December 26, 2024 • 50 mins
On this special holiday edition of Set the Pace, Rob shares some of the most inspiring conversations he’s had on the podcast this year that reflect our new vision of building healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running. Tune in to hear from Peloton instructors and NYRR members who’ve turned to running to help them through difficult times and volunteers building community while helping out at NYRR events. We also share stories about Olympians and Paralympians finding joy in training young athletes and celebrities taking on the TCS New York City Marathon for the first time. Don’t miss this special episode filled with inspiring stories from our running community!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (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.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
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?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
2
Speaker 4 (00:27):
Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes
to the line.
Speaker 5 (00:31):
Pointing to his chest, pointing to the USA he so
proudly wears across his chest. A great day for Meb Keflezighi.
Rob Simmelkjaer (00:43):
Hey everybody, and welcome to a special holiday edition of
Set the Pace presented by Peloton. It's the official podcast
of New York Road Runners, and I am the CEO
of NYRR, Rob Simmelkjaer. And I want to wish each and
every one of you out there a happy, happy holiday
season. Whether you celebrated Christmas yesterday or you're now celebrating
(01:04):
Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, I want to wish everybody a wonderful
holiday season. Hope you're all resting, enjoying it with family,
friends, and even if you're working, hope that you're having
a great week as well. Well, this is a special
edition because we're going to take a little bit of
a look back on some of the most inspiring conversations
we had this past year. And one of the biggest
(01:26):
things we did at New York Road Runners this year
was to launch a brand new mission statement that we
thought was really reflective of what we as an organization
do. This was my second full year as CEO of
New York Road Runners and really wanted to get the
word out in terms of what we are, what we
do. And so we created a new mission statement many
(01:48):
of you may have seen to build healthier lives and
stronger communities through the transformative power of running. That's what
we call our vision statement. And it really reflects so
much of what we do and what all of you
in our community do, our runners, our partners, everyone that
we work with. And we thought we'd just pull segments
(02:09):
from a few of the conversations we had over the
course of the year that really reflect that mission, what
it is that we do as an organization. And I
hope that listening to some of these will also inspire
a lot of you because I think each and every
one of you, you run for a reason. We all
want to be the best version of ourselves, especially as
(02:29):
we now count down the final days of this calendar
year 2024, and look ahead to what will hopefully be
a great 2025 for all of us. So hopefully you
can draw a little inspiration as you go into your
new year from some of the amazing people that we
have spoken to here on Set the Pace this year.
I hope all of you enjoy that. We'll look ahead
(02:50):
to some great, great segments of some great conversations.
Becs Gentry (02:54):
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and Tread+, you can challenge yourself anytime, anywhere. Whether you're
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(03:16):
from it. All access membership separate. Find your push, find
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digital fitness partner for New York Road Runners.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:30):
All right, so let's jump into these conversations about how
running can really transform lives. And I want to start with
Mariana Fernandez and Kirsten Ferguson, two incredibly inspiring Peloton instructors,
each with great stories of their own. They shared with
us how running transformed both of their lives.
Mariana Fernandez (03:49):
I had put myself into " marathon retirement" after my third
marathon and I was living in New York and after
just some hard blows, I would come back to running.
I knew that that was the one thing I had
for myself, that no matter what was happening, I could
put those tennies on and go into Central Park and
(04:12):
that it would serve me and it would bring me
back to a sense of relief, a sense of checking
in with my heart with how things were. And in
that way, that's where I felt like this is a
healthy relationship that I have with something I've had my
whole life. And after a massive breakup and the loss
(04:36):
of a dear friend through suicide, really not finding anything
that could give me a sense of clarity. And I
remember putting my tennies on and just being like, " Let
me just go outside and see what I can do,
and see if I can move, and see if I
can find a sense of solace." And I know that
(05:00):
running and finding movement does that for so many people
in so many different ways, and it can give you
the highest high and allow you to experience joy, but
also help you move through grief when you experience that.
And I found that to be one of the biggest
movements of hope in my life and to come back
(05:24):
to allow me to come into a new chapter of
my life and I keep coming back to it.
Kirsten Ferguson (05:32):
I have learned so much. But the biggest thing is
that you can go through really hard things, really hard
things, really hard things. And all you have to do is get back up and keep
going. Even despite it all, despite the weight, even it's
(05:56):
heavy, you can keep going and that it doesn't have
to always look perfect. I think in my mind, I've
always had this vision of what a runner looked like,
and I've had to let go of that and just
accept who I am and know that I am a
(06:16):
runner and I can finally say that out loud. I think just
recently I've been able to accept that like, " Wait, I
am a runner," and have let go of the vision
of what I thought a runner was. So I think
learning to accept who I am today, knowing that I went through really
(06:37):
hard things and in two weeks this is going to
be the fun part, this is going to be the
celebration of everything, everything I've gone through.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:49):
Let's go now to two New York Road Runner members who
we interviewed this year as part of our member moments,
Susan Wong and Michelle Moore. For both of these runners
running helped to transform their bodies and their minds after
they were faced with some devastating news.
Susan Wong (07:06):
It's just really taught me to live in the present.
When I'm running, I'm grounded in the experience of running at that very moment. I listen, I
feel my heart rate, my breathing pattern. I sense my
cadence, my emotions, the weather and nature around me. It
reminds me of the great fortune that I have in
being able to wake up and live another day. And the
sad reality is that tomorrow is never guaranteed for anyone,
(07:29):
especially so for our boys with Duchenne. I think about
that a lot and remind myself to be generous with
myself, my love and support for others. I think it's
okay to think about the future, but it's really important
to be grounded in today and slow down because it
is truly a gift.
Michelle Moore (07:45):
So I realized that not until just this past year
that writing and running have really played a pivotal role
in kind of being able to recover from loss. And
I found that in my early 20s as I was
trying to navigate this world after my brother died. And
then it wasn't really until 20 years later, so in the
past since 2017 that I really had this kind of
(08:10):
resurgence of where running played this really pivotal role. So
my mom was diagnosed with ALS in 2017, and at that time
I realized I needed to do something to take care
of myself. As a psychologist, I had patients I was
caring for. I was a mother of two children. I
had all these aspects of my life that I knew
I had to hold together while also trying to support
my mom and be a caretaker. And running gave me
(08:32):
this place that I could go that was just for
me where I was alone and I could be with
my thoughts. Sometimes I could cry, I could run fast
if I needed to, whatever I needed just to get
the emotions flowing through. And it was such a relief
to be able to have this space to be able
to get all the emotion out during this really pivotal
time of my life. And at that same time, I
(08:53):
also realized that there was something about distance running, that
having this time to run for long periods of time
also was very cathartic and very therapeutic. And so I
signed up for my first half- marathon in 2017 after
my mom's diagnosis. And after that I just got hooked
and wanted to see how far I could take it
(09:14):
and how much further I could go. And I realized
that a 5K then felt like a sprint and just
wasn't enough time to really get into that pace and
that comfort space. And so getting all the way up
to in 2023, I had an opportunity to run with
ALS Association of Greater New York during the New York
(09:36):
Marathon. And once I got that bib and knew I
had secured that spot, not only was running giving me
this physical wellness that I needed, but it also fulfilled
the spiritual wellness. It was part of my purpose. It
was part of the reason of why I was running.
It wasn't just about the running, it was about taking care
of all these many parts of me and being able
(09:57):
to really give back to the community in a very different way
and raise awareness for ALS.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:03):
Over and over this year, we heard from guests that
one of the greatest gifts running can give is that it
teaches us that we can do more than we ever
thought we could. David Jones told us how he used
that knowledge to persist through a long night's trek to
make it to his daughter's wedding. And also Amy Robach
(10:23):
talked to us about how important it was for her
to pass down that knowledge to her own children.
David Jones (10:30):
But in terms of the trek and accomplishing that, getting
through the night in the pitch dark and through all
the devastation and all that stuff, what it told me,
two things really. One is we can do far more
than we think we're capable of. And I think David
(10:54):
Goggins who wrote, You Can't Hurt Me, the Navy SEAL,
he said, " When you think you've reached your max, you're
only about 40%." And so I believe that. I experienced
it pushing through. And most people who run marathons probably
(11:18):
can agree with that, that there's at some point in
their training or some point on a race day where
you just have to keep pushing through and you find
out you're capable of more than you thought you could.
Amy Robach (11:30):
One of my favorite parts about running and always has
been through all the different stages of my life is
that it's absolutely free. I mean, you can run anywhere
you are. You don't need a gym membership, you don't
need equipment. You do need shoes. That is the one
thing that I know some people don't have access to.
And I know you all do a lot of work
and so many people do in making sure that kids
(11:51):
do have the running shoes they need. But short of
that, you get yourself a pair of shoes, you can
run anywhere and you can take it wherever you go
with you. And I just have always loved the freedom
of that. And then just, yes, teaching kids that they're
stronger than they think. I mean, I've pushed my kids
through running and hiking. And the whole point was to
know what it's like when you can push through pain,
(12:11):
when you can push past pain, get to the other
side of it and really feel a sense of accomplishment.
That is part of building confidence, that is part of
building just the ability to get through tough times. I've
always said that running is a parallel to life. It
really is in so many ways. And I've used my
runs to push past my own emotional pain to think
(12:32):
if I can get through this, I can do that.
And I'll use life to remember my runs. And when
I'm on my runs, I'll remember life. " I got through
this, I can do that." And just all of those types of
lessons are in a run, in a race. And if
we can give that to kids, that is an incredible
tool that they can use for the rest of their lives.
Rob Simmelkjaer (12:50):
We just heard Amy Robach talking about passing along the
lessons to her kids about what perseverance can do and
how running can teach that lesson. Well, sometimes when you
teach those lessons to a kid, you might just turn
them into an Olympian. Here's three- time Olympian and world
champion Jenny Simpson.
Jenny Simpson (13:09):
Rob, I'm so glad you asked about specifically Rising New
York Road Runners because there couldn't be a more appropriate
time for me to be reflecting on the work I
did with you guys there and my own experience. Because
sitting here in Oviedo, Florida, I'm spending several weeks training
in Oviedo, staying with my high school coach in his
(13:30):
house. So those connections stay really strong. But the reason
I think there's such this beautiful connection, one of the
reasons that I was so compelled to work with Rising
New York Road Runners is because the Road Runners provide
free programming for public school kids. And I was just
a public school kid. I had a public school teacher
(13:51):
who was a PE teacher who said, " This girl loves running
around on the playground and at recess. You should maybe
plug that energy into a sport," and suggested an afterschool
running program. And if it weren't for public school teachers
all along the way, including the University of Colorado for
30 years of running, I've never had a private specialized
(14:15):
personal coach. I've had coaches from the public school system
all the way through. And it just shows how incredible
public school teachers are, how incredible PE and art and
music are for kids, how it can open up a
world to them. I didn't come from a family of
(14:35):
sports enthusiasts and athletes and the public school system made
that available and possible and exposed me to that. And
so that's what New York Road Runners are doing for
literally over 100,000 kids in the New York City area.
And to be a part of that was just a
real privilege for me.
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Rob Simmelkjaer (15:13):
One of the things that makes running so special is that
unlike other sports, the champions and the hobbyists all get
to run the same race on the same day, the
same course and the same time. And for people like
New York Road Runner's members, Christine Fagan and Michele Perez,
the results can be intoxicating.
Christine Fagan (15:32):
So like a lot of people, I started running to
lose some weight. I didn't start running until I was
40. I was going to the gym. I had gained
some weight, but then I started running and I loved
the feeling of being outside. I loved being alone with
my thoughts. The pounds dropped off. I ran about four
miles a day near the water, and then a lot
of my friends ran races with New York Road Runners.
(15:54):
I didn't know much about that, but my friend Mike
encouraged me to sign up and I was hooked.
Michele Perez (16:00):
To be honest I started running because I delivered my
daughter. And after delivering her, I did suffer from postpartum
depression and I didn't know how to deal with it.
A lot of my friends had already had children that
were teenagers. No one had small babies like me. And
a girlfriend of mine said, " You need to get out.
You need to be active. You need to be with
other people." I had always ran in the gym. She said, "
(16:23):
Why don't you try running outside? Look for social groups."
And I searched on Facebook and I found New York
Road Runners and I immediately just started registering for races.
And it was the best thing I could have done.
I started meeting people, I started interacting with them, registering
for more races. As far as the Six Stars is
(16:44):
concerned, I did not have a plan. It just happened
to be that I kept checking off all of these majors.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:51):
For some runners, running can be a way to heal
from a difficult medical situation, including surgery. Rob Roberts was
the 2024 NYRR Runner of the Year in the non- binary
category, age 40 to 45. And Rob joined us to
talk about his journey.
Rob Roberts (17:07):
I had a, I'll call it a minor surgery, but
important to me on March 13th of 2020, which here
in New York was exactly two days before the hospitals
shut down because of COVID. And running helped me with
that recovery and helped me fill a void. I travel
for work. I'm in consulting. I'm on the road every
(17:31):
week, and all of a sudden I went from that
to never leaving my house. At the same time, the
world was kind of falling apart around me and sanity
and sleep were difficult to come by, and I kind
of had a choice that I could make. I could
sit on my phone at three in the morning and
doom scroll and let anxiety and bad news consume me, or
(17:54):
I could get out and do something kind of positive.
And following that surgery, it was a unique experience even
for the doctor who said, " I can't approve you to
go out and run. I can't approve you to lift
weights until I see you. So I don't really know
what I could do, but go out and walk." So
I did and I started walking and I started walking further and
(18:16):
I started walking faster. And then I met with the
doctor virtually and we talked about it. I got myself,
one of my goals was to do a half- marathon,
whether it was speed walking or jogging or whatever it
was. And I hit that goal in an unofficial way
in the summer of 2020. And my doctor was great about it. He went, "
(18:38):
I didn't mean that you'd never run a half- marathon.
I was just trying to prepare you for life." But he
really inspired me by saying, " Hey, look, this is something
that you may not do." I was able to turn
that into something that I could do. And getting out
and running gave me an outlet for my energy. It
let me burn off anxiety. And it also, probably more
(19:02):
importantly, and part of the reason why we're here is
it helped me find supportive community of runners and friends
who got me to do the crazy things that I
do now like running.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:14):
One of our favorite conversations from the year was with
Jessie Malone. And who can forget Jessie's story. Her life
took a dramatic turn when her Apple Watch alert led
her to a hospital bed. The shock of that moment
and the subsequent hospital stay opened her eyes to the
importance of focusing on her health, which naturally included running.
Jessie Malone (19:36):
Well, it's kind of really hard news to hear that
you're the cause of this problem, but it's also the
best news because, great, I can get myself out of
this, I can make these changes. And I just remember
laying there and I was like, " I will never be in this
(19:59):
position again if I have anything to do with it." So
just off the bat, it was like things were giving
up caffeine, which was actually the hardest part was giving
up caffeine. Gave up caffeine. I was like, " There's going
to be no drinking as that can contribute to Afib."
(20:19):
And then I was like, " I need to take my
health as seriously as I take work." So I was like, "
If I set myself up on a really good schedule
and prioritize my health and my heart has to be
priority number one." So that's where it started. It was
basically started meal prepping and then slowly integrating movement. So
(20:46):
the first thing, the first two days I was just
at home on the couch, my parents came, so it was just
movies and crying. And then Jess and I went on
a walk around the block with the dogs, and I've
never been more scared in my life to go on
(21:06):
a walk because I was like, "Am I okay? What's this going
to feel like? Am I going to ... Is getting my
heart rate up even safe?" So yeah, I just started really, really
slow as far as movement goes and then went from there.
Rob Simmelkjaer (21:28):
Of course, I have to ask, when did running get
into the mix and when did this idea of not
just doing a bit of running but running a marathon
even get into your head? I'm fascinated by that because
a year after, the actual one- year anniversary or so
of this event, you end up running your first marathon.
(21:51):
How did that even get to be planted in your mind?
Jessie Malone (21:55):
So that happened about six months in, because I slowly,
slowly was taking classes on the Peloton bike because I had
my heart rate monitor on. I felt safe that I could
see the number on the screen. That just felt really
good to me. And I needed to build muscle and
(22:15):
I was also losing weight at the same time. So
my six- month checkup is when I kind of got
out of the woods, even as far as they were
thinking maybe I might need a pacemaker. So I got
out of the woods for the pacemaker. I was feeling
good as far as my training was going, and I
(22:36):
asked. I was like, " Can I push this and do
something big, let's say a marathon?" And my cardiologist gave
the thumbs up. I called my best friend Jess, and
I said, " Listen, I'm going to do a marathon in six months. I'm
going to do it the one year from the hospital discharge."
Rob Simmelkjaer (22:54):
But sometimes the story works the other way around. Sometimes
being a runner can actually save a person's life. Dr.
Arnie Weg shared with Meb this year his story of
how his years long- running habit kept him off an
intubator early on during the COVID epidemic.
Arnold Weg (23:11):
Well, as you started mentioning, I mean I was about
320 pounds. I really just wasn't taking care of myself,
not eating right, not exercising. And in about 2005, 2006, I
went on a low carbohydrate diet and I felt very
(23:31):
strongly that it would be important to incorporate exercise. And
since running was the best exercise, I started running. Then
I started doing races in 2007, at which point I had
done my first New York City half- marathon and then
a marathon and have used that as a pivotal portion,
essential part of my health maintenance and weight maintenance protocol.
(23:56):
So it was actually March of 2020 I fell victim with
a very big case of COVID. I was hospitalized, I
was in the intensive care unit. And I was in
the intensive care unit at Cornell where I'm an associate
professor of medicine and teach the people that were taking care of
me and they take great care of me. My oxygen
level had gone down to 75 and they had moved
(24:19):
me to the intensive care unit with the intention of
intubating me. At the same time, my son, who now
practices with me and his brother who are trying to
get approval for remdesivir and were on multiple media, including
CNN and NBC and ABC and various different news organizations, and had
(24:40):
shown videos of me running the New York City Marathon
as part of who I was and what I was.
In the interest of trying to avoid intubation, I convinced
the pulmonologists that I could sustain a high level of
physical stress and to try to allow me to try
(25:00):
to do this based on my stamina from running marathons
and my daily exercise. They agreed because they had seen
my accomplishments in road running and I saved off intubation,
which I think in large measure contributes to the fact
that I'm here today and able to talk to you.
