Rob Simmelkjaer: New York Road Runners is a non- profit organization with
Rob Simmelkjaer: a vision to build healthier lives and stronger communities through
Rob Simmelkjaer: the transformative power of running. The support of members and
Rob Simmelkjaer: donors like you helps us achieve our mission to transform
Rob Simmelkjaer: the health and well- being of our communities through inclusive
Rob Simmelkjaer: and accessible running experiences, empowering all to achieve their potential.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Learn more and contribute at nyrr. org/ donate.
Intro: Thank you. New York. Today we're reminded of the power of community
Intro: and the power of coming together. Athletes, on your mark.
Intro: The first woman to finish for the second straight year
Intro: here in the New York City Marathon is Mickey Gorman. A smiling
Intro: Mickey Gorman and why not? 2: 29:30, it's the time for (inaudible)
Intro: Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she
Intro: comes to the line. Pointing to his chest, pointing to
Intro: the USA he so proudly wears across his chest. A great
Intro: day for Matt Kapusky.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Happy New Year and welcome back to Set the Pace.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It's another year of the official podcast of New York
Rob Simmelkjaer: Road Runners, presented by a Peloton. I'm your host and
Rob Simmelkjaer: the CEO of New York Road Runners, Rob Simmelkjaer flying
Rob Simmelkjaer: solo today while we give my amazing co- host, Becs
Rob Simmelkjaer: Gentry, the first week of the year off. And full
Rob Simmelkjaer: disclosure, this episode was recorded early so the whole team
Rob Simmelkjaer: could enjoy the holiday break. So hope everybody on the
Rob Simmelkjaer: team's enjoying themselves as well. Hope you guys all had
Rob Simmelkjaer: an amazing 2024, a great holiday season and we're excited
Rob Simmelkjaer: to dive into 2025 with all of you, whether you ran
Rob Simmelkjaer: the midnight run to kick in the new year or
Rob Simmelkjaer: have some other races on your schedule, can't wait to
Rob Simmelkjaer: see so many of you out there over the course
Rob Simmelkjaer: of the next year. As this episode is dropping on
Rob Simmelkjaer: January 2nd, today's episode is all about, that's right, new
Rob Simmelkjaer: Year's resolutions, goal setting and opportunities to help you stick
Rob Simmelkjaer: to those goals. Whether it's to start walking or running
Rob Simmelkjaer: or to run maybe seven marathons in seven days like
Rob Simmelkjaer: Becs. No, don't do that. Nobody is going to do
Rob Simmelkjaer: that other than Becs, so just kidding on that one. No, but
Rob Simmelkjaer: whatever your goal might be, we want to talk about
Rob Simmelkjaer: how to help you achieve them in 2025. So joining
Rob Simmelkjaer: me today is New York Road Runner's head coach, coach
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ben Delaney. For those who have not had a chance
Rob Simmelkjaer: to meet or train with Ben, he's responsible for managing
Rob Simmelkjaer: all of our runner education and training resources that thousands of
Rob Simmelkjaer: runners use every year to prepare for the TCS New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York City Marathon, the United Airlines NYC half, and many
Rob Simmelkjaer: other races across our calendar, and in fact around the
Rob Simmelkjaer: world. I personally have been coached by Ben and his
Rob Simmelkjaer: team throughout the last couple of years through group training, other
Rob Simmelkjaer: events, and there's no way I would've been able to
Rob Simmelkjaer: set that PR in Berlin this past September without Coach
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ben and that incredible team. So can't wait to talk
Rob Simmelkjaer: to Coach Ben about everything that NYRR does and really
Rob Simmelkjaer: the myriad of programs we have, including by the way,
Rob Simmelkjaer: our pacing program that you'll often see at some of
Rob Simmelkjaer: our big races, the folks holding the signs, running a
Rob Simmelkjaer: certain pace so you could pace yourself to a goal
Rob Simmelkjaer: time. Ben's overseeing that as well. So Ben Delaney will
Rob Simmelkjaer: be with us in just a little while. And just
Rob Simmelkjaer: like we are every single week, we'll be joined later
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the show by the great Meb Keflezighi bringing us his weekly pro-
Rob Simmelkjaer: tip, which this week is of course all about running
Rob Simmelkjaer: resolutions. And Meb will also be joined by the NYRR member
Rob Simmelkjaer: of the week and NYRR Open Run participant, Rose-Gaëlle Belinga.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So stay tuned for an extra New Year's motivation from
Rob Simmelkjaer: Meb. But before we get into today's guest, I want
Rob Simmelkjaer: to mention that next week will be a special episode of
Rob Simmelkjaer: Set the Pace. We're going to be holding a special
Rob Simmelkjaer: NYRR State of the Union. I'll be sharing some exciting
Rob Simmelkjaer: things that our team is working on for 2025, and
Rob Simmelkjaer: we'll take a look back at an amazing year for the
Rob Simmelkjaer: running community in 2024. And also part of this episode,
Rob Simmelkjaer: we want to hear from you. That's right. So if you've got
Rob Simmelkjaer: questions for me or for anybody at New York Road
Rob Simmelkjaer: Runners, please, we want you to send them our way.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You can email us at NYRRpodcast@ NYRR. org, that's NYRRpodcast@ NYRR.
Rob Simmelkjaer: org. Leave a question in that email or you can
Rob Simmelkjaer: leave one in the review section of the Apple Podcast
Rob Simmelkjaer: app or Spotify. Or you can DM NYRR on our social media
Rob Simmelkjaer: as well. We will answer all of your questions next week
Rob Simmelkjaer: on this special town hall episode of Set the Pace.
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Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, now it's on to today's show and I'm
Rob Simmelkjaer: excited for this next interview. Today we are joined by
Rob Simmelkjaer: someone who is mostly known as Coach Ben around New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York Road Runners offices in our community. Ben Delaney, he
Rob Simmelkjaer: is New York Road Runners' Director of Training Programs and
Rob Simmelkjaer: Operations, and a big part of a lot of runners
Rob Simmelkjaer: lives here at NYRR, certainly our staff, all of our group
Rob Simmelkjaer: training runners, our Team for Kids runners. So a lot
Rob Simmelkjaer: of you out there know Coach Ben. And Ben, it
Rob Simmelkjaer: is really great to have you on Set the Pace.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I feel like this is overdue. We should have done
Rob Simmelkjaer: this a long time ago.
Ben Delaney: I am so excited to be on here. Thank you so much
Ben Delaney: for having me. It feels great. I mean, you and
Ben Delaney: I talk all the time and to be able to talk about all the things that we get to do and the impact and the connection, this is going
Ben Delaney: to be great. Looking forward to it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Absolutely. Ben, I guess the first question someone might ask
Rob Simmelkjaer: is, what does a coach at New York Road Runners
Rob Simmelkjaer: actually do? I mean, Road Runners is obviously a big
Rob Simmelkjaer: organization. We've put on lots of races including the marathon,
Rob Simmelkjaer: we have all these programs in the community for kids, adults,
Rob Simmelkjaer: all that. So it would seem that there's a lot
Rob Simmelkjaer: you could potentially do, but what does the coach, the
Rob Simmelkjaer: head of coaching at this organization actually do?
Ben Delaney: The head of coaching, my responsibility is to make sure
Ben Delaney: that our programs are really connecting with the running community that
Ben Delaney: we have. And like Rob talked about at the top, I
Ben Delaney: work with group training, I get to work with Team
Ben Delaney: for Kids. I'm connecting even with our other programs we have,
Ben Delaney: Run for the Future and Striders as all of our coaches work within
Ben Delaney: those. So to be able to do that, to be
Ben Delaney: able to be a coach in that space and to
Ben Delaney: have a say and a process, and part of my
Ben Delaney: responsibility is ensuring that our programs are connecting and have
Ben Delaney: the proper voices and that we're out there talking to our
Ben Delaney: runners. And one thing I tell our coaches is, " I
Ben Delaney: want our runners to see us as much as we
Ben Delaney: see them." So I want to make sure that we
Ben Delaney: have that connection all the time. And then to be
Ben Delaney: able to, I tell people I get to see runners,
Ben Delaney: I get to see people at the best part of their day. Because
Ben Delaney: when you come out to run, I think you're sick
Ben Delaney: in your head, Rob you know it, you're there for
Ben Delaney: you. You're there because you want to do it. And
Ben Delaney: to have that opportunity and that space, I never take
Ben Delaney: it for granted. I remind myself, my coaches, I say, "
Ben Delaney: Hey, we get to do this. They're here. Let's give
Ben Delaney: them the best experience that we can when they're here."
