January 9, 2025 • 53 mins
On this week’s episode of Set the Pace, Becs reads questions from the running community about all things New York Road Runners as Rob provides clarity on some of the most asked questions such as how can runners get into sold-out races and how can more people run the TCS New York City Marathon for the first time. Rob also recaps key moments of 2024, including issuing a reimaged mission and vision statement, having record number finishers at the TCS New York City Marathon and other marquee races, and launching the new NYRR Team for Climate to expand on sustainability goals. And looking ahead to 2025, Rob says technology is a big focus as NYRR including updates to our registration platform and app. Tune in to hear this special NYRR state of the union episode.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Becs Gentry (00:00):
Ready to level up your running? With the Peloton Tread and
Tread+, you can challenge yourself anytime, anywhere. Whether you're building
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every goal from five to 120 minute workouts. With muscle
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(00:22):
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.
Intro (00:39):
Thank you, New York. Today we're reminded of the power
of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on
your mark. The first woman to finish for the second
straight year here in the New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman,
a smiling Miki Gorman, and why not. 2
(01:02):
the time for Grete Waitz. 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.
Rob Simmelkjaer (01:20):
Hey, everybody, happy New Year, and welcome to the first
Set the Pace of 2025. We are presented by Peloton,
as we are each and every week. I'm the host
of Set the Pace and CEO of New York Road
Runners, Rob Simmelkjaer, and with me, my lovely co- host
from Peloton, Becs Gentry. Happy New Year, Becs. How are you?
Becs Gentry (01:41):
Hi. Happy New Year. I'm great, thank you. I think
we were both just discussing how much of a break
it actually felt like this year.
Rob Simmelkjaer (01:49):
Yeah, it was amazing. We had a really nice quiet
period at New York Road Runners, fairly quiet on the
race front. I'll talk about that in a second. But
it was really quiet, really restful. I got away for
a little bit with my girls, did a little skiing
up in Vermont. That was nice.
Becs Gentry (02:08):
Wow.
Rob Simmelkjaer (02:09):
And it was just a really, really nice break. What about you? What'd you
guys do?
Becs Gentry (02:12):
We did a very quick weekend before Christmas down at
the Jersey Shore with family, and then everybody was scattering
to different places for actual Christmas this year, so we had
our first Christmas just the three of us in our home in Brooklyn
which was wonderful.
Rob Simmelkjaer (02:32):
Oh my gosh.
Becs Gentry (02:32):
We created memories. Tallulah had her first coming down the
stairs on Christmas morning and Santi Claus as she calls
him. So it was very wonderful, and we have some
great neighbors and good friends, so it was a big
family local affair which was great.
Rob Simmelkjaer (02:49):
There is nothing like a kid's first Santa, Christmas, and the magic
of that. It brings back all of the magic that
we felt as kids-
Becs Gentry (02:59):
It does, yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:00):
... when you have a kid who's experienced that. It's
just amazing, so I'm sure.
Becs Gentry (03:04):
She doesn't quite grasp it just yet. She loves Santa Claus,
the lights, but she doesn't understand the concept yet. So
the presents were just, the fun was opening them and
then it was like shove it aside, next one, okay.
So I think next year when she's three, four, that's sort
of when the real magic and all of that comes
(03:24):
is going to be... just judging by her excitement this
year for something she doesn't quite understand.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:29):
Yeah.
Becs Gentry (03:29):
Oh, it's going to be so good. I can't wait.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:31):
You've got so much to look forward to with that. That's awesome. I'm glad you had a great time.
Did you do much running or were you kind of on the shelf?
Becs Gentry (03:38):
I did not.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:38):
Good for you.
Becs Gentry (03:39):
I was on the shelf. It was divine. My body
was like, " Thank you. My goodness me. What a great
Christmas present you can give me after this year."
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:46):
You belong on the shelf, like an elf on the
shelf, Becs. You needed to sit still for a while
after what you did in 2024.
Becs Gentry (03:52):
I did. Yeah, I really did. I really did take time off.
We worked up until the wire here at Peloton. We
were in until the Saturday, and Sunday there was classes,
but I went to the Jersey Shore from the studio
on Saturday, and then I didn't run for about a
week until after Christmas which is unheard of for me.
(04:15):
But I loved every second, and now I'm back on
it but in the gym. I'm in the strength, I'm in the building phase.
Rob Simmelkjaer (04:22):
I love it, I love it.
Becs Gentry (04:23):
It's great.
Rob Simmelkjaer (04:23):
Well, that's great. Glad you had a break. I did
some running with some local friends up here in Connecticut.
Becs Gentry (04:30):
Great. Oh, gorgeous.
Rob Simmelkjaer (04:31):
One thing I did not run unfortunately was the New
York Road Runners Midnight Run on New Year's Eve.
Becs Gentry (04:38):
Yeah, for good reason, for good... I was standing outside on
our way to our friend, our neighbor's house on New
Year's Eve, and I thought it was fireworks going off,
and Austin just turned and looked at me and went, " No, no, that is
thunder and lightning." And I said to him, " I'm so
happy I didn't go and run because I would've been
scared." And then you guys had to cancel it.
Rob Simmelkjaer (05:00):
It was crazy. The Midnight Run which is a four-
miler on New Year's Eve, yeah, we just could not
put it on. Obviously it's crazy to see that kind
of weather on New Year's Eve in New York City.
Becs Gentry (05:14):
It's wild.
Rob Simmelkjaer (05:15):
Thunder and lightning. I was actually in Connecticut. I wasn't
there for the race this year, hadn't planned to be,
but yeah, Ted Metellus, our chief of event operations and
race director called me around nine o'clock and said, " Listen,
there's a lot of thunder and lightning in the forecast."
I was like, " What? Really?" I mean, I couldn't really
(05:35):
believe it in late December, and sure enough, a little
while later the skies in New York just lit up,
and we had no choice but to cancel that event
which was of course disappointing, although I think most runners
were kind of relieved because the weather was brutal. Who
wants to be out in the pouring rain on New
Year's Eve with lightning overhead?
Becs Gentry (05:55):
Yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (05:56):
It had been a weird year. We had had to
cancel the fireworks because of the drought that existed. Then
all the rain came so-
Becs Gentry (06:02):
Kind of was irony, wasn't it?
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:03):
But it was too late to have the fireworks. Then we tried to put on
a drone show and then we had to cancel that
because of some issues with drones around the country. So
there were all kinds of backs and forths and it just seemed like
it wasn't meant to be this year.
Becs Gentry (06:17):
Exactly. But you know what we can take away from
this is that New York Road Runners puts the safety
of their people first, and as disappointing as it can be
to have to cancel things we know that that's the
best decision and there will always be other runs. I mean,
I can tell you a pretty cool four- mile run
that's coming up in spring this year that you convinced
(06:38):
me to do last year.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:39):
Yeah.
Becs Gentry (06:40):
So there's always more races, people.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:42):
There's so many. Very well said, I couldn't agree more. Thank
you. I can tell you've been hanging out with me
for a while. You're speaking my language a hundred percent.
Becs Gentry (06:50):
Exactly.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:51):
We obviously put safety first. So happy New Year. Sorry
we didn't get a chance to see you all on
New Year's Eve, but we know we'll see all of
you out there running one way or another in the
coming weeks. So, Becs, we have a fun thing we're
going to do this year. For the first show of
the year, a little bit different, we're calling it New
(07:12):
York Road Runners State of the Union. We're going to
talk a little bit about where New York Road Runners
is as an organization, where we are with our running
community, with our mission, our vision, all the things that
we care about to let you, our listeners, our community,
know what our plans are, what our priorities are for
(07:33):
the year ahead. Becs, we got a lot of great questions from
listeners and members.
Becs Gentry (07:38):
We do. Yeah, thank you, everyone.
Rob Simmelkjaer (07:39):
Yeah, thank you so much for all the questions. We're
going to run through those questions. Becs, you're going to
grill me on all the questions that we got.
Becs Gentry (07:45):
I am. I know. It sounds so serious, but it's not. It's going
to be informative and wonderful.
Rob Simmelkjaer (07:49):
A hundred percent. We're going to make it fun. We're
going to make it fun because that's what we do.
And Becs, we can start a little bit with just
some highlights from the last year. We had so much
happen at New York Road Runners. We issued a new
reimagined mission statement and vision statement which is a huge deal for
the organization and really kind of is a north star,
(08:11):
as I like to call it, for what we're doing
in the coming years. Our vision statement is to build
healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of
running, and that's really what we're all about. We know
that running makes us healthier as individuals, it makes our
communities stronger, and it transforms us. You and I can
(08:33):
speak about that, we speak about it every week and
we speak about it with amazing people who have had
their lives transformed by running. So we know that's what
this organization's all about, but to put those words to
paper really helped. Our mission statement, we talk about being a
New York City- based nonprofit which is really important that
people understand. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming
(08:55):
the health and the wellbeing of our communities through inclusive
and accessible running experiences, empowering all to achieve their potential.
So that's what we're all about and that gives us
a sense of what we do and what we are.
Becs, we had an incredible year in terms of racing
and record numbers of finishers at the TCS New York City Marathon, 55,
(09:15):
646. We also saw records at the United Airlines NYC Half with 27, 843-
Becs Gentry (09:24):
One of my favorite races.
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:24):
... and the MasterCard. Yeah, amazing race, and the MasterCard Mini 10K-
Becs Gentry (09:28):
Yeah, another.
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:29):
... was also a record with 9, 694 finishers as
well. So it was a big year for racing.
Becs Gentry (09:37):
Do you think we can get over 10K this year
at the 10K?
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:40):
I think we got a shot the way things are
going. It definitely is a good goal. So you're right. 10K for the
10K, let's make that a goal.
Becs Gentry (09:48):
Let's make it a goal. We should get that on New York
Road Runner social. Come on, 10K for the 10K.
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:53):
Okay, we're going to do it. We're going to make
that happen. We'll get some good weather in June (inaudible) do that, Becs.
Becs Gentry (09:57):
Everybody in your office hates me now.
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:58):
Exactly.
Becs Gentry (09:58):
They're like, " Ugh."
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:59):
A memo to staff. Sorry, Becs made me do it.
But no, I think it's a good idea.
Becs Gentry (10:04):
It's fun.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:04):
So let's put that down.
Becs Gentry (10:05):
I'll run it.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:06):
Yeah. Okay, good, we've got one.
Becs Gentry (10:07):
Got one.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:07):
Just need 9, 999.
Becs Gentry (10:10):
We can do this.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:11):
I think we can do this. Okay.
Becs Gentry (10:11):
We can do it.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:13):
We have a record number of New York Road Runners
members right now. We have new member exclusive events for
the first time. We had a first member- only race
this year. Grete's Great Gallop last year was a member-
only race for the first time, a part of Member
Week, which was awesome. And of course we had a
lot of great live episodes of Set the Pace, Becs,
(10:34):
where you and I got a chance to meet members
face to face. Love that.
Becs Gentry (10:38):
Yeah, me too.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:39):
We've also, Becs, as you know, had a big focus on mental
health and mental well- being over the last couple of years.
We launched a new event, the New York Road Runners
Mindful 5K, a new race out in Queens which had
a mental health focus and a lot of great activations
around that, lots of new online resources and in- person
resources at the marathon for people to have a good
(11:02):
experience both with their mental health as well as their
physical health. And Becs, I'm super proud of one additional
thing we did in 2024, a really expanded commitment to
sustainability at New York Road Runners. We launched our Team
for Climate which was incredible. We had 250 runners run
the TCS New York City Marathon to help us raise
(11:25):
money to offset the carbon footprint of the marathon, and
that team crushed it.
Becs Gentry (11:30):
Wow, yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (11:30):
They raised over $ 600,000, nearly 800, 000 actually. The goal was
600, they raised almost $ 800,000. So it was a great
year, Becs, and we're excited about so many things in 2025.
Becs Gentry (11:45):
And rightly so, and congratulations to everybody who came over
the finish lines of one of the New York Road
Runners races for the first time or hundredth time. Wherever
you're at, congratulations. It was amazing, and obviously thank you
to all of the volunteers who help make the events go
as smoothly and smilily... that's not a word, but I'm going
(12:07):
to go with it... smilily as possible.
Rob Simmelkjaer (12:13):
It is now. I love it. I love it. And one other thing that I want to mention about '24 and then we'll get into some of the '25 priorities
is our Rising New York Road Runners program-
Becs Gentry (12:18):
Oh, the best.
Rob Simmelkjaer (12:18):
... which is our program for New York City public
school kids that introduces them to physical fitness and running.
We are now at 100, 000 kids in New York City
who are a part of that program, and we're just
so thrilled to see the growth of that because that's
fundamental to our mission is getting young people active. Those
(12:41):
are the runners of the future here in New York
City. So we're very proud of that as well. Now
what we're thinking about for 2025 already, well, obviously we
want to continue our focus on mental wellbeing and sustainability.
We're going to continue to have resources at events. The
Mindful 5K will come back. Team for Climate is going
to expand not only to the marathon but also the
(13:02):
United Airlines NYC Half and the RBC Brooklyn Half, so
we're excited about that. Technology is a huge focus, Becs, of
what we want to do, and so everybody in our
running community is soon going to start to see the
impact of some of these technology initiatives. We're going to
be launching a new registration platform in 2025. This is
(13:24):
coming soon, and so people can start to get ready
to see this. One of my goals, I joke around
about this, Becs, as CEO of New York Road Runners.
You know that little walking man that you see sometimes
when you're go on our website and you have to wait and wait
and wait to get on the website to register for
a race? My goal is to kill that walking man.
(13:44):
I want him dead, seriously.
Becs Gentry (13:48):
Sinister.
Rob Simmelkjaer (13:49):
I know. So that's the evil side of Rob Simmelkjaer.
Becs Gentry (13:50):
He's gone.
Rob Simmelkjaer (13:50):
I want that to go away because I want people to
have a much cleaner, more efficient experience of signing up
for our races.
Becs Gentry (13:59):
I would agree with that.
Rob Simmelkjaer (14:00):
So we're partnering with a platform called haku and soon
everybody out there will be getting some messaging around that.
So keep your eyes peeled on your email because that
is coming very, very soon at New York Road Runners.
Speaking of technology, Becs, we're also working closely with our
partners at TCS to launch a new app for New
(14:23):
York Road Runners. Many of you have used the kind
of one- off apps that we have for the TCS New
York City Marathon and the United Airlines NYC Half. We
are going to create a new year- round app that
will allow you to track runners at all the races
with one app no matter what, and it's going to
have lots of other great bells and whistles as well.
(14:43):
So that's coming also in 2025. So tech is a
big, big focus. Other things, Becs, programming, we're going to
bring more programming back to the RUNCENTER in Manhattan over
on 57 Street, fitness classes coming back, more panels and
discussions and things like that. We're going to expand the
Race Week programming during our big race weekends like the
(15:06):
United Airlines NYC Half, the Brooklyn Half, and the New
Balance 5th Avenue Mile. So more coming up, more member-
only events at RUNCENTER and more live podcasts both at the
RUNCENTER and around New York City. So, Becs, I'll get
to see you in person even more-
Becs Gentry (15:21):
Yay.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:21):
... which I'm excited about because we spend so much time looking at each other on these screens. So that'll be fun.
Becs Gentry (15:21):
Yes. Absolutely.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:21):
And some new stuff from Peloton coming as well.
Becs Gentry (15:31):
Oh my gosh.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:33):
Do you know about this?
Becs Gentry (15:33):
I do.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:33):
New classes with you guys.
Becs Gentry (15:35):
I'm very, very excited for this. I was part of the filming
of the first one I think that will be dropped
and we cannot wait to share that with the world.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:45):
I get so many great comments from Peloton members about
the new video and the footage and the things we
do on Peloton for runners. People love it. You're a
big part of that, Becs. And so we're going to continue to
expand what has been an awesome partnership with New York
Road Runners and Peloton. So we're excited about that.
Becs Gentry (16:05):
Absolutely.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:05):
So those are some highlights. And, Becs, we got so many
great questions.
Becs Gentry (16:10):
We did.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:10):
So I'm going to put you in the seat of the
interviewer here and you can fire off some of the
questions that our members and our listeners asked of me, and
we'll go through some of those.
Becs Gentry (16:19):
Absolutely. So as Rob said, we put it out there, we
got all of your inputs, and we were inundated with
the amount of questions that you had for Rob, for
New York Road Runners as a general organization. So we've
sifted through them and we could do multiple podcasts getting
(16:40):
these questions out, but we've put together a handful here.
So Rob is in the hot seat, the CEO of
New York Road Runners is ready to answer some questions.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:52):
Oh boy.
Becs Gentry (16:52):
Here we go. We're going to kick off with a very
popular theme and that was capacity and number of races.
So capacity being how many people can run each race
and number of races being how many races of held
throughout the year. So the first question comes from William D.
S. and he says, " Why are you not allowing more
(17:16):
runners at sold- out races, especially the NYC Marathon?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (17:22):
All right, so the first thing that people should know about
how many runners are allowed in our races, Becs, is that
we have an agreement with the City of New York.
Depending on the race, it's either with the City or
with the Parks Department. All of our races that take
place in parks like Central Park or Prospect Park or
Flushing Meadows, we have an agreement how many runners can
(17:45):
be in that race. So we have a limit to
each race in terms of how many we can have.
The Parks care about that because they want to make
sure that the park isn't overcrowded and that they have
time to clean up and let others use the parks.
So each race has what we call a cap and
that's what we're allowed to have. Now if we have
a cap of say 5, 000 runners for a race
(18:08):
in Central Park, we have an estimate, we kind of
know how many people are likely to show up at
a race. We don't know exactly, but we know for
any given race there's typically a no- show rate. We
do a great job, we have a team at Runners
that does a great job figuring out how many people to
let in to races. So we are focused on getting
(18:29):
as many people in to every race as we can,
but there's only so much we can do. We can't
overfill. We can't go way above our numbers because that
is not what's in our agreement with the city. And
so, yeah, we wish we could let everyone into every
race, but that's just not the way it is, and
so we're doing our best to accommodate the incredible demand
(18:51):
that exists for our races right now.
Becs Gentry (18:54):
Wonderful answer. Well done. First one, whew. Wipe that sweat
from your brow.
Rob Simmelkjaer (18:59):
It's the number one question I get so I'm so
used to answering it.
Becs Gentry (19:03):
Exactly.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:03):
And I get it. It's what we call a good
problem to have because so many people are passionate about
running, but of course we want everyone running, so we'll
talk more about that as we go.
Becs Gentry (19:12):
Exactly. And I think, Willie, as you will find, there are
a lot of races, not a lot of marathons, but
that's what makes it so unique. And so, as Rob
will talk about, there are other things we can do to help people
get in.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:27):
And by the way, the Marathon, as I've just mentioned, all these races
had a record number of finishes.
Becs Gentry (19:31):
They did.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:31):
The big ones, Marathon, the Half, Brooklyn, so we did
let in more people, right, and we actually have seen
the number of finishers go up in these races, but
there are limits to how many we can let in. We had 160,
000 applications to the Marathon, Becs. Trust me, if we
let in-
Becs Gentry (19:46):
So that is three times as many that are allowed in nearly.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:49):
Yeah, exactly. And if we let in 75,000, well, not only would
that be a problem with the City, but trust me,
you don't want to run the New York Marathon with 75, 000 runners in it.
Becs Gentry (20:01):
I was going to say.
Rob Simmelkjaer (20:01):
That would not be a good time.
Becs Gentry (20:03):
You're stuck between a rock and a hard place in that
situation because, yes, we want to have as much happiness
and as little disappointment as possible when it comes to the 160, 000-
plus people who entered. But think about it. On that
course, these are still New York streets, some of them
are narrow, some of them are wide. Some of the
bridges are long, some of them are short. That finish
(20:25):
line, the final turn into Central Park, you guys, if
you've never run it, it is narrow. So you do not
want to be battling for your spot at the finish
line with a bunch of people, let alone toilets, water,
hydration, fuel, all of those things. So the numbers are not there
to disappoint. The numbers are there again for safety first
(20:46):
and enjoyment levels of it.
Rob Simmelkjaer (20:49):
Bingo.
Becs Gentry (20:49):
Yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (20:49):
You could do this. You answer these questions. All right? No, we'll go
to next one.
Becs Gentry (20:55):
Next one.
Rob Simmelkjaer (20:56):
What's your next question for me, Becs?
Becs Gentry (20:56):
Okay. A couple of people have asked this question, so Tellami
and Jay Elewan. Will there be more races coming or
added in the next foreseeable future, let's say?
Rob Simmelkjaer (21:11):
Yeah, good question. So we did add one race last
year, as I mentioned, the Mindful 5K. We are currently
putting on 40 races a year for adults.
Becs Gentry (21:24):
Wow.
Rob Simmelkjaer (21:24):
There are 52 weeks in a year. So there's not
a whole lot of room for more races, but that
said, we are looking for opportunities to add here and
there and ways that we can add not only races, and this is
I think an important point. It doesn't all have to
(21:45):
be a race. Right? It doesn't all have to be
a 9+ 1 official race that counts toward your credit
to get into the Marathon the following year. We want
people running in different ways. So we are definitely looking
to add " running experiences," quote, unquote. They may not all
be official races in the way that you're thinking of
them, but we are looking to add opportunities for people
(22:09):
to run, and there will be more coming out about that
as the year goes on, no question about it. So
yeah, we're looking to grow, but we definitely are at
a pretty high point already in terms of how many
races we have. So the answer is yes, but slowly
and very deliberately because we already have 40 races on the calendar for adults.
Becs Gentry (22:27):
Oh my gosh. It's so many. For adults, so you know, the kids' races are there as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer (22:33):
Yes.
Becs Gentry (22:33):
Okay, so let's keep this vein going and we go
into race accessibility, but also membership. So I've added membership
here because this is something that you're going to talk
about more in order to further explain the decisions about
numbers. So similar questions from Shani Weiner asks and Jenny
(22:53):
Dujour, amongst other people, and it is about how New
York Road Runners is managing the increased popularity of the
races. Most of these questions are focused on the big
race, TCS New York City Marathon, and how race accessibility
is going to be balanced in the face of increasing
running popularity. So I think the bulk of the question
(23:15):
is how can more people run the TCS New York
City Marathon for the first time, how are you going to do that or how can they do that.