Rob Simmelkjaer (25:19):
For some of our members, including 86- year- old Julianne
Grace, a lifetime of running has meant a lifetime of
health. Here Julianne talks about what it meant to her
to run the Mini 10K this year for the 48th time.
Julianne Grace (25:33):
It gives me a goal. I see family members obviously different times
during the year, but somehow that Mini shines there, like
something at the end of the street where you see
it and you want to get to it. It keeps
me going. I've been very lucky and I'm very grateful.
(25:56):
I still have my original knees and hips and at
age 86, that's saying a lot. But I get out
and I run from four to seven miles, typically five
days a week. And it's pretty flat here in Florida.
And of course the Mini has hills. But it's a
goal, and I think each of us needs goals and
(26:19):
each of us needs to move. My message to people
in the octogenarian period is move, just move. If you
can walk or run or bicycle ride or do yoga,
move. So to me it's movement and keeping at it,
keeping a goal. I'm trying to build up my distance.
(26:41):
So I've been doing more 10 kilometer and seven mile
runs. I try to do intervals during my runs, a speed-
up and then a slow- down to a very slow
jog. But I have to admit, I've gotten much slower
over the years. I mean, last year I finished the
Mini in 14 minute miles, and I know a number
(27:03):
of people in my age group are running much better
than that. But I keep on slogging along and I
figure I'm an example of just an ordinary person running.
You do what you can.
Rob Simmelkjaer (27:17):
I especially love to hear stories about how running has
turned people's lives around and led them to much better
outcomes than they ever could have imagined. One of those
stories was from Janie Deegan, the founder of Janie's Life
Saving Pie Crust Cookies, and she told us the story
of how running helped her fuel a true turnaround of
her life.
Janie Deegan (27:38):
A friend of mine who I was nannying for her
daughter, I saw her, she had just given birth. Her
daughter was, I don't know, three months, four months. Or
maybe a little later. It was probably like a year after
her daughter was born and I was nannying for her daughter.
So I was seeing her every day and she started running.
And I remember I'd be out with her daughter in
the park and I'd see my friend running around us.
(28:00):
And I saw her over the course of a couple
months going from not being able to run a quarter
mile, more than a quarter mile at a time and
doing quarter mile, walking a quarter mile, running a quarter
mile. I saw her go from that in a really physical way
to being able to run a whole mile and then
two miles, and then all of a sudden her sister lives
(28:20):
in Atlanta. They were training for the New York Marathon, the
New York Half Marathon in March together. It's still the
United Half, right?
Rob Simmelkjaer (28:30):
That's right. Yep.
Janie Deegan (28:31):
Yeah. So they were training for the United Half together,
and I was like, " This is wild." And not only
did I see her physically change, but I saw her
spirits change and she had this light in her eyes
and I was like, " Oh my God, if she can
do that. She just had a child. If she can
do that, maybe I can." And then another thing happened
(28:52):
is that I heard that exact same time all within
a month or two, I heard this woman who probably
had 20 years sober, and it was November and it
was the day after the marathon. And I was in
a conversation listening to her with a bunch of other
people, and I didn't know her very well. And she
was talking about how she had just run the New
York City Marathon yesterday. And this woman has tried every
(29:14):
drug in the world. And she was like, " The New
York City Marathon was the best high I've ever had
in my life." And I'm tearing up a little thinking
about it. And I was like, " Sign me up." These
three things together were just this magic little open the
(29:34):
door a little bit in my mind. And a couple
months later, it was time to sign up for Road
Runner's Races, and it was probably January, two months later
and my friend who was training for the New York
half was like, " Oh, why don't we sign up? There's
(29:55):
this women's race called the Mini 10K, and only women
run it. And why don't we sign up for that
together? And that can sort of be your next goal
is running 6. 1 miles." And so I signed up
for that and then thinking back, heard this woman speak
(30:17):
and was like, " There's this thing called the 9+ 1.
Why stop at one race? Let's do nine this year,"
like a true addict. And she was like, " That's crazy."
And I was like, " Just do it. Just give in.
You're running 13 miles. Why can't you run twice that in a
(30:37):
year and a half? You have a year and a half to
train and I have a year and a half to
train." And so that's sort of what started it off.
And it was just, so I think the Mini 10K,
I signed up for, it was when it was much
easier to sign up for races.
Rob Simmelkjaer (30:52):
Yes.
Janie Deegan (30:53):
So this was 2016, so I signed up for the
Mini 10K, and was just like ... I was like, " There's
no way I'm going to be able to run six
miles," and that one foot in front of the other,
it was just such a miracle. What was crazy was
that for me, running is always synced up with huge
(31:17):
personal growth, spurts of personal growth. And that's sort of
at the same time, 2015 I had started the business,
but 2016 is when I really pushed forward. And same
with 2017 right before the marathon in 2017. So a
year and a half later I was able to go full- time with my
business and quit my day job. And then on top
(31:40):
of that, my autoimmune disorder went into remission. And I
remember a doctor being like, " Well, you're training for a
marathon, right? And I was like, " Yeah." He's like, " Exercise
is the most powerful anti- inflammatory. Isn't that interesting?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (31:54):
Chef Daniel Humm of 11 Madison Park was a pro
cyclist before he was a chef. For Chef Humm, running
became the bridge between his passion for cooking and his
body's need for intense physical activity and competition.
Daniel Humm (32:08):
Cycling is extremely dangerous and it was very competitive and
I wasn't going to be the best. So I sort
of pivoted towards cooking, which I had this tremendous love
to. And yeah, I kind of made cooking my new
sport. It's very much in that way, it's more like
(32:31):
a team sport, but for me it always has been about
competing, about being the best. And so I definitely drew
a lot of parallels to it. I ran cross country
before cycling. So running was always sort of in me,
(32:56):
but then when I started cooking, I definitely didn't have
as much time anymore to go on the bike. And
as you know, to get a solid bike ride in,
it's a three- hour commitment. I think when you go
for a run in 45 minutes or an hour, you
can get a really solid run in. So it was
(33:17):
more like timing wise, running started to be much more
suitable to my schedule. And then moving to New York,
I mean the New York Road Runner, I mean, it's
such an incredible organization, truly the way the races are
organized, the amount of races there are. And then of
(33:42):
course also I think Central Park is the greatest place
to run in the world. So as I moved to
New York, I joined New York Road Runners, and ever
since it's been such a big part of my being
here in this city.
Rob Simmelkjaer (33:57):
Building communities has been a part of New York Road
Runner's mission since its founding in 1958. For New York
Road Runner's members like Dana Coleman, that has meant no
matter where she is in her life, the NYRR community
is always there for her to return to.
Dana Coleman (34:12):
New York Road Runners is amazing. They are always there. And
there have been periods in my life when I haven't
been able to run as regularly when I've had children through
after childbirth or different family things that have taken me
(34:33):
away or personal traumas. But anytime I've been ready to
come back, New York Road Runners has been the vehicle
that's helped me get back to running. And I never
pause for long. I know through COVID, through just all
(34:56):
kinds of things. It's always there and it's always something
to work towards. And whenever I show up for a
race, there's always other runners with me. I'm never alone.
I showed up to volunteer last month for the New
York Retro in the pouring rain. It was so rainy,
(35:17):
it was such a heavy downpour, and there were just
so many enthusiastic runners that I was able to tear
on, and it's just so inspiring. They're just lovely. I
love it and I love that I can consider myself a part of that.
Rob Simmelkjaer (35:33):
I love stories about how people come together during races
to support each other. Bachelor Matt James shared a great
story about how the community came together to support him
during the London Marathon, something I experienced myself during the
Berlin Marathon I ran this past September.
Matt James (35:51):
But I love the community aspect of it. I love being
able to be social and build community around things outside
of going to a bar, drinking, those type of activities. I
love the idea of building friend groups, network, networks around
(36:12):
those type of activities and some of my best friendships.
And you spend a lot of time with these people
when you're training. And it's what I look forward to
most. When I have someone like a Shalane that's going
to selflessly decide to pace me. One of the coolest
things that's ever happened to me since I've become a
(36:32):
runner or self- proclaimed runner is the London Marathon this
year. I had a goal of going under three hours
and I had no pacer. This was like my first
time running a marathon without a pacer, and I didn't
know anybody running the race. I didn't know anybody out
(36:54):
there. And it's the day of the race. I just am
going to try to pace myself. I'm just going to
hold myself to whatever time I need to hold myself to. And
I'm on a bus headed to the starting line of
the marathon, and I meet the most amazing people ever,
(37:15):
Tommy, Mikey Kratzer, Mikey Kratzer, he's a Berlin- based marathon
runner. And we just get to talking about running and
he's like, " What's your goal for the day?" And I'm like, "
Oh, I want to try to go into three hours.
I've never done it." And this guy, I've never met
this guy in my life. And he's like, " Matt, I'm
(37:37):
going to pace you." He's like, " I'm going to get
you to that goal." And I'm just like, almost brought
me to tears on the bus, these random strangers from
all over the world. Tommy's from Detroit, Mikey's from Berlin,
and they're just like, " Yeah, we got you." And then
made it about pacing me. And that's what the running
(37:58):
community is. It's such a selfless place to be. And
there's been so many instances I've seen that with other
people on the course. It's like if someone's hurting, if
someone needs that extra motivation, race day stories of complete
strangers motivating and pushing people to the finish. And that's,
(38:19):
to answer your question, those type of interactions keep my
mind off of going from these short wind sprints to
being able to endure a long, treacherous route, is having
an amazing community, amazing people who decide to uplift you
(38:40):
and make a race day experience the best. And that's
why I look forward to New York every year.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:46):
Yeah, Matt, I know exactly what you're talking about. I
had a similar experience in Berlin, I've talked about on
the podcast. I ran Berlin, was struggling the last few
miles, and a New York Road Runners member who just
recognized me, came along with me and Roberto. We were
running together and helped me get through the finish line
as well. So it's amazing how people want to help
each other out there. And these communities persist through sickness
(39:11):
and absence and family responsibilities. New York Road Runners member,
Ido Simyoni discovered just that this year as he recovered
from surgery.
Ido Simyoni (39:20):
When I stopped running, I was very solace. I was like, "
I don't understand how can you run with other people?
What does it mean? I'm just going for a run."
And again, I don't know if you've heard it before,
I didn't even consider myself as a runner before. I
think the first two years I say, " I'm someone who
goes on runs, but I'm not a runner. I'm not a runner."
I did maybe four marathons by then. I'm like, " No,
(39:42):
I'm not a runner. I'm just someone who goes for a run." But the
community is something that as you keep going on running
and you go to races, and I want to give a
big kudos to New York Road Runners, and I encourage
a lot of my friends who are just like me
starting to run. They see me and they're like, "Hey, I want us to go
run," or, " I went for a run." I'm like, " Go for
(40:04):
a race." " No, I can't go for a race." " Why
can't you go for a race?" 'Cause I think the
word race scares people, but what I want to say
is that I met friends through New York Road Runners races.
So I'm not even talking about run clubs. I'm talking
about going to a race, being in a corral. By
the way, I started in Coral B when I started
(40:24):
running, and then now I'm in Coral A for New York
Road Runners. But the people, you see them every week
and you run next to them on the race. At
the end of the race, you talk to them and
you walk. You do the walk outside and you make
friends. And that's an amazing feeling. And that community stayed
with me. And I think that's another fear that I had.
(40:47):
I am off running. I was not running for almost
seven months after my surgery. Will my friend? I don't
share the same hobbies with them. I don't go for
runs with them. And they did. They were there for
me and they were there in the most genuine and
beautiful way of like, " We're waiting for you. Don't worry.
(41:08):
Your shoes are here. The road is waiting for you.
The races are waiting for you. Just get the approval
from your surgeon to run and you'll be able to
do it."
Rob Simmelkjaer (41:18):
For first time marathoners, Sovena Ngeth, everything about running was
new, including the community.
Sovena Ngeth (41:24):
When the pandemic hit, all the gyms were shut down.
And during that time, I was in my senior year
of college and I remember literally waking up and everything
was shut down. We had no more in- person classes,
no social events to go to, no graduation, and not
even the gym at the bare minimum. And that's when
(41:46):
I got introduced to running. At that time, my boyfriend
was training for a half- marathon that unfortunately got canceled
because of the pandemic. And I just remember thinking to
myself for the first time, " Are humans really capable of running 13
miles?" Keep in mind, I was super new to running,
so I couldn't even wrap my head around what a half-
(42:08):
marathon was. And then a couple of years later, I
watched my boyfriend and two of our friends complete their
first half- marathon. And there's something about seeing your peers
accomplish something that kind of makes it more achievable for
you to do. So I feel like running was learning
a new language for me. It was something super brand
(42:30):
new, but it was something that helped me beat the
overwhelming sense of depression and anxiety that the pandemic had
caused. Again, I was a senior in college who didn't
get to walk for graduation. And as a first- generation
student, that really hurt because I really wanted to celebrate
that with my family. But yeah, I think that something
I definitely learned about myself with running was that I am so
(42:53):
capable of anything that I put my mind to. And
signing up for the New York City Marathon was the
first step in this long training block and just being
able to accomplish my crazy goals. I just did a 19-
mile run on Saturday, and just even doing that I
was shocked at myself and my body, especially also with
just the New York City running community. It's so inclusive. And
(43:17):
just seeing people run at Central Park at the New
York Road Runner races, there's such a sense of belonging
and a sense of community in that.
Rob Simmelkjaer (43:25):
Community is a big part of every program we run
here at NYRR. Run for the future coach, Shelly Ramoni, and
2024 New York Road Runners Volunteer Hall of Fame inductee,
Chandra Darsan, are passionate about the communities they are building
with NYRR.
Shelly Ramoni (43:42):
Everyone's walking into this program, very scared, very nervous, very
unsure of themselves, their bodies and what they're going to
do. There were a couple of young women that knew
each other, but most of them are coming into this
program, not really knowing anyone. And by the end, we
(44:02):
had a celebration breakfast and these young women were sitting
around and they didn't want to leave. They had become
such close friends with one another. And to just see
that and see how running builds this community, I mean,
I've experienced that myself as an adult and the people that
(44:25):
I have come to know, coaches, fellow runners, we've watched
each other get married, have families, watch their kids grow up.
Chandra Darsan (44:39):
Open Run is all about community, family, coming out there.
It's free races, bringing people together, learning about different culture,
staying healthy, helping you with your mental health. You meet
people from all different races, culture, and what's important is
(45:02):
being there for each other and helping out each other,
inspiring each other. We're there every day and staying positive
and having that kind of energy around everyone and they
continue to come back.
Rob Simmelkjaer (45:18):
One of the things that we are most proud of here
at NYRR is the opportunity that we've had to build
entirely new running communities. Five- time New York City Marathon
Champion and six- time Paralympian, Tatyana McFadden, shared the impact
that all of that has had on her.
Tatyana McFadden (45:34):
Well, I first want to thank NYRR for starting the wheelchair
program because nothing brings me more joy than seeing the
kids together. It's across all walks of life. And I
love that. And I think the kids also really enjoy
(45:54):
it together because they learn from each other, right? Kids
with disabilities are interacting with kids with not disabilities, and
they both can learn so much from each other. So
as they get older, they can say, " Hey, I met
someone with disability and they're awesome. We raced together in
(46:16):
Times Square. We did the 100- meter dash, we did
the 400- meter dash, and gosh, they were fast and
they were really cool, and now they're my friend." And
so it really teaches such a really important skill and
that acceptance. And so I really, really thank New York
Road Runners for that. And my message is to have
(46:38):
fun while you're out there. Life is not about what
you don't have. It's what we do with the gifts
that you're given. And to really enjoy every minute out
there. It's not always about winning races. It's about just
having fun and just really enjoying what you're doing. And
maybe it's about goal setting and having that courage and
(47:01):
taking that risk and having fun with your friends that
you're doing it with.
Rob Simmelkjaer (47:07):
I couldn't say it any better than the great Tatyana
McFadden. Life's not about what you don't have. It's about
what we do with the gifts that we're given. And
for all of us here at New York Road Runners,
you are community. You are one of the greatest gifts
we could give or receive. So thank you all so
much for being a part of this community. That does
it for the year of Set the Pace. I want.
(47:29):
Thank my great co- host, Becs Gentry and Meb Keflezighi and
frequent guest host, Carrie Tollefson. Thank you, Carrie. And now
I want to thank all of our guests this year
to everybody out there who has towed the line at
any of our races and to our whole team at
New York Road Runners that makes everything possible, including the
group that helps us put on this podcast every week.
(47:51):
And there's a lot of great people. We're going to
thank here at the end of the year, our audio
engineer, Lou Pellegrino, our producers, Kathryn Jones and Matt Singer,
our production manager who's left us, we miss him, but
we still think of him, Kyle Vines, our fact- checkers
and quality control team, Gordon Bakoulis, Stefanie Leland, Christine Burke,
Tamikka Pate, and Summon Wakad, our marketing lead, Angie Sit,
(48:15):
our pro athlete team who help us book our incredible
set of pro athlete guests, Dorian Kail and Sam Grotewold, members of our
business development team who get our partner guests on, Julie
Schweigert, Artie Athas, and Anne Liao, our PR team, Crystal Howard, Stuart
Lieberman, Carole Harsch, and Laura Paulus, as well as Emily
Heine. Some of our team members who've helped bring our
(48:36):
live shows around the world to life, including Brian Yu,
Nicole Bocchi, Kayleen Romero, Lorraine Lowe, Denise Mileson, Courtney Yu,
Erin Feeney, Zach Forman, and Bryan Benavides. And to our
incredible sponsors at New Balance, Volvo, HubSpot, Shake Shack. And
last but not least, our incredible partners at Peloton, the
(48:58):
title sponsor of Set The Pace, including Nicole St. Jean,
Katie Van Buren, Emily Rothschild, Denise Kelly, Barry Perlman, and
Alana Crotcht. Just like all of our races, this podcast
truly takes a village. Thanks to everybody who's helped us
put it on all year. But hey, the running year
is not over yet. We'll see some of you at 11:
(49:19):
59 this December 31st for the annual New York Road
Runners Midnight Run, so we can all ring in the
New Year together and a new year of healthier lives,
stronger communities, and the transformative power of running. Set the
Pace will be back on January 2nd to ring in
the New Year with a special resolutions episode. So we
can't wait to have you join us then. Thank you
(49:41):
so much for joining us all year. We appreciate you.
Have a great, great holiday. Enjoy the miles, and we'll
see you in 2025.