Rob Simmelkjaer: For people, Ben, who maybe run the marathon or run
Rob Simmelkjaer: our races, but that's all they do, and there's a
Rob Simmelkjaer: lot of people for whom that applies, they may not
Rob Simmelkjaer: really have any sense of coaching at Road Runners, the
Rob Simmelkjaer: fact that we have coaches and that we have all
Rob Simmelkjaer: these programs, so maybe we could just run through a
Rob Simmelkjaer: few of them. And I'll start with group training, which
Rob Simmelkjaer: is my personal favorite. As you know, I've been a
Rob Simmelkjaer: regular at the, especially Thursday morning group training runs in
Rob Simmelkjaer: Central Park, but I've bounced around to a few others.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And it certainly has made a big difference in my
Rob Simmelkjaer: running life. I think it's made me a lot better.
Rob Simmelkjaer: What is group training and what does it take for
Rob Simmelkjaer: somebody to get involved?
Ben Delaney: Yeah, a group training is adult training for anybody who
Ben Delaney: wants to get involved with running. You don't have to even be
Ben Delaney: wanting to race. If you just want a community of runners, group
Ben Delaney: training is for that. We offer it in Central Park,
Ben Delaney: as Rob said. I've got Central Park, I've got Prospect
Ben Delaney: Park, Uptown Manhattan, Historia Park. Seasonally, we have East River
Ben Delaney: Track, I've got Engineers Gate. So in terms of where
Ben Delaney: we are, what we offer, you can get out there. This
Ben Delaney: is a year round program, so you don't have to
Ben Delaney: be involved in one part and then we're going to go away
Ben Delaney: and come back. This runs year round. Matter of fact,
Ben Delaney: our January session, it's open right now, it opened up
Ben Delaney: by just earlier last week I believe. And we are
Ben Delaney: getting our (inaudible) runners ready for the United Airlines
Ben Delaney: NYC Half in March. 1st workout to the week of
Ben Delaney: January 6th. So if anybody out there listening is thinking, "
Ben Delaney: Heck, I want to get on there. I got the NYC
Ben Delaney: Half on my calendar right now." Or just New Year,
Ben Delaney: new you, or just trying to get that routine. I like
Ben Delaney: to tell people, make it a habit, make it part
Ben Delaney: of who you are, bring that part of your day
Ben Delaney: and group training is a great way to step into that.
Ben Delaney: Our coaches are there to facilitate the workouts that we
Ben Delaney: have. So Nick, as Rob can attest, we want to
Ben Delaney: give you a great experience. We want to make you
Ben Delaney: see the best part of yourself, but we're going to
Ben Delaney: challenge you. The coach is really out there. They're going
Ben Delaney: to talk to you about what your goals are, give
Ben Delaney: you some tips on how to best approach the workout
Ben Delaney: based off of where you are in your process. Because
Ben Delaney: running is going to meet you where you are. Our
Ben Delaney: job as a coach is to ensure that what we're doing
Ben Delaney: is helping you get to where you want to be.
Ben Delaney: And everyone's goals are going to be a little bit
Ben Delaney: different out there, whether you're competitive with yourself, the person
Ben Delaney: next to you. But remember, it is group training. It's not
Ben Delaney: racing. So when you show up, don't worry about where
Ben Delaney: you are, how long you've been doing it for. Just
Ben Delaney: put on your shoes, come talk to us. We'll have
Ben Delaney: a great time out there and you apply to make you sweat a little bit.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And Ben, what would you say is the type of
Rob Simmelkjaer: runner who's best suited to do group training? I've been
Rob Simmelkjaer: there, I'm a decent runner. There's people there that are
Rob Simmelkjaer: faster than me. Obviously there's lots of folks who are
Rob Simmelkjaer: running more modest paces. Is it literally any pace, any
Rob Simmelkjaer: goal, anyone?
Ben Delaney: It really is. We cover the gamut because we know
Ben Delaney: that running is for everybody out there. One of the
Ben Delaney: programs we have in our evenings in Central Park currently
Ben Delaney: is called Fundamentals. And this is for a runner who
Ben Delaney: would be new or maybe is looking to have a
Ben Delaney: sustained running effort for 30 minutes or a little bit
Ben Delaney: more. But really group training, you show up, we have
Ben Delaney: coaches, we have support for where you're going to be.
Ben Delaney: I just encourage runners when they show up on day
Ben Delaney: one, you'll be open about that. Sometimes it can be
Ben Delaney: a challenge to have that conversation, but part of what
Ben Delaney: our coaches are there, we're there to ensure you get
Ben Delaney: the best experience. We want to make sure that you're getting
Ben Delaney: the best overall output of what you're trying to get
Ben Delaney: to. And everyone's going to be a little bit different.
Ben Delaney: And one of the philosophies that we preach at New
Ben Delaney: York Road Runners as our philosophy as coaches is we really train by
Ben Delaney: our effort. On a scale of one to 10, how
Ben Delaney: hard are you working as compared to like, " Hey, we're
Ben Delaney: doing this workout at six minute pace, seven minute pace,
Ben Delaney: eight minute pace." We're going to be working at an
Ben Delaney: effort level, seven or eight. Everyone's effort level is going
Ben Delaney: to be the same, and we judge that different ways,
Ben Delaney: but this way we know that everyone's working at a
Ben Delaney: consistent space that we can help you at. And our coaches know
Ben Delaney: how to gauge that and how to find out where
Ben Delaney: you are. As Rob will tell, can you talk too
Ben Delaney: much? Can you not talk at all? How are you working hard?
Ben Delaney: But that's really what we want to talk to. So our programs are
Ben Delaney: designed for every pace out there. We just tell runners to
Ben Delaney: make sure the first time you show up, talk to
Ben Delaney: us and be honest so we can make sure that
Ben Delaney: you're in the right space to get the right support within our community.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, I think for somebody who's got a New Year's resolution
Rob Simmelkjaer: to get more fit, I can't think of a better
Rob Simmelkjaer: way to kickstart that than group training. Even in January
Rob Simmelkjaer: it's going to be chilly, but it's going to get your
Rob Simmelkjaer: day off and your year off to an amazing start
Rob Simmelkjaer: to be out there running in the early morning hours or
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the afternoons. There's evening sessions as well, so you
Rob Simmelkjaer: can do either one and it's awesome. I know the
Rob Simmelkjaer: Central Park sessions tend to sell out, so people have
Rob Simmelkjaer: to get on their game if they're going to sign
Rob Simmelkjaer: up for those.
Ben Delaney: Yeah again, if you're thinking about it folks, get out there. If for any reason something is sold out,
Ben Delaney: you can send an email over to Training@ nyrr. org.
Ben Delaney: Myself, my colleague Steve and Gemma, we get to work with Gemma and Steve
Ben Delaney: all day long. We take care of a lot of
Ben Delaney: stuff. Always email us over. We'll always do our best
Ben Delaney: to get everybody in there, but obviously safety is a
Ben Delaney: key to what we want to do, whether it be
Ben Delaney: our trainings, our races, whatever we're going to do. That's
Ben Delaney: Road Runner's philosophy. But like Rob said, we got mornings,
Ben Delaney: we got evenings, different locations out there because we want to make
Ben Delaney: sure we give as much offer and we're looking to
Ben Delaney: grow and get into as many spaces as we can
Ben Delaney: because group training's a popular place these days.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It is. It's awesome. And with good reason, you and
Rob Simmelkjaer: the whole coaching staff does such a great job. So
Rob Simmelkjaer: let's talk about Team for Kids for a second. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: for those who are running with Team for Kids, especially
Rob Simmelkjaer: those who run multiple races halfs and marathons, they know that
Rob Simmelkjaer: it's so much more than just the bib. It's so
Rob Simmelkjaer: much more than raising money to get into these races.
Rob Simmelkjaer: There's an incredible community around Team for Kids, for all of
Rob Simmelkjaer: these races and especially for marathon. The coaching is really a
Rob Simmelkjaer: big part of what you get when you sign up
Rob Simmelkjaer: to run in support of Team for Kids, which of
Rob Simmelkjaer: course is a funding mechanism that helps us fund all of
Rob Simmelkjaer: our youth and community programs all year long at New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York Road Runner. So you're supporting an incredible cause and
Rob Simmelkjaer: you're getting something for yourself out of it, which is the
Rob Simmelkjaer: community and also Ben, the coaching that you and your
Rob Simmelkjaer: staff provide.
