Olympian Sharon Lokedi Is Inspiring the Next Generation of Kenyan Runners

This week, Olympian Sharon Lokedi joins Rob and Becs to talk about getting ready for the United Airlines NYC Half and splitting her time between Flagstaff, Arizona and her native Kenya. Sharon discusses her transition from collegiate running to professional road racing and winning the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon in her marathon debut. She talks about her experience running the Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon and how she managed her training as a late addition to the race. She reflects on her role inspiring young runners, particularly young women in Kenya, and the foundation she has established to support young athletes. Plus, our member moment features Evan McKiernan, who has been a part of the NYRR community for over a decade, running 70 races since 2012, and volunteering at many more.

Support Rob's Tokyo Marathon with Team For Kids!

We are proud to unite to support Together LA, Donate or shop now at link in bio or togetherla.lamarathon.com

Becs' Last Minute Tokyo Tips (03:20)
NYRR Al Gordon 4M Results (06:28)
Together LA (08:29)
Champion Sharon Lokedi Joins the Show (12:15)
NYRR Member Evan McKiernan Talks Training (1:03:52)
Today's Meb Minute (1:11:58)

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I feel like all the pain that we go through in
life, with time, it gets better. And after that pain you
get to celebrate and you get to enjoy, and it makes things a
lot better.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
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? 2:29

(00:41):
at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes to
the line. Pointing to his chest, pointing to the USA he
so proudly wears across his chest. A great day for
Matt McClusky.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
Hey, everybody, and welcome to another edition of Set the
Pace, the official podcast of New York Road Runners. We
are presented by Peloton. I'm your host and the CEO
of New York Road Runners, Rob Simmelkjaer. And with me
from Peloton, it's Becs Gentry. Hello. Hello. How are you today?

Speaker 4 (01:15):
Hi.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
Nice to see you.

Speaker 4 (01:16):
I mean, I'm good. I'm boring. How are you? How are
you? You are hours away from stepping on the flight to Tokyo.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
I'm so excited. We're recording this on Tuesday, and on
Wednesday I will board my flight over to Tokyo to
take on the Tokyo Marathon. So excited. Now, first thing
I want to say Becs is, I am, just like I
did for Berlin, running this marathon in support of Team
for Kids. For those who don't know, Team for Kids

(01:46):
is our charity program that supports New York Road Runners
and all of the incredible youth and community programs that we
have at New York Road Runners, from Rising New York Road
Runners, which is helping over 100,000 kids in New York
City learn how to run and get active, to our
open run free running program, our Striders, older adult walking

(02:08):
program. So many amazing programs we've got here at New
York Road Runners and I'm running to support all that.
So I hope folks will think about donating to help support
my run. I need all the positive vibes I can
get. We're going to put a link to donate in
the show notes. Thank you to everybody who's already donated,
and I really appreciate all of the support. Becs, yeah,

(02:30):
listen, I'm really feeling great.

Speaker 4 (02:33):
Good.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
My legs feel good, everything feels good. My training runs
have all been good. I will say this, I did
go skiing for four days last week-

Speaker 4 (02:42):
I saw that, yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
... which is not what I would say is your ideal run training, but what am I
going to do? It's winter, skiing is what I do
in the winter, sometimes with my kids. I had a
great time with Julia and some friends skiing, but I
felt a little bit of that in my legs on
my short- ish long run on Saturday. My run this

(03:02):
morning felt a little bit better. But we'll see if
that comes back to haunt me at some point during
the run in Tokyo.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
You'll be fine. Keep the recovery on, get the recovery boots, compression
socks on, flush it all out, drink a lot of
water, and you'll be great. You'll be great. If anything, it's
just the flight that's going to be the one thing.

Speaker 3 (03:22):
You've given me some advice on this run since you have
already conquered Tokyo. You've talked about the course, you've talked
about the out and backs, some of what people call
the quiet element of Tokyo and being ready for that,
which I am.

Speaker 4 (03:37):
Comparatively to the other five, yes.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yes, exactly. Any last minute tips in terms of travel?
Should I run my first day? I feel like when
I land and I get myself sorted over there, it'll
be Thursday, I feel like I should just try to
get something in that day even just to help get
me on the time zone.

Speaker 4 (03:54):
Go to see the palace in the middle. It's the
finish line destination of the marathon, so it's great to
go and see it. You'll see everybody from New York
doing laps around it. It's beautiful. It's a huge sightseeing
point, so you can tick it off as well. Yeah,
go and shake the legs out and then get in
an onsen. Get your feet on the ground, naked feet

(04:16):
on earth or water, a natural element, as soon as
you can as well. It might be a little too
cold to just go and put your feet on the
grass, but for me, that's what I do when I
travel, especially long distances before I run, is the connection
with Mother Earth.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
Love that.

Speaker 4 (04:32):
Piece to piece, body to body, not through shoes should
ground you as close as you can. If not, get
that melatonin. Eat the melatonin.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah, I'm bringing some of that, absolutely.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
Go ground yourself.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
... just to try to get my sleep sorted.

Speaker 4 (04:47):
Get into the onsen, get into the bath as well.
Those amazing onsens they have in Japan, they're stunning and great for relaxation
and really great for the body. So that should set
you up. Thursday... Wait, you leave on Thursday? No, you arrive on Thursday.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
I leave Wednesday, get there Thursday, exactly-

Speaker 4 (05:03):
That's exactly what we did.

Speaker 3 (05:04):
... so those will be Thursday moves. Okay.

Speaker 4 (05:05):
Yes. The expo is, as you would expect, incredibly organized.
It was so quick in and out, but it is
a travel to get there from the center of Tokyo,
so make sure you do understand that you could be
getting some miles in.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
I'm thinking maybe Friday for that trip, yeah.

Speaker 4 (05:24):
Yeah, we did that Friday and we ended up walking
18 miles that day, which wasn't the greatest idea.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
Wow, okay. I'm not hoping to do that. Yeah, that's
a lot of walking two days before a marathon. Well,
I can't wait, Becs, to see folks over there. We've got
a lot of New York Road Runners members, we've got
a Team for Kids team running as well, so can't
wait to see folks over there. By the way, if
you're a New York Road Runners member, we are going to

(05:49):
have a member gathering in Tokyo on Friday, so if
you're interested in attending that, there should be something in
email or you can actually send a message to runner
services and you'll get the information about how to hook
up with our team in Tokyo. We'd love to see
everybody over there. I'll be there, other senior members of
our staff will be there to give all of our

(06:11):
Road Runners members a high five and good luck as
we all get ready to take on the Tokyo Marathon.
So thanks everybody for the support, I can't wait. And
I'll report for sure on how that goes as soon
as I can, hopefully from Japan.

Speaker 4 (06:26):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (06:27):
All right, well, we just had a race here in
New York City this past weekend, the 2025 New York
Road Runners Al Gordon 4 Miler, honoring Al Gordon, one
of the great figures in the history of New York Road Runners,
an incredible guy who started running marathons in his 80s.

