Set the Pace

Five-time Olympian and TCS New York City Marathon Grand Marshal Gabby Thomas joins Rob and Becs on part two of this week's episode of Set the Pace, recorded live from the Citizens Stage at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo presented by New Balance. Both Rob and Becs were at Stade de France to see Gabby's epic gold medal run this past summer, and Gabby shares with them everything she was thinking...

Join us live from the Citizens Stage at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo, presented by New Balance, for this interview with the incomparable George Hirsch, one of the founders of the Five-Borough Marathon. No one can talk about the history of running like George. He has the best stories about how running has grown from a niche sport into a worldwide phenomenon, how Fred Lebow managed the start...

Get ready for a full day of Set The Pace! We’re starting off with a mini-episode featuring the final 2024 Team Inspire Member Moment with Courtney Knights, followed by words of wisdom from the great Meb Keflezighi as we conclude our 16-week marathon training Meb Minute series. Then, stay tuned all day as we drop two more episodes, recorded live from the Citizens Stage at the TCS New York City Mara...

On the show this week is Peloton Instructor Kirsten Ferguson. Once entrenched in the NFL's corporate world, Kirsten turned to fitness during a challenging journey to motherhood. Today, she's both a mother and a popular Peloton tread instructor, drawing on both her personal struggles and her passion for fitness. She’s inspired so many athletes to go farther than they ever thought they could and is...

This week, Rob and Becs are joined by Matt James. Known for his unforgettable season on The Bachelor, Matt has traded roses for running shoes as he gears up for his fourth (in a row) TCS New York City Marathon. He played Division 1 NCAA football at Wake Forest University and now has turned into an endurance sports athlete. His move to marathons has proved successful, shaving two hours off his mara...

A year and a half ago,  Peloton Producer Jessie Malone’s life took a dramatic turn when her Apple Watch alerted her that she was going into AFib (Atrial fibrillation) and needed to go to the emergency room right away. The shock of that moment and subsequent hospital stay led her to make profound changes in her life, including running her first marathon on the anniversary of her hospitalization. No...

With the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon just over 30 days away, Rob invites Race Director and NYRR SVP of Events Ted Metellus onto Set the Pace. Ted provides his behind-the-scenes guidance to runners on everything they need to know to get ready for Sunday, November 3, whether they’re traveling to the marathon from around the world or across the five boroughs of NYC. From visiting the expo and att...

We are LIVE from the 50th anniversary of the BMW Berlin Marathon! And you know what they say about live events—anything can happen! In this case... it did! An audio equipment failure caused us to lose about 8 minutes of our live recording, including Catherine Debrunner's intro, so bear with us for the glitch! We promise, this show is worth it! In this bonus episode, Rob records live from the New B...

NYC native Janie Deegan got sober in 2013 after years of battling drug and alcohol addiction that had led to her becoming homeless. In her early years of sobriety she turned to baking—something that had brought her joy as a child—as an act of self-care. Encouraged by friends, in 2015 she founded Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods, now in three Manhattan locations and best known for its mouth-wateri...

Tune in to a special live show recorded at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub as part of Fast Company’s 2024 Innovation Festival. Rob and Becs are joined by Haley Price, the Head of Sports in North America for Tata Consultancy Services. Hear about Haley’s transition from working at New York Road Runners 20 years ago in the brownstone office on East 89th Street to being a proponen...

Carrie Tollefson, a 2004 Olympian and a three-time national champion who represented the United States at the Athens Games joins Set the Pace to talk about where she thinks running is headed. Carrie is now a broadcaster for ESPN, USA Track & Field, and the TCS New York City Marathon, and she’ll be premiering as the first woman broadcaster for the Berlin Marathon on September 29. Carrie is a fi...

Karissa Schweizer and Josh Kerr recap their 5th Avenue Mile Wins! Olympian and Broadcaster Carrie Tollefson steps in today to interview the winners of today's spectacular New Balance 5th Avenue Mile. Hear from them both as they reveal what their strategies were behind their thrilling wins on 5th Avenue this morning, including a course record for Josh Kerr, and a tie with the course record for Kari...

Tune in to this special episode recorded live at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub as Becs talks with Peloton’s Alex Karwoski, a dedicated rowing instructor and multifaceted athlete. He competed at the Olympic Games in Rio and was an alternate for the Olympics in Tokyo. Now, Alex is setting his sights on the road ahead and is training for his first marathon, the 2024 TCS New Yor...

