Set the Pace

Olympian and 2x world champion, Alysia Montaño joins Set the Pace to talk about her experience as a mother, athlete, and fierce advocate for women’s rights and maternal health. Alysia is the founder of &mother, a nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking down barriers for women in sports and empowering them to pursue their dreams, both on and off the track. NYRR has partnered with &mother for the past two years to provide lactation support at the TCS New York City Marathon, the United Airlines NYC Half, and the RBC Brooklyn Half. Alysia made international headlines when she ran the 800 meters nearly eight months pregnant at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and sparked conversation about policy changes for pregnancy and athletes. During the race she wore the signature hibiscus flower in her hair which she says is representative of her family’s Jamaican roots.LINKS:https://www.andmother.org/FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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 hosts Rob and Meb are joined by Roberto Mandje, senior advisor for running engagement and coaching at New York Road Runners, who ran the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half on March 17 with one of the world’s most recognizable entertainers, the rapper, singer, and songwriter Lil Nas X. Roberto talks about being asked on Saturday afternoon if he could pace a VIP runner and that he didn’t find out until Sunday morning that the VIP was Lil Nas X. He was excited about the opportunity—despite, he admits, knowing “literally zero” about Lil Nas X. He shares his race-day experiences, from Lil Nas X revealing that he hadn’t trained but was eager to chat during their 13.1 miles, to their steady progress through the Brooklyn-to-Manhattan course, to crossing the finish line together in 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 53 seconds. And yes, you’ll also hear all about those Coach high-top basketball shoes.LINKS:Lil Nas X and Robeto on IGJersey Women StrongKayleigh Williamson Finishing the UANYC HalfFOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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 hosts Rob and Meb are joined by Jack Fleming, president and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) and Hugh Brasher, event director of the TCS London Marathon. Jack has served in a variety of roles with the BAA since 1992 and was COO of the BAA from 2017 through 2022, where he then took over as president and CEO. Hugh’s father, Chris Brasher, was one of the founders of the original London Marathon in 1981 and Hugh has worked at every London Marathon since. They swap stories about the history of the “grandfather” of marathons, the Boston Marathon, and the costumes that add excitement along the TCS London Marathon course. Hugh and Jack discuss the special collaboration that happens between all the Abbott World Marathon Majors and how each of them welcomes runners from across the globe in “a glorious idea of running 26.2 miles” along with the greatest athletes in the world.FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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.

In this special race-day edition of Set the Pace, hosts Rob and Meb interview 2024 United Airlines NYC Half champions Abel Kipchumba, Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal, Geert Schipper, and Susannah Scaroni who led more than 27,000 finishers through Brooklyn and Manhattan to the finish line in Central Park. FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy race week, listeners! For this episode of Set the Pace, hosts Rob and Meb talk to acclaimed chef Daniel Humm of the three Michelin star restaurant Eleven Madison Park. Chef Daniel is the owner of Make It Nice, the hospitality group behind Eleven Madison Park, where he's been executive chef since 2006. He’s also been a member of NYRR since 2007 and has run 39 NYRR races. Before becoming a world-class chef, he was a professional cyclist in his home country of Switzerland but after an injury he turned to cooking full time. He said cooking is like a team sport and that you can have the most beautiful restaurant in the world, but it means nothing without an incredible team. He and Meb reminisce about Meb pacing him during the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon and giving him the motivation he needed to push through the difficult climb up Fifth Avenue.LINKS:2024 United Airlines NYC HalfRethink FoodFOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, New York City Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh joins Set the Pace to talk to listeners about her experience being the first woman to take on the role. As Fire Commissioner, overseeing 17,000 employees and managing a $2 billion budget, she's been at the forefront of major responses, from the Ebola outbreak in 2015 to the COVID-19 pandemic. For her, being the first woman in the role is about figuring out what tools she can bring that may not have been traditionally used before. An avid runner, Commissioner Kavanagh has completed two New York City Marathons and says it’s really special running through the different neighborhoods. Even when she’s not running, she’s tracking her friends and making her way around the city to cheer them on with handmade signs. LINKS:https://www.fdnyfoundation.org/FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March is Women’s History Month and we’re dedicating this week’s episode of Set the Pace to the many contributions of women in running. Join hosts Rob and Meb as they speak with two women who are each carving paths in women’s running history in their own unique ways. Joining the podcast is Emily Sisson, the American record holder for the marathon. Earlier this month, she ran to a second-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon in Orlando securing her spot to her second Olympics this summer in Paris. And Dinée Dorame, a citizen of the Navajo nation and a lifelong runner, talks about how running is baked into the traditional way of life for Navajo women and girls. She’s also the host of the Grounded Podcast which explores the intersection of running, community, land, and culture and is a member of NYRR’s Contributors Circle.LINKS:The MEB FoundationThe Grounded Podcast with Dinée Dorame FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Description:Get ready for a great episode as Rob and Meb talk with Conner Mantz and Clayton Young about about their buildup to the Olympic Marathon in Paris this summer as they prepare for the race of their lives. Both train in Utah with the Run Elite Program and say without the community support they’ve experienced since high school and during their college days at Brigham Young University, they wouldn’t be the accomplished runners they are now. Connor and Clayton are training partners but most of all friends, who motivate one another to be the best they can be.This episode is full of surprises. On today’s show, Conner and Clayton will make an exciting announcement, so you'll want to stay tuned. And it turns out they got a surprise of their own last week. We'll let Meb tell you all about that one!LINK:Al Gordon Kept Moving for Over a CenturyFOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this episode of Set the Pace, Rob and Meb are joined by Ted Metellus, NYRR’s Senior Vice President of Events and Race Director of the TCS New York City Marathon to talk all things United Airlines NYC Half. The last time he was on the show, he gave listeners great insight into everything about the TCS New York City Marathon. We’ve brought him back for the United Airlines NYC Half edition to help runners navigate getting to the start, how to have the best experience on the course (keep your head up!), and why this race is truly The One to Run. Fun fact: this year’s running is the 10th anniversary of the professional wheelchair division. Ted talks about how the sport has grown and continues to evolve to support athletes of all abilities and how even the youngest athletes will get the chance to run in Times Square.SHOW LINKS:https://www.beyourpossible.com/FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re joined this week by Shawanna White, the 9th-fastest U.S.-born Black woman marathoner, who was the inspiration for “The List” maintained by Gary Corbitt and consisting of 31 Black American-born women who have run sub-3-hour marathons. Shawanna has run 16 sub-3-hour marathons, more than any other Black American-born woman, and was featured in the documentary Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African American Women Marathoners. Tune in to hear Shawanna talk about her running journey, from high school track sprinter to marathoner. She recalls a coach whose belief in her talent for longer distances changed her life and shares how programs like Black Girls Run can help bring women of all ages and abilities into distance running. Shawanna is also a K-8 PE teacher, and she hosts a Friday night dance party on Instagram. Find out what inspired her hashtags #keepitpositive and #sexypace.LINKS:Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African American Women MarathonersShawanna White on IG peachrunner26.2. Black Unicorn Marathoners 10th Annual Celebrate & Connect EventFOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokSUPPORT: 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.