Thank you, New York. Today, we're reminded of the power
of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on your mark.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
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?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
2
Speaker 4 (00:27):
Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes
to the line.
Speaker 5 (00:31):
Pointing to his chest, pointing to the USA he so
proudly wears across his chest. A great day for Meb Keflezighi.
Rob Simmelkjaer (00:43):
Hey everybody, and welcome to a special holiday edition of
Set the Pace presented by Peloton. It's the official podcast
of New York Road Runners, and I am the CEO
of NYRR, Rob Simmelkjaer. And I want to wish each and
every one of you out there a happy, happy holiday
season. Whether you celebrated Christmas yesterday or you're now celebrating
(01:04):
Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, I want to wish everybody a wonderful
holiday season. Hope you're all resting, enjoying it with family,
friends, and even if you're working, hope that you're having
a great week as well. Well, this is a special
edition because we're going to take a little bit of
a look back on some of the most inspiring conversations
we had this past year. And one of the biggest
(01:26):
things we did at New York Road Runners this year
was to launch a brand new mission statement that we
thought was really reflective of what we as an organization
do. This was my second full year as CEO of
New York Road Runners and really wanted to get the
word out in terms of what we are, what we
do. And so we created a new mission statement many
(01:48):
of you may have seen to build healthier lives and
stronger communities through the transformative power of running. That's what
we call our vision statement. And it really reflects so
much of what we do and what all of you
in our community do, our runners, our partners, everyone that
we work with. And we thought we'd just pull segments
(02:09):
from a few of the conversations we had over the
course of the year that really reflect that mission, what
it is that we do as an organization. And I
hope that listening to some of these will also inspire
a lot of you because I think each and every
one of you, you run for a reason. We all
want to be the best version of ourselves, especially as
(02:29):
we now count down the final days of this calendar
year 2024, and look ahead to what will hopefully be
a great 2025 for all of us. So hopefully you
can draw a little inspiration as you go into your
new year from some of the amazing people that we
have spoken to here on Set the Pace this year.
I hope all of you enjoy that. We'll look ahead
(02:50):
to some great, great segments of some great conversations.
Becs Gentry (02:54):
Ready to level up your running? With the Peloton Tread
and Tread+, you can challenge yourself anytime, anywhere. Whether you're
building strength or working on speed, Peloton has a class
for every goal, from 5 to 120 minute workouts. With
muscle building classes and flexible training options, you'll have everything
you need to crush your next race and then recover
(03:16):
from it. All access membership separate. Find your push, find
your power at onepeloton. com/ race- training. Peloton, the official
digital fitness partner for New York Road Runners.
Rob Simmelkjaer (03:30):
All right, so let's jump into these conversations about how
running can really transform lives. And I want to start with
Mariana Fernandez and Kirsten Ferguson, two incredibly inspiring Peloton instructors,
each with great stories of their own. They shared with
us how running transformed both of their lives.
Mariana Fernandez (03:49):
I had put myself into " marathon retirement" after my third
marathon and I was living in New York and after
just some hard blows, I would come back to running.
I knew that that was the one thing I had
for myself, that no matter what was happening, I could
put those tennies on and go into Central Park and
(04:12):
that it would serve me and it would bring me
back to a sense of relief, a sense of checking
in with my heart with how things were. And in
that way, that's where I felt like this is a
healthy relationship that I have with something I've had my
whole life. And after a massive breakup and the loss
(04:36):
of a dear friend through suicide, really not finding anything
that could give me a sense of clarity. And I
remember putting my tennies on and just being like, " Let
me just go outside and see what I can do,
and see if I can move, and see if I
can find a sense of solace." And I know that
(05:00):
running and finding movement does that for so many people
in so many different ways, and it can give you
the highest high and allow you to experience joy, but
also help you move through grief when you experience that.
And I found that to be one of the biggest
movements of hope in my life and to come back
(05:24):
to allow me to come into a new chapter of
my life and I keep coming back to it.
Kirsten Ferguson (05:32):
I have learned so much. But the biggest thing is
that you can go through really hard things, really hard
things, really hard things. And all you have to do is get back up and keep
going. Even despite it all, despite the weight, even it's
(05:56):
heavy, you can keep going and that it doesn't have
to always look perfect. I think in my mind, I've
always had this vision of what a runner looked like,
and I've had to let go of that and just
accept who I am and know that I am a
(06:16):
runner and I can finally say that out loud. I think just
recently I've been able to accept that like, " Wait, I
am a runner," and have let go of the vision
of what I thought a runner was. So I think
learning to accept who I am today, knowing that I went through really
(06:37):
hard things and in two weeks this is going to
be the fun part, this is going to be the
celebration of everything, everything I've gone through.
Rob Simmelkjaer (06:49):
Let's go now to two New York Road Runner members who
we interviewed this year as part of our member moments,
Susan Wong and Michelle Moore. For both of these runners
running helped to transform their bodies and their minds after
they were faced with some devastating news.
Susan Wong (07:06):
It's just really taught me to live in the present.
When I'm running, I'm grounded in the experience of running at that very moment. I listen, I
feel my heart rate, my breathing pattern. I sense my
cadence, my emotions, the weather and nature around me. It
reminds me of the great fortune that I have in
being able to wake up and live another day. And the
sad reality is that tomorrow is never guaranteed for anyone,
(07:29):
especially so for our boys with Duchenne. I think about
that a lot and remind myself to be generous with
myself, my love and support for others. I think it's
okay to think about the future, but it's really important
to be grounded in today and slow down because it
is truly a gift.
Michelle Moore (07:45):
So I realized that not until just this past year
that writing and running have really played a pivotal role
in kind of being able to recover from loss. And
I found that in my early 20s as I was
trying to navigate this world after my brother died. And
then it wasn't really until 20 years later, so in the
past since 2017 that I really had this kind of
(08:10):
resurgence of where running played this really pivotal role. So
my mom was diagnosed with ALS in 2017, and at that time
I realized I needed to do something to take care
of myself. As a psychologist, I had patients I was
caring for. I was a mother of two children. I
had all these aspects of my life that I knew
I had to hold together while also trying to support
my mom and be a caretaker. And running gave me
(08:32):
this place that I could go that was just for
me where I was alone and I could be with
my thoughts. Sometimes I could cry, I could run fast
if I needed to, whatever I needed just to get
the emotions flowing through. And it was such a relief
to be able to have this space to be able
to get all the emotion out during this really pivotal
time of my life. And at that same time, I
(08:53):
also realized that there was something about distance running, that
having this time to run for long periods of time
also was very cathartic and very therapeutic. And so I
signed up for my first half- marathon in 2017 after
my mom's diagnosis. And after that I just got hooked
and wanted to see how far I could take it
(09:14):
and how much further I could go. And I realized
that a 5K then felt like a sprint and just
wasn't enough time to really get into that pace and
that comfort space. And so getting all the way up
to in 2023, I had an opportunity to run with
ALS Association of Greater New York during the New York
(09:36):
Marathon. And once I got that bib and knew I
had secured that spot, not only was running giving me
this physical wellness that I needed, but it also fulfilled
the spiritual wellness. It was part of my purpose. It
was part of the reason of why I was running.
It wasn't just about the running, it was about taking care
of all these many parts of me and being able
(09:57):
to really give back to the community in a very different way
and raise awareness for ALS.
Rob Simmelkjaer (10:03):
Over and over this year, we heard from guests that
one of the greatest gifts running can give is that it
teaches us that we can do more than we ever
thought we could. David Jones told us how he used
that knowledge to persist through a long night's trek to
make it to his daughter's wedding. And also Amy Robach
(10:23):
talked to us about how important it was for her
to pass down that knowledge to her own children.
David Jones (10:30):
But in terms of the trek and accomplishing that, getting
through the night in the pitch dark and through all
the devastation and all that stuff, what it told me,
two things really. One is we can do far more
than we think we're capable of. And I think David
(10:54):
Goggins who wrote, You Can't Hurt Me, the Navy SEAL,
he said, " When you think you've reached your max, you're
only about 40%." And so I believe that. I experienced
it pushing through. And most people who run marathons probably
(11:18):
can agree with that, that there's at some point in
their training or some point on a race day where
you just have to keep pushing through and you find
out you're capable of more than you thought you could.
Amy Robach (11:30):
One of my favorite parts about running and always has
been through all the different stages of my life is
that it's absolutely free. I mean, you can run anywhere
you are. You don't need a gym membership, you don't
need equipment. You do need shoes. That is the one
thing that I know some people don't have access to.
And I know you all do a lot of work
and so many people do in making sure that kids
(11:51):
do have the running shoes they need. But short of
that, you get yourself a pair of shoes, you can
run anywhere and you can take it wherever you go
with you. And I just have always loved the freedom
of that. And then just, yes, teaching kids that they're
stronger than they think. I mean, I've pushed my kids
through running and hiking. And the whole point was to
know what it's like when you can push through pain,
(12:11):
when you can push past pain, get to the other
side of it and really feel a sense of accomplishment.
That is part of building confidence, that is part of
building just the ability to get through tough times. I've
always said that running is a parallel to life. It
really is in so many ways. And I've used my
runs to push past my own emotional pain to think
(12:32):
if I can get through this, I can do that.
And I'll use life to remember my runs. And when
I'm on my runs, I'll remember life. " I got through
this, I can do that." And just all of those types of
lessons are in a run, in a race. And if
we can give that to kids, that is an incredible
tool that they can use for the rest of their lives.
Rob Simmelkjaer (12:50):
We just heard Amy Robach talking about passing along the
lessons to her kids about what perseverance can do and
how running can teach that lesson. Well, sometimes when you
teach those lessons to a kid, you might just turn
them into an Olympian. Here's three- time Olympian and world
champion Jenny Simpson.
Jenny Simpson (13:09):
Rob, I'm so glad you asked about specifically Rising New
York Road Runners because there couldn't be a more appropriate
time for me to be reflecting on the work I
did with you guys there and my own experience. Because
sitting here in Oviedo, Florida, I'm spending several weeks training
in Oviedo, staying with my high school coach in his
(13:30):
house. So those connections stay really strong. But the reason
I think there's such this beautiful connection, one of the
reasons that I was so compelled to work with Rising
New York Road Runners is because the Road Runners provide
free programming for public school kids. And I was just
a public school kid. I had a public school teacher
(13:51):
who was a PE teacher who said, " This girl loves running
around on the playground and at recess. You should maybe
plug that energy into a sport," and suggested an afterschool
running program. And if it weren't for public school teachers
all along the way, including the University of Colorado for
30 years of running, I've never had a private specialized
(14:15):
personal coach. I've had coaches from the public school system
all the way through. And it just shows how incredible
public school teachers are, how incredible PE and art and
music are for kids, how it can open up a
world to them. I didn't come from a family of
(14:35):
sports enthusiasts and athletes and the public school system made
that available and possible and exposed me to that. And
so that's what New York Road Runners are doing for
literally over 100,000 kids in the New York City area.
And to be a part of that was just a
real privilege for me.
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Rob Simmelkjaer (15:13):
One of the things that makes running so special is that
unlike other sports, the champions and the hobbyists all get
to run the same race on the same day, the
same course and the same time. And for people like
New York Road Runner's members, Christine Fagan and Michele Perez,
the results can be intoxicating.
Christine Fagan (15:32):
So like a lot of people, I started running to
lose some weight. I didn't start running until I was
40. I was going to the gym. I had gained
some weight, but then I started running and I loved
the feeling of being outside. I loved being alone with
my thoughts. The pounds dropped off. I ran about four
miles a day near the water, and then a lot
of my friends ran races with New York Road Runners.
(15:54):
I didn't know much about that, but my friend Mike
encouraged me to sign up and I was hooked.
Michele Perez (16:00):
To be honest I started running because I delivered my
daughter. And after delivering her, I did suffer from postpartum
depression and I didn't know how to deal with it.
A lot of my friends had already had children that
were teenagers. No one had small babies like me. And
a girlfriend of mine said, " You need to get out.
You need to be active. You need to be with
other people." I had always ran in the gym. She said, "
(16:23):
Why don't you try running outside? Look for social groups."
And I searched on Facebook and I found New York
Road Runners and I immediately just started registering for races.
And it was the best thing I could have done.
I started meeting people, I started interacting with them, registering
for more races. As far as the Six Stars is
(16:44):
concerned, I did not have a plan. It just happened
to be that I kept checking off all of these majors.
Rob Simmelkjaer (16:51):
For some runners, running can be a way to heal
from a difficult medical situation, including surgery. Rob Roberts was
the 2024 NYRR Runner of the Year in the non- binary
category, age 40 to 45. And Rob joined us to
talk about his journey.
Rob Roberts (17:07):
I had a, I'll call it a minor surgery, but
important to me on March 13th of 2020, which here
in New York was exactly two days before the hospitals
shut down because of COVID. And running helped me with
that recovery and helped me fill a void. I travel
for work. I'm in consulting. I'm on the road every
(17:31):
week, and all of a sudden I went from that
to never leaving my house. At the same time, the
world was kind of falling apart around me and sanity
and sleep were difficult to come by, and I kind
of had a choice that I could make. I could
sit on my phone at three in the morning and
doom scroll and let anxiety and bad news consume me, or
(17:54):
I could get out and do something kind of positive.
And following that surgery, it was a unique experience even
for the doctor who said, " I can't approve you to
go out and run. I can't approve you to lift
weights until I see you. So I don't really know
what I could do, but go out and walk." So
I did and I started walking and I started walking further and
(18:16):
I started walking faster. And then I met with the
doctor virtually and we talked about it. I got myself,
one of my goals was to do a half- marathon,
whether it was speed walking or jogging or whatever it
was. And I hit that goal in an unofficial way
in the summer of 2020. And my doctor was great about it. He went, "
(18:38):
I didn't mean that you'd never run a half- marathon.
I was just trying to prepare you for life." But he
really inspired me by saying, " Hey, look, this is something
that you may not do." I was able to turn
that into something that I could do. And getting out
and running gave me an outlet for my energy. It
let me burn off anxiety. And it also, probably more
(19:02):
importantly, and part of the reason why we're here is
it helped me find supportive community of runners and friends
who got me to do the crazy things that I
do now like running.
Rob Simmelkjaer (19:14):
One of our favorite conversations from the year was with
Jessie Malone. And who can forget Jessie's story. Her life
took a dramatic turn when her Apple Watch alert led
her to a hospital bed. The shock of that moment
and the subsequent hospital stay opened her eyes to the
importance of focusing on her health, which naturally included running.
Jessie Malone (19:36):
Well, it's kind of really hard news to hear that
you're the cause of this problem, but it's also the
best news because, great, I can get myself out of
this, I can make these changes. And I just remember
laying there and I was like, " I will never be in this
(19:59):
position again if I have anything to do with it." So
just off the bat, it was like things were giving
up caffeine, which was actually the hardest part was giving
up caffeine. Gave up caffeine. I was like, " There's going
to be no drinking as that can contribute to Afib."
(20:19):
And then I was like, " I need to take my
health as seriously as I take work." So I was like, "
If I set myself up on a really good schedule
and prioritize my health and my heart has to be
priority number one." So that's where it started. It was
basically started meal prepping and then slowly integrating movement. So
(20:46):
the first thing, the first two days I was just
at home on the couch, my parents came, so it was just
movies and crying. And then Jess and I went on
a walk around the block with the dogs, and I've
never been more scared in my life to go on
(21:06):
a walk because I was like, "Am I okay? What's this going
to feel like? Am I going to ... Is getting my
heart rate up even safe?" So yeah, I just started really, really
slow as far as movement goes and then went from there.
Rob Simmelkjaer (21:28):
Of course, I have to ask, when did running get
into the mix and when did this idea of not
just doing a bit of running but running a marathon
even get into your head? I'm fascinated by that because
a year after, the actual one- year anniversary or so
of this event, you end up running your first marathon.
(21:51):
How did that even get to be planted in your mind?
Jessie Malone (21:55):
So that happened about six months in, because I slowly,
slowly was taking classes on the Peloton bike because I had
my heart rate monitor on. I felt safe that I could
see the number on the screen. That just felt really
good to me. And I needed to build muscle and
(22:15):
I was also losing weight at the same time. So
my six- month checkup is when I kind of got
out of the woods, even as far as they were
thinking maybe I might need a pacemaker. So I got
out of the woods for the pacemaker. I was feeling
good as far as my training was going, and I
(22:36):
asked. I was like, " Can I push this and do
something big, let's say a marathon?" And my cardiologist gave
the thumbs up. I called my best friend Jess, and
I said, " Listen, I'm going to do a marathon in six months. I'm
going to do it the one year from the hospital discharge."
Rob Simmelkjaer (22:54):
But sometimes the story works the other way around. Sometimes
being a runner can actually save a person's life. Dr.
Arnie Weg shared with Meb this year his story of
how his years long- running habit kept him off an
intubator early on during the COVID epidemic.
Arnold Weg (23:11):
Well, as you started mentioning, I mean I was about
320 pounds. I really just wasn't taking care of myself,
not eating right, not exercising. And in about 2005, 2006, I
went on a low carbohydrate diet and I felt very
(23:31):
strongly that it would be important to incorporate exercise. And
since running was the best exercise, I started running. Then
I started doing races in 2007, at which point I had
done my first New York City half- marathon and then
a marathon and have used that as a pivotal portion,
essential part of my health maintenance and weight maintenance protocol.
(23:56):
So it was actually March of 2020 I fell victim with
a very big case of COVID. I was hospitalized, I
was in the intensive care unit. And I was in
the intensive care unit at Cornell where I'm an associate
professor of medicine and teach the people that were taking care of
me and they take great care of me. My oxygen
level had gone down to 75 and they had moved
(24:19):
me to the intensive care unit with the intention of
intubating me. At the same time, my son, who now
practices with me and his brother who are trying to
get approval for remdesivir and were on multiple media, including
CNN and NBC and ABC and various different news organizations, and had
(24:40):
shown videos of me running the New York City Marathon
as part of who I was and what I was.
In the interest of trying to avoid intubation, I convinced
the pulmonologists that I could sustain a high level of
physical stress and to try to allow me to try
(25:00):
to do this based on my stamina from running marathons
and my daily exercise. They agreed because they had seen
my accomplishments in road running and I saved off intubation,
which I think in large measure contributes to the fact
that I'm here today and able to talk to you.
Rob Simmelkjaer (25:19):
For some of our members, including 86- year- old Julianne
Grace, a lifetime of running has meant a lifetime of
health. Here Julianne talks about what it meant to her
to run the Mini 10K this year for the 48th time.
Julianne Grace (25:33):
It gives me a goal. I see family members obviously different times
during the year, but somehow that Mini shines there, like
something at the end of the street where you see
it and you want to get to it. It keeps
me going. I've been very lucky and I'm very grateful.
(25:56):
I still have my original knees and hips and at
age 86, that's saying a lot. But I get out
and I run from four to seven miles, typically five
days a week. And it's pretty flat here in Florida.
And of course the Mini has hills. But it's a
goal, and I think each of us needs goals and
(26:19):
each of us needs to move. My message to people
in the octogenarian period is move, just move. If you
can walk or run or bicycle ride or do yoga,
move. So to me it's movement and keeping at it,
keeping a goal. I'm trying to build up my distance.
(26:41):
So I've been doing more 10 kilometer and seven mile
runs. I try to do intervals during my runs, a speed-
up and then a slow- down to a very slow
jog. But I have to admit, I've gotten much slower
over the years. I mean, last year I finished the
Mini in 14 minute miles, and I know a number
(27:03):
of people in my age group are running much better
than that. But I keep on slogging along and I
figure I'm an example of just an ordinary person running.
You do what you can.
Rob Simmelkjaer (27:17):
I especially love to hear stories about how running has
turned people's lives around and led them to much better
outcomes than they ever could have imagined. One of those
stories was from Janie Deegan, the founder of Janie's Life
Saving Pie Crust Cookies, and she told us the story
of how running helped her fuel a true turnaround of
her life.
Janie Deegan (27:38):
A friend of mine who I was nannying for her
daughter, I saw her, she had just given birth. Her
daughter was, I don't know, three months, four months. Or
maybe a little later. It was probably like a year after
her daughter was born and I was nannying for her daughter.
So I was seeing her every day and she started running.
And I remember I'd be out with her daughter in
the park and I'd see my friend running around us.
(28:00):
And I saw her over the course of a couple
months going from not being able to run a quarter
mile, more than a quarter mile at a time and
doing quarter mile, walking a quarter mile, running a quarter
mile. I saw her go from that in a really physical way
to being able to run a whole mile and then
two miles, and then all of a sudden her sister lives
(28:20):
in Atlanta. They were training for the New York Marathon, the
New York Half Marathon in March together. It's still the
United Half, right?
Rob Simmelkjaer (28:30):
That's right. Yep.
Janie Deegan (28:31):
Yeah. So they were training for the United Half together,
and I was like, " This is wild." And not only
did I see her physically change, but I saw her
spirits change and she had this light in her eyes
and I was like, " Oh my God, if she can
do that. She just had a child. If she can
do that, maybe I can." And then another thing happened
(28:52):
is that I heard that exact same time all within
a month or two, I heard this woman who probably
had 20 years sober, and it was November and it
was the day after the marathon. And I was in
a conversation listening to her with a bunch of other
people, and I didn't know her very well. And she
was talking about how she had just run the New
York City Marathon yesterday. And this woman has tried every
(29:14):
drug in the world. And she was like, " The New
York City Marathon was the best high I've ever had
in my life." And I'm tearing up a little thinking
about it. And I was like, " Sign me up." These
three things together were just this magic little open the
(29:34):
door a little bit in my mind. And a couple
months later, it was time to sign up for Road
Runner's Races, and it was probably January, two months later
and my friend who was training for the New York
half was like, " Oh, why don't we sign up? There's
(29:55):
this women's race called the Mini 10K, and only women
run it. And why don't we sign up for that
together? And that can sort of be your next goal
is running 6. 1 miles." And so I signed up
for that and then thinking back, heard this woman speak
(30:17):
and was like, " There's this thing called the 9+ 1.
Why stop at one race? Let's do nine this year,"
like a true addict. And she was like, " That's crazy."
And I was like, " Just do it. Just give in.
You're running 13 miles. Why can't you run twice that in a
(30:37):
year and a half? You have a year and a half to
train and I have a year and a half to
train." And so that's sort of what started it off.
And it was just, so I think the Mini 10K,
I signed up for, it was when it was much
easier to sign up for races.
Rob Simmelkjaer (30:52):
Yes.
Janie Deegan (30:53):
So this was 2016, so I signed up for the
Mini 10K, and was just like ... I was like, " There's
no way I'm going to be able to run six
miles," and that one foot in front of the other,
it was just such a miracle. What was crazy was
that for me, running is always synced up with huge
(31:17):
personal growth, spurts of personal growth. And that's sort of
at the same time, 2015 I had started the business,
but 2016 is when I really pushed forward. And same
with 2017 right before the marathon in 2017. So a
year and a half later I was able to go full- time with my
business and quit my day job. And then on top
(31:40):
of that, my autoimmune disorder went into remission. And I
remember a doctor being like, " Well, you're training for a
marathon, right? And I was like, " Yeah." He's like, " Exercise
is the most powerful anti- inflammatory. Isn't that interesting?"
Rob Simmelkjaer (31:54):
Chef Daniel Humm of 11 Madison Park was a pro
cyclist before he was a chef. For Chef Humm, running
became the bridge between his passion for cooking and his
body's need for intense physical activity and competition.
Daniel Humm (32:08):
Cycling is extremely dangerous and it was very competitive and
I wasn't going to be the best. So I sort
of pivoted towards cooking, which I had this tremendous love
to. And yeah, I kind of made cooking my new
sport. It's very much in that way, it's more like
(32:31):
a team sport, but for me it always has been about
competing, about being the best. And so I definitely drew
a lot of parallels to it. I ran cross country
before cycling. So running was always sort of in me,
(32:56):
but then when I started cooking, I definitely didn't have
as much time anymore to go on the bike. And
as you know, to get a solid bike ride in,
it's a three- hour commitment. I think when you go
for a run in 45 minutes or an hour, you
can get a really solid run in. So it was
(33:17):
more like timing wise, running started to be much more
suitable to my schedule. And then moving to New York,
I mean the New York Road Runner, I mean, it's
such an incredible organization, truly the way the races are
organized, the amount of races there are. And then of
(33:42):
course also I think Central Park is the greatest place
to run in the world. So as I moved to
New York, I joined New York Road Runners, and ever
since it's been such a big part of my being
here in this city.
Rob Simmelkjaer (33:57):
Building communities has been a part of New York Road
Runner's mission since its founding in 1958. For New York
Road Runner's members like Dana Coleman, that has meant no
matter where she is in her life, the NYRR community
is always there for her to return to.
Dana Coleman (34:12):
New York Road Runners is amazing. They are always there. And
there have been periods in my life when I haven't
been able to run as regularly when I've had children through
after childbirth or different family things that have taken me
(34:33):
away or personal traumas. But anytime I've been ready to
come back, New York Road Runners has been the vehicle
that's helped me get back to running. And I never
pause for long. I know through COVID, through just all
(34:56):
kinds of things. It's always there and it's always something
to work towards. And whenever I show up for a
race, there's always other runners with me. I'm never alone.
I showed up to volunteer last month for the New
York Retro in the pouring rain. It was so rainy,
(35:17):
it was such a heavy downpour, and there were just
so many enthusiastic runners that I was able to tear
on, and it's just so inspiring. They're just lovely. I
love it and I love that I can consider myself a part of that.
Rob Simmelkjaer (35:33):
I love stories about how people come together during races
to support each other. Bachelor Matt James shared a great
story about how the community came together to support him
during the London Marathon, something I experienced myself during the
Berlin Marathon I ran this past September.
Matt James (35:51):
But I love the community aspect of it. I love being
able to be social and build community around things outside
of going to a bar, drinking, those type of activities. I
love the idea of building friend groups, network, networks around
(36:12):
those type of activities and some of my best friendships.
And you spend a lot of time with these people
when you're training. And it's what I look forward to
most. When I have someone like a Shalane that's going
to selflessly decide to pace me. One of the coolest
things that's ever happened to me since I've become a
(36:32):
runner or self- proclaimed runner is the London Marathon this
year. I had a goal of going under three hours
and I had no pacer. This was like my first
time running a marathon without a pacer, and I didn't
know anybody running the race. I didn't know anybody out
(36:54):
there. And it's the day of the race. I just am
going to try to pace myself. I'm just going to
hold myself to whatever time I need to hold myself to. And
I'm on a bus headed to the starting line of
the marathon, and I meet the most amazing people ever,
(37:15):
Tommy, Mikey Kratzer, Mikey Kratzer, he's a Berlin- based marathon
runner. And we just get to talking about running and
he's like, " What's your goal for the day?" And I'm like, "
Oh, I want to try to go into three hours.
I've never done it." And this guy, I've never met
this guy in my life. And he's like, " Matt, I'm
(37:37):
going to pace you." He's like, " I'm going to get
you to that goal." And I'm just like, almost brought
me to tears on the bus, these random strangers from
all over the world. Tommy's from Detroit, Mikey's from Berlin,
and they're just like, " Yeah, we got you." And then
made it about pacing me. And that's what the running
(37:58):
community is. It's such a selfless place to be. And
there's been so many instances I've seen that with other
people on the course. It's like if someone's hurting, if
someone needs that extra motivation, race day stories of complete
strangers motivating and pushing people to the finish. And that's,
(38:19):
to answer your question, those type of interactions keep my
mind off of going from these short wind sprints to
being able to endure a long, treacherous route, is having
an amazing community, amazing people who decide to uplift you
(38:40):
and make a race day experience the best. And that's
why I look forward to New York every year.