Rob Simmelkjaer (23:27):
It's an excellent question. So what I would start by
saying is that if you live in the New York
City area, and I don't know if the people asking
these questions live in the New York City area, there is
a guaranteed way to run the Marathon. We have the
9+ 1 program. If you run nine of our races
and volunteer at one in the course of a year,
(23:48):
you will run the Marathon the following year. So it's
available to anybody who's willing to make that commitment. It's
a really smart way to get in because you're also
working on your running as part of that. And so
I really encourage anybody who is in this area who
wants to run the Marathon to explore doing it through
that program. There are obviously other ways for first- time
(24:10):
runners to get in. The drawing is a hard way
to get in, but I meet people all the time
who say they entered the drawing and got in their
first time, first time trying. Right? So it happens all
the time. We don't have any particular advantage for first-
time people applying for the drawing, but you can definitely
(24:31):
get in that way. Obviously you got to get a little
bit lucky. And then of course there's the charity route,
and again, I know that's competitive right now between Team
for Kids and other charities. There are ways to get
in. So I would start by saying that. Now another
thing I would say is make sure you're a New
York Road Runners member because if you're a member your
chances of getting into these races is better because we
(24:54):
introduced in 2024, something I didn't mention before, the first ever Second-
Chance Drawing for all these big races for members. So
if you don't get in through the regular drawing and
you're a member, you're entered into a pool automatically without
doing anything for a second drawing that's only for members
that gives you another chance to get in. So it
(25:15):
increases your chance of getting in. I had such a
great time calling members last year, Becs, who got in
through that Second- Chance Drawing and they were thrilled. So
that's another way to do it. When it comes to
races, we also introduced something new in 2024 called the Member-
Only Standby List. So you can put yourself, if you're
(25:36):
a member, on a list for a race and say, "
Hey, if spots open up in this race, I'd like
to run it," and we did a lot of that.
In fact, 4, 000, about 4, 000 members gained access
to sold- out races in 2024 through the Members- Only
Standby List. So it's another great way to get into
(25:59):
races by being a member. And then lastly, Becs, I
want to talk about a level of membership that is a
huge help. It's more money, but it is not that
much more money considering the benefit that you get. If
you join not just as a basic member but as
a Member Plus member of New York Road Runners, you
(26:20):
get additional time ahead of everybody else registering for races
to sign up. It's a two- day window that is
available only for Member Plus members to sign up for
all the races that are going on sale in a
given period. And so it's basically a guarantee, Becs, that
(26:40):
you're going to get into these races as long as
you make sure you set your calendar, remind yourself to
get on the website and register during that two- day
window. The races do not sell out during the Member
Plus period. Again, it's a bit more money, but not
a huge amount more. I think it's, I'm going to
be corrected on this if I get it wrong, but
(27:01):
I think it's about another 60, $ 65 to be a Member
Plus member versus the $ 60 to be a basic member.
So when you think about how much you're getting in
having that access to races, it's well worth it, and
I encourage anybody who is really focused on getting into
races to upgrade their membership to Member Plus because it
(27:23):
makes a huge difference.
Becs Gentry (27:25):
Absolutely, agreed. I mean, get in on that, everyone. Come
on. Start the new year strong with a little gift
to yourself there.
Rob Simmelkjaer (27:33):
A hundred percent.
Becs Gentry (27:34):
Okay. So I think you sort of answered this question in your last
answer there, but I think we could dive a little
bit deeper into it because this question is from SD5289NY,
and they have asked what your plans are to make membership
worth it for 15- plus year members getting shut out of
(27:56):
races. So I think we can go a bit deeper
on that membership and what's happening there.
Rob Simmelkjaer (28:01):
Yeah, a hundred percent. I mean, first of all, I
want to say that I have no higher priority as
CEO of New York Road Runners than to make membership
a great experience for our members, and when I first
came a couple years ago what I saw was membership
that basically was a discount. What you really got for
(28:24):
being a member two years ago was a discount on
races, if you got into the races. What we want
to do is make it about a lot more than
that. We want to obviously emphasize the community side of
it, but create a whole new set of benefits for
members of New York Road Runners. And so that is why
you've seen us add some of these things in the
(28:44):
last year that I just mentioned, the Second- Chance Drawing,
the Members- Only Standby List, the members- only race that
we had last summer and we'll have again. Members also
get access to exclusive non- race events we have at
our expos, during Member Week, throughout the year, exclusive experiences
(29:05):
for members, members swag that we give out to our
members, and we're thinking about these things all the time.
So we will be announcing more member- only perks in
2025. I mentioned the app earlier, Becs, and I think the
app is also going to give us more opportunities over
time to give our members exclusive access to things that
(29:29):
live in the digital sphere, and so that's a big
focus. So understand the question. Get it. Members, we love
you, we care about you, and we want to make
sure that this membership is worth it because even if
you're struggling to get into races, we want to make
sure you're getting a great experience. And again, not to
(29:49):
wear out that point, but if you're a Member Plus
member, well, then the race experience, getting into races becomes
a lot easier as well. So that's the message to
all the members out there.
Becs Gentry (30:00):
Exactly. We love that and we love our members. Okay, so
here's one that is big in the running community and
it's called entry swapping. So it's a little bit of
a touchy subject, but let's get into it. This might
get you a little bit hotter under the collar, Rob.
Okay, so ValBrecht4 has asked, " With races filling up instantly after
(30:24):
registration opens, what is New York Road Runners plans to
make sure slots don't go unused on race day?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (30:32):
All right, thank you, Val, for the question. So I
answered this in a couple of different ways by talking
about the fact that we sell a number of slots
that takes into account people not coming. Right? So that
is a way that we try to ensure that slots
don't go unused because we're selling more slots than there
are actually available in the race. So that's the first
(30:54):
thing we were already doing that you may not know
about if you're just a member kind of paying attention
to what's happening. So that's number one. All right, second
is about the member standby list. I mentioned again, the Member-
Only Standby List which is important as part of this
and how many people got in through that. So we
talked about that already. Now what I think you mentioned
(31:16):
is the swapping of bibs, and that is essentially a,
hey, I can't run this race, but my friend, Becs,
would like to run. Can I give Becs my bib?
Now just handing somebody else your bib right now is
very, very, very much against the rules.
Becs Gentry (31:33):
Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer (31:34):
You cannot run a race with somebody else's bib and
can't emphasize that enough because if you do that there's
a chance, a good chance in fact, that it's going
to be noticed because you'll run a time that's a
little unusual maybe for that person or we'll just... listen,
it's a good chance that we'll see that, and we
(31:56):
don't want that for a lot of reasons. It's not just because
of selling these bibs, it's because there's a safety issue.
If something happens to a runner and you've got somebody
else's bib on, we can't contact your emergency contact. We
don't know who you are. We can't deal appropriately with
any emergencies that happen. So you just can't run with somebody
(32:17):
else's bib, full stop. Now we know that in some
other race organizations you can officially transfer a bib to
someone else. It's something that we are very much looking
at. Our technology does not support that right now, but
I mentioned earlier that we're going to be switching over
to a new registration platform called haku. haku does support
(32:39):
that, so we are looking at what we can do, how
we can do it. Can't say anything about that yet
because we're not really sure yet what makes sense, but
it is definitely something that is on the road map.
Becs Gentry (32:53):
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(33:18):
types, Rob, because we have at the moment everything from
a mile, I mean excluding the kids' races, a mile
up to the TCS New York City Marathon in distance. Historically,
there have been other distances involved in New York Road
Runners events and we have had a question from T.
Y. Gellans. I'm sorry if I've mispronounced your name there.
(33:41):
It looks like it might be Dutch.
Rob Simmelkjaer (33:43):
Ty, I think it's Ty.
Becs Gentry (33:44):
Ty, Ty Gellans, there we go. You wouldn't think I do this for
a job, right, leaderboard names. Okay, Ty has asked, " Will
there be any ultra marathons again?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (33:58):
Ty, this is one of the most frequent questions I get.
Becs Gentry (34:00):
From me too, Ty.
Rob Simmelkjaer (34:02):
Appreciate the question. We used to host an ultra marathon.
It was called the Knickerbocker 60K, but the pandemic came
along and that's one of the few races that we
did not bring back post- pandemic for lots of reasons.
Didn't have a huge amount of interest in the race,
it's a really long and hard day for our staff
(34:25):
for a relatively small number of runners. So we didn't
bring that back and it's not currently on the roadmap.
However, however, that doesn't mean that there aren't great ultras
to run in the New York City area. Black men
Run, New York City, and the NYC Way are keeping
the ultra community in New York engaged with their annual
(34:46):
Ted Corbitt 50K which is a local ultra marathon that
will be held actually coming up on January 26th in
Prospect Park. We're going to put a link to that
race in our show notes. There's a virtual option for that
race as well. So check it out. And with the new
registration platform, one of the things we do want to
do going forward is actually highlight some other races that
(35:08):
are not Road Runners' races happening in the tri- state
area that will give people a chance to have some
different experiences, and ultras are a big part of that.
So we probably will not be putting on an ultra
ourselves anytime real soon, but others are doing it and
we're going to make sure that we point our runners
in the direction of those races because we want those
(35:30):
races to succeed and thrive and to give runners a
chance to experience those things with other organizers as well.
Becs Gentry (35:37):
Absolutely, and that's all part of the running community. We
are just one vein of the heart of New York
running being New York Road Runners, and as Rob just said,
there's other organizations and we all work together and we all
run together. So let's share, let's share those miles. Okay,
(35:58):
Jess Gray, " Would you consider including treadmill for the virtual
program?" Thanks, Jess. I love this question. I bet you're
a Peloton member.
Rob Simmelkjaer (36:07):
Yeah, that's a good question actually. Well, the question fascinates
me a little bit. I mean, yes, if you're doing
it on a Peloton, you're likely to have a great experience.
I've been running on the treadmill a lot lately, Becs.
I ran five miles this morning, we record on Tuesdays,
on the treadmill because I have no other way to
run right now on a weekday when it's 20 degrees
(36:31):
and dark at my preferred running time. So I got
into the gym and ran five on the treadmill. I
just can't... I do it, Becs. I have to admit, I
really need to start running with you and your classes
because I just do not enjoy this, Becs.
Becs Gentry (36:47):
Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer (36:47):
I do not enjoy running on the treadmill. I got to
start doing these classes with you guys because maybe that
would just make the time pass. It kills me. I'm
just not a treadmill guy. But anyway, I digress. Obviously
Jess is, and so first of all, we partner with
Strava on virtual racing and the thing about those virtual
(37:08):
races on Strava is we track it by GPS, right?
So we need to see, Strava does, that you actually
ran the distance that the virtual race was so that
we can tell you ran, and that's why there are
not any current options to participate in those virtual races
on a treadmill. But I think it's an interesting question. Becs,
(37:31):
let's talk about it with your colleagues at Peloton and
see if there's a way to solve for that.
Becs Gentry (37:37):
I would agree.
Rob Simmelkjaer (37:37):
It's actually an interesting idea.
Becs Gentry (37:39):
That would be.
Rob Simmelkjaer (37:40):
Peloton users with a Peloton Tread or a Tread+ can
already run segments of the TCS New York City Marathon with
the incredible scenery that is recorded for those races. You
can run the course on the Tread. We've got new
content coming out as we mentioned. So yeah, let's have
a conversation. So the answer for now, Jess, is no,
(38:00):
but we will talk to Peloton and see what's possible.
Becs Gentry (38:03):
Yeah. But hold please.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:04):
Maybe there is a way to solve for that. I don't know.
Becs Gentry (38:04):
Yeah, we could, we could. My brain is whirring. Let's have a chat.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:10):
I love it.
Becs Gentry (38:11):
All right, next and final question in this category is
RunningNYCS. Maybe more races in the afternoon and not so
early in the... I think morning is what they meant
here, not so early in the morning if you can, question mark.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:28):
RunningNYCS is not a morning person apparently.
