Noah Lyles. The guy’s name says it all! Sure, he made waves at the Olympics with gold and bronze medals, but he sure knows how to make an impact beyond the track too. Recently, Lyles teamed up with Olympic gold medalists Grant Holloway and Rai Benjamin to launch something exciting for the holidays. They announced their own podcast, ‘Beyond The Records Podcast,’ which is a first-of-its-kind venture—three Olympic legends hosting together! With years of track experience and unforgettable moments from their athletic journeys, their podcast dives into a world beyond just sports. From life stories to deeper insights, they’re bringing all the vibe, and now some track and field legends have shared their thoughts on Noah Lyles’ and his crew’s podcast.

On a recent episode of the Ready Set Go podcast, track and field icons Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green dived into a lively chat about another standout podcast making waves in the sport. Justin kicked things off, brimming with excitement, saying, “We have a new podcast that’s in the track and field world, man.” Rodney followed up, matching the vibe, “Yeah, man, we want to share everything track. We definitely want to be track ambassadors, man. We are not competition to anybody’s podcast. I don’t actually want y’all to think that or anything, so that’s why we share everything on here. But go ahead, what’s the name of the podcast?” With enthusiasm, Justin revealed, “Beyond the Records podcast with Rai Benjamin, Grant Holloway, and Noah Lyles.”

Rodney wasn’t done hyping it up, offering his glowing review. “Yes, and it was a great podcast. I watched a little bit of it, where they actually, instead of like talking about like a lot of their accomplishments, they talked about most of their struggles, like and what they been through, man. And that’s a part of the sport that I don’t think gets highlighted enough because it is a part of our sport. Even when you’re climbing that mountain top, you will go through disappointments, and those are a part of your journey and your story. That’s what makes you great, like people don’t understand that, you know what I mean.”

When Justin shared his thoughts, he kept it real: “I think it’s good. I mean, the audience doesn’t get an opportunity to sit down and really listen to how athletes talk to athletes. So to sit down and listen to athletes who are still in the sport—Rai, Noah, Grant… Olympic gold medalists all in the same Olympics. I think is a rare opportunity for the audience to really know that part, so I think it was pretty cool, bro.”

Started on December 12th, the podcast focused on one thing only—pushing the boundaries when it comes to storytelling. Noah Lyles couldn’t hide his excitement, sharing on social media, “You’ve seen us on the track, and now it’s time to see us off the track.” The podcast’s Instagram account offered a tiny preview of Episode One, which would bring out the unheard stories of the Paris Olympics, and hinted at some big upcoming guests. So, what’s this podcast really all about?

Noah Lyles’ and others Beyond the Records

Noah Lyles has been very vocal about the issues that track and field has in regard to its popularity in other leagues such as the NBA and NFL. He says that the sport requires a fan-centric strategy to attract more people and remain popular when there are no major events. Lyles has said that athletes should cultivate relationships and create rapport and nationalism that would not only popularize the sport but also elevate their individual celebrity status.

“You look at our sport, and we don’t even hang out with the athletes in our own sport,” Lyles pointed out. “How can we get to this higher level that we all talk about if we don’t even show respect for one another?” He hopes that through the podcast he can achieve this goal—to join the athletes together and let the fans see a different side of the athletes they look up to. In this way, the podcast is a venue for telling unheralded narratives and for revealing the essence of track and field at a human scale.

In addition to providing a forum for athletes, Lyles also notes that visibility in important events and shows is a major point. “The big rock stars [from track & field] of our past and present don’t even hang out together.”According to Noah Lyles, athletes need to make more appearances in high-profile events in order to enhance their brand and, in the process, grow the sport.