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.