Set the Pace

If you are training for spring marathons, this one is just for you! Settle into your long run with this week’s special long edition of Set the Pace featuring a few incredible guests. Cory Wharton-Malcolm, Apple Fitness+ trainer, running coach, and author of the book, All You Need Is Rhythm & Grit brings joy and inclusivity to a sport that can often feel very intimidating and continues to...

Joining Rob and Becs this week is celebrity stylist and marathon runner Kwasi Kessie whose influence spans both the fashion and sports worlds. Kwasi outlines his journeys in both fashion and running and shares his experience styling athletes like 100-meter Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles. He also reflects on his own experience on the roads, starting from when he was a kid running with NYRR and go...

This week, Becs interviews Jersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino about his transition from reality TV star to long-distance runner. Vinny completed the United Airlines NYC Half this past Sunday and ran his first marathon last November at the TCS New York City Marathon, fundraising for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Vinny talks about the joy of training in NYC and how running helps sup...

In this special race-day edition of Set the Pace, Olympian Carrie Tollefson gets the very first interviews with 2025 United Airlines NYC Half champions Sharon Lokedi, Abel Kipchumba, Manuela Schär and Geert Schipper, who led more than 28,600 athletes through Brooklyn and Manhattan to the finish line in Central Park.   Geert Schipper at: (01:45) Manuela Schär at: (15:22) Sharon Loked...

It's Race Week! In preparation for the United Airlines NYC Half, Set The Pace presents a special episode recorded live at the NYRR Run Center Featuring the New Balance Run Hub. Hosts Rob and Becs are joined by special guest Alison Mariella Désir, founder of Harlem Run, author of the bestselling book Running While Black, and the host of the award-winning PBS show, "Out & Back with Alison...

Direct from Kyoto, Japan, Rob hosts Set the Pace just a few days after he ran the Tokyo Marathon with Team for Kids. He’s joined by NYRR Chief Commercial Officer Christine Burke who has all the information you need about what it takes to run with one of the Official Charity Partners of the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon. The 2025 program just launched and the spots fill quickly so tune in t...

This week, Olympian Sharon Lokedi joins Rob and Becs to talk about getting ready for the United Airlines NYC Half and splitting her time between Flagstaff, Arizona and her native Kenya. Sharon discusses her transition from collegiate running to professional road racing and winning the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon in her marathon debut. She talks about her experience running the Paris 2024 Olymp...

This week’s episode is extra special as Becs chats with not one but two amazing guests: Peloton Instructor Jeffrey McEachern and NYRR Chief Event Production Officer and Race Director Ted Metellus. Jeffrey shares his running journey from his first steps during a low point in 2015 to running a half marathon while crying tears of joy to completing five of the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 18...

Rob and NYRR’s Chair of the Board of Directors, Nnenna Lynch, are training to run the Tokyo Marathon together, so this week, Nnenna joins Set The Pace to talk all things Tokyo! In addition to receiving some priceless Tokyo Marathon advice from Becs, Nnenna discusses her stellar collegiate and professional running careers, as well as her philosophy on staying fit in her 50s while juggling lif...

After Rob makes a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT and gets some critical winter run coaching from Becs, Set the Pace kicks off Black History Month with guest Harry Chandler. Harry is the co-owner of the Charlotte Running Company (CRC), one of the very few Black-owned running retail stores in the United States and voted the best running store in the country in 2021. He recently became the president of the Running...

Ever wonder what it’s like to direct the largest marathon in the world? Hear from the TCS New York City Marathon Race Director Ted Metellus and former NYRR CEO and Race Director of the New York City Marathon Mary Wittenberg during a live taping of Set the Pace at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square. From Mary's groundbreaking tenure as the first female race director of the New York Cit...

Randi Zuckerberg, yes that Randi Zuckerberg! (entrepreneur and bestselling author) joins Set the Pace this week to describe how her running journey has taken her from 10ks to 250 milers in only two years time, all while she balances her role as a mother of three and a leader in the tech and media industries. Hear about the powerful lessons ultra running has taught Randi about vulnerability, commun...