Speaker 4 (06:44):
I mean, the whole story behind that is I think...
Sorry to cut you off, but I just have such
a strong love of this race and the distance of
just him starting running in his 80s and running four
miles, they're two highly unusual things in the running world that

(07:07):
come together. And I think it is one of the most
welcoming races that New York Road Runners put on, which
is absurd to say because they're all so welcoming and so
wonderful. But from having seen it last year, I think there's
such a vast range of people who do it and
that's just testament to his story. Yeah, I love it.

(07:30):
It really makes me be like, " Everyone should go and run
this," because it's like 5K is a common thing. You say
four miles and even new runners are like, " Hmm, that's
weird. Maybe I'll try it because that dude did it
in his 80s."

Speaker 3 (07:42):
It's true. It's a funny distance. We have a number
of those races in Prospect Park or Central Park. Partly
just because of the way the parks are laid out, Becs, it kind of is
a relatively easy distance for us to create a course
for. This one was in Prospect Park on a chilly
day. We had a great turnout, over 4, 500 runners, and
it was a home game for Andy Kent from the

(08:04):
Brooklyn Track Club and he was the men's winner at 19:
55 over four miles. Very impressive. On the women's side,
it was Grace Richardson coming in first at 21:57 and
the non- binary winner was Elijah Taylor at 22:46. Thanks
to everybody, including the volunteers, for coming out and making

(08:24):
that a great day. And Becs, speaking of inspirational things,
of course everybody all over the world, especially the country
here in the United States, has been paying so much
attention this year to the tragic fires in Los Angeles.
We've been thinking about ways here at New York Road
Runners to support LA and everything going on out there.

(08:48):
We're so excited to announce that we are supporting an
initiative called Together LA, which uniting the running community all
around the United States and beyond to help support LA
wildfire relief efforts. So you can purchase limited edition co-
branded Together LA merchandise, and 100% of the net proceeds

(09:10):
to that is going to go to CORE, C- O- R-
E, which is an organization helping to provide relief, as
well as the California Fire Foundation. That's going to aid
people directly impacted by these fires. So if you want
to buy one of these shirts, New York Road Runners,
our logo's on it, we're a part of that, you
can shop now or just make a donation by looking

(09:34):
at the link, it's in our show notes. It's togetherla.lamarathon. com, togetherla.
lamarathon.com. Becs, the LA Marathon happens on the same day
as the United Airlines NYC Half, so it's coming right
up. We just want to support everybody in LA to
have a great, great day and obviously to make a

(09:56):
big impact on supporting relief efforts.

Speaker 4 (10:00):
So cool. So, so cool. I'm wishing everybody luck for both races.

Speaker 3 (10:03):
Absolutely. So thrilled to be a part of that. Well,
Becs, speaking of great races, of course we mentioned the
UA NYC half coming up, and we have such a great pro
field this year.

Speaker 4 (10:15):
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 3 (10:15):
And today we get to speak to one of the
headline names from that pro field. And Becs, you may
not know this, but this woman is also my daughter's favorite pro runner.

Speaker 4 (10:29):
She's up there for me too.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
Yes, Sharon Lokedi, and I'll explain why when she comes on.
But Sharon Lokedi, who is my daughter's and also her
best friend's favorite pro, will join us here today. She's
running the United Airlines NYC Half. Obviously, a top contender
to potentially win that race.

Speaker 4 (10:49):
Yeah, unreal.

Speaker 3 (10:49):
This will be her second time running the race. Her first time
was in a warmup to run the New York City
Marathon in 2022, which, of course, she won in her
debut. So we're so excited to have her come talk
to us about getting ready for our half and obviously
her incredible story and her journey from Kenya, to the University

(11:11):
of Kansas, to being one of the greats in the
women's pro game right now. Then, Meb will be here
a little later on to talk to today's featured member,
Evan McKiernan, who is training for the United Airlines NYC
Virtual Half Love of Running. And then in today's Meb Minute,
Meb is going to give us his best training advice
for when you're three weeks out from a challenging but

(11:34):
beautiful half-marathon. So stay tuned for that.

Speaker 4 (11:37):
So many things, it's so exciting.

Speaker 3 (11:40):
Ready to hit your stride? Whether you're training for your
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(12:03):
easy to fit fitness into your routine. Learn more at onepeloton.com/ race-
training. Peloton, the official digital fitness partner of New York
Road Runners. The last time today's guest, Sharon Lokedi, ran
the United Airlines NYC Half, it was as part of
her training for an upcoming marathon. Well, her debut in

(12:27):
that marathon was the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon, and
Sharon went on to win that race, becoming only the
eighth athlete ever to win the TCS New York City
Marathon in their 26. 2 mile debut. Born in Burnt
Forest, Kenya, Sharon Lokedi made a name for herself as
a dominant force in collegiate running. She was a 10-

(12:49):
time all- American at the University of Kansas and won the 10,
000 meter NCAA title in 2018. Other notable finishes for
Sharon since her '22 marathon win are second place in the
2024 Boston Marathon and fourth place at this past summer's
Paris Olympic Marathon. Sharon splits her time between Flagstaff, Arizona

(13:12):
with the Under Armour Mission Run Dark Sky Distance team
and her native Kenya. Sharon Lokedi will be towing the
line at the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half on March
16th. And Sharon, we are so excited to have you coming
back to New York where you clearly are comfortable because

(13:32):
you do so well when you come run with us
here. And Becs and I are thrilled to have you here
on Set the Pace. Welcome.

Speaker 1 (13:39):
Thank you so much, Rob. As you said in the
introduction, the first time I ran the New York City
Half, I went ahead and won the New York City
Marathon that fall. So part of it, just the athlete that I am, I think has just been so
big and being part of NYC running and I'm really

(14:02):
looking forward to coming back for the second time. I
know it's going to be a blast, so I'm really, really excited
for it.

Speaker 4 (14:10):
Oh my gosh, we can't wait to have you. It
is super close to your birthday as well, the race, right?

Speaker 1 (14:15):
Yes. I know, you guys should change it to the week before.

Speaker 3 (14:22):
We'll get on that. We'll get on that, Sharon. Let's
move it up a week.

Speaker 4 (14:25):
We'll rename it as a celebration of you. But that is so
exciting as well to be doing the things you love,
training, and doing the celebrations and all of that in New
York in a place where the streets are lined with people
who absolutely adore you, as I'm sure is everywhere you
go. But can you share with us any expectations or any

(14:46):
hopes that you've got?

Speaker 1 (14:50):
Honestly, I mean, my training has been going so well.
I'm just ready to know to get in a race
and compete and see where I am. Honestly, I wouldn't
go any other place where I know I wouldn't know
or what shape or what fitness I'm in. So I'm really excited to showcase
it in New York, and hopefully it's a really good competition.

(15:14):
I'm really excited that we go in and we get
to compete and hopefully come with a win or anything.
But I'm really looking forward, as you said, it's a
long week celebrations. I'm really looking forward to that.

Speaker 4 (15:30):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (15:31):
What better birthday present-

Speaker 4 (15:32):
What better...

Speaker 3 (15:32):
... to yourself.

