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Speaker 2: Thank you New York. Today we're reminded of the power
Speaker 2: of community and the power of coming together. Athletes on
Speaker 2: your mark.
Speaker 3: The first woman to finish for the second straight year
Speaker 3: here in the New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman, a smiling
Speaker 3: Miki Gorman, and why not. 2: 29-30, the time for good advice.
Speaker 4: Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes
Speaker 4: to the line.
Speaker 5: Pointing to his chest, pointed to the USA he so
Speaker 5: proudly wears across his. A great day for Meb Keflezighi.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Hey everybody, and welcome to a special edition of Set
Rob Simmelkjaer: the Pace presented by Peloton. I'm Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO
Rob Simmelkjaer: of New York Roadrunners, and today is the Champions Edition
Rob Simmelkjaer: of the TCS New York City Marathon. We've got all
Rob Simmelkjaer: four winners from today's race with us, and they were
Rob Simmelkjaer: incredible races. Three races came right down to the very
Rob Simmelkjaer: last stretch in Central Park. We had two first- Time
Rob Simmelkjaer: Abbott World Marathon major winners, and a major upset in
Rob Simmelkjaer: the men's wheelchair division as well. On the women's Wheelchair
Rob Simmelkjaer: side, it was domination. So let's get right to it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We've got four great conversations with Abdi Nageeye, our men's champion,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Sheila Chepkirui on the women's side, and then two Americans
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the wheelchair division, Susannah Scaroni, and Daniel Romanchuk. The
Rob Simmelkjaer: men's champion in the 2024 TCS, New York City Marathon, Abdi
Rob Simmelkjaer: Nageeye from the Netherlands. Abdi, congratulations on the win.
Abdi Nageeye: Thank you so much. Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, so this is your fourth time coming to
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York to run this marathon. You've been top five
Rob Simmelkjaer: every single time, but today was the day you broke
Rob Simmelkjaer: through for the win. What was the difference today that
Rob Simmelkjaer: was able to get you to break the tape?
Abdi Nageeye: Actually very hard lesson and a little bit sad story,
Abdi Nageeye: because of the Olympics, I failed so badly in Paris
Abdi Nageeye: for myself. I was able there to go for the
Abdi Nageeye: win, but my preparation, I tried too many new things
Abdi Nageeye: and two weeks before the Olympics I did 20K tempo
Abdi Nageeye: with exact the same time that I did when I
Abdi Nageeye: was in winning the marathon in April in '24. But
Abdi Nageeye: I knew something is wrong. I just felt, oh my
Abdi Nageeye: God, I did something wrong. And you can't make it good
Abdi Nageeye: because it's two weeks to go. You have to taper
Abdi Nageeye: now. And I knew I was going there with two
Abdi Nageeye: zero behind. It was so painful and so hard. Even if
Abdi Nageeye: I won silver medal, the previous Olympics in Tokyo in
Abdi Nageeye: amazing way, but still it was hurting me so much.
Abdi Nageeye: I was like, you know what? Let me go back to Kenya.
Abdi Nageeye: I called my manager Valentine and Yuri. I told them
Abdi Nageeye: I want to go to New York, and they said, "
Abdi Nageeye: It's actually already there for you." So I went back.
Abdi Nageeye: Every day I was thinking about Paris, but every day
Abdi Nageeye: I was training so good. Every track session was on
Abdi Nageeye: the spot. And it's amazing, I tell you, that at the
Abdi Nageeye: same time you feel something sad about it, but I
Abdi Nageeye: was keeping moving every day. I was doing my training,
Abdi Nageeye: my training, and I was here just for the win.
Abdi Nageeye: I was telling Valentine, my manager, " Oh, I'm looking more
Abdi Nageeye: forward for the next season." And he was like, " Abdi, tomorrow we
Abdi Nageeye: have New York." " Si. I know, I know. But I think if I had three weeks
Abdi Nageeye: more for New York, I would be in top shape. But
Abdi Nageeye: next season, oh, I'm going to show you guys something
Abdi Nageeye: nice." But I did it today, so, in the biggest
Abdi Nageeye: marathon in the world.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It came a little early, didn't it? And so it
Rob Simmelkjaer: happened all for you today. Do you think that what
Rob Simmelkjaer: happened in Paris and you had a DNF there because of
Rob Simmelkjaer: how you felt, you saved some energy obviously because of
Rob Simmelkjaer: that. You didn't have to expend the amount of energy
Rob Simmelkjaer: you would have if you had maybe won a medal
Rob Simmelkjaer: in Paris. And so maybe compared to some of the
Rob Simmelkjaer: other runners in the race, the defending champion, Tamirat Tola,
Rob Simmelkjaer: won gold but wasn't quite there today to have that
Rob Simmelkjaer: energy left. Did it help you, in a strange way, to
Rob Simmelkjaer: have not been able to give everything you had in Paris?
