Set the Pace

Latest Episodes:

Finding Their Stride: Becs and Her Partner Austin Curtis Chat About the Joys of Running and Parenting Aug 08, 2024

Show notes

This week, Becs is flying solo as Rob is off in Paris for the final week of the Olympics. She’s joined by her partner Austin Curtis as they talk about how they met, how he transitioned from hockey to running, and the joys of raising their daughter Tallulah. Austin grew up in the Philadelphia area and played hockey as a child and into college until he turned to running as an adult. He ran his first marathon in 2015 in Philadelphia with his sister, finishing in just under five hours. After training competitively with a friend, he ran his second marathon in 2019 in New Jersey finishing in 2:57! He talks about what it took to cut two hours off his marathon time, what it’s like running with Becs (she pushes the pace!), and what’s ahead.
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Paralympic Power Couple Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike take on the Paris Paralympic Games. Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

Today on Set The Pace, we sit down with Paralympic legends Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike as they prepare for the Paris Paralympic Games. With an incredible collection of medals across multiple sports, Masters and Pike share their personal journeys and the challenges they've overcome. As a powerhouse couple, they discuss their competitive spirit, the support they offer each other, and the drive that fuels their relentless pursuit of athletic excellence. From the intense training regimens to the deep connection they share, today's conversation delves into what it takes to be at the pinnacle of Paralympic sports.
LINKS:
Oksana Master's memoir - The Hard Parts, A Memoir of Courage and Triumph
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Pushing the Limits of Adaptive Training with Peloton Instructor Logan Aldridge Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

Peloton Interactive Instructor Logan Aldridge opens up to hosts Rob and Becs about the tragic wakeboarding accident that led to him losing his left arm when he was just 13 years old. Logan eventually had to learn to adapt to a new way of doing daily tasks like writing with his right hand as he was lefthanded before the accident. Inspired to be the best he could be physically, he started working out regularly, adapting exercises along the way. Now as an adaptive training specialist, Logan empowers other trainers and athletes to find ways to adapt workouts to meet each individual’s fitness needs. He ran his first marathon last year and is setting his sights on running the TCS New York City Marathon on November 3.
Join the Set the Pace team as we close out Disability Pride Month with Logan Aldridge, adaptive training specialist and Peloton Interactive instructor.
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New York Nico Scouts for Talent at the TCS New York City Marathon Jul 18, 2024

Show notes

Our guest this week is Nicolas Heller, otherwise known as New York Nico. NY Nico shines a spotlight on the extraordinary lives of everyday New Yorkers, proving that any true New Yorker can be the next new talent. Born and raised in NYC, he was affectionately called the “mayor of 16th Street” as a kid for befriending nearly everyone in the neighborhood. NY Nico's video from last year's TCS New York City Marathon finish line was a moving tribute to more than 50,000 runners. Now, as NYRR seeks to tell more marathon stories, we will be partnering with him to document runners’ journeys to the start and their emotional moments crossing the finish line. Tune in to learn more about this project and how you can share your story.
LINKS:
@newyorknico
New York Nico's Guide to NYC
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Becs Goes Around the World in 7 Days with Ultra-Marathoner David Kilgore Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

One of the world’s best ultramarathoners, David Kilgore, joins Set the Pace this week. He is the current reigning champion of the World Marathon Challenge®, where competitors run 7 marathons on each of the 7 continents in 7 days. David completed 6 of the 7 marathons in under 3 and a half hours, the seventh being his fastest, which he finished in an astonishing 2 hours 41 minutes and 50 seconds. David grew up running cross country and track in Florida and eventually focused on running ultra marathons for the adventure. He talks about what inspired him to take on this ultimate world challenge and what it was like running on every continent, starting in Antarctica, and finishing in Miami. Plus, Becs makes a big announcement about a new challenge that she’s embarking on this year that’s inspired by David’s ultra marathon journey.
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Team USA's Tatyana McFadden and Her Road To the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

