Ted Metellus: It is really an amazing event that a lot of
Ted Metellus: athletes mark off as saying that this is the one
Ted Metellus: we want to do to kick things off or get our
Ted Metellus: summertime training lining ourself up for the TCS New York
Ted Metellus: City Marathon. It's a barometer of fitness and health.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Hey everybody and welcome to Set the Pace, the official
Rob Simmelkjaer: podcast of New York Road Runners, presented by Peloton. I'm
Rob Simmelkjaer: your host and the CEO of New York Road Runners
Rob Simmelkjaer: Rob Simmelkjaer and I am flying solo this week. Happy to
Rob Simmelkjaer: be back with all of you. Missed you all last
Rob Simmelkjaer: week. Becs did a great job. She is away, actually
Rob Simmelkjaer: in London this week. She and her family were over
Rob Simmelkjaer: in London of course this past weekend so that they
Rob Simmelkjaer: could root on Austin. And Austin earned his fifth star
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the TCS London Marathon last weekend. Congratulations to Austin
Rob Simmelkjaer: on that great accomplishment. He ran a really solid time, 3:46:
Rob Simmelkjaer: 37, so only one star away. And we know that
Rob Simmelkjaer: Austin is going to be running Berlin. Hopefully he came
Rob Simmelkjaer: out of London healthy so he can run Berlin coming
Rob Simmelkjaer: up this fall for that big number six star. Hopefully
Rob Simmelkjaer: Becs and her family are enjoying some time in the
Rob Simmelkjaer: UK, her homeland after the London Marathon. And boy, what
Rob Simmelkjaer: a London Marathon it was. It was a beautiful day.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I was not there, but I got lots and lots
Rob Simmelkjaer: of reports from folks. We had a lot of Road
Rob Simmelkjaer: Runners' people on the ground, including by the way, our
Rob Simmelkjaer: guest on today's show, Ted Metellus, the race director of the
Rob Simmelkjaer: TCS New York City Marathon, our chief event production officer.
Rob Simmelkjaer: He was there. He'll be joining us to talk about
Rob Simmelkjaer: that a little bit and also to talk about the
Rob Simmelkjaer: upcoming RBC Brooklyn Half as well, so we'll hear from
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ted in a little while. But it just looked like an incredible
Rob Simmelkjaer: day in London. And not only did they have a
Rob Simmelkjaer: beautiful day, but they also broke a record. That's right,
Rob Simmelkjaer: they broke our recently established record for the largest marathon
Rob Simmelkjaer: in history. This record, it just keeps getting broken, whether
Rob Simmelkjaer: it's New York, Berlin, Paris, now London, it's kind of
Rob Simmelkjaer: like a beach ball getting bounced around from marathon to marathon.
Rob Simmelkjaer: But congratulations to Hugh Brasher and Nick Bitel and all the
Rob Simmelkjaer: folks at London Marathon events for a great day and
Rob Simmelkjaer: a beautiful, beautiful day for over 55, 000 runners in London.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It was really a special day for everybody. Congrats to
Rob Simmelkjaer: all the Road Runners members who ran as well and
Rob Simmelkjaer: finished. We had a great contingency from Team for Kids,
Rob Simmelkjaer: TFK, over there. We just had an incredible day, so
Rob Simmelkjaer: congrats to everybody listening who ran London or Boston for
Rob Simmelkjaer: that matter. I was in Boston a couple of weeks
Rob Simmelkjaer: ago and just it's such an incredible double, that Boston
Rob Simmelkjaer: to London week is perhaps the biggest week in marathon
Rob Simmelkjaer: running. And we know a lot of people who ran
Rob Simmelkjaer: them both amazingly, would run Boston, hop on a plane,
Rob Simmelkjaer: turn around and run London six days later. I saw
Rob Simmelkjaer: a lot of in Boston doing that, so congrats to
Rob Simmelkjaer: everybody who ran anything over that great, great stretch of
Rob Simmelkjaer: spring marathons. Meanwhile, this past weekend, we had a big
Rob Simmelkjaer: day here in New York of our own. The Maybelline
Rob Simmelkjaer: Women's Half was in Central Park, and let me tell
Rob Simmelkjaer: you, it was a gorgeous weekend for running. It was
Rob Simmelkjaer: a little chilly. I know early in the morning there
Rob Simmelkjaer: was a breeze, there was a bit of a chill,
Rob Simmelkjaer: but people came out and the women just came out
Rob Simmelkjaer: in droves. It's such a special event for all these
Rob Simmelkjaer: women to get a chance to run together. Lots of
Rob Simmelkjaer: men on the sidelines cheering them on. And Maybelline, what
Rob Simmelkjaer: a great partnership we have with them. People were so
Rob Simmelkjaer: excited to come out and get all the great free
Rob Simmelkjaer: stuff that Maybelline and the other brands that are part
Rob Simmelkjaer: of L'Oreal were giving out at the Maybelline Women's Half. Hope everybody
Rob Simmelkjaer: had a great day out there in Central Park. We
