Speaker 1: Thank you, New York. Today we're reminded of the power
Speaker 1: of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on
Speaker 1: your mark.
Speaker 2: The first woman to finish for the second straight year
Speaker 2: here in the New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman, a smiling
Speaker 2: Miki Gorman. And why not?
Speaker 3: 2: 29:30 the time for (inaudible) .
Speaker 4: Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes to
Speaker 4: the line.
Speaker 5: Pointing to his chest, pointing to the USA he so proudly
Speaker 5: wears across his chest. A great day for Matt (inaudible) .
Rob Simmelkjaer: Hey everybody out there and welcome to Set the Pace
Rob Simmelkjaer: presented by Peloton. It is the official podcast of New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York Road Runners and it's a special live show here
Rob Simmelkjaer: today. I'm your host, Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York Road Runners, and we are so thrilled to be
Rob Simmelkjaer: here live in Berlin, Germany at the New Balance Center
Rob Simmelkjaer: for Modern Running. As we get set for the 50th
Rob Simmelkjaer: running of the BMW Berlin Marathon. We got a nice
Rob Simmelkjaer: crowd here joining us. Make some noise out there for
Rob Simmelkjaer: all of our listeners. All right, we're fired up. This
Rob Simmelkjaer: is a really cool space that New Balance has in
Rob Simmelkjaer: Berlin. It's multiple floors. They've got obviously amazing running technology
Rob Simmelkjaer: here. I just had a chance to hang out in
Rob Simmelkjaer: some of the compression boots. I needed a little compression
Rob Simmelkjaer: because I am getting ready for my first marathon run
Rob Simmelkjaer: in 11 years on Sunday at the BMW Berlin Marathon. I'm
Rob Simmelkjaer: incredibly excited. I've been here since yesterday. I've had a
Rob Simmelkjaer: chance to go around town, just get a vibe of
Rob Simmelkjaer: the city. You are obviously a great athlete, you're great on the track,
Rob Simmelkjaer: but being the best successful at the marathon distance both
Rob Simmelkjaer: that day and then so many days since then, how
Rob Simmelkjaer: has it changed your life?
Catherine Debrunner: I think what's changed the most is that I actually
Catherine Debrunner: realized how big the marathon community is and what it brings
Catherine Debrunner: to us wheelchair racer. I remember I also talked with
Catherine Debrunner: Manuela and she always said to me that it's something
Catherine Debrunner: so different than the track races because there normally we
Catherine Debrunner: have not many spectators. It's really small and unfortunately not
Catherine Debrunner: many people see our races. So when I saw this
Catherine Debrunner: year (inaudible) , I was completely flushed and I was
Catherine Debrunner: so happy to see how far inclusion is here. We are
Catherine Debrunner: really equally treated. We have press conference with the top
Catherine Debrunner: athletes from Olympics and that was for me reading something
Catherine Debrunner: new and I was so happy to see this.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It's something about you're on the same course as the
Rob Simmelkjaer: male and the female runners and then of course the
Rob Simmelkjaer: same course as the 40 or 50, 000 athletes coming behind you,
Rob Simmelkjaer: all the runners. There's something about being in that common
Rob Simmelkjaer: field on that same day, your daily television coverage, you
Rob Simmelkjaer: get crowds that is different than anything else you really experienced.
Catherine Debrunner: Yeah, it was just amazing to be here on the
Catherine Debrunner: same course as Olympic athletes to be cheered from so
Catherine Debrunner: many people on the road from home. We are tracking.
Catherine Debrunner: There's just such big community who watch marathon and I
Catherine Debrunner: love to be part of this.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Catherine, you were the most successful para- athlete in the
Rob Simmelkjaer: Paris 2024 games. You won gold in the 400 meters, the
Rob Simmelkjaer: 800 meters, the 1,500 meters and the 5, 000 meters on the track. And then
Rob Simmelkjaer: of course your goal in marathon. I was like, you
Rob Simmelkjaer: and (inaudible) , I bet if you guys should get
Rob Simmelkjaer: together and have a meal and talk about how you
Rob Simmelkjaer: could succeed at so many different distances at the same
Rob Simmelkjaer: Olympics. How can you do that and do it all
Rob Simmelkjaer: that well, but in such a short period of time?
Catherine Debrunner: Well, I cannot tell you our secret because it's not a secret,
Catherine Debrunner: but I think it's a lot of things who actually
Catherine Debrunner: came together. I have been doing the sport now for
Catherine Debrunner: 21 years. I think I really learned a lot. I've
Catherine Debrunner: made a lot of experiences, good ones and bad ones,
Catherine Debrunner: and I think both are really important to become a
Catherine Debrunner: top athlete. I had really good role models in Switzerland,
Catherine Debrunner: but also a crowd and I have a really amazing environment in
Catherine Debrunner: sport, but also (inaudible) to really helps me every
Catherine Debrunner: day to achieve my goals. And I think I made the right
Catherine Debrunner: decisions the last couple of years. I changed a lot
Catherine Debrunner: in my life and I had the courage to dream
Catherine Debrunner: big and to work hard for them.
Rob Simmelkjaer: What kind of things did you have to change? What
Rob Simmelkjaer: were some of the biggest changes you had to make
Rob Simmelkjaer: in your life to get this kind of success?
Catherine Debrunner: One big change was that I stopped working as a
Catherine Debrunner: primary teacher and honestly I was quite afraid of that
Catherine Debrunner: step because in Switzerland it's not easy to live from
Catherine Debrunner: our sport, especially when you are not a successful marathoner
Catherine Debrunner: then it's super, super hard to live from it. So
Catherine Debrunner: I was really scared if it's going to work out.
Catherine Debrunner: So it was quite a risk and I think that was the
Catherine Debrunner: biggest step actually.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You were teaching, at what age levels were you teaching?
