Humble beginnings and major childhood challenges kept Alison dos Santos well aware that guarantees were not easy to come by in his native São Joaquim da Barra, Brazil.

Still, he found his way, navigated toward track and field, and a bronze at the 2018 World U20 Championships proved to be a breakout moment. The next year, he followed it up with efforts at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha that shifted attention his way as he battled to the 400m hurdles final.

By 2024 dos Santos's wins at Diamond League stops in Doha and Oslo set him up for another Olympic stint after his Bronze in Tokyo in 2021. In Paris, he won bronze again in the 400m hurdles, a sign that dos Santos would be a mainstay in the sport — mixing colorful personalty with intensity on the track.

Behind the scenes, dos Santos is candid and in today's show he explores legacy, early life in Brazil and gives a glimpse of a side the crowds and cameras simply don't get a chance to see.

Emily Sisson has navigated the track, the road and found her way to the Olympic stage.

After making a statement in last year's marathon trials in Orlando and punching her ticket to Paris with a second place finish (2:22:42), Sisson is poised to ride a running wave in 2025 that is loaded. Outdoor track season has the calendar stuffed, while the addition of Sydney to the marathon majors means we'll get a glimpse of Sisson on the road before the year is done.

When I connected with Emily in New York last week, days before the Mini 10K, she was hyped about being part of the charge to lead the current generation of American distance running, her ten years in the New Balance family and finding ways of keeping the feeling of fun in the sport.

In the first episode of Axel's Personal Best, we chat with Olympic 800-meter silver medalist Marco Arop — who has a 1:41.2 PB and Canadian national record — about blazing the track in Grand Slam Track's inaugural season, the state middle distance running and the nuances of training for the 1,500 meter.