Becs Gentry (38:30):
No. Absolutely not.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:31):
Would like races in the afternoon. And by the way,
I get it, especially this time of year.
Becs Gentry (38:35):
Yes, the 7:00, 8:00 AM, they're hard, that time.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:35):
I totally, yeah, I'm doing my runs right now on the weekends at noon or 1
trying to get as much warmth as I can. The
issue around this, well, there's two issues. Number one, permits,
I talked about earlier and the Parks department, and especially
if we're closing streets, the Department of Transportation wants these
(38:57):
races to happen at a time that has the lowest
impact on others out there. So people who want to
just use the park, the busiest times in Central Park
or Prospect Park or wherever are going to be those
late morning and afternoon hours where people are out and about
with their kids or on bikes or whatever. So the
races do disrupt the use of the park and it
(39:19):
definitely is not a good thing to have races happening
at that time. And then also afternoon races in the
summertime obviously are a challenge when the temperatures are too
high. So great question. It's something that actually I'll think
about a little bit in the winter months, see if
there's a thing we could do around afternoon races. But
(39:40):
for now, based on our permits, the answer unfortunately is
you're going to have to set that alarm, RunningNYCS, and
get yourself up and make it to one of our
starting lines at 8:00 or 9
Becs Gentry (39:53):
Absolutely. I know, it's not great, but if you're training
for one of those marathons or longer races, you got
to get up early because you got a long day
ahead of you. So it gets you in the habit. Right?
Rob Simmelkjaer (40:06):
A hundred percent. Win the morning, win the day, I always say.
Becs Gentry (40:09):
Oh, we like a mantra.
Rob Simmelkjaer (40:12):
Get on out there. Make it happen.
Becs Gentry (40:12):
Okay, let's talk about expanding the mission. We have C. J.
R. Palmeiras has asked, " Why not franchise to other countries,
Brazil, for example?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (40:27):
So as I mentioned earlier, we're a New York City
based nonprofit. We're not a for- profit organization, and our
mission really is focused on serving local communities here in
the five boroughs of New York where there is so
much need that we want to fill and have the
impact that we have here in New York. So that
(40:47):
is the primary focus of the organization. There are a
lot of great running organizers and organizations out there around
the world, and we love to see the international runners
coming in to visit us for the TCS New York City
Marathon and other races all around the year. We are
going to start working to do a better job of
(41:08):
pointing people in the direction of local running organizations where
they can run, but right now it's not really something
to franchise. It's an interesting question, franchising. It's not like
we're making burgers or something that could actually really be
franchised. I mean, it's running. Right? It's putting on racing
(41:28):
events. People can do that in other places. Obviously we
have incredible tradition in New York of putting on really high-
quality races and other things, but I don't really think
it's like even if we were a for- profit, like a
franchisable thing per se. But again, as I mentioned, we're
really focused on New York City right now.
Becs Gentry (41:49):
Amazing, and rightly so. We've got it. Okay, so Nuvoletta Italiana
has asked, " Will the partnership with country's return? We miss
Italy Run, Japan Run, et cetera."
Rob Simmelkjaer (42:03):
I know, Becs, that some of those previous runs were so
popular. The Italy run was huge. The Japan Run, the
UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, those were really popular races. They
were all off the calendar by the time I came
in as CEO. Now one thing people should know is
(42:23):
that those were actually sponsored races. So those countries, their
tourism boards or some other element from those countries were
actually sponsoring those races, and just like TCS sponsors the
Marathon or United Airlines sponsors the Half. So those were
sponsors. Those races went away, and the thing is, it's
challenging to bring some of them back, Becs, because it's
(42:47):
kind of like hard to do it in a fair
way. If we brought Italy Run back, let's say, right,
well, then there'd be 20 other countries that would raise
their hands the next day and say, " We want a
race. We want one of those races." It would be
hard to determine in a fair way what country should
(43:09):
get a race and what country shouldn't get a race,
and we feel really bad if we didn't represent all
the different constituencies and nationalities that are out there. This
is New York City, we've got the most international, diverse
population in the world, and I would feel bad if
(43:29):
we couldn't have a race for every country, but we
can't have a race for every country. So therefore it's
a little bit better, from my point of view, just
not to have country races because that way we're treating
everybody equally. So thank you for the question, but that
is definitely not coming back. So please continue to go
(43:52):
out and enjoy the Nutella and all the great stuff
that was at the Italy Run and the other part. We
miss having that stuff and we definitely have fond memories
of those events and those races.
Becs Gentry (44:06):
Oh my gosh. I'm sure they were so, so fun.
All right, let's move on to the verticals, addressing the verticals.
These are things that kind of feed in to what
makes New York Road Runners what it is, aside from just
the running. So we've been asked by L. Joey, " Will
New York Road Runners develop program for senior runners?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (44:29):
Good news, L. Joey, we have one. Absolutely, we have
a great program for senior runners and walkers that's called
New York Road Runners Striders' program. It was launched nearly
15 years ago in 2011. It is a free program
and it offers senior adults physical activity for people who
(44:50):
want to lead a more active life, and I think
just as important, meet new people in their communities. We
have a lot of folks who are walkers. It's called
Striders. It's primarily but not exclusively a walking program. We
have a lot of folks in that program who might
start walking, but then they will graduate up to run-
(45:11):
walking and then even just running. We have folks who
walk our races, who run our races, who are all
part of that Striders' program, and a majority of our
Striders' coaches are seniors themselves who actually do a great
job offering a peer- to- peer experience for these people
in a safe setting. So any seniors out there who
(45:33):
are interested should check out the Striders' program. Now if
you don't think Striders is right for you, then I
would really encourage you to check out all of our
other training and programming options. Group Training is for all
ages, and that's available in communities all around the city.
Open Run, our weekly free running program in New York
(45:55):
City Parks, again, open and accessible to runners of all
ages and abilities. So they're there, and I think if
you show up at one of those you'll find a
welcoming community with people in your age cohort. I've met
so many people, Becs, who signed up for Open Run really
to get moving, and what happened is they made friends.
(46:18):
They found a community that is so important for people
at all ages, but I think especially for seniors, Becs,
who sometimes become a bit more isolated. It's really important
to have that community, and Road Runners is a great
way to find that.
Becs Gentry (46:31):
Exactly. And if you want to find out more, we
had a wonderful guest on the podcast last year, Dr.
Leo Murillo, who has been a runner with New York
Road Runners for a really long time. He's definitely one
to talk to about the progression of running all the
way through the life, and now as his senior running
(46:52):
stage is here and blossoming, go check out that podcast
as well if you want to find out a bit more.
Rob Simmelkjaer (46:57):
A hundred percent.
Becs Gentry (46:57):
All right. Two more questions, Rob, before you've sweated everything out again after
your run. We've been asked by SuburbanDadRunner, " What can you
do to better support New York City's club culture?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (47:12):
So the clubs are such a huge part of what
we do at New York Road Runners and a huge
part of the running community in New York City. Right?
So many people get into running by joining a club.
They're finding communities there. We love it. It's a huge
part of what we are about, and we are constantly
trying to support and nourish the club ecosystem in New
(47:35):
York City and beyond. So we have something called Club
Council which is essentially an organization that all the clubs
join and allows these clubs to register with New York
Road Runners on our website. People can find clubs by
looking at that section of our website. A lot of
folks find their club by looking at that, and we
(47:58):
work daily with them. We have a small department at
New York Road Runners. There's a guy named Anil Bhambhani
whose job is supporting in the clubs. That's his full-
time job at New York Road Runners, and so he
is having back and forths with the clubs day in and
day out. The Club Council also has meetings four times
a year, quarterly, where we get together, we talk to
(48:20):
the clubs about what's going on at New York Road
Runners, we hear back from them and work with them
on making sure it's a great experience. Now a big
part of the club scene is what we call the
Club Points series which is a chance for all the
clubs to compete every year. They complete for points in
all the different age groups and genders. And then we
have a big gala called Club Night where we honor
(48:43):
the clubs and we honor the runners who are competing
for these awards of Runner of the Year and Runner
of the Year at every age group and all the
great things. So both clubs and local runners get honored
at this. And then we also have a club- only,
essentially, or at least club- preferred event in the summer
called the NYRR Team Championships. That's a five- mile race that
(49:08):
takes place in Central Park and it showcases all the
clubs. Clubs are given preferred entry into that race. So
the clubs get a lot. We also give bibs to
every single club for each one of those Club Points
series races. That includes the Marathon, the big Halfs. So they're getting
entries to use as well. So it's a really deep
(49:29):
connection that we have with the clubs. We're always looking
to improve it, to deepen it. If you've got other
ideas, ways you think we can better support and engage
clubs, please reach out to your Club Council rep on
your club, they'll reach out to us. We're having a
lot of really good conversations to make sure that the clubs
(49:50):
continue to thrive because they're such an important part of
our community here in New York.
Becs Gentry (49:56):
Amazing. All right, we have one final question today from
Michael Garofolo. " When is the next wave of races for
the 9+ 1 program opening registrations?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (50:07):
Yeah. So soon, Michael. Our next set of races that
will be open for registration will be opening in late
January, early February. Keep an eye on your email for
that. Okay? Very important, keep an eye on your email,
keep an eye also on New York Road Runners' social
channels so that you can know when it's announced that
(50:31):
we are launching those races. I mentioned that we're doing
this technical work, the new technology, new platform. So the
reason that the date is unclear still is because of
the work that's being done there, but it will be
in the late January, early February period. So be patient. Watch
your emails.
Becs Gentry (50:49):
And just keep up to date with the New York
Road Runners' website, the race calendar. Get yourselves involved with
any and all races you can. And don't forget that
you can come and train as well. If you don't
get into the races, it doesn't mean you can't come along
for the community runs and all of the incredible training programs
as well that New York Road Runners' offer.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:10):
Becs, great job grilling me. Great job with those questions. Thank you for doing that. Don't you have to go to a class?
Becs Gentry (51:18):
I do.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:18):
Aren't you supposed to teach a class?
Becs Gentry (51:19):
I do.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:19):
Okay.
Becs Gentry (51:19):
I have to go and teach a class in about 50 minutes, yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:22):
Oh, you got plenty of time. You got plenty of time.
Becs Gentry (51:22):
Plenty time, yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:24):
Well, this was fun. Did you learn some things about
New York Road Runners?
Becs Gentry (51:26):
I did. I really did. There's a few things I had
no idea about. Yeah, my brain, as I said, is
whirring on ideas of how we can get some of
these questions answered and the world made better for some
of our members out there as well, both on the
New York Road Runners' side and on the Peloton side.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:48):
There's so much opportunity, so I'm really excited about what
2025 has in store for Road Runners-
Becs Gentry (51:56):
Me too.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:56):
... for all of our runners and our members out
there, for Set the Pace as well, because I'm excited
just to get started with a whole new set of
conversations with great people who make running a big part
of their lives. I hope that all of our listeners
out there are as fired up for the year as
we are.
Becs Gentry (52:15):
Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer (52:17):
I love it. I love it. Well, thank you, Becs.
Thank you to all the listeners and the members who
sent in those amazing questions. They were really good questions.
By the way, keep the questions coming. You don't have
to just do it when it's a special episode. You
can always throw questions in in the comment section or
as a review to the podcast in Apple podcast. We
(52:39):
will always check them out. Remember to check the show
notes out as we're going to have some information and
links to some of the answers that I gave today.
And that's it. That does it for our first episode
of Set The Pace for 2025. Hope you enjoyed it.
