Ep. 96 - From Running a 4:40 Mile In High School To 3:58 in College: The Story of Ben Nagel

The Sunday Shakeout

This week on the podcast is Ben Nagel!

Last December, Ben graduated from Virginia Tech as a sub 4 miler and 1:47 800 guy. He trains under Ben Thomas with guys like Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker. But what is most impressive about Ben, is that in high school, his fastest mile that he ran was 4:40, which, on most competitive times, would be a solid JV time in high school. But having that huge transformation from running 4:40 to sub-4 was incredible to hear.

Some of the stories and lessons that he shares today were incredibly inspiring for me personally, as I am in the mid 17s for 5K cross country my Sophomore year, and hearing Ben and his journey shows that we can do so much more than we think we can achieve and it’s up to us as to whether or not we want to chase it. So, I had a blast chatting with Ben today. He had a lot of amazing things to say and I know that you will enjoy it as well.

We talk all about what it is like to be coached under Ben Thomas, transitioning to running post-collegiately, the journey to the sub-4 barrier, his experiences with setting and achieving goals, his best advice for runners who want to be great, and much more.

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I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout!