WEBVTT - Running with the Stars: Alan Bersten LIVE at the RBC Brooklyn Half 0:00:00.450 --> 0:00:03.029 Something that I say on the show all the time to 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:06.239 the celebrities I dance with is, " You can do anything. 0:00:06.690 --> 0:00:10.260 If you apply yourself, you can succeed." And this is a 0:00:10.260 --> 0:00:11.820 huge testament to that. 0:00:16.829 --> 0:00:22.290 Hello everybody, and welcome to Set the Pace, a special episode 0:00:22.500 --> 0:00:27.150 of the official podcast of New York Road Runners, presented by Peloton. I'm 0:00:27.150 --> 0:00:29.280 your host and the CEO of New York Road Runners, 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:34.470 Rob Simmelkjaer, and we are here live at Maimonides ballpark. 0:00:34.470 --> 0:00:42.390 That's right. It's the official RBC Brooklyn Half After- Party, and 0:00:42.390 --> 0:00:46.589 what a party it is. This field and this stadium 0:00:46.590 --> 0:00:51.990 are absolutely packed with people with this beautiful RBC Brooklyn 0:00:51.990 --> 0:00:57.060 Half medal hanging around their necks. Congratulations to everybody who 0:00:57.060 --> 0:01:02.520 finished today. It was a warm day, it was a bit of a humid 0:01:02.520 --> 0:01:05.940 day, but it was a great day, and you guys all 0:01:06.060 --> 0:01:10.500 deserve those medals, so congratulations to each and every one 0:01:10.500 --> 0:01:13.289 of you. All right, before we bring up our amazing 0:01:13.290 --> 0:01:16.500 guest today, I want to give a shout- out to our 0:01:16.500 --> 0:01:20.520 friends at RBC, which has been both the exclusive title 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:25.619 partner and exclusive financial service partner and investment banking partner 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:30.089 of the RBC Brooklyn Half for four consecutive years. As 0:01:30.090 --> 0:01:34.620 a purpose- driven global financial institution, RBC, just like New 0:01:34.620 --> 0:01:37.830 York Road Runners, is strongly committed to giving back to 0:01:37.830 --> 0:01:42.150 communities. I'm sure you saw the great run inspired with 0:01:42.150 --> 0:01:48.059 RBC giant inspiration wall at the RBC Brooklyn Half Pre- Party, 0:01:48.300 --> 0:01:51.450 presented by New Balance. And of course, the photo booth 0:01:51.450 --> 0:01:55.350 where so many of you turned yourselves into custom trading 0:01:55.350 --> 0:01:58.500 cars. Quick reminder, by the way. Every time you share 0:01:58.500 --> 0:02:05.430 one of those trading cars on social, hashtag # RBCBrooklynHalf, RBC's 0:02:05.430 --> 0:02:09.000 going to donate one dollar to the National Alliance on 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:13.110 Mental Illness, NAMI. So it's Mental Health Awareness Month, we 0:02:13.110 --> 0:02:17.430 want to thank RBC. Make sure you check out the RBC- 0:02:17.430 --> 0:02:21.810 branded finish line photo booth, which is out there in the field somewhere. 0:02:21.900 --> 0:02:24.960 Get that photo here at the after party, and thank 0:02:24.960 --> 0:02:28.680 you again to our friends at RBC. All right, our 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:32.070 guests today are incredible. I had a chance to meet, 0:02:32.280 --> 0:02:36.300 right before the race, the one and only Dancing with 0:02:36.300 --> 0:02:40.500 the Stars dancer Alan Bersten, who is here with me 0:02:40.800 --> 0:02:46.590 on stage. Alan just ran his first ever half- marathon 0:02:46.590 --> 0:02:51.090 in his life, and we're going to talk to him 0:02:51.090 --> 0:02:54.510 about that incredible achievement. And then with us right after 0:02:54.510 --> 0:02:57.780 Alan is going to be Kim Conley, our two- time 0:02:57.780 --> 0:03:05.460 Olympian, and came into this as a defending 2024 RBC Brooklyn Half champion. We'll 0:03:05.460 --> 0:03:08.880 talk about her race today and what happened out there 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:11.250 in the winner's field, it was a great day. And then 0:03:11.250 --> 0:03:14.639 lastly, we'll have some exclusive advice from our partners at 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:19.500 the Hospital for Special Surgery, HSS, on how to transition 