Set the Pace

With the marathon just weeks away, Rob is joined by Ted Metellus, NYRR’s chief event production officer and race director, for a comprehensive guide to race week and race day. They reflect on the significance of the 50th anniversary of the New York City Marathon’s 5-boro course, then dive into everything runners need to know—from special activations at the marathon expo and engaging marathon week events to understanding race-day transportation options, course logistics, and more. Ted and Rob also share tips for first-time and returning runners, including how to plan your race weekend, navigate the course’s bridges and hills, and stay focused on your “why.” Plus, they preview post-race activities and the ways runners, spectators, and the city can come together to celebrate this milestone year. Whether you’re racing or cheering, this episode will help get you ready for November 1.
Save 20% on fuel at maurten.com, using the email address you registered with for the marathon. Offer excludes the Bicarb System and cannot be combined with other offers.
2026 TCS NYC Marathon Virtual Training Panel https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tcs-new-york-city-marathon-expert-panel-tickets-1990585352374



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New Balance 5th Avenue Mile champions Jemma Reekie and Marco Langon join a special edition of Set the Pace.
Wondering what broken nails and diamond bracelets have to do with the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile? Guest hosts Carrie Tollefson (Olympian and host of C Tolle Run) and Ali Feller (host of the Ali on the Run Show) find out on this special episode of Set the Pace, recorded live at the New York Road Runners Run Center featuring the New Balance Run Hub.
Carrie and Ali recap race day, then talk with both champions about how each race was won, what the climb and the long finishing straight on Fifth Avenue actually feel like, and what's ahead for each of them this off-season.

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For this week’s Set the Pace, NYRR’s Gordon Bakoulis—Coach Gordon to many–steps in to host the show while Rob and Becs are away. Gordon sits down with Heidi Skolnik, a sports nutritionist and exercise physiologist who is also a member of the NYRR Medical Advisory Council, to discuss her newest book, “Your GLP-1 Game Plan: What Your Doctor Didn't Tell You About How to Eat, Move, and Thrive on Weight Loss Medication,” out September 22. Heidi has worked with the New York Giants, Mets, and Knicks, and spent 30 years at the Women's Sports Medicine Center at Hospital for Special Surgery. She explains how these medications can affect appetite, hydration, and fueling—and why runners need to be especially intentional about meeting their nutritional needs. She also addresses common misconceptions and stigma surrounding obesity, body size, and weight-loss medications, emphasizing that health and movement are about much more than weight. Heidi and Gordon discuss how coaches can support runners during workouts, whether the goal is training for a marathon or simply wanting to move more.
You can find Your GLP-1 Game Plan: What Your Doctor Didn't Tell You About How to Eat, Move, and Thrive on Weight Loss Medication, on Amazon


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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
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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."


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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.com/listener for privacy information.