Abdi Nageeye: Absolutely. I'm very true about that. I'm very honest, I
Abdi Nageeye: mean, about that, because I was reading everyone and I
Abdi Nageeye: realized, oh my God, here are the last six- year
Abdi Nageeye: champions. But look at each one, the winner of 2021, oh
Abdi Nageeye: my god, I'm so bad in names. For that guy,
Abdi Nageeye: I knew, okay, he can beat me in speed. Chebet,
Abdi Nageeye: he had a little bit tough half year. Tola and
Abdi Nageeye: Bashir, they finished the Olympics. Geoffrey Kamworor is also coming
Abdi Nageeye: from a tough time. Even me, I had one month
Abdi Nageeye: off, but I was like, I think I'm more hungry
Abdi Nageeye: than them because when you win medal, all this ceremony
Abdi Nageeye: you have to do, all this, all that. You go
Abdi Nageeye: a little bit later, you become the focus, you will
Abdi Nageeye: find later. And I was able to find the real
Abdi Nageeye: focus in four or five weeks, which is even late.
Abdi Nageeye: But still, I think I was more hungry than them.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah. The marathon season can fall out in different ways.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Each race can have an effect on the next race,
Rob Simmelkjaer: and so sometimes the chips just fall into place for
Rob Simmelkjaer: someone, and today they fell into place for you. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York really seems to be a place you're quite
Rob Simmelkjaer: comfortable running. What is it about this course that has
Rob Simmelkjaer: brought out the best in you, not just today, but the
Rob Simmelkjaer: other times you've run as well?
Abdi Nageeye: To be honest, from my opinion, three defeat. Because the
Abdi Nageeye: other three marathons, two of them, I was defeated actually
Abdi Nageeye: at 25K, I think it's the Brooklyn Bridge. The long
Abdi Nageeye: one. Chebet was flying there 2022. I was like, oh,
Abdi Nageeye: this guy's a leaf. And I tried to follow him
Abdi Nageeye: and then at the end I stopped because I looked
Abdi Nageeye: back and we had 150 meter gap from the other group.
Abdi Nageeye: We were sprinting there. And today even he was sprinting
Abdi Nageeye: there crazy. I heard (inaudible) mile 420, which is
Abdi Nageeye: crazy. So my goal was I'll not be defeated at
Abdi Nageeye: the bridge, and my race, actually I was keeping second all the
Abdi Nageeye: time. It was under 36 kilometers. That was my race. I was
Abdi Nageeye: like, if I'm a 36, I'll win the race. So I
Abdi Nageeye: was thinking in term of cyclings, they have two big
Abdi Nageeye: climb, let's say 150 kilometers, a hundred meters to a hundred kilometers to go.
Abdi Nageeye: But some guys will say, if I survive that hill
Abdi Nageeye: and I don't let go of the group, I'll win even
Abdi Nageeye: if it's 50 kilometers to go. So me, I was like, even
Abdi Nageeye: if the race have to start, marathon start at 36, at 35,
Abdi Nageeye: I will be there at 36. The last drink. And I
Abdi Nageeye: was holding, I think the last one to drink there,
Abdi Nageeye: taking my gel, my drink, and I was like, okay, my race starting
Abdi Nageeye: now and I'm going to win. So that was my
Abdi Nageeye: two homework, and from hard lessons I have learned.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I love the mental preparation that you had, the plan
Rob Simmelkjaer: that you had. I love the fact that you even
Rob Simmelkjaer: talk about cycling and taking that approach to a marathon.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And with the hills we have here in New York,
Rob Simmelkjaer: it makes a lot of sense. So clearly the mental
Rob Simmelkjaer: game, you were on it, you were really on it
Rob Simmelkjaer: today, and that clearly was a big part of why
Rob Simmelkjaer: you were so successful.
Abdi Nageeye: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And also another thing was I really wanted
Abdi Nageeye: any funny escapes, like last time with the Brazilian guy.
Abdi Nageeye: So even if someone tries, and I know they are
Abdi Nageeye: not the five winners, with the all due respect, they
Abdi Nageeye: will be less league than me. But I was like, okay, no fun
Abdi Nageeye: and games. I let them know I'm here and the
Abdi Nageeye: group will come behind me. They will go again. I
Abdi Nageeye: will close the gap very quick. And also like, you
Abdi Nageeye: are better close now than if you are with the
Abdi Nageeye: group that are closing, even they have to use another speed
Abdi Nageeye: when they're closing to us, that means we are running
Abdi Nageeye: easier. So I prefer that I put my closing earlier,
Abdi Nageeye: my speed, than later. So I was like, no funny
Abdi Nageeye: escapes. I will wait for the big guys. And when
Abdi Nageeye: Tola was coming, I was like, okay, the race is starting now.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yes, yes. Exactly.
Abdi Nageeye: So I was pretending like I'm commentator when I was
Abdi Nageeye: running. I was commentating myself in the race. I was like, okay, now
Abdi Nageeye: the big guys are coming. The real work is starting
Abdi Nageeye: now. Chebet, Tola, Geoffrey. Okay. Okay.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I love it. I love it. We should put a
Rob Simmelkjaer: mic on you some time and let you talk during
Rob Simmelkjaer: the race, give commentary while you run. I think you'd
Rob Simmelkjaer: be pretty good at it. You're very, very good at talking
Rob Simmelkjaer: about this. Talk a bit about you and your story,
Rob Simmelkjaer: for those who don't know you, as a first time
Rob Simmelkjaer: winner in New York. You moved to Ethiopia, sorry, to
Rob Simmelkjaer: the Netherlands I should say, at the age of six
Rob Simmelkjaer: years old. What brought you to the Netherlands and how
Rob Simmelkjaer: has your life evolved since that time in your childhood?
Abdi Nageeye: Yeah, first of all, I'm like Nomad. I'm Nomad person and
Abdi Nageeye: my generations, my family were nomads, camel nomads. So they
Abdi Nageeye: were moving with their camels where rain was.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Nomads. Nomads.
Abdi Nageeye: Nomads, yes. And I still have that in my life. We
Abdi Nageeye: had civil war sadly in Somalia. It was an amazing country
Abdi Nageeye: with a dictator and we had a very bad civil war. So we
Abdi Nageeye: went to Netherlands for better life and then I had a brother
Abdi Nageeye: who decided he didn't want to stay in the Netherlands. So we moved,
Abdi Nageeye: we went to Syria, when it was safe, in 1999.
Abdi Nageeye: So I was still in primary school when we left
Abdi Nageeye: the Netherlands, only after four years. We stayed there for
Abdi Nageeye: three years. Then we went back to Somalia. I stayed there for
Abdi Nageeye: two years and by that time I was like 15 years
Abdi Nageeye: old and I went back to farming with my father.
Abdi Nageeye: And I remember one day the farm was growing. Still,
Abdi Nageeye: I still like farming. So we had melons and maize,
Abdi Nageeye: but then I was like, this is not the life
Abdi Nageeye: I want. You know? You have three acres, you eat
Abdi Nageeye: this next after three months you have to put it
Abdi Nageeye: again. There's no challenge. I want to go to school. I want
Abdi Nageeye: to be a lawyer. I want to be something. And as
Abdi Nageeye: 15, 14 years old, in the farm alone, with greens
Abdi Nageeye: and river and everything, and I was just thinking by
Abdi Nageeye: myself and I decided to go back to the Netherlands.
Abdi Nageeye: I went to Ethiopia, to the embassy of the Netherlands,
Abdi Nageeye: I told them I used to live in the Netherlands. My brother brought
Abdi Nageeye: me back. I want to go back. But they were like, "
Abdi Nageeye: No, you're a teenager. You're not allowed to go back.
Abdi Nageeye: You need a family." So I found a Dutch family
Abdi Nageeye: who were there in Addis for vacation. I met them,
Abdi Nageeye: they're still my best friends. I was just calling them after
Abdi Nageeye: I called my wife. They were the second I called.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Wow.
Abdi Nageeye: Their kids are so they got Somalis names. They came from
Abdi Nageeye: a small village, all white village. And they took me
Abdi Nageeye: in their home and I know all the village there,
Abdi Nageeye: everyone I know there. I stayed with them two, three
Abdi Nageeye: years. And because of them I started running because it was
Abdi Nageeye: a typical Dutch birthday celebration. And a family member said, "
Abdi Nageeye: I hear you play football and you're very fast. You have a vocation,
Abdi Nageeye: so can you come run with me?" I was like, "
Abdi Nageeye: Run? What do you mean run?" " Yeah, we run, we train."
Abdi Nageeye: I said, " But what do you mean, like go to the
Abdi Nageeye: field for two laps?" "No, no, no, we just go from
Abdi Nageeye: this place to that place.' I said,-
Rob Simmelkjaer: Run the roads.
Abdi Nageeye: ..." What is that?" That world was closed for me. I just knew football,
Abdi Nageeye: Soccer in Holland.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yes.
Abdi Nageeye: So I was like, "What do you mean running?" And then Yantina,
Abdi Nageeye: the family, her mother, she was like, "Abdi, go with him, go
Abdi Nageeye: with him." And I said, " I'm not going." Then he said, " There's
Abdi Nageeye: a small race in the the village next to us next week
Abdi Nageeye: on Sunday, come with me." And I went there and
Abdi Nageeye: I literally wasn't warming up. I didn't do warming up. I was like, " I will get tired." So
Abdi Nageeye: I was hiding myself somewhere. And then I started the race,
Abdi Nageeye: the whole family came, the grandmother, all my family, my
Abdi Nageeye: new family, and I was just thinking to survive that
Abdi Nageeye: five kilometers, not to be embarrassed. So during the race
Abdi Nageeye: I was telling the people, " How long is it going?" Or, " Which
Abdi Nageeye: kilometer are we?" And they were seeing me, this skinny
Abdi Nageeye: looking Ethiopian guy and all the runners, they know Kenyans
Abdi Nageeye: and Ethiopians, they were thinking I was making fun of
Abdi Nageeye: them, but I was serious about where's the finish and
Abdi Nageeye: how long it's taking and I was just talking. And I ran 17 minute, I think,
Abdi Nageeye: I win the race.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You ran 17 minutes?
Abdi Nageeye: 17 minutes.
Rob Simmelkjaer: In your first ever road race in a 5K?
Abdi Nageeye: Yeah, with just gym shoes. And from there, oh my god, it was
Abdi Nageeye: love at the first sight. That small finish, sprint to the
Abdi Nageeye: finish, I still have the picture. And yeah, it was,
Abdi Nageeye: wow. When the guy asked me, " What's your running club?" "
Abdi Nageeye: What's your club?", he said. And I told him the
Abdi Nageeye: soccer club. He's like, " What's the name?" He never heard that, but he wanted to
Abdi Nageeye: hear a running club.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Incredible.
Abdi Nageeye: I never had a running club. From there, in less than
Abdi Nageeye: three months, I decided to run full. If I want
Abdi Nageeye: to do I go full for it. And I was like, I
Abdi Nageeye: think it's my destiny. That's what I was looking for.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It was clearly your destiny. That's an incredible story. Amazing
Rob Simmelkjaer: the difference that a person can make just suggesting something
Rob Simmelkjaer: like that. And now here you are champion of the TCS, New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York City Marathon. And the club that you run with
Rob Simmelkjaer: now, an actual running club, the NN Club is one that
Rob Simmelkjaer: has some pretty prestigious runners alongside you as well. You've
Rob Simmelkjaer: run with Eliud Kipchoge, among others. What has being a
Rob Simmelkjaer: part of that and running with a guy like Kipchoge
Rob Simmelkjaer: and learning from him, what has that done for you as
Rob Simmelkjaer: a runner to mature everything that you know about the sport?
Abdi Nageeye: It'll sound that I'm trying to get credit of Eliud,
Abdi Nageeye: but I think he was the reason I won today in
Abdi Nageeye: New York. Because when I knew what I did wrong
Abdi Nageeye: in Paris, I knew the training program of Kaptagat. When
Abdi Nageeye: I was there with Eliud and Coach Patrick Sang, that
Abdi Nageeye: was my program. That is the program I can respond well. And I was like, "
Abdi Nageeye: Why I didn't do it?" And I did that program for
Abdi Nageeye: I think 80%. The other 20% (inaudible) , but 80%
Abdi Nageeye: it was the way Eliud trains, he don't change things.
Abdi Nageeye: It's like why did you change? Look at Eliud. He
Abdi Nageeye: will win London in amazing time. He will come back
Abdi Nageeye: and do the same what he did. Winning Berlin, (inaudible)
Abdi Nageeye: , coming back doing the same what he did. Winning
Abdi Nageeye: Tokyo coming back. Winning Olympic champ. I was there when
Abdi Nageeye: he was doing breaking two in EOS all the time,
Abdi Nageeye: for four years long. You never see him changing anything.
Abdi Nageeye: And I was so, so angry to myself, " Why did
Abdi Nageeye: you change?" And I was looking like I was taking
Abdi Nageeye: example of him and I did his program for 80%. And
Abdi Nageeye: so yeah, big inspire friend, and inspiring guy for me.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Wow. It's just so interesting to listen to the learning
Rob Simmelkjaer: process and you clearly have learned a lot. You've learned
Rob Simmelkjaer: from yourself and your challenges. When you have a failure,
Rob Simmelkjaer: you take something from it. You've learned from Kipchoge. So
Rob Simmelkjaer: everything you've figured out and you put together this win
Rob Simmelkjaer: here today. I can't wait to see what you're going
Rob Simmelkjaer: to do going forward because you clearly have figured this
Rob Simmelkjaer: out and you have the talent. What do you want to
Rob Simmelkjaer: do next? What's next in your list of goals?
Abdi Nageeye: Actually, I was telling my manager yesterday that I'm looking forward
Abdi Nageeye: for the next season. I'm looking forward to running very
Abdi Nageeye: fast times to win majors. I think I've got the
Abdi Nageeye: formula now, but also Michael was telling me, he's a very experienced coach,
Abdi Nageeye: he said, " The moment you figure out everything, it's almost
Abdi Nageeye: your finishing time. Your finishing area. Then you got age
Abdi Nageeye: when you finish because of the experience." So we said, " Bill,
Abdi Nageeye: you are a little bit lucky that you already tried so
Abdi Nageeye: many things." I was never afraid to try new things
Abdi Nageeye: and every failure I was coming back after every failure.
Abdi Nageeye: So I hope I have three years with less mistakes and
Abdi Nageeye: that I can go with this formula for the next
Abdi Nageeye: couple of seasons until the next Olympics in LA.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I like your chances and I congratulate you on your
Rob Simmelkjaer: win today Abdi. We're thrilled to have you as our
Rob Simmelkjaer: new champion in New York. All the best and enjoy this.
Abdi Nageeye: Thank you so much.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And we are here with TCS New York City Marathon
Rob Simmelkjaer: women's champion, Sheila Chepkirui from Kenya. Sheila, you won this
Rob Simmelkjaer: race in your first ever time out here in the
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York City Marathon. How did you do it? First
Rob Simmelkjaer: time winner.
Sheila Chepkirui: First of all I went thank God. Secondly, I'm so happy. I think
Sheila Chepkirui: I did it because of my training. My training was
Sheila Chepkirui: going on well in Kenya. After I did the mini
Sheila Chepkirui: 10K, I had a privilege to go and start from
Sheila Chepkirui: bridge up to the finish.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You ran the last 10 miles, right?
Sheila Chepkirui: Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Of the marathon course when you were here in June to
Rob Simmelkjaer: run the MasterCard mini 10K.
Sheila Chepkirui: Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So you had a little idea of what was in store for you?
Sheila Chepkirui: Yes, and I thought the course was amazing. I'm really
Sheila Chepkirui: happy for the win today.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Tell me, when did you think you had this race
Rob Simmelkjaer: won? This was so close all the way through. There
Rob Simmelkjaer: was a pack together for a long time and then
Rob Simmelkjaer: really down to the last mile or two, it was
Rob Simmelkjaer: you Helen Obiri, our defending champion, going at it head- to-
Rob Simmelkjaer: head. When did you feel that it was going to
Rob Simmelkjaer: be your day?
Sheila Chepkirui: Around one mile to go. Helen tried to push and I
Sheila Chepkirui: pushed and she was not responding, and when we were at
Sheila Chepkirui: around 600 meters to go, I pushed and Ellen didn't come.
Sheila Chepkirui: And at 400 meters to go, I knew I'm going to
Sheila Chepkirui: win it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yes. And I was at the finish line and saw
Rob Simmelkjaer: you come into sight and yeah, Helen was a good
Rob Simmelkjaer: bit behind you at that point. So you just had
Rob Simmelkjaer: that little bit extra. Sheila you've been knocking on the
Rob Simmelkjaer: door in major marathons recently. You're a top five finisher
Rob Simmelkjaer: in both Berlin and London in 2023. You were sixth
Rob Simmelkjaer: in London earlier this year. So this has been coming,
Rob Simmelkjaer: this breakthrough. Did you feel when you flew to New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York for this race that perhaps this would be the
Rob Simmelkjaer: day for you to win a major?
Sheila Chepkirui: I knew I was going to do well, but because Helen,
Sheila Chepkirui: Sharon, was from Paris, I knew they were a little tired. For
Sheila Chepkirui: me, I was fresh and I knew I am going to do something.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Just that little
Rob Simmelkjaer: bit of extra rest that you had not running the
Rob Simmelkjaer: Olympics, maybe it was what you needed. We saw a
Rob Simmelkjaer: bit of that on the men's side as well. So
Rob Simmelkjaer: talk about New York. This is now your second time
Rob Simmelkjaer: ever here after coming this summer. Do you like the city? What
Rob Simmelkjaer: is it like for you to compete here, to get
Rob Simmelkjaer: the energy from the crowds we have on the streets
Rob Simmelkjaer: here? How do you like this city?
Sheila Chepkirui: The city of New York is amazing. The crowd all
Sheila Chepkirui: the way it was so amazing. Really nice to be here.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I think you're going to like it a lot more now
Rob Simmelkjaer: as you come away with this championship. Maybe you'll want
Rob Simmelkjaer: to come back. And I want to hear about your
Rob Simmelkjaer: life in Kenya. This is the first time I've met
Rob Simmelkjaer: a champion of a marathon who is also an active
Rob Simmelkjaer: member of the military. You are a corporal in the
Rob Simmelkjaer: Kenyan Defense Force, is that right?
Sheila Chepkirui: Yes, that's right.
Rob Simmelkjaer: What is your job?
Sheila Chepkirui: In Kenya I joined KDF forces through sports. They employed
Sheila Chepkirui: me because I was an athlete. So in KDF I'm
Sheila Chepkirui: in the sights of sports and they support us. They give
Sheila Chepkirui: us time for training and I'm grateful to defend forces.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, I was going to say it must be so
Rob Simmelkjaer: hard to balance those things, but you really are using
Rob Simmelkjaer: your success in sports to help train people in the
Rob Simmelkjaer: military, which makes a lot of sense. It's going to
Rob Simmelkjaer: be very exciting for you now to come back to
Rob Simmelkjaer: Kenya, not just with your family, your six- year- old
Rob Simmelkjaer: daughter as well, but also with your fellow members of
Rob Simmelkjaer: the military. And what about your daughter and your husband
Rob Simmelkjaer: back home? Have you had a chance to communicate with them at
Rob Simmelkjaer: all since he won the race?
Sheila Chepkirui: Yes I have. They are so excited.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I can imagine. I can imagine how excited they must
Rob Simmelkjaer: be. And I know it hasn't been easy for you
Rob Simmelkjaer: to get to New York. You had some immigration problems
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the past, but we were able to get you
Rob Simmelkjaer: here. And so maybe next time you come back and
Rob Simmelkjaer: defend your championship here, you can bring your family along
Rob Simmelkjaer: as well.
Sheila Chepkirui: Of course, yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It must be so exciting. And this was clearly a
Rob Simmelkjaer: race you dug deep for, right? You really had to
Rob Simmelkjaer: find everything deep down inside to win this. What do you
Rob Simmelkjaer: think this will mean for you in the future as
Rob Simmelkjaer: you look ahead to your career? Do you think this
Rob Simmelkjaer: will help you build on this and maybe become a
Rob Simmelkjaer: multi major winner? What do you want to do next?
Sheila Chepkirui: Yes, this is so... I'm so happy. This is a milestone. This
Sheila Chepkirui: keep me moving for more wins in the future. So I have to go back and work extra hard.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Because it's not easy when you are a Kenyan marathon
Rob Simmelkjaer: runner to break through. I mean, there are so much
Rob Simmelkjaer: talent in this sport in your country that so much
Rob Simmelkjaer: of your competition is your country women, right? Your fellow
Rob Simmelkjaer: Kenyans. So to win one and to win it over
Rob Simmelkjaer: someone like Helen Obiri, right, it has to be something
Rob Simmelkjaer: that can give you a lot more confidence stepping up
Rob Simmelkjaer: and running more races against them.
Sheila Chepkirui: Yes, in Kenya we are so many strong female athletes. So for
Sheila Chepkirui: me, I'll go and work extra hard, no sleeping, a
Sheila Chepkirui: lot of sacrifices. I have to do a lot of sacrifices.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Well, I think you've earned a little bit of sleep
Rob Simmelkjaer: tonight and maybe over the next week or so. So
Rob Simmelkjaer: we'll see you at the celebration dinner and hopefully you get a really
Rob Simmelkjaer: good rest before you head home to Kenya. Congratulations Sheila.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We're so thrilled to have you as our new champion.
Sheila Chepkirui: Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It was a dominant win in the women's wheelchair division
Rob Simmelkjaer: for American Susannah Scaroni. She joins us now on Set
Rob Simmelkjaer: the Pace. Susanna, incredible win. Congratulations.
Susannah Scaroni: Thank you so much.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So you just ran away and hid with this race.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You came out of the gate hot and you just
Rob Simmelkjaer: never looked back. What was it inside you today that
Rob Simmelkjaer: allowed you to just go out and dominate this really
Rob Simmelkjaer: talented field?
Susannah Scaroni: Yeah, honestly, I've been feeling so good the last several
Susannah Scaroni: months. Thankfully in Paris I felt pretty good. I did
Susannah Scaroni: get a little sick while I was there, but then
Susannah Scaroni: for Berlin I felt awesome. Chicago I felt so good,
Susannah Scaroni: but I ended up getting a flat tire in mile
Susannah Scaroni: three. So I think with how good I felt in
Susannah Scaroni: Chicago and having to not have the performance I was
Susannah Scaroni: hoping for there, and then back in the spring not
Susannah Scaroni: to have a great performance, or I actually had to
Susannah Scaroni: pull out of Boston and London due to a shoulder
Susannah Scaroni: injury, and this was the last major of the year
Susannah Scaroni: and I was like, I just prayed so much that
Susannah Scaroni: I could just show what my body could do today
Susannah Scaroni: and I wanted to see what it could do the
Susannah Scaroni: whole time.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, clearly the shoulder's feeling better. Based on the way-
Susannah Scaroni: Yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... you performed today. This is two wins in New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York in three years for you. What were you able
Rob Simmelkjaer: to draw on from your win here two years ago
Rob Simmelkjaer: to help you out today?
Susannah Scaroni: Yeah, that's a great question. So two years ago we
Susannah Scaroni: had sort of opposite wind where most of the race
Susannah Scaroni: was more of a tailwind and it really was the
Susannah Scaroni: last six miles, especially fifth ave, where you were faced
Susannah Scaroni: with a huge wind. And I remember despite the fact
Susannah Scaroni: that I was leading, you never know what can happen.
Susannah Scaroni: I was dead those last six miles. And today, I
Susannah Scaroni: knew the wind was... We had a pretty decent wind,
Susannah Scaroni: not terrible, but a decent wind, the whole race until
Susannah Scaroni: the end. So today I knew that when I got
Susannah Scaroni: to 20 I was going to have a little bit
Susannah Scaroni: more favorable conditions. So at least I had that kind
Susannah Scaroni: of experience. I knew it would be a little bit
Susannah Scaroni: different and I was so thankful to have a tailwind
Susannah Scaroni: on Fifth Avenue.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, absolutely. When you're out there by yourself as much
Rob Simmelkjaer: as you were today, and you were alone most of
Rob Simmelkjaer: the race, what are you able to draw on to
Rob Simmelkjaer: motivate? You had some great crowds out there today, I'm
Rob Simmelkjaer: sure that helped.
Susannah Scaroni: Yeah. There were incredible crowds and I always draw on the
Susannah Scaroni: crowd. That's so nice. And for me personally, I love
Susannah Scaroni: watching my speed and seeing, okay, how can I make
Susannah Scaroni: this pace feel a little easier? So I'm all about
Susannah Scaroni: economy and it's kind of a thing that I've always
Susannah Scaroni: been drawn to. And so, I love pushing by myself
Susannah Scaroni: in some ways just to try and see what can
Susannah Scaroni: I do to make this a little faster and feel
Susannah Scaroni: a little bit better.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You are really becoming quite the successful athlete here in
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York. Not just the Marathon wins, but the United
Rob Simmelkjaer: Airlines NYC half, the MasterCard Mini 10K. You think maybe
Rob Simmelkjaer: you'll get a place here? I mean maybe you should become
Rob Simmelkjaer: a resident or at least get a little address here.
Rob Simmelkjaer: What do you think?
Susannah Scaroni: I know. I will say that food options are a lot
Susannah Scaroni: better in New York City than they are in Champaign,
Susannah Scaroni: Illinois. And so we'll see about that. Dorian keeps me here
Susannah Scaroni: a lot though. So grateful for the chance to come
Susannah Scaroni: here and race.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We love having you here. And what does it mean
Rob Simmelkjaer: for you? We've had a chance to talk so many
Rob Simmelkjaer: times. We've loved having you on the podcast. I've seen
Rob Simmelkjaer: you at so many majors. You're such an inspiration for
Rob Simmelkjaer: so many young athletes. You have actually helped with our
Rob Simmelkjaer: wheelchair training program at New York Roadrunners and helping to
Rob Simmelkjaer: inspire young girls and boys to enter this sport. What
Rob Simmelkjaer: does it mean for you to put up yet another
Rob Simmelkjaer: win here in New York and what kind of feedback
Rob Simmelkjaer: do you get from young people when you have these successes?
Susannah Scaroni: Yeah. I think first of all, racing in New York
Susannah Scaroni: City is like racing at the Paralympic games in terms
Susannah Scaroni: of the field and just the respect that we have
Susannah Scaroni: as athletes I would say. And so a win here
Susannah Scaroni: is always something that's extremely special, especially at the full
Susannah Scaroni: marathon. And I know after having gone through life as
Susannah Scaroni: a kid with a disability on a sports team, the
Susannah Scaroni: athletes that you really do kind of see more often
Susannah Scaroni: are the ones that have had some success. And so
Susannah Scaroni: I know how much that those athletes inspired me as
Susannah Scaroni: a kid, and so it's just so refreshing to just
Susannah Scaroni: know that the sport is progressing, more and more people
Susannah Scaroni: and kids are seeing it and that is something I'm
Susannah Scaroni: very grateful for.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Where do you go from here? Are you going to
Rob Simmelkjaer: race a lot more through the end of the year or are you going to take a little time off?
Susannah Scaroni: I don't know if I'd say race is the right
Susannah Scaroni: word, but I will be competing at the Boston half
Susannah Scaroni: next weekend with my mother- in- law, who is trying
Susannah Scaroni: to do a half in every state, which will be
Susannah Scaroni: really fun.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Cool.
Susannah Scaroni: And then after that, the next weekend I go to
Susannah Scaroni: Japan for a full marathon. And that's, I'm going to take
Susannah Scaroni: it as a fun, sort of fun marathon. So then
Susannah Scaroni: after that I will have an end to my racing season.
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, well you have earned a little fun.
Susannah Scaroni: Yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You've earned a little break. But for now, enjoy this victory.
Susannah Scaroni: Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We're so thrilled to see you win here in New York and
Rob Simmelkjaer: so thrilled to call you Champion yet again.
Susannah Scaroni: Thank you so much.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And we are here with the men's champion of the
Rob Simmelkjaer: 2024 TCS New York City Marathon in the wheelchair division,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Daniel Romanchuk. Congratulations.
Daniel Romanchuk: Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Tell me about the race. It looked like it was a
Rob Simmelkjaer: pretty competitive one, tight right up through the end. When
Rob Simmelkjaer: did you think you had this one won?
Daniel Romanchuk: Absolutely. It was pretty much a pack of four and probably, unfortunately,
Daniel Romanchuk: Marcel had almost went over and I think he scraped
Daniel Romanchuk: up his hand so he was starting to lose grip.
Daniel Romanchuk: It would've probably been a four- man finish all the
Daniel Romanchuk: way through. The first time it really crossed my mind
Daniel Romanchuk: that I might have this was really when I heard
Daniel Romanchuk: the presenter at the finish line saying, " Here's Daniel Romanchuk."
Daniel Romanchuk: And I didn't hear anyone else immediately after that. So
Daniel Romanchuk: I'd say that was really when I first was starting
Daniel Romanchuk: to think I might have this.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Daniel, you've had success here in New York for sure.
Rob Simmelkjaer: This is your third win here in New York. You won
Rob Simmelkjaer: an '18 and '19 as well. What is it about this course,
Rob Simmelkjaer: this city, that works for you?
Daniel Romanchuk: I think it's an amazing course. I grew up in Mount
Daniel Romanchuk: Airy Maryland and so I grew up climbing hills, so
Daniel Romanchuk: I love all of the bridges and I love climbing
Daniel Romanchuk: the bridges. But my sister and brother- in- Law also
Daniel Romanchuk: live here, so it's always great to see them when
Daniel Romanchuk: I'm here.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Looking at it from the vehicle and I was coming
Rob Simmelkjaer: alongside you guys for a while in a police vehicle.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I can't imagine how one would like climbing those bridges.
Rob Simmelkjaer: That looks like a lot, a lot of work. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: then descending them, another situation as well. But it just
Rob Simmelkjaer: seems to work for you. Do you train on the
Rob Simmelkjaer: bridges a lot or on hills I mean? Is that
Rob Simmelkjaer: a big part of your plan to get ready for
Rob Simmelkjaer: these races?