Ben Delaney: Yeah, I mean, I've been with Team for Kids, this is to finish
Ben Delaney: up my third year with that group, and it's been an incredible
Ben Delaney: three years with that team. That community is so strong.
Ben Delaney: A lot of those runners come back year after year
Ben Delaney: after year. They believe so much in the mission of
Ben Delaney: Team for Kids and New York Road Runners, and seeing
Ben Delaney: the money that they're raising going to something that's really
Ben Delaney: beneficial because this is what we do, this is what
Ben Delaney: we love. And so again, when I talk to my coaches say, "
Ben Delaney: Hey, these people are out there raising money year in, year
Ben Delaney: out, they want to get what they got to do
Ben Delaney: for us as coaches." " We want to give them the
Ben Delaney: best experience. How can we get them ready for their
Ben Delaney: day?" Because ultimately that date in November, but then again,
Ben Delaney: Team for Kids, we have teams for all of our world
Ben Delaney: marathon majors out there. So we have people training for
Ben Delaney: Tokyo right now, people looking at Boston and London already.
Ben Delaney: They'll be getting ready for Berlin and Chicago, and I
Ben Delaney: think maybe even that one down under, I don't know
Ben Delaney: if anyone's on that, maybe that's on your radar, Rob. We don't know, but-
Rob Simmelkjaer: It is. Sydney's on the radar. Absolutely.
Ben Delaney: That's a heck of a flight for a marathon folks, I'm
Ben Delaney: telling you. But our Team for Kid, they do it
Ben Delaney: for all the right reasons because they want to raise
Ben Delaney: the money. But then again, they do it because they enjoy
Ben Delaney: the sport, they enjoy the community. And so again, from
Ben Delaney: my coaching perspective, when we put our coach hat on, I say, "
Ben Delaney: Meet the runners." Because that community is so big that
Ben Delaney: a lot of them come back. I say when we
Ben Delaney: have someone new, someone that we don't recognize, say hi
Ben Delaney: to that runner. We want to make sure that they're a part
Ben Delaney: of our community as much as anything else. And so
Ben Delaney: you're meeting them, you're bringing them into the community, you're
Ben Delaney: making them feel this great space because we're going to
Ben Delaney: be with you for training for a marathon 20 weeks.
Ben Delaney: We get to know each other pretty well. We're out
Ben Delaney: there twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays with this group.
Ben Delaney: So our coaches get to know you. We get to
Ben Delaney: know intimately what you're trying to go for. Whether this is
Ben Delaney: your first marathon, your 10th, your last. We don't know where it may be on
Ben Delaney: the spectrum of what you're trying to work through. Hopefully it's not
Ben Delaney: your last, but we make sure that we talk to you
Ben Delaney: through that. And give you some pointers because Team for
Ben Delaney: Kids gives you so many perks on race day that
Ben Delaney: we want to make sure that you're utilizing all of
Ben Delaney: those things that are going to make your race day
Ben Delaney: as enjoyable as you can. Because once that cannon goes
Ben Delaney: off in Staten Island, you got to cover the 26.2
Ben Delaney: to get the tavern on the green and the finish line. But along
Ben Delaney: the way, we have Team for Kids coaches on course
Ben Delaney: for miles. Usually from mile 13 right before the Pulaski Bridge
Ben Delaney: until mile 25. We have you waiting for you on
Ben Delaney: Central Park South at 59th Street, every mile where our TFK coach
Ben Delaney: is going to be out there on race day. So
Ben Delaney: the people you work with, you practice with, we're with
Ben Delaney: every day during the season you see them on race
Ben Delaney: day. And that could be what you need on First
Ben Delaney: Avenue, what you need in the Bronx, what you need
Ben Delaney: on Fifth Avenue as you make your way into the
Ben Delaney: park, wherever that is to give that little boost.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, it's really special, Ben. It's hard. A lot of
Rob Simmelkjaer: things right now, road hard to get in to TFK.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It's so popular, you're right, so many people come back
Rob Simmelkjaer: year after year after year to be a part of it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So you got to get out there early. What's the
Rob Simmelkjaer: best way for someone who wants to be a part
Rob Simmelkjaer: of Team for Kids to sign up?
Ben Delaney: Teamforkids.org, or send an email to Tfk@ NYRR. org. Get involved with
Ben Delaney: them because like Rob said, these teams fill up quick,
Ben Delaney: especially our marathon teams and anyone out there chasing the
Ben Delaney: six stars. I know people out there are trying to get
Ben Delaney: those. And some of those bands, everyone puts in their
Ben Delaney: name for the drawings for London, for Berlin, and I
Ben Delaney: try, but you got to 600, 000 people going for some of these races, it's going to
Ben Delaney: be hard to get into. But really reach out, be
Ben Delaney: part of the community out there, show the interests you
Ben Delaney: have and understand that sometimes you are one of a
Ben Delaney: lot of people that are reaching out, but the team, at Team for
Ben Delaney: Kids, the in- house team, they did an amazing job
Ben Delaney: connecting with everybody. They'll get back with you. Just know
Ben Delaney: that I think our Marathon team for next year's New
Ben Delaney: York City Marathon is already at capacity or pretty darn
Ben Delaney: close to it. And then once you're in there, you may
Ben Delaney: have to do the Brooklyn half, you may have to
Ben Delaney: do some other races and we've got Queen's for Team for
Ben Delaney: Kids. Our coaches are out there at the Frosty five kids, as we
Ben Delaney: can get in some people ready for that. So the
Ben Delaney: team's always out there, send emails over, reach out, talk
Ben Delaney: to us, we'll do the best we can. Because again, running really has exploded,
Ben Delaney: I think is the best way to boom... The boom is back for running,
Ben Delaney: for sure.
Rob Simmelkjaer: No doubt. No doubt. No doubt. Ben, for people who
Rob Simmelkjaer: can't get to group training or can't get into a
Rob Simmelkjaer: Team for Kids program, there's other options out there that
Rob Simmelkjaer: we offer as well. We've got a new virtual coaching
Rob Simmelkjaer: platform that we partnered with this year, Runna. It was
Rob Simmelkjaer: the first year of that. I, as you may know,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ben used Runna in part, in training for the Berlin
Rob Simmelkjaer: Marathon and had a good experience. Although I've joked around,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Runna thinks I am very, very fast because some of
Rob Simmelkjaer: the tempo runs that Runna gave me during that run-
Rob Simmelkjaer: up were just grueling. I just couldn't do them. I mean, the
Rob Simmelkjaer: speed ones I was okay with, but the tempo runs
Rob Simmelkjaer: were just too much for me and I modified, I did the best I could. I
Rob Simmelkjaer: hit the distance, but maybe not always the time, but
Rob Simmelkjaer: can you talk a bit about Runna know, obviously it's not something
Rob Simmelkjaer: we're fully running. We've got a great partner that has
Rob Simmelkjaer: built this platform, but our coaching staff is involved. We've
Rob Simmelkjaer: got an online community on Facebook where we're talking to
Rob Simmelkjaer: our runners who are using the platform as well.
Ben Delaney: Yeah, NYRR by Runna is amazing. Personally, I've been using it for a year.
Ben Delaney: When we first got connection that we were going to
Ben Delaney: be moving to this platform about a year ago, Steve
Ben Delaney: Mura, Coach Steve out there and myself and as well
Ben Delaney: as Coach Gemma-
Rob Simmelkjaer: With the handlebar mustache, Steve Mura. You can't miss him
Rob Simmelkjaer: if you've ever seen him. Absolutely.
Ben Delaney: He actually, he cut it too short. He didn't have it for a while,
Ben Delaney: but in it's back folks, don't worry. There were some feelings about
Ben Delaney: the handlebar mustache growing, but Steve has brought it back.
Ben Delaney: If you look at Steve, Gemma and myself, we have
Ben Delaney: very distinctive looks about us on who we are. Gemma,
Ben Delaney: with the accent being from New Zealand, Steve and I
Ben Delaney: with our own personality, I tell you, love working with
Ben Delaney: them. We have a great time. NYRR by Runna. Yes, Rob, those workouts
Ben Delaney: are hard and I tell people it's by design. They
Ben Delaney: want you to get uncomfortable because I think as you
Ben Delaney: saw at the end of Berlin, it wasn't very comfortable.
