WEBVTT - Everything You Need to Know about the RBC Brooklyn Half 0:00:00.568 --> 0:00:03.720 There is a big new thing for the RBC Brooklyn 0:00:03.720 --> 0:00:07.740 Half this year, which is the location of the expo, 0:00:07.860 --> 0:00:10.379 formerly known as the pre- party. 0:00:10.410 --> 0:00:13.320 Well, we took all of that, the energy and the 0:00:13.320 --> 0:00:16.770 vibe and that uniqueness and venue and space and moved 0:00:16.770 --> 0:00:18.240 it to a new spot. 0:00:18.270 --> 0:00:25.200 Hey everybody, and welcome to Set the Pace, the official 0:00:25.200 --> 0:00:29.070 podcast of New York Road Runners presented by Peloton. I'm 0:00:29.070 --> 0:00:31.800 your host, Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New York Roadrunners, 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:36.089 and with me my co- host Peloton instructor, Becs Gentry. 0:00:36.090 --> 0:00:37.409 Hello, Becs. How are you? 0:00:37.409 --> 0:00:39.630 Hello. I'm good, thank you. How are you? 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:42.659 I'm good. It's nice to see you. I'm sorry we 0:00:42.659 --> 0:00:45.330 didn't get to see each other in Boston thanks to 0:00:45.330 --> 0:00:46.800 some flight issues you had. 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:51.810 I was so angry. I really was cursing my luck with 0:00:51.810 --> 0:00:55.050 the airplanes. After having said to Austin, " I really should 0:00:55.050 --> 0:00:57.330 just get the train. I don't know why I'm flying other than 0:00:57.330 --> 0:00:59.550 to maintain my status." 0:01:00.870 --> 0:01:02.580 Oh, the lure of the airline status. I get it. 0:01:02.580 --> 0:01:05.730 The lure of the airline status and paying for flights 0:01:05.730 --> 0:01:10.200 with points. Anyway, it wasn't the most fun because I 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:12.479 didn't get to see all the people I was so 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:17.130 excited to see because there were some incredible people at the 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:20.190 track on Saturday in Boston. It looked like so much 0:01:20.190 --> 0:01:22.470 fun. The podcast sounded incredible. 0:01:22.470 --> 0:01:23.161 Ah, thank you. 0:01:23.161 --> 0:01:27.600 But here we are and what a weekend, Rob. I mean, it was 0:01:27.600 --> 0:01:30.660 really cold up in Boston, which was quite shocking to 0:01:30.660 --> 0:01:37.890 the system. But that race had perfect running conditions for 0:01:37.890 --> 0:01:43.170 a point to point, slight tailwind. Temperature was amazing, which 0:01:43.170 --> 0:01:47.790 is why we saw some, well, not just some, a 0:01:47.790 --> 0:01:51.690 lot of absolutely insane times- 0:01:51.750 --> 0:01:51.751 So many. 0:01:51.751 --> 0:01:54.510 - coming out of this race. Not just professional, not 0:01:54.510 --> 0:01:57.420 just from the elite and professional field. Most people I've 0:01:57.420 --> 0:02:02.100 spoken to found themselves with either a PR or had 0:02:02.100 --> 0:02:06.630 one of the most enjoyable runs, marathon distance of their whole life. 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:09.750 100%. I was so happy for the runners. It was 0:02:09.750 --> 0:02:13.290 an absolutely perfect day for them. And you're right, my 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:16.980 Instagram feed is just filled with PRs. I mean, up 0:02:16.980 --> 0:02:20.760 and down the scroll is nothing but PR after PR. 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:24.630 And that says a lot because this is the Boston Marathon. 0:02:24.630 --> 0:02:28.710 This is not Chicago. This is not Berlin. It's not even London 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:31.800 where you expect a lot of PRs. We're not talking about 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:35.820 Boston PRs. We're talking about best marathon time ever. And 0:02:35.820 --> 0:02:38.940 a course that is not known for that. But I think it 0:02:38.940 --> 0:02:42.000 was just that perfect combination of weather, a bit of 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:46.530 wind, cool temperatures, and people just had themselves some days 0:02:46.530 --> 0:02:50.070 out there. So congrats to everybody. Whether you're a New 0:02:50.070 --> 0:02:53.070 York Reuters member or someone who's listening to this podcast 0:02:53.070 --> 0:02:56.130 for the very first time, congrats to everybody who finished 0:02:56.130 --> 0:02:59.220 Boston and hopefully you had a great day. Even if 0:02:59.220 --> 0:03:02.280 you didn't get that PR, if you finished and you 0:03:02.490 --> 0:03:06.870 had that experience of running 130 runnings of the Boston 0:03:06.870 --> 0:03:08.669 Marathon and you had a chance to be a part of one 0:03:08.669 --> 0:03:11.190 of them. So it's a very, very special thing and 0:03:11.190 --> 0:03:14.370 kind of the dream of so many runners to have that opportunity. 0:03:14.910 --> 0:03:19.290 Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Really, really. Congratulations. 0:03:19.290 --> 0:03:24.240 Yeah. And the elite side of things, Becs was incredibly inspiring. 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:27.030 Yeah. It's so funny because I always think the first half 0:03:27.030 --> 0:03:31.860 of Boston is quite boring. As a runner, I've run it 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:34.620 and the first half of Boston... It's not boring actually 0:03:34.620 --> 0:03:38.100 as a normal runner. It's quite nice. It's net downhill. 0:03:38.100 --> 0:03:40.770 It's rolling hills. It feels good on the legs. But 0:03:40.770 --> 0:03:44.610 when you're watching the elite field, it is quite boring 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:48.600 for the first half because they hold back so much. 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:53.070 You saw it in both the men's and women's on both 0:03:53.130 --> 0:03:58.500 the wheelchair and the elite pro runners. I'd say for 0:03:58.500 --> 0:04:03.900 the first 18 to 20 miles even on Monday, it was 0:04:04.110 --> 0:04:08.370 a different race than the last few miles. But the 0:04:08.370 --> 0:04:12.930 men, the men's elite race, Rob, all three of them, the 0:04:13.650 --> 0:04:17.520 one, two, and three broke the previous course record, correct? 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:21.479 That's right. Incredible. That's right. All three of the men 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:24.210 who finished on the podium, John Korir, the winner, a 0:04:24.210 --> 0:04:30.089 course record, 2: 01: 52. Alphonce Simbu from Tanzania would have had 0:04:30.089 --> 0:04:32.130 a course record had he been the winner at 2: 0:04:32.130 --> 0:04:37.320 02:47. And then our good friend, Benson Kipruto from Kenya, 2: 02:50. 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:43.169 Blazing times. Congratulations to John Korir. His entire team on 0:04:43.170 --> 0:04:47.039 a really tremendous race. And he just knew. He knew 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:48.811 that he had it and put the hammer down. 0:04:48.811 --> 0:04:48.811 For the day before. 0:04:48.811 --> 0:04:49.201 That's right. 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:52.320 For the day before, he said the day before, he was going to 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:54.419 win Boston Marathon again. And he did. 0:04:54.810 --> 0:04:59.490 He knew he had it and he had it. And a tremendous effort by all three 0:04:59.490 --> 0:05:02.700 of them, but it was just John Korir's day. He 0:05:02.700 --> 0:05:06.960 continues an incredibly successful career and winning in some of 0:05:06.960 --> 0:05:09.779 the biggest places in the world. Now he's a course 0:05:09.779 --> 0:05:14.160 record holder and Boston Marathon champion. So congratulations to John 0:05:14.160 --> 0:05:16.200 Korir. On the women's side, we have to talk about 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:20.430 our friend Sharon Lokedi. Now, it was interesting seeing Sharon 0:05:20.430 --> 0:05:23.969 take this race on without Hellen Obiri there. And so to 0:05:23.969 --> 0:05:25.169 me, that was always a question. 0:05:25.169 --> 0:05:25.170 Or her mama. 0:05:25.170 --> 0:05:29.190 Yeah. Or her mom. I was always wondering, how is she going 0:05:29.190 --> 0:05:33.299 to handle this? Being out there, not having Hellen, they 0:05:33.300 --> 0:05:37.740 are such great foils against one another. And so watching 0:05:37.740 --> 0:05:40.919 how Sharon took this race on to me was so 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:41.911 fascinating. I mean, she- 0:05:41.911 --> 0:05:42.241 It was. 0:05:42.241 --> 0:05:46.230 - stayed in that pack with lots of Americans, by 0:05:46.230 --> 0:05:48.029 the way, who had a great run. We'll talk about, 0:05:48.300 --> 0:05:52.920 as well as the other podium finishers, Loice Chemnung and Mary... 0:05:53.820 --> 0:05:54.690 I'm going to have trouble with this name. Ngugi-Cooper. 0:05:54.690 --> 0:05:55.020 Ngugi-Cooper. 0:05:57.120 --> 0:06:00.630 Exactly. Around it at the podium. But they stayed in a 0:06:00.630 --> 0:06:03.360 pack together along with a bunch of Americans for quite 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:04.080 a long time. 0:06:04.350 --> 0:06:04.529 It looked fun. 0:06:04.530 --> 0:06:05.789 It looked like a fun race. 0:06:06.060 --> 0:06:06.150 They were having some chats. 0:06:06.150 --> 0:06:10.650 A lot of familiar faces for us in that group. Jess McClain, Annie Frisbie, 0:06:10.650 --> 0:06:12.690 Emily Sisson, lots of familiar faces. 0:06:12.690 --> 0:06:13.140 Dakotah. 0:06:15.690 --> 0:06:18.270 Dakotah was there. And so they're all just having a nice run and Sharon looked 0:06:18.540 --> 0:06:21.419 comfortable. I just enjoyed watching Sharon's face during that. She 0:06:21.420 --> 0:06:23.669 looked comfortable, just didn't look- 0:06:23.670 --> 0:06:23.671 So comfortable. 0:06:23.671 --> 0:06:26.490 - like she was experiencing a lot of stress at all. 0:06:26.670 --> 0:06:26.820 Nope. 0:06:27.180 --> 0:06:27.481 And then she said- 0:06:27.481 --> 0:06:29.910 None of them did. Let's be honest, none of those 0:06:29.910 --> 0:06:32.850 women did. There was a fantastic, and it was documented, 0:06:32.850 --> 0:06:36.150 I think it was on Dakotah's or Annie's Instagram, where 0:06:36.810 --> 0:06:40.680 they were just sharing a moment of fun. I think 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:42.900 maybe it was Kodi Kleven was in between them, and 0:06:42.900 --> 0:06:46.320 don't quote me on that, but Dakotah's turning around to 0:06:46.350 --> 0:06:49.800 say something to Annie. They're both laughing. And then, yeah, 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:52.170 Sharon just stayed right in the middle of all of 0:06:52.170 --> 0:06:55.739 the women there, just cruising along. But it was, as 0:06:55.740 --> 0:06:58.020 I said earlier, there was a certain point in the 0:06:58.020 --> 0:07:00.719 race for the men and the women. The men, the 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:03.719 hats came off. The women, the arm sleeves came off, 0:07:04.170 --> 0:07:07.890 and they were thrown. And I think Carrie said in 0:07:07.890 --> 0:07:10.560 the commentary at one point, " I hope somebody picks that 0:07:10.620 --> 0:07:13.290 up because it is going to go into a hall 0:07:13.290 --> 0:07:19.290 of fame. Oh, those arm sleeves." And she just decided 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:22.200 that, okay, we're getting this done. Now's the time. We're 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:25.500 done. We're going for that finish line. Goodbye, everybody. I'll 0:07:25.500 --> 0:07:29.429 see you later. And she won. Oh, her smile at 0:07:29.430 --> 0:07:32.730 the end though, I was in tears at home. Tallulah 0:07:32.730 --> 0:07:35.130 had just come home from, I don't know, dance class 0:07:35.130 --> 0:07:37.440 or something in the morning and she came running and, " 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:40.080 Mommy, are you okay?" And I'm like, " Yes, my friend. 0:07:40.080 --> 0:07:43.950 I love her. She's just won the Boston Marathon." And 0:07:43.950 --> 0:07:47.850 she teased just screaming for Sharon, just like, " We love 0:07:47.850 --> 0:07:51.930 Sharon's pink shoes." And it was elation. There was just 0:07:51.930 --> 0:07:56.640 so much joy and elation for everyone that day, including 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:58.980 all of the women who came in after her. 0:07:59.430 --> 0:08:02.820 It was amazing to see. Just what can you say 0:08:02.820 --> 0:08:08.190 other than she was obviously the talent of that field and she 0:08:08.190 --> 0:08:10.860 did a phenomenal job. She did. So we're very proud of 0:08:10.860 --> 0:08:15.090 her. We love it. Congratulations to Sharon. Congratulations to so many of 0:08:15.090 --> 0:08:18.690 these professional women who had PRs who had this great, 0:08:18.690 --> 0:08:22.950 great day in Boston. On the wheelchair side, no surprise. 0:08:22.950 --> 0:08:28.440 Marcel, who continuing to dominate a six- minute margin of 0:08:28.650 --> 0:08:33.599 victory for him over Daniel Romanchuk. Marcel, no doubt from 0:08:33.600 --> 0:08:37.290 mile one, he had this thing on lockdown and continues. 0:08:37.290 --> 0:08:39.720 He knows it. It was his ninth Boston. He knows 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:43.530 this course so, so well. His fitness level just continues 0:08:43.530 --> 0:08:47.490 to improve so much. I mean, he just looked flawless, 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:50.550 absolutely flawless all the way. And then on the women's 0:08:50.550 --> 0:08:53.310 side, proud, proud British- 0:08:53.370 --> 0:08:53.790 You're a country woman. 0:08:53.790 --> 0:08:54.150 - person over here. 0:08:55.110 --> 0:08:55.830 Yeah. 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:59.309 Eden Rainbow- Cooper. Coming in again, and we spoke about 0:08:59.309 --> 0:09:03.360 this at the United Airlines NYC Half earlier this year. She 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:08.309 changed her mentality. She decided that she needed to step 0:09:08.309 --> 0:09:11.460 it up. She wanted to work harder. She wanted to 0:09:11.460 --> 0:09:15.210 be faster, and she made a conscious decision to make 0:09:15.210 --> 0:09:18.839 those changes. And it is flourishing. Right now, we saw 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:20.820 her performance in New York, on the streets of New 0:09:20.820 --> 0:09:27.059 York, and she has just taken another win, another moment 0:09:27.059 --> 0:09:31.260 to say, " Yeah, I'm here. I'm here and watch out." 0:09:31.470 --> 0:09:34.830 And I'm sure Susannah Scaroni, who's currently pregnant, was on 0:09:34.830 --> 0:09:38.040 the sidelines. I actually saw her in Boston. She was 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:39.210 around. I'm sure she was there. 0:09:39.210 --> 0:09:39.271 She was. I saw her in the hotel at the Fairmont. 0:09:39.271 --> 0:09:47.189 Just cheering and celebrating Eden for her incredible performance as well. 0:09:47.940 --> 0:09:50.100 I mean, Catherine Debrunner was, she was the one people 0:09:50.100 --> 0:09:52.410 were watching here to win and take it because it's 0:09:52.410 --> 0:09:56.250 the one place she hasn't had a champion win here. 0:09:56.250 --> 0:09:59.970 But yep, nope. The Brits came in. It's that cold weather. 0:09:59.970 --> 0:10:00.480 We know it. 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:05.250 Exactly. They're used to that. You're right though. Eden Rainbow- Cooper really has taken 0:10:05.250 --> 0:10:08.160 her game to another level. So congrats to her. We 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:12.059 mentioned some of the Americans on the women's side. So many 0:10:12.330 --> 0:10:15.690 great days. Jess McClain, so great to see her have 0:10:15.690 --> 0:10:20.760 a great day. Fifth place. Overall, tremendous effort. Annie Frisbie. 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:24.569 Fastest American woman owned the Boston course as well for 0:10:24.570 --> 0:10:26.002 Jess McClain's (inaudible) . 0:10:26.002 --> 0:10:30.660 Yes. Yes. Very well done. Very special record there. Annie Frisbie, 0:10:30.660 --> 0:10:34.080 not far behind in eighth place. Emily Sisson, ninth place. 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:38.340 Carrie Ellwood, 10th place. So four Americans getting into that 0:10:38.340 --> 0:10:39.540 top 10 in Boston. 0:10:39.540 --> 0:10:43.380 And Dakotah was right there in 12th. So it carried on. 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:46.020 That's right. She was right there. On the men's side, Zouhair 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:52.740 Talbi, 2: 03: 45, fifth place overall. Charles Hicks, seventh 0:10:52.740 --> 0:10:55.469 place. Clayton Young, congrats to Clayton on an 11th place finish. 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:57.030 With nine weeks of training. 0:10:57.480 --> 0:10:57.870 Exactly. 0:10:57.870 --> 0:10:59.340 Nine weeks of training. 0:10:59.340 --> 0:11:01.709 Right. I mean, didn't have a lot of time, made a 0:11:01.710 --> 0:11:03.719 late decision. I saw Clayton in the lobby of the 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:06.689 hotel and we talked about how excited he was. And 0:11:06.900 --> 0:11:08.670 you're right, how he wasn't really sure what he would 0:11:08.670 --> 0:11:11.370 have with not that much training behind him. He had 0:11:11.370 --> 0:11:13.020 a lot. He had a great, great day. 0:11:13.020 --> 0:11:13.170 He did. 0:11:13.170 --> 0:11:17.820 It was funny, Becs, there were so many runners there. 0:11:18.420 --> 0:11:21.120 To your point about Susannah Scaroni not competing because she's 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:24.420 expecting a baby and we're so excited for her. But 0:11:24.660 --> 0:11:27.900 there are others. Viola Cheptoo from our friend from Kenya, 0:11:27.900 --> 0:11:29.819 who we spent time with who finished six in the 0:11:29.820 --> 0:11:33.839 Tokyo Marathon. I get out of the Uber at the Fairmont 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:36.330 Hotel and I look up and Viola's there and I'm like, " 0:11:36.330 --> 0:11:38.670 Viola, what are you doing here? You're not running this. 0:11:38.670 --> 0:11:42.569 And congrats on Tokyo." She's there to support Sharon. They 0:11:42.570 --> 0:11:43.830 are so close. 0:11:43.830 --> 0:11:45.690 Such good friends and training partners. 0:11:45.690 --> 0:11:48.030 That she (inaudible) they were going out on a training run together. And 0:11:48.030 --> 0:11:51.210 you see these pro runners, there's so many bonds between 0:11:51.210 --> 0:11:53.939 them and they'll come to Boston just to support one 0:11:53.940 --> 0:11:57.030 another, which is amazing. You don't see that in every sport. 0:11:57.540 --> 0:12:00.390 No. Absolutely not. No, it was beautiful. And I think 0:12:00.809 --> 0:12:03.510 they shared an embrace not long after Sharon came over 0:12:03.510 --> 0:12:08.520 the line. So it's just been a really, really, truly long day. 0:12:08.520 --> 0:12:10.470 Conner Mantz was there to support Clayton. 0:12:10.470 --> 0:12:11.100 To support Clayton. 0:12:11.100 --> 0:12:12.929 I saw Conner in the lobby as well. He had 0:12:12.929 --> 0:12:13.410 to unfortunately pull out. 0:12:13.410 --> 0:12:14.730 Hardcore training. 0:12:15.450 --> 0:12:16.080 Exactly. 0:12:16.140 --> 0:12:16.890 Hardcore training buddies. 0:12:16.890 --> 0:12:21.840 It's just great. Listen, it's a special sport. It's a special 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:25.110 community. And you just see it from the pros all 0:12:25.110 --> 0:12:28.110 the way on down. So it's a lot of fun. 0:12:28.110 --> 0:12:31.110 There's just something very special about Boston. I think it's 0:12:31.950 --> 0:12:36.630 a smaller event, smaller number of finishers, smaller footprint. Everything 0:12:36.630 --> 0:12:40.140 is so close to everything. You just see everyone. You go 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:42.360 to Boston for a couple days and you see everyone 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:45.420 in the running community and it's a lot of fun. So 0:12:46.050 --> 0:12:49.079 I know you really enjoy it as well. All right. Well, coming 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:51.300 up in just a moment, Becs, it's going to be, 0:12:51.300 --> 0:12:54.540 before we know it, time for the RBC Brooklyn Half. 0:12:54.540 --> 0:12:54.870 Crazy. 0:12:55.199 --> 0:12:57.809 I know. It's right on the heels of Boston. Here 0:12:57.809 --> 0:13:00.210 we go. We're three and a half weeks out from 0:13:00.210 --> 0:13:03.059 Brooklyn for those who are taking that on. And so 0:13:03.059 --> 0:13:06.240 we will bring in our one and only race director, 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:08.640 the chief event production officer of New York Road Runners, 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:12.150 Ted Metellus, for our everything you need to know about 0:13:12.150 --> 0:13:15.420 the RBC Brooklyn Half episode. And we'll take you through 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:18.809 from the transportation to the expo to the course to 0:13:18.809 --> 0:13:21.660 the finish and the after party, all the things that you 0:13:21.660 --> 0:13:25.260 need to know to get ready for Brooklyn. So Ted, 0:13:25.410 --> 0:13:26.730 coming up in just a minute. 0:13:27.330 --> 0:13:30.000 Peloton is taking running and race tech to the next 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:33.990 level with the new Peloton cross- training series, Tread Plus, 0:13:33.990 --> 0:13:38.189 powered by Peloton IQ. Built for runners who want top 0:13:38.190 --> 0:13:41.670 tier performance, the Tread Plus helps you train smarter and 0:13:41.670 --> 0:13:46.890 get race ready with precision. Peloton IQ offers personalized insights 0:13:46.890 --> 0:13:50.100 that evolve as you progress, so you can fine tune 0:13:50.100 --> 0:13:53.970 your pacing and peak at the right moment. And with 0:13:53.970 --> 0:13:56.880 strength workouts, designed to build the muscle you need to 0:13:56.880 --> 0:14:00.780 support every mile, your training goes beyond the run. Plus, 0:14:00.990 --> 0:14:04.740 pace target classes designed to build consistency, boost speed, and 0:14:04.740 --> 0:14:08.400 improve your splits. Every single run supports your full training 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:13.709 cycle, from recovery miles to challenging race pace intervals. Experience 0:14:13.740 --> 0:14:19.080 our most advanced tread yet at onepeloton. com. Peloton, the 0:14:19.080 --> 0:14:22.110 official digital fitness partner of New York Road Runners. 0:14:22.500 --> 0:14:25.080 Today we welcome back to the show, New York Road 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:29.460 Runners Chief Event Production Officer and race director, Ted Metellus. 0:14:29.460 --> 0:14:31.890 Ted's going to drop by as he does before all 0:14:31.890 --> 0:14:35.760 of our marquee races to give our runners an unmissable 0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:39.000 preview of what they can expect on race week for 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:41.520 our biggest races. Of course, the RBC Brooklyn Half is 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:44.940 one of those big races coming up. Ted and I and Becs are 0:14:44.940 --> 0:14:47.820 all just back as we record on Tuesday from a 0:14:47.820 --> 0:14:51.270 big weekend in Boston. Ted did not just lend support 0:14:51.270 --> 0:14:54.840 to all the New York Road Runners runners taking on 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:57.720 the Boston Marathon. He and I also ran the Boston 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:01.050 5K on Saturday. And then Ted later in the day 0:15:01.050 --> 0:15:05.700 actually joined team NYRR for the New Balance Marathon Relay, 0:15:05.700 --> 0:15:08.730 which we recorded Set the Pace from. So Ted, you 0:15:08.730 --> 0:15:11.640 had a busy weekend in Boston. How you feeling on Tuesday? 0:15:12.990 --> 0:15:15.720 I'm feeling really, really, really, really good. It was a 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:21.750 busy weekend of activities. The Boston Marathon is tremendous because it's 0:15:21.870 --> 0:15:24.750 the first North American major, the (inaudible) marathon major. 0:15:24.750 --> 0:15:29.460 So everybody is in Boston. If you stand in one 0:15:29.460 --> 0:15:32.250 intersection, you're guaranteed to run into six different people at 0:15:32.250 --> 0:15:35.370 any given time. But it was a fun filled weekend 0:15:35.370 --> 0:15:37.890 and a weekend full of running. I was representing team 0:15:37.890 --> 0:15:41.340 NYRR as part of the relay, which was fun after 0:15:41.340 --> 0:15:44.190 doing the 5K with you and a bunch of other friends 0:15:44.190 --> 0:15:44.730 and colleagues. 0:15:44.820 --> 0:15:48.900 I got that medal. That medal's back there. That medal's back there hanging. I already put it up there. 0:15:48.900 --> 0:15:51.540 You can probably see it. Got a couple of those. 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:53.790 It's a great 5K they put on in Boston. 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:57.930 Yes. Beautiful course, great engagement. Love finishing at the marathon 0:15:57.930 --> 0:16:00.000 finish, which is very similar to our Abbott Dash to 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:03.960 the Finish 5K. But yeah, the energy was amazing. And 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:06.240 listen, we'll talk in a second about that weather, which 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:09.510 lend itself for a very, very fast and amazing race. 0:16:09.660 --> 0:16:10.500 Absolutely. 0:16:12.300 --> 0:16:12.479 A lot of PRs. 0:16:12.540 --> 0:16:16.380 Very sad to miss it, but I watched vicariously through 0:16:16.470 --> 0:16:20.910 everyone's Instagram and watched you all thriving, whether it was 0:16:21.420 --> 0:16:23.070 on the roads or on the track. It was a 0:16:23.070 --> 0:16:26.490 weekend of strong New York Roadrunners presence in Boston. I 0:16:26.490 --> 0:16:27.180 was very proud. 0:16:27.930 --> 0:16:31.200 Yeah, it was a great weekend. Congrats again to all 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:34.380 of the finishers in Boston. And for a lot of 0:16:34.380 --> 0:16:37.170 folks who didn't run Boston, perhaps the reason they weren't 0:16:37.170 --> 0:16:40.050 running or weren't even thinking about Boston is because their 0:16:40.380 --> 0:16:43.800 minds are focused on the RBC Brooklyn Half, which is 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:46.290 coming up before we know it in the middle of 0:16:46.290 --> 0:16:49.080 May, and we're all excited for that. So let's turn 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:51.930 our attention to the RBC Brooklyn Half coming up in 0:16:51.930 --> 0:16:55.650 just under a month. And Ted, let's start focusing on 0:16:55.650 --> 0:16:58.680 what is new this year. And there is a big 0:16:58.860 --> 0:17:01.980 new thing for the RBC Brooklyn Half this year, which 0:17:01.980 --> 0:17:07.020 is the location of the expo, formerly known as the pre- 0:17:07.020 --> 0:17:10.709 party. And Ted, this has been a topic of... We 0:17:10.710 --> 0:17:13.109 can give people a little peek behind the curtain a 0:17:13.109 --> 0:17:15.480 little bit here because this has been a topic of 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:18.869 conversation for a while at New York Roadrunners. You and 0:17:18.869 --> 0:17:24.330 I had this conversation many times regarding the situation with 0:17:24.359 --> 0:17:28.140 the pre- party at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Brooklyn Bridge Park 0:17:28.140 --> 0:17:33.540 was a spectacular venue. It was an amazing place to 0:17:33.540 --> 0:17:39.119 be. It was beautiful. The views, the vibes were incredible. 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:42.480 And that all lended itself to the pre- party kind 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:46.890 of vibe. The issue was getting there. It was hard 0:17:46.890 --> 0:17:50.639 for folks to get there combined with the fact that 0:17:50.820 --> 0:17:53.070 the race is on a Saturday, which meant you didn't 0:17:53.070 --> 0:17:56.699 quite have the time maybe to hang out because people 0:17:56.700 --> 0:17:59.399 were working on the Wednesday, the Thursday, the Friday. So 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:03.720 all that led to lots of conversation, which ultimately has 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:07.500 landed us in a new location for the RBC Brooklyn 0:18:07.500 --> 0:18:08.250 Half Expo. 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:08.700 Yes. 0:18:08.700 --> 0:18:09.300 Tell everybody about that. 0:18:11.100 --> 0:18:15.150 Rob is literally the best boss ever. And you know 0:18:15.150 --> 0:18:19.800 he's got phenomenal broadcast skills as he referenced it conversations. 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:21.210 Some would call it debates. 0:18:22.260 --> 0:18:24.330 He was being calm and kind, right? 0:18:24.330 --> 0:18:26.129 So called full on battles. 0:18:27.210 --> 0:18:30.300 Rob's like, " It looks really good and it's amazing." And Ted's like, " 0:18:30.300 --> 0:18:31.950 Yeah, but the people can't get there." 0:18:32.010 --> 0:18:35.280 Actually, the other way around, Becs. It was actually the other 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:36.090 way around. Yes. 0:18:36.091 --> 0:18:37.859 Ted, tell us, that shocks me. 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:40.830 Yeah. Well, I'll give you a quick scoop and dive 0:18:40.830 --> 0:18:44.310 into things because evolution is a beautiful thing and change 0:18:44.310 --> 0:18:48.359 is inevitable. This race in particular, the RBC Brooklyn Half 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:51.090 Marathon has had so many changes over the years. Some 0:18:51.090 --> 0:18:54.240 small, some big. I remember back many, many, many, many 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:56.670 years ago, and you've heard this on our other pods 0:18:56.670 --> 0:18:58.560 where the race used to start in Coney Island and 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:01.230 finish in Prospect Park. And that went on for quite 0:19:01.230 --> 0:19:04.260 some time until we turned and changed and modified this 0:19:04.260 --> 0:19:07.002 race to what the course is today, the (inaudible) 0:19:06.690 --> 0:19:10.560 course that we have today. The pre- party, which was 0:19:10.740 --> 0:19:14.699 one of a kind in its industry. And having an 0:19:14.700 --> 0:19:19.139 outdoor expo, which is not that foreign, but something in 0:19:19.140 --> 0:19:22.410 an incredibly unique and iconic location like Brooklyn Bridge Park 0:19:22.650 --> 0:19:25.470 was really, really cool and different with the entertainment and the music and 0:19:25.470 --> 0:19:27.810 everything that we have there. Well, we took all of 0:19:27.810 --> 0:19:31.109 that, the energy and the vibe and that uniqueness and 0:19:31.109 --> 0:19:34.230 venue and space and moved it to a new spot. 0:19:34.410 --> 0:19:36.869 And a spot that, to Rob's point, should be a 0:19:36.869 --> 0:19:40.830 lot easier for people to get to. A location that 0:19:41.100 --> 0:19:45.510 many of the 27, 000 plus runners will be traversing through, 0:19:45.540 --> 0:19:49.740 which is in Prospect Park. So we are moving the 0:19:50.040 --> 0:19:54.869 expo now to the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park. 0:19:55.080 --> 0:19:58.169 So a great location that will be there for folks 0:19:58.170 --> 0:19:59.909 that live in the Brooklyn area, they may have taken 0:19:59.910 --> 0:20:02.010 their kids there to go ice skating or have gone 0:20:02.010 --> 0:20:04.980 there for events and programs. What is great now is 0:20:04.980 --> 0:20:07.980 there are east side and west side train access to 0:20:07.980 --> 0:20:11.939 Prospect Park and follow the signage and directions in our 0:20:11.940 --> 0:20:13.740 staff that will direct you right to the center of 0:20:13.740 --> 0:20:16.530 the park there to pick up your bib. 0:20:17.460 --> 0:20:18.990 And let's stay on that just- 0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:19.321 Oh, sorry. 0:20:19.321 --> 0:20:20.310 No, go ahead, Becs. Sorry. 0:20:20.310 --> 0:20:21.300 Well, I was going to say, I was going to 0:20:21.300 --> 0:20:24.630 add, as a lot of people are running this year's. 0:20:24.660 --> 0:20:28.859 If you are with smaller humans, it is a great 0:20:29.130 --> 0:20:32.220 way to make a bit of a fun excursion for 0:20:32.220 --> 0:20:36.119 the day to get your kids involved in movement and 0:20:36.119 --> 0:20:39.510 get them excited by going to pick up mom, dad, 0:20:39.510 --> 0:20:43.470 uncle, auntie, friends, bib, but then they get to be 0:20:43.500 --> 0:20:46.410 in Prospect Park. As I said, there's a lot of activities 0:20:46.410 --> 0:20:50.400 to do there. There's also a zoo. Most people probably 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:52.830 don't know that in Prospect Park, which is actually perfect 0:20:52.830 --> 0:20:55.980 for smaller humans, like toddlers and above. It's not a 0:20:55.980 --> 0:20:58.859 big zoo. It's great. And obviously it's a huge and 0:20:58.859 --> 0:21:01.590