Speaker 4 (15:32):
True, right. True-

Speaker 3 (15:32):
... than a win at a half- marathon. Absolutely. So there you go. Sharon,
I want to go back to that 2022 marathon. What
an incredible story for you to win at your debut
in the distance in New York. To me, it's one

(15:56):
of the great stories of the TCS New York City
Marathon and certainly obviously a great story in your career.
Take us back to that, what your expectations were coming
into that day and how the day unfolded so that
you find yourself crossing that finish line first, how unexpected

(16:17):
it was, and also Sharon, just how that's changed your
life since then.

Speaker 1 (16:26):
When I decided to do the marathon, I was like, "
We'll, just go to New York." It's hard. You don't
have as much expectation. You just go run and compete
and get the feel of the marathon. And so during
training, all I ever thought about is like, "Oh, this is going to be
my first marathon. Just train, just get the mileage in,
and just start to feel the distance of how it

(16:46):
goes." Honestly, it was just coming around and the training and the
workouts. And you know how long they're and very tiring
there, and I was like, " Jesus, am I going to
be able to do all this in the buildup?" I mean,
we came to the race and I'm in there and we're running through
the halfway point and I'm like, " This is the longest I've

(17:07):
done." At that point, I had only done maybe two or three half-
marathons, so I'd never done anything... It wasn't like I'd
done a lot. So as we go through the halfway
point of the full marathon, I was like, " Oh God,
am I going to be able to finish this?" We just
kept going and I think at 25 or 30 then they made a

(17:29):
move and I was like, " Well, this is where things happen." I just started counting people. I'm like, "
If I'm till five, I'm fine. I don't have to
worry about anything." And we just kept going. I stayed
with one of the girls and we just kept pushing. And
all of a sudden we could see the leaders ahead
of us. We just started walking. At this point I'm like, "

(17:50):
Oh no, you got it." I had had so many people say, "
Once you get to 35, you start to hit the wall
and maybe that's where things are." And we get there,
and I was like, " Oh no, this is where it's happening. This is where it's happening.: But then I also
had this confidence in me. I knew that I had
done enough training and I was strong enough. Once we got up

(18:15):
to the leaders and I was like, " We came back.
Nothing is done until it's done." At that point I was like, " Keep
going." I have this thing that when I'm running or
when I'm competing and I see people ahead of me,
I start to chase them. And this was the thing,
we just started chasing them. We caught up to them

(18:36):
and we just went. It was like it happened. We
just kept going and we kept going, and then we started to
get close to the park and it was only three of
us. And I was like, "Oh, oh no." We started going, and then one of the
other girls who a little bit was dropped, and then
I was like, " Oh, so now it's two of us."
I honestly cannot tell you, but there was something that just

(18:59):
I felt so strong and I just wanted to go.
I made a move and immediately I made the move,
I was like, " Oh no. I did it too soon.
This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea." But
I just kept fighting and it was like at the time where I'm like, "You got this. You can do this. Just come on. It's like

(19:25):
the thing they've never done and you're just doing it
so well." I just kept fighting. I had never longed for that
finish line in my life as I did that point. You're not supposed
to look back, and I do that all the time, I don't know why. Because I'm like... I have to be confident, but also

(19:45):
I don't trust that I'm that strong to get to the finish
line before anyone gets up to me. So I kept
looking back. I think at this point is I'm tired, I'm just
trying to get to the finish line. I think once with
200 to go and I was like, " Oh no, we
hit that hill... " I just didn't know why, Rob, can

(20:05):
you change that?

Speaker 3 (20:06):
The hill? Yeah, not the first time I've been asked.

Speaker 4 (20:10):
Please, Rob. Please.

Speaker 1 (20:13):
But it's like the thing that you think you're done and then you
hit that and you're like, "Oh." But again, at that point it's like when you just by yourself
and you have enough left, then you're like, "Okay, we can see
the finish line so just get through it." And just
crossing the finish line and winning in my first marathon,

(20:35):
honestly, it's still like happening. It's still in my head.
I just honestly think that it's always, always going to
be a memory I'll never forget. Honestly, I feel like
after that things just started changing and things just started
happening. They're all really good things. To be honest, it's

(20:59):
like you can never accept something to happen without putting
in the hard work. I think it's like I had
had so many years where I was doing things and
I was just average and average and average. And just having that breakthrough I think opened
so many things for me personally and even my running
career and everything. So I just became so confident and

(21:24):
I believed in myself so much. I think even from
there it's just opened up so many things. It's like I
get to the race now, it's like I just don't
see myself as... I think I belong there. I put
myself in there and I just do my best and
give my best. Even in training, every time things happen
I'm like, " Oh no, you can do it. Come on.

(21:45):
It's just something that you can go through." I feel like all the
pain that we go through in life with time it
gets better. And after that pain you get to celebrate and you get
to enjoy and it makes things a lot better.

Speaker 4 (22:02):
Oh my gosh. That's such an important message as well.
Thank you for sharing that with the listeners to just
hard work. You've got to work for it if you
want something. It's kind of crazy for me, and I'm
sure our listeners, to think of you not being confident
or not feeling that you should be there on these

(22:23):
start lines is just... We see you as mere mortal
runners. See you as you're an inspiration. You're an absolute
goddess out there when you run. To me, I watch you
with awe and just-

Speaker 1 (22:36):
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (22:37):
You can see the hard work. I'm not saying it
comes to you without hard work. It's clear how hard
you work, but it's lovely to hear somebody of your
level just that you still have to learn it and
remind yourself. It's very real. But I mean, you touched
on it, the hard work pays off, things start changing.
You take the win at the TCS New York City

(22:57):
Marathon in '22. Fast forward, you keep working super, super
hard and Peres, Peres comes, the Olympics are here, and
you stepped up. I saw this in the show notes
and was like, " No, that's got to be a typo."
Nope, your fourth marathon ever was the 2024 Paris Olympic

(23:23):
Marathon. So I just want to know more about that.
What was your training like for that huge event?

Speaker 1 (23:31):
Honestly, I feel like for that win, it was very
short. Very short and very... I think I had maybe two long
runs and maybe three big workouts. I came to the

(23:54):
mini, I ran the mini, and then after that I
was getting ready for BA 10K because at that point they
had already announced the field, so I was done. I was like, "
I'm just going to enjoy my time and just compete
and get some time off and then come back for
New York in the fall." I think the second week when I went

(24:15):
back after the mini, they sent me an email and they're like, "Oh, you
have to come to Kenya." And that I think mid
June, I think June 15, 16 somewhere. And at that
point they're like, " Yeah, you need to come to Kenya." I
was like, " Well, if I'm coming to just be there,
then I'm not doing it because I have to compete.
I need to figure out things here and compete." They're like, " Yeah,

(24:38):
no, we need you to come," and I was like, " Okay, I'll come." And then
I get to Kenya and they had the trials that
weekend, and so I stayed in Nairobi for that day. And
then they announced the team and I was still a
sub. So then I was like, " Okay, it's still like
I have come all the way here." It was just
a lot of mind games, I feel like." Sometimes it's like I thank

(25:05):
God because He gave me such a strong mind somehow
that I just kept hoping. I never gave up hope. I
just kept thinking, " It will work out. It will work
out." I knew that the girls that were already in,
they were very strong and I just kept praying for
them. I want the best for them, and I was there supporting

(25:26):
them and everything, but I just wanted to be sure
if I'm in it or if I'm not. Then I had
to switch things and start training. And so then I
went back home that weekend after they announced the team
and that same Monday they were like, " Okay, we want you to
come to training." And so I started training and then I think

(25:46):
two weeks later they're like, " Oh, you're in." And that was end of
June. So I only had just July. I just had
to change everything so quick and just the way I

(26:07):
think. It was like I had been training, but I had
not been doing marathon training. I was doing 70 miles to
80 miles a week. And so my coach and I
just started figuring out, okay, we need to get you from maybe at least to
100 miles and maybe just stay there and maybe not overdo it. We just focused on

(26:28):
the workouts, and after that we just worked on the
workouts and then worked on just being mentally there, just
thinking about the training and not thinking about the competition
and everything. And as we kept going, I mean, my
body was responding well to the workout and the long
runs. I think at this point I was just so excited. I'm like, " I'm just

(26:50):
going to be an Olympian. This is happening." And then
at the same time I was like, " You have to
think about the training. Don't think too far ahead of everything." I have
a very good support with my family, and my mom, she just kept saying, " Sharon,
it was the opportunity from this side, so just stay

(27:11):
there and just believe in yourself. You can do it." And
so yeah, I kept training, I kept training and then
time to go to Paris came. We traveled, we get
there, and the first night everybody's like, " Oh, we're in the
village, we're in the village." Peres and I, we were
roommates. And so all the night, Peres is just like-

Speaker 3 (27:30):
Peres Jepchirchir, yeah.

Speaker 1 (27:33):
Yes. And like, "Sharon, we're here. Let's compete." Obiri, I think we met Obiri there because
she was in the US. So all of us met and we are
just trying to figure out and everyone is like, " Yeah,
the training has been going on this." I just deep
down in my head I'm like, " Oh no, I have done

(27:54):
half of what they've done already." But then we get
to the race and we get to the start line and I
can tell you, it was hot, but even before in
the bus, I'm like sweating. I'm like, " I'm just going to do
this." There was so much expectation. When you get to the

(28:14):
competition, nobody cares if you had a full block of
training or a short block of training, they just expect
you to compete. I just didn't want to give myself
a lot of doubts and stuff. I just wanted to
just be there, be present and just be confident. I

(28:35):
knew, I was like, " Well, I had a really good
block in Boston," and I was like, " I'm just going to use that."
It was only just a few sharpening here. And then
we get to the village, the tents, and we're sitting
there and I can't even tie my shoe. I was

(28:55):
shaking. This point it's like, okay, we have to go
to the start line and all that. We're warming up and you're seeing everyone. I
kept looking at people, I'm like, " Wow, they look so fit.
Oh, geez." (inaudible) . After the cool down, we went

(29:18):
back and people are changing and we had to move quick and
everything was just going so fast. I'm like, " Okay, I
get everything. I get everything." We get to the start line and they
couldn't let us straight. I was just getting worried and
everything. It's like when you cannot do anything, that's how
bad I was. I was like I couldn't just figure out anything. Peres was there

(29:41):
just trying to help me with a few things. I'm
just grateful that I had good teammates. And we get
to the start line and we start running and everything
and it's like once you start running, then things just start to
come down and you're like, " Okay. Okay."

Speaker 4 (29:57):
(inaudible) to doing what you know you can do.

Speaker 1 (29:58):
Yes. Yes. And the point was just follow your teammates, just
stay with them, work as a group. We kept going
and we kept going. Honestly, every time I'm like, " I
can do this. Everyone here is strong. Everyone here is
the fastest in their country. Everyone here, they all earned the

(30:18):
position to be there." I was like, " Even me, I
did. I couldn't be here if they didn't believe in
me and if I didn't believe in myself." So I put
myself in it and I started competing and I just was
present. I tried to make as many moves as I
could and I tried to stay with them. If the

(30:38):
move was made, I was in it. Then we get to the hill and I was like, " Wow,
I'm moving." You know when you get to do things and you're like, "Oh." I was feeling so good and we kept
going and I just wanted to keep fighting as much as
I could. We get to the point where you're like, "I did
everything I could. I gave my absolute best." And honestly,

(31:03):
I'm very proud of that performance and I would never
take anything from that. I would always, always appreciate the
opportunity that I'm given and just whatever it is, whatever
I get, whatever it is, I'm always like, " I'll take
it with grace and fight for it." Not everybody gets

(31:27):
that opportunity, and I got it. I was there and I gave
my best. And fourth is still a big, big, big
performance. So I'm really looking forward to what's come next.
I hope I can do well. I feel like I'm
still growing. I'm only 30.9, so I still have a

(31:50):
couple more years.

Speaker 3 (31:52):
30. 9, that's your age. I've never heard anybody put it in
point something, but yeah-

Speaker 4 (31:57):
It's so close.

Speaker 3 (32:00):
It's so close. So yeah, so I think there's still more to be achieved
and I believe that I still have a lot more to
show and a lot more to prove to myself that do not limit
yourself, anything is possible. And to think that five years ago I almost was like, "Maybe I'll just put this running

(32:26):
to the side." Here we are now.

Speaker 4 (32:26):
I'm glad you didn't.

Speaker 3 (32:26):
Good idea that you did not do that. Exactly.

Speaker 4 (32:35):
(inaudible) .

Speaker 1 (32:35):
Never give up hope.

Speaker 3 (32:36):
So glad you didn't do that. We're all so glad
you didn't do that. Sharon, when I look at your
results, and your, again, still pretty short marathon career and
what you're doing on these courses that are known for
hills. I mean New York win, Boston, second, Paris, a

(32:56):
hilly course that people went faster on than I think
most people expected, fourth place just out of the medals,
but a tremendous result for you there. Are you a
hill runner? Is this what you look for? Do you
look for hilly courses? How do you see yourself in
terms of where you think you have the best chance
to win when it comes to marathons or even in

(33:19):
shorter distances like a half?

Speaker 1 (33:22):
Honestly, I feel like for these courses, I feel like
I just get the best training that I know is
best for that. And to be honest, I've never tried any other course.
I've only been able to do this. And honestly, I
think we're all different. I think we are all different

(33:44):
in the way we view things. And for me, I
always think, if you choose something, you really want to
do it. I feel like every time I go to
these races and to these courses, it's like I can
do it and I try to do the workouts that

(34:06):
I know are going to help me in those courses
and everything. I think part of it is more mental
for me than anything. I'm always like, 'I know it's
going to be hard, so I have to be prepared
and be there and do the things that I know are going to
help me." But I also think that I just have

(34:30):
strong muscles. I don't know, I usually just try to
figure out things. I think I just have a way
of trying to figure out... Anything that comes hard for
me I feel like I just try to make... It
gives me this fight that I always want to fight
for. Maybe it might be different when I start running

(34:54):
on a flat course or a faster course, but for now, I honestly
think I'm just fine where I am. I just want
to maybe keep doing it. I'll try in a few
years or maybe a year depending.

