Jeffrey McEachern on Good Vibes and Six Stars, and All Things United Airlines NYC Half

Episode Transcript
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Jeffrey McEachern (00:00):
Sometimes in life we wait for someone to help us,
to change us, to do something that we are so
afraid of doing and taking the wheel ourselves. And I
was like, " No more. I need to take this action."
And so I just started running and started training differently
and that led me to my first half- marathon in
Berlin 2016, which I will never forget.

Ted Metellus (00:22):
Thank you, New York. Today, we're reminded of the power
of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on
your mark.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
The first woman to finish for the second straight year
here in the New York City Marathon is Mickey Gorman, a smiling
Miki Gorman, and why not? 22, 930 the time for good advice.

Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes
to the line, pointing to his chest, pointed to the
USA, he so proudly wears across his chest. A great
day for Meb Keflezighi.

Becs Gentry (01:02):
Welcome to Set the Pace, the official podcast of New
York Road Runners presented by Peloton. I'm Becs Gentry, and
I am your solo host today as our New York
Road Runners CEO, Rob Simmelkjaer, you just can't be here today.
All right. Well, we have such an exciting episode for

(01:23):
you. We have a lot of information coming your way,
so get ready to focus, but let me just fill
you in on what's been going on. Okay. We are
going to be here announcing the United Airlines NYC Half
Pro Field. Okay. The race is coming up on St. Patrick's Day
weekend, that is Sunday, the 16th of March. We are

(01:44):
thrilled to announce that the lineup is filled with defending
champions, American record holders, Olympians, Paralympians representing 14 countries. Can
you believe it? So here we go. Hold on to
your running shoes. We have defending champions, Abel Kipchumba, Kenenisa

(02:06):
Bekele, Geert Schipper, and Susannah Scaroni, all returning to this
fabulous course. We have the American and newly minted American half-
marathon record holder, Conner Mantz, will be towing that start
line. Just an FYI, Connor broke an 18- year- old

(02:27):
American record by running 59
just a few weeks ago. So let's see what he's
got in the tank for the UANYC half. We also
have Olympians, Mo Ahmed, Hilary Bor, and Woody Kincaid joining
Paralympian and 2024 TCS New York City Marathon champion, Daniel Romanchuk,

(02:48):
who will be leading the men's FIOD. We have Paris
2024 Olympic Marathoners, Sharon Loledi, Fiona O'Keeffe, Dakota Popehn, and
Emily Sisson all ready to battle it out in the
women's open division. I mean as somebody who is going
to be in the broadcast booth again, yeah, I'll just

(03:08):
drop that in there for you. That is riveting and
so exciting to know that the professional field is just
popping with names who are coming with history, and names
who we know are training really hard for other races
later on in this spring season. So get ready to

(03:29):
spectate with a lot of enjoyment or run your hearts
out on the day. We cannot wait. All right. So our
big show today. First up, we are welcoming a dear
friend of mine to this episode. All the way from
the UK via Germany is Peloton's, Jeffrey McEachern. And then

(03:50):
with a little under a month to go before the
United Airlines NYC Half, we have New York Roadrunner's Chief
Event Production Officer and race director Ted Metellus. He's going
to be here to fill you in on everything you
need to know about the race. And then we have
Meb. He will be here for today's Meb Minute with
his advice for what you should be focusing on one

(04:11):
month before the United Airlines NYC Half. So stay tuned.
Ready to level up your running? With the Peloton Tread
and Tread Plus you can challenge yourself anytime, anywhere. Whether
you're building strength or working on speed, Peloton has a
class for every goal from 5 to 120 minute workouts.
With muscle building classes and flexible training options, you'll have

(04:33):
everything you need to crush your next race and then
recover from it all. Access membership separate. Find your push,
find your power at onepeloton. com/ race- training. Peloton, the
official digital fitness partner for New York Road Runners. Jeffrey
McEachern's journey is as dynamic as his wonderful Peloton classes.

(04:56):
Before becoming a Peloton instructor, he was a talent recruiter
for The Voice of Germany, honing his skills in recognizing
and nurturing talent. A fellow Tread instructor, Jeffrey's love for
music and fashion shines through in his curated playlists and
unique class attire. He is known as the chief of
good vibes. And Jeffrey's infectious enthusiasm continues to inspire the

(05:20):
fitness community around the world, and no doubt will affect
the Tokyo Marathon field in a couple of weeks because
Jeffrey is getting ready to fly to Japan to earn
his Six Star Abbott World Marathon medal. Oh my gosh,
Jeffrey, hi.

Hello. Thank you so much. You're so kind. That's so sweet.

It's so lovely to have you on here. You truly
are an instructor that I feel so blessed to be
on a team with. Your energy as a friend and
as colleague is one that I look to, I look
for, I lean into, all of the good things because you
are the chief of good vibes and anybody listening to

(06:06):
this who has ever had the pleasure of meeting you
in real life will know that there's no ounce of
fake in that name at all.

Thank you.

So thank you for being how wonderful you are. But
listen, we're not here-

Thank you so much.

... to boost, boost, boost you in that way.

We can continue. It's okay. No, thank you so much.

We will, but we're going to talk about how fabulous
you are as a runner to begin with. And your
running journey is one that a lot of, I know
our Peloton members can associate with very well. You started
as a hobby runner. You were in the Addie family
of running before your time at Peloton and you were

(06:58):
the unnamed chief of good vibes really always but you
love running. You literally love the community aspect. So I
want you to just let the listeners of Set the
Pace know about how you first fell in love with
running and about your first half- marathon back in 2016.

Yes, thank you. That really ties it back to the
time when I started running as well. It was actually,
I started running not knowing what I was yet to
experience. I started running out of not knowing what else
to do. To be honest, 2015 was a very low
point in my life. I had made some wrong financial
decisions. I had to live on my best friend's couch.
And actually that was the movement that got me to say, "

(07:42):
I need to do something for myself." Because I was
living on my best friend's couch. I was turning in
circles or where to take my life, what to do.
I quit my job from one day to the next.
I actually at the time changed my, like I stopped
smoking, I changed my whole life around and I said
I need to and I get to move. So I
just laced up. It was the 2nd of December, 2015, I will never forget
the day. And I went into the park, it was

(08:03):
cold, it was in Berlin, but I just got out
and I just started moving and started feeling that power
that I was gaining in my body. And of course
back then it wasn't full out runs, it was more
like what we now call walk plus run. It was
more of that situation. So I just got out and started
moving. And when I started doing that, I made these
my little islands within the day to have time for

(08:23):
myself because I had quit my job and I was
trying to figure out what to do and who I
am. I just took these moments to myself without really
knowing what the end goal was. And then I started
feeling more confident, started having time for my thoughts, asking
myself who am I? Who do I want to be?
How do I want to feel? And just continued from
there. And something I say in class a lot is

(08:44):
have fun with it. And that's what I did, especially
in the beginning. I just was able to move. So
I created a playlist that would drive me, that would
push me and just got out there and not surprise
to you Becs, it was Beyonce on there, a lot of Beyonce.

I'm sure.

