Check out this special live recording of Set the Pace at the Peloton Headquarters in New York City as Rob is joined on stage by three guests representing three of NYRR’s key partnerships—Anne Valentzas from Mastercard, Tom Carleo from New Balance, and Denise Wolffs from Citizens. Find out why they are so passionate about the partnerships their brands have built with NYRR, especially for the TCS New York City Marathon, to support the over 50,000 runners during marathon week and on race day. But the partnerships don’t stop there. All year long, these brands help put on some of NYRR’s biggest races, including the Mastercard New York Mini 10K, Citizens Queens 10K, and the New Balance Bronx 10 Mile. Tune in to learn about Mastercard’s commitment to women runners, how New Balance continues to inspire runners of all levels, and the work Citizens does to highlight local NYC businesses.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Audio (00:03):
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
(00:26):
time for (inaudible) Look 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 (inaudible)
Rob Simmelkjaer (00:44):
Hey, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Set the
Pace, the official podcast of New York Road Runners, presented
by Peloton. I'm the host of Set the Pace and
the CEO of New York Road Runners, Rob Simmelkjaer, and we
are missing my co- host, Becs Gentry. She's off doing
fancy things, traveling, having a great time. We miss Becs.
(01:04):
She'll be back next week, but I'm going to try
to carry the load again here this week for a
very special episode of Set The Pace. We are here
with a live studio audience in the headquarters of one
of our amazing partners, Peloton. I know many of you
out there are Peloton users and riders, and so we're
so thrilled to be here live at Peloton with this
great audience. Say hi, everybody. Say hi, audience. Absolutely. You
(01:30):
know, June is a big, big month from New York
Road Runners. We've got four big races, including, of course,
the MasterCard, New York Mini 10K, and coming up this
weekend, the Citizens Queens 10K. But even with over 40
events a year, the TCS New York City Marathon is
always on our minds. And so today we're actually recording
(01:50):
this episode in the middle of our annual TCS New
York City Marathon Partner Forum. So we're talking marathon in
June. And for any of you who have run the marathon, and
I know all of your listeners out there, all of
you, a lot of you are running it or you're
training for it, at some point, you'll run past a
bunch of logos. You'll see all these companies on the
(02:11):
side of the course and probably not give that a
lot of thought. And that's okay. You're running a marathon,
we understand that. But behind every single one of those
logos is an incredible commitment to what you are doing
and, frankly, a commitment that is allowing you to do
what you're doing and run the TCS New York City
Marathon. Because we would not have an event like this
(02:35):
if it weren't for the incredible partnership of some of
these brands that we work with year in and year
out. So today we're actually going to talk to three
of the people from those partners who make everything we
do possible and, of course, there is so much passion
in each of those organizations for the sport of running.
So I'm so thrilled to have with us three of
our partners, Anne Valentzas, who's the Senior Vice President of
(02:57):
Consumer Marketing and Sponsorships for MasterCard. Big hand for Anne.
Anne Valentzas (03:01):
Hi, Rob.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:04):
Tom Carleo, who's the Vice President of Running, North America
for New Balance. Hey, Tom. And one of our newest
partners, Denise Wolffs. She's the Senior Vice President and Director
of Sponsorships and Experiential Marketing and Internal Events for the
sponsor of The Citizens Queens 10K, Citizens. Hey, Denise.
Denise Wolffs (03:27):
Hello, everybody.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:30):
Thank you. It's Audioland out there so you can't see,
but Denise is wearing a Citizens' green sweater vest and
a Citizen's green folder as well so we're thrilled. Oh, and
the sneakers have green, so it's all about green at
Citizens. And Denise, we're going to start with you actually
on this since it's the week of the Citizens Queens 10K
as we dropped this podcast. You are, like me, a
(03:53):
longtime New Yorker, but last year was actually your first
time ever actually attending the TCS New York City Marathon
in person. What was it like for you to be
there for the first time as a partner and a
part of this event?
Denise Wolffs (04:08):
That's a great question, Rob. I'm going to take it
back a little bit, if you don't mind. I just
want to remind people if you don't know that Citizens
became a sponsor of New York Road Runners and the TCS
New York City Marathon last August, you know what that
meant? Only three months until Marathon Sunday. We kept saying
it was a sprint, not a marathon, and it really
(04:29):
was, and we did it. We wanted to show up,
glow green, tell her a story about being along the
route and in your neighborhood and we did. So yes,
last year on November 5th, it was 4
cold, I was tired, I had no coffee. My colleague
Jeff out there said to me, " Come on, it's time
(04:49):
to go." We went from Manhattan to Staten Island at 4:
45 in the morning. We got there and, oh my
goodness, Christine, Julie and everybody at New York Road Runners said, "
Denise, I know you're a New Yorker and you haven't
seen it. Get out there, see it and you're not
going to believe it." I don't know if I want
(05:10):
to smile or I want to cry, but when I
was at the starting line and I saw those Citizens
green buses flanking the starting line, I've got to tell
you, it's like nothing else I've ever seen or done
before. Terrific.
Rob Simmelkjaer (05:23):
And, Denise, not only did you guys show up, you
showed up in such a big way. I think people
who were running the marathon, they had to notice Citizens.
It was hard not to notice you guys last year,
so thank you for being a part of this community.
Anne, not only are you involved in this as an
executive at MasterCard, but you're involved as a runner. You
are a pretty serious runner yourself. What has it been
(05:45):
like for you, not just as a MasterCard employee, but
as a runner to get to that finish line of
a marathon, to hear all those people cheering for you?
Anne Valentzas (05:54):
I'll tell you what, Rob, there is nothing like the
TCS New York City Marathon and, for me, it's less
about the finish line and more about the spectators all
along the way. There are spectators lining the entire 26.
2 miles, and in each neighborhood there's a different personality
(06:15):
to these spectators. But what's consistent is the energy. They're
out there and they're cheering for everybody. I always wear
my name on my shirt and I genuinely feel as
if they are cheering for me individually and hoping for
my success. It's a very powerful, incredible race.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:34):
Tom, from New Balance, it probably won't surprise people to
hear that someone, who dedicated their career to a place
like New Balance and the sport of running, started as
a pretty serious runner yourself. You actually qualified for the
1500 meters at the 1988 Olympics trial, so running is really
(06:56):
in your bones, big time. How does it feel for
you to stay a part of this and to be
a part of the TCS New York City Marathon with
New Balance?
Tom Carleo (07:08):
Yeah. So like you said, I ran the 1500 meters,
which is much shorter than a marathon and so I
have been around the New York City Marathon since the
early '90s. I've worked for multiple brands over the years
and I've been lucky enough to have been to pretty
much all the majors and many of the other races
(07:28):
around the world and there's truly nothing like New York.
I think that's been said quite a bit here today,
but there's nothing like New York, just based on everything
we talked about. I have a family of runners, I
have three boys that run in college or ran in
college. My wife ran in high school. Watching how motivated
people get at these marathons to continue moving, the individual
(07:52):
stories are incredible at every marathon around the world, every half-
marathon, around the world. But when you take all of
that time and energy and passion and discipline that the
runners had to go through to get to that starting
line and then you drop those stories into New York
City that truly like the melting pot of the world,
there's really nothing like it. So it's been a blast
(08:13):
now this last seven, eight years to be at this
foundation level partnership with New York Road Runners, simply because
we can participate in the marathon, but also really weave
ourselves into all the events that happen throughout the year.
So incredible for me. I still have no interest in
actually running a marathon, but I get goosebumps every time
(08:37):
I see the crowds and hear the stories.
Rob Simmelkjaer (08:40):
Tom, I often joke around that one of the best
things about being CEO of New York Road Runners is
that New Balance shoes are appropriate footwear anywhere I go.
I could be going to a formal event, I could
be going to the office and running shoes are pretty
much always appropriate for me to wear. For you guys
at New Balance, what has the impact been of being
(09:03):
our partner, being the logo and in the middle of
the expo and at the Run Center on your brand,
on the recognition of your brand, here in New York
City and around the world?
Tom Carleo (09:15):
Yeah, I mean I think it's done a ton of things. I
mean, it's truly made the company feel smaller because there's
not a department that is not involved with the marathon.
The timeliness that is so critical and necessary has forced
us to put teams together that are... We use that
word integrated, but there's truly not a department at New
Balance that's not involved, feels like they're part of it
(09:37):
and feels the weight and the pressure of making sure
that we not just do it, but we do it
really well. So it's brought us together. We work with
our friends at Strava and we build out all different
types of programs that allows us to track, to be
competitive and to set incentives for associates to come to
these events and use them really as prizes. Just Brooklyn,
(09:59):
a few weeks ago, we had close to a hundred
associates from our retail groups from around the country. These
are folks working in sometimes a factory store in California,
comes in and runs the Brooklyn Half and gets to
meet people from corporate, gets to experience things. We have
integrated that, as I said, into almost everything that we
do. You can't just set up for this one event
(10:19):
and then shut down for the year because there's another
event on the docket. So yeah, it's inspired us to
be a running company. It's easier for us probably than
other industries to make running really important internally, but to
see people that never ran a step in their life
now trying to run every event that is part of
the portfolio of Road Runners is really, really cool to see.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:42):
Denise, when Citizens became a partner of New York Road
Runners and the TCS New York City Marathon, this was
part of a much bigger move for your company. You
guys were coming to New York really indeed for the first time, you-
Denise Wolffs (10:56):
We're in the Big Apple, baby.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:56):
... That's right. And you guys had roots in New
England and other parts of the country, and now here
you are in New York, in Queens in particular, as
the title sponsor of the Citizens Queens 10K. How has
the partnership with us helped you guys make a splash
in this market? I know I see your branches now
(11:17):
all over the place. I see the green taxi cabs
during marathon. We haven't been able to get one yet, by the way.
I got to get one of those cabs. But what-
Denise Wolffs (11:23):
I know someone who knows someone.
Rob Simmelkjaer (11:25):
... You know somebody can get me one of those?
How has it been for you in helping you make
an entrance into this market?
Denise Wolffs (11:33):
So yes, we entered the most competitive market in the
world, the New York market in 2022, and we really
developed a strategy around the neighborhoods of New York City
and what makes them so unique. We wanted to partner
with an organization that shared our values and our passion
around connecting with the communities we serve and we looked
for one that had a highly engaged audience. And it's
(11:54):
no surprise that we actively sought out the opportunity, actively,
I may say, for over a year to partner with
New York Road Runners and a big, again, shout- out
to my colleague Jeff in the audience, who really made
it happen. And I'd say that the partnership with New
York Road Runners really helps us demonstrate our commitment to
New York. It really is a great way team to
elevate our exposure 12 months a year with marquee races
(12:18):
across the five boroughs, including the title sponsorship of the
inaugural Citizens Queens 10K happening on June 15th, I'll get
to that in a second and, of course, the iconic TCS
New York City Marathon. So when you come out to
Queens next week, you're not only going to see me,
you're not only going to see my colleagues, you're not
only going to see Team Citizens runners, but we believe
(12:38):
that being committed to the community is not just time
and money, but it's support in many ways. So you'll
see that we support and sponsor the Queens Night Market
where there are a hundred vendors each April through October, every Saturday,
that sell their wares at a discounted price to the
local community, thanks to the support of Citizens. But it's
(13:00):
more than that. It's our colleagues that are volunteering with
them. You'll actually see the CEO of Queens Night Market
running the Citizens Queens 10K, probably along with you, Rob,
who I know you met a couple of weeks ago
with our CEO when we did a panel in Queens
just talking about our commitment. You'll see next week when
we are so excited to have bib sign- up or
(13:20):
runner sign- up. It's going to be at the New
York Run Center, but it's also going to be at
our branch in Queens in Woodside, Queens where we went
out and we tried to figure where was the best
place for people to come. Go check it out. You're
going to hear a radio station. We've got a big
stage. I'm not going to share too much more. It's
very exciting, but we want to see you there. Last
but not least, when you go to the festival after
(13:41):
the race, again, we have a post- race festival that
I think will be phenomenal, family- friendly. We've got bands,
we've got face painting, thank you to my friends at
MasterCard who taught me about it last year with the
MasterCard Mini, but you'll see so many activities. And last
but not least, back to the Queens Night Market and our
support of it, we'll actually be giving out some of
(14:05):
our Queens Night Market vendors food to the participants and
their families free of charge, thanks to Citizens.
Rob Simmelkjaer (14:12):
I love it. You know, Denise, you may have a
very happy set of runners who will really love Citizens after
that race. Because what I am told it is the
flattest, fastest 10K that New York Road Runners puts on
throughout the year. So there are a lot of people, I may
be one of those people, we'll see how I'm feeling
(14:32):
that day, who will be out trying to set a
PR in your race. And I think anyone who sets
a PR in the Citizens Queens 10K should just go
open an account the next day. Don't you think?
Denise Wolffs (14:42):
I like the way you're thinking, Rob. Multiple accounts.
Rob Simmelkjaer (14:45):
All right. We'll see how that plays out.
Denise Wolffs (14:47):
Okay.
Rob Simmelkjaer (14:48):
Anne, MasterCard has been a partner New York Road Runners
since 2020, and your team specializes in connecting your card
holders to their passions. A big part of that is
this amazing Priceless brand that you have had for quite
a while at MasterCard and I don't think there's a
better sort of activation at the marathon than the Priceless
(15:11):
Start that we have every single year, which is an exclusive
thing for MasterCard card holders. Can you talk about what
that Priceless Start is and how that community that you
guys have created through that and other activations has been
so important to MasterCard?
Anne Valentzas (15:27):
Yeah, sure. Happy to. I'll start by just explaining a
little bit about what we mean by priceless because we
do, as you say, we connect our card holders to
their passions through priceless experiences. And by priceless experiences, we
really mean things money can't buy. These are once- in- a-
(15:48):
lifetime opportunities. The Priceless Start is really remarkable. We have
a group of card holders and employees and influencers who
start the TCS New York City Marathon before the elite
athletes so they are the first feet to christen that
course. And as they're heading out, those spectators, they're the
(16:13):
first runners these spectators see, and they get received with
great, great joy and excitement. But there's something magical that
also happens when those elite runners approach because, first of
all, the crowds are roaring, but those elite runners are
coming up behind our runners and those runners are experiencing
(16:34):
it firsthand. Imagine that, you're really feeling what it feels
like to be that elite athlete and feeling their pace
as they come past you and maybe running with them
for a second or two so it is truly priceless.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:50):
Wouldn't it be crazy if one of those Priceless Start
runners just won the marathon?
Anne Valentzas (16:55):
I think we have people who want to. They're going to try.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:59):
That gives nightmares to our pro athletes team if something
like that were ever to happen. But, hey, they're in
the lead for a little bit, so-
Anne Valentzas (17:04):
That's right.
Rob Simmelkjaer (17:04):
... they got a chance. You know, Tom, I've had
a chance to go up to New Balance, to your
headquarters in Boston, see the passion for running that is
throughout the organization, not just the people, but the investment
you guys have made. There's an incredible track, for those
who don't know, right across the street from your headquarters.
(17:26):
You guys host a lot of indoor track and field
events there, collegiate events, all of that. What about among
the employees? Is it all runners? Is there a lot
of competition between employees to get out there and pound
the pavement and be fast? What's the culture like internally
there with running?
Tom Carleo (17:47):
Yeah. I mean, at a certain level, it's hyper- competitive.
