Thank you, New York. Today we're reminded of the power of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on your mark.
The first woman to finish for the second straight year here in the New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman, a smiling Miki Gorman. And why not?
2: 29:30 the time for (inaudible) .
Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes to the line.
Pointing to his chest, pointing to the USA he so proudly wears across his chest. A great day for Matt (inaudible) .
Hey everybody out there and welcome to Set the Pace presented by Peloton. It is the official podcast of New York Road Runners and it's a special live show here today. I'm your host, Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New York Road Runners, and we are so thrilled to be here live in Berlin, Germany at the New Balance Center for Modern Running. As we get set for the 50th running of the BMW Berlin Marathon. We got a nice
crowd here joining us. Make some noise out there for all of our listeners. All right, we're fired up. This is a really cool space that New Balance has in Berlin. It's multiple floors. They've got obviously amazing running technology here. I just had a chance to hang out in some of the compression boots. I needed a little compression because I am getting ready for my first marathon run
in 11 years on Sunday at the BMW Berlin Marathon. I'm incredibly excited. I've been here since yesterday. I've had a chance to go around town, just get a vibe of the city. You are obviously a great athlete, you're great on the track, but being the best successful at the marathon distance both that day and then so many days since then, how has it changed your life?
I think what's changed the most is that I actually realized how big the marathon community is and what it brings to us wheelchair racer. I remember I also talked with Manuela and she always said to me that it's something so different than the track races because there normally we have not many spectators. It's really small and unfortunately not
many people see our races. So when I saw this year (inaudible) , I was completely flushed and I was so happy to see how far inclusion is here. We are really equally treated. We have press conference with the top athletes from Olympics and that was for me reading something new and I was so happy to see this.
It's something about you're on the same course as the male and the female runners and then of course the same course as the 40 or 50, 000 athletes coming behind you, all the runners. There's something about being in that common field on that same day, your daily television coverage, you get crowds that is different than anything else you really experienced.
Yeah, it was just amazing to be here on the same course as Olympic athletes to be cheered from so many people on the road from home. We are tracking. There's just such big community who watch marathon and I love to be part of this.
Catherine, you were the most successful para- athlete in the Paris 2024 games. You won gold in the 400 meters, the 800 meters, the 1,500 meters and the 5, 000 meters on the track. And then of course your goal in marathon. I was like, you and (inaudible) , I bet if you guys should get together and have a meal and talk about how you could succeed at so many different distances at the same
Olympics. How can you do that and do it all that well, but in such a short period of time?
Well, I cannot tell you our secret because it's not a secret, but I think it's a lot of things who actually came together. I have been doing the sport now for 21 years. I think I really learned a lot. I've made a lot of experiences, good ones and bad ones, and I think both are really important to become a
top athlete. I had really good role models in Switzerland, but also a crowd and I have a really amazing environment in sport, but also (inaudible) to really helps me every day to achieve my goals. And I think I made the right decisions the last couple of years. I changed a lot in my life and I had the courage to dream big and to work hard for them.
What kind of things did you have to change? What were some of the biggest changes you had to make in your life to get this kind of success?
One big change was that I stopped working as a primary teacher and honestly I was quite afraid of that step because in Switzerland it's not easy to live from our sport, especially when you are not a successful marathoner then it's super, super hard to live from it. So I was really scared if it's going to work out. So it was quite a risk and I think that was the biggest step actually.
You were teaching, at what age levels were you teaching?
6 to 8 year old kids.
Yeah. Do you miss that much or now being full- time athlete, is it enough? Are you fulfilled as a full- time athlete as you were as a teacher?
That's a difficult question. It's just two completely different worlds and I love both. I mean, being a primary teacher every day is so different. Even if you teach the same topics, (inaudible) day so diverse and I really loved the way also they treated me with my wheelchair. For the kids the wheelchair was never a problem. They just treated me like every other teacher. And once I had an
evening with parents, I remember that very well. And when the parents came I realized that they looked at me really weird and then I felt little uncomfortable and then I asked the parents if there's something wrong and then one parent said, " Well, her kids did not tell that I was in a wheelchair," and they were just surprised. And that (inaudible)
, had goosebumps and I really liked it. And I'm sure I do go back after my career, but right now I live a really privilege life. I love what I do and I can do my passion every day.