And it just really got me pushing, and it was
actually in those moments that I started listening to motivational
speeches and music and got inspired and had a new
moment and a new thought to get some new views and
insights to my life who I can be as a
person and got inspired by people that have led the
way or have done similar things. And I just took

(09:20):
that new aspect and that new view into my life.
So then I started surrounding myself with people that are
running and what can you do and all the fun
things. And that's when the first time I heard about
a half- marathon. So the people I was talking to, they
knew all about training and what to do and the
things to go and they roped me in because they
saw I was curious, I was interested and I was like, "

(09:41):
You know what? I'm trying to change my life. Let
me turn this fear into healing and let me try
this." Because I think part of my situation back then
was sometimes in life we wait for someone to help
us, to change us, to do something that we are
so afraid of doing and taking the wheel ourselves. And
I was like, " No more. I need to take this
action." So I just started running and started training differently

(10:04):
and that led me to my first half- marathon in Berlin 2016
which I'll never forget,

It was the Berlin Half.

It was the Berlin Half. And that's why that's so
near and dear to my heart because I lived there
at the time, it was the first half- marathon I
ran. I'm actually going to run it again this year
as well, which I'm really excited about. Most of the
years I've kept on doing it. It's like a tradition at this
point because it just brought me so much healing, and
I will never forget running across that finish line, crying
like a baby out of that power that I found

(10:35):
within myself that for years I did not think I
had. I never thought I was a runner. I never
thought I was good enough to do certain things. And
in that singular moment I proved to myself that I
am and that changed my life forever.

Wow. That is so powerful and beautiful. I had no
idea that 2015 was such a ride for you and that the end
of it was so pivotal in your career. I wish
looking back, I was in Berlin all the time at
that point, but running with your competitor swoosh variety. But

(11:14):
I wish the world had brought us together sooner because
I think we were both going through a rough time and
we could have been running, but there was a reason
why. There was a reason why we weren't well on it.

But there was a reason why. And now being a friend
and a colleague, I actually know why. Because I wouldn't
have been ready for this conversation that we can have
now. I wouldn't have been ready to allow myself to
step into the strength that I have now. And that
is the beauty of what I do now. And to call
you a friend and a colleague and our other teammates
is now I am ready to be open to this
world and this life and take other people on this

(11:48):
journey. If I think if we would've met then, it
would've been a high five and a high and I
still think we would've connected in some way. But you
understand what I'm saying. I really think that as always
the divine timing set it for us to meet now,
for me to be open in life where I am now.

So talk to me about how running back then 2015
into 2016, those runs, those run plus walks, those moving
times, how different were they in how you spoke to
yourself compared to when Jeffrey hops out for a run
now in 2025?

One thing I will definitely say, actually I'll start with
that's the same is the joy. Once I found the
way that I could move and the abilities my body
has just by being able to do these things, there
was a certain joy that I always had in mind or
that I felt just when I started moving because I
think also the reason I started running is you don't
need much, you can just take yourself, but you're going

(12:45):
to have to be okay with yourself to take yourself.
But just that ability to do that, really open up
something so beautiful. What I say is different now is
of course, first of all, my training is much more
structured and I'm aware of the holistic approach. Back then
it was about running and getting out and having time
on my feet, which is all the beautiful things. But
now I know all that there's runs that are supposed

(13:08):
to challenge you, but there's also runs where you're supposed
to just have joy with it, that there's recovery runs.
And I think being open to the ability my body
has on the day of that run to be open
to that, and to let the critic go and see what
a privilege it is to move. So I think back
then there was moments also of like, " You should be

(13:29):
faster. You should be doing this." And then I found
my own path and what I should and shouldn't be
doing. I get to move, so I can define and
I can write that story and that's what it comes
down to. Even now when I have a training plan,
I'm very strict and I want to take my runs
and do the workouts, but also I need to listen
to myself. I need to listen to myself as an
athlete. I need to listen to myself as a human. I need to listen to myself as a

(13:51):
friend. So learning all these things makes it so much
lighter nowadays.

Yeah. I love that. That's why we're friends because we have very
similar mentality in that respect. So finding your path, you
certainly have between 2015 and so the past 10 years, Jeffrey, oh
my gosh, the past 10 years you have found your path, and
right now you are at the junction of having 5 Abbott
World Marathon Major marathons under your belt, and you are

(14:20):
literally a couple of weeks away from completing that sought
after Six Star marathon. And how does that feel to you?

I really tried to approach this race just by being
so grateful, Becs, because first of all, when I started
running and when I did the first half- marathon, I was one of
those people and I've learned not to do that anymore.
I would never run a marathon. Why are these people doing this?
I enjoy running, but I would never. 2019 I got

(14:52):
to cheer one of my best friends on in the Berlin
Marathon. And since that day I was hooked and I
was like, " I have to do this." So again, and
then meeting people like you and other like- minded people
that have done this and told me about the Six
Star in this journey just opened up a whole new
world. But again, if I think of Jeffrey 2015 who
would've not even been able to travel the places that
I got to travel within the last year and a

(15:13):
half to run these world major marathon, the world alone,
world major marathon, I am able to travel. I'm allowed
to travel the world and do what I love doing
and taking other people on that journey. If you would
tell this to little Jeffrey, he would never ever believe
you. So just that alone, I'm trying to be mindful
of that in my training and as I approach this
race because it is a privilege. And of course in

(15:36):
my mind, I train for a certain time and have
these things in mind, but at the forefront I run for
my heart and I run with my heart and I
run for the little Jeffrey that would've never thought this is
possible. So that is at the forefront of this race.
I'm not going to lie, probably about three years ago,
I heard from about the Six Stars for the first
time and I completed them. I was lucky enough to

(15:59):
complete them. This is a year and a half, so
to just get everything under my belt and get them
done, I would've never thought that was an opportunity for
me physically, mentally, and also, just in the life that
I was living.

Absolutely. It is such a privilege to... I'm talking from
experience, having done them and it took me about eight
years to do it myself. And it is such a
privilege to travel the world, do what you love to
do, run with your heart, dance, I do not, but
you do dance a lot of miles on these courses,
and you ran the New York City Marathon, TCS New

(16:34):
York City Marathon. You ran that side- by- side with
our fellow colleague and one of the most fabulous women.
I think we both know Susie Chan.

Yes.

I want to know, tell me, what was that like?
How much fun was that day?

Well, I mean that day was just incredible Becs, and as you know, I am very in
touch with my emotions, so I cried before we even
started the race. Just out of the pure joy that getting to
run this race-

Sinatra comes on and you're (inaudible) to crying.

I mean it's like, can you even believe? So another part
of me, in 2008, I lived in New York for a year and
it was one of the roughest times. So 2008 was
a rough time. And then I moved back after a
year and the amount of times I sat in Times
Square crying, not knowing what I wanted to do in
life or where to go. I was working in the fast

(17:23):
food industry at the time, so I thought I'm going
to move to New York and live the American dream.
It didn't quite work for me that way and that's
okay. But for years, I blamed the city. So coming
back as a healed version or the journey that I'm
on now as a human to be able to run
this race. And then the beauty is running it with
a friend like Susie who's done all these amazing races

(17:43):
and is such a role model in the running space,
but also just such a great human. And she gave
me this beautiful space of sharing her experience with me
but also leaving room for me to experience that day
by myself or in my own eyes. And I think
she did that so beautifully and I don't even think she was
aware of it at the time, but the way that

(18:04):
she navigated that, was just so simply beautiful. And I'm
so grateful that I got to experience that and make
my own memories with her by my side.

