Set the Pace

This week, Becs talks with three Team Inspire athletes about their experiences running the TCS New York City Marathon: Danish Hussain Yar, Alan Kaufman, and Nicole Ver Kuilen. Team Inspire is a diverse group of marathoners with compelling stories—each story representing one mile of the 26.2-mile course. Danish grew up in northern Afghanistan and first discovered the TCS New York City Marathon through a video she watched as a teenager. After escaping Taliban rule, she became a student at Cornell University and a runner ambassador for Free to Run, a nonprofit that advances gender equity worldwide. Alan, a Fo...

Olympian Carrie Tollefson sits down with the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon champions, Sheila Chepkirui, Andreas Almgren, Catherine Debrunner, and Marcel Hug, along with top Americans Jess McClain and Zouhair Talbi, shortly after they conquered the iconic course. Through focus, determination, and grit, these athletes delivered remarkable performances on the best day of the year, in the best city in the world, as the race celebrated the 50th anniversary of the five-borough New York City Marathon.

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2026 Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K champions Habtom Samuel and Rachael Rudel join Olympian Carrie Tollefson and Citius Mag's Chris Chavez live at the finish line in Central Park just minutes after their wins!

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Conner Mantz Returns to New York After A Record-Breaking Year!

This episode of Set the Pace Presented by Peloton is brought to you by Shokz and was recorded live from the TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance. Becs sits down with professional runner Conner Mantz, who finished as the top American in 2024 at his TCS New York City Marathon debut, clocking 2:09:00. Mantz won two NCAA cross country titles while he was a student-athlete at Brigham Young University. He went on to set two American records in 2025—one at the Houston Half Marathon (59:17) and th...

In this episode, we continue to spotlight runners who put purpose behind their miles and the organizations that make up the more than 670 Official Charity Partners of the TCS New York City Marathon. Rob and Becs sit down with four members of Fred’s Team—Hope Guzzle, Caroline Stevens,  Mike Kloepfer, and NYRR Team Inspire member Sheena Lawrick—as they share stories of what’s inspiring them to run 26.2 miles on November 1 to raise funds for cancer research. Fred’s Team, the official running program of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), was the first Official Charity Partner of the New Yor...

In this week’s episode, we continue to spotlight runners who put purpose behind their miles and the organizations that make up the more than 670 Official Charity Partners of the TCS New York City Marathon. Rob is joined by guests from Back on My Feet, including CEO Nathan Watt, volunteer Diana Cruz Solash, and member Tim Blackmore. Back on My Feet is a national nonprofit that uses running, community, and workforce development to help people experiencing homelessness and addiction build a path toward stability and independence. Nathan reflects on the organization’s growth and impact over the years, while Tim...

If you’re training for the TCS New York City Marathon or another fall marathon, this episode of Set the Pace is for you! Rob sits down with Dr. Jordan Metzl, a nationally recognized sports medicine physician at Hospital for Special Surgery and a member of New York Road Runners’ Medical Advisory Council. A 14-time Ironman finisher who has run over 40 marathons, Dr. Metzl is also the author of several books, including his latest, “Push,” which came out earlier this year. He talks about how runners can distinguish healthy training discomfort from pain that signals a more serious injury. They dis...

Counting down to the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, Set the Pace is shining a spotlight on the runners who put purpose behind every mile by raising funds for the race’s more than 670 Official Charity Partners. This week, Rob is joined by Christopher Sheridan of the American Heart Association (AHA), NYRR Hall of Famer and Olympic medalist Jenny Simpson, and NYRR Medical Director Dr. Matt Friedman for an important discussion about cardiac arrest, CPR, and the power of being prepared. Christopher shares how the AHA’s Team Heart & Stroke is building a community of survivors and lifesavers, while Jenn...

Behind the Scenes  of the 2026 UTMB - The world summit of trail running with Becs Gentry, Margot Fleming and Jeremiah Maestre.

This week, Rob interviews Becs and friends about their passion for ultramarathon running. Joining the conversation is Margot Fleming, an ultrarunner and coach based in Los Angeles whose father, Tom Fleming, won the New York City Marathon in 1973 and again in 1975. Margot ran the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon, marking 50 years since her father’s first win. Just a few weeks ago, she completed the full 170-kilometer loop of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB). Also joining the...

With the marathon just weeks away, Rob is joined by Ted Metellus, NYRR’s chief event production officer and race director, for a comprehensive guide to race week and race day. They reflect on the significance of the 50th anniversary of the New York City Marathon’s 5-boro course, then dive into everything runners need to know—from special activations at the marathon expo and engaging marathon week events to understanding race-day transportation options, course logistics, and more. Ted and Rob also share tips for first-time and returning runners, including how to plan your race weekend, navigate the course’s bridge...

New Balance 5th Avenue Mile champions Jemma Reekie and Marco Langon join a special edition of Set the Pace.

Wondering what broken nails and diamond bracelets have to do with the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile? Guest hosts Carrie Tollefson (Olympian and host of C Tolle Run) and Ali Feller (host of the Ali on the Run Show) find out on this special episode of Set the Pace, recorded live at the New York Road Runners Run Center featuring the New Balance Run Hub.

Carrie and Ali recap race day, then talk with both champions...

For this week’s Set the Pace, NYRR’s Gordon Bakoulis—Coach Gordon to many–steps in to host the show while Rob and Becs are away. Gordon sits down with Heidi Skolnik, a sports nutritionist and exercise physiologist who is also a member of the NYRR Medical Advisory Council, to discuss her newest book, “Your GLP-1 Game Plan: What Your Doctor Didn't Tell You About How to Eat, Move, and Thrive on Weight Loss Medication,” out September 22. Heidi has worked with the New York Giants, Mets, and Knicks, and spent 30 years at the Women's Sports Medicine Center at Hospital for...

In this episode, Rob sits down with NYRR’s Director of Professional Athletes Dorian Kail to preview the pros taking on the TCS New York City Marathon on November 1 and explore what it takes to assemble the field. One of those athletes is Viola Cheptoo, who is gearing up for her return to New York. Cheptoo grew up in one of Kenya's great running families as the younger sister of five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat and has made a name of her own. She finished second in her marathon debut at the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon and ran a pe...

On this special live show from the Apollo Stages at the Victoria, Rob is joined by co-host Keisha Sutton-James, Percy Sutton's granddaughter and former deputy Manhattan borough president. Together, they sit down with MS NOW political analyst Dr. Basil Smikle Jr., multi-platinum Harlem recording artist FERG; Billy “Mr. Apollo” Mitchell, Harlem Run member and NYRR marketing lead Kristina Lopez, and Run for the Future alumna Katherine Yerolemou to unearth the little-known story of the powerhouse Percy Sutton built in Harlem and beyond. 
 
Percy Sutton believed in New York when almost no one else did. A Tuskegee Airman and th...

For this week’s episode of Set the Pace, Rob is joined by NYRR VP of Strategy, Planning & Analytics Matthew Forys to answer members’ questions LIVE about the updates to the 9+1 program and membership. For decades, New York Road Runners has connected its members to races, community, and unforgettable experiences, including the opportunity to earn guaranteed entry to the TCS New York City Marathon through the 9+1 program. As demand for NYRR races has continued to grow, it has become increasingly difficult for members to register for races and volunteer opportunities, limiting access for both those pursuing 9+1 and those simply look...

Building on last week’s conversation with Mary Cain, Set the Pace explores how she transformed her experiences into a movement to create a healthier future for girls and women in sport by founding Atalanta NYC, a nonprofit that employs professional runners to achieve their goals while mentoring the next generation. Becs sits down with Atalanta NYC professional athletes Emily Richards, Susan Aneno, and Leah Anderson, along with Executive Director Devon Martin, to discuss creating a team culture rooted in community, education, and movement. Together, they share personal stories of overcoming isolation, cultural expectations, body image pressures, and setbacks. Th...