Ben Delaney: And so-
Rob Simmelkjaer: You got that right. You've seen the video, huh? You've
Rob Simmelkjaer: seen what I looked like or the splits. You could
Rob Simmelkjaer: see how uncomfortable I got the last couple of miles.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yes, that's a fact.
Ben Delaney: But that's what training is, is getting you used to
Ben Delaney: those uncomfortable spaces and NYRR by Runna does that. I mean it
Ben Delaney: really, I've used it for a while. I used it
Ben Delaney: for Boston this past year and yeah, I questioned my
Ben Delaney: life twice a few times out there on some of those long runs.
Ben Delaney: I mean, they give you progression long runs to really
Ben Delaney: test you, but they really want to get you ready
Ben Delaney: for that. And I think that's key. Coach Steve manages our Facebook group.
Ben Delaney: It's an amazing Facebook group. He has a weekly thing
Ben Delaney: I think on Monday it's called Ask Coach Steve anything.
Ben Delaney: And it's incredible the kind of stuff he gets. And
Ben Delaney: on Fridays he goes, " Hey, where's your long run?" So
Ben Delaney: he does a lot of great things within that space
Ben Delaney: to ensure we have the community out there. But Dom and
Ben Delaney: Ben and the crew at Runna really have created a platform
Ben Delaney: that's evolving every day. They have a lot of good
Ben Delaney: stuff out there. I know that currently, our NYC half program
Ben Delaney: is open for anybody out there. We have our RBC,
Ben Delaney: Brooklyn half as the 20- week plan is open. And
Ben Delaney: then coming up in February we do have the drawing
Ben Delaney: for the TCS Nursery Marathon. We'll be launching our plans then
Ben Delaney: as well. Even though training will start really until June,
Ben Delaney: you can get started and get in the habit, get in
Ben Delaney: the Runna plan, get going, get yourself ready to go
Ben Delaney: because a marathon's not easy, but we do hard things
Ben Delaney: and we get to that finish line every way we can.
Rob Simmelkjaer: That's what we're trying to do. Absolutely. And NYRR by Runna, it
Rob Simmelkjaer: definitely helps. One of the other things that people may
Rob Simmelkjaer: not know is part of the job of Ben Delaney,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Head of Coaching at New York Road Runners, is our
Rob Simmelkjaer: pacing program. The races that we have, all of our half-
Rob Simmelkjaer: marathons or longer, we have a pacing group. And I'm
Rob Simmelkjaer: forever fascinated by the job of the pacer. These folks
Rob Simmelkjaer: that we send them out in these blue and white
Rob Simmelkjaer: jerseys, they look like... What do you call those?
Ben Delaney: The hoops, our hoops because they're blue and white and they go circular round our hoops.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, yeah, they look like Waldo but with blue and
Rob Simmelkjaer: not red. And they carry the little stick with their
Rob Simmelkjaer: pace on it. And I'm always amazed at how effective
Rob Simmelkjaer: these runners are, overwhelmingly successful in running the pace to
Rob Simmelkjaer: which they've been assigned. Can you talk a bit about
Rob Simmelkjaer: what it takes to be a pacer? How does somebody
Rob Simmelkjaer: get to get that job basically, and how hard it
Rob Simmelkjaer: is to execute that? Because they're like human metronomes basically.
Rob Simmelkjaer: They're out there really running and I can tell you
Rob Simmelkjaer: that they've really helped me in some races. I mean, my last
Rob Simmelkjaer: marathon in New York in 2013, I found that 330
Rob Simmelkjaer: pacer, and I stuck to them until mile 23 or
Rob Simmelkjaer: so and felt good enough to run ahead of them
Rob Simmelkjaer: at one point. But it really made a huge difference
Rob Simmelkjaer: for me. And I know so many runners out there going
Rob Simmelkjaer: to those corrals, looking for those pace signs.
Ben Delaney: Yeah, I mean the NYRR Pace team is incredible. Coach
Ben Delaney: Steve, Steve Mura, he has, that is his baby. He
Ben Delaney: has taken that from infancy. He was given it when
Ben Delaney: he started here at Road Runners 10 years ago, and
Ben Delaney: he has grown it. I think this year at the TCS New
Ben Delaney: York City Marathon, we had 90- plus Pacers out there, pretty
Ben Delaney: much almost every corral from had a pacer. And these
Ben Delaney: pacers go from three hours to six hours. If you have a
Ben Delaney: pacer, they're going to pace you to a sub- three.
Ben Delaney: Because again, what their sign says, they're aiming for 30
Ben Delaney: seconds underneath that regardless of the race that we're at.
Ben Delaney: So all of you sub- three marathoners out there, we've got,
Ben Delaney: it's Anthony Chan and Justin Woody and man, these guys
Ben Delaney: go 250, 930 and it's like, as Rob said, it's a metronome.
Ben Delaney: These guys are incredible. But we have people that do six hours, Jackie
Ben Delaney: Choi, Steph Rezeska. I mean, they're out there and they are money. They
Ben Delaney: get runners through. As I tell them, they are like
Ben Delaney: your guiding light, hook your wagon to them and they
Ben Delaney: will get you to where you have to be because
Ben Delaney: they do an amazing job. But they are human also.
Ben Delaney: So everyone's not going to have a perfect day. But
Ben Delaney: I think efficiency rate, they over 92% with all the
Ben Delaney: races that we offer. I mean, Bronx 10, all of our training
Ben Delaney: runs. Yeah, there's NYC Half, you name it, Staten Island,
Ben Delaney: the marathon. I mean the Marathon team is incredible. Everybody
Ben Delaney: wants to be a part of the marathon team. It's
Ben Delaney: a very select crew that Steve really curates well. We
Ben Delaney: have a lot of connections and reachouts to people who want to be a pacer
Ben Delaney: with New York Road Runners. Steve's actually partnered with a
Ben Delaney: pacing company called Elevate. We're actually sending pacers through this,
Ben Delaney: basically a class. They do a four- week class where
Ben Delaney: they have assignments to do and they've got to clock
Ben Delaney: their splits and they get checked. Because again, Steve will
Ben Delaney: tell you, the people that pace our races, specifically the
Ben Delaney: TCS New York City Marathon, are the best pacers in the world. No
Ben Delaney: offense to Berlin, Sydney or anybody else out there. Steve
Ben Delaney: has paced London. He paced London last year to four hours
Ben Delaney: and nailed it. But really, because putting your whole training
Ben Delaney: cycle and your whole faith and hope in this person
Ben Delaney: to guide you. And so we take that very seriously.
Ben Delaney: The pacers, they are very serious. They want to have
Ben Delaney: as much success as you do, and they want to
Ben Delaney: make sure that you have the best day possible out there.
Ben Delaney: So as Rob said, we're there to guide you to
Ben Delaney: a certain point. And then if you have your day,
Ben Delaney: go. I've had the benefit of pacing a few races
Ben Delaney: last year. I paced the marathon this past year. I got to mile 23
Ben Delaney: before. Unfortunately my day did not go very well, but
Ben Delaney: hey, you know what? I did the best I could for what I
Ben Delaney: did. My co- pacer, he nailed it, 4:19: 27. We're
Ben Delaney: trying to go for 420.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So the runners were not left alone. Exactly. You've got
Rob Simmelkjaer: a backup, which is good-
Ben Delaney: Always.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... in case somebody does have a bad day. Which
Rob Simmelkjaer: it's a marathon that's going to happen, absolutely. How much
Rob Simmelkjaer: faster does a pacer have to have run a marathon
Rob Simmelkjaer: on their own, than the pace time? You're not going
Rob Simmelkjaer: to give someone who's only run a 345, I guess,
Rob Simmelkjaer: to run as their pace time. What's the margin we use?