Daniel Romanchuk: Actually, for about a week before races like New York,
Daniel Romanchuk: I do like to go out back to Mount Airy
Daniel Romanchuk: to train and get used to the hills again. But
Daniel Romanchuk: primarily I train out in Champaign, Illinois.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, so-
Daniel Romanchuk: Pretty flat out there.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Absolutely. Well speaking of flat, you had some success on
Rob Simmelkjaer: the track as well in Paris at the Paralympic Games.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Gold in the 5, 000 meters. How have you been
Rob Simmelkjaer: able to balance speed and work on the track with
Rob Simmelkjaer: doing what you're doing on the roads?
Daniel Romanchuk: I think it was certainly a pretty quick transition here
Daniel Romanchuk: to the road, but we also had the marathon at
Daniel Romanchuk: the games as well. And so I think our coach kind
Daniel Romanchuk: of kept us in a little bit of a more
Daniel Romanchuk: distance mode in general. So maybe not specifying quite so
Daniel Romanchuk: much a track than in a typical year, but I
Daniel Romanchuk: leave most of that stuff just to Adam.
Rob Simmelkjaer: That makes sense. Just do what you're told. Right?
Daniel Romanchuk: Yep.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Sometimes it's easier than doing that much thinking. Well this
Rob Simmelkjaer: must be a nice moment for you and you're having
Rob Simmelkjaer: a really nice year, not just in terms of your
Rob Simmelkjaer: competition, but your personal life. You just got married.
Daniel Romanchuk: Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: What's it feel like, and were you able to share this
Rob Simmelkjaer: at all with your new wife?
Daniel Romanchuk: Absolutely. She was able to come up to New York
Daniel Romanchuk: to watch everything, so it's absolutely great having her here.
Rob Simmelkjaer: That's awesome. It must feel great. Now, is this the
Rob Simmelkjaer: end of your season really, to be able to come
Rob Simmelkjaer: back and reflect on what a year you've had between
Rob Simmelkjaer: your performance here, Paris?
Daniel Romanchuk: Not quite yet. I've got one more race next week
Daniel Romanchuk: and then the season's over.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And where do you see yourself going next year? I
Rob Simmelkjaer: mean, you've really asserted yourself as obviously one of the
Rob Simmelkjaer: very best in this sport. You are near the front
Rob Simmelkjaer: of the pack and pretty much every race you run.
Rob Simmelkjaer: What are your goals? What do you want to improve, what
Rob Simmelkjaer: do you want to do next year that you haven't
Rob Simmelkjaer: already done this year?
Daniel Romanchuk: I'll probably take a little bit more time to really
Daniel Romanchuk: think about that. Yeah, I think right now I'm doing
Daniel Romanchuk: a lot of work with nonprofit that I've formed, Wheels
Daniel Romanchuk: for Change. And so that's keeping me busy at a
Daniel Romanchuk: little bit.
Rob Simmelkjaer: What does that do?
Daniel Romanchuk: So that is basically providing wheelchair racing equipment for, it's
Daniel Romanchuk: got two branches, one internationally and one domestic. The domestic
Daniel Romanchuk: basically just helps kids get onto their school track program
Daniel Romanchuk: just quickly. So we just have a loan closet of
Daniel Romanchuk: equipment that we could probably send out and so that
Daniel Romanchuk: way they're not having to wait to raise the funds
Daniel Romanchuk: to get a chair and then get the chair produced.
Daniel Romanchuk: And very similar international branch.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And you're also working as an engineer as well, right?
Rob Simmelkjaer: Studying engineering to try to improve the quality of racing
Rob Simmelkjaer: chairs. Is that something you're working on also?
Daniel Romanchuk: So I do work with Top End on just trying
Daniel Romanchuk: to increase the performance of the equipment. But also in
Daniel Romanchuk: recent years, as I mentioned with the school program, raising
Daniel Romanchuk: funds. A basic racing chair costs $ 5, 000.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah. Yeah.
Daniel Romanchuk: And so I think we're also trying to figure out
Daniel Romanchuk: how to bring down the cost of high- performing equipment.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Absolutely. Well you're obviously a great role model to kids
Rob Simmelkjaer: who want to get into this sport. You're also making
Rob Simmelkjaer: it easier for them to do that. So congratulations on
Rob Simmelkjaer: everything you're doing and congrats on a great, great day
Rob Simmelkjaer: here. We're thrilled to have you as our champion yet
Rob Simmelkjaer: again here in New York.
Daniel Romanchuk: Oh, thank you for having me.
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, that does it for another episode of Set
Rob Simmelkjaer: the Pace and another TCS New York City Marathon in
Rob Simmelkjaer: the books. It was an incredible day. We'll talk more
Rob Simmelkjaer: about the full day and for all the runners, the
Rob Simmelkjaer: great weather, the record crowds we saw today, that'll come
Rob Simmelkjaer: up in our next episode. But for now, I want
Rob Simmelkjaer: to thank the great champions we had today, Abdi Nageeye,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Sheila Chepkirui, Daniel Romanchuk and Susannah Scaroni. If you liked
Rob Simmelkjaer: this episode, make sure you subscribe, rate it, leave a
Rob Simmelkjaer: comment. We will see you in just a few days.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Hope everybody out there who ran the marathon today, had
Rob Simmelkjaer: a great, great day. See you next time.
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