If you liked the episode, subscribe, rate it, leave a
comment so we can continue to add listeners to our
(53:01):
community here on Set the Pace in 2025. Once again,
I want to wish you all a very happy New
Year. Hope you guys have a great year running and
beyond. Enjoy the miles. We'll see you next week.
Ready to level up your running? With the Peloton Tread and
Tread+, you can challenge yourself anytime, anywhere. Whether you're building
strength or working on speed, Peloton has a class for
every goal from five to 120 minute workouts. With muscle
building classes and flexible training options, you'll have everything you
need to crush your next race and then recover from
(00:22):
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.
Intro (00:39):
Thank you, New York. Today we're reminded of the power
of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on
your mark. The first woman to finish for the second
straight year here in the New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman,
a smiling Miki Gorman, and why not. 2
(01:02):
the time for Grete Waitz. 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.
Rob Simmelkjaer (01:20):
Hey, everybody, happy New Year, and welcome to the first
Set the Pace of 2025. We are presented by Peloton,
as we are each and every week. I'm the host
of Set the Pace and CEO of New York Road
Runners, Rob Simmelkjaer, and with me, my lovely co- host
from Peloton, Becs Gentry. Happy New Year, Becs. How are you?
Becs Gentry (01:41):
Hi. Happy New Year. I'm great, thank you. I think
we were both just discussing how much of a break
it actually felt like this year.
Rob Simmelkjaer (01:49):
Yeah, it was amazing. We had a really nice quiet
period at New York Road Runners, fairly quiet on the
race front. I'll talk about that in a second. But
it was really quiet, really restful. I got away for
a little bit with my girls, did a little skiing
up in Vermont. That was nice.
Becs Gentry (02:08):
Wow.
Rob Simmelkjaer (02:09):
And it was just a really, really nice break. What about you? What'd you
guys do?
Becs Gentry (02:12):
We did a very quick weekend before Christmas down at
the Jersey Shore with family, and then everybody was scattering
to different places for actual Christmas this year, so we had
our first Christmas just the three of us in our home in Brooklyn
which was wonderful.
Rob Simmelkjaer (02:32):
Oh my gosh.
Becs Gentry (02:32):
We created memories. Tallulah had her first coming down the
stairs on Christmas morning and Santi Claus as she calls
him. So it was very wonderful, and we have some
great neighbors and good friends, so it was a big
family local affair which was great.
Rob Simmelkjaer (02:49):
There is nothing like a kid's first Santa, Christmas, and the magic
of that. It brings back all of the magic that
we felt as kids-
Becs Gentry (02:59):
It does, yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:00):
... when you have a kid who's experienced that. It's
just amazing, so I'm sure.
Becs Gentry (03:04):
She doesn't quite grasp it just yet. She loves Santa Claus,
the lights, but she doesn't understand the concept yet. So
the presents were just, the fun was opening them and
then it was like shove it aside, next one, okay.
So I think next year when she's three, four, that's sort
of when the real magic and all of that comes
(03:24):
is going to be... just judging by her excitement this
year for something she doesn't quite understand.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:29):
Yeah.
Becs Gentry (03:29):
Oh, it's going to be so good. I can't wait.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:31):
You've got so much to look forward to with that. That's awesome. I'm glad you had a great time.
Did you do much running or were you kind of on the shelf?
Becs Gentry (03:38):
I did not.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:38):
Good for you.
Becs Gentry (03:39):
I was on the shelf. It was divine. My body
was like, " Thank you. My goodness me. What a great
Christmas present you can give me after this year."
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:46):
You belong on the shelf, like an elf on the
shelf, Becs. You needed to sit still for a while
after what you did in 2024.
Becs Gentry (03:52):
I did. Yeah, I really did. I really did take time off.
We worked up until the wire here at Peloton. We
were in until the Saturday, and Sunday there was classes,
but I went to the Jersey Shore from the studio
on Saturday, and then I didn't run for about a
week until after Christmas which is unheard of for me.
(04:15):
But I loved every second, and now I'm back on
it but in the gym. I'm in the strength, I'm in the building phase.
Rob Simmelkjaer (04:22):
I love it, I love it.
Becs Gentry (04:23):
It's great.
Rob Simmelkjaer (04:23):
Well, that's great. Glad you had a break. I did
some running with some local friends up here in Connecticut.
Becs Gentry (04:30):
Great. Oh, gorgeous.
Rob Simmelkjaer (04:31):
One thing I did not run unfortunately was the New
York Road Runners Midnight Run on New Year's Eve.
Becs Gentry (04:38):
Yeah, for good reason, for good... I was standing outside on
our way to our friend, our neighbor's house on New
Year's Eve, and I thought it was fireworks going off,
and Austin just turned and looked at me and went, " No, no, that is
thunder and lightning." And I said to him, " I'm so
happy I didn't go and run because I would've been
scared." And then you guys had to cancel it.
Rob Simmelkjaer (05:00):
It was crazy. The Midnight Run which is a four-
miler on New Year's Eve, yeah, we just could not
put it on. Obviously it's crazy to see that kind
of weather on New Year's Eve in New York City.
Becs Gentry (05:14):
It's wild.
Rob Simmelkjaer (05:15):
Thunder and lightning. I was actually in Connecticut. I wasn't
there for the race this year, hadn't planned to be,
but yeah, Ted Metellus, our chief of event operations and
race director called me around nine o'clock and said, " Listen,
there's a lot of thunder and lightning in the forecast."
I was like, " What? Really?" I mean, I couldn't really
(05:35):
believe it in late December, and sure enough, a little
while later the skies in New York just lit up,
and we had no choice but to cancel that event
which was of course disappointing, although I think most runners
were kind of relieved because the weather was brutal. Who
wants to be out in the pouring rain on New
Year's Eve with lightning overhead?
Becs Gentry (05:55):
Yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (05:56):
It had been a weird year. We had had to
cancel the fireworks because of the drought that existed. Then
all the rain came so-
Becs Gentry (06:02):
Kind of was irony, wasn't it?
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:03):
But it was too late to have the fireworks. Then we tried to put on
a drone show and then we had to cancel that
because of some issues with drones around the country. So
there were all kinds of backs and forths and it just seemed like
it wasn't meant to be this year.
Becs Gentry (06:17):
Exactly. But you know what we can take away from
this is that New York Road Runners puts the safety
of their people first, and as disappointing as it can be
to have to cancel things we know that that's the
best decision and there will always be other runs. I mean,
I can tell you a pretty cool four- mile run
that's coming up in spring this year that you convinced
(06:38):
me to do last year.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:39):
Yeah.
Becs Gentry (06:40):
So there's always more races, people.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:42):
There's so many. Very well said, I couldn't agree more. Thank
you. I can tell you've been hanging out with me
for a while. You're speaking my language a hundred percent.
Becs Gentry (06:50):
Exactly.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:51):
We obviously put safety first. So happy New Year. Sorry
we didn't get a chance to see you all on
New Year's Eve, but we know we'll see all of
you out there running one way or another in the
coming weeks. So, Becs, we have a fun thing we're
going to do this year. For the first show of
the year, a little bit different, we're calling it New
(07:12):
York Road Runners State of the Union. We're going to
talk a little bit about where New York Road Runners
is as an organization, where we are with our running
community, with our mission, our vision, all the things that
we care about to let you, our listeners, our community,
know what our plans are, what our priorities are for
(07:33):
the year ahead. Becs, we got a lot of great questions from
listeners and members.
Becs Gentry (07:38):
We do. Yeah, thank you, everyone.
Rob Simmelkjaer (07:39):
Yeah, thank you so much for all the questions. We're
going to run through those questions. Becs, you're going to
grill me on all the questions that we got.
Becs Gentry (07:45):
I am. I know. It sounds so serious, but it's not. It's going
to be informative and wonderful.
Rob Simmelkjaer (07:49):
A hundred percent. We're going to make it fun. We're
going to make it fun because that's what we do.
And Becs, we can start a little bit with just
some highlights from the last year. We had so much
happen at New York Road Runners. We issued a new
reimagined mission statement and vision statement which is a huge deal for
the organization and really kind of is a north star,
(08:11):
as I like to call it, for what we're doing
in the coming years. Our vision statement is to build
healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of
running, and that's really what we're all about. We know
that running makes us healthier as individuals, it makes our
communities stronger, and it transforms us. You and I can
(08:33):
speak about that, we speak about it every week and
we speak about it with amazing people who have had
their lives transformed by running. So we know that's what
this organization's all about, but to put those words to
paper really helped. Our mission statement, we talk about being a
New York City- based nonprofit which is really important that
people understand. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming
(08:55):
the health and the wellbeing of our communities through inclusive
and accessible running experiences, empowering all to achieve their potential.
So that's what we're all about and that gives us
a sense of what we do and what we are.
Becs, we had an incredible year in terms of racing
and record numbers of finishers at the TCS New York City Marathon, 55,
(09:15):
646. We also saw records at the United Airlines NYC Half with 27, 843-
Becs Gentry (09:24):
One of my favorite races.
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:24):
... and the MasterCard. Yeah, amazing race, and the MasterCard Mini 10K-
Becs Gentry (09:28):
Yeah, another.
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:29):
... was also a record with 9, 694 finishers as
well. So it was a big year for racing.
Becs Gentry (09:37):
Do you think we can get over 10K this year
at the 10K?
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:40):
I think we got a shot the way things are
going. It definitely is a good goal. So you're right. 10K for the
10K, let's make that a goal.
Becs Gentry (09:48):
Let's make it a goal. We should get that on New York
Road Runner social. Come on, 10K for the 10K.
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:53):
Okay, we're going to do it. We're going to make
that happen. We'll get some good weather in June (inaudible) do that, Becs.
Becs Gentry (09:57):
Everybody in your office hates me now.
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:58):
Exactly.
Becs Gentry (09:58):
They're like, " Ugh."
Rob Simmelkjaer (09:59):
A memo to staff. Sorry, Becs made me do it.
But no, I think it's a good idea.
Becs Gentry (10:04):
It's fun.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:04):
So let's put that down.
Becs Gentry (10:05):
I'll run it.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:06):
Yeah. Okay, good, we've got one.
Becs Gentry (10:07):
Got one.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:07):
Just need 9, 999.
Becs Gentry (10:10):
We can do this.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:11):
I think we can do this. Okay.
Becs Gentry (10:11):
We can do it.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:13):
We have a record number of New York Road Runners
members right now. We have new member exclusive events for
the first time. We had a first member- only race
this year. Grete's Great Gallop last year was a member-
only race for the first time, a part of Member
Week, which was awesome. And of course we had a
lot of great live episodes of Set the Pace, Becs,
(10:34):
where you and I got a chance to meet members
face to face. Love that.
Becs Gentry (10:38):
Yeah, me too.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:39):
We've also, Becs, as you know, had a big focus on mental
health and mental well- being over the last couple of years.
We launched a new event, the New York Road Runners
Mindful 5K, a new race out in Queens which had
a mental health focus and a lot of great activations
around that, lots of new online resources and in- person
resources at the marathon for people to have a good
(11:02):
experience both with their mental health as well as their
physical health. And Becs, I'm super proud of one additional
thing we did in 2024, a really expanded commitment to
sustainability at New York Road Runners. We launched our Team
for Climate which was incredible. We had 250 runners run
the TCS New York City Marathon to help us raise
(11:25):
money to offset the carbon footprint of the marathon, and
that team crushed it.
Becs Gentry (11:30):
Wow, yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (11:30):
They raised over $ 600,000, nearly 800, 000 actually. The goal was
600, they raised almost $ 800,000. So it was a great
year, Becs, and we're excited about so many things in 2025.
Becs Gentry (11:45):
And rightly so, and congratulations to everybody who came over
the finish lines of one of the New York Road
Runners races for the first time or hundredth time. Wherever
you're at, congratulations. It was amazing, and obviously thank you
to all of the volunteers who help make the events go
as smoothly and smilily... that's not a word, but I'm going
(12:07):
to go with it... smilily as possible.
Rob Simmelkjaer (12:13):
It is now. I love it. I love it. And one other thing that I want to mention about '24 and then we'll get into some of the '25 priorities
is our Rising New York Road Runners program-
Becs Gentry (12:18):
Oh, the best.
Rob Simmelkjaer (12:18):
... which is our program for New York City public
school kids that introduces them to physical fitness and running.
We are now at 100, 000 kids in New York City
who are a part of that program, and we're just
so thrilled to see the growth of that because that's
fundamental to our mission is getting young people active. Those
(12:41):
are the runners of the future here in New York
City. So we're very proud of that as well. Now
what we're thinking about for 2025 already, well, obviously we
want to continue our focus on mental wellbeing and sustainability.
We're going to continue to have resources at events. The
Mindful 5K will come back. Team for Climate is going
to expand not only to the marathon but also the
(13:02):
United Airlines NYC Half and the RBC Brooklyn Half, so
we're excited about that. Technology is a huge focus, Becs, of
what we want to do, and so everybody in our
running community is soon going to start to see the
impact of some of these technology initiatives. We're going to
be launching a new registration platform in 2025. This is
(13:24):
coming soon, and so people can start to get ready
to see this. One of my goals, I joke around
about this, Becs, as CEO of New York Road Runners.
You know that little walking man that you see sometimes
when you're go on our website and you have to wait and wait
and wait to get on the website to register for
a race? My goal is to kill that walking man.
(13:44):
I want him dead, seriously.
Becs Gentry (13:48):
Sinister.
Rob Simmelkjaer (13:49):
I know. So that's the evil side of Rob Simmelkjaer.
Becs Gentry (13:50):
He's gone.
Rob Simmelkjaer (13:50):
I want that to go away because I want people to
have a much cleaner, more efficient experience of signing up
for our races.
Becs Gentry (13:59):
I would agree with that.
Rob Simmelkjaer (14:00):
So we're partnering with a platform called haku and soon
everybody out there will be getting some messaging around that.
So keep your eyes peeled on your email because that
is coming very, very soon at New York Road Runners.
Speaking of technology, Becs, we're also working closely with our
partners at TCS to launch a new app for New
(14:23):
York Road Runners. Many of you have used the kind
of one- off apps that we have for the TCS New
York City Marathon and the United Airlines NYC Half. We
are going to create a new year- round app that
will allow you to track runners at all the races
with one app no matter what, and it's going to
have lots of other great bells and whistles as well.
(14:43):
So that's coming also in 2025. So tech is a
big, big focus. Other things, Becs, programming, we're going to
bring more programming back to the RUNCENTER in Manhattan over
on 57 Street, fitness classes coming back, more panels and
discussions and things like that. We're going to expand the
Race Week programming during our big race weekends like the
(15:06):
United Airlines NYC Half, the Brooklyn Half, and the New
Balance 5th Avenue Mile. So more coming up, more member-
only events at RUNCENTER and more live podcasts both at the
RUNCENTER and around New York City. So, Becs, I'll get
to see you in person even more-
Becs Gentry (15:21):
Yay.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:21):
... which I'm excited about because we spend so much time looking at each other on these screens. So that'll be fun.
Becs Gentry (15:21):
Yes. Absolutely.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:21):
And some new stuff from Peloton coming as well.
Becs Gentry (15:31):
Oh my gosh.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:33):
Do you know about this?
Becs Gentry (15:33):
I do.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:33):
New classes with you guys.
Becs Gentry (15:35):
I'm very, very excited for this. I was part of the filming
of the first one I think that will be dropped
and we cannot wait to share that with the world.
Rob Simmelkjaer (15:45):
I get so many great comments from Peloton members about
the new video and the footage and the things we
do on Peloton for runners. People love it. You're a
big part of that, Becs. And so we're going to continue to
expand what has been an awesome partnership with New York
Road Runners and Peloton. So we're excited about that.
Becs Gentry (16:05):
Absolutely.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:05):
So those are some highlights. And, Becs, we got so many
great questions.
Becs Gentry (16:10):
We did.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:10):
So I'm going to put you in the seat of the
interviewer here and you can fire off some of the
questions that our members and our listeners asked of me, and
we'll go through some of those.
Becs Gentry (16:19):
Absolutely. So as Rob said, we put it out there, we
got all of your inputs, and we were inundated with
the amount of questions that you had for Rob, for
New York Road Runners as a general organization. So we've
sifted through them and we could do multiple podcasts getting
(16:40):
these questions out, but we've put together a handful here.
So Rob is in the hot seat, the CEO of
New York Road Runners is ready to answer some questions.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:52):
Oh boy.
Becs Gentry (16:52):
Here we go. We're going to kick off with a very
popular theme and that was capacity and number of races.
So capacity being how many people can run each race
and number of races being how many races of held
throughout the year. So the first question comes from William D.
S. and he says, " Why are you not allowing more
(17:16):
runners at sold- out races, especially the NYC Marathon?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (17:22):
All right, so the first thing that people should know about
how many runners are allowed in our races, Becs, is that
we have an agreement with the City of New York.
Depending on the race, it's either with the City or
with the Parks Department. All of our races that take
place in parks like Central Park or Prospect Park or
Flushing Meadows, we have an agreement how many runners can
(17:45):
be in that race. So we have a limit to
each race in terms of how many we can have.
The Parks care about that because they want to make
sure that the park isn't overcrowded and that they have
time to clean up and let others use the parks.
So each race has what we call a cap and
that's what we're allowed to have. Now if we have
a cap of say 5, 000 runners for a race
(18:08):
in Central Park, we have an estimate, we kind of
know how many people are likely to show up at
a race. We don't know exactly, but we know for
any given race there's typically a no- show rate. We
do a great job, we have a team at Runners
that does a great job figuring out how many people to
let in to races. So we are focused on getting
(18:29):
as many people in to every race as we can,
but there's only so much we can do. We can't
overfill. We can't go way above our numbers because that
is not what's in our agreement with the city. And
so, yeah, we wish we could let everyone into every
race, but that's just not the way it is, and
so we're doing our best to accommodate the incredible demand
(18:51):
that exists for our races right now.
Becs Gentry (18:54):
Wonderful answer. Well done. First one, whew. Wipe that sweat
from your brow.
Rob Simmelkjaer (18:59):
It's the number one question I get so I'm so
used to answering it.
Becs Gentry (19:03):
Exactly.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:03):
And I get it. It's what we call a good
problem to have because so many people are passionate about
running, but of course we want everyone running, so we'll
talk more about that as we go.
Becs Gentry (19:12):
Exactly. And I think, Willie, as you will find, there are
a lot of races, not a lot of marathons, but
that's what makes it so unique. And so, as Rob
will talk about, there are other things we can do to help people
get in.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:27):
And by the way, the Marathon, as I've just mentioned, all these races
had a record number of finishes.
Becs Gentry (19:31):
They did.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:31):
The big ones, Marathon, the Half, Brooklyn, so we did
let in more people, right, and we actually have seen
the number of finishers go up in these races, but
there are limits to how many we can let in. We had 160,
000 applications to the Marathon, Becs. Trust me, if we
let in-
Becs Gentry (19:46):
So that is three times as many that are allowed in nearly.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:49):
Yeah, exactly. And if we let in 75,000, well, not only would
that be a problem with the City, but trust me,
you don't want to run the New York Marathon with 75, 000 runners in it.
Becs Gentry (20:01):
I was going to say.
Rob Simmelkjaer (20:01):
That would not be a good time.
Becs Gentry (20:03):
You're stuck between a rock and a hard place in that
situation because, yes, we want to have as much happiness
and as little disappointment as possible when it comes to the 160, 000-
plus people who entered. But think about it. On that
course, these are still New York streets, some of them
are narrow, some of them are wide. Some of the
bridges are long, some of them are short. That finish
(20:25):
line, the final turn into Central Park, you guys, if
you've never run it, it is narrow. So you do not
want to be battling for your spot at the finish
line with a bunch of people, let alone toilets, water,
hydration, fuel, all of those things. So the numbers are not there
to disappoint. The numbers are there again for safety first
(20:46):
and enjoyment levels of it.
Rob Simmelkjaer (20:49):
Bingo.
Becs Gentry (20:49):
Yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (20:49):
You could do this. You answer these questions. All right? No, we'll go
to next one.
Becs Gentry (20:55):
Next one.
Rob Simmelkjaer (20:56):
What's your next question for me, Becs?
Becs Gentry (20:56):
Okay. A couple of people have asked this question, so Tellami
and Jay Elewan. Will there be more races coming or
added in the next foreseeable future, let's say?
Rob Simmelkjaer (21:11):
Yeah, good question. So we did add one race last
year, as I mentioned, the Mindful 5K. We are currently
putting on 40 races a year for adults.
Becs Gentry (21:24):
Wow.
Rob Simmelkjaer (21:24):
There are 52 weeks in a year. So there's not
a whole lot of room for more races, but that
said, we are looking for opportunities to add here and
there and ways that we can add not only races, and this is
I think an important point. It doesn't all have to
(21:45):
be a race. Right? It doesn't all have to be
a 9+ 1 official race that counts toward your credit
to get into the Marathon the following year. We want
people running in different ways. So we are definitely looking
to add " running experiences," quote, unquote. They may not all
be official races in the way that you're thinking of
them, but we are looking to add opportunities for people
(22:09):
to run, and there will be more coming out about that
as the year goes on, no question about it. So
yeah, we're looking to grow, but we definitely are at
a pretty high point already in terms of how many
races we have. So the answer is yes, but slowly
and very deliberately because we already have 40 races on the calendar for adults.
Becs Gentry (22:27):
Oh my gosh. It's so many. For adults, so you know, the kids' races are there as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer (22:33):
Yes.
Becs Gentry (22:33):
Okay, so let's keep this vein going and we go
into race accessibility, but also membership. So I've added membership
here because this is something that you're going to talk
about more in order to further explain the decisions about
numbers. So similar questions from Shani Weiner asks and Jenny
(22:53):
Dujour, amongst other people, and it is about how New
York Road Runners is managing the increased popularity of the
races. Most of these questions are focused on the big
race, TCS New York City Marathon, and how race accessibility
is going to be balanced in the face of increasing
running popularity. So I think the bulk of the question
(23:15):
is how can more people run the TCS New York
City Marathon for the first time, how are you going to do that or how can they do that.