Speaker 3 (35:11):
Well, you said mental. Becs, one thing that's in common
in addition to the hills on these courses that you're
doing so well on is no pacers, right? So you're
out there-

Speaker 4 (35:21):
Yeah, no formation.

Speaker 3 (35:21):
So you're out there on your own. I think just talking to you,
listening to you, hopefully our listeners are getting this, you
could see how the mind of Sharon Lokedi works and
the positivity.

Speaker 4 (35:34):
I was going to say the joy, yeah.

Speaker 3 (35:37):
That's got to come in handy when you're out there
by yourself attacking Heartbreak Hill or those hills in Central
Park or that hill in Paris that looked like it
was straight up.

Speaker 4 (35:47):
It was brutal.

Speaker 1 (35:51):
I usually say, " Don't look at the end of it.
Just look just below in front of your legs or
your feet. Just don't look ahead. Just take it step
by step." And just like everything, just take one goal at a
time, and I think that's usually how I try to view
it and say it like, " Just deal with what you

(36:13):
have now and then just keep going uphill and then
with no time, you'll be over it."

Speaker 4 (36:18):
It might hurt, but you'll get through it.

Speaker 1 (36:22):
Yeah. It's definitely it's going to be hard, so just
take it just a little bit and you'll get through it.
You'll get through it for sure.

Speaker 4 (36:33):
Sharon, you already mentioned earlier that you train between Flagstaff
and then Kenya as well.

Speaker 1 (36:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (36:40):
I know a lot of our listeners are so intrigued
to know the differences between the two. There's a fair
few training camps that go on now that all runners
can go to, which is unreal to be able to
experience this legendary Kenyan way of training to be the
fastest runners on the planet. So what are the biggest

(37:01):
differences for you, in your opinion, between the two places?

Speaker 1 (37:05):
Well, I think Kenya, for me, I feel like it's very low- key. It's very
humbling. It's very humbling. You get in there and you're
in a training camp Monday through Saturday. You wake up in
the morning, you go for a run, you come back, you eat,

(37:25):
you sleep. You are asleep for a couple hours. You
wake up, you eat, you rest a little bit, you
go for your double work. That's the only thing that
you do. I mean, you have treatment like massage and physio in
between and all that stuff, but there's just nothing out
there. It's all just you and your training and your recovery. I

(37:50):
guess there's also the part where you have a group
of people to go with. You always have someone to
go with. You are always not by yourself or anything like
that. People are very supportive. They're always like... You can
always have someone to run with. You can always have

(38:11):
someone to do the workouts with. It just makes it
so easy on your mind and you're so relaxed and
you're so calm. And for you it's just to follow and just let
other people do the work for you. I feel like
it makes it so easy to just get in shape
quicker and get to enjoy other things that comes with it.

Speaker 4 (38:32):
Wow, that sounds like an absolute dream. When can I go?

Speaker 1 (38:40):
Anytime you want to come, honestly, all of you are so welcome. I feel like that's
the part of it that just makes it... It's just
very down to earth. You just don't have anything else
to do. Sundays are usually off and you can just
go do whatever, but you're also out in the forest.

(39:01):
As I said, it's very quiet, very calming. I know
most people find that very helpful. For myself I do
find that very helpful that I'm just there just to
focus on that, nothing else. I just find it (inaudible) . And I get to
see my family too. That's a bonus.

Speaker 4 (39:21):
That's so cool.

Speaker 1 (39:21):
I think that, yeah, that makes sense. Sometimes I can't
even, because I said I'm always there Monday through Sunday,
so I only see them on the weekend, on Sundays, and then
I go back. But it's just the closeness of them
being close helps sometimes.

Speaker 3 (39:36):
Sharon, when you were growing up in Kenya, there was
something, violence, when you were about 14 years old, some
political violence that really caused displacement for you. And that
was, I'm sure, a difficult time for you, for your
family. What kind of impact did that have on you?

(39:58):
And then how did you ultimately find your way from
Kenya to an American college campus in Lawrence, Kansas?

Speaker 1 (40:10):
Yeah, I think that was post- election violence, the one that you
were talking, I think it was around 2007. I think I was in eighth grade.
It went on for two months and just two months
of unsettlement, people were just all over the... You couldn't just stay in your

(40:31):
home. I guess you'll come to your home during the
day and then during the night you just had to go
and sleep somewhere in some hidden place in the forest.
It was just things that happened at that point where you're
like, you're just a kid, you don't know anything. We
just had to follow what our elders were doing and

(40:52):
most like my grandma and everyone. Yeah, even after that,
it just was so hard to go from... We used to go to... My primary school
was maybe four kilometers away, so every time we went
to school it still was very, very unsafe. And so
we had to go in groups and stuff, and it wasn't good for

(41:17):
anyone. I think for most kids it just was things that
are like they'd never seen. Our parents, they had seen it before,
so they just were telling us stories. And then for
us to be in that, I think it affected us
in a way that you just see life now in a
different... Things happen and politics and everything just changes the

(41:37):
way people are. It just affects people that you don't think
would. I feel like even in my mind I still
think about that. Every time I go home to see
my grandmother, you can still picture all that. It's been
a long time, but it still is something that is affecting.
And you never know, it might happen anytime. It's just

(41:59):
the things that are always happening all the time around election
time. And yeah, it's definitely not safe and not good
for people that are growing up and seeing all that.
And then, yeah, after that, I graduated primary school, then
I went to high school. I was running in high

(42:19):
school a little bit, not as much, and then I stopped. And
then after I graduated high school, I was home and
my mom couldn't afford to pay for my college tuition,
so I started training again.. I had had a few
people that had come to the US through scholarships and

(42:40):
everything. I knew I had in me still like a
runner. I went back to training camp and started training again from
zero because I had stopped three years because at that
point I was like, " Yeah, I just want to grow up
and go to college like everyone." And then after that, it was just
hard for my mom to take care of all of

(43:02):
us. So then yeah, I started training and within eight months
I was ready to go. I got a scholarship and
I came to Kansas. I'd never been anywhere outside of
Kenya. It was my first time traveling. I came to
Kansas in January, which was not the best time of

(43:24):
the year. Take shock to the system to go from Kenya to the winter. But honestly, I
feel like when I got there, they were very helpful
and they helped me cope with life in the US
and everything and with running. And I'm very grateful because I

(43:46):
think part of the person I am came from the
training I got in Kansas and everything that I, when
I was there, I grew up and I became a better person.

Speaker 3 (44:02):
Well, we have to say goodbye to Becs. She's got
to go off and teach a Peloton class. Her runners
are waiting for her on the treadmill. So Becs, thank
you, and we will see you soon. Sharon, we're going
to keep going with you. Yeah, I just picture young
Sharon Lokedi in Lawrence, Kansas. I mean we say here
The Wizard of Oz, " You're not in Kansas anymore." You

(44:24):
weren't in Kenya anymore, you were in Kansas, actually in
Kansas and doing amazing things, an incredible college career, winning
the 10,000 meters NCAA title in 2018. From a competitive
point of view, did you come out of college thinking, "
Okay, I'm a 10, 000 kind of runner, I'm a track

(44:47):
runner."? Where did you see your career going at that point?