0:03:19.740 --> 0:03:23.880 from running today's race to beginning their training for the 2025 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:29.220 TCS New York City Marathon. Make some noise out there 0:03:29.220 --> 0:03:32.100 if you're planning to run the marathon this year. Who's 0:03:32.100 --> 0:03:37.740 running? Who's running the TCS New York City Marathon, all right, 0:03:37.740 --> 0:03:41.310 well we'll talk about that as well, so don't go away. 0:03:41.730 --> 0:03:44.880 Try the Peloton app for free and access classes for 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.550 every type of runner, whether you're training for your first 0:03:47.550 --> 0:03:51.030 race or you're a seasoned pro. From outdoor runs and 0:03:51.030 --> 0:03:55.230 intervals to strength, yoga, and stretching, you'll find a perfect 0:03:55.230 --> 0:03:58.230 fit for every part of your routine, whether it's long 0:03:58.230 --> 0:04:00.930 run day or you just need a quick five- minute 0:04:00.930 --> 0:04:03.930 reset. The Peloton app meets you where you are, and 0:04:03.930 --> 0:04:07.920 helps you become a stronger, faster runner, because it's designed 0:04:07.920 --> 0:04:10.860 for someone like you. Try the app for free for 0:04:10.860 --> 0:04:13.440 30 days, and download it now from the App Store 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:17.789 or Google Play. Terms apply. Peloton, the official digital fitness 0:04:17.790 --> 0:04:19.589 partner of New York Road Runners. 0:04:19.589 --> 0:04:22.770 All right, well we're thrilled to have Alan Bersten here 0:04:22.770 --> 0:04:27.089 with me. He's best known for his standout performances on 0:04:27.089 --> 0:04:29.219 Dancing with the Stars, where he's been a pro since 2017, 0:04:31.950 --> 0:04:36.210 and he won the mirrorball trophy with Bachelorette star Hannah 0:04:36.210 --> 0:04:39.659 Brown. He started dancing at the age of seven in 0:04:39.660 --> 0:04:43.500 his family's Minnesota studio, and he's trained in styles ranging 0:04:43.500 --> 0:04:48.150 from ballroom dancing to Bollywood dancing. He's done it all. 0:04:48.210 --> 0:04:50.940 He's a former So You Think You Can Dance finalist 0:04:51.210 --> 0:04:54.210 and a Dancing with the Stars Juniors champion, and he 0:04:54.210 --> 0:04:57.600 has spent years performing live and pushing to all of 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:03.420 his physical limits, especially today. Alan, congratulations, and welcome to 0:05:03.420 --> 0:05:03.690 Set the Pace. 0:05:03.690 --> 0:05:06.180 Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much, this is so 0:05:06.180 --> 0:05:08.790 fun. It was really... Well, great job to everyone that 0:05:08.790 --> 0:05:11.490 did this. Let's go with finishers. 0:05:12.210 --> 0:05:16.050 Well, all right. We got to ask the obvious question. You have 0:05:16.050 --> 0:05:18.390 pushed your body to the limits as a dancer. You 0:05:18.390 --> 0:05:21.690 obviously are a great athlete to dance the way you 0:05:21.690 --> 0:05:25.290 dance on that show. How did running a half- marathon 0:05:25.290 --> 0:05:29.339 for the first time ever compare to preparing for and 0:05:29.339 --> 0:05:30.900 dancing on the show as you do? 0:05:31.020 --> 0:05:34.620 Absolutely zero comparison, it turns out that it is a lot 0:05:34.620 --> 0:05:37.440 of fun. I've always wanted to push my body, and 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:41.010 a lot of people don't consider dancers as athletes, but 0:05:41.010 --> 0:05:43.710 I think this is a great opportunity to prove to 0:05:43.710 --> 0:05:48.210 myself that I'm more than just a dancer. Running a half- 0:05:48.210 --> 0:05:52.560 marathon is not easy. Kudos to everyone. I'm so proud 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:54.750 of myself for finishing, I'm so proud of everyone for 0:05:54.750 --> 0:05:55.200 being here. 0:05:55.740 --> 0:06:01.290 Amazing, congratulations. What inspired you to take this on? Why, 0:06:01.290 --> 0:06:04.289 after all the success you've had as a dancer and 0:06:04.290 --> 0:06:07.589 an amazing career you've created for yourself as a dancer? 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:10.110 What made you think, " This isn't enough. I got to 0:06:10.110 --> 0:06:11.279 take on a half- marathon"? 