, it's about my teammates. When I make the team I know my teammates will also want to make the team because I am one of the leaders in our platoon. If you see the leader making the team, you want to make it too...It's not about me. It's about representing other people who are looking up to me. I'm so happy. I'm grateful. I can't wait to represent Team USA and represent the Army too."
Finally! After four months of stress and uncertainty, Leonard Korir is heading to the Olympics. Just last week, World Athletics added one universality place and four rankings places to the Olympic marathon field on Tuesday. With that, Korir gets the United States’ final spot – thanks to CJ Albertson’s ranking unlocking it – and he will be racing on Aug. 10th.
Korir was third at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, which was awesome because he had just missed the U.S. Olympic marathon team for Tokyo by just three seconds. This will be his second Olympic team after representing the United States in the 10,000m in Rio de Janeiro back in 2016.
Following the Trials, Korir went to Rotterdam in April in hopes of getting under the Olympic standard but faded in the second half of the race to a 2:12:47 finish. We discuss that race, his preparations for Paris and why this means a lot not just to him but also to his fellow members of the U.S. Army.
We waited until it was official to get Lenny on the podcast. Now we’ve completed the set. We have podcasts with all six of the U.S. Olympians for Paris + the two alternates (Jess McClain and Elkanah Kibet, who have amazing stories) – you can go back and listen to those race recaps and reflections.
Time Stamps:
5:44 - How he’s feeling after officially qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team.
7:56 - How he and his coach structured his training after the Olympic Marathon Trials.
10:07 - Reflecting on his race at the Marathon Trials.
14:12 - What qualifying for his second Olympic team means to him.
15:44 - How he fits in his training while serving in the army.
17:21 - How training has been going leading into the Olympics.
19:40 - His running career trajectory.
23:06 - Thoughts on the Olympic Marathon course.
28:28 - His goals and mindset for the Olympic Marathon.
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