New York Road Runners’ Chief Event Production Officer and Race Director, Ted Metellus, joins  Becs to talk all things United Airlines NYC Half. This year’s race is set for Sunday, March 15, and Ted has all the answers to questions about race week and race day. Learn the deets about bib pickup at the Expo (in a new location at the Javits Center!), getting to the start, navigating the iconic course from the Brooklyn Museum to Central Park—including crossing the Brooklyn Bridge again this year—managing post-race reunion, and more. Whether you’re running, spectating, or tuning in, you’ll be well-prepared. 

 


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.

New York Road Runners&rsquo; Chief Event Production Officer and Race Director, Ted Metellus, joins &nbsp;Becs to talk all things United Airlines NYC Half. This year&rsquo;s race is set for Sunday, March 15, and Ted has all the answers to questions about race week and race day. Learn the deets about bib pickup at the Expo (in a new location at the Javits Center!), getting to the start, navigating the iconic course from the Brooklyn Museum to Central Park&mdash;including crossing the Brooklyn Bridge again this year&mdash;managing post-race reunion, and more. Whether you&rsquo;re running, spectating, or tuning in, you&rsquo;ll be well-prepared.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.nyrr.org/info/2026-nyrr-club-night/2026-nyrr-club-night-nominees-and-award-winners"> </a>FOLLOW NYRR: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nyrr/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkRoadRunners/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/nyrr">X</a> | <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@newyorkroadrunners">TikTok</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@nyrrvideo/podcasts">YouTube</a> SUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/set-the-pace/id1703616687">Apple Podcasts </a>or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2k1UziVCr4wYtMM5Awr2MA?si=871db22f44c049b1">Spotify</a>.

NYRR Set the Pace Presented by Peloton is the official podcast of New York Road Runners. Join hosts Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners, and Becs Gentry, Peloton Instuctor, every Thursday in conversation with inspiring athletes, from everyday enthusiasts to elite marathoners, to hear stories of perseverance, drive, and dedication. Each episode also includes an NYRR Member Moment spotlight and pro tip from 2009 New York City Marathon champ and Olympic medalist Meb Keflezighi.

Set the Pace

NYRR Set the Pace Presented by Peloton is the official podcast of New York Road Runners. Join hosts Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners, and Becs Gentry, Peloton Instructor, every Thursday in conversation with inspiring athletes, from everyday enthusiasts to elite marathoners, to hear stories of perseverance, drive, and dedication. Each episode also includes an NYRR Member Moment spotlight and pro tip from 2009 New York City Marathon champ and Olympic medalist Meb Keflezighi.

NYRR Set the Pace Presented by Peloton is the official podcast of New York Road Runners. Join hosts Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners, and Becs Gentry, Peloton Instructor, every Thursday in conversation with inspiring athletes, from everyday enthusiasts to elite marathoners, to hear stories of perseverance, drive, and dedication. Each episode also includes an NYRR Member Moment spotlight and pro tip from 2009 New York City Marathon champ and Olympic medalist Meb Keflezighi.

Everything You Need to Know about the United Airlines NYC Half - 2026

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/dc1b3f8c-8a2d-4298-8405-b17000ea5872/clips/6bc7559c-2304-4737-854d-b40400039f40/transcript

In this episode, Rob sits down with NYRR’s Director of Professional Athletes Dorian Kail to preview the pros taking on the TCS New York City Marathon on November 1 and explore what it takes to assemble the field. One of those athletes is Viola Cheptoo, who is gearing up for her return to New York. Cheptoo grew up in one of Kenya's great running families as the younger sister of five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat and has made a name of her own. She finished second in her marathon debut at the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon and ran a personal best of 2:19:05 at the Tokyo Marathon this past March. But Cheptoo’s story reaches far beyond the finish line. In 2021, her close friend and training partner, Agnes Tirop, a two-time world medalist who had just broken a world record, was killed by her husband. Cheptoo turned her grief into a movement by founding Tirop's Angels, an organization fighting gender-based violence by creating resources, including a safe house in Kenya for survivors. 

 

Tirop's Angels Back to School 5K  https://app.movezengo.com/register?event=tirops-angels-virtual-race

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.

DISCLAIMER

In this episode, Rob sits down with NYRR&rsquo;s Director of Professional Athletes Dorian Kail to preview the pros taking on the TCS New York City Marathon on November 1 and explore what it takes to assemble the field. One of those athletes is Viola Cheptoo, who is gearing up for her return to New York. Cheptoo grew up in one of Kenya's great running families as the younger sister of five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat and has made a name of her own. She finished second in her marathon debut at the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon and ran a personal best of 2:19:05 at the Tokyo Marathon this past March. But Cheptoo&rsquo;s story reaches far beyond the finish line. In 2021, her close friend and training partner, Agnes Tirop, a two-time world medalist who had just broken a world record, was killed by her husband. Cheptoo turned her grief into a movement by founding Tirop's Angels, an organization fighting gender-based violence by creating resources, including a safe house in Kenya for survivors.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Tirop's Angels Back to School 5K &nbsp;https://app.movezengo.com/register?event=tirops-angels-virtual-race
FOLLOW NYRR: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nyrr/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkRoadRunners/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/nyrr">X</a> | <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@newyorkroadrunners">TikTok</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@nyrrvideo/podcasts">YouTube</a> SUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/set-the-pace/id1703616687">Apple Podcasts </a>or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2k1UziVCr4wYtMM5Awr2MA?si=871db22f44c049b1">Spotify</a>. <a href="https://www.nyrr.org/setthepace">DISCLAIMER</a>