0:06:11.339 --> 0:06:14.490 Honestly, I was on tour and my (inaudible) who 0:06:14.490 --> 0:06:16.740 ran this with me, his name's Danny, he's like, " I'm 0:06:16.740 --> 0:06:19.620 running a half- marathon in May." I was like, " My 0:06:19.620 --> 0:06:24.000 schedule's free, let me do it too." Big mistake. No, 0:06:24.210 --> 0:06:26.670 honestly it was so much fun. So he's the one 0:06:26.670 --> 0:06:28.920 that, honestly, he did it, so I was like, " I'm going to join him." 0:06:29.339 --> 0:06:31.890 All right, well I saw you at the start and then 0:06:31.890 --> 0:06:35.100 I saw you at the finish line. Your official finishing 0:06:35.100 --> 0:06:39.479 time in your first ever half, 1: 38:43. That is 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:44.550 an outstanding (inaudible) half- marathon time. Congratulations on that. 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:47.339 Tell me, take me through your race today. How did 0:06:47.339 --> 0:06:50.820 it feel? Did you feel strong throughout? It was a 0:06:50.820 --> 0:06:53.969 warm day, were you struggling at any points? Take us through it. 0:06:54.150 --> 0:06:56.490 Honestly, I think the biggest thing everyone told me was, " 0:06:56.490 --> 0:06:59.099 Stay hydrated," so I was drinking a lot of water. 0:06:59.580 --> 0:07:02.490 The hills in the beginning are hard. I was not 0:07:02.490 --> 0:07:05.670 used to that. And then they were like, " Oh, mile seven. That's going to 0:07:05.670 --> 0:07:08.520 be easy." It didn't get easy. None of this was 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:12.690 actually easy until the end. But honestly, I think it 0:07:12.690 --> 0:07:15.720 was just pushing. You know? Everyone around you's doing it, 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:19.830 everyone's cheering you on. It's a lot of fun. Ask 0:07:19.830 --> 0:07:21.660 me in a few days if I'll do another one. I 0:07:21.660 --> 0:07:24.330 can tell you maybe. If you ask me right now, no. 0:07:24.780 --> 0:07:27.930 I never ask right afterwards. I never ask at the finish 0:07:27.930 --> 0:07:29.161 line. That's not the time to ask. 0:07:29.161 --> 0:07:29.820 Yeah, yeah. 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:33.810 I've been there, I know. But there is a question 0:07:33.810 --> 0:07:35.880 that of course will start to dog you, just so 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:38.610 you know. Now that you've run a half- marathon, you 0:07:38.610 --> 0:07:42.210 know the question is going to come. Would you ever 0:07:42.420 --> 0:07:44.550 even think about running a full marathon? 0:07:45.150 --> 0:07:47.040 I genuinely don't know how I could do two of 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:50.520 that. That was really hard. If I slow down my pace, maybe. 0:07:51.420 --> 0:07:54.390 But yeah, no, what an accomplishment it is to finish 0:07:54.390 --> 0:07:55.230 a full marathon. 0:07:55.350 --> 0:07:58.020 What accomplishment to finish a half marathon. It's a huge 0:07:58.020 --> 0:07:58.830 accomplishment to have. 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:02.160 (inaudible) proud. Yeah, so I'm going to take it more half at a time. 0:08:02.610 --> 0:08:05.430 I like it. That's a very sensible answer. You know, 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:07.980 listen, I am not a dancer, so I have no 0:08:07.980 --> 0:08:11.489 idea what goes in to doing what you do on 0:08:11.490 --> 0:08:13.770 Dancing with the Stars, but just watching some of the 0:08:13.770 --> 0:08:18.180 routines, that looks like a massive physical challenge. Can you 0:08:18.180 --> 0:08:22.980 compare the endurance, the strength? What do you think is 0:08:22.980 --> 0:08:27.330 the biggest similarity and difference between the physical challenge of 0:08:27.330 --> 0:08:30.570 dancing at a high level and running 13.1 miles? 0:08:31.560 --> 0:08:34.320 I think there's a few. There's a dance that's similar, 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:36.720 like a quickstep or a jive. They're very fast. You 0:08:36.720 --> 0:08:37.770 only have to do it for a minute and a 0:08:37.770 --> 0:08:41.309 half, so it's a lot easier. I think this was 0:08:41.309 --> 0:08:46.230 more just mental over physical. You put in the training 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:48.900 and you realize that as long as you just keep 0:08:48.900 --> 0:08:53.370 going and don't stop, you're fine. That was my mentality 0:08:53.370 --> 0:08:56.130 the whole time. Just keep going, don't slow down. Because 0:08:56.130 --> 0:08:57.750 if I slow down I'm just going to stop, and 0:08:58.140 --> 0:08:59.309 I do not want to stop. 0:09:00.450 --> 0:09:02.730 Have you had a lot of your Dancing with the 0:09:02.730 --> 0:09:06.900 Stars co- stars or your former partners or other people 0:09:06.900 --> 0:09:09.480 out there on social reacting to your run? 0:09:09.540 --> 0:09:13.770 Yeah, everyone's been so supportive. My girlfriend actually, she's from the show, 0:09:13.770 --> 0:09:18.209 and now she's here supporting, so that was nice. Lindsay 0:09:18.210 --> 0:09:21.360 Arnold did a half- marathon, she's one of the pros, 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:23.910 I think like three weeks ago, and I didn't know 0:09:23.910 --> 0:09:25.950 she was running one, so that really inspired me and 0:09:25.950 --> 0:09:28.590 she gave me a lot of tips. She was like, " 0:09:28.590 --> 0:09:33.660 Just hydrate a lot." So the support's been incredible, but 0:09:34.170 --> 0:09:36.540 it's honestly just running and seeing all the people on 0:09:36.540 --> 0:09:40.140 the sides being supportive and cheering on all the other 0:09:40.140 --> 0:09:42.059 runners. It's just so fun. 0:09:43.020 --> 0:09:45.750 I took a photo with you at the start, post 0:09:45.750 --> 0:09:48.900 it on my social. It wasn't like five minutes before 0:09:48.900 --> 0:09:51.390 my teenage daughter was like, " Oh my god, all my 0:09:51.390 --> 0:09:54.390 friends are texting me. You know Alan Bersten? How do 0:09:54.390 --> 0:09:57.600 you know him?" So clearly there's a following, there's people 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:00.480 out there who are excited. What's your message to all 0:10:00.480 --> 0:10:03.840 those folks out there who follow you as a dancer, 0:10:04.050 --> 0:10:07.230 and about what you've just accomplished? What do you think 0:10:07.230 --> 0:10:09.390 is the lesson that you can teach all of them 0:10:09.390 --> 0:10:09.929 from this? 0:10:10.530 --> 0:10:12.600 Something that I say on the show all the time 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:15.689 to the celebrities I dance with is, " You can do 0:10:15.690 --> 0:10:20.100 anything. If you apply yourself, you can succeed." And this is 0:10:20.190 --> 0:10:24.360 a huge testament to that. The longest I've ever ran 0:10:24.900 --> 0:10:27.840 before today was 10 miles. The longest I ever ran before 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.120 that was like five miles. You know? So it was 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:33.179 more of just, commit to it, put in the training, 0:10:33.179 --> 0:10:36.059 you put in the work, you get the results, and 0:10:37.140 --> 0:10:39.840 my message is just to believe in yourself and do it, 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:42.960 you know? The worst that happens is that you have to 0:10:43.170 --> 0:10:45.360 try a little bit harder and that you have to try 0:10:45.360 --> 0:10:48.510 again, but as long as you keep going, the finish 0:10:48.510 --> 0:10:49.200 line is there. 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:52.140 All right, let's talk about Dancing with the Stars for 0:10:52.140 --> 0:10:53.940 a little while. First of all, who out there is 0:10:53.940 --> 0:10:57.630 a fan of the show, Dancing with the Stars? Are there any fans 0:10:57.630 --> 0:11:02.370 out there? (inaudible) that show has been so successful 0:11:02.700 --> 0:11:06.420 for so many years. I worked at ABC Disney when 0:11:06.450 --> 0:11:08.640 that show first went on the air, and it went 0:11:08.640 --> 0:11:11.699 on as like a midsummer replacement. 0:11:11.700 --> 0:11:11.760 Yeah. 0:11:12.059 --> 0:11:16.320 It had no expectation of being successful, and here it is. 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:18.001 How many seasons now has that show (inaudible) 0:11:18.001 --> 0:11:19.800 We're about to start season 34. 