Yeah. And those photos and videos and everything that you
guys shared just really does show, A, your friendship, and
B, I think that I could see a moment of guidance here and there
from Susie. She's just so generous with her passion as
well for running that it's infectious when you're with her

(18:33):
I'm sure.

Yeah. And also the joy, I think the joy that we get to do, especially in
our job, the joy that we get to do for
people. Imagine you're running this race and there's people calling
your name and it's not that they're calling your name,
but it's the joy that they get from that. And
to be able to spark that in someone and then
run this race with a friend on this beautiful track

(18:53):
of New York City, it's just an incredible experience in
itself. Such a joy fest.

The sun was shining and-

And then that part, the cameras blocking people. It was so funny.
It was also hilarious because Susie, she's just so funny and she would
just say something that she thinks or feels and it's
like the funniest thing. And I'm like, " Susie, I can't
stop laughing. I'm trying to run this marathon here. What
are you doing to me?" It's just so funny.

It'll call work out as you go.

Yeah, exactly.

But it's not just the love for you for running.
I think one really important thing to acknowledge is the
work you've put in for yourself over the past 10
years is very visible, I'm sure to the people in
your life who have known you from let's say 2008

(19:44):
to 2016 to 2025 just must look at you with or almost
of well done. You did that hard work, you went
to those dark places and you found your own light,
which is so difficult for a lot of us to
do. And alongside that, you are incredibly lucky to now be in

(20:06):
a position through Peloton to be able to support other
people, organizations that mean a lot to you. And one of
those is RED and you've run two marathons, you run
Boston and Chicago Marathons in support of RED. So what's your
passion and how do you deliver your passion for supporting RED

(20:28):
through running?

Well, I think that one thing that does go back to
is that moment in 2016 when I ran my first half-
marathon is that feeling of healing. And in my mind and
spirit I was like, " Everybody needs to experience this." But
then I came to terms with not everybody's going to
want to experience this and everybody has their own journey,
but how can I use my voice to share this
message and this experience that I had with the people

(20:50):
around me and with the world? And also how can I give
it more purpose? Because then being aware of this privilege
that I have, how can I use my voice? Even
before I did work for Peloton, I did things that
I could charitably support organizations that were close to my
heart because I just felt with this movement and on
those days that you don't want to get up or
you don't want to do something, if you think of

(21:11):
that purpose and if you think of the people that
you're affecting by the work and the support that you're
doing or able to provide is just the biggest gift.
So I started early on looking for organizations that are close
to my heart and due to a personal story of
my family from my uncle's side, I found RED and
was able to connect with them. And we've been able
to create some two great classes for the Peloton platform

(21:33):
for World AIDS Day, which has been incredible, with Phoebe
in studio and also got to run Boston, Chicago in
support of them for their funds and needs in the
fight against HIV/ AIDS. And that is such an important
cause and it's still a pandemic and it's so important
to support where you can. And even when I share
these messages or share what I do, I invite people

(21:55):
to be open to finding their passion. I'm not asking
everybody to support the same cause, but to find something
that you're passionate about. And that is my main message in
the work that I do. Find something that you're passionate
about and then support it, and give it your voice
in whatever way, shape or form you can. Whether it's
information, whether it is donation, whatever is available to you,
but that is mainly my main message when I fundraise

(22:18):
for this cause because it's so important to me.

I can imagine as well running with Phoebe. I mean
she can be pretty funny. She's been a guest on
the podcast here with us and she's got some humor
in her as well. So I feel like you attract
the fun people to run with Jeffrey.

I agree. And speaking of core workout earlier, I think it was
Boston, when we were in Boston together, we were trying
to do a pre- run warm- up on the Peloton
app actually. And we were just laughing the whole time she
was commentating and it was just hilarious. It was the best time.

Oh my gosh, love her. Okay. So let's rewind back
a little bit further before Peloton, we'll get to on Jeffrey, but
I think people can see that now if they want
to. So let's talk about Jeffrey at The Voice Germany.
I mean, if you've ever listened to Jeffrey's playlists or

(23:14):
seen him wear an outfit for a special class, you all
know where the inspiration has come from. What made you
get into that?

Well, music was my first love as there is this
beautiful song. Music was my first love. My dad used
to be a DJ when I was younger, so there
was always music playing in our house. And when we
had barbecues, he would put on the music and play
songs, or serenade my mom with some music that he
was listening to. And pictures and videos of me literally sitting with

(23:47):
my headphones in front of the vinyl player just listening
to music on repeat, on repeat, on repeat. So that's where that
started. And music has always been something. It became a
safe space as a young adult growing up with finding
words that I couldn't say. And you remember the days
where you used to make tapes or CDs for you like your
friends or your first love? So music is my love

(24:07):
language. So I implement that in class, and then I
try to combine that with what I wear because I
think there is such an importance and not about being
fancy or bright, or the things that people sometimes think,
but it should be something that makes you feel like
the superhuman that you can be, especially on those days
that we might have harder fight to get in that
workout or life is challenging where things are going on.

(24:30):
And sometimes it is the colorful, the art that really
inspires me to just wear that and go out there.
But sometimes it's also the I need this today, I
need this to be my cape of superpower to do
whatever I'm going out there to do. And I think
it's different for other people. I just feel it gives
me that extra little oomph when I'm out there doing

(24:51):
whatever I'm doing. And I once actually had heard a quote
from Lady Gaga, funnily enough where she was talking about
certain outfits and she says, " Sometimes it's not about the
outfit of course how it makes her feel and then
the outfit, but also the awareness it can bring to
the message that you're trying to bring across to somebody
that's listening." And I think there is an importance in
that sometimes it's not just about the outfit, but I

(25:12):
got your attention so now you're here, listen. Because also
I heard a study that says if you walk with
a friend for 12 minutes, it can change their whole
perspective on something. And I think as we have the
privilege to work out with people and them listening to
us, those 12 minutes could make a big difference. So
if I get you there, whether it's through the outfit

(25:33):
or the class, I can use that moment and share
my message with you and see if it can support you
in any kind of way. And working for The Voice.
That was the same thing. There was young people that
were interested in music and nobody in my family was
surprised that I was working in the music field of TV.
Just to see them thrive and use their passion and
when it came to their vocals, but also to their

(25:53):
presence because again, especially if you're on stage for something,
it can give you that extra confidence boost, it can
lift up your shoulders a little higher, it can make
your chest a little prouder to allow you to step
out there and be the vessel of whatever that you're
out to do out there.

Yeah. I love that. I love that, using it. The outfit is the hook and then the (inaudible) .

It can be, yeah, because even sometimes, as you know, I teach
pride classes as well, and sometimes that can be the bright colors,
but sometimes it can just be the black outfit and
then people are like, "It's a pride class, but why is he wearing a black outfit?"
Well, listen up. I have a story to tell.

The message is the color.

Yeah. So it can be both ways.

I love that. Was there anyone, when you were at The Voice as the talent recruiter, was there anybody who you found " people"
that you were like, " This person has IT," and everyone else

(26:52):
was like ick?