Catherine Debrunner: 6 to 8 year old kids.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah. Do you miss that much or now being full-
Rob Simmelkjaer: time athlete, is it enough? Are you fulfilled as a full-
Rob Simmelkjaer: time athlete as you were as a teacher?
Catherine Debrunner: That's a difficult question. It's just two completely different worlds
Catherine Debrunner: and I love both. I mean, being a primary teacher
Catherine Debrunner: every day is so different. Even if you teach the same
Catherine Debrunner: topics, (inaudible) day so diverse and I really loved
Catherine Debrunner: the way also they treated me with my wheelchair. For the
Catherine Debrunner: kids the wheelchair was never a problem. They just treated
Catherine Debrunner: me like every other teacher. And once I had an
Catherine Debrunner: evening with parents, I remember that very well. And when
Catherine Debrunner: the parents came I realized that they looked at me
Catherine Debrunner: really weird and then I felt little uncomfortable and then
Catherine Debrunner: I asked the parents if there's something wrong and then
Catherine Debrunner: one parent said, " Well, her kids did not tell that
Catherine Debrunner: I was in a wheelchair," and they were just surprised. And that (inaudible)
Catherine Debrunner: , had goosebumps and I really liked it. And I'm
Catherine Debrunner: sure I do go back after my career, but right now I live a really
Catherine Debrunner: privilege life. I love what I do and I can
Catherine Debrunner: do my passion every day.
Rob Simmelkjaer: That makes me think back to you at the age
Rob Simmelkjaer: of eight, when you first started competing in a wheelchair.
Rob Simmelkjaer: What started that for you? What was it that showed
Rob Simmelkjaer: you this path toward competing as an athlete in a
Rob Simmelkjaer: wheelchair? How did it all start?
Catherine Debrunner: I was always someone who would like to move. In German,
Catherine Debrunner: we say (foreign language) . I don't know the word in
Catherine Debrunner: English, but just I cannot do nothing. And my parents
Catherine Debrunner: saw that kids camp in Nottwil, that's our paraplegic center
Catherine Debrunner: and there we could try a lot of different sports
Catherine Debrunner: and it was love at first sight with wheelchair racing.
Catherine Debrunner: And I think Marcel Hug played a really big role
Catherine Debrunner: for me because he was born just a village next
Catherine Debrunner: to mine and at that time he also still trained
Catherine Debrunner: there with my former coach, Paul Udernacht. And Paul came
Catherine Debrunner: to me when I was eight and showed me that
Catherine Debrunner: chair and I knew that's my thing. So I started
Catherine Debrunner: training with Paul and also Marcel and that's where it
Catherine Debrunner: all begun.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Why does Switzerland have so much success in this sport?
Rob Simmelkjaer: You, Marcel, Manuela, what's happening there? Is there a lot
Rob Simmelkjaer: of support being given to Switzerland? Is it just a (inaudible)
Rob Simmelkjaer: that's been created? What do you think it is?
Catherine Debrunner: Yeah, that's true. We have great wheelchair racers in Switzerland
Catherine Debrunner: and I get this question quite often. I think especially
Catherine Debrunner: Nottwil is a perfect place for us to train. We
Catherine Debrunner: have a really fast track. That's also why many athletes from
Catherine Debrunner: abroad come always to the races we have in Switzerland. We have the
Catherine Debrunner: Paraplegic Foundation who helps us a lot also financially. And
Catherine Debrunner: we have the sports mix, we have the chains there. We have
Catherine Debrunner: a lot of experts who actually helps us perform. So
Catherine Debrunner: it's all together in one place and that's (inaudible) .
Rob Simmelkjaer: I wonder, you mentioned the kids you taught and we
Rob Simmelkjaer: had our own in New York Road Runners wheelchair, where
Rob Simmelkjaer: you were saying trade program. You may be familiar with
Rob Simmelkjaer: that. We're training young kids to raise some big chairs.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It's been incredible. We added that as the kids go
Rob Simmelkjaer: to Nationals in the United States this past year in
Rob Simmelkjaer: Alabama. So it's something we're very proud of. And what from
Rob Simmelkjaer: your point of view is impact you're making? Do you
Rob Simmelkjaer: hear from kids whether they're in Switzerland or in other
Rob Simmelkjaer: places when you're competing that are in wheelchairs that are
Rob Simmelkjaer: trying to understand how they can do what you've done?
Catherine Debrunner: I don't know if that's so actually, but I really
Catherine Debrunner: hope that I can be a role model for the new
Catherine Debrunner: generation. If they are in that wheelchair or not, just in general,
Catherine Debrunner: my goal is to be a role model to show
Catherine Debrunner: the world that if you have a dream or if
Catherine Debrunner: you have passion, it does not matter if it's in music or
Catherine Debrunner: art or whatever, just follow your dreams and work hard
Catherine Debrunner: because so much is possible and sometimes unbelievable things happens.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Absolutely. Of course in Berlin, everyone's excited about running on
Rob Simmelkjaer: the flat course. That is a big part of why I
Rob Simmelkjaer: decided to run this. I'm wondering for you being in
Rob Simmelkjaer: the wheelchair of racing sport, what is it like? Does that make
Rob Simmelkjaer: it easier as it does for runners to (inaudible)
Rob Simmelkjaer: such a flat surface? How does it change? And being
Rob Simmelkjaer: a track athlete where you're first running always on a flat
Rob Simmelkjaer: surface, maybe that is a bit of an advantage for
Rob Simmelkjaer: you here. Talk about the tactics of running a flat
Rob Simmelkjaer: course here in Berlin.
