Running with Purpose: Sergey Sushchik's Marathon Mission

In this heartfelt and high-energy episode of the Elite X Podcast, co-hosts Henry Rodriguez, Ryan Arditty, and "The Voice" Christian Lazore share laughs, life updates, and a powerful conversation with local cross country coach and elite marathoner Sergey Sushchikh. The trio opens up with stories from a whirlwind day in L.A. — from a sun-soaked charity golf tournament to all-you-can-eat Dodgers seats (where Ryan may have gone silent thanks to a few too many kosher dogs). They also drop some big personal news: both Henry and Ryan are weeks away from becoming fathers — at the same time, and completely unplanned.

Then the crew sits down with Sergey to dive into his inspiring journey — from a high school standout to UCLA athlete to dedicated coach at Saugus High School. Sergey breaks down the mental and physical discipline required for marathon training, shares how coaching has impacted his life, and honors the legacy of his late friend and fellow runner Emilio De La Torre, to whom he dedicated his recent LA Marathon performance (where he finished an astonishing 8th out of 25,000+ runners). It’s a powerful conversation about purpose, persistence, and giving back, wrapped in the laid-back, real talk Santa Clarita fans know and love.