Speaker 1 (44:52):
Oh yeah, exactly as you said, I came, I was like, " I can do this
now. Five, 10K runner." Professional running, it's not fun. It's
not easy.

Speaker 3 (45:08):
No.

Speaker 1 (45:10):
You come in from college and you're used to doing
all these things, you're used to getting all these treatment, you're
used to always the racing every other weekend. And then
you get to professional running and you're only racing maybe
two or three times in the indoors and then you
go outdoors and only it's the same thing. It was just

(45:31):
that shift. Now you have so much time and you're
just trying to figure out what to do with all
this time. You're training. I feel like with college you
are racing all the time that you got fitter so
quick, and professional running, you're not racing as much, you
only have to have a few certain races and you
have to be on your top shape. I think just

(45:54):
figuring how that works, it took me a while. I
would go to the races and I'm running well, but I was just average.
I expected to once I get to professional running I'll start running
so fast because now I have all the time to
recover and do all this stuff. But that wasn't the

(46:15):
case. It just had to be a lot of learning
and also just trying to get used to this new
lifestyle and just trying to figure out. And then COVID
hit, and because I graduated 2019 and then I had
almost maybe two or three and then COVID, and then we

(46:38):
didn't do anything for a while. And then after that,
after COVID, like 2021, then I was like, " You know what? Maybe
I'm just going to switch the roads". Then I started
doing road races in the summer. I think that is
when things were like, " Okay, maybe this is where I
belong more than anything." I started focusing more on the road racing and yeah, I guess here we are now.

Speaker 3 (46:58):
I'm going to challenge your description of yourself as average in
college with an NCAA title in the 10, 000 meters. But-

Speaker 1 (47:11):
No, in college it was great, but you have to know, if I
had to make teams, I had to be on a
different level. And once you're professional runner, you have to
be making teams. You're getting signs to be running these
times and making teams and everything. And with Kenya, it

(47:33):
never went anywhere.

Speaker 3 (47:33):
It's a hard team to make. I mean, how much of
that is in your mind? I mean, you mentioned that you
were an alternate for Peres. Obviously someone dropped out and
you ended up getting in, but you're coming from the
hardest country in the world to make a team. You
do spend a lot of your time in the US,

(47:53):
but how does that make you raise your game? I
know this was your first Olympics, but is that in
the back of your mind often like, " I'm not just
competing against the field, but I'm competing against my country
women," which in a way for you is the hardest
competition? You've got women like Hellen Obiri and folks like
that out there running alongside you.

Speaker 1 (48:16):
Yeah, it definitely is hard because there's always new athletes
coming in and they're fast and they're ready to go.
You always have to be on your A game. I
would say that, you always have to be ready to
go. I think for a long time I just was like, "

(48:40):
I'm just every other run just trying to run." But now
it's like I want to put myself in the mix.
I want to be in the position where every time
they get to select, they're like, " Okay, you have to think about... "
I have to be with the people being named, and that
has to come with how I perform or how I compete and

(49:03):
all that stuff. And that's why it's like I always have to work extra hard.

Speaker 3 (49:07):
One of the reasons we're so excited to have you
come back to New York for the United Airlines NYC
Half is just your ability to engage with the fans
I think is something that's really special and really so
needed for the sport. I can tell you, I don't
think you heard this in the intro before you came
on, but you are my teenage daughter's favorite runner.

Speaker 1 (49:32):
Hi, Julia.

Speaker 3 (49:32):
Julia, exactly. Her friend, Priya, who's always waiting for you
at the finish line with a sign, they love you,
you're interacting with them and others on social media. You
just have a certain connection to people. What does it mean
for you, Sharon, to play that role of inspiring young

(49:54):
people to be fans of the sport, to run as
well? You really have a special ability, I think, to
bring that out of people, and not everybody in this
sport has that. It's a sport that can be really
hard to, let's face it, have a personality when you're
spending so much of your time staring at that road,

(50:18):
staring at that runner in front of you. Is it
just natural for you?

Speaker 1 (50:26):
Thank you for all the sweet things that you said. I
appreciate that. I just think that to be where I
am, I was like them one time. The people that
I used to look up to, they were very inspiring.
They used to work so hard, and I just wanted

(50:47):
to be like them. And now that I've gotten to this stage, I
just want to also the way that I felt and the way that I
was looking at people working hard and being so good
is I just want to be as present and just show
them that anything is possible. You can achieve anything. I

(51:10):
think part of me is it makes me so happy when I see
someone so excited for me. It's like, " Who's this person?
They're just so happy for me." I just want to
be with them and give them a hug and appreciate
them and just tell them, " You can do it. Anything
is possible. Just believe in yourself, put in the work, and

(51:31):
anything is possible. Just don't count yourself out and just
be you." It's always like the person that you are
is always going to help someone else out there. Never
change who you are. We're all just be the person
that you are. Just do the things that you love and still

(51:54):
enjoy and still being you. Live life, you know?

Speaker 3 (52:05):
100%.

Speaker 1 (52:05):
Yeah. Yeah. So I'm always so excited to see them and
just tell them I'm really looking forward to see them
soon. Everyone out there that's listening, life is what you
picture and life is what you think of. If you
make it hard, it's going to be hard. If you

(52:26):
make it easy, it's going to be easy, but just
take it day by day. Tomorrow's going to be different
and yesterday is already passed, so just work on today and focus on
how tomorrow is going to be like.

Speaker 3 (52:40):
Beautiful. Absolutely. I know that you have taken that spirit
and you're giving back. I know you have given back
to your high school back in Kenya, the Kapkenda Girls
High School. You've created a running foundation back there. I
know you're also helping your family, of course, back in Kenya.

(53:02):
Talk about that foundation and what it means for you
to make that investment in these young girls who are
just like you were and are going to be that next generation of great runners
from Kenya.

Speaker 1 (53:15):
I always think that life changes. I never thought in
my life I'll ever come to the US. I came
to the US for school, and it was school and running. Also,
this running has taken me so many places. It's gotten
me here. It's gotten me to New York. It's gotten me to Paris.
It's gotten me to all the places that I never

(53:38):
thought I would be. And through running, things can happen
and life changes. And as it changed for me, it
changed for my family. I'm the oldest of three siblings,
so they're all looking at me right now and they're
just like, " If she did it, we can all do
it." It's like I just see them working so hard
now, and I'm like, " If I had not put myself

(54:00):
out there and worked so hard, they would've just been like, "
Oh, it's anything." But they work so hard now. That makes
me so excited that if they can just get themselves
out there and do the things that they love and they're
enjoying, it makes a difference.

Speaker 3 (54:17):
I think about how fortunate you must feel to have
this dual existence. You have a home in Flagstaff, Arizona.
You are very much comfortable in America and do a
lot of your training here in the United States, but
then, as you mentioned, you also go back to Kenya.
And of course, there's been a terrible thing happening in

(54:39):
Kenya with female runners. Some of them have been facing
some violence, intimate partners, boyfriends who have been abusive or
worse. Young women have been killed after having success as
a runner coming back and facing this violence, which really

(55:01):
has become a terrible problem in the sport for women, especially
from Kenya. What would you say to a young Kenyan
female runner who is starting to have some success? Being
targeted this way could be a threat for them, something

(55:22):
that could be a problem for them. What would your advice be
to a young woman like that?

Speaker 1 (55:28):
I honestly say that just you have to... I think for me, I
feel like I'm always like, I've traveled, I've seen things,
I have learned a few things here and there. I think I
just want to tell them that just before you involve

(55:49):
someone like your boyfriend or your lover, just at least
have one of your family members, like your mother or
your father. I feel like those are the people that
are close to you and they always want the best for
you, and they would never lie to you or anything
like that. I always say start with your family, start
with your mother or your dad, and they would help you

(56:09):
going forward. It's also just don't trust people as much.
Not everyone wants the best for you. I feel like
for most of us women, we see the best in
most people and we think that when someone comes to

(56:31):
you, you think that they're just doing it for you.
Most of the time it's not like that. And as time goes, people
changes and people change in ways that you're not going
to believe that person was once the person that you
thought was going to be there for you. I would

(56:52):
say just trust in your parents first. Even the coaches
this time, you cannot believe them as much. Just maintain
a professional relationship. If it's coaching, then let's be coaching.
Anything outside of that, just try to maintain it as just
everybody else. Because even them, you might think they want

(57:16):
the best for you, but you don't know what they
have. And that's what's been happening for most of the people, is the women,
even now every time I go to Kenya, it's like
you talk to people and they're like, "Yeah, my coach tells
me this. My coach tells me this." It's like the
things that you hear are just... I just hope there's
more people that can teach and help those girls and

(57:36):
tell them that you just at least have some education on how
they can keep their money and how they can take
care of themselves. Our culture is just so different that
if you're married or you're something, your husband has to be

(57:57):
the one taking care of everything. The world has changed,
and I think it's different now. I hope there would
be more people that are helping us and showing us
the right ways and being like, " You need to do
this. This is not the right way to do it."
At least have something for yourself. Just don't give up

(58:18):
everything. Just have a bank account or something somewhere that
you can hide something for rainy days, because we shouldn't
put things in one basket. And I think that's the
one thing that's still is very not practiced as much.

Speaker 3 (58:37):
It's great advice. A lot of Americans may see the prize money and
it's good money of course that runners get here in
the United States, but it's not compared to what somebody
in the NBA or the NFL gets. But when you go back
to a place like Kenya with a six figure-

Speaker 1 (58:56):
It's a lot.

Speaker 3 (58:56):
... check, that's a lot of money in a place like
that. So that's one of the reasons that these young
women are finding themselves targeted and vulnerable. I think your
advice is really, really good advice, so hope it gets
to some people out there.

Speaker 1 (59:11):
Yeah, I hope so too. I hope so too.

Speaker 3 (59:13):
All right, so before we let you go, I want
to just get in your mind on Sunday, March 16th,
here in New York City at the starting line of
the United Airlines NYC Half out in Brooklyn. I'm going
to see you there. I'll give you a wave, a
high five. I'm sure we'll connect and say hi there,
but I want to get in your mind, maybe you
visualize this. What is your goal for this race? Do you

(59:38):
feel like you're in the shape and the form right now
to go out and win a race like this? How
do you think you'll approach this? Because listening to you
earlier about what it was like when you won the
marathon here, it did seem like you liked to be
in that chase position a little bit. Maybe not comfortable
having people behind you, but you like something to look

(01:00:00):
at out in front of you. Is that the approach
you take to a 13. 1 mile race like this?

Speaker 1 (01:00:06):
No.

Speaker 3 (01:00:06):
You're going to go for it. You're going. Catch me if you can.

Speaker 1 (01:00:06):
13.1, I mean, for me right now it's such a short race.
It's like you get in there and it's done. So I
think it's just going to be getting in, be competitive, stay with the pack and as

(01:00:32):
we go, just keep working on the speed and just trying to see where we are and towards
the last few miles just start pushing. To be honest,
I feel like at this point it's not about chasing. I
think it's going to be like, " Okay, let's try and

(01:00:54):
see who's stronger here." So yeah, I'm just going to
come in. I don't know, my fitness is somewhere, and
I think it'll just be a really good race to
just be in it and compete and just see what
we get at the end of it. But honestly, as
you said, New York is a place where you never

(01:01:16):
know what's going to happen. The crowd-

Speaker 3 (01:01:19):
Good things, Sharon. Good things seem to happen when you come to New York. We are so glad you're coming back.
We wish you all the best in your next couple
of weeks of training and getting ready for it. I'm
going to Tokyo, I'm running the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday-

Speaker 1 (01:01:39):
You are?

Speaker 3 (01:01:40):
So that's where I'll be.

Speaker 1 (01:01:41):
Oh my God, let's go. So excited for you.

Speaker 3 (01:01:41):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:01:41):
Let's get the PB, okay?

Speaker 3 (01:01:41):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:01:49):
Don't come back without a PB. We need to get a PB.

Speaker 3 (01:01:49):
I don't know if that's going to happen. I just set one in Berlin last fall, but we'll
see. We'll see if I can at least come close
to that. This is my second marathon in six months.

Speaker 1 (01:02:03):
I mean, and then you'll have six months in New York.

Speaker 3 (01:02:05):
That's right. Yeah, I won't be running that, but I'll at
least be... I'll try to keep in shape for the
fall. We'll see what happens. But so amazing to have
you on. Can't wait to see you in New York.
Thank you for being such an awesome ambassador for the
sport for us at New York Road Runners. We will
see you at the starting line of the United Airlines

(01:02:27):
NYC Half.

Speaker 1 (01:02:28):
Oh, thank you so much. Thank you for having me
in the podcast. I am so excited to see you
guys soon. And thank you. You guys are amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:02:39):
If you'd like to have a chance to actually meet
Sharon in person and you're running the United Airlines NYC
Half, guess what, Sharon Lokedi will be joining us at
the United Airlines NYC Half Experience presented by New Balance
on Friday, March 14th. You'll find Sharon at the New
York Road Runners membership booth at 11:00 A. M. signing

(01:02:59):
bibs and taking pictures. And then she'll be talking with
our coaches on the Running Lab stage. So make sure
you come by the United Airlines NYC Half Experience presented
by New Balance for a chance to meet Sharon in
person. New York Road Runners is a nonprofit organization with

(01:03:28):
a vision to build healthier lives and stronger communities through
the transformative power of running. The support of members and
donors like you helps us achieve our mission to transform
the health and well- being of our communities through inclusive
and accessible running experiences, empowering all to achieve their potential.
Learn more and contribute at nyrr. org/ donate. Evan McKiernan

(01:03:53):
has been a part of the New York Road Runners
community for over a decade, running 70 races since 2012
and volunteering at many more. Evan grew up watching his
father race in the New York City Marathon and now in
a full circle moment, he's passed the tradition on having
run alongside his daughter in her first full New York
Road Runners race last August. Evan is both a member

(01:04:15):
of the Garden State Track Club and the youth club
coach for the Junior Highlanders Track Club. When he's not
running, Evan is an oncology nurse practitioner. Evan is currently
training for the 2025 Virtual United Airlines NYC Half Love
of Running. And Meb caught up with him to talk about
his training for today's Member Moments.