Catherine Debrunner: The really nice thing about Berlin is because it's so
Catherine Debrunner: flat, we have really high speeds and you can just
Catherine Debrunner: go in the flow and go fast. And there are not
Catherine Debrunner: so many difficult turns like on other courses or hills
Catherine Debrunner: where you really need a lot of energy. So it's much more steady. And
Catherine Debrunner: the last time I was here it was super exciting races, all
Catherine Debrunner: very fast, and we have a really great spirit in our
Catherine Debrunner: women's fields. We work really hard together because we all
Catherine Debrunner: want to go for fast time. And last year we
Catherine Debrunner: worked together and we made the time. We probably all
Catherine Debrunner: never thought it's possible for us. (inaudible) so fast
Catherine Debrunner: and I'm so proud of what we did last year here.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You do well on flat courses. You do well on hilly courses. You obviously had an
Rob Simmelkjaer: incredible race in New York last year. Do you feel
Rob Simmelkjaer: that one suits you more than the other? Do you
Rob Simmelkjaer: like the hills? Do you feel that you compete well at
Rob Simmelkjaer: the hills or would you rather stay on the flat? If you
Rob Simmelkjaer: have that one race to win, which would you prefer? Flat or
Rob Simmelkjaer: with some hills?
Catherine Debrunner: Well, there are a lot of New York people here, so I need
Catherine Debrunner: to (inaudible) I guess, not that much. Now of course Europe
Catherine Debrunner: is much more challenging because of the hill and especially the
Catherine Debrunner: start on this big bridge. But it's everywhere amazing to
Catherine Debrunner: win if it's a flat course or if it's a
Catherine Debrunner: hilly course. But New York, I definitely had to prepare
Catherine Debrunner: really well with the hills. We found a hill in
Catherine Debrunner: the Netherlands, which is pretty similar to the bridge in New York.
Catherine Debrunner: And I remember the first time I went up this
Catherine Debrunner: hill and said to my coach, " You are crazy to let me
Catherine Debrunner: up there." And that I was suffering and I was complaining
Catherine Debrunner: a lot, but every time it went better. And I'm
Catherine Debrunner: so proud that I could win that race.
Rob Simmelkjaer: They say you can make it there, you can make
Rob Simmelkjaer: it anywhere in New York. So apparently you've done that
Rob Simmelkjaer: and you're continuing to do it here as well. You
Rob Simmelkjaer: must be exhausted after Paris doing everything you did. So
Rob Simmelkjaer: you've got Berlin, you've got Chicago coming up, is that
Rob Simmelkjaer: right? And then you're going to take a break for
Rob Simmelkjaer: a while?
Catherine Debrunner: Exactly. It has been a super intense time. I did
Catherine Debrunner: my first races this year already at the end of
Catherine Debrunner: January (inaudible) and now actually we went all till
Catherine Debrunner: now and as we were... Yeah, this marathon only three weeks after
Catherine Debrunner: the really tough course in Paris, which was actually even tougher
Catherine Debrunner: than New York.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And this was at the course that the runners were on in
Rob Simmelkjaer: the Olympics, but still very difficult course.
Catherine Debrunner: Yeah, it was a different course and especially the last from
Catherine Debrunner: 36K to 41, it was 5. 2K cobblestones, and really
Catherine Debrunner: hard cobblestones. So we were shaking around that race and
Catherine Debrunner: I did not realize how steep it goes actually uphill
Catherine Debrunner: up the Arc de Triomphe.
Rob Simmelkjaer: On the Champs-Élysées.
Catherine Debrunner: Yes. I think we both had really mixed feelings about
Catherine Debrunner: that course because it was just not accessible for us
Catherine Debrunner: and it was all about the monuments and seeing nice
Catherine Debrunner: pictures maybe, but I think it was really at (inaudible) .
Rob Simmelkjaer: I mean had you ever raced on cobblestones before? Do you have
Rob Simmelkjaer: that experience before? And as you said, those are big
Rob Simmelkjaer: cobblestones on the Champs-Élysées. Had you ever experienced anything like that?
Catherine Debrunner: No, never like this kind of cobblestones. I mean here in Berlin
Catherine Debrunner: we have also about two and half meters cobblestones, but
Catherine Debrunner: they are really easy ones and the last 200 to
Catherine Debrunner: go anyway (inaudible) so you don't feel it anymore. But I
Catherine Debrunner: think what we experienced in Paris was something what we all never
Catherine Debrunner: experienced before.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Something new. We got flats, you've got hills, you've got cobblestones
Rob Simmelkjaer: in your repertoire so you can do it all.
Catherine Debrunner: But what's the next?
Rob Simmelkjaer: Maybe on a beach? I don't know. That would be about (inaudible) .
Rob Simmelkjaer: But you could try anything I guess, there's a lot
Rob Simmelkjaer: of different things you can try. So anybody who's been
Rob Simmelkjaer: around Berlin this week will see your picture. You are now everywhere
Rob Simmelkjaer: thanks to your partnership with New Balance as a part of this
Rob Simmelkjaer: Run Your Way campaign. Talk about that, the campaign with
Rob Simmelkjaer: New Balance, how it all came about and what does it mean for you
Rob Simmelkjaer: to be a part of this?