When The New York Times featured Mary Cain’s Opinion piece, "I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike," in 2019, the running world, including elite athletes, was shocked. Behind her record-breaking success was a story of pressure, abuse, and survival. In Part 1 of this special two-part series for Set the Pace, Rob sits down with Mary to discuss her powerful memoir, “This Is Not About Running,” and her experiences as a young professional athlete with the Nike Oregon Project and Coach Alberto Salazar. Mary shares how harmful coaching practices, body shaming, and a culture that pr...

This week, Rob and Becs lead a roundtable discussion on how heat and humidity can become a runner’s secret weapon. Whether you're training for a fall marathon or just trying to stay fit in the summer, running in the heat can help make you a stronger and faster in the fall. Joining the conversation is Dr. Eamon Duffy, a sports cardiologist at Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian and a new member of the New York Road Runners Medical Advisory Council. They’re also joined by Dr. Eric Roy, a water scientist who founded the water-filtration company Hydroviv out of h...

New York Road Runners’ Gordon Bakoulis joins Set the Pace this week to talk with Rob about her legendary career as both an elite athlete and NYRR’s editorial director. Gordon qualified for the Olympic marathon trials in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 and was a finalist in the 1992 U.S. Olympic 10,000m trials. As she looks ahead to retirement after nearly 24 years at New York Road Runners, she reflects on the organization’s continued commitment to innovation and inclusion and why she believes those values will continue to shape its future. Gordon also shares her remarkable running journey—from discovering the sport as a tee...

Join Ali Feller from Ali on the Run and Aisha Praught Leer from Citius Mag as Set the Pace, Presented by Peloton Reruns the MastercardNew York  Mini 10k. Whether you ran the race or have FOMO for not being there, this episode is for you! Tune in for post-race interviews with the Mastercard New York City Mini 10K champions, to hear what it took to break the tape at this iconic race. Following in their footsteps, thousands of runners also crossed the finish line with goals of their own. Three of those runners share their stories of strength, grit, a...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and throughout the month we’ve been sharing stories about running and mental well-being. We also celebrated Mother’s Day, and for many members of our community, running, mental health, and motherhood are deeply intertwined. In this week’s episode, Rob and Becs speak with Peloton instructor Selena Samuela, who opens up about raising identical twin girls, Stella and Frankie, and the mental and physical challenges of returning to movement postpartum. Selena reflects on body image, motherhood, rebuilding fitness slowly, and her powerful mantra: acceptance is not the same as complacency. Now, 24 weeks after...

This week, Rob turns the mic on Becs to talk about her next adventure. Becs opens up about the highs and lows she’s experienced with running since completing the Great World Race over a year ago. She shares how she stepped away from road racing, rediscovered her love of the sport through trail and ultra running, and embraced a less pressure-filled approach to training and competition. After years away from the trails, Becs returned to the sport by taking on the Napa Valley Trail Marathon in March, followed by the Canyons 50K in April. Check out this episode to...

Joining Rob live from the RBC Brooklyn Half After-Party at Maimonides Park is special guest Camila Ramón, a Peloton instructor and recording artist who was one of the thousands of runners crossing the finish line on Coney Island. Born in Buenos Aires, Camila moved to Miami when she was seven. She teaches cycling, treadmill, and strength training in English and Spanish as Peloton's first bilingual instructor. Also joining the show is HSS physical therapist Carrie Whitelam, an orthopedic clinical specialist and certified athletic trainer who works closely with runners on the importance of recovering after races. Plus, hear f...

Winning a major marathon goes way beyond the podium for a Kenyan athlete—it reaches their families, their communities, and entire towns. But for the women, success can also put them in danger. Check out this week’s episode as Rob joins a roundtable discussion led by NYRR's Head of Content Matthew Singer along with Chief Diversity Officer Erica Edwards-O'Neal and Director of Professional Athletes Dorian Kail—all reflecting on their trip to Eldoret, Kenya this past February. The group visited training camps, sat down with champions, and toured a children's hospital built with funds raised by TCS New York C...