I don't think especially because these were artists or singers that are
in the German market, I think there's not where somebody
I can reference to be like, " I found that person."
I wish I could. But there is certain people that I did
believe in that in the show, you have to think, I think
they're on their 12th season at this point, but at
the time within the show they made it quite far.

(27:15):
So there was some artists, because it was literally my
job either to find them or when they come into
the room for the first time and sing to decide
because there is a pre- evaluation before they get to
the TV and the judges and all those kinds of
things to say this person has potential in their performance
and their voice. And then later on it was even
my job to listen in with the vocal coach to

(27:36):
decide which songs they could sing and see what their
voice can take them. So there's definitely some of the
artists that I would say I know that I pushed
a little harder to get them to the show and
to believe in them to get to where they are
within the show. But nobody where I can be like, "
Hey, you heard that song or that person." There is
one artist, their name is OXA and you can find them on

(27:59):
YouTube. I always believed in OXA and the talent that they have,
and I'm so proud to see where it's taken them
on their journey. So it's incredible to see.

Wow. I can't believe you were the secret shopper standing
there. I'm not listening but I'm listening.

Trust me. And I still do it to this day. Whenever I
hear someone sing or hear vocals going on, I'm always
on. And you can give them advice and be like,"
Hey, maybe have you ever tried doing this or singing
that or going to..." Yeah, I can't change-

This is it guys, I'm going to be able to
learn how to sing definitely.

Well, I think we should do that outside of the podcast.

Yeah. He's like, no, you've actually got a microphone. Let's not. Wow. That's so cool though. Next time you're in
New York, I want to go on a subway tour
with you and just see if we find any good music.

I love that kind of stuff. That's the thing as well. I'm very quick. I listen
to a lot of music and I think I got
that from my dad and my mom. I listen to
a lot of newcomer artists just because I'm so interested
in live performance and vocals and all those things. Those
really intrigued me. And you don't have to be dancing
and doing all the crazy things, but if you're vocals
and you can deliver them live. Anyway, I could go
on for hours about this, as you can tell.

Oh my gosh, you should do a class. Anyway. Talking
about love and passion though, let's go to your Peloton
persona. Today is Jeffrey, chief of good vibes. As I
said, you bring the energy, you bring the love, you
bring the smile, you have such a beautiful warming smile
that it is just you invite people to be their true

(29:29):
selves when they're in your classes. But you've already spoken
candidly about having a couple of rough points in your
life already and how do you stay so positive? Or
at least I know that's a difficult thing to say.
How do you maintain positivity whenever the lights are on?

I think life is such a beautiful gift when we
get to live it. And when I was 16, my
best friend's grandma came up to me and she said
to me, for whatever reason, I still don't know why
she said to me, " Jeffrey, no matter what happens to
you in life, never lose your smile." And that is
something that has stuck with me till this day. And
as you just said about the chief of good vibes

(30:15):
and happy and positive, I think one of the major
reasons in 2015 is why I wasn't a situation that
I was in because I wasn't honest about my feelings
and having to deal with emotions and anger and fear
and all those things that come to life. But once
I learned how to translate that into actually being happy

(30:35):
and working towards a happier me, I happily claim to
be the chief of good vibes. Because for me, I
believe we all have a default mode in life, and
my default mode is joy. Because life will have its
flow, life will have its ups, its downs and all
the challenges, but also all the beautiful things in between.
Life has its flow and I have a choice how

(30:56):
to react to it. And when I was living on
my best friend's couch in 2015, I was literally on
YouTube all night listening to interviews, whether it was Oprah
or other people that I thought were inspiring to me.
And she said something to the effect of whenever something
happens to you in life that challenges you, ask yourself what it
is here to teach you. And these little things and

(31:16):
little sayings have just changed my life and made me
deal with life so I can be happy, so I can
bring the joy out. And I have to say, I'm
a fan of visualizing things. And years ago when Cliff
actually became a bike instructor, I think it was 2019, 2020,
I put Peloton to become a Peloton instructor on my
vision board. So I wrote it on my vision board

(31:38):
and a few years later, here I am. But having
said that, every time I walk up to the Peloton
studios and I see that Peloton, it reminds me of
my vision board and then I remind myself of how
I dreamed and how I wished for this. And when
I enter those doors, that's what it's about. And when
that red light turns on and the camera goes, that
is that moment because you also, there is so many people

(31:59):
on the other side watching and they tuned in for
a reason, and I want to be there for them
with them and they are there for me in a
way. It is an exchange. Although I might not see
their faces at all times because they're behind the camera,
but there is literally days where I go in and
I imagine that camera being someone's face and their joy
and their smile, and that just is my reason and
my purpose. And again, I can't heal the world, but

(32:21):
I can definitely bring across a little message in every
class that we get to take together.

Yeah. And you certainly do. Your awareness of mental health, your
awareness of being an ally, supporting everybody in their pathway
to whatever makes them happy is truly unique. I do
feel like you are a Switzerland in a way. You are very fair.

(32:48):
You are very, very open- minded. You always listen to
everybody's conversation, whether it's in your true heart as your
true belief, you are not somebody who puts that wall
up immediately. You let somebody just talk. And then yeah,
I love how you word things and give people space

(33:10):
to be themselves. And I think that's what makes you
such a strong mental health advocate in the fitness community
these days.

Thank you.

So looking at, I mean, gosh, the many hats you've
worn from fast food industry, to the TV music industry,
to fitness, is there any massively rewarding moments other than self-
progression that stand out to you in your life?

I think every step of that journey has taught me
something. Whether it was the structure in the fast food
industry or a look behind the scenes in the TV
industry, there was just so many beautiful moments that prepared
me for what I'm doing now. And again, I work
with quotes, I work with interviews and the people that
have inspired me. And there was something from Beyonce where

(34:07):
she was talking about once you find that one thing
that you're willing to stay up for at night that
you're willing to fight for and do all the work
that it takes, and you found it and take that
into the world. So this is what I get to
do now with all the little steps in between. So
I would just say every little section and every little
bucket of story brings something to the table that I

(34:30):
can use now. And there's just a beauty in that. We
talk about artists reinventing themselves all the time, but actually
we as humans, we get to reinvent ourselves all the
time. We do. And I would say that is the biggest learning I've had
along the years. And then having found your passion, like
how do you bring that across and reinvent yourself and

(34:50):
share that with the world? So yeah, I think there's little bits
and pieces. I think it's little moments like my best
friend's, grandma telling me to never stop smiling. That was
such a pivotal moment, even at 16. And there was
another moment when I was, especially when it comes to
movement, there was a moment when I was working at The
Voice that there was an older lady who worked on

(35:12):
the fourth floor and she walked the stairs every day.
She was 84 years old at the time, and there
was an elevator right next to it. So I asked
her, I said, " Do you need any help or why
don't you take the elevator?" First of all, how rude,
how dare I suggest you do that? She's walking the
stairs, she seems so fine. But she also said to me, "
As long as my body will carry me up these
stairs, four flights every day, I will enjoy this and

(35:33):
do this no matter how long it takes." And that
also was it more these human connection moments I think
that have shaped me and gave me the purpose that
I support and have in life now.