Catherine Debrunner: It's quite a long story actually. I had this dream
Catherine Debrunner: really long already to be ambassador of a clothing brand
Catherine Debrunner: and I realized quick that as a para- athlete, but
Catherine Debrunner: most especially as an athlete in a wheelchair, it's super,
Catherine Debrunner: super difficult to get sponsored by a clothing brand. And
Catherine Debrunner: I had talks to a lot of different brands and
Catherine Debrunner: some of them gave me really honest answers and said, "
Catherine Debrunner: Sorry, but we cannot take someone who cannot stand because
Catherine Debrunner: for the campaign or photo shootings you need to be
Catherine Debrunner: able to walk or stand." So it was tough, that
Catherine Debrunner: answer, but I was grateful that I actually knew what
Catherine Debrunner: the problem was because I did not really understand what
Catherine Debrunner: the issue was. So by a coincidence I met a
Catherine Debrunner: friend and she told me try New Balance Switzerland. And
Catherine Debrunner: at that point I did not really know that brand
Catherine Debrunner: so well and I contacted them on Instagram and it
Catherine Debrunner: didn't take half a day and I already got an
Catherine Debrunner: answer and they said, " Yeah, please join us." And there
Catherine Debrunner: it all started and I always felt so welcome in
Catherine Debrunner: team New Balance Switzerland and step by step I worked
Catherine Debrunner: forward and now seeing here running this campaign in the
Catherine Debrunner: whole city of Berlin but worldwide that makes me so
Catherine Debrunner: proud and I actually have not the words for it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: That's amazing. And by the way, I think you'll all agree that
Rob Simmelkjaer: you look great in the New Balance sneakers that you're
Rob Simmelkjaer: wearing. They look absolutely fantastic on you. So congratulations to
Rob Simmelkjaer: you and congratulations to New Balance Switzerland for seeing that
Rob Simmelkjaer: possibility and putting the investment behind an athlete like you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Have you started to sense the impact from being featured
Rob Simmelkjaer: in this? Are you being recognized more? Is it changing
Rob Simmelkjaer: anything for you being a part of a campaign like this?
Catherine Debrunner: I think you should ask me the question maybe in
Catherine Debrunner: half a year because the campaign just started some days
Catherine Debrunner: ago, but I'm sure that there will be a lot
Catherine Debrunner: of great opportunities thanks to this campaign and I'm just
Catherine Debrunner: so grateful for New Balance that they include everyone. For
Catherine Debrunner: them, every person is unique and they don't care if
Catherine Debrunner: it's someone who's blind or in a wheelchair or who runs
Catherine Debrunner: just for fun. I mean also here in Berlin, there
Catherine Debrunner: are so many people running just for fun. It's not
Catherine Debrunner: all about top athletes and I think that's a great
Catherine Debrunner: spirit New Balance has that running is universal like music
Catherine Debrunner: and that should be the goal I think to include everybody.
Rob Simmelkjaer: 100%. We couldn't agree more at New York Road Runners
Rob Simmelkjaer: and that's what we've seen in the sport, the explosion
Rob Simmelkjaer: of popularity, the fact that Berlin is expecting over 50,000
Rob Simmelkjaer: finishers this Sunday, most of those folks are running well
Rob Simmelkjaer: over three hours. So it's that everyday runner that is
Rob Simmelkjaer: making the sport as exciting and as popular as it
Rob Simmelkjaer: is right now in the everyday athlete. And you are
Rob Simmelkjaer: obviously an elite athlete of a type that people are
Rob Simmelkjaer: now starting to understand it's part of this as well,
Rob Simmelkjaer: so congratulations. So I'm curious for the future Catherine, for
Rob Simmelkjaer: you and for the sport of wheelchair racing, what are you
Rob Simmelkjaer: hoping to see? Is it new technology with chairs that
Rob Simmelkjaer: you think will continue to see new records? I mean
Rob Simmelkjaer: the runners are seeing it with the shoes, obviously the
Rob Simmelkjaer: shoes are making a huge difference. What's the technology in
Rob Simmelkjaer: wheelchair racing that is going to keep pushing the envelope?
Catherine Debrunner: I think our sport is still quite young and we
Catherine Debrunner: just started and I'm sure that the times will go
Catherine Debrunner: down a lot and I really hope for our sport
Catherine Debrunner: that the professionality, how it has been the last years
Catherine Debrunner: now, that it goes further in everything from material to
Catherine Debrunner: nutrition, in literally everything and that we really can reach
Catherine Debrunner: the limits. I think they are most of the time
Catherine Debrunner: in our head, but there is so much more possible than
Catherine Debrunner: we think. And also what I see now in the
Catherine Debrunner: women's field, we push each other to new limits and
Catherine Debrunner: that's so amazing.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And for you, after this break you're going to take,
Rob Simmelkjaer: after Chicago, have you set any goals in your mind
Rob Simmelkjaer: for 2025? You obviously had this 2024 that is going
Rob Simmelkjaer: to be unforgettable for anyone for the rest of their
Rob Simmelkjaer: lives, but for you, have you thought about 2025 and
Rob Simmelkjaer: any goals?
Catherine Debrunner: Not yet. 24 has been so amazing and I really need
Catherine Debrunner: a break and then I will realize it all and
Catherine Debrunner: then make new goals for the next year. But what
Catherine Debrunner: I know I will not stop next year for sure.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah. Well we know that you're going to take a
Rob Simmelkjaer: break from New York this year and we understand that
Rob Simmelkjaer: of course, you need a break, but we still owe
Rob Simmelkjaer: you a little something from your incredible day in 2023
Rob Simmelkjaer: in New York. And so to help deliver a piece
Rob Simmelkjaer: of hardware that we still owe you from last year,
Rob Simmelkjaer: I'm going to invite our race director of the TCS New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York City Marathon, Ted Metellus up to the stage and
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ted has a little something for you here. Ted.
Ted Metellus: All right Rob, I might need your help here because
Ted Metellus: I'm holding and speaking all at the same time and
Ted Metellus: I have some talking points that I want to hit here
Ted Metellus: for you. Catherine, thank you so very much for being
Ted Metellus: a part of the New York Road Runners community and
Ted Metellus: the TCS New York City Marathon your very first time. We
Ted Metellus: have a very special gift for you here. We get
Ted Metellus: this set. So here we go. We have this lovely
Ted Metellus: Tiffany plate brought to you here and this is your
Ted Metellus: presentation of the (inaudible) Trophy here. So on behalf
Ted Metellus: of New York Road Runners, the TCS New York City
Ted Metellus: Marathon and our team here, congratulations and thank you for the
Ted Metellus: amazing work that you have done, not just in New
Ted Metellus: York, but what you've done globally in the sport.