Speaker 5 (01:04:37):
Thanks, Rob. Evan, how are you doing today?

Speaker 6 (01:04:40):
I'm good, thank you for having me, Meb. Great to
speak with you.

Speaker 5 (01:04:43):
Nice to have you. You grew up watching your dad
run the New York City Marathon. What was it like to
finally cross the same finish line yourself?

Speaker 6 (01:04:53):
Yeah, so my parents worked opposite schedules, so growing up,
while my dad was training, I would usually chase after
him on a bike so he could get his miles
in. We grew up next to Prospect Park in Brooklyn,
so lots of weekend miles. I remember seeing him on

(01:05:14):
First Avenue and again on Fifth. And then for me,
once I started running, I just really wanted to carry
on that tradition and really beat his time if I could.

Speaker 5 (01:05:25):
That's awesome. You were his designated pacer.

Speaker 6 (01:05:30):
Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 5 (01:05:33):
You had some pretty serious hip surgery at HSS. As a
result, you went from struggling to walking to running marathons
and triathlons. What was the toughest part of that journey?

Speaker 6 (01:05:45):
Yeah, so I'm also a nurse practitioner, so it was
very frustrating at the time to not be able to
do what I wanted to do and what I loved.
I was having pain just walking and standing. But then
after the surgery and rehab, I was able to get
back to running and actually my first marathon, New York

(01:06:09):
City, was after the surgery. I ran it pain- free.
I ran my second, and this year I got into
the marathon through 9+ 1 and I'll be running in
2025 as well.

Speaker 5 (01:06:24):
Incredible. Tell our audience about the struggle though. I've been
there where you can't even mentally (inaudible) , where you can't
even walk. I was crawling like 10- month- old baby
on my knees and elbows because I cannot put weight
on my hip because of a hip fracture. But now you have come over
the situation and ran 70 races for the NYRR races

(01:06:44):
since 2012. But can you take us back what was it
like the first time after the surgery?

Speaker 6 (01:06:52):
So getting into it, I did some training in the
pool, some of the altered gravity running on the treadmill,
and just each step forward to be pain- free was
a little bit of a success. And just like running
in general, not every run and not every race is

(01:07:15):
going to be the best race, but you can learn
something at the end of each one. And maybe you
run smarter and you see something that you didn't have
a chance to see on even a faster race, but
the next one just gives you something new. That's what
I like to take from life in general. Just every

(01:07:36):
minute and every passing experience is something that you can
learn and grow from.

Speaker 5 (01:07:42):
Absolutely. It's not when or where you start but how
strong you finish. So talking about finish, last year you
ran with your daughter in her first NYR race. What does
it mean to you to share this experience with her?

Speaker 6 (01:07:55):
Well, I think she and her younger sister came to
watch me run my first marathon, and in the back
of my mind I was thinking about seeing my dad
run the course and maybe I'm planting that seed for
them. She's now 13, she's running track, she's running cross

(01:08:20):
country. She really likes distance, so maybe we'll see a
marathon in the future. But she ran her first 10K.
I paced her for that. She has a little bit
more speed than I do now, so she sprinted to
the finish and crossed that first. But yeah, no, it's
great to see someone else getting something out of it

(01:08:45):
and positivity through running that you want to see for
other people based on what it's brought you.

Speaker 5 (01:08:53):
Well, talk about other people, you are a youth coach. How
does that help you, what you have learned from your dad
now to help her with your daughter and also impact
on other youths? How's that?

Speaker 6 (01:09:05):
Yeah, so I have three daughters and a son. My
three daughters are running now. The steps that kids can
make in running and athletics in general, the confidence that
they can take from the sport into their daily life
and learn those little successes that they can build upon

(01:09:28):
it's great to see. Not every kid starts at the
same spot, but you can have those little steps and
progresses throughout the season. And just to be supportive and
be there for the kids is a great thing to
do and to give back to the sport of running.

Speaker 5 (01:09:50):
Well, we're so glad to have you on Set the Pace podcast.
You've done a great job not only overcoming your situation,
but helping others. So how's your training going for the 2025
Virtual United Airlines NYC Half?

Speaker 6 (01:10:03):
Yeah, so just starting out, for me, this marathon actually,
I'm running with my wife. She did 9+ 1 also
and it'll be her first marathon. So it's a little
bit different. We're going through it together, trading off our
training and long runs and working out. We're both nurses,

(01:10:28):
four kids, so it's more of a balancing act than
it was maybe 10 years ago. And actually, one of
our first dates, I was living by the reservoir in
New York City and I said, " Oh hey, do you
want to go for a run? Are you a runner?"
And she says, " Oh yeah, I'm a runner." So she
came, we ran around the reservoir, and she told me

(01:10:53):
months later that that was the first time she ever
ran, that she told me she was a runner just to
come because she wanted to see me. But now we're
full circle and we're both members of New York Road
Runner and running her first marathon. So yeah, it's great.
Starting out, COVID was kind of a crazy time for

(01:11:17):
healthcare, but again, I had my wife through it and
we both experienced that. So now that everybody's back running
in person, looking forward to running in 2025.

Speaker 5 (01:11:32):
Sounds awesome. Well, thank you for your leadership with the youth
and then also with your family, but also that early
stage watching your dad run and kind of planted the
seed and you have passed on to many other people.
So looking forward to your results for the 2025 NYC Half.
So keep up the great work and thanks for being
with us.

Speaker 6 (01:11:51):
All right, thank you. Appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:11:53):
Thank you so much for joining us, Evan, and for
being a member of New York Road Runners. Now it's
time for today's Med Minute.

Speaker 5 (01:12:00):
Three weeks before the United Airline NYC Half, you will
be tapering your mileage to allow your body to recover
and prepare for race days. This doesn't mean slacking off
though. Your workout should still include some race pace efforts
to remind your body that what it feels like to
push in that intensity. Focus on quality instead of quantity.

(01:12:24):
Keep your runs sharp and purposeful, but reduce the overall
value. Keep mentally sharp. Visualize race day and go over
your pacing strategy. Three weeks out, it is time to
just say, " Hey, I got this." This is where the
tapering is going to start. Don't push the pace too
much but be able to just say, " Hey, I am
almost there." And visualization is important to be able to

(01:12:47):
just see what your next race is. In this case, the United
Airline New York City Half Marathon.

Speaker 3 (01:12:52):
All right, that does it for a great episode of
Set the Pace. We want to thank our guests, the
great Sharon Lokedi, and New York Road Runners member, Evan
McKiernan. If you like this episode, and who wouldn't, please make
sure you go ahead and rate, subscribe, leave a comment
on the show notes. So we'll answer your questions if
you have one for me or for Becs wherever you listen

(01:13:14):
to your podcast. Great to have you with us. Enjoy
the miles. Wish me luck in Tokyo. Again, you can
donate to my run on our page or Team for
Kids page. Just look in the show notes, would love
to have your support. Wish me luck. I'll see you on
the other side of Tokyo. Enjoy the miles.