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Joining Rob and Becs this week is NYRR Chief Event Production Officer and Race Director Ted Metellus, breaking down everything you need to know about the RBC Brooklyn Half, from the new expo location at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park to essential race-day logistics such as getting to your corral with plenty of time to spare for a stress-free arrival. Ted and Rob share course insights, including tackling the hills in Prospect Park before exiting onto Ocean Parkway for a long straightaway toward Coney Island. Ted also notes that...

More than 600 runners from over 24 teams descended on The TRACK at New Balance to cover 26.2 miles — but instead of slogging through city streets, this one was 211 laps on a banked 200m indoor track. And Rob and Meb were in the center of it all, interviewing runners right off the track including Ali Feller, Olympians Kim Conley and Aisha Praught Leer, Endorphins Running founder Tyler Swartz, Boston's Matt Prichard, The Megs from Believe in the Run, and many more.

Watch what what happens when you put Olympians, first-timers, and everyone in between on the same track at the sa...

This episode of Set the Pace marks an exciting new chapter for the show as Rob and Becs explain how the podcast is evolving to focus more deeply on what matters most: the transformative power of running. Guided by the mission to build healthier lives and stronger communities, this shift brings more intentional, story-driven content. While episodes will no longer be released weekly, listeners can expect deeper storytelling, multi-episode series, race insights, and behind-the-scenes perspectives. This is not just a podcast about running, but about how running changes lives. Plus, Meb Keflezighi is back on the podcast to talk...

Mary Wittenberg, former New York Road Runners President and CEO, joins Set the Pace this week as part of our celebration of Women’s History Month. After becoming a partner at a law firm in New York City, she pivoted to pursue her passion for sports, joining New York Road Runners in 1998. A dedicated runner, she won the 1987 Marine Corps Marathon and competed in the 1988 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. During her tenure, Mary guided NYRR and the New York City Marathon through a decade of significant growth and in 2002 was part of a pivotal decision to introduce a wo...

Former NFL center Justin Britt, who spent most of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, joins Rob and Becs on Set the Pace this week. Justin ran the United Airlines NYC Half in 1:31:11, coached by professional distance runner Emily Venters, who finished the race in 1:09:46, placing 10th in the women’s field. For Justin, running has helped him navigate a rocky transition to life after the NFL. For Emily, coaching is a way to give back to the running community. The conversation explores the unlikely partnership between an NFL veteran learning from a young professional runner, what it’s like...

In this special race-day episode of Set the Pace, hosts Olympian Carrie Tollefson and CITIUS MAG's Kyle Merber interview the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half champions—Eden Rainbow-Cooper, Daniel Romanchuk, Hellen Obiri, Adriaan Wildschutt, and Daniel Mata—who led more than 30,000 athletes from the start in Prospect Park, across the Brooklyn Bridge, through Manhattan, and to the finish in Central Park.

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Joining Rob and Becs this week are Liz Cho and Mike Marza, anchors for ABC7 Eyewitness News. Together, they report on the events that shape daily life across the five boroughs. There will be more than 30,000 stories at this weekend’s United Airlines NYC Half—the kind of stories today’s guests usually spend their days telling. But this weekend, instead of covering the stories, they’ll be part of the action as they step away from the newsroom to take on 13.1 miles. Liz was part of the ABC relay at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, which she followed...

New York Road Runners’ Chief Event Production Officer and Race Director, Ted Metellus, joins  Becs to talk all things United Airlines NYC Half. This year’s race is set for Sunday, March 15, and Ted has all the answers to questions about race week and race day. Learn the deets about bib pickup at the Expo (in a new location at the Javits Center!), getting to the start, navigating the iconic course from the Brooklyn Museum to Central Park—including crossing the Brooklyn Bridge again this year—managing post-race reunion, and more. Whether you’re running, spectating, or tuning in, you’ll be w...