Catherine Debrunner: Thank you so much.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It's a beautiful plate for a beautiful champion from last
Rob Simmelkjaer: year and we're happy for you. We wish you luck
Rob Simmelkjaer: on Sunday and wish you luck for the rest of
Rob Simmelkjaer: the year and just thank you for everything and for
Rob Simmelkjaer: being an amazing champion. We'll miss you this year, but
Rob Simmelkjaer: can't wait to hopefully have you back in 2025.
Catherine Debrunner: Thank you so much for this lovely podcast and I wish you
Catherine Debrunner: all the best for Sunday as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Thank you Catherine Debrunner. All right, so terrific having Catherine
Rob Simmelkjaer: join us and I'm going to keep Ted up here
Rob Simmelkjaer: for a minute to talk a little Berlin. Oh, Ted's
Rob Simmelkjaer: got a mic. Great. So hello Mr. Metellus. It's not
Rob Simmelkjaer: our race this weekend, so you can relax a little
Rob Simmelkjaer: bit for at least another weekend before we get back
Rob Simmelkjaer: to the grind in New York. But what are you
Rob Simmelkjaer: thinking about Berlin this weekend?
Ted Metellus: A lot of things. First and foremost, a huge happy
Ted Metellus: 50th to them. Every time I see a member of
Ted Metellus: the Berlin Marathon team, I greet them with a happy
Ted Metellus: 50th. With great pride, the energy, it's been amazing here.
Ted Metellus: The city's truly embraced it. Lots of the athletes are
Ted Metellus: super excited for this, so it's front of mind. And
Ted Metellus: also thinking in 37 days we'll be having our own
Ted Metellus: little party with over 50,000 athletes that'll be running through
Ted Metellus: the city of New York. So it's been a great,
Ted Metellus: great welcoming weekend. Lots of love here.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Absolutely. And we're excited. So we're going to get ourselves
Rob Simmelkjaer: through this weekend and then it's right back to work
Rob Simmelkjaer: and Ted, you'll be back on a podcast I'm sure
Rob Simmelkjaer: before New York to take everybody through all the ins
Rob Simmelkjaer: and outs of running the 2024 TCS New York City
Rob Simmelkjaer: Marathon. So you've got that to look forward to, but
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the meantime, I've got a little work to do
Rob Simmelkjaer: this Sunday myself.
Ted Metellus: Yes, what a perfect segue. It's like you've done this
Ted Metellus: before. When you were talking about the work that we
Ted Metellus: have to do leading up to our TCS New York City
Ted Metellus: Marathon. We are two days away from the BMW Berlin
Ted Metellus: Marathon. You mentioned just briefly that it's been 11 years
Ted Metellus: since your last marathon and in preparation for this, the
Ted Metellus: one question that I wanted to ask you is really
Ted Metellus: kick this thing off is, it's been 11 years, what
Ted Metellus: would Rob Simmelkjaer say to Rob Simmelkjaer 11 years ago getting
Ted Metellus: ready to run their second New York City Marathon?
Rob Simmelkjaer: That's a good question.
Ted Metellus: (inaudible) .
Rob Simmelkjaer: When I ran back in 2013, I was running with
Rob Simmelkjaer: Fred's team, an amazing charity partner that we have in
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York, and that was an amazing experience. I had
Rob Simmelkjaer: this great community and the training was perfect and the
Rob Simmelkjaer: day was perfect and everything was perfect. So I realized
Rob Simmelkjaer: that having a team is a huge part of what
Rob Simmelkjaer: makes you successful, whether it's Team for Kids, which we're
Rob Simmelkjaer: going to talk about in a bit or one of
Rob Simmelkjaer: the many teams that are out there. And so unlike
Rob Simmelkjaer: the first time I ran a marathon where I did
Rob Simmelkjaer: it all by myself, I learned the value of teamwork.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And so for this one, I've had a team as
Rob Simmelkjaer: well. I've trained with our group training classes in New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York. I've done lots and lots of my training in
Rob Simmelkjaer: Central Park with that amazing group training group and our
Rob Simmelkjaer: phenomenal coaches at New York Road Runners. I've done a
Rob Simmelkjaer: couple of my long runs with Team for Kids in
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York, so I felt some support there. And then
Rob Simmelkjaer: I've also been very lucky to have as my running
Rob Simmelkjaer: mate and on Sunday, my pacer, the one and only
Rob Simmelkjaer: Roberto Mandje, who so many of you know out there is
Rob Simmelkjaer: a great head of coaching for so many years at
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York Road Runners, former Olympic athlete. And so Roberto
Rob Simmelkjaer: is going to try to drag me through these 26.
Rob Simmelkjaer: 2 miles.
Ted Metellus: You guys have been hammering some miles together last weekend
Ted Metellus: in the Bronx. You crushed it and you had a PR for your
Ted Metellus: 10 mile, correct?
Rob Simmelkjaer: I did. I had a PR by five minutes at
Rob Simmelkjaer: the New Balance Bronx 10 mile. Hopefully I didn't leave
Rob Simmelkjaer: it all in the Bronx because I got to bring
Rob Simmelkjaer: some here to Berlin. But I mean having a former
Rob Simmelkjaer: Olympian with you as you go out and run a
Rob Simmelkjaer: marathon, it gives you a little more confidence. There's no
Rob Simmelkjaer: question about it.