Rob Simmelkjaer (38:46):
Yeah, Matt, I know exactly what you're talking about. I
had a similar experience in Berlin, I've talked about on
the podcast. I ran Berlin, was struggling the last few
miles, and a New York Road Runners member who just
recognized me, came along with me and Roberto. We were
running together and helped me get through the finish line
as well. So it's amazing how people want to help
each other out there. And these communities persist through sickness
(39:11):
and absence and family responsibilities. New York Road Runners member,
Ido Simyoni discovered just that this year as he recovered
from surgery.
Ido Simyoni (39:20):
When I stopped running, I was very solace. I was like, "
I don't understand how can you run with other people?
What does it mean? I'm just going for a run."
And again, I don't know if you've heard it before,
I didn't even consider myself as a runner before. I
think the first two years I say, " I'm someone who
goes on runs, but I'm not a runner. I'm not a runner."
I did maybe four marathons by then. I'm like, " No,
(39:42):
I'm not a runner. I'm just someone who goes for a run." But the
community is something that as you keep going on running
and you go to races, and I want to give a
big kudos to New York Road Runners, and I encourage
a lot of my friends who are just like me
starting to run. They see me and they're like, "Hey, I want us to go
run," or, " I went for a run." I'm like, " Go for
(40:04):
a race." " No, I can't go for a race." " Why
can't you go for a race?" 'Cause I think the
word race scares people, but what I want to say
is that I met friends through New York Road Runners races.
So I'm not even talking about run clubs. I'm talking
about going to a race, being in a corral. By
the way, I started in Coral B when I started
(40:24):
running, and then now I'm in Coral A for New York
Road Runners. But the people, you see them every week
and you run next to them on the race. At
the end of the race, you talk to them and
you walk. You do the walk outside and you make
friends. And that's an amazing feeling. And that community stayed
with me. And I think that's another fear that I had.
(40:47):
I am off running. I was not running for almost
seven months after my surgery. Will my friend? I don't
share the same hobbies with them. I don't go for
runs with them. And they did. They were there for
me and they were there in the most genuine and
beautiful way of like, " We're waiting for you. Don't worry.
(41:08):
Your shoes are here. The road is waiting for you.
The races are waiting for you. Just get the approval
from your surgeon to run and you'll be able to
do it."
Rob Simmelkjaer (41:18):
For first time marathoners, Sovena Ngeth, everything about running was
new, including the community.
Sovena Ngeth (41:24):
When the pandemic hit, all the gyms were shut down.
And during that time, I was in my senior year
of college and I remember literally waking up and everything
was shut down. We had no more in- person classes,
no social events to go to, no graduation, and not
even the gym at the bare minimum. And that's when
(41:46):
I got introduced to running. At that time, my boyfriend
was training for a half- marathon that unfortunately got canceled
because of the pandemic. And I just remember thinking to
myself for the first time, " Are humans really capable of running 13
miles?" Keep in mind, I was super new to running,
so I couldn't even wrap my head around what a half-
(42:08):
marathon was. And then a couple of years later, I
watched my boyfriend and two of our friends complete their
first half- marathon. And there's something about seeing your peers
accomplish something that kind of makes it more achievable for
you to do. So I feel like running was learning
a new language for me. It was something super brand
(42:30):
new, but it was something that helped me beat the
overwhelming sense of depression and anxiety that the pandemic had
caused. Again, I was a senior in college who didn't
get to walk for graduation. And as a first- generation
student, that really hurt because I really wanted to celebrate
that with my family. But yeah, I think that something
I definitely learned about myself with running was that I am so
(42:53):
capable of anything that I put my mind to. And
signing up for the New York City Marathon was the
first step in this long training block and just being
able to accomplish my crazy goals. I just did a 19-
mile run on Saturday, and just even doing that I
was shocked at myself and my body, especially also with
just the New York City running community. It's so inclusive. And
(43:17):
just seeing people run at Central Park at the New
York Road Runner races, there's such a sense of belonging
and a sense of community in that.
Rob Simmelkjaer (43:25):
Community is a big part of every program we run
here at NYRR. Run for the future coach, Shelly Ramoni, and
2024 New York Road Runners Volunteer Hall of Fame inductee,
Chandra Darsan, are passionate about the communities they are building
with NYRR.
Shelly Ramoni (43:42):
Everyone's walking into this program, very scared, very nervous, very
unsure of themselves, their bodies and what they're going to
do. There were a couple of young women that knew
each other, but most of them are coming into this
program, not really knowing anyone. And by the end, we
(44:02):
had a celebration breakfast and these young women were sitting
around and they didn't want to leave. They had become
such close friends with one another. And to just see
that and see how running builds this community, I mean,
I've experienced that myself as an adult and the people that
(44:25):
I have come to know, coaches, fellow runners, we've watched
each other get married, have families, watch their kids grow up.
Chandra Darsan (44:39):
Open Run is all about community, family, coming out there.
It's free races, bringing people together, learning about different culture,
staying healthy, helping you with your mental health. You meet
people from all different races, culture, and what's important is
(45:02):
being there for each other and helping out each other,
inspiring each other. We're there every day and staying positive
and having that kind of energy around everyone and they
continue to come back.
Rob Simmelkjaer (45:18):
One of the things that we are most proud of here
at NYRR is the opportunity that we've had to build
entirely new running communities. Five- time New York City Marathon
Champion and six- time Paralympian, Tatyana McFadden, shared the impact
that all of that has had on her.
Tatyana McFadden (45:34):
Well, I first want to thank NYRR for starting the wheelchair
program because nothing brings me more joy than seeing the
kids together. It's across all walks of life. And I
love that. And I think the kids also really enjoy
(45:54):
it together because they learn from each other, right? Kids
with disabilities are interacting with kids with not disabilities, and
they both can learn so much from each other. So
as they get older, they can say, " Hey, I met
someone with disability and they're awesome. We raced together in
(46:16):
Times Square. We did the 100- meter dash, we did
the 400- meter dash, and gosh, they were fast and
they were really cool, and now they're my friend." And
so it really teaches such a really important skill and
that acceptance. And so I really, really thank New York
Road Runners for that. And my message is to have
(46:38):
fun while you're out there. Life is not about what
you don't have. It's what we do with the gifts
that you're given. And to really enjoy every minute out
there. It's not always about winning races. It's about just
having fun and just really enjoying what you're doing. And
maybe it's about goal setting and having that courage and
(47:01):
taking that risk and having fun with your friends that
you're doing it with.
Rob Simmelkjaer (47:07):
I couldn't say it any better than the great Tatyana
McFadden. Life's not about what you don't have. It's about
what we do with the gifts that we're given. And
for all of us here at New York Road Runners,
you are community. You are one of the greatest gifts
we could give or receive. So thank you all so
much for being a part of this community. That does
it for the year of Set the Pace. I want.
(47:29):
Thank my great co- host, Becs Gentry and Meb Keflezighi and
frequent guest host, Carrie Tollefson. Thank you, Carrie. And now
I want to thank all of our guests this year
to everybody out there who has towed the line at
any of our races and to our whole team at
New York Road Runners that makes everything possible, including the
group that helps us put on this podcast every week.
(47:51):
And there's a lot of great people. We're going to
thank here at the end of the year, our audio
engineer, Lou Pellegrino, our producers, Kathryn Jones and Matt Singer,
our production manager who's left us, we miss him, but
we still think of him, Kyle Vines, our fact- checkers
and quality control team, Gordon Bakoulis, Stefanie Leland, Christine Burke,
Tamikka Pate, and Summon Wakad, our marketing lead, Angie Sit,
(48:15):
our pro athlete team who help us book our incredible
set of pro athlete guests, Dorian Kail and Sam Grotewold, members of our
business development team who get our partner guests on, Julie
Schweigert, Artie Athas, and Anne Liao, our PR team, Crystal Howard, Stuart
Lieberman, Carole Harsch, and Laura Paulus, as well as Emily
Heine. Some of our team members who've helped bring our
(48:36):
live shows around the world to life, including Brian Yu,
Nicole Bocchi, Kayleen Romero, Lorraine Lowe, Denise Mileson, Courtney Yu,
Erin Feeney, Zach Forman, and Bryan Benavides. And to our
incredible sponsors at New Balance, Volvo, HubSpot, Shake Shack. And
last but not least, our incredible partners at Peloton, the
(48:58):
title sponsor of Set The Pace, including Nicole St. Jean,
Katie Van Buren, Emily Rothschild, Denise Kelly, Barry Perlman, and
Alana Crotcht. Just like all of our races, this podcast
truly takes a village. Thanks to everybody who's helped us
put it on all year. But hey, the running year
is not over yet. We'll see some of you at 11:
(49:19):
59 this December 31st for the annual New York Road
Runners Midnight Run, so we can all ring in the
New Year together and a new year of healthier lives,
stronger communities, and the transformative power of running. Set the
Pace will be back on January 2nd to ring in
the New Year with a special resolutions episode. So we
can't wait to have you join us then. Thank you
(49:41):
so much for joining us all year. We appreciate you.
Have a great, great holiday. Enjoy the miles, and we'll
see you in 2025.
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