I would say, and I'm sort of proud of this,
when I joined New Balance 16- ish years ago, my
personal bests in running, I was one of the faster
people in the company. And between us refocusing on the
category and hiring the right people, there's probably over 20
(18:07):
people that ran a lot faster than I did in
the company today. Our head of sports marketing was second
in the NCAAs. We have two NCAA champions, US champions that
work in our group so it's become incredibly fun and
competitive. The athletes at New Balance, we really build a
culture where the athletes are part of the group, part
(18:29):
of the family. It's not something where they're put on
such a pedestal that they're unreachable. We can text them,
call them for the smallest things or sometimes big things
within the company. So that family mentality that I think
comes with a privately- owned company is real. And having
(18:49):
come from bigger companies and seeing the difference, it's really
real. So I mentioned the internal, the Strava portal and
some of the local races we do and the races
here. Everybody is supporting everybody all the time and, again,
seeing people that never was into running got inspired by
the facility across the street, the organic nature we have,
(19:10):
even with our athletes in other sports. Yesterday, I was
on the phone with Cameron Brink, who's the basketball player
out in LA. Her mom and dad and I worked
together years ago, and Cameron was just coming back from
doing a running television spot. So someone who's not a
runner, but running is part of her life. It's very,
very fun to see that organic nature. So yeah, it
(19:32):
feels like a running company, first and foremost, running almost
above company. You can see we don't invest in head
shots. If you look here, that was I think a selfie.
That was a selfie in a bar I think, actually. But
we do put a ton of investment into the running
community and then what we have at our facilities.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:54):
Denise, Citizens is not a running shoe company, it's a
bank, but you still had 80 runners as part of
Team Citizens and 250 Citizens volunteers, staffing fluid stations along
the course. How does bringing employees to an event like
the TCS New York City Marathon and infusing running into
(20:16):
the culture of the company, how does that change things
in a place like Citizens?
Denise Wolffs (20:21):
Well, I'd say across the company, everyone wanted to get
involved in some way, whether they were in Boston, whether
they were in New York. Rob, just so you know,
we only had three months to get those people (inaudible)
this year. So yes, we had more than 250
colleagues that were part of Team Citizens. They were either
running the actual race. We actually did a contest to
(20:41):
make sure that we got the right runners there. They
all had to tell their stories. We saw and we
heard a lot of stories, whether they were volunteering at
the expo. Hopefully some of you went to the expo
last year, I may talk about it later and saw
us illuminate green. They were volunteering at our cheer zones.
As you said, they were handing out water with community
partners. We actually put on a live stream show at
(21:02):
Mile Marker 12. They hosted customers, clients, and their families
at venues along the course. It was terrific. But I
also say we had, I can say this in this
room, we're in New York, two- time NFL, you can
guess it yet, quarterback from the New York Giants, Eli
Manning, who addressed our entire Team Citizens and actually did
(21:24):
a virtual training and a pep session, which was great.
And lastly, I would say it wasn't just the runners
themselves and the people that participated, but it was the
people that participated from their computers, from their phones. We
had a record number of colleagues that engaged with us
on the intranet, that watched our hype videos, that read
our articles, that read the customer and colleague stories, wanted
(21:45):
to tell some of their own. They posted on their social
channels and then, most importantly, learned how they can get
more involved this year.
Rob Simmelkjaer (21:53):
Love it. Love it. Anne, at MasterCard, is there a lot
of pressure to run fast for the runners there? You
guys have a pretty big group of runners as well.
I know you're one of them. Is there pressure to
perform well with the MasterCard logo on your shirt?
Anne Valentzas (22:07):
Well, we are a competitive set of folks there. I'll
tell you that. So the New York Runners partnership actually
inspired the start of the MasterCard Run Club, which has
now grown to over 600 members globally. And the Run
Club members get access to things like race bibs through
our New York Road Runners partnership, like the MasterCard Mini
(22:29):
10K. We have 50 Run Club members running in that
race. And we also provide access to some of our
ambassadors. So our Run Club members get coaching advice, inspiration
from Shalane Flanagan and from Olympian Alexi Pappas. This is
an incredible opportunity to ask questions directly to these elite athletes.
Rob Simmelkjaer (22:54):
A lot of folks out there may not know that
much about the sports sponsorship business. Maybe they've got a
kid who wants to get into this business. The whole
process of deciding to sponsor an events or an athlete
is actually an interesting one. Tom, for you guys at
New Balance, you sponsor athletes from a pretty wide range
of sports. You're very active in baseball and you've got
(23:18):
tennis now with Coco Gauff, who's had such a great
run. And, of course, you've got amazing runners like Emily
Sisson and our friend Meb Keflezighi, who is now got a new
deal with you guys that we're so excited about. What
do you look for in an athlete at New Balance
when you're thinking about partnering with them to represent the brand?
Tom Carleo (23:38):
Yeah. I mean, beyond the obvious that you want to
associate with excellent athletes, it's a culture- first mentality. And
I think those of you who were around when we
were first meeting with New York Road Runners, it was
the cultural alignment that just made it seem like a no-
brainer. We want athletes that sincerely want to give back
to where they come from or to communities that need
(23:59):
more within their community, whether it's directly related to fitness
or another cause. And across all sports that we're in,
that's embedded into our athlete agreements that they give back
to the communities that they live within around the world.
So that piece of it, again, may sound really cliche,
but it's something that's incredibly important to us, that cultural
(24:22):
fit. We've had a lot of athletes where management has
come to us. We've had the meetings, very, very good
athletes, inspiring athletes on their field of play, but they
just weren't the right cultural fit for where we are.
So first and foremost, it's like understanding our values well
enough that it's really easy to see those values reflected
(24:43):
in our partners. I mentioned before the accessibility to our
athletes, but all of us can tell stories. I was
at an indoor track meet maybe seven or eight years
ago, and a poor young girl, a good runner, miscounted the
laps and she kicked like crazy, thought she had one
lap to go. She had two laps to go and
she was devastated, bawling her eyes out and I just
(25:06):
went over to the family. We had an elite athlete
at the time who had done the same thing on
almost a world stage level. I texted that athlete and
I went up this girl, didn't know who I was
and I said, " So-and- so wants to talk to you."
I handed the phone and they were able to have
this conversation. And the fact that that was easy to
do is a reflection on the type of partnerships that
(25:27):
we seek out.
Rob Simmelkjaer (25:29):
Same question to you, Anne, for MasterCard. You have a lot
of sponsorships, baseball, here at Road Runners. It's a big
part of your business, how you get your brand out
there. What do you look for when you're thinking about
putting your logo in front of a property? What are
the characteristics?
Anne Valentzas (25:45):
Yeah, that's right and it comes back to what I
was talking about earlier with the priceless experiences. So we
are looking to connect our cardholders to their passions, whether
it's sports, culinary, music and entertainment, arts and culture and
we want to connect them in a way that gives
them a very memorable experience, something that has an impression
(26:08):
on them, something that is truly something money can't buy.
That is the soul of priceless.
Rob Simmelkjaer (26:16):
Denise, you guys at Citizens have gone the team route
a lot, and that's an interesting way to go as
well because we all know how passionate people are about
their teams. When you've got your logo next to one
of those teams, it drives a certain amount of passion
as well. It's a different approach to take. What do
you look for there when it comes to the team
sponsorships? How does that impact the way people see you
(26:39):
in the community?
Denise Wolffs (26:40):
I think a lot of it is what Anne said when
she was talking about people being passionate about sports and
really looking for a brand like Citizens really is connected
to the community. We really want to make sure that
the teams that we support are committed to the community,
both on and off the field. And I'm smiling up
here as I get ready to go to the London
(27:01):
series tonight with the Philadelphia Phillies who are currently in
first place, yes, Citizens Bank Park. We did that deal
20 years ago. But let's be honest, team. You can't
always win. I think we'd love to win. Everybody would
love to win every day. But what I will tell
you is our partners, especially our teams, are winning on
and off the field. So for example, I'll give you
(27:22):
just a... If we think about the New York Football
Giants, we really spend a lot of time going into
the communities and going into the schools and working with
the Giants on a program called Play 60. And the
essence of it is very simple, which is getting out
there moving, whatever you're doing, for 60 minutes a day
really helps. It helps mentally and it helps physically. So
(27:44):
we go out into the communities and the schools with
the Giants. It's not about playing football, it's about running
races. It's about climbing the monkey bars. By the way,
don't do that after age 30, it's really not good,
and playing all kinds of games. But in all seriousness, it's
terrific to see the smiles on these kids' faces. And
as we all know, being active is very good for
(28:06):
the mind and for the body.
