"Shut Up And Coach Your Team" – The Girls Are Fighting! A Dive Into The Recruiting Controversy + NCAA Championship Takes

It’s a six-month anniversary episode (!) and also a chaos-filled, cross-country-heavy, holiday-adjacent, pop-culture-spiraling installment of Off The Rails with Eric Jenkins and Aisha Praught-Leer. NCAA XC wrapped 15 minutes before recording and the takes are HOT.

This week's topics include:

– Celebrating six months of Off The Rails (they said it couldn’t be done!)
– Early Christmas vibes + Denver Botanical Garden date night adventures
– Real vs. fake Christmas trees + DIY confidence from YouTube University
– Thanksgiving plans, turkey trots, and Aisha’s undying love for potatoes
– Hosting 30-person Thanksgivings + abandoning Boulder runners this year
– Full breakdown of the NCAA XC Championships
– The men cutting the course (!), hay-bale chaos, and why Aisha was screaming
– Doris Lemngole vs. Jane Hedengren: a dogfight at the front
– The women’s team race + the rise of powerhouse female coaches
– Lori Henes, Diljeet Taylor, Shalane Flanagan and the wide spectrum of coaching styles
– The men’s race: Habtom Samuel’s decisive move
– The pre-race press-conference drama between Ed Eyestone and Dave Smith
– Recruiting, age-gap advantages, international athletes, and the gray areas no one wants to talk about
– Whether the NCAA needs age limits, rule reforms, and real testing
– NCAA testing vs. USADA vs. WADA (and why NCAA testing is basically vibes)
– World Cross Country implications + the absolutely STACKED U.S. Cross entry lists
– The 4×2K relay, selection rules, and why high schoolers might get pulled into the mix
– NXN weekend logistics, live show planning, and putting Aisha on “house arrest”
– The Epstein Files Transparency Act (!): what it means and what might be revealed in 30 days
– Advent-calendar-style release fantasies featuring Mariska Hargitay
– Wicked press-tour weirdness, pop-culture updates, and Kevin Spacey (allegedly) being “homeless”
– Aisha’s RapChat education + Eric’s former rap name (“Ricky Roxer”) revealed
– Dating apps, hinge marriages, Tinder match confessions, and the horror of being roasted by a group chat
– Dancing With The Stars: finale thoughts + which runners would crush on the show
– Listener voicemails on alienation-of-affection laws, political chaos, fan theories, and whether Aisha works at FanDuel

📞 Call in to (856) 279-0080‬ to leave us a voicemail with any question you may have, whether it’s running-related or not.

📲 Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow the show on Spotify to stay up-to-date with all the latest episodes.

Follow your hosts on Instagram:

🗣️ Follow Eric Jenkins: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_ericjenkins⁠⁠⁠⁠

🗣️ Follow Aisha Praught-Leer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@aishapraughtleer

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⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Listening to “Off The Rails with Eric and Aisha” while running may result in uncontrollable laughter, side stitches, funny looks from strangers, and the occasional trip hazard due to snort-laughing mid-stride. Proceed with caution—and maybe stretch your abs beforehand. Use caution when wearing earbuds in public places—people will wonder if you’re okay. You are. You’re just having a really good time.