That makes me think back to you at the age of eight, when you first started competing in a wheelchair. What started that for you? What was it that showed you this path toward competing as an athlete in a wheelchair? How did it all start?
I was always someone who would like to move. In German, we say (foreign language) . I don't know the word in English, but just I cannot do nothing. And my parents saw that kids camp in Nottwil, that's our paraplegic center and there we could try a lot of different sports and it was love at first sight with wheelchair racing.
And I think Marcel Hug played a really big role for me because he was born just a village next to mine and at that time he also still trained there with my former coach, Paul Udernacht. And Paul came to me when I was eight and showed me that chair and I knew that's my thing. So I started training with Paul and also Marcel and that's where it all begun.
Why does Switzerland have so much success in this sport? You, Marcel, Manuela, what's happening there? Is there a lot of support being given to Switzerland? Is it just a (inaudible) that's been created? What do you think it is?
Yeah, that's true. We have great wheelchair racers in Switzerland and I get this question quite often. I think especially Nottwil is a perfect place for us to train. We have a really fast track. That's also why many athletes from abroad come always to the races we have in Switzerland. We have the Paraplegic Foundation who helps us a lot also financially. And we have the sports mix, we have the chains there. We have
a lot of experts who actually helps us perform. So it's all together in one place and that's (inaudible) .
I wonder, you mentioned the kids you taught and we had our own in New York Road Runners wheelchair, where you were saying trade program. You may be familiar with that. We're training young kids to raise some big chairs. It's been incredible. We added that as the kids go to Nationals in the United States this past year in Alabama. So it's something we're very proud of. And what from
your point of view is impact you're making? Do you hear from kids whether they're in Switzerland or in other places when you're competing that are in wheelchairs that are trying to understand how they can do what you've done?
I don't know if that's so actually, but I really hope that I can be a role model for the new generation. If they are in that wheelchair or not, just in general, my goal is to be a role model to show the world that if you have a dream or if you have passion, it does not matter if it's in music or art or whatever, just follow your dreams and work hard because so much is possible and sometimes unbelievable things happens.
Absolutely. Of course in Berlin, everyone's excited about running on the flat course. That is a big part of why I decided to run this. I'm wondering for you being in the wheelchair of racing sport, what is it like? Does that make it easier as it does for runners to (inaudible)
such a flat surface? How does it change? And being a track athlete where you're first running always on a flat surface, maybe that is a bit of an advantage for you here. Talk about the tactics of running a flat course here in Berlin.
The really nice thing about Berlin is because it's so flat, we have really high speeds and you can just go in the flow and go fast. And there are not so many difficult turns like on other courses or hills where you really need a lot of energy. So it's much more steady. And the last time I was here it was super exciting races, all very fast, and we have a really great spirit in our
women's fields. We work really hard together because we all want to go for fast time. And last year we worked together and we made the time. We probably all never thought it's possible for us. (inaudible) so fast and I'm so proud of what we did last year here.
You do well on flat courses. You do well on hilly courses. You obviously had an incredible race in New York last year. Do you feel that one suits you more than the other? Do you like the hills? Do you feel that you compete well at the hills or would you rather stay on the flat? If you have that one race to win, which would you prefer? Flat or with some hills?
Well, there are a lot of New York people here, so I need to (inaudible) I guess, not that much. Now of course Europe is much more challenging because of the hill and especially the start on this big bridge. But it's everywhere amazing to win if it's a flat course or if it's a hilly course. But New York, I definitely had to prepare
really well with the hills. We found a hill in the Netherlands, which is pretty similar to the bridge in New York. And I remember the first time I went up this hill and said to my coach, " You are crazy to let me up there." And that I was suffering and I was complaining a lot, but every time it went better. And I'm so proud that I could win that race.
They say you can make it there, you can make it anywhere in New York. So apparently you've done that and you're continuing to do it here as well. You must be exhausted after Paris doing everything you did. So you've got Berlin, you've got Chicago coming up, is that right? And then you're going to take a break for a while?
Exactly. It has been a super intense time. I did my first races this year already at the end of January (inaudible) and now actually we went all till now and as we were... Yeah, this marathon only three weeks after the really tough course in Paris, which was actually even tougher than New York.
And this was at the course that the runners were on in the Olympics, but still very difficult course.
Yeah, it was a different course and especially the last from 36K to 41, it was 5. 2K cobblestones, and really hard cobblestones. So we were shaking around that race and I did not realize how steep it goes actually uphill up the Arc de Triomphe.
On the Champs-Élysées.
Yes. I think we both had really mixed feelings about that course because it was just not accessible for us and it was all about the monuments and seeing nice pictures maybe, but I think it was really at (inaudible) .
I mean had you ever raced on cobblestones before? Do you have that experience before? And as you said, those are big cobblestones on the Champs-Élysées. Had you ever experienced anything like that?
No, never like this kind of cobblestones. I mean here in Berlin we have also about two and half meters cobblestones, but they are really easy ones and the last 200 to go anyway (inaudible) so you don't feel it anymore. But I think what we experienced in Paris was something what we all never experienced before.
Something new. We got flats, you've got hills, you've got cobblestones in your repertoire so you can do it all.
But what's the next?
Maybe on a beach? I don't know. That would be about (inaudible) . But you could try anything I guess, there's a lot of different things you can try. So anybody who's been around Berlin this week will see your picture. You are now everywhere thanks to your partnership with New Balance as a part of this
Run Your Way campaign. Talk about that, the campaign with New Balance, how it all came about and what does it mean for you to be a part of this?
It's quite a long story actually. I had this dream really long already to be ambassador of a clothing brand and I realized quick that as a para- athlete, but most especially as an athlete in a wheelchair, it's super,
super difficult to get sponsored by a clothing brand. And I had talks to a lot of different brands and some of them gave me really honest answers and said, " Sorry, but we cannot take someone who cannot stand because for the campaign or photo shootings you need to be
able to walk or stand." So it was tough, that answer, but I was grateful that I actually knew what the problem was because I did not really understand what the issue was. So by a coincidence I met a friend and she told me try New Balance Switzerland. And at that point I did not really know that brand so well and I contacted them on Instagram and it didn't take half a day and I already got an
answer and they said, " Yeah, please join us." And there it all started and I always felt so welcome in team New Balance Switzerland and step by step I worked forward and now seeing here running this campaign in the whole city of Berlin but worldwide that makes me so proud and I actually have not the words for it.
That's amazing. And by the way, I think you'll all agree that you look great in the New Balance sneakers that you're wearing. They look absolutely fantastic on you. So congratulations to you and congratulations to New Balance Switzerland for seeing that possibility and putting the investment behind an athlete like you. Have you started to sense the impact from being featured
in this? Are you being recognized more? Is it changing anything for you being a part of a campaign like this?
I think you should ask me the question maybe in half a year because the campaign just started some days ago, but I'm sure that there will be a lot of great opportunities thanks to this campaign and I'm just so grateful for New Balance that they include everyone. For them, every person is unique and they don't care if it's someone who's blind or in a wheelchair or who runs
just for fun. I mean also here in Berlin, there are so many people running just for fun. It's not all about top athletes and I think that's a great spirit New Balance has that running is universal like music and that should be the goal I think to include everybody.
100%. We couldn't agree more at New York Road Runners and that's what we've seen in the sport, the explosion of popularity, the fact that Berlin is expecting over 50,000 finishers this Sunday, most of those folks are running well over three hours. So it's that everyday runner that is making the sport as exciting and as popular as it
is right now in the everyday athlete. And you are obviously an elite athlete of a type that people are now starting to understand it's part of this as well, so congratulations. So I'm curious for the future Catherine, for you and for the sport of wheelchair racing, what are you hoping to see? Is it new technology with chairs that
you think will continue to see new records? I mean the runners are seeing it with the shoes, obviously the shoes are making a huge difference. What's the technology in wheelchair racing that is going to keep pushing the envelope?
I think our sport is still quite young and we just started and I'm sure that the times will go down a lot and I really hope for our sport that the professionality, how it has been the last years now, that it goes further in everything from material to nutrition, in literally everything and that we really can reach the limits. I think they are most of the time in our head, but there is so much more possible than
we think. And also what I see now in the women's field, we push each other to new limits and that's so amazing.
And for you, after this break you're going to take, after Chicago, have you set any goals in your mind for 2025? You obviously had this 2024 that is going to be unforgettable for anyone for the rest of their lives, but for you, have you thought about 2025 and any goals?
Not yet. 24 has been so amazing and I really need a break and then I will realize it all and then make new goals for the next year. But what I know I will not stop next year for sure.
Yeah. Well we know that you're going to take a break from New York this year and we understand that of course, you need a break, but we still owe you a little something from your incredible day in 2023 in New York. And so to help deliver a piece of hardware that we still owe you from last year, I'm going to invite our race director of the TCS New York City Marathon, Ted Metellus up to the stage and
Ted has a little something for you here. Ted.
All right Rob, I might need your help here because I'm holding and speaking all at the same time and I have some talking points that I want to hit here for you. Catherine, thank you so very much for being a part of the New York Road Runners community and the TCS New York City Marathon your very first time. We have a very special gift for you here. We get
this set. So here we go. We have this lovely Tiffany plate brought to you here and this is your presentation of the (inaudible) Trophy here. So on behalf of New York Road Runners, the TCS New York City Marathon and our team here, congratulations and thank you for the amazing work that you have done, not just in New York, but what you've done globally in the sport.
Thank you so much.
It's a beautiful plate for a beautiful champion from last year and we're happy for you. We wish you luck on Sunday and wish you luck for the rest of the year and just thank you for everything and for being an amazing champion. We'll miss you this year, but can't wait to hopefully have you back in 2025.
Thank you so much for this lovely podcast and I wish you all the best for Sunday as well.
Thank you Catherine Debrunner. All right, so terrific having Catherine join us and I'm going to keep Ted up here for a minute to talk a little Berlin. Oh, Ted's got a mic. Great. So hello Mr. Metellus. It's not our race this weekend, so you can relax a little bit for at least another weekend before we get back to the grind in New York. But what are you thinking about Berlin this weekend?
A lot of things. First and foremost, a huge happy 50th to them. Every time I see a member of the Berlin Marathon team, I greet them with a happy 50th. With great pride, the energy, it's been amazing here. The city's truly embraced it. Lots of the athletes are
super excited for this, so it's front of mind. And also thinking in 37 days we'll be having our own little party with over 50,000 athletes that'll be running through the city of New York. So it's been a great, great welcoming weekend. Lots of love here.
Absolutely. And we're excited. So we're going to get ourselves through this weekend and then it's right back to work and Ted, you'll be back on a podcast I'm sure before New York to take everybody through all the ins and outs of running the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon. So you've got that to look forward to, but in the meantime, I've got a little work to do this Sunday myself.
Yes, what a perfect segue. It's like you've done this before. When you were talking about the work that we have to do leading up to our TCS New York City Marathon. We are two days away from the BMW Berlin
Marathon. You mentioned just briefly that it's been 11 years since your last marathon and in preparation for this, the one question that I wanted to ask you is really kick this thing off is, it's been 11 years, what would Rob Simmelkjaer say to Rob Simmelkjaer 11 years ago getting ready to run their second New York City Marathon?
That's a good question.
(inaudible) .
When I ran back in 2013, I was running with Fred's team, an amazing charity partner that we have in New York, and that was an amazing experience. I had this great community and the training was perfect and the day was perfect and everything was perfect. So I realized that having a team is a huge part of what makes you successful, whether it's Team for Kids, which we're going to talk about in a bit or one of
the many teams that are out there. And so unlike the first time I ran a marathon where I did it all by myself, I learned the value of teamwork. And so for this one, I've had a team as well. I've trained with our group training classes in New York. I've done lots and lots of my training in Central Park with that amazing group training group and our
phenomenal coaches at New York Road Runners. I've done a couple of my long runs with Team for Kids in New York, so I felt some support there. And then I've also been very lucky to have as my running mate and on Sunday, my pacer, the one and only Roberto Mandje, who so many of you know out there is a great head of coaching for so many years at
New York Road Runners, former Olympic athlete. And so Roberto is going to try to drag me through these 26. 2 miles.
You guys have been hammering some miles together last weekend in the Bronx. You crushed it and you had a PR for your 10 mile, correct?
I did. I had a PR by five minutes at the New Balance Bronx 10 mile. Hopefully I didn't leave it all in the Bronx because I got to bring some here to Berlin. But I mean having a former Olympian with you as you go out and run a marathon, it gives you a little more confidence. There's no question about it.
100%.
You know what it does for me and anybody who has run with a pacer or even one of the pacing groups and we've got in New York, of course we've got all those pacing groups that do such a great job getting people through the marathon at their goal time. It just takes so much of the mental stress away to not have to be looking at your watch, looking at a pace band, trying to think through your mind, am
I on the pace I want? It just takes it all away and you've got somebody who's working with you to try to keep you on that pace. Obviously your body's got to be down with the program, otherwise it's not going to happen. But that's got to be there. You got to have the training put in, but at least your mind can rest knowing that somebody's got your back.
Well, you know it's funny, I'm watching you here and you're truly beaming. If you can't see it, you could definitely feel it and hear it on the pod here. And you were talking about running a marathon a little over a year ago and you had a plan and you had to navigate through some injuries and whatnot to get to where you are, but you really and truly sound ready. You are ready to
go. Two days you're going to crush this, you're going to have an incredible experience. Obviously the team here in Berlin are super excited to have you. Tell us a little bit about what is motivating you? You ran for Fred's team before, what and who are you running for this time around?
That's a great question.
Again, I'm crushing it.
You're good, you're really good. We should have you do this more often. I love it. For me, I did not think I would run another marathon after 2013. I had no plans to. I think being around this community as I am day in and day out, it's just hard not to be inspired by it. And it's impossible in
fact. And whether it's in New York or going to the other Abbott World Marathon Majors and being in these places with all these inspirational people, I just couldn't show up again and be like, " Okay, I'm going to watch this thing." I just had to be a part of it. And for me it's special because you remember I did take a shot at running Chicago last year.
Yes, correct.
And I got injured over the summer and had to call that off. And so I looked ahead to this year knowing it was the 50th anniversary in Berlin, knowing I was going to be here to help them celebrate that. I just thought, well, why not give it another shot? And the training went better. I think I ramped up at a better pace and so I was able to
avoid injuries. And it reminds me, Ted, of what I said at the starting line of our marathon last year and what I'm going to say this year, and I think every year, which is to all the runners at the starting line, congratulations. Because it is really hard to get to the starting line of a marathon. I tried and failed last year. It looks like I'm getting to the starting line this year if nothing befalls me in the next
48 hours. And I am proud to have gotten to the starting line of another marathon now at my advanced age of 50 something. So it's exciting to do it and it's exciting to be here to share it with you. I know I'll see you at the finish line.
100%.
So many of our colleagues at Road runners, we've got a lot of employees and colleagues of ours running, so many New York Road Runners members out there as well. Team for Kids members who are about to have a conversation with one of them. So thanks Ted for coming up and chatting with me for a couple of minutes. I appreciate it.
Absolutely. I want to wish you the best. I've been putting you in bubble wrap to make sure you're safe and there's no issues. Really inspired by your story. I also ran the 2013 TCS New York City Marathon, so maybe one day you'll inspire me to run another one.
I'm going to start working on that.
All right.
The day after our marathon. As soon as it's over, I'll start to inspire you to run again.
Without a doubt. Well listen, best of luck. We'll be cheering for you for 26. 2 strong miles on Sunday and looking forward to you at the finish line for what will be one of the greatest celebrations ever.
Thank you my friend. Ted Metellus, the race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. Thank you, Ted. All right, now on to today's member moment. She's taking on her first ever international marathon this Sunday in support of Team for Kids, which of course is the charity program for
New York Road Runner's youth and community programs. Arlene Rivera had always dreamed of running the TCS New York City Marathon, but it wasn't until 2022 after facing a particularly tough year that she decided it was time to pursue her marathon dreams. And when she sets her mind to something, Arlene sees it through. In less than two years, she has now completed multiple half- marathons, conquered her first
marathon at the California International Marathon. And if all goes well, she will count three marathons in the next five weeks. That is crazy. The BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday, then the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and then of course the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon. So let's welcome up to the stage Arlene Rivera. Welcome. Thanks for coming. Welcome to Set the Pace.
Thank you for having me.
Great to see you. Great to have you as a part of Team for Kids. You guys are incredible. I actually am running in support of TFK as well for my run, but talk to me about getting into this world of marathons. You jumped into your first half- marathon with only three and a half weeks of training.
Yes. I'm a little bit crazy. I just took a leap of faith and I decided that I wanted... I had this goal to run the marathon and I just went on the New York Road Runners website and I saw the (inaudible) was coming up, my birthday was coming up and I said, " Hey, why not? Let's see." It was actually all full register and I entered regardless and I ended up getting an email and they're saying, " Hey, you were
on this waiting list." And I'm looking at the timeline. I'm like, " Wait, I only have three and a half weeks to..." Was December. I was like, "I have only three and a half weeks to do this." And I just set my mind to it and I just decided this is what I'm going to do.
I always wonder with people who dive into running and not as a 15- year- old, but as an adult, what it was? What was the why for you? I mentioned in the intro that you had a difficult year at one point. What inspired you to start all of this?
I had a difficult year with my mental health. I had some challenges. My family and I were affected... There was a fire in my apartment building and we were affected by that. And it was just like so much was out of my hands, out of my control and I just felt inspired by seeing other people run. And I had done 5K's in the past, sporadically here and there, and I just still had this passion and this goal
that to complete something. I just felt like this was going to be my year to take control of something that I can do this. And so that was my motivation.
I can see how that would occur to you because in life there's so many things that we can't control. There can be health issues, there can be things that happen to us, fires or tragedies in our family. And so there's a lot of uncontrollables, right? And running isn't always controllable either, but you do have the ability to
control a bit, right? The work you put in, the training you put in to running a race, it doesn't always work out perfectly, but oftentimes you get out what you put in, right? So has that been part of what's brought you to becoming a runner this way? Is that controllability and somewhat predictable nature of running?
Absolutely. Yeah. And sometimes I think it's weird to consider myself a runner. I never thought I was athletic. I've always been active. But definitely it's something that I feel that I can control. I can control how much energy I put into it, my training, my nutrition, and basically that's really it.
We make a big deal of our final finisher at the TCS New York City Marathon every year. You had the experience of being a final finisher, not in New York, but I'm told at your first marathon in California, at the California International Marathon. And that ended up being a big story. You were on the news. What was it like that experience of being the final finisher and what did you take from that?
It was amazing. Honestly, around mile 18 and 19, I wanted to quit. I thought this is a terrible idea.
We're not the first to think that at mile 19 of a marathon.
I called my husband on the phone, the plan was for him to meet at about mile 23 and I called him on the phone and I was like, " This is stupid. I don't know why I decided to do this. I just want to go home. I want to go home. Get on the plane right now, go to the airport. I just want to go home." And he was like, " No, you can do this. I'm going to meet you." So he ended up taking an Uber,
he remember between 18 and 19. And I also had a friend who, his name is Hassan, he was at the finish line and he kept texting me. He was like, " It's all just one single digits from here. You're going to make it." Between him and my husband, they all in this group chat texting and we're like, we're just going to continue to do this. And I made it to the finish line. I was surprised to see that there was people
there because they were taking everything down. The roads are being open, I'm running against traffic. My poor husband carrying my bag, my hydration vest. I was feeling exhausted. And Project Finish was there and it was their first year to be at the California International Marathon. And so it was nice for me to be met with people. And then I was
surprised when the local news was there. They're like, " We want to interview the last finisher because we never get to see who the last finisher is. We never get to see who the last person to cross that finish line is."
It was like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? You feel like you phoned a friend, right?
Yes, they were my lifeline.
Got on the phone... Lifeline and got you to the finish line.
Absolutely.
I love it. I love it. So this is your first international marathon. Mine too, by the way.
Yes.
So what got you to get on a plane, fly to Germany to give this a go?
So I have the goal to do all the majors. I said I did a half- marathon, I did one in California and I said, what's the next big thing? Talking with my other running friends and they're like, you know, Berlin is coming up. You can run with TFK. And I ran with TFK before for the Brooklyn half. I reached out to them. There were no spaces available. They were like, " Oh, you could get
on the waiting list." So I said, " Oh, you know what, if it happens, it happens, if it doesn't..." And I get an email a few months later and they said there's a spot available, first come, first serve. And I was at the dentist's office actually reading my emails and I told the dentist, " Hold on one moment, I have to fill something out really quickly on my phone." And she was like, "
Okay, take your time." I was filling this out because I was just so excited. And then I'm texting my husband like, " Guess what? We're going to Berlin." And he's like, " What?" Yeah, that was my motivation.
I love it. So the cleaning could wait, you had to fill out immediately, added to Berlin.
Yeah, absolutely.
It makes sense. And you mentioned Team for Kids. What does it mean for you to do it with that team? It's such an incredible community. There'll be a breakfast the day before the marathon. I'll come as a member of the team as well. But for those who've never done it, what does it mean, not just to run these races, but to do it with Team for Kids?
Just being able to be part of a community that wants to keep our youth active, educated, and not just the youth, the community that we live in and supporting that and raising funds for that. It means a lot to me because I used to teach in New York City public school system and I taught art to ninth
graders and middle school. And sometimes not having the actual space for a gym or to have activities and Team for Kids gives teachers those tools so they can keep the kids active. They need to be active. Kids now are not as active as they were when I was growing up. I rode my bike everywhere. And just having them active, they can use the classroom, they can use a
multipurpose space, a lunchroom. They just get those tools to keep the kids motivated.
I couldn't have said that better myself. That was beautiful. You clearly have been listening at all those Team for Kids get togethers.
Absolutely.
So thank you so much for that. Thank you for running with Team for Kids, and I just want to wish you all the best on Sunday. I hope you have a great day and I hope to see you at the finish line.
Yes, absolutely.
Both of us with our medals on, right?
Absolutely.
Let's do this. We'll do it with a selfie, with medals. Sound like a date?
Absolutely. Yes.
Let's do it. Yes, absolutely.
Thank you.
All right, Arlene Rivera, thank you so much and appreciate having you here. And that does it for another episode of Set the Pace, an incredible set of guests, great conversations. Want to thank again, Catherine Debrunner, my friend Ted Metellus, Arlene as well. If you like this episode, please make sure you go ahead, subscribe, rate, leave a comment
for the show. I'll be back in the States with my friend Becks next week to talk about Berlin and everything coming up this fall. Everybody out there with your training or you're racing this weekend, have a great one. Good luck and enjoy the miles. We'll see you next week.
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