Ted Metellus: 100%.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You know what it does for me and anybody who has run
Rob Simmelkjaer: with a pacer or even one of the pacing groups
Rob Simmelkjaer: and we've got in New York, of course we've got
Rob Simmelkjaer: all those pacing groups that do such a great job
Rob Simmelkjaer: getting people through the marathon at their goal time. It
Rob Simmelkjaer: just takes so much of the mental stress away to
Rob Simmelkjaer: not have to be looking at your watch, looking at
Rob Simmelkjaer: a pace band, trying to think through your mind, am
Rob Simmelkjaer: I on the pace I want? It just takes it
Rob Simmelkjaer: all away and you've got somebody who's working with you
Rob Simmelkjaer: to try to keep you on that pace. Obviously your
Rob Simmelkjaer: body's got to be down with the program, otherwise it's
Rob Simmelkjaer: not going to happen. But that's got to be there.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You got to have the training put in, but at
Rob Simmelkjaer: least your mind can rest knowing that somebody's got your back.
Ted Metellus: Well, you know it's funny, I'm watching you here and you're
Ted Metellus: truly beaming. If you can't see it, you could definitely
Ted Metellus: feel it and hear it on the pod here. And
Ted Metellus: you were talking about running a marathon a little over a year ago
Ted Metellus: and you had a plan and you had to navigate through some
Ted Metellus: injuries and whatnot to get to where you are, but
Ted Metellus: you really and truly sound ready. You are ready to
Ted Metellus: go. Two days you're going to crush this, you're going
Ted Metellus: to have an incredible experience. Obviously the team here in
Ted Metellus: Berlin are super excited to have you. Tell us a
Ted Metellus: little bit about what is motivating you? You ran for
Ted Metellus: Fred's team before, what and who are you running for
Ted Metellus: this time around?
Rob Simmelkjaer: That's a great question.
Ted Metellus: Again, I'm crushing it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You're good, you're really good. We should have you do this
Rob Simmelkjaer: more often. I love it. For me, I did not
Rob Simmelkjaer: think I would run another marathon after 2013. I had
Rob Simmelkjaer: no plans to. I think being around this community as
Rob Simmelkjaer: I am day in and day out, it's just hard
Rob Simmelkjaer: not to be inspired by it. And it's impossible in
Rob Simmelkjaer: fact. And whether it's in New York or going to
Rob Simmelkjaer: the other Abbott World Marathon Majors and being in these
Rob Simmelkjaer: places with all these inspirational people, I just couldn't show
Rob Simmelkjaer: up again and be like, " Okay, I'm going to watch
Rob Simmelkjaer: this thing." I just had to be a part of
Rob Simmelkjaer: it. And for me it's special because you remember I
Rob Simmelkjaer: did take a shot at running Chicago last year.
Ted Metellus: Yes, correct.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And I got injured over the summer and had to
Rob Simmelkjaer: call that off. And so I looked ahead to this
Rob Simmelkjaer: year knowing it was the 50th anniversary in Berlin, knowing
Rob Simmelkjaer: I was going to be here to help them celebrate
Rob Simmelkjaer: that. I just thought, well, why not give it another
Rob Simmelkjaer: shot? And the training went better. I think I ramped
Rob Simmelkjaer: up at a better pace and so I was able to
Rob Simmelkjaer: avoid injuries. And it reminds me, Ted, of what I
Rob Simmelkjaer: said at the starting line of our marathon last year
Rob Simmelkjaer: and what I'm going to say this year, and I think
Rob Simmelkjaer: every year, which is to all the runners at the
Rob Simmelkjaer: starting line, congratulations. Because it is really hard to get
Rob Simmelkjaer: to the starting line of a marathon. I tried and
Rob Simmelkjaer: failed last year. It looks like I'm getting to the
Rob Simmelkjaer: starting line this year if nothing befalls me in the next
Rob Simmelkjaer: 48 hours. And I am proud to have gotten to the
Rob Simmelkjaer: starting line of another marathon now at my advanced age
Rob Simmelkjaer: of 50 something. So it's exciting to do it and
Rob Simmelkjaer: it's exciting to be here to share it with you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I know I'll see you at the finish line.
Ted Metellus: 100%.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So many of our colleagues at Road runners, we've got
Rob Simmelkjaer: a lot of employees and colleagues of ours running, so
Rob Simmelkjaer: many New York Road Runners members out there as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Team for Kids members who are about to have a
Rob Simmelkjaer: conversation with one of them. So thanks Ted for coming
Rob Simmelkjaer: up and chatting with me for a couple of minutes.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I appreciate it.
Ted Metellus: Absolutely. I want to wish you the best. I've been
Ted Metellus: putting you in bubble wrap to make sure you're safe
Ted Metellus: and there's no issues. Really inspired by your story. I
Ted Metellus: also ran the 2013 TCS New York City Marathon, so maybe one
Ted Metellus: day you'll inspire me to run another one.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I'm going to start working on that.
Ted Metellus: All right.
Rob Simmelkjaer: The day after our marathon. As soon as it's over,
Rob Simmelkjaer: I'll start to inspire you to run again.