Rob Simmelkjaer (23:27):
It's an excellent question. So what I would start by
saying is that if you live in the New York
City area, and I don't know if the people asking
these questions live in the New York City area, there is
a guaranteed way to run the Marathon. We have the
9+ 1 program. If you run nine of our races
and volunteer at one in the course of a year,
(23:48):
you will run the Marathon the following year. So it's
available to anybody who's willing to make that commitment. It's
a really smart way to get in because you're also
working on your running as part of that. And so
I really encourage anybody who is in this area who
wants to run the Marathon to explore doing it through
that program. There are obviously other ways for first- time
(24:10):
runners to get in. The drawing is a hard way
to get in, but I meet people all the time
who say they entered the drawing and got in their
first time, first time trying. Right? So it happens all
the time. We don't have any particular advantage for first-
time people applying for the drawing, but you can definitely
(24:31):
get in that way. Obviously you got to get a little
bit lucky. And then of course there's the charity route,
and again, I know that's competitive right now between Team
for Kids and other charities. There are ways to get
in. So I would start by saying that. Now another
thing I would say is make sure you're a New
York Road Runners member because if you're a member your
chances of getting into these races is better because we
(24:54):
introduced in 2024, something I didn't mention before, the first ever Second-
Chance Drawing for all these big races for members. So
if you don't get in through the regular drawing and
you're a member, you're entered into a pool automatically without
doing anything for a second drawing that's only for members
that gives you another chance to get in. So it
(25:15):
increases your chance of getting in. I had such a
great time calling members last year, Becs, who got in
through that Second- Chance Drawing and they were thrilled. So
that's another way to do it. When it comes to
races, we also introduced something new in 2024 called the Member-
Only Standby List. So you can put yourself, if you're
(25:36):
a member, on a list for a race and say, "
Hey, if spots open up in this race, I'd like
to run it," and we did a lot of that.
In fact, 4, 000, about 4, 000 members gained access
to sold- out races in 2024 through the Members- Only
Standby List. So it's another great way to get into
(25:59):
races by being a member. And then lastly, Becs, I
want to talk about a level of membership that is a
huge help. It's more money, but it is not that
much more money considering the benefit that you get. If
you join not just as a basic member but as
a Member Plus member of New York Road Runners, you
(26:20):
get additional time ahead of everybody else registering for races
to sign up. It's a two- day window that is
available only for Member Plus members to sign up for
all the races that are going on sale in a
given period. And so it's basically a guarantee, Becs, that
(26:40):
you're going to get into these races as long as
you make sure you set your calendar, remind yourself to
get on the website and register during that two- day
window. The races do not sell out during the Member
Plus period. Again, it's a bit more money, but not
a huge amount more. I think it's, I'm going to
be corrected on this if I get it wrong, but
(27:01):
I think it's about another 60, $ 65 to be a Member
Plus member versus the $ 60 to be a basic member.
So when you think about how much you're getting in
having that access to races, it's well worth it, and
I encourage anybody who is really focused on getting into
races to upgrade their membership to Member Plus because it
(27:23):
makes a huge difference.
Becs Gentry (27:25):
Absolutely, agreed. I mean, get in on that, everyone. Come
on. Start the new year strong with a little gift
to yourself there.
Rob Simmelkjaer (27:33):
A hundred percent.
Becs Gentry (27:34):
Okay. So I think you sort of answered this question in your last
answer there, but I think we could dive a little
bit deeper into it because this question is from SD5289NY,
and they have asked what your plans are to make membership
worth it for 15- plus year members getting shut out of
(27:56):
races. So I think we can go a bit deeper
on that membership and what's happening there.
Rob Simmelkjaer (28:01):
Yeah, a hundred percent. I mean, first of all, I
want to say that I have no higher priority as
CEO of New York Road Runners than to make membership
a great experience for our members, and when I first
came a couple years ago what I saw was membership
that basically was a discount. What you really got for
(28:24):
being a member two years ago was a discount on
races, if you got into the races. What we want
to do is make it about a lot more than
that. We want to obviously emphasize the community side of
it, but create a whole new set of benefits for
members of New York Road Runners. And so that is why
you've seen us add some of these things in the
(28:44):
last year that I just mentioned, the Second- Chance Drawing,
the Members- Only Standby List, the members- only race that
we had last summer and we'll have again. Members also
get access to exclusive non- race events we have at
our expos, during Member Week, throughout the year, exclusive experiences
(29:05):
for members, members swag that we give out to our
members, and we're thinking about these things all the time.
So we will be announcing more member- only perks in
2025. I mentioned the app earlier, Becs, and I think the
app is also going to give us more opportunities over
time to give our members exclusive access to things that
(29:29):
live in the digital sphere, and so that's a big
focus. So understand the question. Get it. Members, we love
you, we care about you, and we want to make
sure that this membership is worth it because even if
you're struggling to get into races, we want to make
sure you're getting a great experience. And again, not to
(29:49):
wear out that point, but if you're a Member Plus
member, well, then the race experience, getting into races becomes
a lot easier as well. So that's the message to
all the members out there.
Becs Gentry (30:00):
Exactly. We love that and we love our members. Okay, so
here's one that is big in the running community and
it's called entry swapping. So it's a little bit of
a touchy subject, but let's get into it. This might
get you a little bit hotter under the collar, Rob.
Okay, so ValBrecht4 has asked, " With races filling up instantly after
(30:24):
registration opens, what is New York Road Runners plans to
make sure slots don't go unused on race day?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (30:32):
All right, thank you, Val, for the question. So I
answered this in a couple of different ways by talking
about the fact that we sell a number of slots
that takes into account people not coming. Right? So that
is a way that we try to ensure that slots
don't go unused because we're selling more slots than there
are actually available in the race. So that's the first
(30:54):
thing we were already doing that you may not know
about if you're just a member kind of paying attention
to what's happening. So that's number one. All right, second
is about the member standby list. I mentioned again, the Member-
Only Standby List which is important as part of this
and how many people got in through that. So we
talked about that already. Now what I think you mentioned
(31:16):
is the swapping of bibs, and that is essentially a,
hey, I can't run this race, but my friend, Becs,
would like to run. Can I give Becs my bib?
Now just handing somebody else your bib right now is
very, very, very much against the rules.
Becs Gentry (31:33):
Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer (31:34):
You cannot run a race with somebody else's bib and
can't emphasize that enough because if you do that there's
a chance, a good chance in fact, that it's going
to be noticed because you'll run a time that's a
little unusual maybe for that person or we'll just... listen,
it's a good chance that we'll see that, and we
(31:56):
don't want that for a lot of reasons. It's not just because
of selling these bibs, it's because there's a safety issue.
If something happens to a runner and you've got somebody
else's bib on, we can't contact your emergency contact. We
don't know who you are. We can't deal appropriately with
any emergencies that happen. So you just can't run with somebody
(32:17):
else's bib, full stop. Now we know that in some
other race organizations you can officially transfer a bib to
someone else. It's something that we are very much looking
at. Our technology does not support that right now, but
I mentioned earlier that we're going to be switching over
to a new registration platform called haku. haku does support
(32:39):
that, so we are looking at what we can do, how
we can do it. Can't say anything about that yet
because we're not really sure yet what makes sense, but
it is definitely something that is on the road map.
Becs Gentry (32:53):
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(33:18):
types, Rob, because we have at the moment everything from
a mile, I mean excluding the kids' races, a mile
up to the TCS New York City Marathon in distance. Historically,
there have been other distances involved in New York Road
Runners events and we have had a question from T.
Y. Gellans. I'm sorry if I've mispronounced your name there.
(33:41):
It looks like it might be Dutch.
Rob Simmelkjaer (33:43):
Ty, I think it's Ty.
Becs Gentry (33:44):
Ty, Ty Gellans, there we go. You wouldn't think I do this for
a job, right, leaderboard names. Okay, Ty has asked, " Will
there be any ultra marathons again?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (33:58):
Ty, this is one of the most frequent questions I get.
Becs Gentry (34:00):
From me too, Ty.
Rob Simmelkjaer (34:02):
Appreciate the question. We used to host an ultra marathon.
It was called the Knickerbocker 60K, but the pandemic came
along and that's one of the few races that we
did not bring back post- pandemic for lots of reasons.
Didn't have a huge amount of interest in the race,
it's a really long and hard day for our staff
(34:25):
for a relatively small number of runners. So we didn't
bring that back and it's not currently on the roadmap.
However, however, that doesn't mean that there aren't great ultras
to run in the New York City area. Black men
Run, New York City, and the NYC Way are keeping
the ultra community in New York engaged with their annual
(34:46):
Ted Corbitt 50K which is a local ultra marathon that
will be held actually coming up on January 26th in
Prospect Park. We're going to put a link to that
race in our show notes. There's a virtual option for that
race as well. So check it out. And with the new
registration platform, one of the things we do want to
do going forward is actually highlight some other races that
(35:08):
are not Road Runners' races happening in the tri- state
area that will give people a chance to have some
different experiences, and ultras are a big part of that.
So we probably will not be putting on an ultra
ourselves anytime real soon, but others are doing it and
we're going to make sure that we point our runners
in the direction of those races because we want those
(35:30):
races to succeed and thrive and to give runners a
chance to experience those things with other organizers as well.
Becs Gentry (35:37):
Absolutely, and that's all part of the running community. We
are just one vein of the heart of New York
running being New York Road Runners, and as Rob just said,
there's other organizations and we all work together and we all
run together. So let's share, let's share those miles. Okay,
(35:58):
Jess Gray, " Would you consider including treadmill for the virtual
program?" Thanks, Jess. I love this question. I bet you're
a Peloton member.
Rob Simmelkjaer (36:07):
Yeah, that's a good question actually. Well, the question fascinates
me a little bit. I mean, yes, if you're doing
it on a Peloton, you're likely to have a great experience.
I've been running on the treadmill a lot lately, Becs.
I ran five miles this morning, we record on Tuesdays,
on the treadmill because I have no other way to
run right now on a weekday when it's 20 degrees
(36:31):
and dark at my preferred running time. So I got
into the gym and ran five on the treadmill. I
just can't... I do it, Becs. I have to admit, I
really need to start running with you and your classes
because I just do not enjoy this, Becs.
Becs Gentry (36:47):
Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer (36:47):
I do not enjoy running on the treadmill. I got to
start doing these classes with you guys because maybe that
would just make the time pass. It kills me. I'm
just not a treadmill guy. But anyway, I digress. Obviously
Jess is, and so first of all, we partner with
Strava on virtual racing and the thing about those virtual
(37:08):
races on Strava is we track it by GPS, right?
So we need to see, Strava does, that you actually
ran the distance that the virtual race was so that
we can tell you ran, and that's why there are
not any current options to participate in those virtual races
on a treadmill. But I think it's an interesting question. Becs,
(37:31):
let's talk about it with your colleagues at Peloton and
see if there's a way to solve for that.
Becs Gentry (37:37):
I would agree.
Rob Simmelkjaer (37:37):
It's actually an interesting idea.
Becs Gentry (37:39):
That would be.
Rob Simmelkjaer (37:40):
Peloton users with a Peloton Tread or a Tread+ can
already run segments of the TCS New York City Marathon with
the incredible scenery that is recorded for those races. You
can run the course on the Tread. We've got new
content coming out as we mentioned. So yeah, let's have
a conversation. So the answer for now, Jess, is no,
(38:00):
but we will talk to Peloton and see what's possible.
Becs Gentry (38:03):
Yeah. But hold please.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:04):
Maybe there is a way to solve for that. I don't know.
Becs Gentry (38:04):
Yeah, we could, we could. My brain is whirring. Let's have a chat.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:10):
I love it.
Becs Gentry (38:11):
All right, next and final question in this category is
RunningNYCS. Maybe more races in the afternoon and not so
early in the... I think morning is what they meant
here, not so early in the morning if you can, question mark.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:28):
RunningNYCS is not a morning person apparently.
Becs Gentry (38:30):
No. Absolutely not.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:31):
Would like races in the afternoon. And by the way,
I get it, especially this time of year.