Ben Delaney: Usually somewhere in that 15 to 30 minute range, obviously depending on
Ben Delaney: the pace itself. Because one thing that we talked to
Ben Delaney: some paces about, and I've learned, and you see this
Ben Delaney: is like, yeah, maybe I can be out there for
Ben Delaney: two and a half hours, but that's a lot for
Ben Delaney: a half- marathon or five hours for a full, that's a lot longer
Ben Delaney: than I'm used to being on my feet. And that's
Ben Delaney: the difference because as everyone learns, when you train for a
Ben Delaney: marathon, you're training for time on your feet, your body
Ben Delaney: to get used to what you want to do on
Ben Delaney: pace day. So while somebody who's quick can maybe be
Ben Delaney: out there, their body's not going to be used to
Ben Delaney: that. So if we really stick to that 15 to 30 minutes, sometimes
Ben Delaney: it can be around 10 at the quicker range, but
Ben Delaney: we want to make sure the pacer's are well within a
Ben Delaney: space where it's comfortable for them. It's not outside of
Ben Delaney: their wheelhouse. And like I said, it speaks to their efficiency, 90 plus
Ben Delaney: percent efficiency. In some races, they're a 100%. I think for
Ben Delaney: the Brooklyn half this year, they were a 100%.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Amazing.
Ben Delaney: Which is incredible.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, it's really, really cool. It's a great, great program
Rob Simmelkjaer: that we offer for our runners in our races. Then
Rob Simmelkjaer: I think a lot of people don't realize how many
Rob Simmelkjaer: coaches we actually have at New York Road Runners. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: we've talked about some of the programs, but it takes
Rob Simmelkjaer: a lot of folks. We got, of course, a lot
Rob Simmelkjaer: of part- time coaches. I think most of them are part-
Rob Simmelkjaer: time. Really it's only yourself, Gemma and Steve who are on
Rob Simmelkjaer: the full- time staff. How many coaches do we have
Rob Simmelkjaer: and what does it take for somebody who's maybe listening
Rob Simmelkjaer: out there who thinks they might like to join in
Rob Simmelkjaer: as a coach for group training or something like that?
Ben Delaney: I mean, I think the last time I checked just
Ben Delaney: between group training and teaching for kids, we were around
Ben Delaney: 95 coaches on staff. A lot of those same coaches
Ben Delaney: work with Run for the Future as well. Run for the
Ben Delaney: Future, which is our junior and senior high school young
Ben Delaney: women, who are coming into a great program run during the
Ben Delaney: summer time. They use about five or six coaches throughout
Ben Delaney: the program that they have, it's not a lot. We
Ben Delaney: have some crossover. We have our Striders program as well.
Ben Delaney: They probably have about 15 or so instructors out there and
Ben Delaney: coaches. That's a different... We have a couple that cross
Ben Delaney: over, but a lot of them are more specialized. They'll
Ben Delaney: listen me to that program. Marcy Simon does a great
Ben Delaney: job with some movement- based stuff. We have a lot of coaches out
Ben Delaney: there, but again, safety is the key for us. And
Ben Delaney: also making sure we have connections out there. But if
Ben Delaney: anybody wants to be a coach out there, there's RRCA,
Ben Delaney: there's VDOT, Lydia, there's a lot of different coaching philosophies out there,
Ben Delaney: USATF as well. But if we have an application up
Ben Delaney: online open all the time, I keep it open because
Ben Delaney: I'm always curious to see who's out there, who wants
Ben Delaney: to become a coach. Whenever my needs may be. And
Ben Delaney: again, I tell my coaches, I want our runners to
Ben Delaney: see us and I want us to see them. I
Ben Delaney: like varied voices. I like varied experiences. I like varied
Ben Delaney: paces. I like varied people. That way when you stand
Ben Delaney: in front of a group, they're not just looking at
Ben Delaney: a bunch of people with a whistle and a stopwatch.
Ben Delaney: They're looking at everybody and every person in every place.
Ben Delaney: And again, regardless of what that coach's skill level place
Ben Delaney: in their world, where they may be, they can talk
Ben Delaney: to anybody. It just tells our runners should feel comfortable and
Ben Delaney: confident, approach them and ask them questions because it's important.
Ben Delaney: But anybody wants to be a coach, throw him in
Ben Delaney: the hat, talk to me. You never know what could
Ben Delaney: happen. The answer may be no today, but maybe in
Ben Delaney: six months it's a yes. But always keep the conversation open.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, we need a lot. Absolutely. So it's definitely an
Rob Simmelkjaer: opportunity for somebody who loves to coach, loves people. I
Rob Simmelkjaer: think that's the key and can get out there and work with
Rob Simmelkjaer: people to make them better runners and more fulfilled, which
Rob Simmelkjaer: is what it comes down to. Ben, I know that
Rob Simmelkjaer: you, like me, are a dad. I know this because
Rob Simmelkjaer: we've talked about it, but I really know because you
Rob Simmelkjaer: and I co- starred in the New Yorker Road Runner
Rob Simmelkjaer: Father's Day video last year where we're basically making fun
Rob Simmelkjaer: of ourselves as running dads, which was very cute by
Rob Simmelkjaer: the way. But running's a family affair for you. I know
Rob Simmelkjaer: not only your kids, your wife, you guys have run
Rob Simmelkjaer: races together. Can you talk about how you even came
Rob Simmelkjaer: to running yourself, Ben?
Ben Delaney: I was always athletic my whole life. I played team
Ben Delaney: sports, soccer, basketball, ice hockey, roller hockey, beach volleyball. I
Ben Delaney: did something I couldn't sit still. A buddy of mine,
Ben Delaney: he was 261 pounds. I remember that because 26.2 is the miles.
Ben Delaney: He was 261 and he's hard to walk, and he was doing
Ben Delaney: all this stuff and my son was about three years
Ben Delaney: old at the time and I was doing adult sports and
Ben Delaney: it wasn't fun anymore. So he said, " Hey, try this
Ben Delaney: running thing, man. You may like it." So I went in my local running store,
Ben Delaney: like I tell everyone to do, got fitted for a
Ben Delaney: pair of shoes, found a couple people that I liked
Ben Delaney: to run with and off I went. And that was
Ben Delaney: almost 18 years ago or so. Ran my first marathon
Ben Delaney: within a year of starting to run, which is the
Ben Delaney: biggest mistake of my life because I wasn't ready for a marathon
Ben Delaney: within 12 months of my running journey. Again, the marathon is this
Ben Delaney: carrot, this idea, the Caltra 5K is so last year. But
Ben Delaney: I came into running and what I really have come
Ben Delaney: to love about it, and I tell people is that you can literally do it
Ben Delaney: from anywhere. I mean, if I travel somewhere, if I'm
Ben Delaney: seeing friends, I can take my shoes and walk out
Ben Delaney: the front door and I can find a route on
Ben Delaney: Strava or run with them if they're local and I can
Ben Delaney: get miles in and I can meet new people, or see
Ben Delaney: new sites. I was working with someone this past summer
Ben Delaney: and they were traveling over in Europe and I was
Ben Delaney: envious of all the routes they were running and they
Ben Delaney: loved it. Sometimes when you're doing a training cycle, a new
Ben Delaney: place to run can be just enough to break up
Ben Delaney: the monotony enough. But yeah, my running journey started very
Ben Delaney: simply, very straight forward and fast- forward to where we
Ben Delaney: are today. And it's-
Rob Simmelkjaer: Turned into your career. Exactly. I mean, it's probably not something
Rob Simmelkjaer: you envisioned when you first started running that you'd end
Rob Simmelkjaer: up working in the industry.
Ben Delaney: I did not, but I'm blessed to be able to do it. And like you alluded to earlier, Rob, being
Ben Delaney: able to have moved to New York. The Run As
Ben Delaney: One was the race I did with my son when
Ben Delaney: we first started to move here. I think the first
Ben Delaney: time he did it, actually it was before it was rising, it
Ben Delaney: was still the Mighty Milers. He did the Washington Heights
Ben Delaney: Mile, that's where we live. We live uptown. He did
Ben Delaney: that. I think the year after that, we did the
Ben Delaney: Run As One together. He did a four- mile race. So
Ben Delaney: we did that every year until the pandemic. And then
Ben Delaney: he did it. He just went to college a couple years
Ben Delaney: ago. And so the last two years, my wife, myself
Ben Delaney: and my son, we all ran that race as a
Ben Delaney: family. The Run As One is the one that we do.
Ben Delaney: Now my wife and I do it together and that's
Ben Delaney: our family race and I look forward to it every
Ben Delaney: year. A, it's in April and it's finally getting warm.
Ben Delaney: But B, it's a beautiful day out there and it's a great cause.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I love it. I love it. Well, this is a
Rob Simmelkjaer: New Year's podcast. We're right around that turning of the
Rob Simmelkjaer: year for folks out there. A lot of people are
Rob Simmelkjaer: thinking about those New Year's resolutions, those running resolutions that
Rob Simmelkjaer: they might have. So I guess I'll ask you, Ben,
Rob Simmelkjaer: you got any goals, anything you want to accomplish in
Rob Simmelkjaer: 2025 from a running point of view?
Ben Delaney: I always tell people if I keep myself healthy, I
Ben Delaney: turn 50 this year, 2024. So to be able to
Ben Delaney: continue to be able to do what I do every day, I will
Ben Delaney: never take that for granted. Every day I get to put
Ben Delaney: on my shoes, I will take it as a blessing.
Ben Delaney: As a director of a training program, and I think Steve and
Ben Delaney: Gemma will allude to this, it's hard for us to get out and
Ben Delaney: get our own miles in, but I'm always looking to
Ben Delaney: challenge myself. Whether it be at the 10K distance, I wear
Ben Delaney: my tech orbit shirt. This is one of my favorite races
Ben Delaney: that we do. It's the one race I try to race, but
Ben Delaney: if I had to put one on the radar, it's
Ben Delaney: always the Washington Heights 5K. I love the Washington Heights
Ben Delaney: 5K. I live uptown, so I run that course on
Ben Delaney: the regular. It's always a good test. I love to
Ben Delaney: train in the wintertime, so you'll always find me putting myself
Ben Delaney: out there for that race for sure. But it's never easy.
Ben Delaney: But maybe I'll turn the tables on you, Rob. You
Ben Delaney: got any size set or anything out there? Are you keeping that one close to
Ben Delaney: the vest?
Rob Simmelkjaer: Well, first of all, I had such a gratifying 2024.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It was such an amazing running year for me, and
Rob Simmelkjaer: year in general to be honest. And I'm so thrilled
Rob Simmelkjaer: that I was able to run a marathon at all.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I know what you mean about turning 50. I'm a couple
Rob Simmelkjaer: years north of that and I was able to pull
Rob Simmelkjaer: off a run in Berlin and set a PR by
Rob Simmelkjaer: one little skinny minute there. But I'll take any PR
Rob Simmelkjaer: at 53 years old from 11 years ago the last
Rob Simmelkjaer: time I ran a marathon. So it was a great,
Rob Simmelkjaer: great year for me. I think that what's interesting for
Rob Simmelkjaer: me, Ben, is I do go to a lot of
Rob Simmelkjaer: these Abbott World Marathon majors races. I'm going there to
Rob Simmelkjaer: support our partners, all the other majors, we tend to
Rob Simmelkjaer: attend each other's races. And what I learned in my
Rob Simmelkjaer: first year or so on this job is that I
Rob Simmelkjaer: don't really like going to races that I'm not running
Rob Simmelkjaer: it. I don't really love just watching the people run.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I mean, in New York, of course that's what I
Rob Simmelkjaer: have to do because I'm so busy. We have so
Rob Simmelkjaer: many responsibilities, but if I'm at somebody else's race, I
Rob Simmelkjaer: don't really have that much to do, and I'm like, "
Rob Simmelkjaer: Why am I standing here watching this race?" So that's
Rob Simmelkjaer: why I ran Berlin. And I do go typically to
Rob Simmelkjaer: one international major a year. And so this year the
Rob Simmelkjaer: one I'm attending and I'm very excited, is Tokyo. I
Rob Simmelkjaer: will be going to Tokyo the first weekend in March.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I'm very excited. I've never been to Japan. And so
Rob Simmelkjaer: I'm going to go to Tokyo and I'm going to
Rob Simmelkjaer: put in some extra miles over the next month or
Rob Simmelkjaer: so and see how the body feels. I ran the
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ted Corbitt 15K. Came out of that feeling pretty good. So
Rob Simmelkjaer: we'll see how the body holds up over the next
Rob Simmelkjaer: month or so, and see if maybe I can try
Rob Simmelkjaer: to pull that off. But I take nothing for granted, Ben,
Rob Simmelkjaer: because the knees and the body, they'll tell you what
Rob Simmelkjaer: you're going to do and what you're not going to do.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You can suggest, but they'll have the final answer, the
Rob Simmelkjaer: body will. And so that's the humility with which I'm
Rob Simmelkjaer: trying to approach these things.
Ben Delaney: Yeah, it's true because we all have our goals and
Ben Delaney: our aspirations and sometimes wake up one day and go, " Wow, that
Ben Delaney: didn't hurt yesterday. Where did that come from?" And you realize
Ben Delaney: you're not 32 anymore and you're like, " Ah, this is
Ben Delaney: what we do." But hey, you get to put in your shoes
Ben Delaney: though, so it's always a good day.
Rob Simmelkjaer: A 100%. And the thing about even having a coach,
Rob Simmelkjaer: for a lot of runners probably is not the first
Rob Simmelkjaer: thing they think of. Other than running in cross country
Rob Simmelkjaer: in high school, I ran my whole life without really
Rob Simmelkjaer: having a coach. I'd just go and I'd run. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: if I was getting really serious about it, I'd have
Rob Simmelkjaer: some electronics, devices, whatever to try to push me a
Rob Simmelkjaer: little bit. But having actual coaching and advice is new
Rob Simmelkjaer: for a lot of runners. So what do you think for
Rob Simmelkjaer: somebody who's got those resolutions, whether it's to pick up
Rob Simmelkjaer: the sport of running, to get fit or to improve
Rob Simmelkjaer: their performance or maybe set a PR or run their
Rob Simmelkjaer: first marathon, whatever it might be, what's the benefit of
Rob Simmelkjaer: having a coach, whether it's a shared coach as you
Rob Simmelkjaer: have in the group training setting or a digital coach like
Rob Simmelkjaer: NYRR by Runna, or a personal coach, which some people have?
Ben Delaney: Yeah, I mean, really the coach is going to help you with a roadmap, give
Ben Delaney: you somewhere to start, a place to work through it
Ben Delaney: and hopefully an end point. Obviously the race we can't
Ben Delaney: control, but to get you to the start line in one
Ben Delaney: piece. They also, we are therapists to a certain extent.
Ben Delaney: We're trying to help you out to get every, because some
Ben Delaney: days you don't want to do it. Or to your point
Ben Delaney: earlier, the workouts are hard and you can do hard
Ben Delaney: things, but you have to be willing to talk people
Ben Delaney: through that. But you're really helping and then you're giving
Ben Delaney: them advice. And the advice really comes from the experience as
Ben Delaney: a coach. We've all been there to a certain extent.
Ben Delaney: The great thing with group training and with TFK and even Run for the Future is that
Ben Delaney: our coaches are with you during the workout. So we're
Ben Delaney: right there with you. We're not standing on the sideline
Ben Delaney: as you go by one time yelling at you. We are actually
Ben Delaney: in the space with you so that we can talk
Ben Delaney: to you in that moment, give you some pointers, help you out
Ben Delaney: before and after. Our coaches are available to talk about
Ben Delaney: strategy, to talk about where your training is. If you're having
Ben Delaney: some issues, maybe some guidance on where to look for
Ben Delaney: answers. If our coaches are not qualified to give the
Ben Delaney: information, a lot of our runners ask, " Hey, this hurts.
Ben Delaney: That hurts. What about this nutrition?" And we are not nutritionists, we're
Ben Delaney: not PTs, we're not doctors. So we give you advice
Ben Delaney: on where to go. It's a great resource, then that's what
Ben Delaney: a coach can be as a resource where they be
Ben Delaney: within the training plan or to find things that you
Ben Delaney: need. But really it's to guide you along to talk
Ben Delaney: about what your goals are. And I tell runners, " You've
Ben Delaney: got to be honest about where you are when you
Ben Delaney: start." If I ask you what is your comfortable running
Ben Delaney: pace, you tell me nine minutes and go out and run for
Ben Delaney: a nine- minute pace and you can't talk to me,
Ben Delaney: that's not a comfortable pace. So be honest with your
Ben Delaney: coach and where you are in your ability levels, and
Ben Delaney: always go from there. If the coach will pick up on, "
Ben Delaney: Hey, you're not working hard enough or you're working too
Ben Delaney: hard," Because ultimately we understand the physiological process the body
Ben Delaney: has to go through for the games to happen and
Ben Delaney: we want to make sure that we put you in
Ben Delaney: the right spot. And that's really what we're trying to do is get you in
Ben Delaney: the right space to build your training because training is
Ben Delaney: all about stress and recovery, and we want to make
Ben Delaney: sure that as you put stresses on your body, you
Ben Delaney: have ample time to recover for the next workout, for
Ben Delaney: the next week, for race day. So it's trying to
Ben Delaney: balance that load, that intensity, that when we as a
Ben Delaney: coach can do that, that's really where we're giving you
Ben Delaney: the best chance for success on race day. Because if you get
Ben Delaney: to the start line too tired, injured, not mentally ready,
Ben Delaney: then you haven't put yourself in a position of success.