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:21.271 Oh my god, that's unbelievable. 0:11:21.271 --> 0:11:22.002 Yeah. (inaudible) Yeah. Yeah. 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:23.640 It's a couple seasons a year. I'm like, " I'm not 0:11:23.640 --> 0:11:25.590 that old." But I know they do a couple seasons a year. 0:11:26.000 --> 0:11:27.809 (inaudible) This is the 20th year anniversary. 0:11:27.870 --> 0:11:32.370 That's incredible. Why do you think it's been so successful 0:11:32.370 --> 0:11:33.270 as a franchise? 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:36.780 You know, I think there's something so endearing about seeing 0:11:36.780 --> 0:11:40.559 these incredible celebrities or athletes try something new, and that's 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:43.709 also what inspired me to do this. I've never ran 0:11:43.710 --> 0:11:46.620 before, but I wanted to just go out there, go 0:11:46.620 --> 0:11:50.670 out of my comfort zone. I think what makes the 0:11:50.670 --> 0:11:53.250 show special is you see people trying, you see people 0:11:53.250 --> 0:11:56.370 caring. And like you said, your teenage daughter is a 0:11:56.370 --> 0:11:59.760 fan. Usually it's, " Oh, my mom's a fan," so it's 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:01.710 nice that the teenage daughters are fans now. But it's 0:12:02.460 --> 0:12:05.700 a show for the whole family. It's fun for everyone. 0:12:05.910 --> 0:12:08.610 Families sit down and we go on tour, and there's 0:12:08.700 --> 0:12:12.510 four generations that are watching together, and it's just so cool. 0:12:12.570 --> 0:12:16.350 It's incredible. It really is great family entertainment, and there's 0:12:16.350 --> 0:12:18.929 a lot in common, actually, between what you guys do 0:12:18.929 --> 0:12:21.600 on that show and what we do here at New York Road 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:23.640 Runners, because we do have a lot of folks, like 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:27.270 you, who are stepping out of their comfort zone to run 0:12:27.270 --> 0:12:29.670 a race like this. I think the difference is, on 0:12:29.670 --> 0:12:33.630 Dancing with the Stars, you're doing it on primetime television 0:12:33.809 --> 0:12:36.870 in front of tens of millions of viewers. And it's 0:12:36.870 --> 0:12:40.050 live, right? So a lot can go wrong. When you 0:12:40.050 --> 0:12:43.800 are working with a dancer, a celebrity who's coming on 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:46.110 to dance with you, how do you work with them 0:12:46.110 --> 0:12:49.770 to get them comfortable and take them out of their 0:12:50.010 --> 0:12:52.950 shell to turn them into someone who can have a 0:12:52.950 --> 0:12:54.179 successful performance? 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:58.800 You know, I think comfortability is the big proponent there. 0:12:59.130 --> 0:13:01.890 Making sure you're comfortable, making sure you believe in yourself. 0:13:02.190 --> 0:13:04.920 My job on top of teaching somebody to dance is 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:08.250 also to make sure they feel confident and comfortable in 0:13:08.250 --> 0:13:10.890 themselves, and I think the only way to do that 0:13:10.890 --> 0:13:14.670 is with practice, with repetition. It's a lot scarier to 0:13:14.670 --> 0:13:18.450 go and do anything the first time, but the more 0:13:18.450 --> 0:13:21.358 you do it, the easier and the more comfortable you get. 0:13:21.390 --> 0:13:25.140 So you have a minor in psychology, basically. I mean, dance 0:13:25.140 --> 0:13:27.870 is your major, but you got to be able to 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:30.150 really have a little psych work on- 0:13:30.270 --> 0:13:34.079 A lot of people say that first we're dance instructors, 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:37.290 but then we're therapists. So there's a lot that goes 0:13:37.290 --> 0:13:38.100 on in that room. 0:13:39.059 --> 0:13:44.100 Yeah. I love it. What has been the most memorable dance performance of 0:13:44.100 --> 0:13:46.410 your career on Dancing with the Stars? Which one would 0:13:46.410 --> 0:13:47.520 you say has been your favorite? 