This episode discusses sexual violence, which may be triggering or distressing for some listeners.

In this episode, New York Road Runners leaders Christine Burke and Erica Edwards-O’Neal explore runner safety—particularly for women—through global and local lenses. Reflecting on a recent trip to Kenya, they share their experience meeting with Tirop’s Angels, an organization that combats gender-based violence. Christine and Erica then interview Jean Knaack, CEO of the Road Runners Club of America, who discusses the need for a systemic approach to safety in running clubs, emphasizing proactive leadership, clear codes of conduct, and shared r...

In this special episode of Set the Pace Rob sits down with Sharon Lokedi, TCS New York City Marathon champion, at her mother’s home in Eldoret, Kenya. Lokedi reflects on her journey from training on Kenya’s red clay roads to winning major marathons, and what it means to inspire other Kenyan runners. She shares how Kenya’s deep-rooted running culture fuels her motivation as she prepares to defend her titles at the United Airlines NYC Half in March and the Boston Marathon in April. Lokedi also speaks candidly about competition, pressure, and using her platform to support organi...

This week, Rob and Becs are joined by Dr. Jordan Metzl, a sports medicine physician at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) who has treated thousands of runners. A runner himself, Dr. Metzl has completed dozens of marathons and multiple Ironman triathlons. His new book, “Push: Unlock the Science of Fitness Motivation to Embrace Health and Longevity,” draws on research, patient stories, and his own experience to examine how motivation shapes long-term health. The book offers a practical mental and physical roadmap to help readers build a sustainable exercise plan and rediscover their love of movement. Dr. Metzl...

Two-time Olympian Grant Fisher joins Set the Pace this week in a live interview with Rob, recorded on January 30 at the TCS New York City Marathon Partner Forum in NYC. Grant was in town preparing for the Millrose Games, where he was set to race the Wanamaker Mile, but after our interview, he scratched due to illness. In the conversation, Grant shares what excites him about making his road racing and half marathon debut at the United Airlines NYC Half. The Stanford grad also reflects on long-term running goals and how he balances his love of the sport with...

This week, Rob is joined by New York Road Runners Chief Marketing and Digital Officer Juliette Morris for a special Town Hall edition of Set the Pace where they talk about what’s happening across the entire organization. Rob addresses some of the most common questions and concerns raised by the running community, from race access and registration demand to new processing fees and the growing popularity of the 9+1 program. He breaks down the realities behind park permits, race capacity limits, and fairness for participants, while sharing steps NYRR is taking to create more opportunities for runners at every le...

Check out this special episode of Set the Pace taped live at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square. Hosts Rob and Becs sit down with Olympian and Peloton instructor Alex Karwoski, who represented the U.S. in the men’s eight at the Rio Games and later served as an alternate for Tokyo. Since his last appearance on the show in August 2024, Alex has completed the TCS New York City Marathon twice, added strong performances at the 2025 Fred Lebow Half Marathon and the United Airlines NYC Half, and this weekend will toe the line once more at the Fre...

Jeremie Kasmarcak, head of Team for Kids (TFK) at New York Road Runners, joins Set the Pace to share a behind-the-scenes perspective on TFK, a charity program that’s become a training ground for runners of all ages, paces, and experience levels. Jeremie has led Team for Kids for nearly a decade, guiding it into one of the most impactful and in-demand charity running programs in the world. Since its founding in 2002, TFK runners have raised over $120 million to support NYRR’s free youth and community running programs, which provide kids the coping tools that extend beyond physical fitness. Jere...

Joining the show this week is Vanessa Peralta-Mitchell, the founder of Game Changers, a program that aims to encourage and support more women of color to become certified run coaches. Launched in 2020, the program was born out of Vanessa’s realization that very few running coaches and experts in the industry looked like her—and her desire to change that. 

Since then, the program has guided  nationwide across 29 states in addition to Washington, D.C.

A wife, mother of three, and daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants, she credits her mother for being her ultimate inspiration to reach...