Yeah. And that rings so true because you are a in real
life person. I know every time you come to New
York, you make the effort to come to Brooklyn and
see Tallulah and Austin and myself. And that goes such
a long way and means so much to most people,
I would hope. Obviously we can all drop a text or WhatsApp

(36:08):
or whatever and say hi to people. But having that
tactile moment with people you care about, it releases serotonin,
it releases all the good things and the good vibes.
There we go.

I'll also just say on that note, and that is
so true because that is something I truly go by
is we can say all the words in the world,
but it's about how we can make someone feel. And
I think in person and especially in our actions actually
taking place, there's so much more power because I think
we've all had those people in life that talk, talk,
talk, but don't take the action. And if there's one

(36:41):
thing I promise myself, I want to be there for
the people that I care as much as I can.
I'm only human and we all are, but I really
care for how I make you feel instead of what
I say.

Yeah, and it's true. So let's look at advice to,
we talked about baby Jeffrey and how he would not
believe where he is right now. What advice would you
give to baby Jeffrey right now on how to get

(37:13):
on, stay on, navigate, succeed in the things they want
to do?

I would definitely say for me it always comes back
to love. I think life starts with love and I
think life is about love and it is about that. And I'm sure you as
a mom can experience this. When I saw for example,
how my cousin, who is the mother of my godchildren
has been as a mother, it was such a reminder

(37:41):
to me that that is what life is about, that
love, that nurturing, that care for each other, whatever situation
or relationship you're in with someone, the love is what
it comes down to. And one thing I would've told
myself is that you are loved, enjoy that love, bathe
in that love and then believe in yourself and carry
that love to others because that for me is something

(38:02):
I struggle dealing with or understanding. And sometimes once I
started, and it sounds so we've all heard it, but
once I started loving myself, literally looking in the mirror and be like, "I like you." It started with like, "
I like you. You're okay. You're cute. You're cool." But
then getting to I love you and I'm so proud
of you. And I think if the younger version would've

(38:23):
heard, I love you for myself more, there's certain things
that could have maybe been a bit stronger early on in
the process than taking the time that it has taken.
So definitely don't believe in that love and then be
that love and give it to the rest of the world.

And I think everyone of every age can probably hear
that, hear the I love yous from self a lot more at the moment,
just a little cheeky one in the morning when you're
brushing your teeth goes a long way.

And also then, because then also it gives you the power
to give it to someone else. And it's not always
the I love you, but in a work relationship it can
be the thank you for that. That was amazing. Thank you for
your support, the people in life that support you, service
you or whatever it is that you're doing, once you
have that self- love and confidence, you're able to share
it and that can make everyone a happier person. And

(39:15):
we all need to hear it. We all deserve to.

We do. And it's back to the grandmas used to say, " You cannot
love anyone else if you don't love yourself." And it's
true. It's so true. Anyone who's ever had some dark
moments with their self, you realize that every barrier goes
up to anyone else around you and the love doesn't
flow freely. So have that. Take it. Jeffrey, what can

(39:38):
we see? What can we expect to see or what
do you want us to see for the future, the imminent, the
distant future for Jeffrey at Peloton and beyond?

I want you to see a lot. In my mind,
I'm always planning and I have creative ideas. I will say
as being friends with Susie and having friends like you
and being surrounded by you people, you get inspired to
do some things you never thought you would do. So
all I will say is stay tuned because there is some more

(40:12):
beautiful races coming up. That's what I'm most excited about
to take people on this journey because you know my
story a little more, I don't come from being the
runner, being in school and doing all the athletic stuff.
I make it a choice. I see the privilege, and
I want to invite people to do the same and
share that love with it. I would say stay tuned

(40:34):
for more. There's some more races coming. On the platform
I think as always, just creating that joy and that safe
space for everybody just to get on the platform and
be able to move. Again, those 12 minutes can make
a difference of your view of how you're feeling that
day. And I'm there, we are there to guide you
through that. So I have some beautiful things in the pipeline, but

(40:54):
nothing I can really mention. So that's why I'm arguing about the answers here.

No, that's great. Keep everybody on their toes. Keep everybody
coming back for more. Jeffrey McEachern, energy we all need
it in our lives. We're all very lucky to have
it. Jeffrey, thank you so much for being our guest
today and I wish you the most beautiful, happy Tokyo
Marathon this year.

Thank you so much.

I am thrilled to see you with that Six Star
medal around your neck. Couple of weeks on Sunday, isn't
it? Oh my gosh.

Yes, exactly. I'm about to pack my bags and go.

Oh my gosh. Enjoy the beautiful country that is Japan
as well. It's truly amazing. Thank you, Jeffrey.

Thank you, Becs. Thank you so much.

So while Jeffrey is focused on Japan and the Tokyo
Marathon, a lot of our listeners out there are focused
on a different distance of this month. The United Airlines
NYC Half is less than a month away and there
are some big changes at this year's race. As is
now a tradition on Set the Pace, here to tell
our runners everything they need to know as they prepare

(42:14):
to run from Prospect Park to Central Park is chief
event production officer and race director of New York Road
Runners, the wonderful Ted Metellus. Ted, hi.

Becs, what's happening? How are you doing? Thanks for the
love there.

This is so cool to have you on as always.
As I said, it's a tradition now to have you
on prior to the races to hear from the race
director, but this year specifically is a big wow. I
cannot tell you the amount of people who are just
grabbing me when I see them with excitement, with intrigue

(42:54):
about the course change. Ted, tell us, what is happening?

Well, I could tell you one thing that's true to
life and Becs hopefully having done these a couple of
times with me and hung out and we've chatted and
kicked it, perspective is my view in life. It's all
about having perspective on things and processing things accordingly. And
as a wise person once said, change is inevitable. So

(43:22):
you have to navigate around the things that come to
you. So for those of you who might have been, I don't want to say living
under a rock, but may have been a little busy
over the last couple of weeks with the announcement around
the United Airlines New City Half marathon, there has been
a course change. So to give you perspective, ring a

(43:43):
bell, it's like TV, spy house. We've had seven changes
to the course of the United Airlines New York City Half
Marathon since the '06 race. The race has got tremendous
legacy. So many of the things that we do in
New York Road Runners, '06 was the first time we did
this race that started in Central Park and navigated with
its way downtown to Lower Manhattan as the stories have

(44:06):
told, the reason why we did that was to really help do
our part to help elevate local businesses in the Lower
Manhattan area post 9/ 11.

That was when it used to go down the West
side Highway?

Correct.

The runners fave, if you do not ever run in
New York City, Central Park and West Side Highway are
where everybody floods to. So that's why it was a
big deal back then.

Correct. And he took the race outside the park. Our
Fred Lebow half was once called the Fred Lebow Manhattan
Half Marathon. So a lot of history and legacy in the 13.
1 mile distance as it relates to New York Road
Runners Manhattan. And then now this iteration of the event
where we took the race from just being in Manhattan
into Brooklyn in 2018, and Jim Hime, our former race

(44:50):
director called it the springtime equivalent of the marathon, to have
this really amazing event that is two boroughs that goes
over a bridge that runs through major thoroughfares, that goes
through Times Square and finishes in the beautiful and iconic
Central Park was really a cool thing that we did that
was new and different. So here we are. This is
a race change course number eight that we have.

Lucky number eight.