Rob Simmelkjaer (28:09):
I want to talk specifically to Denise and Anne for
a second about where we are with women's sports right
now. And people talk a lot about this breakthrough moment
that we're in now, driven by Caitlin Clark and other
women out there who are doing great things. But in
running, this is not a new thing. The breakthrough was in
the late '60s and the early '70s when it came to
(28:32):
running. The MasterCard Mini 10K is a race that's been
around since the early '70s. That was the breakthrough. And,
of course, we're seeing more and more women compete at
a high level. But, Anne, through the sponsorship of the
MasterCard New York Mini 10K, MasterCard's showing that commitment to
women in sports. Why? What is it about sports that
(28:55):
you think is so critical and supporting women's sports, in
particular, is so critical to you, guys?
Anne Valentzas (29:00):
Yeah. I don't know if you've heard this stat, but
we recently heard that 94% of female C- suite executives
once played a sport. So at MasterCard, we're hoping that
exposing more people to women's sports can help have a
(29:20):
positive influence and impact the future leaders of tomorrow. That's
why we sponsor not only the MasterCard Mini 10K, but
we do sponsor the New York Road Runners female elite
runners, the pro field.
Rob Simmelkjaer (29:37):
What has it meant for you, personally? You're an athlete,
you're a senior executive at a pretty big company. Why
do you think it is that women who have played sports tend to
do so well in business?
Anne Valentzas (29:47):
You know, I think sports are a way that we learn to
train ourselves. We learn to pace ourselves, we learn to
set goals, we learn confidence. When you set that goal
and you achieve that goal, you become more confident and
you realize that there's nothing really that should hold you
back. That's an important lesson in life. And by the
(30:09):
way, also, you're going to have some setbacks. You're going
to have a bad race, you're going to have struggles,
you're going to have a bad workout. Bouncing back and
realizing that you can overcome that and that you can
have more success next time, that's a really important lesson
that applies to business as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer (30:30):
Denise, when you began your career, you were probably the
only woman in a lot of rooms. You oftentimes, I'm
sure, looked around and there were a bunch of guys
and there was you, especially in this world of sponsorship
and sports marketing and things like that. Now you actually
mentor women who want to be in this space through
(30:51):
a great organization called WISE, Women in Sports and Events.
When you do that mentoring, or for anybody out there
who maybe they're listening or they've got a daughter who
wants to be in a job like yours someday, what's the advice
you give to a young woman who is starting a
career and wants to be in the sports marketing space?
Denise Wolffs (31:09):
It's really simple. Get involved. It doesn't matter what you
do. If you want to help your mom or your
dad with a Little League team, get involved, talk to
the coaches, meet the other players, understand what grit is
all about. And as you said, you're going to have
some setbacks all the time and that happens. But don't
be afraid to ask questions. And I tell people, all
(31:32):
you have to do is ask. The worst thing that
can happen is they say no. And you do it
again, and you do it again, and you do it
again. And I can promise you, I've seen so many
young women from all walks of life get involved in
the business of sports in one way or another.
Rob Simmelkjaer (31:49):
I love it. It's great. I've got a couple daughters
and I could see at least one of them wanting
to go down that path so it's great advice. All
right. Before we let you guys go, I want to
get one kind of memory or moment or something you're
really even looking forward to this year when it comes
to the marathon, the TCS New York City Marathon. Is
there a favorite memory? Tom, I'll start with you. Something
(32:11):
that's really stood out to you as something really great
when it comes to being a part of this event
and everything that it represents in the sport of running
and here in New York?
Tom Carleo (32:22):
I think this year, the intensity we have around community,
around integrating our ambassadors, our athletes, getting all of the
internal New Balance- type stuff we talked about earlier, fully
wired again and seeing that come to life a few
weeks ago in Brooklyn and knowing what that's going to
feel like next year at the Big One is super
(32:43):
exciting. I think last year we all just left with
the tangibles. It was the best year we ever had
in terms of our service to the runners, the sales
line at the expo and at the Run Hub and
online, but also those intangibles of just like how excited
people were to truly feel like they were part of
something that was bigger than them. So yeah, this year,
(33:05):
this whole year so far, has felt really special.
Rob Simmelkjaer (33:09):
Anne, what about MasterCard? What has stood out to you
in terms of a great moment? Something priceless for MasterCard at-
Anne Valentzas (33:15):
Yeah. You know what, if you think about it, this marathon is
a cultural and economic force for the city, but the
backbone of that, the backbone of our communities really is
small businesses. We use this as an opportunity to shine
a light on this diverse small businesses across New York
City and we've done some incredible work with some amazing
(33:39):
small businesses. One of them was our partners, Sol Cacao.
They are a chocolatier in the Bronx. If you haven't
tried them, you should. It's delicious. And they were actually
struggling a bit. They just opened their doors in 2018
and when COVID hit, they were really struggling with their business.
(34:00):
They needed to expand their business online and find a
new footprint. So we have tools and resources to help
small businesses. We have something called Digital Doors that help
small businesses get online. We brought Sol Cacao into the
expo and we gave them that exposure to the 50, 000-
plus runners and friends and family who attend that expo.
(34:23):
We enabled them with tools like Apple Tap to pay
on iPhone, which allowed them to accept payments without a
point of sale device. You just need a phone, an
iPhone and we gave them that incredible exposure. Their business
is booming today. You can actually find them now at
Target so they're a fantastic partner. And that's the stuff
that thrills us. See these small businesses really benefit from
(34:46):
our support and it's an important part of our business.
Rob Simmelkjaer (34:50):
Denise, Citizens hasn't been with us for just quite a
year yet, but what's been the highlight so far?
Denise Wolffs (34:55):
Oh, I'd say besides being there very early that last
November 5th at the starting line, it was the entire
day. But what I'd say really is this. It's really
about connecting with the runners and connecting with the running
community, which is not just about runners. It's the runners,
it's the friends, it's the families, it's the spectators. And
(35:17):
when you think about that expo booth that we did
last year that was illuminated, it was all about really
connecting to the different communities of New York. As I
said, we wanted to show people that we were along
the route and in your neighborhood, and we did. People
were able to go to five different boroughs of New
York, take customized selfies, which was terrific. We were so
(35:37):
proud to partner with New York Road Runners and have
a Citizens green stage with 19 different topics that were
taking place over the three days. But the other thing
I'd say, really, and just to sum it up, is
connecting with the runners and their friends and the families
and seeing the smiles on the faces when they left
the Javits Center and were able to take Citizens- branded
taxis back to their hotels or homes, I should preface
(36:00):
it within a two- mile radius, free of charge, when
they were tired or they wanted to save their legs,
really added to the excitement of the pre- race festivities.
And we couldn't be more excited to continue with the
Citizens Queens 10K to be part of all of the
marquee races that we are so delighted and so honored
to be a part of and to be there on
(36:21):
November 3rd.
Rob Simmelkjaer (36:22):
Denise, before I say goodbye, I just want you to
know, I ran with a guy this morning who wanted
to thank Citizens for the bib pickup in Queens for the
Citizens Queens 10K. He was running the race and loved
being able to pick up his bib out there with
you guys. So that-
Denise Wolffs (36:37):
That's terrific.
Rob Simmelkjaer (36:37):
Can we get a big hand for our incredible group? On
behalf of all of our runners and our members at
New York Road Runners, thank you all for your support
of what we do at New York Road Runners. It
would not be possible without all of you and your
company so thank you very much. Again, thank you to
(36:58):
Peloton for letting us invade and record live here at
Peloton headquarters, this beautiful space here in New York City.
Thanks again to Anne Valentzas, Tom Carleo and Denise Wolffs, and I
am already excited for November. I hope all of you
are as well. If you like this episode of Set
the Pace, make sure to subscribe, rate, leave a comment
(37:19):
for the show, wherever you are listening. This helps other
people find the show as well. Thank you so much.
We'll see you next time on Set the Pace. Enjoy
the miles.