Joining Becs and Rob this week is British professional distance runner Calli Hauger-Thackery. The Yorkshire, England native represented Great Britain at the Paris Olympics last summer and took the women’s top spot at the California International Marathon in December, finishing in 2:24:28 and breaking the previous course record. Calli is setting her sights on the Boston Marathon in April, but...

On this week’s episode of Set the Pace, Becs reads questions from the running community about all things New York Road Runners as Rob provides clarity on some of the most asked questions such as how can runners get into sold-out races and how can more people run the TCS New York City Marathon for the first time. Rob also recaps key moments of 2024, including issuing a reimaged mission and vi...

Tune in to this special New Year’s episode of Set the Pace that’s all about resolutions, goal setting, and opportunities to help you stay motivated in 2025. Rob is joined by Coach Ben Delaney, director of training programs and operations at NYRR, who explains what NYRR coaches do to help thousands of runners reach their goals. Whether you’re just starting out or going for a PR, y...

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 vol...

Joining us this week is Nev Schulman, a TV host, a father of three, and a passionate runner. He's known to millions as the face of Catfish: The TV Show on MTV. Nev’s life took a scary turn this past August, when a bicycle accident left him with a spinal cord injury. Amazingly, just three months later, he defied the odds by completing the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon as a guide for Achille...

Find out what it’s like to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days as Becs recaps her amazing experience tackling The Great World Race. She reflects on what inspired her to take on the challenge and how it played out from Antarctica to Miami. From heading to Antarctica a day early to avoid an impending storm to running loops on a track in Australia and back-and-forth repeats in Istanbul wh...

This week, Becs and Rob are joined by Phoebe Robinson, the writer, comedian, and actor who folks may know from the show 2 Dope Queens. Phoebe is also a two-time marathoner, finishing the Boston Marathon and the TCS New York City Marathon within a year and a half. Find out how she got her start doing standup in NYC and how taking a run/walk class led her to train for a marathon. And Meb talks with...

Joining us for this special Thanksgiving week episode is Kathleen Wright, the director of production operations at Macy’s and the woman responsible for orchestrating the magic behind the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Since 1924, the parade has delighted New Yorkers and folks across the country and will be celebrating 100 years in 2026; the parade was canceled for three years during World War 2....

This week Rob is joined by Sara Vaughn, the top American woman finisher at this year's TCS New York City Marathon where she delivered an impressive performance with a time of 2:26:56. She was a late addition to the race after being sidelined by Covid in the lead up to the Chicago Marathon. Sara transitioned from being a middle-distance runner to the marathon and won the 2021 California Internation...

Rob hosts solo this week as Becs heads to Cape Town, South Africa to embark on The Great World Race where she’ll run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. We'll start off with a special message from Becs, direct from Cape Town as she embarks on her great adventure. Then, joining the show this week is David Jones, who walked 17 miles through the wreckage of Hurricane Helene because he was determin...

This week Becs is joined by Ted Metellus, the TCS New York City Marathon race director, for a roundup of this year’s marathon, including highlights of the day and record-breaking numbers. Also on the show is comedic actor Randall Park. This multifaceted talent is known for his unforgettable roles in both TV and film, including Louis Huang in Fresh Off the Boat and Jimmy Woo in the Marvel Cinematic...

In this special marathon-day edition of Set the Pace, Rob interviews 2024 TCS New York City Marathon champions Sheila Chepkirui, Abdi Nageeye, Daniel Romanchuck and Susannah Scaroni FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok 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 . DISCLAIMER See omnystudio.c...

In this special TCS New York City Marathon–weekend edition of Set the Pace, guest-host and Olympian Carrie Tollefson interviews the 2024 USATF 5K champions, Annie Rodenfels and Ahmed Muhumed, and three-time youth girls champ, Zariel Macchia, at the finish line of the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, which hosted the race in New York City this morning! FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikT...