An Army Olympian and a new initiative to encourage professional writing across the force are the August highlights of the Association of the U.S. Army’s “Army Matters” podcast.

First up, on Aug. 14, is a podcast featuring Staff Sgt. Leonard Korir, who competed in the men’s marathon in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He completed the Aug. 10 event with a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds.

The race was won by Ethiopian runner Tamirat Tola, who finished in an Olympic record time of 2 hours, 6 minutes and 26 seconds.

Korir is a two-time Olympian, placing 14th in the 10,000-meter race at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Qualifying for the marathon at this year’s Olympics is the culmination of an impressive career that’s taken him from Kenya to Iona Collage to the Army’s World Class Athlete Program.

During the podcast, Korir talks about what it takes to be an Olympic athlete, how his career was influenced by strong mentors and coaches, and why he’s committed to the Army and a life of service.

The next podcast features Lt. Col. Zach Griffiths and Sgt. 1st Class Leyton Summerlin of the Harding Project, an Army chief of staff initiative to renew and reenergize the Army’s writing and communication channels.

One of the most important elements of any large organization is to ensure free and clear communication. In the 1930s, the Army recognized this and relaunched Infantry Journal, the forerunner of ARMY magazine, AUSA’s flagship publication. Many credit Infantry Journal with helping craft tactics and technologies leading into World War II. Now, 90 years later and with new technologies and potential crises around the world, the Army has launched the Harding Project.

During the podcast, Griffiths and Summerlin discuss their Army careers, the importance of the written word, and how diving classes influenced it all.

The podcast will be released Aug. 28.

Full details on the podcasts are available at https://www.ausa.org/podcast. Listeners also can subscribe to Army Matters for updates.