0:13:48.030 --> 0:13:51.900 That's a good question. My last partner was Ilona Maher, 0:13:51.929 --> 0:13:55.860 and she's so... Give it up for Ilona Maher. We 0:13:55.860 --> 0:14:00.059 did some really cool dances. I feel like our freestyle 0:14:00.059 --> 0:14:02.730 was really cool, it was just a lot of fun. And you 0:14:02.730 --> 0:14:08.580 know, we were bending the norms from the traditional couple 0:14:08.580 --> 0:14:11.819 on Dancing with the Stars. She lifted me, I lifted her. 0:14:12.059 --> 0:14:15.689 There was so much going on, and she really inspired 0:14:15.690 --> 0:14:18.000 me to go out and do things that you're not 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:21.870 comfortable in. You know? She's a big proponent of, just 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:24.120 because she's a rugby player doesn't mean she's only a 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:26.820 rugby player. And I think that's what was my mentality 0:14:26.820 --> 0:14:29.940 for this dance... " For this dance." For this race, is 0:14:29.940 --> 0:14:33.540 I'm not just a dancer. I'm so athletic. I take 0:14:33.540 --> 0:14:37.800 pride in physical exercise, and this is a great way to 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:40.020 not only prove it to myself, but prove it to 0:14:40.020 --> 0:14:40.650 other people. 0:14:40.950 --> 0:14:43.800 I love that. We love Ilona Maher. She's an incredible 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:47.160 role model, and has been in some of our races 0:14:47.160 --> 0:14:51.510 as well, so that's fantastic. Who would you say was 0:14:52.050 --> 0:14:56.040 just the most talented dancer who you were paired with? Who 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:59.430 just had the goods and was just a talented dancer 0:14:59.580 --> 0:15:00.930 who you were paired with on the show? 0:15:00.990 --> 0:15:04.200 You know, one season I was with Amanda Coutts. She 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:07.080 used to be a Rockette, actually, so she's got her 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:10.560 New York roots. She was great. She knew how to 0:15:10.560 --> 0:15:15.210 dance. She was so committed to it and she had 0:15:15.210 --> 0:15:18.480 a great story behind everything, so it was really fun 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:19.170 dancing with her. 0:15:19.650 --> 0:15:22.620 And my last dancing question, because I don't have very 0:15:22.620 --> 0:15:25.950 many dancing questions, I couldn't talk about dancing for more 0:15:25.950 --> 0:15:28.890 than another minute or two. If you had to dance 0:15:28.890 --> 0:15:33.030 one style of dance, okay, for the win, for the 0:15:33.030 --> 0:15:35.190 championship, what is your go- to? What do you think 0:15:35.190 --> 0:15:37.830 is your best style of dancing yourself? 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:41.280 I like the Argentine tango. There's cool lifts, there's cool 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:44.940 tricks. He knows what I'm talking... Oh yeah. Argentine tango. 0:15:46.050 --> 0:15:50.010 There is something about the Argentine tango that everybody knows. 0:15:50.130 --> 0:15:52.290 There's something just dramatic about it, right? 0:15:52.290 --> 0:15:55.770 Exactly. The drama, the passion. I think anyone that can 0:15:55.770 --> 0:15:59.550 run a half- marathon has passion, and passion is what drives 0:15:59.550 --> 0:16:00.600 me. I love it. 0:16:01.170 --> 0:16:01.890 How you feeling? 0:16:02.340 --> 0:16:03.750 Honestly, I can't get up. 0:16:03.750 --> 0:16:05.640 That's okay. 0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:08.220 Everyone told me, " Don't sit down," and okay, you guys are sitting 0:16:08.220 --> 0:16:09.240 down. I said, " Okay." 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:11.610 That is one of the secrets to running a half 0:16:11.610 --> 0:16:13.620 or a marathon, is stay on your feet. 0:16:13.620 --> 0:16:13.890 Yeah. 0:16:14.010 --> 0:16:16.800 Well, I want to thank you for sitting down, literally, 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:19.380 with us for a few minutes. Good luck getting up. 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:21.210 Congratulations on the race. 0:16:26.580 --> 0:16:26.701 Thank you. Thank you so much. 0:16:26.701 --> 0:16:31.410 Alan Bersten! (inaudible) He's getting up slowly, making his way 0:16:31.410 --> 0:16:36.450 out. An incredible, incredible day for Alan and a great accomplishment, 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:41.700 running the RBC Brooklyn Half. All right, well. We had 0:16:41.700 --> 0:16:45.600 a very competitive race today, and I'm actually going to 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:49.320 ask my producer Catherine, I'm going to ask you to 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:51.840 pick up the card here that has the winners on 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:53.520 it, because I want to go through them. I threw it 0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:59.880 down to the ground. We have our 2024 defending champion Kim 0:16:59.880 --> 0:17:03.540 Conley on stage with us. And Kim, first of all, 0:17:03.630 --> 0:17:07.230 congratulations on a great day today. Now, I know today 0:17:07.230 --> 0:17:10.950 did not go exactly as you planned, but you had 0:17:10.950 --> 0:17:14.190 a great day, you finished second, and we'll talk about 0:17:14.670 --> 0:17:17.459 the women's race. The winner, by the way, on the 0:17:17.460 --> 0:17:22.889 women's field was Felicia Pasadyn with a time of one 0:17:22.890 --> 0:17:29.159 hour, 15 minutes, and 39 seconds. Congratulations to Felicia. Kim 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:34.050 finished second at 1:16: 27, then it was Grace Heymsfield at 0:17:34.050 --> 0:17:37.619 third. But Kim, take me through your race. First of 0:17:37.619 --> 0:17:39.330 all, welcome to Set the Pace. Thanks for coming on. 0:17:39.390 --> 0:17:40.500 Thank you. Thank you for having me. 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:43.200 Take me through your race today. You came in as 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:46.740 the defending champion. There's a little pressure that comes with 0:17:46.740 --> 0:17:50.310 that. Did you walk up to the start line today with 0:17:50.310 --> 0:17:54.119 an intent to defend that, or how did you feel 0:17:54.210 --> 0:17:55.409 as you started the race today? 0:17:55.680 --> 0:17:58.770 Well, I felt great as I started the race. Absolutely 0:17:58.770 --> 0:18:02.310 wanted to defend the title, but mostly was just excited 0:18:02.310 --> 0:18:04.590 to be back at this race, because it's such a 0:18:04.590 --> 0:18:07.980 fun environment, and the volunteers and the fans that come 0:18:07.980 --> 0:18:09.600 out and line the course, and the way the course 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:12.270 doubles back on itself through Prospect Park, and so you 0:18:12.270 --> 0:18:14.400 have everybody else coming behind you that are cheering for 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:18.030 you, that energy, is just so infectious. So I got 0:18:18.030 --> 0:18:21.330 a little bit carried away and ran significantly faster than 0:18:21.330 --> 0:18:22.710 I should have over the first 5K. 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:26.369 I was in one of the lead vehicles and I 0:18:26.369 --> 0:18:30.960 had a laptop there following the race, and I'm following, 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:34.290 following, following, and you are out in front, and you 0:18:34.290 --> 0:18:37.500 were out in front pretty comfortably. And I actually got 0:18:37.500 --> 0:18:40.320 out of the lead vehicle, made for the finish line 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:42.869 just behind you, and I thought you'd won the race, 0:18:43.140 --> 0:18:45.000 and I saw you right before this and it turns 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:47.790 out you'd finished second. So can you talk about what 0:18:47.790 --> 0:18:51.900 happened in those last few miles? And obviously Felicia, tracking 0:18:51.900 --> 0:18:54.930 that, I think Felicia's a runner who's a new name 0:18:54.930 --> 0:18:56.130 to a lot of us here at New York Road 0:18:56.130 --> 0:18:59.700 Runners. Did you see her coming? Were you expecting someone 0:18:59.700 --> 0:19:02.160 behind you? Take us through that last few miles. 0:19:02.910 --> 0:19:05.220 Yeah, I know, she really did come out of nowhere 0:19:05.220 --> 0:19:09.150 on me. It was really hot out there, coming down 0:19:09.150 --> 0:19:12.149 the parkway. It was sun exposed at that point in 0:19:12.150 --> 0:19:14.880 the day, and I was just starting to suffer. But 0:19:15.150 --> 0:19:17.520 when she came, she came with a full head of 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:19.710 steam and she was rolling and blew right by me. 0:19:20.040 --> 0:19:24.869 That was somewhere between miles 10 and 11, so it hurt. It 0:19:24.869 --> 0:19:28.530 was tough. But the exciting news is I'm running the 0:19:28.530 --> 0:19:31.050 mini and she is running the mini also, so we're 0:19:31.050 --> 0:19:32.130 going to have a little showdown there. 0:19:32.130 --> 0:19:34.379 That's right, that's right. You'll be showing up at the 0:19:34.380 --> 0:19:40.560 MasterCard Mini 10K in June, which we're excited about. So, rematch, rematch! 0:19:40.710 --> 0:19:43.050 We love a good rematch, and we will have that 0:19:43.050 --> 0:19:47.820 between you and Felicia at the MasterCard Mini 10K. Kim, 0:19:48.030 --> 0:19:51.990 you are someone who really started out on the track. 0:19:52.770 --> 0:19:55.950 You were really excellent on the track, you had so 0:19:55.950 --> 0:20:01.530 much success, even qualified in Olympic success on the track, 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:04.980 and then you recently moved up to running the marathon. 0:20:05.250 --> 0:20:09.690 You qualified for the 2024 Olympic trials, which is no 0:20:09.690 --> 0:20:13.709 small feat. Talk about that transition from the track to 0:20:13.710 --> 0:20:16.650 the marathon, why you decided to do it, and how 0:20:16.650 --> 0:20:17.280 it's been going. 0:20:19.170 --> 0:20:22.379 It felt like a natural progression to me. I reached 0:20:22.380 --> 0:20:24.180 a point in my career where I felt like I'd 0:20:24.180 --> 0:20:27.570 accomplished everything that I could accomplish, wanted to accomplish on 0:20:27.570 --> 0:20:31.889 the track. And you know, I think everybody is lured 0:20:31.890 --> 0:20:34.140 by the marathon. I think everybody that ran this race 0:20:34.440 --> 0:20:37.830 can relate to that pull of wanting to conquer 26.2 0:20:37.830 --> 0:20:40.560 miles. So for me that was just something that I 0:20:40.560 --> 0:20:41.850 felt like I had to do next. 0:20:41.850 --> 0:20:46.320 It's just such a natural progression, and I'm sure some 0:20:46.320 --> 0:20:48.719 of it probably comes a bit with age, right? You 0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:52.410 get into your mid to late thirties, finding that track 0:20:52.410 --> 0:20:56.070 speed gets a little tougher, right? But you can tap 0:20:56.070 --> 0:20:59.970 into the endurance that lasts, for so many runners, well 0:20:59.970 --> 0:21:03.659 into their forties. So are you feeling that transition in 0:21:03.660 --> 0:21:06.689 your body, and you feel like you've got a future 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:08.460 at 26. 2, you've got a present? 0:21:09.270 --> 0:21:11.940 Yeah, I think both the half- marathon and the marathon, 0:21:12.810 --> 0:21:15.060 those are the distances that I'll be focused on for 0:21:15.060 --> 0:21:19.949 a little bit longer. Yeah. And there's a puzzle to 0:21:19.950 --> 0:21:21.450 the marathon, which is really appealing. 0:21:21.690 --> 0:21:24.270 It is. Just, it's something that you got to figure out 0:21:24.480 --> 0:21:28.710 over time. How does the half factor into your marathon 0:21:28.710 --> 0:21:31.560 preparation? How do you approach half, so what do you 0:21:31.560 --> 0:21:33.510 get out of running a race like this? 0:21:33.780 --> 0:21:36.780 It depends a little bit on the situation. Sometimes you're 0:21:36.810 --> 0:21:38.880 in a marathon buildup and use it as a tune 0:21:38.880 --> 0:21:41.550 up for your marathon. Sometimes you're not going to run 0:21:41.550 --> 0:21:44.790 a marathon in that season and it still gives you 0:21:44.790 --> 0:21:46.470