Juli Benson on Becoming Nikki Hiltz's Coach | Episode 6

Fast People

Juli Benson discusses her journey from barely making it to the NCAA Track & Field Championships her senior year to becoming an Olympian, and her subsequent transition into coaching. Juli coached Jenny Simpson to 1500m gold at the 2011 World Athletics Championships, and she now coaches runners of all abilities.

Juli got a flurry of attention after Nikki Hiltz, currently the U.S.'s top 1500m runner, announced last month that they are now working with Juli. But Juli coaches a number of high level athletes, which she discusses in this episode.

Topics include:

• How mentors like Frank Gagliano, Pat Henner, and Ron Helmer helped shape her coaching philosophy.
• How she wound up coaching Jenny Simpson and Kevin Sullivan.
• The seven pro runners she currently coaches.
• How she and Mike Smith handled the Nikki Hiltz coaching handoff after Smith and Hiltz were forced to part ways.
• Helping athletes navigate social media.
• The lack of opportunities for female coaches at the professional level.
• What it will take for U.S. middle-distance and distance runners to consistently medal on the world stage.

Juli's coaching website: https://julibensontraining.com/

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Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Becoming an Olympian, and then a coach (00:01:12)

3. Juli's mentors, and how she shaped her coaching philosophy (00:06:11)

4. How she wound up coaching Jenny Simpson and Kevin Sullivan (00:11:13)

5. Juli's highest highs as a coach (00:13:33)

6. Juli's roster of pro runners (00:15:58)

7. How often she coaches her pros in person (00:17:38)

8. The Nikki Hiltz handoff meeting with Mike Smith (00:20:00)

9. Was there anything surprising in Hiltz's training (00:21:27)

10. Traits top runners share (00:22:00)

11. Helping athletes navigate social media (00:24:20)

12. Super shoes, bicarb, and double threshold (00:25:54)

13. The lack of opportunities for women in pro coaching (00:29:00)

14. What it will take to match the U.S. men's medal count (00:34:26)

15. Juli's toxic trait (00:38:49)

16. Outro (00:40:26)