Viola Cheptoo on Fighting Gender-Based Violence and Her Next Big New York Run

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/dc1b3f8c-8a2d-4298-8405-b17000ea5872/clips/0e3bc83d-c52f-4cd0-b1e6-b4b2018173e9/transcript

On this special live show from the Apollo Stages at the Victoria, Rob is joined by co-host Keisha Sutton-James, Percy Sutton's granddaughter and former deputy Manhattan borough president. Together, they sit down with MS NOW political analyst Dr. Basil Smikle Jr., multi-platinum Harlem recording artist FERG; Billy “Mr. Apollo” Mitchell, Harlem Run member and NYRR marketing lead Kristina Lopez, and Run for the Future alumna Katherine Yerolemou to unearth the little-known story of the powerhouse Percy Sutton built in Harlem and beyond. 
 
Percy Sutton believed in New York when almost no one else did. A Tuskegee Airman and the attorney who represented Malcolm X, he went on to build a pioneering Black-owned media empire, help create the 5-boro marathon, save the historic Apollo Theater, and claim his seat at the legendary Regency "Power Breakfast."

 

 

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.

DISCLAIMER

On this special live show from the Apollo Stages at the Victoria, Rob is joined by co-host Keisha Sutton-James, Percy Sutton's granddaughter and former deputy Manhattan borough president. Together, they sit down with MS NOW political analyst Dr. Basil Smikle Jr., multi-platinum Harlem recording artist FERG; Billy &ldquo;Mr. Apollo&rdquo; Mitchell, Harlem Run member and NYRR marketing lead Kristina Lopez, and Run for the Future alumna Katherine Yerolemou to unearth the little-known story of the powerhouse Percy Sutton built in Harlem and beyond.&nbsp; &nbsp; Percy Sutton believed in New York when almost no one else did. A Tuskegee Airman and the attorney who represented Malcolm X, he went on to build a pioneering Black-owned media empire, help create the 5-boro marathon, save the historic Apollo Theater, and claim his seat at the legendary Regency "Power Breakfast."
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
FOLLOW NYRR:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/nyrr/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkRoadRunners/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/nyrr">X</a> | <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@newyorkroadrunners">TikTok</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@nyrrvideo/podcasts">YouTube</a> SUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/set-the-pace/id1703616687">Apple Podcasts </a>or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2k1UziVCr4wYtMM5Awr2MA?si=871db22f44c049b1">Spotify</a>. <a href="https://www.nyrr.org/setthepace">DISCLAIMER</a>

The Power House that Percy Sutton Built

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/dc1b3f8c-8a2d-4298-8405-b17000ea5872/clips/3254a7ab-ab53-4b6a-9f14-b4a5000e5a70/transcript

For this week’s episode of Set the Pace, Rob is joined by NYRR VP of Strategy, Planning & Analytics Matthew Forys to answer members’ questions LIVE about the updates to the 9+1 program and membership. For decades, New York Road Runners has connected its members to races, community, and unforgettable experiences, including the opportunity to earn guaranteed entry to the TCS New York City Marathon through the 9+1 program. As demand for NYRR races has continued to grow, it has become increasingly difficult for members to register for races and volunteer opportunities, limiting access for both those pursuing 9+1 and those simply looking to race throughout the year. In response to member feedback and pilot programs over the past 24 months, NYRR is introducing several changes designed to improve year-round race access while creating a clearer path to completing the 9+1 program.

For More information visit: https://www.nyrr.org/run/guaranteed-entry/tcs-new-york-city-marathon-9plus1-program

 

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.

DISCLAIMER

For this week&rsquo;s episode of Set the Pace, Rob is joined by NYRR VP of Strategy, Planning &amp; Analytics Matthew Forys to answer members&rsquo; questions LIVE about the updates to the 9+1 program and membership. For decades, New York Road Runners has connected its members to races, community, and unforgettable experiences, including the opportunity to earn guaranteed entry to the TCS New York City Marathon through the 9+1 program. As demand for NYRR races has continued to grow, it has become increasingly difficult for members to register for races and volunteer opportunities, limiting access for both those pursuing 9+1 and those simply looking to race throughout the year. In response to member feedback and pilot programs over the past 24 months, NYRR is introducing several changes designed to improve year-round race access while creating a clearer path to completing the 9+1 program. For More information visit: https://www.nyrr.org/run/guaranteed-entry/tcs-new-york-city-marathon-9plus1-program
&nbsp;
FOLLOW NYRR: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nyrr/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkRoadRunners/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/nyrr">X</a> | <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@newyorkroadrunners">TikTok</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@nyrrvideo/podcasts">YouTube</a> SUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/set-the-pace/id1703616687">Apple Podcasts </a>or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2k1UziVCr4wYtMM5Awr2MA?si=871db22f44c049b1">Spotify</a>. <a href="https://www.nyrr.org/setthepace">DISCLAIMER</a>

 Updates to NYRR Membership and 9+1: Members’ Questions Answered

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/dc1b3f8c-8a2d-4298-8405-b17000ea5872/clips/b5d62d08-a6f3-4897-a28e-b49f013dcab4/transcript

Everything You Need to Know about the United Airlines NYC Half - 2026

In 1 playlist(s)

Set the Pace

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips