Set the Pace

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 ...

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 Yor...

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 underst...

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 t...

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 Los...

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 ...

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 alum...

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 prog...

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 wit...

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 he...

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 R...

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 organizat...

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 ru...

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...

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 re...

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 i...

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 re...

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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, i...

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 f...