Championship weekend delivered the chaos and at least one all-time organizational blunder as Aisha and Eric unpack everything from USA Indoors to USATF Half Marathon heartbreak + plus cavities, grills, and why track is never simple.

– A full breakdown of the 2026 USA Indoor Championships and why championship racing is gloriously unpredictable

– The men’s 1500m chaos: big names vulnerable, NCAA stars stepping up, and how tactical racing flipped the script

– Why explaining qualifying windows to casual fans (and grandparents) is basically impossible

– Nikki Hiltz continues to deliver in the women’s 800m while Gracie Morris punches her first Team USA ticket with a perfectly executed race

– Breakout performances from names like Lindsey Butler and Sean Dolan

– Cooper Luckenhouse’s commanding men’s 800m win and why he suddenly looks like a serious global medal threat

– Emily McKay’s statement victory in the women’s 3000m and the nuanced conversation around “upsets”

– A razor-thin men’s 3000m finish featuring Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, and Nico Young

– How U.S. distance running has shifted from hoping to contend globally to expecting medals

– The return of grills as an unexpected fashion trend

– The strange tension between team scoring and individual championship prep at the NCAA level

– Aisha’s first-ever cavity saga

– The shocking lead-car error at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships that sent top athletes off course in a race with world-team implications

– The emotional fallout for athletes who lose career-defining moments

– Diribe Welteji’s doping case and the controversial refusal-to-test ruling

+ Voicemail questions from listeners

📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.

📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.

🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OffTheRailsWithEricandAisha

Follow your hosts on Instagram:

🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠

🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer

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⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.

Aisha and Eric are back for another wide-ranging Sunday session covering a big week in track and field, Olympic fever, winter training confessions, and plenty of listener voicemails. Strap in because this one's a long one.

In this episode:

🏒 Olympic Fever: The episode kicks off with the hosts riding the high of a dramatic US men's hockey gold medal win over Canada in overtime — the country's first since the famous 1980 "Miracle on Ice." Aisha managed to jog and return just in time to catch the game-winning goal. Eric reflects on his childhood hockey days.

🎿 Winter Olympics Obsession: Aisha dives deep into her love for Nordic skiing and speed skating relays, pitching a fun hypothetical: what if track and field had a relay format like speed skating, with athletes subbing in and out across many legs? The hosts also discuss Johannes Hösflot Klæbo tying Michael Phelps' record of 10 Olympic gold medals, and get into a rabbit hole on VO2 max numbers from cyclists to Nordic skiers to Aisha's own testing in the 60s.

🏃 Track & Field Results Roundup: Keely Hodgkinson shatters the 800m world record with a stunning 1:54.87, breaking Jarmila Kratochvílová's 2002 mark by nearly a full second. Aisha and Eric break down what the performance means for her outdoor season prospects, including a potential shot at the outdoor WR of 1:53.28. Georgia Hunter Bell runs 4:00.21 for the 1500m win in Liévin, France, narrowly missing Laura Muir's British record of 3:59.58. They discuss the high bar these athletes set for themselves and what it's like to win and still feel like it wasn't enough. A preview of US Indoor Championships (February 28th) with a loaded entry list including Noah Lyles, Trayvon Bromell, Ronnie Baker, Nikki Hiltz, Ellie St. Pierre, Michaela Rose, and many more. Top two qualify for World Indoors.

🛁 Bath Culture, Training Gear & Life After Pro Athletics: Eric defends his love of a hot bath (with or without bubbles) as a recovery tool. The two compare notes on winter training gear philosophy, Aisha's current 8–15 miles per week comeback, post-career stiffness, and the slow slide toward a more sedentary lifestyle. Eric challenges Aisha to try a YouTube yoga video before the next episode.

🎵 Mondo Duplantis: Music Star – The hosts play a clip of Mondo performing his latest single "Feelin' Myself" on a Swedish TV show. They investigate whether he writes his own music. General consensus: the man can do it all.

📞 Listener Voicemails

The gang answers a batch of voicemails covering topics that include:

Maya from Portland, Maine invites Eric to train with Valor Track Club for a track session (and possibly a beer) this spring.

Josh asks who would make the best running biathlon team.

Alex from San Diego asks a two-part "crotchgate" follow-up question: should ski jumpers have a "penis passport" to track anatomical measurements over time

Brad from Central Wisconsin asks when Aisha and Eric knew they wanted to do the podcast.

Megan & Inez call in to prove younger listeners exist, then ask: What's the oddest thing a coach ever told you?

📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.

📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.

🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OffTheRailsWithEricandAisha

Follow your hosts on Instagram:

🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠

🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer

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⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.