"Set the Pace," host Rob Simmelkjaer welcomes Team USA’s Tatyana McFadden, a world champion wheelchair athlete renowned for her dominance in Paralympic sports. Born with spina bifida and adopted from a Russian orphanage, McFadden has won 20 Paralympic medals, including eight golds, and is the first athlete to win four major marathons in a single year. As she prepares for the upcoming Paralympic Games in Paris, she highlights the importance of sports equality and its role in societal inclusion for people with disabilities.
McFadden’s advocacy extends beyond athletics; she recounts her high school fight to compete alongside her peers, resulting in the passage of "Tatyana's Law" in Maryland, which ensures equal athletic opportunities for students with disabilities. Despite significant opposition, McFadden's efforts paved the way for future athletes with disabilities. Her commitment to giving back continues through various programs, emphasizing the transformative power of sports and the importance of community and inclusion.
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On a Mission with Tyler Swartz and Endorphins Running Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

Tyler Swartz, founder of Endorphins Running, joins Rob and Becs on this week’s episode of Set the Pace to talk about the group’s mission to spread positivity and happiness through movement and exercise. Born from his own passion for running and building community, Tyler founded Endorphins in November 2020 while training for a 50-mile ultra marathon. He started posting online asking people if they wanted to train with him because most of his friends weren’t runners. It started with one person showing up to run with him and since then has grown to approximately 18,000 members in 11 cities including New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Seattle. He says that a lot of people in a post-COVID world are lacking social connection and that he created the group as a way for people to meet others who share the same interests and to make new friends.
LINKS:
Endorphins Running
https://www.nyrr.org/tcsnycmarathon/runners/nyrr-team-for-climate
https://www.nyrr.org/getinvolved/donate
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*New York Road Runners acknowledges offsetting alone will not tackle climate change and can only be credible while also avoiding, reducing, and substituting emissions. New York Road Runners follows the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Code of Practice by purchasing carbon offsets only while:
-Measuring our greenhouse gas emissions inventory
-Working toward our Net Zero by 2040 goal
-Fulfilling our reduction efforts: Transitioning to electric vehicles and generators at our events, and Energy Star appliances at our facilities
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Talking with Nikki Hiltz, Trailblazing Pro Middle-Distance Runner and 2024 Paris Olympic Hopeful Jun 20, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Rob and Becs talk to Nikki Hiltz, who has been breaking barriers on and off the track as a professional middle-distance runner in the 800 and 1,500 meters. Nikki is a transgender and non-binary athlete and a powerful advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, and they’ll be competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials starting June 21 in Eugene, Oregon. Nikki talks about their journey to this year's Trials after not making the team at the 2021 Trials and learning to focus on process rather than outcome. They also share the ups and downs of having a partner, Emma Gee, who’s also a pro athlete headed for the Trials, what it means to feel safe, seen, and supported by their competitors and the larger running community, and their dream to round out Pride Month in June by qualifying for the Olympics with a podium finish in the Trials 1500 final.
LINKS
NYRR Runner Dads
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Set the Pace Live at the Peloton Headquarters for the TCS New York City Marathon Partner Forum Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

Check out this special live recording of Set the Pace at the Peloton Headquarters in New York City as Rob is joined on stage by three guests representing three of NYRR’s key partnerships—Anne Valentzas from Mastercard, Tom Carleo from New Balance, and Denise Wolffs from Citizens. Find out why they are so passionate about the partnerships their brands have built with NYRR, especially for the TCS New York City Marathon, to support the over 50,000 runners during marathon week and on race day. But the partnerships don’t stop there. All year long, these brands help put on some of NYRR’s biggest races, including the Mastercard New York Mini 10K, Citizens Queens 10K, and the New Balance Bronx 10 Mile. Tune in to learn about Mastercard’s commitment to women runners, how New Balance continues to inspire runners of all levels, and the work Citizens does to highlight local NYC businesses.

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Mastercard New York MIni 10K Champion Senbere Teferi and Top American Amanda Vestri Jun 08, 2024

Show notes

Join Set the Pace as we sit down with two extraordinary runners, fresh from the finish line of today's Mastercard New York Mini 10k, champion Senbere Teferi and top American, Amanda Vestri. Teferi, Ethiopia's two-time Olympian and the event-record holder, shares her journey to winning the Mastercard New York Mini 10K for the third consecutive year and all the things she loves about New York City. Meanwhile, Amanda Vestri, a rising star from Webster, N.Y., discusses her breakout season, her impressive fourth-place finish as the top American in the race and her road to the Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene.
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SUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
DISCLAIMER

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