Becs Gentry (38:35):
Yes, the 7:00, 8:00 AM, they're hard, that time.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:35):
I totally, yeah, I'm doing my runs right now on the weekends at noon or 1
trying to get as much warmth as I can. The
issue around this, well, there's two issues. Number one, permits,
I talked about earlier and the Parks department, and especially
if we're closing streets, the Department of Transportation wants these
(38:57):
races to happen at a time that has the lowest
impact on others out there. So people who want to
just use the park, the busiest times in Central Park
or Prospect Park or wherever are going to be those
late morning and afternoon hours where people are out and about
with their kids or on bikes or whatever. So the
races do disrupt the use of the park and it
(39:19):
definitely is not a good thing to have races happening
at that time. And then also afternoon races in the
summertime obviously are a challenge when the temperatures are too
high. So great question. It's something that actually I'll think
about a little bit in the winter months, see if
there's a thing we could do around afternoon races. But
(39:40):
for now, based on our permits, the answer unfortunately is
you're going to have to set that alarm, RunningNYCS, and
get yourself up and make it to one of our
starting lines at 8:00 or 9
Becs Gentry (39:53):
Absolutely. I know, it's not great, but if you're training
for one of those marathons or longer races, you got
to get up early because you got a long day
ahead of you. So it gets you in the habit. Right?
Rob Simmelkjaer (40:06):
A hundred percent. Win the morning, win the day, I always say.
Becs Gentry (40:09):
Oh, we like a mantra.
Rob Simmelkjaer (40:12):
Get on out there. Make it happen.
Becs Gentry (40:12):
Okay, let's talk about expanding the mission. We have C. J.
R. Palmeiras has asked, " Why not franchise to other countries,
Brazil, for example?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (40:27):
So as I mentioned earlier, we're a New York City
based nonprofit. We're not a for- profit organization, and our
mission really is focused on serving local communities here in
the five boroughs of New York where there is so
much need that we want to fill and have the
impact that we have here in New York. So that
(40:47):
is the primary focus of the organization. There are a
lot of great running organizers and organizations out there around
the world, and we love to see the international runners
coming in to visit us for the TCS New York City
Marathon and other races all around the year. We are
going to start working to do a better job of
(41:08):
pointing people in the direction of local running organizations where
they can run, but right now it's not really something
to franchise. It's an interesting question, franchising. It's not like
we're making burgers or something that could actually really be
franchised. I mean, it's running. Right? It's putting on racing
(41:28):
events. People can do that in other places. Obviously we
have incredible tradition in New York of putting on really high-
quality races and other things, but I don't really think
it's like even if we were a for- profit, like a
franchisable thing per se. But again, as I mentioned, we're
really focused on New York City right now.
Becs Gentry (41:49):
Amazing, and rightly so. We've got it. Okay, so Nuvoletta Italiana
has asked, " Will the partnership with country's return? We miss
Italy Run, Japan Run, et cetera."
Rob Simmelkjaer (42:03):
I know, Becs, that some of those previous runs were so
popular. The Italy run was huge. The Japan Run, the
UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, those were really popular races. They
were all off the calendar by the time I came
in as CEO. Now one thing people should know is
(42:23):
that those were actually sponsored races. So those countries, their
tourism boards or some other element from those countries were
actually sponsoring those races, and just like TCS sponsors the
Marathon or United Airlines sponsors the Half. So those were
sponsors. Those races went away, and the thing is, it's
challenging to bring some of them back, Becs, because it's
(42:47):
kind of like hard to do it in a fair
way. If we brought Italy Run back, let's say, right,
well, then there'd be 20 other countries that would raise
their hands the next day and say, " We want a
race. We want one of those races." It would be
hard to determine in a fair way what country should
(43:09):
get a race and what country shouldn't get a race,
and we feel really bad if we didn't represent all
the different constituencies and nationalities that are out there. This
is New York City, we've got the most international, diverse
population in the world, and I would feel bad if
(43:29):
we couldn't have a race for every country, but we
can't have a race for every country. So therefore it's
a little bit better, from my point of view, just
not to have country races because that way we're treating
everybody equally. So thank you for the question, but that
is definitely not coming back. So please continue to go
(43:52):
out and enjoy the Nutella and all the great stuff
that was at the Italy Run and the other part. We
miss having that stuff and we definitely have fond memories
of those events and those races.
Becs Gentry (44:06):
Oh my gosh. I'm sure they were so, so fun.
All right, let's move on to the verticals, addressing the verticals.
These are things that kind of feed in to what
makes New York Road Runners what it is, aside from just
the running. So we've been asked by L. Joey, " Will
New York Road Runners develop program for senior runners?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (44:29):
Good news, L. Joey, we have one. Absolutely, we have
a great program for senior runners and walkers that's called
New York Road Runners Striders' program. It was launched nearly
15 years ago in 2011. It is a free program
and it offers senior adults physical activity for people who
(44:50):
want to lead a more active life, and I think
just as important, meet new people in their communities. We
have a lot of folks who are walkers. It's called
Striders. It's primarily but not exclusively a walking program. We
have a lot of folks in that program who might
start walking, but then they will graduate up to run-
(45:11):
walking and then even just running. We have folks who
walk our races, who run our races, who are all
part of that Striders' program, and a majority of our
Striders' coaches are seniors themselves who actually do a great
job offering a peer- to- peer experience for these people
in a safe setting. So any seniors out there who
(45:33):
are interested should check out the Striders' program. Now if
you don't think Striders is right for you, then I
would really encourage you to check out all of our
other training and programming options. Group Training is for all
ages, and that's available in communities all around the city.
Open Run, our weekly free running program in New York
(45:55):
City Parks, again, open and accessible to runners of all
ages and abilities. So they're there, and I think if
you show up at one of those you'll find a
welcoming community with people in your age cohort. I've met
so many people, Becs, who signed up for Open Run really
to get moving, and what happened is they made friends.
(46:18):
They found a community that is so important for people
at all ages, but I think especially for seniors, Becs,
who sometimes become a bit more isolated. It's really important
to have that community, and Road Runners is a great
way to find that.
Becs Gentry (46:31):
Exactly. And if you want to find out more, we
had a wonderful guest on the podcast last year, Dr.
Leo Murillo, who has been a runner with New York
Road Runners for a really long time. He's definitely one
to talk to about the progression of running all the
way through the life, and now as his senior running
(46:52):
stage is here and blossoming, go check out that podcast
as well if you want to find out a bit more.
Rob Simmelkjaer (46:57):
A hundred percent.
Becs Gentry (46:57):
All right. Two more questions, Rob, before you've sweated everything out again after
your run. We've been asked by SuburbanDadRunner, " What can you
do to better support New York City's club culture?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (47:12):
So the clubs are such a huge part of what
we do at New York Road Runners and a huge
part of the running community in New York City. Right?
So many people get into running by joining a club.
They're finding communities there. We love it. It's a huge
part of what we are about, and we are constantly
trying to support and nourish the club ecosystem in New
(47:35):
York City and beyond. So we have something called Club
Council which is essentially an organization that all the clubs
join and allows these clubs to register with New York
Road Runners on our website. People can find clubs by
looking at that section of our website. A lot of
folks find their club by looking at that, and we
(47:58):
work daily with them. We have a small department at
New York Road Runners. There's a guy named Anil Bhambhani
whose job is supporting in the clubs. That's his full-
time job at New York Road Runners, and so he
is having back and forths with the clubs day in and
day out. The Club Council also has meetings four times
a year, quarterly, where we get together, we talk to
(48:20):
the clubs about what's going on at New York Road
Runners, we hear back from them and work with them
on making sure it's a great experience. Now a big
part of the club scene is what we call the
Club Points series which is a chance for all the
clubs to compete every year. They complete for points in
all the different age groups and genders. And then we
have a big gala called Club Night where we honor
(48:43):
the clubs and we honor the runners who are competing
for these awards of Runner of the Year and Runner
of the Year at every age group and all the
great things. So both clubs and local runners get honored
at this. And then we also have a club- only,
essentially, or at least club- preferred event in the summer
called the NYRR Team Championships. That's a five- mile race that
(49:08):
takes place in Central Park and it showcases all the
clubs. Clubs are given preferred entry into that race. So
the clubs get a lot. We also give bibs to
every single club for each one of those Club Points
series races. That includes the Marathon, the big Halfs. So they're getting
entries to use as well. So it's a really deep
(49:29):
connection that we have with the clubs. We're always looking
to improve it, to deepen it. If you've got other
ideas, ways you think we can better support and engage
clubs, please reach out to your Club Council rep on
your club, they'll reach out to us. We're having a
lot of really good conversations to make sure that the clubs
(49:50):
continue to thrive because they're such an important part of
our community here in New York.
Becs Gentry (49:56):
Amazing. All right, we have one final question today from
Michael Garofolo. " When is the next wave of races for
the 9+ 1 program opening registrations?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (50:07):
Yeah. So soon, Michael. Our next set of races that
will be open for registration will be opening in late
January, early February. Keep an eye on your email for
that. Okay? Very important, keep an eye on your email,
keep an eye also on New York Road Runners' social
channels so that you can know when it's announced that
(50:31):
we are launching those races. I mentioned that we're doing
this technical work, the new technology, new platform. So the
reason that the date is unclear still is because of
the work that's being done there, but it will be
in the late January, early February period. So be patient. Watch
your emails.
Becs Gentry (50:49):
And just keep up to date with the New York
Road Runners' website, the race calendar. Get yourselves involved with
any and all races you can. And don't forget that
you can come and train as well. If you don't
get into the races, it doesn't mean you can't come along
for the community runs and all of the incredible training programs
as well that New York Road Runners' offer.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:10):
Becs, great job grilling me. Great job with those questions. Thank you for doing that. Don't you have to go to a class?
Becs Gentry (51:18):
I do.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:18):
Aren't you supposed to teach a class?
Becs Gentry (51:19):
I do.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:19):
Okay.
Becs Gentry (51:19):
I have to go and teach a class in about 50 minutes, yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:22):
Oh, you got plenty of time. You got plenty of time.
Becs Gentry (51:22):
Plenty time, yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:24):
Well, this was fun. Did you learn some things about
New York Road Runners?
Becs Gentry (51:26):
I did. I really did. There's a few things I had
no idea about. Yeah, my brain, as I said, is
whirring on ideas of how we can get some of
these questions answered and the world made better for some
of our members out there as well, both on the
New York Road Runners' side and on the Peloton side.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:48):
There's so much opportunity, so I'm really excited about what
2025 has in store for Road Runners-
Becs Gentry (51:56):
Me too.
Rob Simmelkjaer (51:56):
... for all of our runners and our members out
there, for Set the Pace as well, because I'm excited
just to get started with a whole new set of
conversations with great people who make running a big part
of their lives. I hope that all of our listeners
out there are as fired up for the year as
we are.
Becs Gentry (52:15):
Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer (52:17):
I love it. I love it. Well, thank you, Becs.
Thank you to all the listeners and the members who
sent in those amazing questions. They were really good questions.
By the way, keep the questions coming. You don't have
to just do it when it's a special episode. You
can always throw questions in in the comment section or
as a review to the podcast in Apple podcast. We
(52:39):
will always check them out. Remember to check the show
notes out as we're going to have some information and
links to some of the answers that I gave today.
And that's it. That does it for our first episode
of Set The Pace for 2025. Hope you enjoyed it.
If you liked the episode, subscribe, rate it, leave a
comment so we can continue to add listeners to our
(53:01):
community here on Set the Pace in 2025. Once again,
I want to wish you all a very happy New
Year. Hope you guys have a great year running and
beyond. Enjoy the miles. We'll see you next week.
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