Ben Delaney: And that's what I preach to my coaches, " Get them in a
Ben Delaney: position of success." I mean, it's better to be a
Ben Delaney: little bit under trained than anything over trained. If it
Ben Delaney: means taking a day off, take the day off. Get
Ben Delaney: yourself ready because I think you saw any race, I'm sure Ted
Ben Delaney: Corbitt or any race, showing up feeling that, hey, I
Ben Delaney: may have a day today or I feel at least I have a chance, is better
Ben Delaney: than showing up like, " Dude, why am I here? Why
Ben Delaney: am I doing this? I don't even want to do this today."
Rob Simmelkjaer: A 100%. Yeah, the mental side is so big. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: you mentioned the coach as therapist and I tell you
Rob Simmelkjaer: what, that's so true. I can think back to the
Rob Simmelkjaer: moments I had leading up to Berlin this past September,
Rob Simmelkjaer: and you might remember, I got quite sick early in
Rob Simmelkjaer: September. I got this walking pneumonia that's going around. I
Rob Simmelkjaer: was knocked out for a week and I was really worried
Rob Simmelkjaer: I wasn't going to be able to run Berlin at
Rob Simmelkjaer: all. And I came out for group training just as
Rob Simmelkjaer: I had started to get over that. And I remember I
Rob Simmelkjaer: ran with Coach Alem, who a lot of folks will know is a fixture
Rob Simmelkjaer: at our races, a former elite runner himself. And Alem and
Rob Simmelkjaer: I were running up and down the west side in
Rob Simmelkjaer: Central Park. And Ben, I could not get a word
Rob Simmelkjaer: out. I was absolutely dying, gasping for air on this
Rob Simmelkjaer: run. And Berlin was less than two weeks away. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: I was like, " Oh my God, what am I going
Rob Simmelkjaer: to do?" And I remember finishing that and I remember
Rob Simmelkjaer: just telling Alem, I was like, " I just felt awful.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I don't know what I'm going to do." And just
Rob Simmelkjaer: almost spilling my guts. I was like, "This is just not good." And Alem
Rob Simmelkjaer: reassured me, he said, " Listen, the fitness is there. It'll
Rob Simmelkjaer: come back. You're just getting over a little thing." And
Rob Simmelkjaer: I ran the Bronx, the New Balance Bronx 10 Mile
Rob Simmelkjaer: or a few days later had much, much better. Had
Rob Simmelkjaer: an amazing day with Coach Roberto, of course, who was well-
Rob Simmelkjaer: known and had your job essentially at one point, was
Rob Simmelkjaer: in a role similar to yours. And that really reset
Rob Simmelkjaer: my confidence. I probably ran a little too well in
Rob Simmelkjaer: the Bronx to be honest. I set my PR by
Rob Simmelkjaer: five minutes in the Bronx. I blew that thing away,
Rob Simmelkjaer: probably left a little too much on the table there,
Rob Simmelkjaer: but still had enough left in Berlin. So the psychological
Rob Simmelkjaer: side is so important, just to have someone to talk
Rob Simmelkjaer: to, to get some feedback from it makes a really,
Rob Simmelkjaer: really big difference. Coach Ben, you do a great job.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Your team does a great job. You're a huge part
Rob Simmelkjaer: of New York Road Runners and will be a huge part
Rob Simmelkjaer: of the lives of many, many runners in 2025. So
Rob Simmelkjaer: I encourage everybody out there to check out group training,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Team for Kids, NYRR by Runna, all the things. Our
Rob Simmelkjaer: coaches are there to make you better and have a
Rob Simmelkjaer: great, great running experience throughout the year and beyond. So
Rob Simmelkjaer: Coach Ben, thank you. Appreciate having you on.
Ben Delaney: I couldn't believe it. This has been amazing. Rob, thank
Ben Delaney: you so much. Always a pleasure to chat, talk running.
Ben Delaney: Hopefully see everybody in 2025. It's going to be an
Ben Delaney: incredible year. Come out, have fun. We're waiting for you
Ben Delaney: and we'll have a great time.
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Rob Simmelkjaer: Rose-Gaëlle Belinga is a software engineer originally from Cameroon. During
Rob Simmelkjaer: the week, Rose- Gaëlle tackles complex technological challenges, but on
Rob Simmelkjaer: the weekends she's an open run volunteer captain at Inwood
Rob Simmelkjaer: Hill Park in Manhattan where she fosters community through running
Rob Simmelkjaer: and encourages participation among diverse groups. A dedicated NYRR volunteer
Rob Simmelkjaer: and runner, Rose- Gaëlle has run 54 races with New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York Road Runners, including seven marathons.
Meb Keflezighi: Thanks, Rob Rose, Gael, welcome to the Set the Pace podcast.
Meb Keflezighi: How are you doing today?
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: Doing well. Thank you for having me.
Meb Keflezighi: Great to have you. You grew up in Cameroon by your
Meb Keflezighi: father's experience studying the influences in the US, your decision
Meb Keflezighi: to pursue education abroad. How did your upbringing in Cameroon
Meb Keflezighi: shape your desire to study as software engineering?
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: Oh, both my parents definitely inspired me. My dad having
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: received a scholarship to come pursue his MBA at NYU,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: he had already completed civil engineering in Cameroon. And I
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: don't think anyone else in the family had ever traveled to
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: the US, so it was quite mind- expanding. When he
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: came back, he had already met my mom before he
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: came back. So when he came back, he got married,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: had us. He kept telling us about this place where
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: people from a different background, different ethnicity, religion, political affiliations,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: could all work together. And that was very different compared to what was happening in Cameroon at the time. And my mom was also first
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: generation in her family to go to high school. And
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: just like my dad, she went beyond, she went to
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: college and grad school as well, which was quite unusual
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: for a woman at the time. So they both encouraged
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: us to focus on, apply our studies. They believe that
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: education is the best way to build a bright future.
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: It will help with social economy disparity. The idea was
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: for us to go pursue our studies, not necessarily in the
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: US. But if we were blessed enough to get a
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: scholarship to also come to the US, my dad recommended
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: not going to New York because he did not like
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: the winter. So we ended up going to Atlanta instead
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: because we heard that during the 1996 Olympic Games, we
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: heard that it doesn't snow in Atlanta. So that's where my siblings and I started our studies.
Meb Keflezighi: Awesome. How was your experience when you first came to the US
Meb Keflezighi: though in Atlanta? Tell us, you spoke English beforehand and
Meb Keflezighi: how was that experience, your transition living and study in
Meb Keflezighi: the United States?
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: It is a very good question. It is quite surprising how different English can be. Cameroon
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: is a bilingual country, similar to Canada it's the second
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: largest English- French- speaking country in the world. However, the
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: English we speak is closer to British English. So when
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: I moved to the US, people spoke very fast. I
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: had a hard time understanding what people were saying. So
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: I ended up enrolling into an intensive English program, also
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: known as English as a second language, ESL. And that
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: helped a lot. It didn't just help with the language,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: it also helped with the culture. There were a lot of
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: concept I wasn't familiar with. For example, we learned about
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: the civil rights movement, which was very different compared to
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: this historical lessons we've had in Cameroon. In terms of
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: sciences, I feel that the curriculum was a bit more
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: advanced in Cameroon because we went all the way to
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: Calculus II in high school. So on the STEM side
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: I was okay, but everything else, I felt like a
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: newbie. I felt like a sponge just absorbing everything. So it was challenging, but I would say I
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: had a really good support network.
Meb Keflezighi: I can relate Rose- Gaëlle. When I first came here
Meb Keflezighi: to the United States, I was also in English as
Meb Keflezighi: a second language, ESL. And yes, the math can be done
Meb Keflezighi: and few other things, but the English, spelling and pronunciation
Meb Keflezighi: can be extremely difficult. But it's all about adaptation, just
Meb Keflezighi: like running and learning. Sometimes you have to work extra
Meb Keflezighi: hard. Some like myself, I'm very gifted at running, but
Meb Keflezighi: some might not be gifted at running. So I have to wake up
Meb Keflezighi: early and work the extra mileage and I did the
Meb Keflezighi: extra hours. In fact, my dad woke us up at 4: 30
Meb Keflezighi: AM in the morning before going 7: 30 to class. But
Meb Keflezighi: wisdom and support comes from our families, friends. But your
Meb Keflezighi: grandmother's wisdom about borrowing the air from the future generation
Meb Keflezighi: clearly resonates with you. How does this philosophy influence your
Meb Keflezighi: commitment to volunteer with NYRR Open Run program?
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: It's a good part of my personality. So growing up,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: my father's grandmother, who's our great- grandmother, often reminded us that
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: we did not inherit this earth from our ancestors. We're
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: borrowing it from the next generation, from our children, so
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: we should strive to leave things better than we found
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: them. So that has pushed me to, I'm already passionate
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: about technology, about art, but it has also fueled my passion for philanthropy,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: for giving back to the community. And not just myself,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: my siblings as well. We're very involved. Whichever community in
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: which we landed in the world, because we're spread throughout
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: various continents, we make sure that we always give back to the community.
Meb Keflezighi: Excellent. What impact do you hope to have on the
Meb Keflezighi: NYRR Open Run community?
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: I hope that more folks like me, who didn't grow
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: up with many running role models will know that it's
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: something they can do. I cannot think of a single
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: person in my family who had run more than 800
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: meters growing up, and the 800 meter was because it was
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: mandatory in high school. Once we were done with high school, that's it. Nobody ran. And
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: we knew very, very little about health. Which meant that
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: by the time we became adults, most of us suffered
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: from hypertension, diabetes, and other disease that could be preventable
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: with the right amount of education. For just running, like
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: going out for a jog is not something we were
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: taught in the community. So that's where I hope we
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: can create more role models, where anybody can know that
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: they can run. On the other hand, I've also been
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: very inspired by the Rising Road Runners, the children who
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: are learning about leadership skills. I wish I had had a similar
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: program growing up. It will have certainly made me a lot more
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: confident and made me a better communicator. So that's another
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: aspect where I hope the New York Road Runners legacy
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: can continue. Yeah.
Meb Keflezighi: Absolutely. I think the New York Road Runners have a complete
Meb Keflezighi: package from their rising New York stars to Team For
Meb Keflezighi: Kids and other organization races. But you've begun your journey
Meb Keflezighi: with the NYRR in 2017, and have since completed impressive 54 races, including
Meb Keflezighi: seven marathons. What initially drew you to New York Road Runners
Meb Keflezighi: and how has your involvement with the organization evolved over
Meb Keflezighi: the years?
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: You are going to laugh. I used to go and
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: cheer for the marathoners after I moved to New York,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: a little over 12 years ago, and it was always
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: fun. It was on my way to church, therefore not
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: out of my way. I would just be there at
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: the finish line by Columbus Circle, just before going to
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: choir rehearsal. And I saw a postcard in my neighborhood
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: one weekend talking about a program called Open Run, and I
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: figure this is a great opportunity to explore the woods
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: because I like walking in the neighborhood park, but I
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: was always weary of going into the woods alone, and
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: I figure by joining this community, I will have the
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: safety net of a large group. So I joined the
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: group and I jokingly mentioned to someone that on my
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: bucket list I would like to participate in the New
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: York City Marathon. In fact, the previous autumn here, it
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: will be fall, but in New Zealand, it was actually the
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: spring in November, I had just visited Queenstown, New Zealand
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: and I happened to be visiting it during the marathon.
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: And I thought that would be interesting for me to
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: do so. I just thought it's a matter of doing it
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: in 10 or 20 years, it would take me that long to
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: train. And everyone in the group dared me to just
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: put my name in the hat and sign up for
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: the marathon lottery. And then I got selected. I got selected that year.
Meb Keflezighi: It was meant to be.
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: My first reaction was, " Yay." And then, " Oh no, I
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: don't know what to do." So I had to look up a
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: Couch to 5K program. Ended up remembering that how he
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: done has a really good program on his website, so
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: that's what I followed. It's like a couch to 5K, and then 5K
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: to marathon. Believe it or not, training for my first 5K
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: was a lot harder than training for marathon because I
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: didn't know what you're supposed to do while you're running,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: because it's been two, three minutes. I'm like, why am I still running? Am I supposed
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: to have water? Am I supposed to have food? What
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: if I have to make a pit stop? It started
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: as a dare.
Meb Keflezighi: It all starts from one mile to the 5K to the 10K, half- marathon, full
Meb Keflezighi: marathon, and you have an impressive-
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: Exactly.
Meb Keflezighi: ... impressive-
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: And most qualify to Nine Plus One, one year, then
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: the following year you feel that, well, I'm already qualified,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: must well doing it.
Meb Keflezighi: Great. No, no. The Nine Plus One is a great
Meb Keflezighi: way to get into the marathon, but to be able to
Meb Keflezighi: do seven marathons at this year's marathon is very impressive. So what's
Meb Keflezighi: your goal for 2025?
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: That's a good question. I have been very inspired by
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: people who travel to other cities to do a marathon, so definitely I'm still
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: interested in doing the 2025 New York City Marathon, but
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: I would also like to see what other marathons are
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: out there. I've heard of the Philly Marathon, Chicago, Boston,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: Berlin, Tokyo, Paris, and of course the Queenstown one, maybe
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: go back to New Zealand. So my goal is to,
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: it doesn't have to be a full marathon, but to
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: hopefully do a race in another city or another state.
Meb Keflezighi: That'd be an excellent, this is the borrowed space from the earth,
Meb Keflezighi: so go enjoy it. Wherever you go, wish you all
Meb Keflezighi: the best and good luck.
Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Thank you so much, Rose- Gaëlle for joining us and
Rob Simmelkjaer: for being a member of New York Road Runners, and
Rob Simmelkjaer: an incredible leader in our Open Run program as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Now it's on to the final part of today's show,
Rob Simmelkjaer: the Meb Minutes. When it comes to New
Meb Keflezighi: Year's resolution, start with a clear, achievable goal that excites
Meb Keflezighi: you and that has a personal meaning. Whether it's running
Meb Keflezighi: your first race, setting a personal best, or simply running
Meb Keflezighi: your consistently, make sure it is something that inspires you
Meb Keflezighi: and to stay committed. Set small milestones along the way
Meb Keflezighi: and celebrate the progress. Stay patient, trust the process and
Meb Keflezighi: remember, consistency is the key. Most importantly, enjoy the journey.
Meb Keflezighi: Running is about more than just crossing the finish line.
Meb Keflezighi: It is becoming a stronger, both physically and mentally. It
Meb Keflezighi: is your happy hour and make sure you put no
Meb Keflezighi: pressure on yourself or others because this is something that
Meb Keflezighi: is personal to you. I'm going to give you advice.
Meb Keflezighi: The progress that you make is huge. I had a
Meb Keflezighi: tea with Paul Tergat, the great 10K runner, marathoner from
Meb Keflezighi: Kenya, two- time silver medalist. And he told me he's like, "
Meb Keflezighi: Anybody can do a workout, but making the progress is
Meb Keflezighi: going to be big difference because it's not how many
Meb Keflezighi: workouts you do by the small progress that you make
Meb Keflezighi: weekly, monthly, and then leading hopefully to the big races."
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, that's a wrap on the first episode of
Rob Simmelkjaer: Set the Pace for 2025. We want to thank our guest
Rob Simmelkjaer: today, coach Ben Delaney and Rose-Gaëlle Belinga, and again, a
Rob Simmelkjaer: reminder next week I'll be answering your questions. So if you've
Rob Simmelkjaer: got a question for me or anyone at New York
Rob Simmelkjaer: Road Runners, send it to nyrrpodcast@nyrr.org. Or you can put
Rob Simmelkjaer: them in the review section on the Apple Podcast app,
Rob Simmelkjaer: or just hit us with a DM on social and
Rob Simmelkjaer: we will answer your questions. If you like this episode,
Rob Simmelkjaer: please make sure you go ahead and subscribe. Rate it,
Rob Simmelkjaer: leave a comment so we can make sure others find
Rob Simmelkjaer: the show as well. Thanks for joining us. Happy New
Rob Simmelkjaer: Year and we will see you next week.