Speaker 1: Thank you, New York. Today we're reminded of the power
Speaker 1: of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on your mark.
Speaker 2: The first woman to finish, for the second straight year, here in
Speaker 2: the New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman, a smiling Miki Gorman,
Speaker 2: and why not? 2: 29:30, the time for (inaudible) .
Speaker 3: Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes to
Speaker 3: the line. Pointing to his chest, pointed to the USA
Speaker 3: he so proudly wears across his chest. A great day for Meb Keflezighi.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Hey everybody, and welcome to Set the Pace, the official
Rob Simmelkjaer: podcast of New York Road Runners, presented by Peloton. Nice
Rob Simmelkjaer: to have you with us this week. I'm your host,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New York Road Runners. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: with me, Peloton instructor extraordinaire, Becs Gentry. What's up Becs?
Rob Simmelkjaer: How are you?
Becs Gentry: That always makes me giggle. I think every time you
Becs Gentry: introduce me in a different way, I always giggle. I'm
Becs Gentry: fantastic. Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You are an extraordinaire. How many people have I met
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the last months that we've been doing this podcast
Rob Simmelkjaer: together, who tell me that Becs is their favorite instructor? It's
Rob Simmelkjaer: what gets them up, it's what gets them on the
Rob Simmelkjaer: tread. You make a big impact in that Peloton world,
Rob Simmelkjaer: and I'm not just saying that. I hear that all
Rob Simmelkjaer: the time, so I think that's the appropriate word.
Becs Gentry: Too kind.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Are you surviving this winter? How are you doing?
Becs Gentry: I'm not training, so I'm good.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah.
Becs Gentry: I have zero guilt about not getting out there for miles.
Rob Simmelkjaer: That's a good segue.
Becs Gentry: Which is... Yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... to my situation.
Becs Gentry: ... which is a really good segue to-
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... which is quite different.
Becs Gentry: Why are you not liking this winter so much, Rob?
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah. Yeah, because I am training, and I've been alluding to
Rob Simmelkjaer: it, but I always like to hold the news until
Rob Simmelkjaer: maybe a month out, until I feel like I'm really doing it.
Becs Gentry: We're so similar.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah, but I'm going to run the Tokyo Marathon.
Becs Gentry: Wow.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I'm going to give this a go. Absolutely.
Becs Gentry: Let's go.
Rob Simmelkjaer: We're doing this. We're doing this, Becs.
Becs Gentry: Yes, you are.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I'm excited. I'm really excited. After running Berlin, I knew
Rob Simmelkjaer: I was going to the Tokyo Marathon. I had already
Rob Simmelkjaer: made a plan to go to that event. I have a
Rob Simmelkjaer: pattern of going to usually one international major every year
Rob Simmelkjaer: to represent New York Road Runners. So this was the
Rob Simmelkjaer: year I was going to Tokyo. And after running Berlin
Rob Simmelkjaer: and coming out feeling pretty healthy, I was like, you know what? I kind of running these
Rob Simmelkjaer: events when I go to them, if I can.
Becs Gentry: Yeah, exactly. Why not?
Rob Simmelkjaer: Sitting around watching people run, it's great, but doing it
Rob Simmelkjaer: is so much better. You really get the experience.
Becs Gentry: Exactly.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And I can really compare it to the experience of running
Rob Simmelkjaer: in New York, or with the other majors. So I
Rob Simmelkjaer: was fortunate enough to get an invitation from the amazing
Rob Simmelkjaer: folks in Tokyo, our friends, the race director out there,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yasu and former race director, Tad. They're just a great,
Rob Simmelkjaer: great group of people who run that event. So I'm
Rob Simmelkjaer: really excited. And I think what I'm frankly most excited
Rob Simmelkjaer: about, Becs, is just going to Japan.
Becs Gentry: A hundred percent.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I've never been. It's such an unbelievable, amazing and unique place on
Rob Simmelkjaer: our earth. And I'm just really excited to visit Japan
Rob Simmelkjaer: for the first time.
Becs Gentry: Well, first and foremost, I'm incredibly excited for you. I'm
Becs Gentry: very proud of you for doing it again, getting out
Becs Gentry: there, getting this second in six months, really, done. And
Becs Gentry: I will concur. Japan is phenomenal. I questioned everything about
Becs Gentry: my choice to live in the USA when I came
Becs Gentry: home from Japan, because I was like, what is wrong with us all
Becs Gentry: here? We are so rude. We are so dirty. We are
Becs Gentry: just not cool. We're not cool to each other, especially.
Becs Gentry: And something that really stuck out to me in Japan
Becs Gentry: is, even when there's a huge race on, even when
Becs Gentry: it's as busy as Tokyo is as a metropolis, people
Becs Gentry: are kind and patient to one another. The subway system
Becs Gentry: you will see is organized and calm, even though there
Becs Gentry: are more people probably than in New York riding it.
Becs Gentry: And I really did take on board with me that
Becs Gentry: Japanese way of just... We all get frustrated. Someone pushes
Becs Gentry: in front of you when you're in the line for
Becs Gentry: the bathroom at a race, and you're cursing them out
Becs Gentry: on your mind, but you take a deep breath, because
Becs Gentry: you're like, " You know what? We're all going to get there. We're going to get there."
Becs Gentry: So I'm so happy you're going to go and experience
Becs Gentry: this amazing, amazing city, and run 26.2. Because what better
Becs Gentry: than, I love saying it when I feel like having
Becs Gentry: a workout, especially if it's a sixty- minute class that
Becs Gentry: I teach and there's members in the room, I'm like, "
Becs Gentry: I'm going to do this with you, because there is
Becs Gentry: nothing better than experiencing what your people are experiencing. And
Becs Gentry: here we go." Here he goes, the CEO of New
Becs Gentry: York Road Runners, off to experience another World Marathon major.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I can't wait. If I'm fortunate enough to make it
Rob Simmelkjaer: to the finish line-
Becs Gentry: You will.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It will be my third star in the Abbott World Marathon Majors-
Becs Gentry: Halfway to the OG six.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... journey, as they say, the six- star journey as we call it.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So halfway, not bad. I frankly never thought I was
Rob Simmelkjaer: going to run more than one marathon when I first
Rob Simmelkjaer: ran the New York Marathon back in the day. So hey,
Rob Simmelkjaer: every one I add on is more than I ever
Rob Simmelkjaer: thought I would do, so I'm excited about that. Now, Becs,
Rob Simmelkjaer: what I have not been excited about, and I've got
Rob Simmelkjaer: to be honest, is the winter training. So this is
Rob Simmelkjaer: obviously my first ever spring marathon. I have never trained-
Becs Gentry: Oh, I'm sorry.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... for a marathon in the winter months before. And it
Rob Simmelkjaer: has really been a struggle for me. I think, Becs,
Rob Simmelkjaer: what's getting me through it is the very limited goals
Rob Simmelkjaer: that I have for this race. I am not trying to
Rob Simmelkjaer: set a PR. I'm not trying to do anything. I
Rob Simmelkjaer: just want to finish it. And so I'm banking on
Rob Simmelkjaer: the fitness I had from Berlin to get me through.
Rob Simmelkjaer: But unlike Berlin where I was really, I used the
Rob Simmelkjaer: Run It (inaudible) app when I was training for
Rob Simmelkjaer: Berlin. I was doing speed workouts, and tempo workouts.
Becs Gentry: You were committed.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... and I was going for it, because it was summer and it was warm. And even
Rob Simmelkjaer: though it was sometimes too warm, I had no trouble
Rob Simmelkjaer: getting out the door for a run.
Becs Gentry: And we had a lot longer daylight hours to play with too.
Rob Simmelkjaer: That's the thing. Becs, it's the daylight. It just kills me, because-
Becs Gentry: Awful.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... I've got to do my runs typically at 6:00 AM, 5:
Rob Simmelkjaer: 30 AM, before whether my kids are getting up, or
Rob Simmelkjaer: work is starting, and there's just no light. So I
Rob Simmelkjaer: don't like running outside in the dark. That's not a
Rob Simmelkjaer: thing I'm comfortable with, especially when I'm out here in
Rob Simmelkjaer: Connecticut versus in the city, where it's a little bit
Rob Simmelkjaer: easier to do. So where does that put me?
Becs Gentry: On the treadmill.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It puts me on a treadmill. And I know at Peloton-
Becs Gentry: Careful what you say.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Really, Becs. This is really, I've got to get myself on the Peloton track.
Becs Gentry: You do.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Because I'm just going and doing treadmill workouts on my own,
Rob Simmelkjaer: and I just can't stand it. It just kills me to
Rob Simmelkjaer: run on the treadmill.
Becs Gentry: We need to get you a tread class (inaudible) .
Rob Simmelkjaer: So I've got to get in a Becs Gentry running class on the tread, because it is just
Rob Simmelkjaer: a struggle for me to run on these treadmills. I've
Rob Simmelkjaer: learned that about five miles is my max at this point on a tread.
Becs Gentry: Oh, wow.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And then I'm just done. I can't mentally get myself any
Rob Simmelkjaer: longer than about 45 minutes or so on the treadmill.
Becs Gentry: Have you done any combo? Tread start and then finish
Becs Gentry: off outside?
Rob Simmelkjaer: I have not done that. I should probably try that.
Becs Gentry: Try that when you're in Connecticut, because as you say,
Becs Gentry: it's easier in New York, because you'll generally find a
Becs Gentry: bunch of other people in New York who are willing
Becs Gentry: to pack it up and go for a darker early morning run,
Becs Gentry: because I think it's more sensible to run in a pack in
Becs Gentry: the darkness, for sure. Especially for women too. But I
Becs Gentry: do like that, the tread start, if it's a super
Becs Gentry: early morning start, especially if you want to turn over
Becs Gentry: the legs, and maybe do some faster work. And then
Becs Gentry: head out and finish off the easy miles outside, bundle
Becs Gentry: up, obviously change out of your sweaty stuff, bundle up
Becs Gentry: for the cold, and get it done that way. And
Becs Gentry: I think vice versa. If you've got a long run
Becs Gentry: and it's icy out, get your easy part of the
Becs Gentry: long run done. If you've got a combo, I like
Becs Gentry: to get people running a bit of faster times in
Becs Gentry: the long runs nearer the race, just to turn the
Becs Gentry: legs over. Pop that onto the tread, so you're not
Becs Gentry: risking slipping on the ice and snow if it is
Becs Gentry: on the ground, but it's patience. And I've got to tell
Becs Gentry: you, as much as it's awful on the tread for
Becs Gentry: a long time, and I say that with love as
Becs Gentry: a Peloton instructor who instructs very long classes, our classes,
Becs Gentry: it's different. There's distraction. We're entertaining you whilst you're doing it.
Becs Gentry: But if you are just on a simple tread with
Becs Gentry: no screen and no Peloton instructor, it tasks your brain
Becs Gentry: almost as much as your body to stay on it
Becs Gentry: for X number of miles that you have to do.
Becs Gentry: But when those races are boring, or those races are
Becs Gentry: not going well, or if you listen to music, your
Becs Gentry: headphones died, or your phone died, I'm sorry, but you're
Becs Gentry: going to have to get through that mental battle. So
Becs Gentry: sometimes I do prescribe longer treadmill work in order to
Becs Gentry: train the brain, because you might need that as much
Becs Gentry: as the body training on race day, if all went
Becs Gentry: wrong. You don't want to bail on a race, because
Becs Gentry: your headphones died. That's lame.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I tell you what, that's great advice. It really is. It makes a
Rob Simmelkjaer: lot of sense to me that you would tell people
Rob Simmelkjaer: to do that. And it's funny, you're mentioning this bailing
Rob Simmelkjaer: on something for the headphones. This morning, Becs, true story.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I did not get on the treadmill this morning, because
Rob Simmelkjaer: my headphones were not charged. I was like, " No, I
Rob Simmelkjaer: cannot do this this morning." So I put my headphones in
Rob Simmelkjaer: the charger, and I'm going to run later this afternoon
Rob Simmelkjaer: outside. I have a little window I can run today,
Rob Simmelkjaer: but it's literally, the idea of being on the treadmill without the-
Becs Gentry: Without noise distraction.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... the music, without the news or whatever the show I was going to watch. I was like, " No,
Rob Simmelkjaer: no, no, no. That's a step too far for me. I can't do it." And I missed
Rob Simmelkjaer: a run, because my headphones were not charged, so if you're out there-
Becs Gentry: If you were my client, I'd be telling you off.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Oh, well, you know what? I can see. You can't see right
Rob Simmelkjaer: now. The look on Becs' face is one of disapproval,
Rob Simmelkjaer: but understanding.
Becs Gentry: Serious disapproval.
Rob Simmelkjaer: But understanding.
Becs Gentry: Yes.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So for those of you out there who are struggling
Rob Simmelkjaer: through this winter training session, first of all, some great
Rob Simmelkjaer: tips from Becs there, but I just want you to
Rob Simmelkjaer: know, I understand. I really do understand, and I think
Rob Simmelkjaer: really it's just learning some tricks, I think, to get
Rob Simmelkjaer: through it-
Becs Gentry: It is.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... and to find a way through these short days,
Rob Simmelkjaer: and these cold days, to achieve our goals in the spring.
Becs Gentry: It is. Well, talking of cold running, it was a pretty cold weekend
Becs Gentry: here in New York. It wasn't as cold as we
Becs Gentry: have had, but it was still a little nippy. It
Becs Gentry: was a bit gray as well. It was a bit
Becs Gentry: of a double whammy of meh.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Oh, Becs, make no mistake. Sunday morning at the New
Rob Simmelkjaer: York Road Runners Manhattan 10K, it was freezing.
Becs Gentry: It was. It really was.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It was very, very cold. I think the-
Becs Gentry: It was windy too, wasn't it?
Rob Simmelkjaer: The wind luckily wasn't so bad-
Becs Gentry: No. Oh, Brooklyn.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... but it was 18 degrees. It was 18 Fahrenheit at the start of the race.
Becs Gentry: No, thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It was absolutely frigid. And I just want to first
Rob Simmelkjaer: of all give some love to our staff, and our
Rob Simmelkjaer: volunteers, because getting out there, starting to set up at 2:
Rob Simmelkjaer: 00, 3:00 in the morning, out there all night. Before any
Rob Simmelkjaer: heaters have been set up and tents have been set
Rob Simmelkjaer: up, they're doing the hard work in the wee hours
Rob Simmelkjaer: on these cold nights. Our staff, our folks based in
Rob Simmelkjaer: Manhattan, we've got a whole staff based at the warehouse
Rob Simmelkjaer: that we have out in the Bronx, who come to
Rob Simmelkjaer: these races early and start setting things up. They are
Rob Simmelkjaer: heroes on days like that. So I want to thank them, I
Rob Simmelkjaer: want to thank our volunteers of course, for being out
Rob Simmelkjaer: there. And I want to thank the runners, because I
Rob Simmelkjaer: thought we'd have maybe kind of a high no- show
Rob Simmelkjaer: rate. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out,
Rob Simmelkjaer: it wasn't too windy, and that was enough for 7, 858
Rob Simmelkjaer: runners to cross the finish line in the Manhattan 10K.
Rob Simmelkjaer: This, by the way, was a big year for this
Rob Simmelkjaer: race, because it's now joined the Five- Borough Series. It's
Rob Simmelkjaer: the first race of the Five- Borough Series this year,
Rob Simmelkjaer: first time it's ever been in that position. So this
Rob Simmelkjaer: was a really big race, and we were thrilled to
Rob Simmelkjaer: see such an amazing turnout for that race on Sunday
Rob Simmelkjaer: morning. The winners were familiar names, the non- binary winner,
Rob Simmelkjaer: Elijah Taylor, 35:47 third race in a row, Elijah has
Rob Simmelkjaer: won their division for the women. Former Set the Pace
Rob Simmelkjaer: Member Moment guest, Khia Kurtenbach was first, with a time
Rob Simmelkjaer: of 34:18. I saw Khia at the finish line, had
Rob Simmelkjaer: a chance to congratulate her. And on the men's side
Rob Simmelkjaer: it was an El Jazouli, but not Jaouad, who we've been
Rob Simmelkjaer: talking about a lot. His brother, Issam El Jazouli won,
Rob Simmelkjaer: with a blazing time of 31:15. Becs, there was no one
Rob Simmelkjaer: close to Issam El Jazouli brother as he crossed the finish line.
Rob Simmelkjaer: On Sunday, I had a chance to chat with him
Rob Simmelkjaer: a little bit. He runs for a garden state track
Rob Simmelkjaer: club or running club out of New Jersey, and did
Rob Simmelkjaer: a phenomenal job. So congratulations to Issam. His brother Jaouad
Rob Simmelkjaer: won the Joe K and the Fred Lebow. So those
Rob Simmelkjaer: brothers are hot right now, and they're doing really well.
Becs Gentry: So well. My goodness. Yeah, it was chilly. And yeah, I'm happy. I had
Becs Gentry: nearly two hours on the tread on Saturday.
Rob Simmelkjaer: How nice for you.
Becs Gentry: Teaching.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It was a good day. Good day to be on
Rob Simmelkjaer: the tread-
Becs Gentry: Good day to be inside.
Rob Simmelkjaer: ... doing your thing on that beautiful Peloton treadmill. Absolutely. All
Rob Simmelkjaer: right. Well, Becs, we've got a great show today.
Becs Gentry: We do.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Coming up, we've got someone who really is one of
Rob Simmelkjaer: the most impactful and inspirational people that I've met in
Rob Simmelkjaer: my time as CEO of New York Road Runners, who
Rob Simmelkjaer: works in the running industry. Harry Chandler, he's the co-
Rob Simmelkjaer: owner of the Charlotte Running Company in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And he's one of the few African- American retail store
Rob Simmelkjaer: owners in the United States. He's had an incredible journey
Rob Simmelkjaer: to that position. He's also the president of the Running
Rob Simmelkjaer: Industry Association. So he's made a great impact on running,
Rob Simmelkjaer: and we can't wait to talk to Harry about his
Rob Simmelkjaer: journey, and everything he sees as vital to running a
Rob Simmelkjaer: diverse, equitable and inclusive space for everybody, both the runners
Rob Simmelkjaer: and the people who want to make it their living
Rob Simmelkjaer: as well. And then Becs, our Member Moment today we'll
Rob Simmelkjaer: be with Team for Kids runner, Annabella Espina, who's training
Rob Simmelkjaer: for Tokyo as well. That's right. I'll be seeing Annabella
Rob Simmelkjaer: over there. And then Meb will be here for today's
Rob Simmelkjaer: Meb Minute. And Meb's going to give us pointers about
Rob Simmelkjaer: what shoes you should be running in when your marathon
Rob Simmelkjaer: training requires a lot of long runs in icy conditions.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Okay, I need to listen to that.
Becs Gentry: Ready to level up your running? With the Peloton Tread
Becs Gentry: and Tread+, you can challenge yourself anytime, anywhere. Whether you're
Becs Gentry: building strength or working on speed, Peloton has a class
Becs Gentry: for every goal, from 5 to 120 minute workouts. With
Becs Gentry: muscle building classes and flexible training options, you'll have everything
Becs Gentry: you need to crush your next race, and then recover
Becs Gentry: from it. All access membership separate. Find your push, find
Becs Gentry: your power at onepeloton. com/ race- training. Peloton, the official
Becs Gentry: digital fitness partner for New York Road Runners.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Our guest today is Harry Chandler, who is quickly becoming
Rob Simmelkjaer: a real leader in the world of running. A passionate
Rob Simmelkjaer: runner whose journey began over two decades ago in Michigan,
Rob Simmelkjaer: harry is now the co- owner of the Charlotte Running
Rob Simmelkjaer: Company, one of the very few black- owned running retail
Rob Simmelkjaer: stores in the United States, and it was voted best
Rob Simmelkjaer: running store in America in 2021. Not only dedicated to
Rob Simmelkjaer: the industry, he also loves running. And he's got a
Rob Simmelkjaer: real vision for a more diverse and equitable running community. Harry
Rob Simmelkjaer: was recently appointed the president of the Running Industry Association.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Beyond his professional roles, Harry is deeply committed to advocating
Rob Simmelkjaer: for underrepresented communities, emphasizing social responsibility in everything he does.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And Harry, I've had a chance to hang out with
Rob Simmelkjaer: you a couple of times in the New York Road
Rob Simmelkjaer: Runners offices and seeing you around the industry, doing the
Rob Simmelkjaer: amazing things you do. It's great to have you on
Rob Simmelkjaer: Set the Pace. Welcome.
Harry Chandler: Thank you. Thanks for having me. I was just there last week.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yes. Yes, you were. You've got kind of a public speaking thing,
Rob Simmelkjaer: that you really have become excellent at as well. We'll
Rob Simmelkjaer: talk about that in a minute. But let's just start
Rob Simmelkjaer: with your story. And I always like to ask people who
Rob Simmelkjaer: are unfamiliar to our audience, who come on this show,
Rob Simmelkjaer: how'd you start running? Where did this path into running
Rob Simmelkjaer: even start for you?
Harry Chandler: It came in a weird space, in my actual career,
Harry Chandler: working at a running store back home. Initially, you'd never
Harry Chandler: see me running. I was football, and it was punishment,
Harry Chandler: but I was real quick working in a 7- Eleven
Harry Chandler: back home in Okemos, Michigan where I'm from, ironically enough.
Harry Chandler: And this gentleman, Tony Thomas would come in every day
Harry Chandler: after he left work, and he would say, " Hit me,
Harry Chandler: Harry." And I knew exactly what he meant, because he
Harry Chandler: wanted half a pint of black velvet. And he would
Harry Chandler: run to the, and he would grab his Mountain Dew.
Harry Chandler: Then he'd come to the front and he'd go, "Harry, you're
Harry Chandler: better than this place. We've got to get you out
Harry Chandler: of here. Come work with me." I'm like, " Tony, I
Harry Chandler: don't want to work with you if you're drinking after
Harry Chandler: every shift. What is this job?" He finally wore me
Harry Chandler: down, and I ended up at the semi- annual sidewalk
Harry Chandler: sale at Playmakers in Okemos, Michigan where I grew up.
Harry Chandler: My first introduction to a specialty run shop, I'd never
Harry Chandler: been inside the door of one. And I walked in,
Harry Chandler: and it was otherworldly. It was 15, 000 square feet of a
Harry Chandler: waterfall, and saltwater fish tanks, and stairs on either side.
Harry Chandler: And I'm like, what is this place? So I head
Harry Chandler: to the back. There is a huge sign that says, "
Harry Chandler: Head upstairs, take your name tag, take your binder and
Harry Chandler: have a seat." So I did that. And then someone
Harry Chandler: walks up the stairs behind me, and they neglected to
Harry Chandler: do that/ but I said, you know what? That's none
Harry Chandler: of my business. And we start having a conversation. And
Harry Chandler: then the next person walks up, and they do the
Harry Chandler: same, and then the next and the same. So I'm
Harry Chandler: like, wait a second. So I grab a handful of
Harry Chandler: binders and name tags, and start walking around to people,
Harry Chandler: asking them what their name is and then hand them
Harry Chandler: their binders. And then John Benedict, who you may know,
Harry Chandler: JB, owner of Playmakers at the time, walks up behind
Harry Chandler: me and taps me on the shoulder and goes, " Hey,
Harry Chandler: do you work here?" I was like, " Not at all. This
Harry Chandler: is my first day. I should probably sit down." And
Harry Chandler: I did. He walked away from me and headed over
Harry Chandler: to his business partner, Tom Keenoy. And I found out
Harry Chandler: later that he told him that if I made it
Harry Chandler: through that he would hire me. So made it through
Harry Chandler: the sidewalk sale, got a call from a Marty Novicki,
Harry Chandler: who's still working at Playmakers now, was offered an interview,
Harry Chandler: came back and sat down with Karen Haley, who is
Harry Chandler: no longer with Playmakers, but she was a huge part
Harry Chandler: of my grooming in the specialty run industry. And I
Harry Chandler: was hired. JB was a mentor. It took some warming
Harry Chandler: up, a slow burn, so I was younger at that
Harry Chandler: time. So it was a lot of late for shifts,
Harry Chandler: a lot of missing shifts, and he was the first
Harry Chandler: person to challenge me, because my parents were the cheerleaders,
Harry Chandler: right? My mom and dad are from Mississippi, my dad's
Harry Chandler: French Creole, my mom's from the South. Their son can't
Harry Chandler: do any wrong. So that was a new opportunity to
Harry Chandler: grow for me. So JB probably fired me, and hired
Harry Chandler: me back like 17 times. It's like, " Hey, get out-"
Rob Simmelkjaer: Good boss.
Harry Chandler: Yeah. He's like, " Go home, and come back when you
Harry Chandler: know what you want to do." And I'm like, " Okay, I will." So
Harry Chandler: I ended up going to get my masters. Then I
Harry Chandler: went to go work at a company called Global Orange
Harry Chandler: Development, headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan. I was their store
Harry Chandler: development coordinator. So I helped franchisees find the best socioeconomic
Harry Chandler: location, bid their build- outs to contractors, hire in new
Harry Chandler: staff, and then I moved on to the next one. It
Harry Chandler: wasn't fulfilling for me, but it was a great opportunity
Harry Chandler: to learn in practice. So from there I went back to
Harry Chandler: Playmakers, of course, worked for JB a little bit as
Harry Chandler: a sales associate, then went to footlocker. com and did
Harry Chandler: sales forecasting. So my background is quantitative methods and statistics
Harry Chandler: So I did forecasting. How many Pegasus should you buy
Harry Chandler: next year, based on how many you sold this year?
Rob Simmelkjaer: Something that's very important in the retail industry.
Becs Gentry: Very.
Rob Simmelkjaer: You don't want to overstock or understock. You want to
Rob Simmelkjaer: get it as close to right as you can, absolutely.
Harry Chandler: Yeah. Stayed there for two years. Footlocker did take care
Harry Chandler: of us as far as compensation is concerned. So I
Harry Chandler: was able to call JB, of course go back to
Harry Chandler: Playmakers again, and I said, " I've got to get out
Harry Chandler: of Michigan, man." I was in Wausau, Wisconsin where Foot
Harry Chandler: Locker's headquarter is. It's cold there. Now I'm back in Michigan.
Harry Chandler: It's cold here. " Who do you know?" So he gave
Harry Chandler: me a list of people, and I emailed at least
Harry Chandler: 25 people. And at one point, I get a call
Harry Chandler: back from him that says, " Look, stop reaching out to
Harry Chandler: my friends. Pick a place." So I took a call
Harry Chandler: with Donnie Forsyth and Charlotte where I am today, call
Harry Chandler: on Monday. He sounded so much like JB. Everything he
Harry Chandler: had to save was just reminiscent of JB. So I
Harry Chandler: took the job on that Monday, found an apartment on
Harry Chandler: Tuesday, and was in Charlotte on Wednesday.
Rob Simmelkjaer: And there you go. And you've been there ever since.
Harry Chandler: Ever since I was 12 bucks an hour at the
Harry Chandler: new store when I started. And then I managed and
Harry Chandler: assisted managed Fleet Feet, then reached out, and got offered
Harry Chandler: a job with them just due to my background with
Harry Chandler: Global Orange and store development. And then Scott and I
Harry Chandler: talked in his living room. Scott founded Charlotte Running Company,
Harry Chandler: and he's actually my partner, co- owner of Charlotte running
Harry Chandler: company as well, and said, I don't want to go.
Harry Chandler: But I understand, it's a small business and you can't
Harry Chandler: necessarily give me this. It's your retirement plan. There is
Harry Chandler: no backup. You put everything you have into these businesses,
Harry Chandler: and secession says a rock star will buy it and your
Harry Chandler: family will be able to retire. So he created the
Harry Chandler: position of general manager. So I didn't leave. Thank God.
Harry Chandler: And then another conversation with Fleet Feet, back on Scott's
Harry Chandler: couch, crying again, because that's what I do. I'm like, " I
Harry Chandler: don't want to go. We've got to figure something out,
Harry Chandler: so give me a month." He and I went to
Harry Chandler: Beef 'n Bottle in Charlotte. It's a steakhouse. Well, I
Harry Chandler: like the ones in New York. That's what it reminds
Harry Chandler: me of. It's dark, it's moody. You can hear the conversation of the
Harry Chandler: table next to you. And the quote was, " Harry, you
Harry Chandler: care, and sometimes I think you care too much, but
Harry Chandler: that's what matters to me." And he slid a Manila
Harry Chandler: envelope across the folder for me. This is in 2020. And
Harry Chandler: it was at that point that he asked me to
Harry Chandler: be his partner at Charlotte Running Company, Incorporated. So that's
Harry Chandler: when my ownership started with CRC.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So he went from employee to owner, which is not
Rob Simmelkjaer: an easy thing to do, Becs. And clearly it was the
Rob Simmelkjaer: passion that he had for what he was doing that
Rob Simmelkjaer: got that envelope slid across the table.
Harry Chandler: Yeah.
Becs Gentry: Absolutely. Harry, that is a story of perseverance. It's a
Becs Gentry: story of love and passion. And one, I'm sure a
Becs Gentry: lot of our listeners will be inspired, and if not,
Becs Gentry: feel some sort of recognition of themselves in there as
Becs Gentry: well. But I want to rewind a little bit to
Becs Gentry: high school for you.
Harry Chandler: Yeah.
Becs Gentry: You've said in numerous interviews, what started you as a
Becs Gentry: runner was actually a really darn uncomfortable day. Yes, you
Becs Gentry: said earlier it was punishment. (inaudible) , a lot of
Becs Gentry: people say that. In the USA I can't tell you
Becs Gentry: how many times I'm like, " What happens when you guys
Becs Gentry: go to school? I don't understand your sports teachers here,"
Becs Gentry: because 99% of people I meet is like, " Running was punishment."
Becs Gentry: I'm like, " Do you guys need some new teachers in
Becs Gentry: this country? Because in the UK they're not that cruel."
Becs Gentry: Anyway, let's rewind past that. But you've said that you
Becs Gentry: went out for a 100 degree heat run.
Harry Chandler: It was hot.
Becs Gentry: But that started your passion?
Harry Chandler: That's when I realized, oh, I might like this. So
Harry Chandler: my parents went out of town-
Becs Gentry: Which is absurd, by the way. Most people are like, "
Becs Gentry: Hell no. Way too hot. Going to expire. Bye bye."
Harry Chandler: It was an opportunity to get lost, and it was
Harry Chandler: in a perfect moment, like a time where I just need to just
Harry Chandler: go for a run. I needed to get out of
Harry Chandler: my head. And my parents are going on vacation, and
Harry Chandler: Ms. Joni is next door. She's awesome. Her and her family
Harry Chandler: are still there, but Ms. Joni watches the block. And
Harry Chandler: if anything is going on, she is very aware. So
Harry Chandler: I head out of the house, it's high nineties, almost
Harry Chandler: a hundred at that point, and I just head for a
Harry Chandler: run. So I go down Hollow Brook, I turn onto (inaudible)
Harry Chandler: , and I'm running down there, and I end up at
Harry Chandler: a park. And then I come back. And of course she's
Harry Chandler: coming out of the house and she's like, " Harry, come
Harry Chandler: over here. What is wrong with you?" I'm like, " What
Harry Chandler: did I do?" You know what I mean? I'm stunned
Harry Chandler: and shocked. And she was like, "Get in here. Do you know it's a hundred degrees outside?"
Harry Chandler: So she shoves me in her house, and gives me
Harry Chandler: a bottle of water and has me drink it. And
Harry Chandler: she's just talking to me and telling me, " You're crazy,"
Harry Chandler: and all this other stuff, but she's doing it in
Harry Chandler: love, of course. " Your parents wouldn't want you out here
Harry Chandler: like that." And then had a conversation with her that
Harry Chandler: lasted maybe 15, 20 minutes, and it ended with, I'm in
Harry Chandler: love with running. I like the chance to go out
Harry Chandler: and get out of my head, to challenge my body,
Harry Chandler: to push the limits, which I've done too many times
Harry Chandler: with my stints with rhabdo that I've had staying at a
Harry Chandler: hospital because of it, but I fell in love with running then.
Becs Gentry: Oh, wow. Wow.
Harry Chandler: The sport of it.
Becs Gentry: The sport of it. And you've taken that now. You
Becs Gentry: sound like you are now the Miss Joni of the running, and
Becs Gentry: especially DEI and running. You're like the Miss Joni of your
Becs Gentry: era now. You're watching out for the block, the whole
Becs Gentry: community, making sure it's running right, making sure everyone's doing
Becs Gentry: the good things. So that run has brought you to
Becs Gentry: where you are today. And I had a little look on your LinkedIn. I like
Becs Gentry: to have a little look about how people work, especially
Becs Gentry: in a professional manner. And the amount of people, Harry,
Becs Gentry: who have written on your achievements, " Congratulations, but no surprise,"
Becs Gentry: because you get these incredible awards and you get recognition.
Becs Gentry: But everybody is so loving towards you. You deserve it
Becs Gentry: for all the work you've done. And you are somebody
Becs Gentry: who has always run. There's a lot of people in
Becs Gentry: this industry who don't really run, but they can do
Becs Gentry: business, but you've done both. So let's talk a little bit
Becs Gentry: about DEI in the running world, as well as in
Becs Gentry: the professional space, but in the running world. I don't
Becs Gentry: want to say it's a hot topic, because it always
Becs Gentry: should be a topic of conversation, but in the current
Becs Gentry: climate we live in right now, it's icy. It's like, "
Becs Gentry: Whoo, what are we talking about here? Let's dig into
Becs Gentry: this a little bit." So because you started in high
Becs Gentry: school, because you started as this young kid in such
Becs Gentry: an incredibly tight community, what do you think your first
Becs Gentry: experiences of racial equity and inclusion? How do you think
Becs Gentry: that shaped where you've come?
Harry Chandler: I say it all the time. I was protected and
Harry Chandler: sheltered for sure with the community that I had at
Harry Chandler: Playmakers. It was in the middle of rural Okemos, where
Harry Chandler: somehow there was a mix of everybody that you could
Harry Chandler: think of inside of that store. So it gave me
Harry Chandler: an opportunity to appreciate differences without even knowing that that
Harry Chandler: was something that I was learning. You know what I mean? I
Harry Chandler: was loved on by so many different people of so
Harry Chandler: many different ethnicities, and so many different sexual orientations, and
Harry Chandler: so many different physical abilities. So I would say that
Harry Chandler: in that bubble or ethos is kind of where my
Harry Chandler: grooming took place, and where I grew in the industry.
Harry Chandler: From a racial standpoint, I don't think I experienced any
Harry Chandler: negative contention until I got to Charlotte. And at that point,
Harry Chandler: I had lived experiences, and I had mentorship, and I had
Harry Chandler: people to help me navigate that in a way that
Harry Chandler: I was almost fully proud of. And then in some
Harry Chandler: instances, where I feel like I could have done a little
Harry Chandler: bit better there.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I asked Ted Metellus this. We had Ted on our
Rob Simmelkjaer: podcast last week, talking about him being the first black
Rob Simmelkjaer: race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. I
Rob Simmelkjaer: asked him, " Why does it matter? Why does it matter
Rob Simmelkjaer: that there's a black race director?" So Harry, I guess
Rob Simmelkjaer: I would ask you in what you do and the
Rob Simmelkjaer: role you have in the running industry as an entrepreneur, an
Rob Simmelkjaer: owner, things like that, why does it matter that you're
Rob Simmelkjaer: black? People want to talk about DEI and hold you
Rob Simmelkjaer: as an example, but does it matter? Why does it matter?
Harry Chandler: Yeah. Me being black is a huge part of it.
Harry Chandler: What I'm doing while I'm black is even larger. I
Harry Chandler: preach it everywhere I go that you can't be what
Harry Chandler: you can't see. And in Charlotte, the level of disparity
Harry Chandler: in our economic system, it's tragic, right? Three out of
Harry Chandler: four people born into poverty in our area die in
Harry Chandler: poverty. And it just so happens that the majority of
Harry Chandler: them are minorities or underrepresented people. And if those underrepresented,
Harry Chandler: or those minorities can't see a person like me achieving,
Harry Chandler: and working towards things, and doing things for the positive
Harry Chandler: and better of our community, they don't know that as
Harry Chandler: an option for themselves. We we did a really cool
Harry Chandler: charity here, called Bad Prom, and it's exactly what you
Harry Chandler: think it is. You dress terribly. And then prom king
Harry Chandler: and queen or whoever raised the most for this organization.
Harry Chandler: And one of the subsidiaries was the Wesley Ministry. And
Harry Chandler: what we were to do was to pick some kids
Harry Chandler: up, take them and get some clothes for their mock
Harry Chandler: interviews. So I asked one of the parents, or I
Harry Chandler: asked one of the students to take a permission slip,
Harry Chandler: go get his parents to sign it, so that we
Harry Chandler: could take him to a local mall. And when I
Harry Chandler: named the mall, he said he didn't know what that
Harry Chandler: was. Is that an amusement park? And that's here in
Harry Chandler: Charlotte, and it's 20 minutes from where he lives. So that's
Harry Chandler: why it's important for me to be black, and be co-
Harry Chandler: owning a business, and to be speaking on platforms when
Harry Chandler: they're available, and to be talking to you all today.
Becs Gentry: Ted started his answer the same way. You can't be
Becs Gentry: what you can't see. And that was his whole ethos of,
Becs Gentry: other people need to see me here in this position
Becs Gentry: in order to aspire to make changes in their communities,
Becs Gentry: and do the same as what you're doing. So Harry,
Becs Gentry: you work for some incredible organizations, RIA, Running Industry Diversity
Becs Gentry: Coalition as well. I love those guys. I love Kiera.
Becs Gentry: I adore her. We happen to always end up in
Becs Gentry: the same restaurants together. It's so weird. And we always
Becs Gentry: end up sitting and having food and a chat. But
Becs Gentry: can you just talk to me a little bit about
Becs Gentry: those organizations, and some of the things that you are
Becs Gentry: super proud of, that you've championed whilst being in the
Becs Gentry: roles there?
Harry Chandler: First order of business, stepping into my time as president
Harry Chandler: of the Running Industry Association, was to correctly define the incorrectly
Harry Chandler: defined term of what DEI means for anyone, but specifically
Harry Chandler: for our organization. A lot of people make DEI and
Harry Chandler: affirmative action a synonym, so it's instantly a race thing.
Harry Chandler: Some of those same people don't know that DEI also has
Harry Chandler: provided and made provisions for them, right? DEI is escalators,
Harry Chandler: and elevators, and wheelchair ramps. DEI is nursing rooms for
Harry Chandler: mothers. DEI is clinical psychology, and therapy for veterans. It's
Harry Chandler: so much more than what the three of us look
Harry Chandler: like. And it's meant to make us a community, and
Harry Chandler: it's meant to make space for everyone else. So that's
Harry Chandler: what we're working on now. So we decided to get
Harry Chandler: an advisor to offer us perspective and lens for the RIA
Harry Chandler: that would be coming in, looking at our events and
Harry Chandler: programming, looking at our education, looking at our marketing, making
Harry Chandler: sure that we are moving forward in the correct definition
Harry Chandler: of what DEI is. And I'm very proud of that. We
Harry Chandler: are hiring a member manager who has accepted. So that's
Harry Chandler: a new role for us we didn't have before. And
Harry Chandler: with the RIDC, they know I don't play about them. I
Harry Chandler: love them, 10 toes down for the RIDC all the time.
Harry Chandler: Kiera is a dear friend of mine. Abigail, Betsy, Sông
Harry Chandler: now as the new president. I love them all. And Sông's here
Harry Chandler: in Charlotte with us, because she's with features too.
Becs Gentry: Really?
Harry Chandler: Yeah.
Becs Gentry: Ah. And you are the chair, right?
Harry Chandler: The retail subcommittee.
Becs Gentry: Retail subcommittee. Okay.
Harry Chandler: Yeah. And it's essentially making sure that when someone walks
Harry Chandler: into a specialty run shop, they see themselves. That's the
Harry Chandler: role there. I've been so inspired in so many of
Harry Chandler: our aspirations by the RIDC, including our recreation of their
Harry Chandler: ever famous cookout that they put on at the running
Harry Chandler: event. And we just did our second annual cookout, Community
Harry Chandler: Unity Cookout. Just last Saturday here in Charlotte. We had
Harry Chandler: easily 250 people coming through the shop. We had a
Harry Chandler: speaker come in, Hailey Mangrum. She's a colleague of mine,
Harry Chandler: went to Western Michigan with me. And she spoke on
Harry Chandler: community, and innovation versus collaboration, and what that looks like.
Harry Chandler: And she talked about leadership, and our burdens as leaders.
Harry Chandler: And we had some really good conversations. And we did
Harry Chandler: a group run, which was great. Black Men Run Charlotte
Harry Chandler: led that. We had food trucks, we had music. Kids
Harry Chandler: were playing. We had the street block. It was an
Harry Chandler: old time block party, and it was great.
Becs Gentry: Phenomenal. Phenomenal.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Harry, I'd love to ask you a little about just
Rob Simmelkjaer: the industry now, and the role of the kind of
Rob Simmelkjaer: specialty stores in the retail ecosystem of running. How hard
Rob Simmelkjaer: is it right now for people in that space, who
Rob Simmelkjaer: have smaller stores? You're not necessarily part of a big
Rob Simmelkjaer: chain. What does that look like day to day? What
Rob Simmelkjaer: brands are you carrying? Is it pretty much everything across
Rob Simmelkjaer: the board? And if you're out there as a runner,
Rob Simmelkjaer: why go to a specialty running store like yours, versus
Rob Simmelkjaer: going to a much bigger sporting goods chain, or something like that?
Harry Chandler: Yeah. So we carry about 15 different brands. We try
Harry Chandler: to row in some niche brands, things you can only
Harry Chandler: get from us. And we also include the bigger guys,
Harry Chandler: so your Nikes, your Adidas, your Brooks, Asics, so on and
Harry Chandler: so forth. Specialty run shops. What you won't get shopping at .
Harry Chandler: com, sitting in your living room, is the connection. And
Harry Chandler: that's a requirement for people. We need to be connected.
Harry Chandler: Community is a requirement for us. I say it all
Harry Chandler: the time, that we're a reflection of our community, the
Harry Chandler: people that poured into us, the people that are working
Harry Chandler: with us, and the people that we're serving and pouring
Harry Chandler: into. That's what you get in a specialty run shop.
Harry Chandler: It opened my eyes to an entire different life, and
Harry Chandler: changed my trajectory by just listening to Tony Thomas and
Harry Chandler: stopping by a specialty run shop. Introducing me to John
Harry Chandler: Benedict, who's one of my best friends to this day,
Harry Chandler: and was a mentor then, and poured into me. You
Harry Chandler: don't get those opportunities, unless you come into a shop.
Harry Chandler: You don't get to connect with people that love the
Harry Chandler: sport. You don't get to connect with the people that
Harry Chandler: love the community. You don't get to collaborate with the
Harry Chandler: people that care about your journey in health, and in
Harry Chandler: fitness, and what that could honestly do for your life.
Harry Chandler: Last Friday... I am going to cry. I am.
Becs Gentry: It's cathartic. Let it out. It means you care, right?
Rob Simmelkjaer: I want to hear what happened last Friday.
Harry Chandler: Last Friday, I had an appointment with my friend Brantley
Harry Chandler: here in Charlotte who owns a meal prep company. And
Harry Chandler: I needed to be there between the hours of 3: 00 and 4:
Harry Chandler: 00, so I had a window to go get these pictures
Harry Chandler: taken for some advertisement for her business. And I promised
Harry Chandler: her I would, so I owe her a coffee now.
Harry Chandler: But 3: 28, I'm like, " All right. I can still
Harry Chandler: make it. It's around the corner." And I start walking towards the
Harry Chandler: door, and this lady and her son walk in. And
Harry Chandler: I start talking to them, asking them all the qualifying
Harry Chandler: questions, what brings you in? Any injuries? How'd you hear
Harry Chandler: about us? What are you going to do? And I'm just
Harry Chandler: biding my time. I'm like, at some point somebody else
Harry Chandler: is going to come over here and I'm going to be able to say, "
Harry Chandler: This is ( insert name), and they're going to finish this
Harry Chandler: up with you." And nobody came. And I'm like, " All
Harry Chandler: right, we've got to get to work." So I sit
Harry Chandler: down with her. Her name is Ashley, and she actually
Harry Chandler: is a trainer at the gym I go to, and
Harry Chandler: I had no idea. And her son, Jackson, is sitting
Harry Chandler: down with me. And we're just laughing, having conversations. And
Harry Chandler: I asked him, " What are you going to be doing
Harry Chandler: in these shoes?" He said, " Well, I lift some, I
Harry Chandler: cross train, but I'm also going to be doing some
Harry Chandler: running. It's the only thing that makes me happy." And
Harry Chandler: he said that. And I was like, " I haven't heard
Harry Chandler: that in so long." Kids coming in, their parents are
Harry Chandler: dragging them in, because they need spikes for cross country.
Harry Chandler: And this young man is running, because it makes him
Harry Chandler: happy, and it changes his physical and mental state. And
Harry Chandler: I said out loud to him, I was like, " You're
Harry Chandler: going to make me cry, man." And his mom said
Harry Chandler: the same thing, " I'm going to cry too." So she
Harry Chandler: started up, and then I started up. And then we
Harry Chandler: finished up the process, and then they left. And I
Harry Chandler: called Jen. And I said, " Jen, I'm going to make
Harry Chandler: your day right now. One of your trainer's sons came
Harry Chandler: in and got some shoes from us, and he said
Harry Chandler: that running's the only thing that makes him happy." Before I
Harry Chandler: could get it out, she said, " Harry, I know exactly who
Harry Chandler: you're talking about." And out of their privacy, I won't
Harry Chandler: go too far into the conversation, but that young man
Harry Chandler: is living in, and overcome a very dark time. And
Harry Chandler: because of running, he was able to dig himself out of it.
Becs Gentry: That's beautiful. And so lucky that he has found that
Becs Gentry: as well.
Harry Chandler: Yeah. You don't get that online.
Becs Gentry: You do not. You do not get that online. And he's probably
Becs Gentry: looked at you, and thought that maybe Harry could be
Becs Gentry: a mentor to you, or the inspiration. And the happiness that
Becs Gentry: you gave him in that interaction maybe ignited something even
Becs Gentry: more in that love for running.
Rob Simmelkjaer: One of the other things you don't really get online
Rob Simmelkjaer: is learning about yourself as a runner, right? Those questions
Rob Simmelkjaer: you ask, if you're an experienced runner or a new
Rob Simmelkjaer: runner, there's a lot to learn about ourselves as runners.
Rob Simmelkjaer: What kind of strides do we have? What kind of
Rob Simmelkjaer: strike do we have when our foot touches the ground?
Rob Simmelkjaer: What injuries maybe we might be more prone to, because
Rob Simmelkjaer: of the way that we run? And what kind of
Rob Simmelkjaer: shoes, or orthotics, or other things we might need to
Rob Simmelkjaer: help us run with longevity and health, as well as
Rob Simmelkjaer: of course, whatever speed we're trying to achieve. So running
Rob Simmelkjaer: is such a personal thing. There's so many ways to
Rob Simmelkjaer: run out there. You go to a race, and you
Rob Simmelkjaer: look at ten people go by, they're all going to
Rob Simmelkjaer: have something a little different going on, stride length, what
Rob Simmelkjaer: their arms are going to be doing, how their leg
Rob Simmelkjaer: falls, how their foot hits the ground. It's just so
Rob Simmelkjaer: personal, Harry. And there's no right way or wrong way.
Rob Simmelkjaer: There's ways coaches might tell you to do things, but
Rob Simmelkjaer: at the end of the day, what gets you from
Rob Simmelkjaer: point A to point B is the right way. But
Rob Simmelkjaer: there's so much personalization that runners really need to be
Rob Simmelkjaer: healthy and successful.
Harry Chandler: Yeah, absolutely.
Becs Gentry: Yeah. Our beautiful differences. One thing I love about the in-
Becs Gentry: store situation, and especially with younger teenagers, that sort of
Becs Gentry: age of kids who either are punished at school, or
Becs Gentry: they love it, is the fashion that comes with it.
Becs Gentry: And it's so easy online to just go onto whatever big
Becs Gentry: brand is of the moment and think, oh, I saw
Becs Gentry: my favorite musical artist wearing that brand, so I'm going
Becs Gentry: to buy those running shoes, but they don't suit you.
Becs Gentry: And then the punishment, and the pain and everything just
Becs Gentry: gets worse, and the running love dissipates. But you come
Becs Gentry: into a store like yours, and you get to actually
Becs Gentry: have those conversations. You get somebody who is going to
Becs Gentry: show you even deeper care for you and your running,
Becs Gentry: to find something that fits. It may not be the
Becs Gentry: coolest of shoes, but I think that it's really important for
Becs Gentry: us to keep going, that coolness and fashion isn't always
Becs Gentry: comfort. Anyone who's ever worn high heels can tell you
Becs Gentry: that. But it's definitely that personal interaction where again, you
Becs Gentry: are going to look at that young man and help
Becs Gentry: him on this journey to even more passion. And it's
Becs Gentry: like a running glow up for him. He loves it
Becs Gentry: already, and you've just got him these new kicks that
Becs Gentry: are going to excel for him. And that's just so
Becs Gentry: cool, because he's going to remember his mom obviously, every
Becs Gentry: time he looks at those shoes, because she got them
Becs Gentry: for him and went with him. But he's going to
Becs Gentry: remember you as well, which that's heartfelt. And to me
Becs Gentry: from having read a lot about you, that's how I
Becs Gentry: feel your journey is. People are going to have these little nuanced moments of, "
Becs Gentry: Wow. Yeah, that was Harry, and Harry did that for me, with me,
Becs Gentry: to inspire me and better me." It's so beautiful, but
Becs Gentry: oh, my goodness.
Harry Chandler: If anyone knows me, they'll tell you I cringe at
Harry Chandler: recognition and accolades. I do. If you read my bio, I start sweating, I want to throw up. And it's just like,
Harry Chandler: hurry up and finish, get to the last sentence. But
Harry Chandler: I just want to serve people. I do. And I found
Harry Chandler: out long ago that that was what my calling was.
Harry Chandler: I didn't know in what capacity it would be. I
Harry Chandler: didn't know how it would evolve. I didn't know it
Harry Chandler: would be anything past tying shoes on people's feet. You
Harry Chandler: know what I mean? And once you fully set into
Harry Chandler: what it is that you're supposed to do, and achieve
Harry Chandler: some type of self- awareness in that and start working
Harry Chandler: towards it, everything just falls into line where it's supposed to.
Rob Simmelkjaer: So Harry, I'm sure there's somebody out there listening to
Rob Simmelkjaer: this podcast who loves running, and would love to make
Rob Simmelkjaer: it their livelihood, start a business, get into this sport,
Rob Simmelkjaer: and really become part of the industry. Regardless of their
Rob Simmelkjaer: background, Harry, what advice would you give someone who wants
Rob Simmelkjaer: to be part of this industry? Who wants to be
Rob Simmelkjaer: an entrepreneur, and really grow a business in this space?
Harry Chandler: You have to work in a specialty run shop if
Harry Chandler: it's your intention to own and operate one. So I
Harry Chandler: would start there. You need to learn the fit process.
Harry Chandler: You need to learn buying patterns. You need to learn
Harry Chandler: accounting. You're going to be a janitor, so just get
Harry Chandler: ready for it, right? You're going to be a therapist,
Harry Chandler: so get ready for that too. There's HR. It's continued
Harry Chandler: ed, for sure. So any opportunity you have to connect
Harry Chandler: with someone who has the capacity, and you can spend
Harry Chandler: some time in a shop, I would 1000% say, start
Harry Chandler: there. Yeah.
Rob Simmelkjaer: It really is, that's the base of the pyramid really,
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the running industry, is that specialty runner shop, that
Rob Simmelkjaer: place where somebody gets their first set of running shoes,
Rob Simmelkjaer: or cross- country spikes, and starts to learn about what's
Rob Simmelkjaer: out there. Even I probably need to go into those
Rob Simmelkjaer: places more often, Harry, just to see what's up, to
Rob Simmelkjaer: hear what's hot right now, what people are buying. I'll
Rob Simmelkjaer: probably learn something myself about what's going on in the
Rob Simmelkjaer: industry, just based on what people are buying.
Harry Chandler: Come on down to Charlotte, North Carolina. I love house
Harry Chandler: guests. I just had Dave Patterson from Brooks stay at
Harry Chandler: my house.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Nice.
Harry Chandler: I tell people all the time, " If you're in town,
Harry Chandler: don't get a hotel. Pop by."
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right. You wouldn't have to ask me twice, especially in
Rob Simmelkjaer: this weather. Yes, I'll happily come on down.
Becs Gentry: Watch out, or you're going to have us down there. Harry, when it comes to using social
Becs Gentry: media and your platform to promote the work you're doing,
Becs Gentry: to promote racial equity and inclusion in the running space,
Becs Gentry: what advice would you give to the younger generations right
Becs Gentry: now, in order to keep doing that successfully?
Harry Chandler: Be responsible, right? It's your burden, because it's your platform
Harry Chandler: to serve your specific community in the way that suits
Harry Chandler: them. I say it all the time, collaborate, don't exploit.
Harry Chandler: So what is missing? What is needed? How can you
Harry Chandler: work together with that community and your platform, to bring light
Harry Chandler: to it? Be specific about what it is, the messaging
Harry Chandler: that you want out there, because once it's on social,
Harry Chandler: it's there forever, regardless of if you hit delete or
Harry Chandler: not. And just have intention, right? What are your goals?
Harry Chandler: What are your values? Who is your community? Again, I
Harry Chandler: circled back and I've probably said it 32 times, but
Harry Chandler: there's an audience that I'll have that Rob won't. And
Harry Chandler: there's an audience that Rob has that I'll never get. And
Harry Chandler: the same thing for you, Becs, and so on and so
Harry Chandler: forth. And in those different audiences are the communities that
Harry Chandler: we were talking about, the people before you, the people
Harry Chandler: with you, the people coming after you. So you have
Harry Chandler: to consider them, and consider them with care when you're
Harry Chandler: doing it. Integrity and consistency goes such a long way.
Harry Chandler: Kindness goes such a long way. And if you carry
Harry Chandler: just those, that base value with you, as you're making
Harry Chandler: your journey towards whatever it is and you're emerging as
Harry Chandler: a leader, and a speaker, and an influencer, you won't miss.
Harry Chandler: You can't.
Rob Simmelkjaer: A hundred percent. Absolutely right.
Becs Gentry: Collaborate, don't exploit. I wrote that down, because that really
Becs Gentry: just hit the chord in me.
Rob Simmelkjaer: I love it.
Becs Gentry: If you hear that in the Peloton class, I promise you I will be quoting
Becs Gentry: you, but I love that so much. It's a great,
Becs Gentry: concise way of explaining how to be responsible on social.
Becs Gentry: Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Yeah. No, it's really good. So Harry, what are your
Rob Simmelkjaer: future plans for the Charlotte Running Company business? Expansion plans?
Rob Simmelkjaer: You got some new stores you want to open up,
Rob Simmelkjaer: or expand outside Charlotte, take over North Carolina or the
Rob Simmelkjaer: Southeast? What's the plan?
Harry Chandler: I'd say, I'm the optimist and my business partner's the
Harry Chandler: realist, because I'm like, " Yes, 75 stores, let's get it
Harry Chandler: going." And then Scott's like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's go
Harry Chandler: over to South Carolina and look at the new shopping
Harry Chandler: center that's opening, and let's talk about it in two
Harry Chandler: to three years." We just expanded our Riverwalk store to
Harry Chandler: 3000 square feet. So it is beautiful. There's a bar
Harry Chandler: in there, and Brooks poured like a lacquer over the
Harry Chandler: top of the bar. Customers dropped off all their medals,
Harry Chandler: so they can come in and get a beer, and
Harry Chandler: see their medals. We're right on the Catawba River. But
Harry Chandler: for us, honestly, I would love to see new stores.
Harry Chandler: I would love the opportunity to offer and/ or provide
Harry Chandler: what JB did to me, and what Scott did to me.
Harry Chandler: For example, being Armani McDonald. He manages our Dilworth store.
Harry Chandler: And should he choose, and his family choose to stay
Harry Chandler: with us, there's every intention of making sure that he
Harry Chandler: has that opportunity. So those are my goals for us.
Harry Chandler: I have been talking about, praying about, writing about a
Harry Chandler: fitness foundation, forever. We talked earlier about the disparity in
Harry Chandler: economics and wealth here in Charlotte. And a lot of
Harry Chandler: private schools, even our public schools are all pay to
Harry Chandler: play. And I don't know if I believe that you
Harry Chandler: should have to pay to experience fitness. Far be it for us
Harry Chandler: to gate keep running, and you can't join the team
Harry Chandler: if you don't pay $1, 200, or you can't play football
Harry Chandler: if you don't pay $ 2, 400 and buy all the
Harry Chandler: equipment, because you can't afford travel. So I want to
Harry Chandler: find some way to work with the city of Charlotte
Harry Chandler: school system, Charlotte Running Company, any other network of friends
Harry Chandler: that I have here, so that we can bring that to
Harry Chandler: use, and so that they can get the opportunity to
Harry Chandler: have what I'm sure we've all felt at some point
Harry Chandler: about the sport of running, or any other sport or
Harry Chandler: activity that they want to be involved in.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Well, Harry, as our listeners can tell, you are a
Rob Simmelkjaer: force of nature. You are doing so much in this
Rob Simmelkjaer: industry, not just as an entrepreneur and a business person,
Rob Simmelkjaer: but really as a real leader in the sport, and
Rob Simmelkjaer: making the sport a more inclusive place. So we appreciate
Rob Simmelkjaer: everything you're doing, appreciate everything you do for New York
Rob Simmelkjaer: Road Runners as well, because you do a lot with
Rob Simmelkjaer: us and for us, helping us to keep ourselves on
Rob Simmelkjaer: message. You work a lot with Erica Edwards- O'Neal, our
Rob Simmelkjaer: chief diversity officer, who has done such a phenomenal job,
Rob Simmelkjaer: and by the way, who just won an award this
Rob Simmelkjaer: week at Running USA for her incredible work, and impact
Rob Simmelkjaer: in the sport of running. So congratulations to Erica. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: Harry, congratulations to you for everything you've done. Thanks for
Rob Simmelkjaer: coming on today, and we can't wait to see what
Rob Simmelkjaer: happens next.
Harry Chandler: Thank you.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Annabella Espina has been a proud member of New York
Rob Simmelkjaer: Road Runners since 2011, and her marathon journey is nothing short
Rob Simmelkjaer: of extraordinary. Starting with just a 5K in 2009, Annabella has since completed
Rob Simmelkjaer: 27 marathons, raising over $25, 000 for Team for Kids, which
Rob Simmelkjaer: of course is our charitable fund at New York Road
Rob Simmelkjaer: Runners, along the way. This year, she's taking on the
Rob Simmelkjaer: Tokyo and the TCS New York City marathons, representing not
Rob Simmelkjaer: just her passion for running, but her dedication to empowering
Rob Simmelkjaer: young people through New York Road Runners programs. Annabella was
Rob Simmelkjaer: with us last year, as she prepared for London. And
Rob Simmelkjaer: she's joining us today to share with us how her
Rob Simmelkjaer: Tokyo training is going, and what it means to her
Rob Simmelkjaer: to be on the verge of earning her sixth star.
Meb Keflezighi: Thanks, Rob. Welcome to the podcast, Annabella. How are you feeling today?
Annabella Espina: Hi, Meb. Thank you. I'm feeling great today.
Meb Keflezighi: Well, it's good to be with you again. I know
Meb Keflezighi: we did the London Marathon last year. But what inspires
Meb Keflezighi: you to take on the Tokyo Marathon? And how does
Meb Keflezighi: it feel to be so close to completing all six
Meb Keflezighi: Abbott World Marathon Majors?
Annabella Espina: I made the decision to run the Tokyo Marathon, because
Annabella Espina: I've never been to Japan, so that's number one. But
Annabella Espina: then number two, I figured I was so close to
Annabella Espina: the six stars, and there's a little bit of peer
Annabella Espina: pressure from my running friends who already have the six
Annabella Espina: stars, that I had a little kind of FOMO going
Annabella Espina: into it. And I tried to get the spot with
Annabella Espina: Team for Kids, because I love fundraising for this great
Annabella Espina: organization. And I was lucky enough to get the spot,
Annabella Espina: and I'm now in full mode training. It's been a
Annabella Espina: bit intense starting the year with the training, but I'm
Annabella Espina: very excited for Tokyo.
Meb Keflezighi: And as you should, and you're going to be very
Meb Keflezighi: proud come March 2nd after Tokyo, because I still get
Meb Keflezighi: the pressure. Well man, we got your beat. We haven't
Meb Keflezighi: done the Abbott World Major marathons yet, so you're going
Meb Keflezighi: to be okay after that. But can you tell us
Meb Keflezighi: about your memorable moments from your 27 marathon journey, that
Meb Keflezighi: still makes you smile and motivates you today?
Annabella Espina: So out of my 27 marathons, I've done TCS New
Annabella Espina: York City Marathon 12 times since 2013, because in 2012
Annabella Espina: we were not able to do it, because it was
Annabella Espina: canceled. And then when COVID hit, I did do it,
Annabella Espina: but virtually. So I think my proudest moment is to
Annabella Espina: be almost a streaker on the New York City Marathon,
Annabella Espina: because it is definitely my favorite marathon. I know this
Annabella Espina: conversation is more about Tokyo, but I think that running
Annabella Espina: New York City Marathon every year, and especially being able
Annabella Espina: to fundraise with Team for Kids for that marathon, it
Annabella Espina: doesn't matter if I have a spot, a lottery, I
Annabella Espina: always up fundraising with Team for Kids, just because that's
Annabella Espina: what gives purpose to my running. And it makes me
Annabella Espina: smile to know that with my running, I am helping
Annabella Espina: kids become athletes, or better people, and just make them grow personally.
Meb Keflezighi: Well, we're grateful for all the great work that you're doing
Meb Keflezighi: for Team for Kids, but you've been doing that for
Meb Keflezighi: over a decade. What advice would you give to the
Meb Keflezighi: new people who are looking into fundraising, or mentoring for Team
Meb Keflezighi: for Kids?
Annabella Espina: I think the first advice is to be open and
Annabella Espina: friendly. This is an amazing community map. I think you've
Annabella Espina: seen it over the past few years, being our ambassador
Annabella Espina: for Team for Kids. It is an amazing adult group.
Annabella Espina: Yes, we fundraise for kids, but yes, it is the
Annabella Espina: best community I've ever seen and been a part of.
Annabella Espina: I'm not in New York anymore. I spent 10 years
Annabella Espina: in New York, and I'm in Miami now, and it's
Annabella Espina: still my family. My best friends are from Team for
Annabella Espina: Kids. So I think when you decide to join Team
Annabella Espina: for Kids, fundraise for Team for Kids, you become part
Annabella Espina: of a community, and you get all the support you
Annabella Espina: need for the fundraising piece. You get webinars, you get
Annabella Espina: mentors. Also mentoring, I've been mentoring with Team for Kids
Annabella Espina: since I think 2014, so it's been over 10 years
Annabella Espina: as well, I've been a mentor. And it's just such
Annabella Espina: a feeling of satisfaction, being able to help, not just
Annabella Espina: the kids, but the other adult runners who are maybe
Annabella Espina: struggling with their first marathon, or their first fundraising event.
Annabella Espina: And I don't know. I think that whoever is thinking
Annabella Espina: of joining Team for Kids to fundraise for a race
Annabella Espina: doesn't have to be a marathon, just do it. You
Annabella Espina: will not regret it, because it is really a great
Annabella Espina: community that you'll want to be a part of.
Meb Keflezighi: It is a wonderful community, Annabel. I've been very fortunate
Meb Keflezighi: to be an ambassador for Team for kids. And the last
Meb Keflezighi: night that we do before the TCS New York City
Meb Keflezighi: Marathon, people have even asked me, " Come to dinner with
Meb Keflezighi: us." They're so inviting. And I went to that, and had some
Meb Keflezighi: great time, whether the first time or the fourth time.
Meb Keflezighi: And (inaudible) that just Team for Kids inspires so
Meb Keflezighi: many people. But what do you say to somebody who's
Meb Keflezighi: starting their running in their thirties? What advice would you
Meb Keflezighi: give to adults, and who think it is too late
Meb Keflezighi: to start running?
Annabella Espina: It's never too late. I can tell you. I started running
Annabella Espina: in my thirties. Before that, I would not even run
Annabella Espina: to catch the bus, not do anything. And one day
Annabella Espina: I said, " Let's sign up for a 5K." And I started
Annabella Espina: from zero, like run, walking. It doesn't matter. As long
Annabella Espina: as you move forward, you're fine.
Meb Keflezighi: That's it.
Annabella Espina: If you have to walk a little, that's fine. And
Annabella Espina: also, I have to say, Matt, that during all these
Annabella Espina: years, mentoring and running with Team for Kids and training
Annabella Espina: with them, I have seen people not in their thirties starting to
Annabella Espina: run. I've seen people in their sixties running their first
Annabella Espina: marathon, I think even almost seventies. So it's never too
Annabella Espina: late to, either if it's a dream of yours, a
Annabella Espina: bucket list, something that you just got inspired with, something you've
Annabella Espina: ever always wanted to do, it doesn't matter. It's never
Annabella Espina: too late to start. And with Team for Kids, you
Annabella Espina: always have that support of the training, especially if you're
Annabella Espina: in New York, it's easier. But it's never too late
Annabella Espina: to start, as long as you are committed and you
Annabella Espina: have the motivation.
Meb Keflezighi: I definitely agree. It's never too late. And whether they're
Meb Keflezighi: in the thirties, forties, fifties, or sixties, I always tell
Meb Keflezighi: people to do one marathon in their lifetime. And if
Meb Keflezighi: you get the bag, that's okay, but at least if
Meb Keflezighi: you do it, you know you can overcome so many things,
Meb Keflezighi: and you make friends along the way. So how do
Meb Keflezighi: you balance the physical and mental challenges of a marathon
Meb Keflezighi: training, especially when you're juggling multiple marathons a year?
Annabella Espina: So I'm not going to say it's easy. I think
Annabella Espina: it requires a lot of commitment, and vision to the
Annabella Espina: end goal. During a year, I run between two, three
Annabella Espina: marathons,, and maybe I throw in a lot of other
Annabella Espina: races, sometimes like an ultra marathon here, or a shorter
Annabella Espina: race or a trail. And it's all about balance. So yes,
Annabella Espina: I train. I'm not a fast runner, and I always
Annabella Espina: try to get better, but I also incorporate a lot
Annabella Espina: of mental well- being activities, such as yoga, stretching, at
Annabella Espina: least once a week, just because my body is, I'm
Annabella Espina: not 20 anymore. We have to add more and more
Annabella Espina: of that. And also, to stay healthy with my running
Annabella Espina: this year, so this training cycle, I wanted to turn
Annabella Espina: it up a little bit on my health. And I
Annabella Espina: started also strength training, and Pilates classes to do more
Annabella Espina: core, because I realized that yes, running is great, but after
Annabella Espina: you run all these years, all these marathons, you need
Annabella Espina: to build a little bit better on the muscles. And
Annabella Espina: I have to tell you that I've been in strength
Annabella Espina: training for two months. Yesterday, I ran one of my
Annabella Espina: 18 milers. Nothing hurt. Yes, of course I was tired,
Annabella Espina: because it's 18 miles. You're always going to be tired,
Annabella Espina: but no pain, no soreness. All day, I walked all
Annabella Espina: day. This morning, I woke up, I went to the
Annabella Espina: gym. It's been a big difference. So I think that
Annabella Espina: you have to, yes, running, but also balance it with other types
Annabella Espina: of cross- training, so that your body adjusts a little bit.
Meb Keflezighi: Great tips. I really believe now, the drills, or core
Meb Keflezighi: exercise, or agility helps, especially as we age, to help
Meb Keflezighi: you the posture up, and to run 18 miles and not
Meb Keflezighi: be sore, because that's a lot of testament. As you
Meb Keflezighi: prepare for Tokyo Marathon, Annabella, we want to wish you all the best as
Meb Keflezighi: you earn your six stars. So happy and proud of
Meb Keflezighi: you, and thanks for all you do for the sport, and for Team
Meb Keflezighi: for Kids.
Annabella Espina: Thank you, Meb. I'm very happy to be here, and hope
Annabella Espina: to see you soon.
Meb Keflezighi: Sounds great.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Oh, thank you so much for joining us. Annabella, I'm so
Rob Simmelkjaer: excited for you to get that sixth star. I hope
Rob Simmelkjaer: to see you there at the finish line in Tokyo.
Rob Simmelkjaer: Maybe I'll have a chance to put that medal around
Rob Simmelkjaer: your neck. That would be amazing. Thanks for being a
Rob Simmelkjaer: member of New York Road Runners. Now, to the final part
Rob Simmelkjaer: of our show, today's Meb Minute.
Meb Keflezighi: Winter shoes. When training for a marathon in icy conditions, selecting
Meb Keflezighi: the right shoes is crucial for both safety and performance.
Meb Keflezighi: Look for a shoe with a good grip, or trail-
Meb Keflezighi: specific traction to help prevent slipping. Some shoes are designed
Meb Keflezighi: with water resistance upper, to keep your feet dry in
Meb Keflezighi: snowy and slushy conditions. If you are running on ice,
Meb Keflezighi: regularly consider adding a removable traction device, like Yaktrax or microspikes.
Meb Keflezighi: Make sure your shoes are also well padded for comfort,
Meb Keflezighi: as you will likely be running on harder uneven surface.
Meb Keflezighi: The right footwear can make all the difference in preventing
Meb Keflezighi: injuries, and staying on track with your training. It is
Meb Keflezighi: very important to wear the right shoes, because you're going
Meb Keflezighi: to be running on an even surface, and be able to just
Meb Keflezighi: be comfort. And for me, when I was in Mammoth
Meb Keflezighi: Lakes, California, I used the Yaktrax to help with the
Meb Keflezighi: stability, so I'm not slipping away, and for ligament or
Meb Keflezighi: muscle tears. So be careful. Make a wise decision.
Rob Simmelkjaer: All right, gang, that does it for another episode of
Rob Simmelkjaer: Set The Pace. We want to thank our great guests
Rob Simmelkjaer: today, Harry Chandler and Annabella Espina. If you liked the
Rob Simmelkjaer: episode, please go ahead, rate, subscribe, leave a comment or
Rob Simmelkjaer: a question for me or for Becs in the comments,
Rob Simmelkjaer: wherever you listen. Hope you have a great, great week
Rob Simmelkjaer: of running. For those of you training for big Spring
Rob Simmelkjaer: marathons, stay warm, stay safe and enjoy the miles. We'll
Rob Simmelkjaer: see you next week.