Ted Metellus: Without a doubt. Well listen, best of luck. We'll be cheering for
Ted Metellus: you for 26. 2 strong miles on Sunday and looking
Ted Metellus: forward to you at the finish line for what will
Ted Metellus: be one of the greatest celebrations ever.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Thank you my friend. Ted Metellus, the race director of the
Rob Simmelkjaer: TCS New York City Marathon. Thank you, Ted. All right,
Rob Simmelkjaer: now on to today's member moment. She's taking on her
Rob Simmelkjaer: first ever international marathon this Sunday in support of Team
Rob Simmelkjaer: for Kids, which of course is the charity program for
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York Road Runner's youth and community programs. Arlene Rivera
Rob Simmelkjaer: had always dreamed of running the TCS New York City
Rob Simmelkjaer: Marathon, but it wasn't until 2022 after facing a particularly
Rob Simmelkjaer: tough year that she decided it was time to pursue
Rob Simmelkjaer: her marathon dreams. And when she sets her mind to
Rob Simmelkjaer: something, Arlene sees it through. In less than two years,
Rob Simmelkjaer: she has now completed multiple half- marathons, conquered her first
Rob Simmelkjaer: marathon at the California International Marathon. And if all goes
Rob Simmelkjaer: well, she will count three marathons in the next five
Rob Simmelkjaer: weeks. That is crazy. The BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday,
Rob Simmelkjaer: then the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and then of
Rob Simmelkjaer: course the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon. So let's welcome
Rob Simmelkjaer: up to the stage Arlene Rivera. Welcome. Thanks for coming.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Welcome to Set the Pace.
Arlene Rivera: Thank you for having me.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Great to see you. Great to have you as a
Rob Simmelkjaer: part of Team for Kids. You guys are incredible. I
Rob Simmelkjaer: actually am running in support of TFK as well for
Rob Simmelkjaer: my run, but talk to me about getting into this
Rob Simmelkjaer: world of marathons. You jumped into your first half- marathon
Rob Simmelkjaer: with only three and a half weeks of training.
Arlene Rivera: Yes. I'm a little bit crazy. I just took a
Arlene Rivera: leap of faith and I decided that I wanted... I
Arlene Rivera: had this goal to run the marathon and I just
Arlene Rivera: went on the New York Road Runners website and I saw
Arlene Rivera: the (inaudible) was coming up, my birthday was coming up
Arlene Rivera: and I said, " Hey, why not? Let's see." It was actually
Arlene Rivera: all full register and I entered regardless and I ended
Arlene Rivera: up getting an email and they're saying, " Hey, you were
Arlene Rivera: on this waiting list." And I'm looking at the timeline.
Arlene Rivera: I'm like, " Wait, I only have three and a half
Arlene Rivera: weeks to..." Was December. I was like, "I have only three and a half
Arlene Rivera: weeks to do this." And I just set my mind
Arlene Rivera: to it and I just decided this is what I'm
Arlene Rivera: going to do.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I always wonder with people who dive into running and
Rob Simmelkjaer: not as a 15- year- old, but as an adult,
Rob Simmelkjaer: what it was? What was the why for you? I
Rob Simmelkjaer: mentioned in the intro that you had a difficult year
Rob Simmelkjaer: at one point. What inspired you to start all of this?
Arlene Rivera: I had a difficult year with my mental health. I
Arlene Rivera: had some challenges. My family and I were affected... There
Arlene Rivera: was a fire in my apartment building and we were
Arlene Rivera: affected by that. And it was just like so much
Arlene Rivera: was out of my hands, out of my control and
Arlene Rivera: I just felt inspired by seeing other people run. And
Arlene Rivera: I had done 5K's in the past, sporadically here and there,
Arlene Rivera: and I just still had this passion and this goal
Arlene Rivera: that to complete something. I just felt like this was
Arlene Rivera: going to be my year to take control of something
Arlene Rivera: that I can do this. And so that was my motivation.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I can see how that would occur to you because
Rob Simmelkjaer: in life there's so many things that we can't control.
Rob Simmelkjaer: There can be health issues, there can be things that
Rob Simmelkjaer: happen to us, fires or tragedies in our family. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: so there's a lot of uncontrollables, right? And running isn't
Rob Simmelkjaer: always controllable either, but you do have the ability to
Rob Simmelkjaer: control a bit, right? The work you put in, the
Rob Simmelkjaer: training you put in to running a race, it doesn't
Rob Simmelkjaer: always work out perfectly, but oftentimes you get out what
Rob Simmelkjaer: you put in, right? So has that been part of
Rob Simmelkjaer: what's brought you to becoming a runner this way? Is
Rob Simmelkjaer: that controllability and somewhat predictable nature of running?
Arlene Rivera: Absolutely. Yeah. And sometimes I think it's weird to consider
Arlene Rivera: myself a runner. I never thought I was athletic. I've
Arlene Rivera: always been active. But definitely it's something that I feel that
Arlene Rivera: I can control. I can control how much energy I
Arlene Rivera: put into it, my training, my nutrition, and basically that's really it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We make a big deal of our final finisher at
Rob Simmelkjaer: the TCS New York City Marathon every year. You had the
Rob Simmelkjaer: experience of being a final finisher, not in New York,
Rob Simmelkjaer: but I'm told at your first marathon in California, at
Rob Simmelkjaer: the California International Marathon. And that ended up being a
Rob Simmelkjaer: big story. You were on the news. What was it
Rob Simmelkjaer: like that experience of being the final finisher and what
Rob Simmelkjaer: did you take from that?
Arlene Rivera: It was amazing. Honestly, around mile 18 and 19, I wanted
Arlene Rivera: to quit. I thought this is a terrible idea.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We're not the first to think that at mile 19 of a marathon.