Speaker 6 (37:29):
Get ready to go the extra mile with walking and
running content fit for all levels, available on the Peloton
app. Tap in and track your workouts all in one
place with the Just Walk or Just Run features to
easily get moving towards your goals. No equipment needed. Find
the Peloton app in the Apple, Android and Google App
(37:49):
Stores. Peloton, the official digital fitness partner for New York
Road Runners.
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
(00:26):
time for (inaudible) Look 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 (inaudible)
Rob Simmelkjaer (00:44):
Hey, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Set the
Pace, the official podcast of New York Road Runners, presented
by Peloton. I'm the host of Set the Pace and
the CEO of New York Road Runners, Rob Simmelkjaer, and we
are missing my co- host, Becs Gentry. She's off doing
fancy things, traveling, having a great time. We miss Becs.
(01:04):
She'll be back next week, but I'm going to try
to carry the load again here this week for a
very special episode of Set The Pace. We are here
with a live studio audience in the headquarters of one
of our amazing partners, Peloton. I know many of you
out there are Peloton users and riders, and so we're
so thrilled to be here live at Peloton with this
great audience. Say hi, everybody. Say hi, audience. Absolutely. You
(01:30):
know, June is a big, big month from New York
Road Runners. We've got four big races, including, of course,
the MasterCard, New York Mini 10K, and coming up this
weekend, the Citizens Queens 10K. But even with over 40
events a year, the TCS New York City Marathon is
always on our minds. And so today we're actually recording
(01:50):
this episode in the middle of our annual TCS New
York City Marathon Partner Forum. So we're talking marathon in
June. And for any of you who have run the marathon, and
I know all of your listeners out there, all of
you, a lot of you are running it or you're
training for it, at some point, you'll run past a
bunch of logos. You'll see all these companies on the
(02:11):
side of the course and probably not give that a
lot of thought. And that's okay. You're running a marathon,
we understand that. But behind every single one of those
logos is an incredible commitment to what you are doing
and, frankly, a commitment that is allowing you to do
what you're doing and run the TCS New York City
Marathon. Because we would not have an event like this
(02:35):
if it weren't for the incredible partnership of some of
these brands that we work with year in and year
out. So today we're actually going to talk to three
of the people from those partners who make everything we
do possible and, of course, there is so much passion
in each of those organizations for the sport of running.
So I'm so thrilled to have with us three of
our partners, Anne Valentzas, who's the Senior Vice President of
(02:57):
Consumer Marketing and Sponsorships for MasterCard. Big hand for Anne.
Anne Valentzas (03:01):
Hi, Rob.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:04):
Tom Carleo, who's the Vice President of Running, North America
for New Balance. Hey, Tom. And one of our newest
partners, Denise Wolffs. She's the Senior Vice President and Director
of Sponsorships and Experiential Marketing and Internal Events for the
sponsor of The Citizens Queens 10K, Citizens. Hey, Denise.
Denise Wolffs (03:27):
Hello, everybody.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:30):
Thank you. It's Audioland out there so you can't see,
but Denise is wearing a Citizens' green sweater vest and
a Citizen's green folder as well so we're thrilled. Oh, and
the sneakers have green, so it's all about green at
Citizens. And Denise, we're going to start with you actually
on this since it's the week of the Citizens Queens 10K
as we dropped this podcast. You are, like me, a
(03:53):
longtime New Yorker, but last year was actually your first
time ever actually attending the TCS New York City Marathon
in person. What was it like for you to be
there for the first time as a partner and a
part of this event?
Denise Wolffs (04:08):
That's a great question, Rob. I'm going to take it
back a little bit, if you don't mind. I just
want to remind people if you don't know that Citizens
became a sponsor of New York Road Runners and the TCS
New York City Marathon last August, you know what that
meant? Only three months until Marathon Sunday. We kept saying
it was a sprint, not a marathon, and it really
(04:29):
was, and we did it. We wanted to show up,
glow green, tell her a story about being along the
route and in your neighborhood and we did. So yes,
last year on November 5th, it was 4
cold, I was tired, I had no coffee. My colleague
Jeff out there said to me, " Come on, it's time
(04:49):
to go." We went from Manhattan to Staten Island at 4:
45 in the morning. We got there and, oh my
goodness, Christine, Julie and everybody at New York Road Runners said, "
Denise, I know you're a New Yorker and you haven't
seen it. Get out there, see it and you're not
going to believe it." I don't know if I want
(05:10):
to smile or I want to cry, but when I
was at the starting line and I saw those Citizens
green buses flanking the starting line, I've got to tell
you, it's like nothing else I've ever seen or done
before. Terrific.
Rob Simmelkjaer (05:23):
And, Denise, not only did you guys show up, you
showed up in such a big way. I think people
who were running the marathon, they had to notice Citizens.
It was hard not to notice you guys last year,
so thank you for being a part of this community.
Anne, not only are you involved in this as an
executive at MasterCard, but you're involved as a runner. You
are a pretty serious runner yourself. What has it been
(05:45):
like for you, not just as a MasterCard employee, but
as a runner to get to that finish line of
a marathon, to hear all those people cheering for you?
Anne Valentzas (05:54):
I'll tell you what, Rob, there is nothing like the
TCS New York City Marathon and, for me, it's less
about the finish line and more about the spectators all
along the way. There are spectators lining the entire 26.
2 miles, and in each neighborhood there's a different personality
(06:15):
to these spectators. But what's consistent is the energy. They're
out there and they're cheering for everybody. I always wear
my name on my shirt and I genuinely feel as
if they are cheering for me individually and hoping for
my success. It's a very powerful, incredible race.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:34):
Tom, from New Balance, it probably won't surprise people to
hear that someone, who dedicated their career to a place
like New Balance and the sport of running, started as
a pretty serious runner yourself. You actually qualified for the
1500 meters at the 1988 Olympics trial, so running is really
(06:56):
in your bones, big time. How does it feel for
you to stay a part of this and to be
a part of the TCS New York City Marathon with
New Balance?
Tom Carleo (07:08):
Yeah. So like you said, I ran the 1500 meters,
which is much shorter than a marathon and so I
have been around the New York City Marathon since the
early '90s. I've worked for multiple brands over the years
and I've been lucky enough to have been to pretty
much all the majors and many of the other races
(07:28):
around the world and there's truly nothing like New York.
I think that's been said quite a bit here today,
but there's nothing like New York, just based on everything
we talked about. I have a family of runners, I
have three boys that run in college or ran in
college. My wife ran in high school. Watching how motivated
people get at these marathons to continue moving, the individual
(07:52):
stories are incredible at every marathon around the world, every half-
marathon, around the world. But when you take all of
that time and energy and passion and discipline that the
runners had to go through to get to that starting
line and then you drop those stories into New York
City that truly like the melting pot of the world,
there's really nothing like it. So it's been a blast
(08:13):
now this last seven, eight years to be at this
foundation level partnership with New York Road Runners, simply because
we can participate in the marathon, but also really weave
ourselves into all the events that happen throughout the year.
So incredible for me. I still have no interest in
actually running a marathon, but I get goosebumps every time
(08:37):
I see the crowds and hear the stories.
Rob Simmelkjaer (08:40):
Tom, I often joke around that one of the best
things about being CEO of New York Road Runners is
that New Balance shoes are appropriate footwear anywhere I go.
I could be going to a formal event, I could
be going to the office and running shoes are pretty
much always appropriate for me to wear. For you guys
at New Balance, what has the impact been of being
(09:03):
our partner, being the logo and in the middle of
the expo and at the Run Center on your brand,
on the recognition of your brand, here in New York
City and around the world?
Tom Carleo (09:15):
Yeah, I mean I think it's done a ton of things. I
mean, it's truly made the company feel smaller because there's
not a department that is not involved with the marathon.
The timeliness that is so critical and necessary has forced
us to put teams together that are... We use that
word integrated, but there's truly not a department at New
Balance that's not involved, feels like they're part of it
(09:37):
and feels the weight and the pressure of making sure
that we not just do it, but we do it
really well. So it's brought us together. We work with
our friends at Strava and we build out all different
types of programs that allows us to track, to be
competitive and to set incentives for associates to come to
these events and use them really as prizes. Just Brooklyn,
(09:59):
a few weeks ago, we had close to a hundred
associates from our retail groups from around the country. These
are folks working in sometimes a factory store in California,
comes in and runs the Brooklyn Half and gets to
meet people from corporate, gets to experience things. We have
integrated that, as I said, into almost everything that we
do. You can't just set up for this one event
(10:19):
and then shut down for the year because there's another
event on the docket. So yeah, it's inspired us to
be a running company. It's easier for us probably than
other industries to make running really important internally, but to
see people that never ran a step in their life
now trying to run every event that is part of
the portfolio of Road Runners is really, really cool to see.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:42):
Denise, when Citizens became a partner of New York Road
Runners and the TCS New York City Marathon, this was
part of a much bigger move for your company. You
guys were coming to New York really indeed for the first time, you-
Denise Wolffs (10:56):
We're in the Big Apple, baby.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:56):
... That's right. And you guys had roots in New
England and other parts of the country, and now here
you are in New York, in Queens in particular, as
the title sponsor of the Citizens Queens 10K. How has
the partnership with us helped you guys make a splash
in this market? I know I see your branches now
(11:17):
all over the place. I see the green taxi cabs
during marathon. We haven't been able to get one yet, by the way.
I got to get one of those cabs. But what-
Denise Wolffs (11:23):
I know someone who knows someone.
Rob Simmelkjaer (11:25):
... You know somebody can get me one of those?
How has it been for you in helping you make
an entrance into this market?
Denise Wolffs (11:33):
So yes, we entered the most competitive market in the
world, the New York market in 2022, and we really
developed a strategy around the neighborhoods of New York City
and what makes them so unique. We wanted to partner
with an organization that shared our values and our passion
around connecting with the communities we serve and we looked
for one that had a highly engaged audience. And it's
(11:54):
no surprise that we actively sought out the opportunity, actively,
I may say, for over a year to partner with
New York Road Runners and a big, again, shout- out
to my colleague Jeff in the audience, who really made
it happen. And I'd say that the partnership with New
York Road Runners really helps us demonstrate our commitment to
New York. It really is a great way team to
elevate our exposure 12 months a year with marquee races
(12:18):
across the five boroughs, including the title sponsorship of the
inaugural Citizens Queens 10K happening on June 15th, I'll get
to that in a second and, of course, the iconic TCS
New York City Marathon. So when you come out to
Queens next week, you're not only going to see me,
you're not only going to see my colleagues, you're not
only going to see Team Citizens runners, but we believe
(12:38):
that being committed to the community is not just time
and money, but it's support in many ways. So you'll
see that we support and sponsor the Queens Night Market
where there are a hundred vendors each April through October, every Saturday,
that sell their wares at a discounted price to the
local community, thanks to the support of Citizens. But it's
(13:00):
more than that. It's our colleagues that are volunteering with
them. You'll actually see the CEO of Queens Night Market
running the Citizens Queens 10K, probably along with you, Rob,
who I know you met a couple of weeks ago
with our CEO when we did a panel in Queens
just talking about our commitment. You'll see next week when
we are so excited to have bib sign- up or
(13:20):
runner sign- up. It's going to be at the New
York Run Center, but it's also going to be at
our branch in Queens in Woodside, Queens where we went
out and we tried to figure where was the best
place for people to come. Go check it out. You're
going to hear a radio station. We've got a big
stage. I'm not going to share too much more. It's
very exciting, but we want to see you there. Last
but not least, when you go to the festival after
(13:41):
the race, again, we have a post- race festival that
I think will be phenomenal, family- friendly. We've got bands,
we've got face painting, thank you to my friends at
MasterCard who taught me about it last year with the
MasterCard Mini, but you'll see so many activities. And last
but not least, back to the Queens Night Market and our
support of it, we'll actually be giving out some of
(14:05):
our Queens Night Market vendors food to the participants and
their families free of charge, thanks to Citizens.
Rob Simmelkjaer (14:12):
I love it. You know, Denise, you may have a
very happy set of runners who will really love Citizens after
that race. Because what I am told it is the
flattest, fastest 10K that New York Road Runners puts on
throughout the year. So there are a lot of people, I may
be one of those people, we'll see how I'm feeling
(14:32):
that day, who will be out trying to set a
PR in your race. And I think anyone who sets
a PR in the Citizens Queens 10K should just go
open an account the next day. Don't you think?
Denise Wolffs (14:42):
I like the way you're thinking, Rob. Multiple accounts.
Rob Simmelkjaer (14:45):
All right. We'll see how that plays out.
Denise Wolffs (14:47):
Okay.
Rob Simmelkjaer (14:48):
Anne, MasterCard has been a partner New York Road Runners
since 2020, and your team specializes in connecting your card
holders to their passions. A big part of that is
this amazing Priceless brand that you have had for quite
a while at MasterCard and I don't think there's a
better sort of activation at the marathon than the Priceless
(15:11):
Start that we have every single year, which is an exclusive
thing for MasterCard card holders. Can you talk about what
that Priceless Start is and how that community that you
guys have created through that and other activations has been
so important to MasterCard?
Anne Valentzas (15:27):
Yeah, sure. Happy to. I'll start by just explaining a
little bit about what we mean by priceless because we
do, as you say, we connect our card holders to
their passions through priceless experiences. And by priceless experiences, we
really mean things money can't buy. These are once- in- a-
(15:48):
lifetime opportunities. The Priceless Start is really remarkable. We have
a group of card holders and employees and influencers who
start the TCS New York City Marathon before the elite
athletes so they are the first feet to christen that
course. And as they're heading out, those spectators, they're the
(16:13):
first runners these spectators see, and they get received with
great, great joy and excitement. But there's something magical that
also happens when those elite runners approach because, first of
all, the crowds are roaring, but those elite runners are
coming up behind our runners and those runners are experiencing
(16:34):
it firsthand. Imagine that, you're really feeling what it feels
like to be that elite athlete and feeling their pace
as they come past you and maybe running with them
for a second or two so it is truly priceless.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:50):
Wouldn't it be crazy if one of those Priceless Start
runners just won the marathon?
Anne Valentzas (16:55):
I think we have people who want to. They're going to try.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:59):
That gives nightmares to our pro athletes team if something
like that were ever to happen. But, hey, they're in
the lead for a little bit, so-
Anne Valentzas (17:04):
That's right.
Rob Simmelkjaer (17:04):
... they got a chance. You know, Tom, I've had
a chance to go up to New Balance, to your
headquarters in Boston, see the passion for running that is
throughout the organization, not just the people, but the investment
you guys have made. There's an incredible track, for those
who don't know, right across the street from your headquarters.
(17:26):
You guys host a lot of indoor track and field
events there, collegiate events, all of that. What about among
the employees? Is it all runners? Is there a lot
of competition between employees to get out there and pound
the pavement and be fast? What's the culture like internally
there with running?
Tom Carleo (17:47):
Yeah. I mean, at a certain level, it's hyper- competitive.
I would say, and I'm sort of proud of this,
when I joined New Balance 16- ish years ago, my
personal bests in running, I was one of the faster
people in the company. And between us refocusing on the
category and hiring the right people, there's probably over 20
(18:07):
people that ran a lot faster than I did in
the company today. Our head of sports marketing was second
in the NCAAs. We have two NCAA champions, US champions that
work in our group so it's become incredibly fun and
competitive. The athletes at New Balance, we really build a
culture where the athletes are part of the group, part
(18:29):
of the family. It's not something where they're put on
such a pedestal that they're unreachable. We can text them,
call them for the smallest things or sometimes big things
within the company. So that family mentality that I think
comes with a privately- owned company is real. And having
(18:49):
come from bigger companies and seeing the difference, it's really
real. So I mentioned the internal, the Strava portal and
some of the local races we do and the races
here. Everybody is supporting everybody all the time and, again,
seeing people that never was into running got inspired by
the facility across the street, the organic nature we have,
(19:10):
even with our athletes in other sports. Yesterday, I was
on the phone with Cameron Brink, who's the basketball player
out in LA. Her mom and dad and I worked
together years ago, and Cameron was just coming back from
doing a running television spot. So someone who's not a
runner, but running is part of her life. It's very,
very fun to see that organic nature. So yeah, it
(19:32):
feels like a running company, first and foremost, running almost
above company. You can see we don't invest in head
shots. If you look here, that was I think a selfie.
That was a selfie in a bar I think, actually. But
we do put a ton of investment into the running
community and then what we have at our facilities.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:54):
Denise, Citizens is not a running shoe company, it's a
bank, but you still had 80 runners as part of
Team Citizens and 250 Citizens volunteers, staffing fluid stations along
the course. How does bringing employees to an event like
the TCS New York City Marathon and infusing running into
(20:16):
the culture of the company, how does that change things
in a place like Citizens?
Denise Wolffs (20:21):
Well, I'd say across the company, everyone wanted to get
involved in some way, whether they were in Boston, whether
they were in New York. Rob, just so you know,
we only had three months to get those people (inaudible)
this year. So yes, we had more than 250
colleagues that were part of Team Citizens. They were either
running the actual race. We actually did a contest to
(20:41):
make sure that we got the right runners there. They
all had to tell their stories. We saw and we
heard a lot of stories, whether they were volunteering at
the expo. Hopefully some of you went to the expo
last year, I may talk about it later and saw
us illuminate green. They were volunteering at our cheer zones.
As you said, they were handing out water with community
partners. We actually put on a live stream show at
(21:02):
Mile Marker 12. They hosted customers, clients, and their families
at venues along the course. It was terrific. But I
also say we had, I can say this in this
room, we're in New York, two- time NFL, you can
guess it yet, quarterback from the New York Giants, Eli
Manning, who addressed our entire Team Citizens and actually did
(21:24):
a virtual training and a pep session, which was great.
And lastly, I would say it wasn't just the runners
themselves and the people that participated, but it was the
people that participated from their computers, from their phones. We
had a record number of colleagues that engaged with us
on the intranet, that watched our hype videos, that read
our articles, that read the customer and colleague stories, wanted
(21:45):
to tell some of their own. They posted on their social
channels and then, most importantly, learned how they can get
more involved this year.
Rob Simmelkjaer (21:53):
Love it. Love it. Anne, at MasterCard, is there a lot
of pressure to run fast for the runners there? You
guys have a pretty big group of runners as well.
I know you're one of them. Is there pressure to
perform well with the MasterCard logo on your shirt?
Anne Valentzas (22:07):
Well, we are a competitive set of folks there. I'll
tell you that. So the New York Runners partnership actually
inspired the start of the MasterCard Run Club, which has
now grown to over 600 members globally. And the Run
Club members get access to things like race bibs through
our New York Road Runners partnership, like the MasterCard Mini
(22:29):
10K. We have 50 Run Club members running in that
race. And we also provide access to some of our
ambassadors. So our Run Club members get coaching advice, inspiration
from Shalane Flanagan and from Olympian Alexi Pappas. This is
an incredible opportunity to ask questions directly to these elite athletes.
Rob Simmelkjaer (22:54):
A lot of folks out there may not know that
much about the sports sponsorship business. Maybe they've got a
kid who wants to get into this business. The whole
process of deciding to sponsor an events or an athlete
is actually an interesting one. Tom, for you guys at
New Balance, you sponsor athletes from a pretty wide range
of sports. You're very active in baseball and you've got
(23:18):
tennis now with Coco Gauff, who's had such a great
run. And, of course, you've got amazing runners like Emily
Sisson and our friend Meb Keflezighi, who is now got a new
deal with you guys that we're so excited about. What
do you look for in an athlete at New Balance
when you're thinking about partnering with them to represent the brand?
Tom Carleo (23:38):
Yeah. I mean, beyond the obvious that you want to
associate with excellent athletes, it's a culture- first mentality. And
I think those of you who were around when we
were first meeting with New York Road Runners, it was
the cultural alignment that just made it seem like a no-
brainer. We want athletes that sincerely want to give back
to where they come from or to communities that need
(23:59):
more within their community, whether it's directly related to fitness
or another cause. And across all sports that we're in,
that's embedded into our athlete agreements that they give back
to the communities that they live within around the world.
So that piece of it, again, may sound really cliche,
but it's something that's incredibly important to us, that cultural
(24:22):
fit. We've had a lot of athletes where management has
come to us. We've had the meetings, very, very good
athletes, inspiring athletes on their field of play, but they
just weren't the right cultural fit for where we are.
So first and foremost, it's like understanding our values well
enough that it's really easy to see those values reflected
(24:43):
in our partners. I mentioned before the accessibility to our
athletes, but all of us can tell stories. I was
at an indoor track meet maybe seven or eight years
ago, and a poor young girl, a good runner, miscounted the
laps and she kicked like crazy, thought she had one
lap to go. She had two laps to go and
she was devastated, bawling her eyes out and I just
(25:06):
went over to the family. We had an elite athlete
at the time who had done the same thing on
almost a world stage level. I texted that athlete and
I went up this girl, didn't know who I was
and I said, " So-and- so wants to talk to you."
I handed the phone and they were able to have
this conversation. And the fact that that was easy to
do is a reflection on the type of partnerships that
(25:27):
we seek out.
Rob Simmelkjaer (25:29):
Same question to you, Anne, for MasterCard. You have a lot
of sponsorships, baseball, here at Road Runners. It's a big
part of your business, how you get your brand out
there. What do you look for when you're thinking about
putting your logo in front of a property? What are
the characteristics?
Anne Valentzas (25:45):
Yeah, that's right and it comes back to what I
was talking about earlier with the priceless experiences. So we
are looking to connect our cardholders to their passions, whether
it's sports, culinary, music and entertainment, arts and culture and
we want to connect them in a way that gives
them a very memorable experience, something that has an impression
(26:08):
on them, something that is truly something money can't buy.
That is the soul of priceless.
Rob Simmelkjaer (26:16):
Denise, you guys at Citizens have gone the team route
a lot, and that's an interesting way to go as
well because we all know how passionate people are about
their teams. When you've got your logo next to one
of those teams, it drives a certain amount of passion
as well. It's a different approach to take. What do
you look for there when it comes to the team
sponsorships? How does that impact the way people see you
(26:39):
in the community?
Denise Wolffs (26:40):
I think a lot of it is what Anne said when
she was talking about people being passionate about sports and
really looking for a brand like Citizens really is connected
to the community. We really want to make sure that
the teams that we support are committed to the community,
both on and off the field. And I'm smiling up
here as I get ready to go to the London
(27:01):
series tonight with the Philadelphia Phillies who are currently in
first place, yes, Citizens Bank Park. We did that deal
20 years ago. But let's be honest, team. You can't
always win. I think we'd love to win. Everybody would
love to win every day. But what I will tell
you is our partners, especially our teams, are winning on
and off the field. So for example, I'll give you
(27:22):
just a... If we think about the New York Football
Giants, we really spend a lot of time going into
the communities and going into the schools and working with
the Giants on a program called Play 60. And the
essence of it is very simple, which is getting out
there moving, whatever you're doing, for 60 minutes a day
really helps. It helps mentally and it helps physically. So
(27:44):
we go out into the communities and the schools with
the Giants. It's not about playing football, it's about running
races. It's about climbing the monkey bars. By the way,
don't do that after age 30, it's really not good,
and playing all kinds of games. But in all seriousness, it's
terrific to see the smiles on these kids' faces. And
as we all know, being active is very good for
(28:06):
the mind and for the body.