This week, Rob and Becs are joined by British Olympic 1,500m silver medalist and world champion Josh Kerr. He’s coming back to New York to defend his title won last year at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile in an astounding 3:47.9, the third fastest time in event history, and is looking to make history again this year. Fresh off an unforgettable race at Stade de France during the Olympics in Paris,...

Mark Milde, the race director of the BMW Berlin Marathon joins Set the Pace to talk about what it's like to race 26.2 miles through one of Germany's most storied cities. With the marathon celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Mark has a lifetime of experience when it comes to this race because his father, Horst Milde, founded the race in 1974. This year will have a celebratory feel with lots...

This week Becs talks to Olympian Dakotah Lindwurm, who ran an amazing 26.2 miles on the hardest marathon course in Olympic history, and her fiancé Montana Popehn, who surprised her by turning the finish line into the starting point of the rest of their lives together. Tune in to hear about Dakotah’s Olympic experience from chanting “USA!" on the boat during the Opening Ceremony to tossing her hat...

Tune into this special NYRR Member Week episode of Set the Pace as Rob and Becs talk to Dr. Leo Murillo, an NYRR member for 50 years who first conquered the New York City Marathon in 1974 and plans to run the race again after 50 years. His career includes not only marathons, but stellar performances in cross country and track, particularly in the steeplechase, where he holds top rankings both nati...

This week, Becs is flying solo as Rob is off in Paris for the final week of the Olympics. She’s joined by her partner Austin Curtis as they talk about how they met, how he transitioned from hockey to running, and the joys of raising their daughter Tallulah. Austin grew up in the Philadelphia area and played hockey as a child and into college until he turned to running as an adult. He ran his first...

Today on Set The Pace, we sit down with Paralympic legends Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike as they prepare for the Paris Paralympic Games. With an incredible collection of medals across multiple sports, Masters and Pike share their personal journeys and the challenges they've overcome. As a powerhouse couple, they discuss their competitive spirit, the support they offer each other, and the drive tha...

Peloton Interactive Instructor Logan Aldridge opens up to hosts Rob and Becs about the tragic wakeboarding accident that led to him losing his left arm when he was just 13 years old. Logan eventually had to learn to adapt to a new way of doing daily tasks like writing with his right hand as he was lefthanded before the accident. Inspired to be the best he could be physically, he started working ou...

Our guest this week is Nicolas Heller, otherwise known as New York Nico. NY Nico shines a spotlight on the extraordinary lives of everyday New Yorkers, proving that any true New Yorker can be the next new talent. Born and raised in NYC, he was affectionately called the “mayor of 16th Street” as a kid for befriending nearly everyone in the neighborhood. NY Nico's video from last year's TCS New York...

One of the world’s best ultramarathoners, David Kilgore, joins Set the Pace this week. He is the current reigning champion of the World Marathon Challenge®, where competitors run 7 marathons on each of the 7 continents in 7 days. David completed 6 of the 7 marathons in under 3 and a half hours, the seventh being his fastest, which he finished in an astonishing 2 hours 41 minutes and 50 seconds. Da...

"Set the Pace," host Rob Simmelkjaer welcomes Team USA’s Tatyana McFadden, a world champion wheelchair athlete renowned for her dominance in Paralympic sports. Born with spina bifida and adopted from a Russian orphanage, McFadden has won 20 Paralympic medals, including eight golds, and is the first athlete to win four major marathons in a single year. As she prepares for the upcoming Paralympic Ga...

Tyler Swartz, founder of Endorphins Running, joins Rob and Becs on this week’s episode of Set the Pace to talk about the group’s mission to spread positivity and happiness through movement and exercise. Born from his own passion for running and building community, Tyler founded Endorphins in November 2020 while training for a 50-mile ultra marathon. He started posting online asking people if they...

In this episode, Rob and Becs talk to Nikki Hiltz, who has been breaking barriers on and off the track as a professional middle-distance runner in the 800 and 1,500 meters. Nikki is a transgender and non-binary athlete and a powerful advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, and they’ll be competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials starting June 21 in Eugene, Oregon. Nikki talks about their journey to this y...