Arlene Rivera: I called my husband on the phone, the plan was for him
Arlene Rivera: to meet at about mile 23 and I called him on
Arlene Rivera: the phone and I was like, " This is stupid. I don't
Arlene Rivera: know why I decided to do this. I just want
Arlene Rivera: to go home. I want to go home. Get on the plane right
Arlene Rivera: now, go to the airport. I just want to go
Arlene Rivera: home." And he was like, " No, you can do this. I'm going
Arlene Rivera: to meet you." So he ended up taking an Uber,
Arlene Rivera: he remember between 18 and 19. And I also had
Arlene Rivera: a friend who, his name is Hassan, he was at
Arlene Rivera: the finish line and he kept texting me. He was like, "
Arlene Rivera: It's all just one single digits from here. You're going
Arlene Rivera: to make it." Between him and my husband, they all in
Arlene Rivera: this group chat texting and we're like, we're just going
Arlene Rivera: to continue to do this. And I made it to
Arlene Rivera: the finish line. I was surprised to see that there was people
Arlene Rivera: there because they were taking everything down. The roads are
Arlene Rivera: being open, I'm running against traffic. My poor husband carrying
Arlene Rivera: my bag, my hydration vest. I was feeling exhausted. And
Arlene Rivera: Project Finish was there and it was their first year to
Arlene Rivera: be at the California International Marathon. And so it was
Arlene Rivera: nice for me to be met with people. And then I was
Arlene Rivera: surprised when the local news was there. They're like, " We want
Arlene Rivera: to interview the last finisher because we never get to
Arlene Rivera: see who the last finisher is. We never get to
Arlene Rivera: see who the last person to cross that finish line is."
Rob Simmelkjaer: It was like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? You
Rob Simmelkjaer: feel like you phoned a friend, right?
Arlene Rivera: Yes, they were my lifeline.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Got on the phone... Lifeline and got you to the finish line.
Arlene Rivera: Absolutely.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I love it. I love it. So this is your
Rob Simmelkjaer: first international marathon. Mine too, by the way.
Arlene Rivera: Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So what got you to get on a plane, fly
Rob Simmelkjaer: to Germany to give this a go?
Arlene Rivera: So I have the goal to do all the majors.
Arlene Rivera: I said I did a half- marathon, I did one in
Arlene Rivera: California and I said, what's the next big thing? Talking with
Arlene Rivera: my other running friends and they're like, you know, Berlin is coming up. You
Arlene Rivera: can run with TFK. And I ran with TFK before for
Arlene Rivera: the Brooklyn half. I reached out to them. There were
Arlene Rivera: no spaces available. They were like, " Oh, you could get
Arlene Rivera: on the waiting list." So I said, " Oh, you know
Arlene Rivera: what, if it happens, it happens, if it doesn't..." And
Arlene Rivera: I get an email a few months later and they said
Arlene Rivera: there's a spot available, first come, first serve. And I
Arlene Rivera: was at the dentist's office actually reading my emails and
Arlene Rivera: I told the dentist, " Hold on one moment, I have
Arlene Rivera: to fill something out really quickly on my phone." And she was like, "
Arlene Rivera: Okay, take your time." I was filling this out because I
Arlene Rivera: was just so excited. And then I'm texting my husband like, "
Arlene Rivera: Guess what? We're going to Berlin." And he's like, " What?"
Arlene Rivera: Yeah, that was my motivation.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I love it. So the cleaning could wait, you had
Rob Simmelkjaer: to fill out immediately, added to Berlin.
Arlene Rivera: Yeah, absolutely.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It makes sense. And you mentioned Team for Kids. What
Rob Simmelkjaer: does it mean for you to do it with that
Rob Simmelkjaer: team? It's such an incredible community. There'll be a breakfast
Rob Simmelkjaer: the day before the marathon. I'll come as a member
Rob Simmelkjaer: of the team as well. But for those who've never
Rob Simmelkjaer: done it, what does it mean, not just to run
Rob Simmelkjaer: these races, but to do it with Team for Kids?
Arlene Rivera: Just being able to be part of a community that
Arlene Rivera: wants to keep our youth active, educated, and not just
Arlene Rivera: the youth, the community that we live in and supporting
Arlene Rivera: that and raising funds for that. It means a lot
Arlene Rivera: to me because I used to teach in New York
Arlene Rivera: City public school system and I taught art to ninth
Arlene Rivera: graders and middle school. And sometimes not having the actual
Arlene Rivera: space for a gym or to have activities and Team
Arlene Rivera: for Kids gives teachers those tools so they can keep
Arlene Rivera: the kids active. They need to be active. Kids now
Arlene Rivera: are not as active as they were when I was growing
Arlene Rivera: up. I rode my bike everywhere. And just having them
Arlene Rivera: active, they can use the classroom, they can use a
Arlene Rivera: multipurpose space, a lunchroom. They just get those tools to
Arlene Rivera: keep the kids motivated.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I couldn't have said that better myself. That was beautiful.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You clearly have been listening at all those Team for
Rob Simmelkjaer: Kids get togethers.
Arlene Rivera: Absolutely.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So thank you so much for that. Thank you for
Rob Simmelkjaer: running with Team for Kids, and I just want to
Rob Simmelkjaer: wish you all the best on Sunday. I hope you
Rob Simmelkjaer: have a great day and I hope to see you at
Rob Simmelkjaer: the finish line.
Arlene Rivera: Yes, absolutely.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Both of us with our medals on, right?
Arlene Rivera: Absolutely.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Let's do this. We'll do it with a selfie, with medals. Sound like
Rob Simmelkjaer: a date?
Arlene Rivera: Absolutely. Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Let's do it. Yes, absolutely.
Arlene Rivera: Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, Arlene Rivera, thank you so much and appreciate
Rob Simmelkjaer: having you here. And that does it for another episode
Rob Simmelkjaer: of Set the Pace, an incredible set of guests, great
Rob Simmelkjaer: conversations. Want to thank again, Catherine Debrunner, my friend Ted
Rob Simmelkjaer: Metellus, Arlene as well. If you like this episode, please
Rob Simmelkjaer: make sure you go ahead, subscribe, rate, leave a comment
Rob Simmelkjaer: for the show. I'll be back in the States with
Rob Simmelkjaer: my friend Becks next week to talk about Berlin and
Rob Simmelkjaer: everything coming up this fall. Everybody out there with your
Rob Simmelkjaer: training or you're racing this weekend, have a great one.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Good luck and enjoy the miles. We'll see you next week.
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