Set the Pace

Two-time Olympian Grant Fisher joins Set the Pace this week in a live interview with Rob, recorded on January 30 at the TCS New York City Marathon Partner Forum in NYC. Grant was in town preparing for the Millrose Games, where he was set to race the Wanamaker Mile, but after our interview, he scratched due to illness. In the conversation, Grant shares what excites him about making his road racing and half marathon debut at the United Airlines NYC Half. The Stanford grad also reflects on long-term running goals and how he balances his love of the sport with his commitment to his fiancé and their future together. Grant’s thoughts on uncertainty, decision-making, and knowing when to step back offer meaningful lessons for runners at every level. To help break this down, NYRR’s Coach Ben Delaney provides some insight on how to recognize when it’s time to listen to your body and say, “today is not my day.” FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTubeSUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Rob is joined by New York Road Runners Chief Marketing and Digital Officer Juliette Morris for a special Town Hall edition of Set the Pace where they talk about what’s happening across the entire organization. Rob addresses some of the most common questions and concerns raised by the running community, from race access and registration demand to new processing fees and the growing popularity of the 9+1 program. He breaks down the realities behind park permits, race capacity limits, and fairness for participants, while sharing steps NYRR is taking to create more opportunities for runners at every level. The conversation also highlights the organization’s nearly $1 billion annual economic impact on New York City and what that means for local communities. Later in the episode New York Road Runners Co-Head of Marketing Strategy Emily Casey joins the show to unveil, alongside Juliette, NYRR’s new “Believe in Every Step” brand identity and logo, exploring the thinking behind the rebrand and what it represents for the future.Note - for clarity, in addition to advance registration access to the non-drawing Five-Borough Series races, all members will also now have advance registration access to the following 2026 races: NYRR Mindful 5K NYRR Grete’s Great Gallop 10K New Balance 5th Avenue Mile FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTubeSUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Check out this special episode of Set the Pace taped live at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square. Hosts Rob and Becs sit down with Olympian and Peloton instructor Alex Karwoski, who represented the U.S. in the men’s eight at the Rio Games and later served as an alternate for Tokyo. Since his last appearance on the show in August 2024, Alex has completed the TCS New York City Marathon twice, added strong performances at the 2025 Fred Lebow Half Marathon and the United Airlines NYC Half, and this weekend will toe the line once more at the Fred Lebow Half Marathon in Central Park. Off the course, Alex is also navigating the joys of being a new dad.Rob and Becs also welcome Cathy Wysin, PT, DPT, from Hospital for Special Surgery. An avid runner who’s completed multiple marathons, Cathy brings a passion for sports medicine and orthopedic injury rehabilitation. She shares expert tips for tackling the hills of the Fred Lebow Half Marathon course. FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTubeSUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeremie Kasmarcak, head of Team for Kids (TFK) at New York Road Runners, joins Set the Pace to share a behind-the-scenes perspective on TFK, a charity program that’s become a training ground for runners of all ages, paces, and experience levels. Jeremie has led Team for Kids for nearly a decade, guiding it into one of the most impactful and in-demand charity running programs in the world. Since its founding in 2002, TFK runners have raised over $120 million to support NYRR’s free youth and community running programs, which provide kids the coping tools that extend beyond physical fitness. Jeremie also talks about how to become part of this passionate and welcoming community that builds lifelong friendships, and what it’s like to train and run with TFK.  Watch Carolina Gonzalez's TFK TCS New York City Marathon Story:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf-SFkaECFg Learn More about Team for Kids: https://organizations.nyrr.org/sites/organization_sites/6a0cbbfd8a19547bc915/pages/team_for_kids   FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTube SUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining the show this week is Vanessa Peralta-Mitchell, the founder of Game Changers, a program that aims to encourage and support more women of color to become certified run coaches. Launched in 2020, the program was born out of Vanessa’s realization that very few running coaches and experts in the industry looked like her—and her desire to change that.  Since then, the program has guided  nationwide across 29 states in addition to Washington, D.C. A wife, mother of three, and daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants, she credits her mother for being her ultimate inspiration to reach for her dreams and build her own business.  Interested in joining? Applications are now open for this year’s Game Changers cohort. This marks the second year that Game Changers is partnering with New York Road Runners, which includes a coaching apprenticeship with NYRR Group Training in NYC.  Apply to Game Changers NY Cohort here:  bit.ly/VCPMGameChangersNYC2026 Sign up for the Game Changers Q&A here: bit.ly/GCNYC26QArsvp Follow GameChangers: @GameChangersRun www.vcpm.com/game-changers    FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTube SUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For our first episode of the year, Rob speaks with ABC sports anchor Sam Ryan, who has helped tell the stories of NYRR races and the running community. A runner herself, Sam has lived those stories too—completing 13 marathons, including four New York City Marathons, and serving as an NYRR Team for Kids ambassador. The last time Sam was on the show, it was just two days before the Boston Marathon. Since then, she’s added Chicago to her marathon list and, this week, ran the NYRR Midnight Run, 10 years after her last New Year’s Eve race. She talks about how focusing on strength training and overall fitness has helped her continue to chase her goals. Also joining the show for the Member Moment is Christina Gibbons, a New York Road Runners member who, four years ago, wasn’t sure she could run a full mile. Since then, she has completed four half marathons. Christina tells Meb how slowing down her pace helped her go the distance. FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTubeSUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your winter gift from Set the Pace. Head out for a run as Rob and Becs revisit some of the most powerful words shared on Set the Pace this year. These are the moments our guests return to when things get hard. The phrases they repeat when they need to keep going. The mantras that carry them FORWARD. You’ll hear from teachers and Olympians, Peloton instructors and physical therapists, CEOs, run-club founders, and members of the Set the Pace community — each offering a simple truth that helped them through, mile after mile after mile. Take these 26 running mantras with you for a run over the holidays and let them lead you into a 2026 that brings you a healthier life and a stronger community, through the transformative power of running.  CHAPTER GUIDE (timecodes) 0:00 — Intro02:54 — Mantra 1: Rob Simmelkjaer03:25 — Mantra 2: Vinnie Guadagnino06:42 — Mantra 3: Martinus Evans05:23 — Mantra 4: Randi Zuckerberg07:40 — Mantra 5: Corey Wharton-Malcolm08:39 — Mantra 6: Dr. Melissa Melkonian09:47 — Mantra 7: Jeffrey McEachern11:08 — Mantra 8: Vinnie Guadagnino11:59 — Mantra 9: Nenna Lynch13:06 — Mantra 10: Mallory Kilmer13:48 — Mantra 11: Kenneth Rooks14:40 — Mantra 12: Ali Truwit16:22 — Mantra 13: Kirra Michel17:43 — Mantra 14: Nick Thompson19:23 — Mantra 15: Mohammed Saad20:48 — Mantra 16: Ali Truwit22:05 — Mantra 17: Sharon Lokedi26:51 — Mantra 18: Susannah Sullivan28:56 — Mantra 19: Tiki Barber30:38 — Mantra 20: Mike the Curican31:52 — Mantra 21: Alison Mariella Désir34:38 — Mantra 22: Nikki Hiltz36:16 — Mantra 23: Jenny Simpson37:29 — Mantra 24: Ted Metellus38:46 — Mantra 25: Becs Gentry39:00 — Mantra 26: Meb Keflezighi   FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTubeSUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora joins Rob and Becs for this week’s Set the Pace. One of the most recognizable figures in sports, Alex is a World Series–winning manager, a regular presence in Boston headlines, and someone whose every decision is analyzed by millions of Red Sox fans. Recently, Alex has also become a runner—starting with short races then progressing to a half marathon and ultimately to the start line of the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon this past November 2. He opens up about the thrill of getting his bib only four weeks before race day and how meaningful it was to run the entire marathon course alongside his partner. They crossed the finish line to cheers from his sons holding a sign that read, “Will you marry, Dad?” Plus, Meb speaks with Simone Swink, Senior Executive Producer of the “Good Morning America” (GMA) franchise. On November 2, Simone and 27 fellow ABC News colleagues participated in a special “Good Morning America” TCS New York City Marathon relay, raising funds for NYRR Team for Kids. FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTubeSUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s guest is Caitlin Phillips, a 43-year-old runner who ran a 2:36 at Sunday’s California International Marathon (CIM), qualifying for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials. Caitlin shares with Rob and Becs what it took to achieve this amazing feat while working full-time and returning to competition postpartum after giving birth in 2023. She breaks down what makes the CIM course ideal for sub-elite athletes and reflects on the strong sense of community she felt racing alongside runners she’s connected with over the years. Also joining the podcast for the Member Moment is Dr. Melissa Melkonian, founder of The American Dream School in the Bronx, a dual-language charter school created to help students and families pursue their own version of the American Dream. She’s inspired dozens of teachers, parents, and staff to take on their first marathon, using running as a tool for empowerment and community building.FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTubeSUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining Rob and Becs this week is Phil Keoghan, host of “The Amazing Race.” He recently completed the TCS New York City Marathon while raising money for Back on My Feet, an organization that empowers people to achieve economic independence. The New Zealand-born adventurer isn’t just a marathoner, he’s also cycled across America, set a world record in bungee jumping, and retraced a 1928 Tour de France route on an 85-year-old bicycle. Phil dedicated his race to his father, who passed away last week after a lengthy illness, and he opens up about drawing strength from his dad’s grit and determination during the final miles of the marathon. And for this week’s Member Moment, Meb speaks with Michael Ring, who completed the TCS New York City Marathon 26 times, the last seven after recovering from a devastating case of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Michael is one of the stars of East 89th St Productions and Tribeca Studios’ documentary film “Final Finishers.”Phil ran the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon in support of Back On My Feet - Donate Here FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTubeSUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.DISCLAIMERSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.