Rob Simmelkjaer (28:09):
I want to talk specifically to Denise and Anne for
a second about where we are with women's sports right
now. And people talk a lot about this breakthrough moment
that we're in now, driven by Caitlin Clark and other
women out there who are doing great things. But in
running, this is not a new thing. The breakthrough was in
the late '60s and the early '70s when it came to
(28:32):
running. The MasterCard Mini 10K is a race that's been
around since the early '70s. That was the breakthrough. And,
of course, we're seeing more and more women compete at
a high level. But, Anne, through the sponsorship of the
MasterCard New York Mini 10K, MasterCard's showing that commitment to
women in sports. Why? What is it about sports that
(28:55):
you think is so critical and supporting women's sports, in
particular, is so critical to you, guys?
Anne Valentzas (29:00):
Yeah. I don't know if you've heard this stat, but
we recently heard that 94% of female C- suite executives
once played a sport. So at MasterCard, we're hoping that
exposing more people to women's sports can help have a
(29:20):
positive influence and impact the future leaders of tomorrow. That's
why we sponsor not only the MasterCard Mini 10K, but
we do sponsor the New York Road Runners female elite
runners, the pro field.
Rob Simmelkjaer (29:37):
What has it meant for you, personally? You're an athlete,
you're a senior executive at a pretty big company. Why
do you think it is that women who have played sports tend to
do so well in business?
Anne Valentzas (29:47):
You know, I think sports are a way that we learn to
train ourselves. We learn to pace ourselves, we learn to
set goals, we learn confidence. When you set that goal
and you achieve that goal, you become more confident and
you realize that there's nothing really that should hold you
back. That's an important lesson in life. And by the
(30:09):
way, also, you're going to have some setbacks. You're going
to have a bad race, you're going to have struggles,
you're going to have a bad workout. Bouncing back and
realizing that you can overcome that and that you can
have more success next time, that's a really important lesson
that applies to business as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer (30:30):
Denise, when you began your career, you were probably the
only woman in a lot of rooms. You oftentimes, I'm
sure, looked around and there were a bunch of guys
and there was you, especially in this world of sponsorship
and sports marketing and things like that. Now you actually
mentor women who want to be in this space through
(30:51):
a great organization called WISE, Women in Sports and Events.
When you do that mentoring, or for anybody out there
who maybe they're listening or they've got a daughter who
wants to be in a job like yours someday, what's the advice
you give to a young woman who is starting a
career and wants to be in the sports marketing space?
Denise Wolffs (31:09):
It's really simple. Get involved. It doesn't matter what you
do. If you want to help your mom or your
dad with a Little League team, get involved, talk to
the coaches, meet the other players, understand what grit is
all about. And as you said, you're going to have
some setbacks all the time and that happens. But don't
be afraid to ask questions. And I tell people, all
(31:32):
you have to do is ask. The worst thing that
can happen is they say no. And you do it
again, and you do it again, and you do it
again. And I can promise you, I've seen so many
young women from all walks of life get involved in
the business of sports in one way or another.
Rob Simmelkjaer (31:49):
I love it. It's great. I've got a couple daughters
and I could see at least one of them wanting
to go down that path so it's great advice. All
right. Before we let you guys go, I want to
get one kind of memory or moment or something you're
really even looking forward to this year when it comes
to the marathon, the TCS New York City Marathon. Is
there a favorite memory? Tom, I'll start with you. Something
(32:11):
that's really stood out to you as something really great
when it comes to being a part of this event
and everything that it represents in the sport of running
and here in New York?
Tom Carleo (32:22):
I think this year, the intensity we have around community,
around integrating our ambassadors, our athletes, getting all of the
internal New Balance- type stuff we talked about earlier, fully
wired again and seeing that come to life a few
weeks ago in Brooklyn and knowing what that's going to
feel like next year at the Big One is super
(32:43):
exciting. I think last year we all just left with
the tangibles. It was the best year we ever had
in terms of our service to the runners, the sales
line at the expo and at the Run Hub and
online, but also those intangibles of just like how excited
people were to truly feel like they were part of
something that was bigger than them. So yeah, this year,
(33:05):
this whole year so far, has felt really special.
Rob Simmelkjaer (33:09):
Anne, what about MasterCard? What has stood out to you
in terms of a great moment? Something priceless for MasterCard at-
Anne Valentzas (33:15):
Yeah. You know what, if you think about it, this marathon is
a cultural and economic force for the city, but the
backbone of that, the backbone of our communities really is
small businesses. We use this as an opportunity to shine
a light on this diverse small businesses across New York
City and we've done some incredible work with some amazing
(33:39):
small businesses. One of them was our partners, Sol Cacao.
They are a chocolatier in the Bronx. If you haven't
tried them, you should. It's delicious. And they were actually
struggling a bit. They just opened their doors in 2018
and when COVID hit, they were really struggling with their business.
(34:00):
They needed to expand their business online and find a
new footprint. So we have tools and resources to help
small businesses. We have something called Digital Doors that help
small businesses get online. We brought Sol Cacao into the
expo and we gave them that exposure to the 50, 000-
plus runners and friends and family who attend that expo.
(34:23):
We enabled them with tools like Apple Tap to pay
on iPhone, which allowed them to accept payments without a
point of sale device. You just need a phone, an
iPhone and we gave them that incredible exposure. Their business
is booming today. You can actually find them now at
Target so they're a fantastic partner. And that's the stuff
that thrills us. See these small businesses really benefit from
(34:46):
our support and it's an important part of our business.
Rob Simmelkjaer (34:50):
Denise, Citizens hasn't been with us for just quite a
year yet, but what's been the highlight so far?
Denise Wolffs (34:55):
Oh, I'd say besides being there very early that last
November 5th at the starting line, it was the entire
day. But what I'd say really is this. It's really
about connecting with the runners and connecting with the running
community, which is not just about runners. It's the runners,
it's the friends, it's the families, it's the spectators. And
(35:17):
when you think about that expo booth that we did
last year that was illuminated, it was all about really
connecting to the different communities of New York. As I
said, we wanted to show people that we were along
the route and in your neighborhood, and we did. People
were able to go to five different boroughs of New
York, take customized selfies, which was terrific. We were so
(35:37):
proud to partner with New York Road Runners and have
a Citizens green stage with 19 different topics that were
taking place over the three days. But the other thing
I'd say, really, and just to sum it up, is
connecting with the runners and their friends and the families
and seeing the smiles on the faces when they left
the Javits Center and were able to take Citizens- branded
taxis back to their hotels or homes, I should preface
(36:00):
it within a two- mile radius, free of charge, when
they were tired or they wanted to save their legs,
really added to the excitement of the pre- race festivities.
And we couldn't be more excited to continue with the
Citizens Queens 10K to be part of all of the
marquee races that we are so delighted and so honored
to be a part of and to be there on
(36:21):
November 3rd.
Rob Simmelkjaer (36:22):
Denise, before I say goodbye, I just want you to
know, I ran with a guy this morning who wanted
to thank Citizens for the bib pickup in Queens for the
Citizens Queens 10K. He was running the race and loved
being able to pick up his bib out there with
you guys. So that-
Denise Wolffs (36:37):
That's terrific.
Rob Simmelkjaer (36:37):
Can we get a big hand for our incredible group? On
behalf of all of our runners and our members at
New York Road Runners, thank you all for your support
of what we do at New York Road Runners. It
would not be possible without all of you and your
company so thank you very much. Again, thank you to
(36:58):
Peloton for letting us invade and record live here at
Peloton headquarters, this beautiful space here in New York City.
Thanks again to Anne Valentzas, Tom Carleo and Denise Wolffs, and I
am already excited for November. I hope all of you
are as well. If you like this episode of Set
the Pace, make sure to subscribe, rate, leave a comment
(37:19):
for the show, wherever you are listening. This helps other
people find the show as well. Thank you so much.
We'll see you next time on Set the Pace. Enjoy
the miles.
Speaker 6 (37:29):
Get ready to go the extra mile with walking and
running content fit for all levels, available on the Peloton
app. Tap in and track your workouts all in one
place with the Just Walk or Just Run features to
easily get moving towards your goals. No equipment needed. Find
the Peloton app in the Apple, Android and Google App
(37:49):
Stores. Peloton, the official digital fitness partner for New York
Road Runners.
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