Rob Simmelkjaer: had over 5, 000 women come out to run this event.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And a shout- out to the winner, Kaitlyn Fischer, who
Rob Simmelkjaer: won with a terrific time of 1:19: 09 on that
Rob Simmelkjaer: challenging Central Park course, but it was a great day
Rob Simmelkjaer: for all concerned, so congratulations to everybody who ran on
Rob Simmelkjaer: Sunday here in New York. Hope everybody had a great
Rob Simmelkjaer: day. Well, we're just over two weeks out from the
Rob Simmelkjaer: RBC Brooklyn Half, and as I mentioned, we're going to
Rob Simmelkjaer: have New York Road Runners chief event production officer and
Rob Simmelkjaer: race director Ted Metellus, to tell us everything we need
Rob Simmelkjaer: to know if you're running this year, so in a
Rob Simmelkjaer: moment we're going to get to all of that. Then
Rob Simmelkjaer: later in the show, Meb Keflezighi will be here for
Rob Simmelkjaer: today's Meb Minute. He's going to help us kick off
Rob Simmelkjaer: mental health Awareness Month for the month of May with
Rob Simmelkjaer: his thoughts on how running can contribute to your mental
Rob Simmelkjaer: wellness. And speaking of mental health awareness month, this coming
Rob Simmelkjaer: weekend, we've got the New York Road Runners Mindful 5K,
Rob Simmelkjaer: and we're so excited for the second year in a
Rob Simmelkjaer: row to really have a race that shines a light
Rob Simmelkjaer: on the importance of mental health and the role that
Rob Simmelkjaer: running can play in improving all of our mental health.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I'm excited to be out there for that. That's out
Rob Simmelkjaer: at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. Hope to see many
Rob Simmelkjaer: of you out there at the Mindful 5K coming up
Rob Simmelkjaer: this weekend. Ready to see real results. Try the Peloton
Rob Simmelkjaer: app for free and get expert design running programs that
Rob Simmelkjaer: build speed, strength, and endurance. Run outdoors with real time
Rob Simmelkjaer: coaching as instructors guide your form and pace every step
Rob Simmelkjaer: of the way. Plus, Strength for Runners, a program built
Rob Simmelkjaer: to help runners boost muscle and prevent injury, complements your
Rob Simmelkjaer: training so you can crush your goals even faster. Try
Rob Simmelkjaer: the app for free for 30 days and download it
Rob Simmelkjaer: now from the app store or Google Play, terms apply.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Peloton, the official digital fitness partner of New York Road
Rob Simmelkjaer: Runners. All right, as we get set for the RBC
Rob Simmelkjaer: Brooklyn Half, we welcome back to the show, the man
Rob Simmelkjaer: who makes it all happen at big events like the
Rob Simmelkjaer: Brooklyn Half New York Road Runners chief event production officer
Rob Simmelkjaer: and the director of all these great events, Ted Metellus.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ted, nice to see you back here in the United
Rob Simmelkjaer: States of America after your travels overseas to the London
Rob Simmelkjaer: Marathon. We were in Boston together before that. How's it going?
Ted Metellus: Rob Simmelkjaer, I'm doing all right. A little bit of
Ted Metellus: an award tour, making my way from Boston to London
Ted Metellus: to see not only a spectacular pro field, but celebrating
Ted Metellus: so many members of our New York Road Runners members,
Ted Metellus: Team for Kid participants and just members of our New
Ted Metellus: York Road Runnering and community globally. It was really amazing
Ted Metellus: to just run it to so many folks that came
Ted Metellus: over and said thank you for the great work that
Ted Metellus: we're doing, inspiring our youth, our seniors, keeping people moving.
Ted Metellus: It was good times, it was fuel for the soul.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Well, they had a big day in London and congrats
Rob Simmelkjaer: to Hugh Brasher, Nick Bitel, the whole team at London
Rob Simmelkjaer: Marathon events for breaking the world record, which we had
Rob Simmelkjaer: just set in November for the largest marathon ever. Ted,
Rob Simmelkjaer: it's interesting that this record keeps getting broken and broken
Rob Simmelkjaer: and broken. It was Berlin then it was us, now
Rob Simmelkjaer: it's London. Who knows what will happen in November. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: how do you think about this? You and I talk about this a
Rob Simmelkjaer: lot, but how do you think about this record? It
Rob Simmelkjaer: gets a lot of attention. People talk about it. Is
Rob Simmelkjaer: it something people should be paying attention to? Is this
Rob Simmelkjaer: something that you think... At some point it's going to be a record that you can't break,
Rob Simmelkjaer: you can't have, at least we can anytime soon, 100, 000
Rob Simmelkjaer: people in the marathon, so the question is there a
Rob Simmelkjaer: ceiling for this record marathon size thing?
Ted Metellus: Yeah. Listen, if I put my logistics hat on, it's
Ted Metellus: time and space. Those are the things that can safely
Ted Metellus: accommodate volume. You want lots of people, you need lots
Ted Metellus: of time, you need lots of space to be able
Ted Metellus: to facilitate that. But I think to answer the question,
Ted Metellus: I think it's fantastic. High tide raise all boats. A
Ted Metellus: conversation we were having as race directors and a conversation
Ted Metellus: we've been having in the industry is six years ago,
Ted Metellus: seven years ago, there was a lot to talk about
Ted Metellus: how do we keep the marathon going? How do we
Ted Metellus: keep the interest and engagement with the marathon going? How
Ted Metellus: do we change the demographic as many marathoners we're aging
Ted Metellus: out? And we are seeing a pretty significant change in
Ted Metellus: the marathon distance and so many people getting out there and
Ted Metellus: really marking this as a goal that they want to
Ted Metellus: accomplish. You talked about Berlin, Paris did it as well
Ted Metellus: last year, so we are seeing this on a global
Ted Metellus: scale where so many people are saying, " I want to
Ted Metellus: run a marathon, I want to train for a marathon. I want
Ted Metellus: to engage with this 26. 2 mile journey. I want
Ted Metellus: others to do it with me." And they see their
Ted Metellus: loved ones, family, friends, and neighbors do it and they're
Ted Metellus: then inspired to do the same thing. That's what we're
Ted Metellus: starting to see now is this tremendous boom in running,
Ted Metellus: particularly in the marathon distance, but everything in between.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It is a virtuous cycle, as we say, more people
Rob Simmelkjaer: do, it makes more people want to do it. It's
Rob Simmelkjaer: the inspiration you get from watching others run in Boston
Rob Simmelkjaer: or London or New York. And so we love it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We congratulate all of our friends in Boston and in
Rob Simmelkjaer: London for a great 10 days of racing and running.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And it goes on from here. We're excited. And so
Rob Simmelkjaer: here in New York, Ted, it goes on at the
Rob Simmelkjaer: RBC Brooklyn Half. And Ted, this race, speaking of popularity,
Rob Simmelkjaer: continues to get more and more popular. We had a
Rob Simmelkjaer: record number of people try to get into this race
Rob Simmelkjaer: this year. The numbers are going to be big yet
Rob Simmelkjaer: again. Hopefully we get good weather. And I think tied
Rob Simmelkjaer: to that popularity, Ted, is a big decision that you
Rob Simmelkjaer: and your team made to change the format of the
Rob Simmelkjaer: start of the RBC Brooklyn Half and increase the number
Rob Simmelkjaer: of waves. And this is something we talked about for
Rob Simmelkjaer: a while. This was a two wave race, but the
Rob Simmelkjaer: numbers just justify adding more waves. Can you talk about
Rob Simmelkjaer: that decision, Ted, and what that's going to mean for
Rob Simmelkjaer: the runners?
Ted Metellus: Rob, you hit it on the head when you're looking
Ted Metellus: at volume and scope and to my earliest comment on
Ted Metellus: time and space, how do you help manage that? We
Ted Metellus: have an amazing venue over by the Brooklyn Museum, these
Ted Metellus: amazing landmarks that we have by our start, and I'll
Ted Metellus: talk about that in a moment. But what we want
Ted Metellus: to do to be able to facilitate a smooth operation
Ted Metellus: for the 28, 000 runners was taking the same amount of
Ted Metellus: time that we have for those two waves and breaking
Ted Metellus: them into four waves. And what that ultimately does is
Ted Metellus: allow an easier flow for athletes to get bags dropped
Ted Metellus: through security, pre- race needs as far as fluids, restrooms,
Ted Metellus: things of that nature, and then making their way over to
Ted Metellus: the start. There will be four starts for the RBC Brooklyn
Ted Metellus: Half Marathon. First wave leaves at 7: 00 AM, second
Ted Metellus: wave 7: 25, third wave at 7: 50 and the last wave
Ted Metellus: is at 8: 15. What's amazing is this is within
Ted Metellus: the same timeframe that we were able to release the
Ted Metellus: two waves that we had in previous years. Breaking that
Ted Metellus: up there allows a little bit more space at the
Ted Metellus: start, a little bit more space along the route and
Ted Metellus: obviously a smooth finish with the athletes making their way
Ted Metellus: down to Coney Island.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And that's going to be a big win for the
Rob Simmelkjaer: runners, Ted, because in the couple of years I've been
Rob Simmelkjaer: here, those are the comments we typically have gotten about
Rob Simmelkjaer: this race. People love the race, they love the course,
Rob Simmelkjaer: especially the finish on Coney Island. It's such an incredibly
Rob Simmelkjaer: popular race, but there were times when people felt it
Rob Simmelkjaer: was a little bit crowded, especially in the first couple of
Rob Simmelkjaer: miles, so this is going to open that up. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ted, do you think that runners will see a noticeable
Rob Simmelkjaer: difference with this new setup?
Ted Metellus: Absolutely they will. And we've really been working hard on
Ted Metellus: the logistical components of ensuring a smooth start to our
Ted Metellus: events across the board, whether it's our smaller weekly races
Ted Metellus: to these larger scale marquee events. Rob, when you think
Ted Metellus: about the RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon and its history and
Ted Metellus: its legacy, this event is 42 years of running, 42
Ted Metellus: years, and if you were to take a guess at
Ted Metellus: the number of finishers we've had to date, not counting
Ted Metellus: what we're going to be doing in 18 days of
Ted Metellus: today's recording, but we've had over 334,275 finishers. The race
Ted Metellus: used to actually start in Coney Island and end in
Ted Metellus: Prospect Park then, and we did that from '96 to 2008. And
Ted Metellus: then it was in 2009 that we went from a
Ted Metellus: beautiful Prospect Park neighborhood area, so that's the Grand Army
Ted Metellus: Plaza, that is the Brooklyn Museum, that's the Brooklyn Library,
Ted Metellus: that's the Prospect Park Zoo. Those are all of the
Ted Metellus: beautiful things that you see now and have been seeing
Ted Metellus: since 2009 as we make our way down to beautiful
Ted Metellus: Coney Island. I share all that for context. You know I'm a
Ted Metellus: big fan of context to tell you where we've been
Ted Metellus: and where we're going to see that the growth of
Ted Metellus: what we do at New York Road Runners has been
Ted Metellus: tremendously impactful and there is not going to be very
Ted Metellus: many people, including you and I, that haven't ran in
Ted Metellus: this race. The last time I ran this race was
Ted Metellus: in 2017 and I dug up my medal and my medal
Ted Metellus: badge here and there's my medal from the last time
Ted Metellus: I ran in 2017-
Rob Simmelkjaer: Look at that.
Ted Metellus: ... before coming back to New York Road Runners in 2018, so
Ted Metellus: it is really an amazing event that a lot of
Ted Metellus: athletes mark off as saying that this is the one
Ted Metellus: we want to do to kick things off or get our
Ted Metellus: summertime training, lining ourself up for the TCS New York
Ted Metellus: City Marathon. It's a great way, a barometer of fitness
Ted Metellus: and health here, a local event, a really strong community
Ted Metellus: event that gets people out there. And we'll be sprinkling
Ted Metellus: in a little bit when we chat about the youth
Ted Metellus: component as well that we'll see out there, so-
Rob Simmelkjaer: I love it, Ted.
Ted Metellus: ... a little buzz there to get you excited.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I'm so sad I've never run this race. It's a
Rob Simmelkjaer: shame I've never run this race.
Ted Metellus: Rob, we got to fix that. I know a guy.
Ted Metellus: I know a guy.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Introduce me to this guy who could get me into the races. I'd love to know this
Rob Simmelkjaer: guy. You know how I am. I don't like to
Rob Simmelkjaer: run our big races because our team is working so
Rob Simmelkjaer: hard, there's so much going on. I just never feel
Rob Simmelkjaer: like I should be out there running the marathon or
Rob Simmelkjaer: the United Airlines NYC half or this race. But for
Rob Simmelkjaer: everybody out there, run it for me. I'll be rooting
Rob Simmelkjaer: for you. Carry my hopes and dreams of running the
Rob Simmelkjaer: RBC Brooklyn Half with you that day. I need you
Rob Simmelkjaer: to do it for me.
Ted Metellus: Absolutely. I think one year we're going to have to
Ted Metellus: figure out a way for you to experience the beauty
Ted Metellus: of the RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon. I know you're always
Ted Metellus: saying, when I do site visits down in Coney Island, you're
Ted Metellus: always saying to me, " Make sure you get a Nathan's
Ted Metellus: hot dog, please."
Rob Simmelkjaer: 100%. I am so all about getting that hot dog
Rob Simmelkjaer: at the end of this race, but I got to
Rob Simmelkjaer: run it first. I'll just have the hot dog anyway,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ted. All right, so another big change, not as big,
Rob Simmelkjaer: but I wanted to talk about the pre- party because
Rob Simmelkjaer: it's important I think for people to know that we
Rob Simmelkjaer: send out these surveys after every race, and I think
Rob Simmelkjaer: this is a good conversation to remind people that we
Rob Simmelkjaer: do actually read the survey results. We actually read the
Rob Simmelkjaer: results, we read the comments, we hear what people are
Rob Simmelkjaer: saying, and so we heard comments about course crowding and
Rob Simmelkjaer: that is why you're hearing about four waves in this
Rob Simmelkjaer: race going forward. We also have heard comments about the pre-
Rob Simmelkjaer: party and it's out there in Brooklyn Bridge Park and
Rob Simmelkjaer: the challenges that people do sometimes have, if they're maybe
Rob Simmelkjaer: living in Manhattan or working in Manhattan or they live
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the northern suburbs or even New Jersey, it can
Rob Simmelkjaer: be challenging to get to Brooklyn on the Wednesday, Thursday,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Friday before the race to pick up your bib. There's
Rob Simmelkjaer: two things that we want people to know about that.
Rob Simmelkjaer: First of all, we did make one change the pre-
Rob Simmelkjaer: party hours or earlier this year. We're starting an hour
Rob Simmelkjaer: early one day, so we want to... Make sure you
Rob Simmelkjaer: check the hours because we do have earlier hours for
Rob Simmelkjaer: the pre- party this year on Wednesday, 10:00 to 8:
Rob Simmelkjaer: 30, Thursday, 10: 00 to 8: 30 again. Friday the last
Rob Simmelkjaer: day we opened at 9: 00 AM, so 9:00 AM to 7: 30.
Rob Simmelkjaer: The last bib pick up will be at 7: 00 PM,
Rob Simmelkjaer: so you can get there a little bit earlier than
Rob Simmelkjaer: we've had it in past years, which we're hoping makes
Rob Simmelkjaer: it a bit easier for folks if they want to
Rob Simmelkjaer: get there before work starts or whatever to pick up
Rob Simmelkjaer: their bib. Another thing that we... This is not new,
Rob Simmelkjaer: but we want to make sure people really understand is
Rob Simmelkjaer: that you don't have to personally go to pick up
Rob Simmelkjaer: your bib. If you have a friend, if you're in
Rob Simmelkjaer: a running club and your run club captain is going,
Rob Simmelkjaer: they can pick it up for you. You can have
Rob Simmelkjaer: another person do it for you, and that should help
Rob Simmelkjaer: a lot of folks get their bibs for the RBC
Rob Simmelkjaer: Brooklyn Half. We want to make sure people know that,
Rob Simmelkjaer: we want this to be as convenient as possible for
Rob Simmelkjaer: everybody. All that said, Ted, the pre- party is a
Rob Simmelkjaer: really good time, especially if the weather's nice. It is
Rob Simmelkjaer: a fun place to hang out to enjoy the late
Rob Simmelkjaer: spring in New York City. It's on the water, there's
Rob Simmelkjaer: music, there's all kinds of fun there. I highly encourage
Rob Simmelkjaer: people to set aside a few hours. We don't call
Rob Simmelkjaer: it the expo, right Ted? We call it the pre-
Rob Simmelkjaer: party because it's a party that is pre the race,
Rob Simmelkjaer: so come check it out.
Ted Metellus: Yep. The RBC Brooklyn Half pre- party presented by New
Ted Metellus: Balance. The location is at Pier 2 at Brooklyn Bridge
Ted Metellus: Park, so a huge thank you to our partners at Brooklyn
Ted Metellus: Bridge Park, who has been with us for a number
Ted Metellus: of years in elevating what Rob has so eloquently stated,
Ted Metellus: this party, this pre- party before the party and then
Ted Metellus: the after party that we'll talk about in a moment that's
Ted Metellus: in Maimonides Park there. One other thing too, Rob and I
Ted Metellus: love that you touched on not only the times, but
Ted Metellus: also the proxy pickup component because that helps manage people's
Ted Metellus: experience overall. But just the number of ways to get
Ted Metellus: there, literally every single way that you could traverse, you
Ted Metellus: can get there. There's buses that take you over to
Ted Metellus: Brooklyn Bridge Park. You could jump on the subway, the
Ted Metellus: A, the C, the F, the 2, the 3, the R, they all
Ted Metellus: make their way down there. The 4, the 5, they
Ted Metellus: all make their way down to that general area then and
Ted Metellus: you could walk on over. There's even ferry service, so
Ted Metellus: taking the ferry from Governors Island, the New York City
Ted Metellus: ferry is there, the East River ferries, the South Brooklyn
Ted Metellus: ferries, there's ferries that are coming in as far north
Ted Metellus: as the Bronx to make their way down to the
Ted Metellus: venue, so looking at how you get there will help
Ted Metellus: speed the process up. We will have volunteers along the
Ted Metellus: way that are sprinkled about as you're making your way
Ted Metellus: to the park to show you how to get to
Ted Metellus: the Pier number 2. But yes, food, music, beverages, entertainment,
Ted Metellus: incredible sites, amazing place to meet up with. It's open
Ted Metellus: to the public, so please come on down and see
Ted Metellus: the different programming activities and all of the things that
Ted Metellus: we have going on leading into race weekend.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And we should point out the merch that is there
Rob Simmelkjaer: as well. And New Balance does a fantastic job with
Rob Simmelkjaer: the RBC Brooklyn Half every year. They've got some unique
Rob Simmelkjaer: stuff that is uniquely Brooklyn that they put together for
Rob Simmelkjaer: this event, so that's another reason to come to the pre-
Rob Simmelkjaer: party. We'd love to see you there, but we want
Rob Simmelkjaer: to make sure you know there's ways to get your
Rob Simmelkjaer: bib other than making it to that pre- party. All
Rob Simmelkjaer: right, so Ted, let's get to the course itself and
Rob Simmelkjaer: then we'll talk about the post- party. And we've talked
Rob Simmelkjaer: about the waves. For those who haven't run it before,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ted, what do you think makes this course special?
Ted Metellus: It's an interesting balance, Rob, of flat, fast, uphill, downhill
Ted Metellus: wide space. The first half of the course, the athletes will be
Ted Metellus: making their way over from, as I stated, Washington Avenue
Ted Metellus: just south of the Brooklyn Museum, and they'll be running past
Ted Metellus: some pretty cool iconic locations in that general space. They're
Ted Metellus: making their way down Washington, make the turn on Empire
Ted Metellus: and out in back on Flatbush Avenue going around beautiful
Ted Metellus: Grand Army Plaza running past the Prospect Park Zoo and
Ted Metellus: entering into Prospect Park. When they're making their way around
Ted Metellus: Prospect Park, there'll be a bit of a climb as
Ted Metellus: they're making their way around the park there. That first
Ted Metellus: section of the park in the course is amazing, so
Ted Metellus: many crowds out there, so much love, so much energy
Ted Metellus: as you get yourself up. It's funny, for those of
Ted Metellus: us who have run races, you always want to take
Ted Metellus: your time on the front end. You don't want to go
Ted Metellus: too far too fast on the front end of the
Ted Metellus: race there, so you want to pace yourself as you
Ted Metellus: make the way through. Once you exit out of the park,
Ted Metellus: then it opens up to Ocean Parkway, nice and wide
Ted Metellus: there. That's when you can really see where your training
Ted Metellus: has been throughout the winter here, coming into the early
Ted Metellus: part of the spring and lay the hammer as you're making your
Ted Metellus: way down. When you're making your way down on Ocean
Ted Metellus: Parkway, I want you to take a moment and you'll
Ted Metellus: start seeing some of the 1700 youth that will be participating in
Ted Metellus: the Boardwalk Run, the kids run that we have there.
Ted Metellus: Those are our rising New York Road Runners youth, your
Ted Metellus: future of the sport here, our future of the sport
Ted Metellus: there that'll be running different dashes. The event programming and activities
Ted Metellus: on the youth side starts with our wheelchair competitors. That'll
Ted Metellus: be starting at approximately 7: 30 AM. And then we'll have
Ted Metellus: stage 2 and stage 3 going off following that. And
Ted Metellus: all programs will be running from approximately 7:0 AM to 9:
Ted Metellus: 55. Once you're registered, pick up your bibs, make sure
Ted Metellus: you can do bib pickup on- site as well. Asser
Ted Metellus: Levy Park is the venue that you could pick up
Ted Metellus: all your pre- event elements there for our youth. But
Ted Metellus: back to the adults there as they're making their way down
Ted Metellus: Coney Island, making their way onto the boardwalk. When we
Ted Metellus: were talking about elements of the event that we have
Ted Metellus: done to enhance, we used to many years ago, run
Ted Metellus: up a pretty narrow path to get onto the boardwalk.
Ted Metellus: Last year we built this beautiful ramp now to get
Ted Metellus: the athletes up and onto the boardwalk there, so that
Ted Metellus: was a huge plus to help elevate their participant experience
Ted Metellus: as they're making their way out. A couple of quick
Ted Metellus: things to see on the course themselves, and I highly
Ted Metellus: recommend folks to take time out, look at the map
Ted Metellus: and look at the elements that are on the map.
Ted Metellus: There will be ten aid stations on this course. Okay,
Ted Metellus: water, Gatorade and Maurten Gel that will be out there for
Ted Metellus: the athletes there. Plan accordingly on that. Hydration, you can
Ted Metellus: bring your own personal hydration with you to run this
Ted Metellus: event there so you have that available to you. There
Ted Metellus: will be seven medical stations on the route as well
Ted Metellus: to provide support for the athletes as needed. We will
Ted Metellus: have tons, and when I say tons, tons of entertainment
Ted Metellus: on the course and cheer stations on the course, so
Ted Metellus: run clubs, run crews will be out there. Cheer partners
Ted Metellus: will be out there from New Balance, but also bands,
Ted Metellus: music and vibes that'll be out there on the course as well. The
Ted Metellus: route is going to be well- supported. Runners will have
Ted Metellus: an amazing time while they're out there really enjoying themselves
Ted Metellus: as they see the sights and sounds of Brooklyn.
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, for those who are going to be looking
Rob Simmelkjaer: for Maurten Gel, you mentioned that that's going to be
Rob Simmelkjaer: at mile seven, so that's the spot if you're looking
Rob Simmelkjaer: to pick up some gel along the way. But as
Rob Simmelkjaer: Ted said, we'll have stations, all 10 stations will have
Rob Simmelkjaer: Gatorade and water along the way, so lots of great
Rob Simmelkjaer: options to refuel. Hopefully we get a nice cool day,
Rob Simmelkjaer: a little early for the weather right now. That's the
Rob Simmelkjaer: thing about Brooklyn, Ted, in May, there's a lot of
Rob Simmelkjaer: different weather you could have. You could have a nice cool,
Rob Simmelkjaer: perfect day. That's definitely a day that could also be
Rob Simmelkjaer: warm, so be paying attention to that weather.
Ted Metellus: And there's a couple of quick things too, having gone
Ted Metellus: out this morning to go for a run, Rob. For
Ted Metellus: our first time, newer runners, newer half marathoners, that'll be
Ted Metellus: out there, a couple of quick tips that you want
Ted Metellus: to do. Yes, look at the dates, look at the
Ted Metellus: times, look at the elements that are along the route.
Ted Metellus: Look at how you are going to get to your
Ted Metellus: start line and how you're going to get home post
Ted Metellus: the event. But definitely pay attention to what you're going
Ted Metellus: to wear that day. If it's cooler temps in the
Ted Metellus: morning and it slowly starts to warm up, make sure
Ted Metellus: you dress appropriately for that. We will be transporting your
Ted Metellus: gear from the start to the finish, so there'll be
Ted Metellus: gear vehicles, gear trucks that will be parked on stage over
Ted Metellus: at Eastern Parkway. The team will be able to guide
Ted Metellus: you there that you could drop your bags off, so
Ted Metellus: please get there early enough so you can get everything dropped
Ted Metellus: off along the way.
Rob Simmelkjaer: How early, Ted? How early would you recommend if you've
Rob Simmelkjaer: got the, I think you said there was an 8: 15 wave,
Rob Simmelkjaer: what time should people get there? Especially if they've got
Rob Simmelkjaer: to drop off baggage?
Ted Metellus: I would recommend everybody to get on site with enough
Ted Metellus: time to warm up, use restrooms, get cleared anywhere between
Ted Metellus: 45 minutes to an hour beforehand so that way there
Ted Metellus: is no rushing. Slow, medium, fast. Panic is not a
Ted Metellus: pace, so we don't need anybody trying to hustle bustle
Ted Metellus: so much. Cruise yourself down there. Our partners at the
Ted Metellus: MTA will have trains making their way down, the two
Ted Metellus: and the three, making your way over to Grand Army
Ted Metellus: Plaza. Walk over, there'll be direct signage to direct athletes
Ted Metellus: to what side of Eastern Parkway you'll be going to
Ted Metellus: line up. Again, read your material that's there, but panic
Ted Metellus: is not a pace. 45 minutes to an hour beforehand
Ted Metellus: is enough time for you to drop your bags off,
Ted Metellus: get screened, pre- race fluids, stretch and boogie.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I love it. Panic is not a pace. Panic is
Rob Simmelkjaer: not helpful either. When you are trying to get yourself
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the right head space to run 13. 1 miles
Rob Simmelkjaer: panic is going to take some of that fuel right
Rob Simmelkjaer: out of your body. That is not a thing you
Rob Simmelkjaer: want, so get there early, relax, chill, talk to some
Rob Simmelkjaer: runners, see some friends. That's how you want to go
Rob Simmelkjaer: into a big race like the RBC Brooklyn Half. I
Rob Simmelkjaer: love it. All right, Ted, so our runners have made
Rob Simmelkjaer: it to Coney Island. They have crossed the finish line
Rob Simmelkjaer: on the beautiful Coney Island boardwalk. They have gotten their
Rob Simmelkjaer: beautiful medals that we put together for this race. Now
Rob Simmelkjaer: it's time for the after party, and I think this
Rob Simmelkjaer: is one of the best events we have at New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York Road Runners is the after party of the RBC
Rob Simmelkjaer: Brooklyn Half because we have such a great venue to
Rob Simmelkjaer: work with in Maimonides Ballpark there, and it's just a great place
Rob Simmelkjaer: to hang out. Sometimes I feel like it is the
Rob Simmelkjaer: race, is the after party because everybody just wants to
Rob Simmelkjaer: hang out and have a good time.
Ted Metellus: 100%. You have the pre- party at Brooklyn Bridge Park,
Ted Metellus: the party, which is the RBC Brooklyn Half, and then the
Ted Metellus: after party, which is all of the events and activities
Ted Metellus: that athletes will be receiving over in Maimonides Park there.
Ted Metellus: What you'll see and experience, which you make your way
Ted Metellus: down... First and foremost, huge thank you to all of
Ted Metellus: our partners in the Coney Island Alliance, Luna Park. They
Ted Metellus: will be open, businesses will be there, restaurants, bars, all
Ted Metellus: the places that will be open there on Surf Avenue right
Ted Metellus: by the finish, so folks can come over there. Also
Ted Metellus: at the ballpark, concessions will be open. You can get
Ted Metellus: something to eat, you can get something to drink. There'll
Ted Metellus: be music and entertainment on the field itself. Park up
Ted Metellus: on the seats, the jumbotron screen will be there and on
Ted Metellus: and playing, showing images of the athletes, showing pictures of
Ted Metellus: the athletes, so it's really a cool time to be
Ted Metellus: able to meet your loved ones, family and friends and
Ted Metellus: have a really good time at that event. Some other
Ted Metellus: things too that we want to know from our partner's
Ted Metellus: side, we definitely want to say a huge thank you
Ted Metellus: to our teams to ensure one, our volunteers that will be
Ted Metellus: out there, see a volunteer, thank a volunteer from start
Ted Metellus: to finish and even at the pre- party, so you definitely want to
Ted Metellus: show them love. Medical distribution that will be there, the medical
Ted Metellus: tents and services that'll be there, the HSS recovery zone
Ted Metellus: that will be there for athletes to get some post- race
Ted Metellus: stretching and loosening up, recovery bags that will have all kinds
Ted Metellus: of food, drink and nutrition in there to get you
Ted Metellus: set there. All of those elements will be prepped for
Ted Metellus: you once you cross that finish line. And I think,
Ted Metellus: Rob, if I'm correct, we'll also be doing a little
Ted Metellus: bit of a live podcast at the finish as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer: That's right. We're going to have a live episode of
Rob Simmelkjaer: Set the Pace right there at the Brooklyn after- party.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We're actually going to have an episode at the pre-
Rob Simmelkjaer: party in Brooklyn, that's going to be at Brooklyn Bridge
Rob Simmelkjaer: Park. That's going to be on Thursday evening, which we're
Rob Simmelkjaer: excited about. And then we're going to have the post-
Rob Simmelkjaer: party podcast, that's going to be right after the race,
Rob Simmelkjaer: obviously late on Saturday morning, so please come see us.
Rob Simmelkjaer: If you want to come check out the podcast live,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Thursday at the pre- party or Saturday at the after-
Rob Simmelkjaer: party and we're going to have an incredible show there
Rob Simmelkjaer: at the after- party. We're going to have a surprise
Rob Simmelkjaer: guest plus Olympian and running coach, Kim Conley, will be
Rob Simmelkjaer: joining us there, so looking forward to seeing everybody out
Rob Simmelkjaer: there. I love Ted. And we've got folks who come out and see
Rob Simmelkjaer: the podcast live. I just had one this morning, say
Rob Simmelkjaer: hi to me on the subway. Set the Pace listener
Rob Simmelkjaer: who came to one of our live episodes, so we
Rob Simmelkjaer: love seeing our listeners in person, so make sure you
Rob Simmelkjaer: come check it out. Now Ted, before I let you
Rob Simmelkjaer: go, let's talk about the fans, the spectators a little
Rob Simmelkjaer: bit. They're such a big part of what make these
Rob Simmelkjaer: races great. If you are someone who's got a loved
Rob Simmelkjaer: one running the RBC Brooklyn Half, what are your tips
Rob Simmelkjaer: for them, Ted, in terms of where they can catch
Rob Simmelkjaer: their runners, the best places to be and to give
Rob Simmelkjaer: out that love?
Ted Metellus: I'm smiling as I'm telling you this because I've had
Ted Metellus: friends and loved ones that have tracked me on this
Ted Metellus: race. And this was prior to us really having our new
Ted Metellus: sophisticated New York Road Runners racing app where you'll be
Ted Metellus: able to track your loved ones year round at all
Ted Metellus: the events that we do. But definitely download that because
Ted Metellus: it'll be able to see the splits that the athletes
Ted Metellus: have as they're making their way. But definitely seeing them
Ted Metellus: at the start when they make their way up and around
Ted Metellus: Grand Army Plaza, amazing shot. It's the home screen on
Ted Metellus: my phone, which is the Grand Army Plaza loop there
Ted Metellus: when I ran it back in '17. It's such a
Ted Metellus: great and iconic look there. Hop on the subway or
Ted Metellus: you can make your way into Prospect Park, see them
Ted Metellus: as they make their way on Prospect Park. Then hop
Ted Metellus: on the subway and head south onto Ocean Parkway. Catch
Ted Metellus: them on the route on Ocean Parkway and then zip
Ted Metellus: on down to Coney Island so you can have a
Ted Metellus: Nathan's hot dog with them as celebrating their finish there
Ted Metellus: of the RBC Brooklyn Half. There's multiple points along the
Ted Metellus: route that loved ones can and be a part of
Ted Metellus: this journey with you. It shouldn't just be on race
Ted Metellus: day, definitely come to the pre- party at Brooklyn Bridge
Ted Metellus: Park, partake in that excitement with them as well. Document
Ted Metellus: that journey and excitement. But definitely tracking them on the
Ted Metellus: app and catching them along the way. Hopping on the
Ted Metellus: subway, making your way south to Coney Island and meeting
Ted Metellus: them there.
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, Ted, always great to talk to you about
Rob Simmelkjaer: our biggest races of the year, the RBC Brooklyn Half,
Rob Simmelkjaer: so many people out there tell me that it really
Rob Simmelkjaer: is their favorite New York Road Runners event. Of course,
Rob Simmelkjaer: everybody loves the marathon, the United Airlines NYC Half of
Rob Simmelkjaer: course is always special, but I think it's just something
Rob Simmelkjaer: about seeing the ocean. There's just something that is human
Rob Simmelkjaer: that is just inherently relaxing when you know you're going
Rob Simmelkjaer: to see the ocean that day that makes you feel
Rob Simmelkjaer: better about life. And so this race gives you that
Rob Simmelkjaer: beautiful finish right there on Coney Island and one of the iconic
Rob Simmelkjaer: spots in New York City. Ted Metellus, the race director
Rob Simmelkjaer: of the RBC Brooklyn Half the TCS New York City
Rob Simmelkjaer: Marathon and all things as chief event production officer of
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York Road Runners. Thank you my friend. Appreciate it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We'll see you out there in Brooklyn.
Ted Metellus: Thank you all. Looking forward to seeing you. Thank you,
Ted Metellus: Rob. We've got to get you out there and run, baby.
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York Road Runners is a nonprofit organization with a
Rob Simmelkjaer: vision to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the
Rob Simmelkjaer: transformative power of running. The support of members and donors
Rob Simmelkjaer: like you helps us achieve our mission to transform the
Rob Simmelkjaer: health and wellbeing of our communities through inclusive and accessible
Rob Simmelkjaer: running experiences, empowering all to achieve their potential. Learn more
Rob Simmelkjaer: and contribute at NYRR. org/ donate. Now it's time for
Rob Simmelkjaer: today's Meb Minute.
Meb Keflezighi: Mental wellness and running. Running releases endorphin, reduces stress, anxiety,
Meb Keflezighi: and symptoms of repression. Establishing a routine provides structure, a
Meb Keflezighi: sense of accomplishment and mental clarity. Running with community or
Meb Keflezighi: in nature enhances mood and social connection. Setting up personal
Meb Keflezighi: goals boosts motivation and reinforces positive mindset. Mental wellness and
Meb Keflezighi: running is amazing and setting goals is important that are
Meb Keflezighi: some daily, weekly, and monthly. It is beautiful and satisfying
Meb Keflezighi: when you reach your goals and cross it out, so
Meb Keflezighi: just make sure you are in good shape to have
Meb Keflezighi: one goal leads to another.
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, that does it for another episode of Set
Rob Simmelkjaer: the Pace presented by Peloton. Thank you to today's guest,
Rob Simmelkjaer: New York Road Runners chief event production officer and race
Rob Simmelkjaer: director Ted Metellus. Thanks to Meb as always as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And if you like this episode, please make sure you
Rob Simmelkjaer: subscribe, rate it, leave a comment so we can hear
Rob Simmelkjaer: from you and others can find the show as well.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Enjoy the miles everybody. We'll see you next week.