Lucky number eight. Eight actually is my favorite number. So there's that. But
the reason why that there's a change in the route,
and it wasn't just constantly, I don't want runners to be
at home saying, goodness gracious, Road Runners can't make up
their mind. They're always changing things. There's some significant construction
that's going on on the route that we've had over

(45:37):
the last handful of years on South Street. So the
changes were so much so that it couldn't be anything
that was plated to ensure a safe and logistically sound
event. So we had to go back to the drawing
board and really look at making some changes. I want
to hugely implore and thank the incredible team here at
Road Runners that work so hard with our city agency

(45:59):
partners that work equally as hard to look at how
we can get folks from Brooklyn into Manhattan. How do
we do that and how do we keep the sanctity of the
course itself where we keep Flapper's Avenue, Prospect Park, Times
Square, FDR Drive, like all of those really iconic sections
there. So how do we do it? So you have two
bridge options. You're going over the Manhattan Bridge, which we've

(46:21):
been doing, which is beautiful and incredible and fantastic, or
the bridge right over to its left, the iconic Brooklyn
Bridge. And having gone out there myself, traversed the bridge,
looked at the route, looked at the access points that's
there alongside with our incredible course team in our operations
team there along with DOT and NYPD and so on and so

(46:45):
forth. That was the option that worked best for us
to be able to do that. It was able to
navigate around similar construction, actually all of the construction that's impacting
the route right now. So we were able to navigate around that. So it's
a pretty big change. It is going to be beautiful
from a runner perspective. What's really interesting is that the
elevations a little bit less going over the Brooklyn Bridge, and it was

(47:08):
over the Manhattan Bridge.

Yeah. So there you go. Everybody be thankful for that
one. You are no longer going to be slapping up
at Atlantic Avenue staring up that incline going, oh my gosh.

Yes. I mean, there's one thing, the route is exactly
the same as it's been in the past, and if
you don't mind, I'll give you a super- fast course
run down. So the race is still starting on Washington
Avenue, just south of the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn
Botanical Gardens. So if you are taking a subway, which
everyone should take the subway to get down there, it's the fastest,

(47:41):
most efficient way to get down there. Your landmark is
going to be Brooklyn Museum or the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.
I would highly recommend the Brooklyn Museum because that's where
the gear trucks will all be dropped and parked. That's
just before the security screening location. And it's also just
before you enter into your corrals, then you make your
way down Washington to the start line area. And the

(48:02):
athletes will again start on Washington just before Empire making
a turn on Empire, the out and back on Flapper's
Avenue is still there. You'll be entering into Prospect Park
and then making your way through Grand Army Plaza and up
Flapper's Avenue. So that hasn't changed at all. The course
changes at approximately mile four, where the athletes will make

(48:25):
a left turn onto Tillary, then a turn onto Brooklyn
Bridge, and then take the Brooklyn Bridge Roadway on and over to
the Brooklyn Bridge.

So that's the important part. It's the roadway because there has been this
great change on the Brooklyn Bridge now it is totally pedestrianized
on the upper level for foot traffic only, whereas before in the
past it was bikes and pedestrians. So now we're on
the roadway. We're going in, and I mean that is

(48:55):
a view. I drove in this morning and I drove
where you will all be running and the sun was
shining, every wooden slap was causing flashes. But it was
stunning. And I was just like, " This is going to
be magnificent for people to run over." And I will

(49:16):
say as somebody who run... No one runs the roadway
because it's illegal outside of a race. But the footing,
it's a relayed road recently because of the addition of
the bike lane.

Correct.

So you're on for a smooth ride, whereas the Manhattan
Bridge is, it's bumpy, it's hot, holy, it's not great.
So this is really, really a treat.

Yeah. It's going to be a smooth ride for the
athletes for sure. And definitely going underneath those iconic arches
on the Brooklyn Bridge is definitely going to be a sight to be seen
for the runners and yeah, it's different. It's new, and
it's the first time we've ever done it. And there
was a question that popped up about course records. Well, new course,
new records.

Everyone's going to have one. Even if you've run it every year since '06, you're
going to have a new record because it's a new
course. So Ted, as somebody again who drives off this
bridge most days when you are coming off the bridge, are we
going chambers, are we going Broadway or we're going back
down onto the FDR?

You're going back onto the FDR. Exactly. So there is the loop that's coming on. So when you're on
that roadway, as you mentioned, which is where the cars are actually
driving, there will be any cars on race day, obviously,
you'll continue on the Brooklyn Bridge over, there's a loop
around which is the exit ramp-

That's the first right exit ramp.

Correct. The exit ramp that's going to take you onto
FDR Drive North, and then that's what you'll be taking to
make your way back onto into Manhattan. And that's where
the route returns back to it you.

Exactly. Yeah. Because essentially if you're not from New York City
and haven't ever run this race before, just to give
you a geographical understanding, the Brooklyn and the Manhattan Bridges,
when they come over into Manhattan, they are like a
little triangle and they are pretty much two blocks apart
once you get on the Manhattan just about. So it's
really not distance- wise, because I know that's the question

(51:01):
I've been asked a lot of like, " Well, is this
finish line going to be further up north in the
park because of the distance?" I'm like, " No, because actually
it's really minute distance change."

And what's great too, and Rob and I were chatting
about this, because this is a question that folks would
ask. It's like, " Well, how is the start line of
the finish line going to be impacted by this change?"
They're not impacted by the change. And one of the biggest reasons why
is that out and back on Flatbush Avenue. So from
the race operations side of things, having out and backs
are always a plus because that's your plus minus point

(51:34):
that you can adjust the route, keep your start and
finish points stagnant. They do not move and do not
change, but that middle part adjusts. And where we were
able to take away mileage was on the out and
back, very, very minor. You're out there running, you may
not even notice the change, but it's a slight change
nonetheless. So that's your point of difference.

Oh my gosh, amazing. And if the sun is shining, which
it normally is, it's traditionally a super cold day. And
we'll talk more about all the other logistics of the
race. It's normally a super cold day, but if it
is a blue sky, a traditional New York wind today
like it is today here, it's 15 degrees outside right
now. It's gross.

Yeah. I was outside getting some miles in this morning.
It was chilly.

Yeah. Everybody I've seen this morning running outside, looks like
I did an Antarctica. I'm like, " Yeah, bless you. I
know how you feel." But it is just those views,
I mean, I'm going to bang on about it, but
just having that Brooklyn Bridge view going up the FDR and
then obviously into the iconic Times Square, and then out
of Times Square into Central Park. I mean, it's so

(52:41):
legendary. All of these points of the city that you are
touching. So yeah, talk to us a little bit, let's
deep dive a bit more into the race itself and
we'll come back to some of the other changes. But you talked
about transportation. We're encouraging everybody as always to be as
green and eco- friendly as possible. That means take public

(53:01):
transport where you can. Nearly did it again, Ted. I
nearly did it again. Nearly called you Fred.

That's it. You got to look at two podcasts to go.

This is now Fred Metellus in my mind, he is a double icon.

Not to be confused with Ted LeBow or Ted Corbett
or Fred LeBow. Yes, it's all of those things.

It's all interchangeable. You're all such legends. I can't handle it. So let's talk about all the other logistics of the race day,
baggage, fuel, et cetera on the course.

