WEBVTT - RBC Brooklyn Half Advice: "Panic Is Not a Pace" and More Wisdom from NYRR’s Ted Metellus 0:00:00.510 --> 0:00:03.239 It is really an amazing event that a lot of 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:05.580 athletes mark off as saying that this is the one 0:00:05.580 --> 0:00:07.950 we want to do to kick things off or get our 0:00:07.950 --> 0:00:11.160 summertime training lining ourself up for the TCS New York 0:00:11.160 --> 0:00:14.130 City Marathon. It's a barometer of fitness and health. 0:00:18.660 --> 0:00:22.079 Hey everybody and welcome to Set the Pace, the official 0:00:22.079 --> 0:00:26.279 podcast of New York Road Runners, presented by Peloton. I'm 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:28.350 your host and the CEO of New York Road Runners 0:00:28.350 --> 0:00:32.280 Rob Simmelkjaer and I am flying solo this week. Happy to 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:35.100 be back with all of you. Missed you all last 0:00:35.100 --> 0:00:38.940 week. Becs did a great job. She is away, actually 0:00:38.940 --> 0:00:42.510 in London this week. She and her family were over 0:00:42.510 --> 0:00:45.420 in London of course this past weekend so that they 0:00:45.420 --> 0:00:49.620 could root on Austin. And Austin earned his fifth star 0:00:49.620 --> 0:00:55.470 in the TCS London Marathon last weekend. Congratulations to Austin 0:00:55.470 --> 0:00:59.340 on that great accomplishment. He ran a really solid time, 3:46: 0:00:59.340 --> 0:01:03.600 37, so only one star away. And we know that 0:01:03.600 --> 0:01:06.330 Austin is going to be running Berlin. Hopefully he came 0:01:06.330 --> 0:01:09.539 out of London healthy so he can run Berlin coming 0:01:09.540 --> 0:01:12.930 up this fall for that big number six star. Hopefully 0:01:12.930 --> 0:01:16.470 Becs and her family are enjoying some time in the 0:01:16.470 --> 0:01:20.280 UK, her homeland after the London Marathon. And boy, what 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:24.270 a London Marathon it was. It was a beautiful day. 0:01:24.270 --> 0:01:26.490 I was not there, but I got lots and lots 0:01:26.490 --> 0:01:28.620 of reports from folks. We had a lot of Road 0:01:28.620 --> 0:01:31.709 Runners' people on the ground, including by the way, our 0:01:31.709 --> 0:01:35.190 guest on today's show, Ted Metellus, the race director of the 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:38.760 TCS New York City Marathon, our chief event production officer. 0:01:39.330 --> 0:01:41.520 He was there. He'll be joining us to talk about 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:43.680 that a little bit and also to talk about the 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:47.220 upcoming RBC Brooklyn Half as well, so we'll hear from 0:01:47.220 --> 0:01:50.100 Ted in a little while. But it just looked like an incredible 0:01:50.100 --> 0:01:52.830 day in London. And not only did they have a 0:01:52.830 --> 0:01:56.190 beautiful day, but they also broke a record. That's right, 0:01:56.190 --> 0:02:00.960 they broke our recently established record for the largest marathon 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:05.340 in history. This record, it just keeps getting broken, whether 0:02:05.340 --> 0:02:09.300 it's New York, Berlin, Paris, now London, it's kind of 0:02:09.300 --> 0:02:12.570 like a beach ball getting bounced around from marathon to marathon. 0:02:12.570 --> 0:02:16.169 But congratulations to Hugh Brasher and Nick Bitel and all the 0:02:16.169 --> 0:02:19.260 folks at London Marathon events for a great day and 0:02:19.260 --> 0:02:24.540 a beautiful, beautiful day for over 55, 000 runners in London. 0:02:24.540 --> 0:02:27.000 It was really a special day for everybody. Congrats to 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:30.210 all the Road Runners members who ran as well and 0:02:30.210 --> 0:02:33.209 finished. We had a great contingency from Team for Kids, 0:02:33.210 --> 0:02:36.419 TFK, over there. We just had an incredible day, so 0:02:36.419 --> 0:02:39.930 congrats to everybody listening who ran London or Boston for 0:02:39.930 --> 0:02:41.970 that matter. I was in Boston a couple of weeks 0:02:41.970 --> 0:02:45.630 ago and just it's such an incredible double, that Boston 0:02:45.630 --> 0:02:50.459 to London week is perhaps the biggest week in marathon 0:02:50.460 --> 0:02:52.590 running. And we know a lot of people who ran 0:02:52.590 --> 0:02:55.829 them both amazingly, would run Boston, hop on a plane, 0:02:55.830 --> 0:02:58.710 turn around and run London six days later. I saw 0:02:58.710 --> 0:03:01.380 a lot of in Boston doing that, so congrats to 0:03:01.380 --> 0:03:04.710 everybody who ran anything over that great, great stretch of 0:03:04.710 --> 0:03:09.090 spring marathons. Meanwhile, this past weekend, we had a big 0:03:09.090 --> 0:03:12.750 day here in New York of our own. The Maybelline 0:03:12.750 --> 0:03:16.169 Women's Half was in Central Park, and let me tell 0:03:16.169 --> 0:03:19.139 you, it was a gorgeous weekend for running. It was 0:03:19.139 --> 0:03:21.419 a little chilly. I know early in the morning there 0:03:21.419 --> 0:03:23.220 was a breeze, there was a bit of a chill, 0:03:23.490 --> 0:03:26.430 but people came out and the women just came out 0:03:26.580 --> 0:03:30.810 in droves. It's such a special event for all these 0:03:30.810 --> 0:03:33.480 women to get a chance to run together. Lots of 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:37.470 men on the sidelines cheering them on. And Maybelline, what 0:03:37.470 --> 0:03:40.410 a great partnership we have with them. People were so 0:03:40.410 --> 0:03:43.680 excited to come out and get all the great free 0:03:43.680 --> 0:03:47.070 stuff that Maybelline and the other brands that are part 0:03:47.070 --> 0:03:50.850 of L'Oreal were giving out at the Maybelline Women's Half. Hope everybody 0:03:50.850 --> 0:03:53.310 had a great day out there in Central Park. We 0:03:53.310 --> 0:03:56.820 had over 5, 000 women come out to run this event. 0:03:56.820 --> 0:03:59.400 And a shout- out to the winner, Kaitlyn Fischer, who 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.330 won with a terrific time of 1:19: 09 on that 0:04:03.330 --> 0:04:07.200 challenging Central Park course, but it was a great day 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:10.590 for all concerned, so congratulations to everybody who ran on 0:04:10.590 --> 0:04:13.530 Sunday here in New York. Hope everybody had a great 0:04:13.650 --> 0:04:17.040 day. Well, we're just over two weeks out from the 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:19.320 RBC Brooklyn Half, and as I mentioned, we're going to 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:22.560 have New York Road Runners chief event production officer and 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:25.890 race director Ted Metellus, to tell us everything we need 0:04:25.890 --> 0:04:28.380 to know if you're running this year, so in a 0:04:28.380 --> 0:04:30.570 moment we're going to get to all of that. Then 0:04:30.570 --> 0:04:33.180 later in the show, Meb Keflezighi will be here for 0:04:33.180 --> 0:04:35.940 today's Meb Minute. He's going to help us kick off 0:04:35.940 --> 0:04:39.719 mental health Awareness Month for the month of May with 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:43.320 his thoughts on how running can contribute to your mental 0:04:43.320 --> 0:04:46.680 wellness. And speaking of mental health awareness month, this coming 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:50.070 weekend, we've got the New York Road Runners Mindful 5K, 0:04:50.070 --> 0:04:51.779 and we're so excited for the second year in a 0:04:51.779 --> 0:04:55.080 row to really have a race that shines a light 0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:57.930 on the importance of mental health and the role that 0:04:57.930 --> 0:05:01.080 running can play in improving all of our mental health. 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:03.270 I'm excited to be out there for that. That's out 0:05:03.270 --> 0:05:06.210 at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. Hope to see many 0:05:06.210 --> 0:05:09.210 of you out there at the Mindful 5K coming up 0:05:09.300 --> 0:05:13.380 this weekend. Ready to see real results. Try the Peloton 0:05:13.380 --> 0:05:16.770 app for free and get expert design running programs that 0:05:16.770 --> 0:05:21.120 build speed, strength, and endurance. 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All right, as we get set for the RBC 0:05:47.550 --> 0:05:50.520 Brooklyn Half, we welcome back to the show, the man 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:52.680 who makes it all happen at big events like the 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:56.100 Brooklyn Half New York Road Runners chief event production officer 0:05:56.550 --> 0:06:00.239 and the director of all these great events, Ted Metellus. 0:06:00.630 --> 0:06:03.540 Ted, nice to see you back here in the United 0:06:03.540 --> 0:06:07.260 States of America after your travels overseas to the London 0:06:07.260 --> 0:06:10.410 Marathon. We were in Boston together before that. How's it going? 0:06:10.980 --> 0:06:14.220 Rob Simmelkjaer, I'm doing all right. A little bit of 0:06:14.220 --> 0:06:19.050 an award tour, making my way from Boston to London 0:06:19.050 --> 0:06:24.480 to see not only a spectacular pro field, but celebrating 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:26.880 so many members of our New York Road Runners members, 0:06:27.089 --> 0:06:30.330 Team for Kid participants and just members of our New 0:06:30.330 --> 0:06:33.750 York Road Runnering and community globally. It was really amazing 0:06:33.750 --> 0:06:36.120 to just run it to so many folks that came 0:06:36.120 --> 0:06:37.650 over and said thank you for the great work that 0:06:37.650 --> 0:06:41.310 we're doing, inspiring our youth, our seniors, keeping people moving. 0:06:41.820 --> 0:06:43.890 It was good times, it was fuel for the soul. 0:06:44.820 --> 0:06:48.570 Well, they had a big day in London and congrats 0:06:48.570 --> 0:06:53.370 to Hugh Brasher, Nick Bitel, the whole team at London 0:06:53.370 --> 0:06:57.930 Marathon events for breaking the world record, which we had 0:06:57.930 --> 0:07:01.950 just set in November for the largest marathon ever. Ted, 0:07:01.950 --> 0:07:05.820 it's interesting that this record keeps getting broken and broken 0:07:05.820 --> 0:07:08.520 and broken. It was Berlin then it was us, now 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:12.150 it's London. Who knows what will happen in November. And 0:07:12.150 --> 0:07:14.520 how do you think about this? You and I talk about this a 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:17.040 lot, but how do you think about this record? It 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:20.790 gets a lot of attention. People talk about it. Is 0:07:20.790 --> 0:07:23.340 it something people should be paying attention to? Is this 0:07:23.340 --> 0:07:28.560 something that you think... At some point it's going to be a record that you can't break, 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:31.530 you can't have, at least we can anytime soon, 100, 000 0:07:31.530 --> 0:07:34.890 people in the marathon, so the question is there a 0:07:34.890 --> 0:07:38.490 ceiling for this record marathon size thing? 0:07:38.970 --> 0:07:41.550 Yeah. Listen, if I put my logistics hat on, it's 0:07:41.550 --> 0:07:44.070 time and space. Those are the things that can safely 0:07:44.070 --> 0:07:46.590 accommodate volume. You want lots of people, you need lots 0:07:46.590 --> 0:07:48.120 of time, you need lots of space to be able 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:51.420 to facilitate that. But I think to answer the question, 0:07:51.420 --> 0:07:55.590 I think it's fantastic. High tide raise all boats. A 0:07:55.590 --> 0:07:57.690 conversation we were having as race directors and a conversation 0:07:57.690 --> 0:07:59.940 we've been having in the industry is six years ago, 0:07:59.940 --> 0:08:01.830 seven years ago, there was a lot to talk about 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:03.989 how do we keep the marathon going? How do we 0:08:03.990 --> 0:08:06.600 keep the interest and engagement with the marathon going? How 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:09.870 do we change the demographic as many marathoners we're aging 0:08:09.870 --> 0:08:14.730 out? And we are seeing a pretty significant change in 0:08:14.730 --> 0:08:17.310 the marathon distance and so many people getting out there and 0:08:17.310 --> 0:08:19.410 really marking this as a goal that they want to 0:08:19.410 --> 0:08:24.750 accomplish. You talked about Berlin, Paris did it as well 0:08:24.750 --> 0:08:26.910 last year, so we are seeing this on a global 0:08:26.910 --> 0:08:30.810 scale where so many people are saying, " I want to 0:08:30.810 --> 0:08:32.850 run a marathon, I want to train for a marathon. I want 0:08:33.059 --> 0:08:36.059 to engage with this 26. 2 mile journey. I want 0:08:36.059 --> 0:08:39.000 others to do it with me." And they see their 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:41.130 loved ones, family, friends, and neighbors do it and they're 0:08:41.130 --> 0:08:43.740 then inspired to do the same thing. That's what we're 0:08:43.740 --> 0:08:46.980 starting to see now is this tremendous boom in running, 0:08:47.610 --> 0:08:50.910 particularly in the marathon distance, but everything in between. 0:08:51.870 --> 0:08:54.840 It is a virtuous cycle, as we say, more people 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.150 do, it makes more people want to do it. It's 0:08:57.150 --> 0:09:01.559 the inspiration you get from watching others run in Boston 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.320 or London or New York. And so we love it. 0:09:04.320 --> 0:09:07.440 We congratulate all of our friends in Boston and in 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:11.790 London for a great 10 days of racing and running. 0:09:11.790 --> 0:09:14.640 And it goes on from here. We're excited. And so 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:17.309 here in New York, Ted, it goes on at the 0:09:17.309 --> 0:09:21.780 RBC Brooklyn Half. And Ted, this race, speaking of popularity, 0:09:21.780 --> 0:09:24.750 continues to get more and more popular. We had a 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:27.660 record number of people try to get into this race 0:09:27.660 --> 0:09:30.360 this year. The numbers are going to be big yet 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:33.689 again. Hopefully we get good weather. And I think tied 0:09:33.690 --> 0:09:37.500 to that popularity, Ted, is a big decision that you 0:09:37.500 --> 0:09:41.429 and your team made to change the format of the 0:09:41.429 --> 0:09:44.730 start of the RBC Brooklyn Half and increase the number 0:09:44.730 --> 0:09:46.830 of waves. And this is something we talked about for 0:09:46.830 --> 0:09:49.770 a while. This was a two wave race, but the 0:09:49.770 --> 0:09:54.120 numbers just justify adding more waves. Can you talk about 0:09:54.390 --> 0:09:56.910 that decision, Ted, and what that's going to mean for 0:09:56.910 --> 0:09:57.450 the runners? 0:09:58.620 --> 0:10:00.690 Rob, you hit it on the head when you're looking 0:10:00.690 --> 0:10:04.230 at volume and scope and to my earliest comment on 0:10:04.230 --> 0:10:07.650 time and space, how do you help manage that? We 0:10:07.650 --> 0:10:12.750 have an amazing venue over by the Brooklyn Museum, these 0:10:12.750 --> 0:10:14.760 amazing landmarks that we have by our start, and I'll 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:16.950 talk about that in a moment. But what we want 0:10:16.950 --> 0:10:19.800 to do to be able to facilitate a smooth operation 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:23.550 for the 28, 000 runners was taking the same amount of 0:10:23.550 --> 0:10:25.320 time that we have for those two waves and breaking 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:28.590 them into four waves. And what that ultimately does is 0:10:28.590 --> 0:10:32.040 allow an easier flow for athletes to get bags dropped 0:10:32.250 --> 0:10:36.600 through security, pre- race needs as far as fluids, restrooms, 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:38.640 things of that nature, and then making their way over to 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:42.929 the start. There will be four starts for the RBC Brooklyn 0:10:42.929 --> 0:10:47.040 Half Marathon. First wave leaves at 7: 00 AM, second 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:51.870 wave 7: 25, third wave at 7: 50 and the last wave 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:55.920 is at 8: 15. What's amazing is this is within 0:10:55.920 --> 0:10:58.559 the same timeframe that we were able to release the 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:01.890 two waves that we had in previous years. Breaking that 0:11:01.890 --> 0:11:04.110 up there allows a little bit more space at the 0:11:04.110 --> 0:11:06.809 start, a little bit more space along the route and 0:11:06.809 --> 0:11:10.110 obviously a smooth finish with the athletes making their way 0:11:10.110 --> 0:11:11.070 down to Coney Island. 0:11:11.370 --> 0:11:12.600 And that's going to be a big win for the 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:14.910 runners, Ted, because in the couple of years I've been 0:11:14.910 --> 0:11:17.699 here, those are the comments we typically have gotten about 0:11:17.700 --> 0:11:21.270 this race. People love the race, they love the course, 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:24.480 especially the finish on Coney Island. It's such an incredibly 0:11:24.510 --> 0:11:27.990 popular race, but there were times when people felt it 0:11:27.990 --> 0:11:29.760 was a little bit crowded, especially in the first couple of 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:31.860 miles, so this is going to open that up. And 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:35.250 Ted, do you think that runners will see a noticeable 0:11:35.250 --> 0:11:36.780 difference with this new setup? 0:11:37.260 --> 0:11:41.040 Absolutely they will. And we've really been working hard on 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:44.610 the logistical components of ensuring a smooth start to our 0:11:44.610 --> 0:11:47.910 events across the board, whether it's our smaller weekly races 0:11:48.090 --> 0:11:51.150 to these larger scale marquee events. Rob, when you think 0:11:51.150 --> 0:11:53.880 about the RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon and its history and 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:57.840 its legacy, this event is 42 years of running, 42 0:11:57.840 --> 0:11:59.760 years, and if you were to take a guess at 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:02.309 the number of finishers we've had to date, not counting 0:12:02.309 --> 0:12:04.350 what we're going to be doing in 18 days of 0:12:04.350 --> 0:12:13.349 today's recording, but we've had over 334,275 finishers. The race 0:12:13.350 --> 0:12:15.990 used to actually start in Coney Island and end in 0:12:15.990 --> 0:12:19.800 Prospect Park then, and we did that from '96 to 2008. And 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:22.679 then it was in 2009 that we went from a 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:27.360 beautiful Prospect Park neighborhood area, so that's the Grand Army 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:31.290 Plaza, that is the Brooklyn Museum, that's the Brooklyn Library, 0:12:31.470 --> 0:12:33.990 that's the Prospect Park Zoo. Those are all of the 0:12:33.990 --> 0:12:36.390 beautiful things that you see now and have been seeing 0:12:36.390 --> 0:12:39.420 since 2009 as we make our way down to beautiful 0:12:39.420 --> 0:12:42.030 Coney Island. I share all that for context. You know I'm a 0:12:42.030 --> 0:12:44.220 big fan of context to tell you where we've been 0:12:44.220 --> 0:12:47.160 and where we're going to see that the growth of 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:49.199 what we do at New York Road Runners has been 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:52.080 tremendously impactful and there is not going to be very 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:55.410 many people, including you and I, that haven't ran in 0:12:55.410 --> 0:12:57.660 this race. The last time I ran this race was 0:12:57.660 --> 0:13:01.110 in 2017 and I dug up my medal and my medal 0:13:01.110 --> 0:13:03.240 badge here and there's my medal from the last time 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:03.630 I ran in 2017- 0:13:03.630 --> 0:13:03.991 Look at that. 0:13:03.991 --> 0:13:08.070 ... before coming back to New York Road Runners in 2018, so 0:13:08.340 --> 0:13:11.100 it is really an amazing event that a lot of 0:13:11.100 --> 0:13:13.439 athletes mark off as saying that this is the one 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:15.809 we want to do to kick things off or get our 0:13:15.809 --> 0:13:19.020 summertime training, lining ourself up for the TCS New York 0:13:19.020 --> 0:13:21.960 City Marathon. It's a great way, a barometer of fitness 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:25.710 and health here, a local event, a really strong community 0:13:25.710 --> 0:13:29.040 event that gets people out there. And we'll be sprinkling 0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:31.080 in a little bit when we chat about the youth 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:33.120 component as well that we'll see out there, so- 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:33.451 I love it, Ted. 0:13:33.451 --> 0:13:35.400 ... a little buzz there to get you excited. 0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:38.550 I'm so sad I've never run this race. It's a 0:13:38.550 --> 0:13:40.650 shame I've never run this race. 0:13:40.830 --> 0:13:44.460 Rob, we got to fix that. I know a guy. 0:13:44.460 --> 0:13:44.640 I know a guy. 0:13:46.020 --> 0:13:50.370 Introduce me to this guy who could get me into the races. I'd love to know this 0:13:50.370 --> 0:13:53.729 guy. You know how I am. I don't like to 0:13:53.730 --> 0:13:57.150 run our big races because our team is working so 0:13:57.150 --> 0:14:00.809 hard, there's so much going on. I just never feel 0:14:00.809 --> 0:14:03.720 like I should be out there running the marathon or 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:07.950 the United Airlines NYC half or this race. But for 0:14:07.950 --> 0:14:10.439 everybody out there, run it for me. I'll be rooting 0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:13.170 for you. Carry my hopes and dreams of running the 0:14:13.170 --> 0:14:16.440 RBC Brooklyn Half with you that day. I need you 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:17.160 to do it for me. 0:14:17.460 --> 0:14:19.560 Absolutely. I think one year we're going to have to 0:14:19.560 --> 0:14:21.300 figure out a way for you to experience the beauty 0:14:21.300 --> 0:14:24.060 of the RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon. I know you're always 0:14:24.060 --> 0:14:26.310 saying, when I do site visits down in Coney Island, you're 0:14:26.310 --> 0:14:28.260 always saying to me, " Make sure you get a Nathan's 0:14:28.260 --> 0:14:29.370 hot dog, please." 0:14:29.730 --> 0:14:33.570 100%. I am so all about getting that hot dog 0:14:33.570 --> 0:14:34.890 at the end of this race, but I got to 0:14:34.890 --> 0:14:37.140 run it first. I'll just have the hot dog anyway, 0:14:37.140 --> 0:14:40.950 Ted. All right, so another big change, not as big, 0:14:40.950 --> 0:14:43.110 but I wanted to talk about the pre- party because 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:47.550 it's important I think for people to know that we 0:14:47.550 --> 0:14:50.790 send out these surveys after every race, and I think 0:14:50.790 --> 0:14:53.700 this is a good conversation to remind people that we 0:14:53.730 --> 0:14:57.840 do actually read the survey results. We actually read the 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:02.610 results, we read the comments, we hear what people are 0:15:02.610 --> 0:15:06.210 saying, and so we heard comments about course crowding and 0:15:06.210 --> 0:15:09.270 that is why you're hearing about four waves in this 0:15:09.270 --> 0:15:12.990 race going forward. We also have heard comments about the pre- 0:15:12.990 --> 0:15:16.050 party and it's out there in Brooklyn Bridge Park and 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:20.310 the challenges that people do sometimes have, if they're maybe 0:15:20.310 --> 0:15:22.620 living in Manhattan or working in Manhattan or they live 0:15:22.620 --> 0:15:25.350 in the northern suburbs or even New Jersey, it can 0:15:25.350 --> 0:15:28.830 be challenging to get to Brooklyn on the Wednesday, Thursday, 0:15:28.830 --> 0:15:31.680 Friday before the race to pick up your bib. There's 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:33.960 two things that we want people to know about that. 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:37.050 First of all, we did make one change the pre- 0:15:37.050 --> 0:15:40.830 party hours or earlier this year. We're starting an hour 0:15:40.830 --> 0:15:43.530 early one day, so we want to... Make sure you 0:15:43.530 --> 0:15:47.280 check the hours because we do have earlier hours for 0:15:47.280 --> 0:15:50.340 the pre- party this year on Wednesday, 10:00 to 8: 0:15:50.340 --> 0:15:53.760 30, Thursday, 10: 00 to 8: 30 again. Friday the last 0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:56.730 day we opened at 9: 00 AM, so 9:00 AM to 7: 30. 0:15:57.180 --> 0:15:59.280 The last bib pick up will be at 7: 00 PM, 0:15:59.580 --> 0:16:01.500 so you can get there a little bit earlier than 0:16:01.500 --> 0:16:03.690 we've had it in past years, which we're hoping makes 0:16:03.690 --> 0:16:05.580 it a bit easier for folks if they want to 0:16:05.580 --> 0:16:08.670 get there before work starts or whatever to pick up 0:16:08.670 --> 0:16:11.850 their bib. Another thing that we... This is not new, 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:15.300 but we want to make sure people really understand is 0:16:15.300 --> 0:16:18.960 that you don't have to personally go to pick up 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.210 your bib. If you have a friend, if you're in 0:16:21.210 --> 0:16:24.360 a running club and your run club captain is going, 0:16:24.630 --> 0:16:27.120 they can pick it up for you. You can have 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:30.450 another person do it for you, and that should help 0:16:30.450 --> 0:16:33.720 a lot of folks get their bibs for the RBC 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:36.030 Brooklyn Half. We want to make sure people know that, 0:16:36.030 --> 0:16:38.130 we want this to be as convenient as possible for 0:16:38.130 --> 0:16:41.430 everybody. All that said, Ted, the pre- party is a 0:16:41.430 --> 0:16:44.760 really good time, especially if the weather's nice. It is 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:48.360 a fun place to hang out to enjoy the late 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:51.030 spring in New York City. It's on the water, there's 0:16:51.030 --> 0:16:55.440 music, there's all kinds of fun there. I highly encourage 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:58.320 people to set aside a few hours. We don't call 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:00.870 it the expo, right Ted? We call it the pre- 0:17:01.050 --> 0:17:04.500 party because it's a party that is pre the race, 0:17:04.500 --> 0:17:05.520 so come check it out. 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.450 Yep. The RBC Brooklyn Half pre- party presented by New 0:17:09.450 --> 0:17:12.900 Balance. The location is at Pier 2 at Brooklyn Bridge 0:17:12.900 --> 0:17:15.090 Park, so a huge thank you to our partners at Brooklyn 0:17:15.090 --> 0:17:17.490 Bridge Park, who has been with us for a number 0:17:17.490 --> 0:17:21.210 of years in elevating what Rob has so eloquently stated, 0:17:21.390 --> 0:17:24.959 this party, this pre- party before the party and then 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:27.480 the after party that we'll talk about in a moment that's 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:31.379 in Maimonides Park there. One other thing too, Rob and I 0:17:31.380 --> 0:17:33.629 love that you touched on not only the times, but 0:17:33.630 --> 0:17:37.050 also the proxy pickup component because that helps manage people's 0:17:37.050 --> 0:17:40.350 experience overall. But just the number of ways to get 0:17:40.350 --> 0:17:42.990 there, literally every single way that you could traverse, you 0:17:42.990 --> 0:17:45.600 can get there. There's buses that take you over to 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:48.060 Brooklyn Bridge Park. You could jump on the subway, the 0:17:48.148 --> 0:17:51.210 A, the C, the F, the 2, the 3, the R, they all 0:17:51.210 --> 0:17:53.310 make their way down there. The 4, the 5, they 0:17:53.310 --> 0:17:55.350 all make their way down to that general area then and 0:17:55.350 --> 0:17:58.500 you could walk on over. There's even ferry service, so 0:17:58.650 --> 0:18:01.290 taking the ferry from Governors Island, the New York City 0:18:01.290 --> 0:18:04.560 ferry is there, the East River ferries, the South Brooklyn 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:07.320 ferries, there's ferries that are coming in as far north 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:09.990 as the Bronx to make their way down to the 0:18:09.990 --> 0:18:13.859 venue, so looking at how you get there will help 0:18:13.859 --> 0:18:16.800 speed the process up. We will have volunteers along the 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:18.750 way that are sprinkled about as you're making your way 0:18:18.750 --> 0:18:21.300 to the park to show you how to get to 0:18:21.900 --> 0:18:28.169 the Pier number 2. But yes, food, music, beverages, entertainment, 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:31.919 incredible sites, amazing place to meet up with. It's open 0:18:31.920 --> 0:18:34.020 to the public, so please come on down and see 0:18:34.020 --> 0:18:37.710 the different programming activities and all of the things that 0:18:37.710 --> 0:18:39.330 we have going on leading into race weekend. 0:18:39.570 --> 0:18:42.030 And we should point out the merch that is there 0:18:42.030 --> 0:18:45.030 as well. And New Balance does a fantastic job with 0:18:45.030 --> 0:18:47.760 the RBC Brooklyn Half every year. They've got some unique 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:51.900 stuff that is uniquely Brooklyn that they put together for 0:18:51.900 --> 0:18:54.510 this event, so that's another reason to come to the pre- 0:18:54.510 --> 0:18:57.330 party. We'd love to see you there, but we want 0:18:57.330 --> 0:18:59.760 to make sure you know there's ways to get your 0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:02.159 bib other than making it to that pre- party. All 0:19:02.160 --> 0:19:05.760 right, so Ted, let's get to the course itself and 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:07.350 then we'll talk about the post- party. And we've talked 0:19:07.350 --> 0:19:10.230 about the waves. For those who haven't run it before, 0:19:10.230 --> 0:19:13.560 Ted, what do you think makes this course special? 0:19:14.310 --> 0:19:20.369 It's an interesting balance, Rob, of flat, fast, uphill, downhill 0:19:20.460 --> 0:19:23.820 wide space. The first half of the course, the athletes will be 0:19:23.940 --> 0:19:27.540 making their way over from, as I stated, Washington Avenue 0:19:27.540 --> 0:19:32.280 just south of the Brooklyn Museum, and they'll be running past 0:19:32.280 --> 0:19:36.240 some pretty cool iconic locations in that general space. They're 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:38.520 making their way down Washington, make the turn on Empire 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:42.300 and out in back on Flatbush Avenue going around beautiful 0:19:42.300 --> 0:19:46.109 Grand Army Plaza running past the Prospect Park Zoo and 0:19:46.109 --> 0:19:48.510 entering into Prospect Park. When they're making their way around 0:19:48.510 --> 0:19:51.000 Prospect Park, there'll be a bit of a climb as 0:19:51.000 --> 0:19:53.250 they're making their way around the park there. That first 0:19:53.250 --> 0:19:56.670 section of the park in the course is amazing, so 0:19:56.670 --> 0:19:59.160 many crowds out there, so much love, so much energy 0:19:59.340 --> 0:20:01.740 as you get yourself up. It's funny, for those of 0:20:01.740 --> 0:20:04.109 us who have run races, you always want to take 0:20:04.109 --> 0:20:06.000 your time on the front end. You don't want to go 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:07.740 too far too fast on the front end of the 0:20:07.740 --> 0:20:09.780 race there, so you want to pace yourself as you 0:20:09.780 --> 0:20:12.270 make the way through. Once you exit out of the park, 0:20:12.330 --> 0:20:15.660 then it opens up to Ocean Parkway, nice and wide 0:20:15.660 --> 0:20:18.119 there. That's when you can really see where your training 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:21.270 has been throughout the winter here, coming into the early 0:20:21.270 --> 0:20:23.730 part of the spring and lay the hammer as you're making your 0:20:23.730 --> 0:20:27.780 way down. When you're making your way down on Ocean 0:20:27.780 --> 0:20:30.540 Parkway, I want you to take a moment and you'll 0:20:30.540 --> 0:20:35.310 start seeing some of the 1700 youth that will be participating in 0:20:35.310 --> 0:20:38.879 the Boardwalk Run, the kids run that we have there. 0:20:39.240 --> 0:20:42.119 Those are our rising New York Road Runners youth, your 0:20:42.180 --> 0:20:44.970 future of the sport here, our future of the sport 0:20:44.970 --> 0:20:48.930