How Femke Broeders-Bol became one of the best 800m runners in the world

Let's talk about your pod, because I know you had Femke Brodersboel, her coach, on your pod. I'd love to know any little insights you'd give us, because she's been on a tier in her new event, the 800 meters. She said she's probably not going to go back to the 400 meter hurdles, but national records, back to back, personal best. What's been the difference maker, did you say? She must have heard just the high hopes that Aaron has for her 800 meter. Yeah, like I'm going to not let him down and live it up. But no, I mean, I don't think we've seen something like this, at least like in recent history of someone making a transition from one very tough event to another very tough event that are very different and instantly having this much success. She's ninth all time in the world. And every time you watch her race, you feel like there's still more left, you know, for for her to scratch her true potential in the event. You know, her coach made it very clear in the follow up interview that we we did with him that he wants, you know, her to be able to maintain what makes her so special and so strong in this event. And that's her raw speed. Like no one else in the women's 800 right now has 48, 49 second 400 meter chops. And in order to maintain and keep that, you can't necessarily have her running, you know, 70 miles a week or else like you're going to lose some of that speed. So it's been a very delicate balance for him to try and preserve that natural speed while also increasing her aerobic capacity. I think the part that I found most fun was, you know, for him as the coach and observing just sort of the state of the women's 800. He said it very clearly that, you know, we're all talking about just the potential world record, you know, races and how it would be, how it needs to go down for Audrey Wero to to break the world record or for Keeley Hodgkinson. And it honestly is very different for each one right now. It's it's the best time to be a fan of the women's 800. But he said very clearly, like as he looks towards the road to L.A., he thinks that we'll be talking before L.A. more about, you know, some of the women running 152 versus who's breaking the world record. And so L.A. is not that far off. No, it's not. I know I have my prediction, my hot take that she's going to be the L.A. 2028 Olympic champion with the world record. I love it. But do you think do you think that the way that she's progressing, that she could even sneak a win even this season? You know, in her debut 800 meter season, you got the Diamond League final. You got the world ultimate. Do you think she could sneak one even before the season ends? The gap is getting closer and closer. Now, the thing that's going to be the difference maker is that. In Budapest, at the World Ultimate Championships, there is no pacemaker. And so every one of these Diamond League races, Femke has had, you know, the benefit of being able to draft off of Audrey or Keeley or the pacemaker. And it was just in Zurich where she was, you know, the number one racer, but she was still tucked in behind a pacemaker until Audrey made her move. But now what's going to happen in Budapest when there isn't a pacemaker and you probably will still see the likes of Audrey Wero or Keeley Hodgkins and try to fight for the front because that's how they, you know, love to race. But what happens if that doesn't happen and the pace starts to slip and this becomes a 156 race, a 155 race? Femke's run faster than those times, so she certainly could be a contender. And so for Femke to walk away from this first season in the 800 as the World Ultimate Champion would just be just like something that a year ago you told us would sound so crazy. But this level of success has just been unprecedented. And I'm absolutely here for it.