Correct. So I'll walk you through the participant journey with
all of those components and if it's okay, can I
talk a little bit about the experience as well at Center 415?

Yes.

For me, in my crazy mind, everything is in sequence. So
having run a couple of races in my day, we
know exactly what your experience is going to be. So
the first thing, first step is definitely going to pick
up your bid and packet at the experience there. So
this is the United Airlines New City half- marathon experience

(54:09):
presented by New Balance at Center 415, 3 days there,
the athletes will be able to go and pick up
their bibs, get their pre- race equipment and supplies, their
nutrition, course descriptions from our incredible coaches. All the folks that will be able
to get you up to speed for what the race
experience will be. The city will be in Green St.
Patrick's weekend. So that's why I'm wearing my green hat

(54:31):
today to show some love and wishing good Irish vibes
on everybody. Wishing everybody good luck for that day. And
then once you pick up your packet, you got yourself
set and you have all your gear and everything ready
to go. Race day comes along on Sunday, and on
Sunday you are either going to be taking the two
or three train down to the Brooklyn Museum location as

(54:55):
I mentioned earlier, which is your landmark that you want
to use to plug into your GPS maps or whatnot
to be able to take a subway down and to
make your way over to your backdrop area there. There'll
be pre- race water, there'll be restrooms and facilities ready
for athletes as needed, medical services that will be there, lactation services
that'll be there. All of those components will be on
site. Our team will be on site to do any

(55:17):
recycling of clothing and gear. Clothing will all be donated away. Equipment
and supplies and use items will be sorted properly and
recycled properly as well at the start line there. We
will have five waves for the event. This is not
including the pro- race waves that will go off. The
race starts at 7

(55:39):
start with some of our pro- fields and we'll chat
out a little bit about the pro- fields in a
minute definitely. But our pro- wheelchairs will be starting at 7
and then we'll have starts that run consistent. So 7:00
AM, 7
the pro- open division women, 7
select push rims and hand cyclists. And then at 7:

(55:59):
20 is the pro- men and wave one. So pro-
men wave 1, 7
3, 8
20. What we ask athletes to plan is to get
yourself to baggage drop approximately 25 minutes beforehand. So I have

(56:23):
the exact times of when those buses or those trucks
would be leaving to make their way over to the
start. But wave one, you need to have everything dropped
off no later than 6
wave 3, 8
5, 9

(56:45):
talking about the United Airlines New York City Half Marathon. Think
of it like you would if you were going on
a trip. You're not going to show up just as the
plane is taking off. You're going to get there before
you get there. You want to drop your bag off. You
want to get through security. You want to make sure
you're comfortable and fine just before starting the race. So please
plan accordingly on your travels to the starting line.

Absolutely. Yeah. Even if you are somebody who's not dropping
a bag, even if you think you don't need anything,
you are not the only person running.

Correct.

There are a lot of other people there who may have
the same idea. There are a lot of other people there
who might be getting early to a later start than
you. So put yourself lower down on the priorities. In
terms of timing, get yourself there for comfort as Ted said.

Absolutely. Comfort is key for sure. So planning ahead to
make that race morning as smooth an experience as possible
is going to be key there. So one of the
great things too, as the athletes have dropped their bags
off, got themselves prepped, but they might need a moment
to get themselves center, we will have a Zen Zone
at the start line there. So follow the signage to
the area where athletes who all come together get themselves centered and

(57:53):
ready to go for a 13. 1 mile adventure at
the Zen Zone at the start line.

And donations for clothing, just keying into the fact that
it's a cold time of year in New York and
just if it is freezing cold, layer up and there
will be plenty of chuck off the layer places for people.

Correct. Yeah. So we'll have our teams that are all there.
There'll be bins that folks can drop off there, throw
away clothes, they'll gently use items that'll all be collected
and donated to our local clothing charity partner there. So
definitely plan accordingly. This race, Becs, haven't seen it over
the many, many years. You're right, it can be pretty
chilly out there. It's been as cold as 30 degree

(58:40):
Fahrenheit and it's been as mild and comfortable in the
mid to upper 50s. So it's in that ballpark there.
Know your body and how you need to dress appropriately.
A lot of folks end up shedding a lot of
their clothing on the out and back on Flatbush Avenue
because that's enough time to get themselves warmed up. We'll also
have our teams inside of Prosper Park in the event

(59:00):
that they drop their stuff off there. But I ask
you as somebody that's picked up their fair share of
clothing at the race site, drop it off at the start
before you get going. You will get warmed up nicely
again because of the difference on the Brooklyn Bridge versus
the Manhattan Bridge, you won't have as much elevation. You
won't have as much wind because the bridge is set
down for the runners on the roadway there. So that's
going to be a little bit of a difference as well.

Oh my gosh. And then obviously water gels, food along
the course, everything that you'll need to fuel for this.

Correct. So we'll have water, Gatorade, Endurance, and Morton on the
route, approximately every mile and a half to two miles.
There'll be an eight station. Again, because of the nature of
the time of year that we have for this race with cooler temps, we're
able to adjust the aid station placements a little bit
wider for folks. They're not necessarily going to overheat as
much. There's also a function of logistics of where you

(59:53):
are placing elements. You can't put an aid station on
the Brooklyn Bridge. You can't. You want to avoid having
them just beforehand, so there is no waste that's being blown
over into the water. So we have to look at
the placement there. There will be eight stations just before
you get on the Brooklyn Bridge. There will be eight
stations on the FDR Drive. But yes, eight stations, medical
stations and support will be along the course. For all athletes

(01:00:16):
plan accordingly. Pre- race fluids will be available for athletes
as well at the start line. So for folks that
like to have a water bottle that they want to
fill up themselves, definitely bring that. Again, race vests are
allowed with bottles. Race belts are allowed with bottles. No
bladders. So again, no bladders there for the athletes for

(01:00:36):
those. So once you've gotten your medal, you've gotten your
heat sheet, you have your food bag and you're making
way over to meet some loved ones and family and
friends at the family reunion, know that the Beyond the
Finish Line program is back again. We had it at
the marathon. It was tremendous success. People really love being
able to see some really cool New York City centric
activities, shows, museums, all of these amazing things. Definitely take a

(01:01:01):
look at the Beyond the Finish Line program and definitely
RSVP for those programs because they fill up fast. And
for some of the waves that are out there, they'll
see out rising New York runners that will be participating
on the Town Square run. So there'll be close to 1,
500 kids that'll be out there running a mile or

(01:01:21):
so. So they'll be chasing after you as you're making
your way up into Central Park.

Becs Gentry (01:01:26):
Oh my gosh. And they're loud.

Ted Metellus (01:01:30):
Yes, they are. They're cheering for you. You're cheering for
them. It's a party.

It is a party. And that is a great cue
in for our spectators out there. So if you are
not running in New York or volunteering at the event,
you are cheering. Okay. So how can our spectators have
the most wonderful day?

So the cool thing about this race here is it will
be broadcast, so you'll be able to see it on WABC.
So folks will be able to watch it. They'll see
us out there running and having a good time. They'll
be able to track their athletes as well online through
our platforms and seeing where their athletes are going to
be. There's definitely some iconic points along the course that
you'll be able to catch folks and then hop on

(01:02:14):
subways to step over. So Atlantic Barclays is a great
location as the athletes are making their way up the
roadway towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Obviously Times Square is a
great point to be able to catch them again as
they're making their way through. And then you can zip over into the park
to see them as they finish and meet them at
family reunion.

Love that. They're the hotspots. You heard it here first.
I'm going to do a selfish plug here for the
broadcast as well. If you're not sick of hearing my
voice, then you will be after the race. But coverage begins locally on
ABC Channel 7 at 6
stream of the professional races will be available on New

(01:02:52):
York Road Runners, WABC and ESPN Plus beginning at 7
AM, you'll have myself, Carrie Tollefson and Ryan Fields in
the booth this year giving you the down low as
it happens on the day, and plenty of other people
out on the course giving the love to the runners
too. So don't fear if you're not based here in

(01:03:14):
the tri- state area. I'm going to spread it wide
there. You can still have the fun of the day.
Okay. So we've covered pre- race, we've covered the expo,
we've covered the race. Let's just give some thanks though
as well. This is something that it's so dear to
us here at New York Road Runners and honestly, we

(01:03:35):
would not be able to put on any of these
races if it wasn't for our volunteers, right Ted?

Yes. And listen, the mantra is simply this, Becs, see
a volunteer, thank a volunteer. See a volunteer, thank a
volunteer. And one of the really cool things about New York Road
Runners and our volunteer program is while we are truly engaging
the community at large and folks that are being of
service to our runners in the running community, many of

(01:04:02):
the runners are volunteers themselves. So they are out there
volunteering and they're out there being of service to their
fellow runners well. So when you're out there, show them
some love and say a huge thank you to them.
Because one of the coolest things, and I think we touched on it
a little bit, but it's probably great that we close
out with a bang, is the volunteers are out there
to support spectators and give them guidance, support the runners

(01:04:25):
obviously, and give them support there, but also out there
to showcase the beauty and amazingness of New York City to some
of the best runners in the world that'll be starting this race off, and that
I get the party started with for some of our elite
athletes. So we definitely have to chat about that for
a second because we have some prime time players out
there that'll be running.

We do. Okay. So who are we looking out for? Who have
we got our eyes on?

My gosh. Well, I mean we have all our returning champions that are coming back
again, which we're super excited about. That's great. It's always
an honor to be able to have these athletes come by and the time of the
year that this race falls, it lends itself really, really
well as a really strong competitive training run leading into Boston,
and some of the other major races that are happening

(01:05:13):
there. It just so happens that we have the newly
minted American half- marathon record holder, Conner Mantz that'll be
running. So we have some Olympians that will be out
there running with us as well. Mo Ahmed, Hilary Bor, Woody
Kincaid, all coming out here. Paralympics will be showing up
and representing Daniel Romanchuk, who's amazing, is such a great

(01:05:35):
human. Love his mom, always give her love. She's the
best champion there for him. And on the lady's side,
I mean definitely looking forward to seeing all our pro athletes "
who'll be back again running with us." Sharon Loledi's coming
back. We've won our marathon. Fiona O'Keeffe, Emily Sisson. We
have some serious talent from the US but also abroad

(01:05:57):
that are coming here to run our streets.

I cannot wait. And yeah, just knowing, I think Dakota's running,
Boston as well. So as you said, we're going to
get a little taste of what she's been doing in
her training, maybe just to have a little sea here.
So it's going to be an absolutely phenomenal day. Ted,

(01:06:20):
is there anything that we have missed that you want
to make sure that we share with our listeners?

I think that the only things I want to say,
first and foremost, thank you all so much for listening
to this podcast. It means a lot because it means
that folks are going to come into the event prepared
and informed for what will be a great experience, not
only for themselves, but their loved ones and fellow runners
that are there. Leading into these next couple of weeks
up to the event, train yourself and be prepared. Definitely

(01:06:46):
pay attention to the weather. That's going to be the difference
between if it's something light that you're wearing or something
heavier that you're wearing, what you're going to get rid
of and when you're going to get rid of it, making
sure that your nutrition is set for the day. Know
the change on the course. We don't need you to slow
down and take any photos. You can do that when
you come back. Definitely the Saturday and Friday, walk over the bridge,

(01:07:08):
take some photos, have some fun. Exactly.

Do the shakeout, on the pedestrian side though.

Exactly. So I mean, we're 25 days upon the recording
of this podcast from the event. So it's enough time
to get yourself race ready and have a good time
and really, really enjoy themselves. Have some fun. It's truly
a blessing to be able to say that this is
what we do at New York Road Runners who really
inspire people through movement and keep the people running and healthy and active.

(01:07:36):
But the best part about it is that we are doing it as a community
to be able to get out there. So I'll leave
you with this. When you're standing at the corral and
you're getting ready to start, and if you are standing
with a buddy, give them a fist pump and show
some love. But definitely show some love to the person,
to your left, to your right, in front of you and
behind you and say, " Thank you so much for running
and having a good time with us today." And then
you'll see him at the finish line. I always love

(01:07:57):
this Becs. I know you can fully relate where all of
a sudden you make a race buddy on the course,
and then you cross the finish line and then you see that
person, you give them a high five or a hug
and say, " Thank you for keeping me moving." So I
say to you, " Thank you for keeping us moving."

Yes. Gosh, I love that. And do not to wear
your medal with pride-

Fully.

... around the city for however long you are here
for. Is there engraving of medals?

There'll be engraving for medals. We'll have obviously all the
amazing merchandise from wearing my New York City have t- shirt
now. You'll definitely represent there while you're doing that, and show
pride in the hard work that you've put in to
get you to the start line.

Yeah. Through a tough time of year. I mean, big props to you all.
You've trained through a cold winter this year if you've
been on the East Coast. So well done. The next
25 days is going to be a joy.

For sure.

Ted, thank you so much for giving us all of the
info that the runners and spectators need for the wonderful
United Airlines NYC Half. Thank you for all you do
to make this race truly spectacular. You're such an inspiration
to us all, so we can't wait to celebrate on
March the 16th.

Yes, without a doubt. Happy early St. Patrick's Day, everyone.
Let's have ourselves an amazing race.

And now it's over to Meb for today's Meb Minute.

Meb Keflezighi (01:09:15):
With one month ago until the United Airlines NYC Half
is time to lock in consistency, your long runs are
crucial now. You are the foundation of the race day
performance. Aim to hit at least one or two long
run that mirror the race distance or come close, but
remember to listen to your body. It is also important

(01:09:35):
to stay consistent with your weekly mileage. Mix it in
tempo runs, intervals, recovery runs to build this, both the
speed and endurance. Keep the steady balance between intensity and
recovery to ensure you are building strength without overtraining. The
key a month out is consistency, putting the mileage, visualize

(01:09:57):
what you're going to be doing in a month, and
then as long as you start working on the tempos, and
long runs and visualizing whether it's half- marathon or full
marathon, look at the last 10 K of the marathon
or the half marathon will help you put in the miles, but
at the same time, don't overdo it because it's important
to stay healthy getting into the timeline.

That does it for another episode of Set the Pace.
Thank you to today's guests, Jeffrey McEachern and Ted Metellus.
If you like this episode, please do go ahead and
subscribe, rate or leave a comment for the show on
whatever platform you're listening on. This not only helps us,
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