The mission of the New York Runners is to inspire people. And from point A to point B, from Staten Island all the way to Central Park. It's not how fast, but whatever you are capable of doing, no gender or age or weight or all those things, getting to the finish line, and " run to win," that's what it is, to get the best out of yourself.
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 Grete Waitz. 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 Meb Keflezighi.
Hello everybody, and welcome to a special episode of Set the Pace, the official podcast of New York Road Runners, presented by Peloton. I'm your host, Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New York Road Runners. And with me as always, my co- host, Peloton instructor, Becs Gentry. We are here with a
live studio audience, because... It's incredible. We're here today with this great crowd because, Becs, it is the 100th episode of Set the Pace.
100.
They keep letting us do it-
They do.
Over and over, and over again.
And over, and over.
And so I keep showing up to do it again, and now we've got actual live people here with us as well.
Actual live people.
How cool is this?
It is so cool. As we'd say at Peloton, welcome to your Century episode. If you ever had a Century run, walk or a class at Peloton, you know what I'm talking about.
It is so exciting, and I neglect to mention where we are, by the way. We're not just live with an amazing audience, but we are at the New York Public Theater, which is a legendary space in New York City. New Yorkers know it as the place that so many incredible performances and shows have launched. Most notably, of course, Hamilton,
which started here at the Public Theater. New Yorkers just call it the Public, right down here on Astor Place and Lafayette. So it's a legendary place. We've got this beautiful theater here that they've given us for the day.
Can I add a UK adage here? I just got told that Adele did her first New York appearance in Joe's bar.
Whoa. I did not know that.
I love that that got more love than the Hamilton thing.
Everybody knew Hamilton. I did not know that about Adele, Joe's Pub, of course, part of this complex, which is an incredible place to watch live music.
Yeah, Adele, I mean, there on the floor. Wow.
So Becs, what I think we can say is this is as close as you and I are ever getting to Broadway, right here.
I would hope. I mean, I don't know about your singing voice, but mine is, my cat can sing better.
I stick to the talking. I stick to the talking, absolutely.
Me too. Me too. And my dancing, good Lord. It would all go wrong.
But it's an honor to be here. We want to thank the folks from the public for having us here. And Becs, I just think back about when we first started this little podcast. You weren't with us yet. Our friend, Meb Keflezighi, he's going to be joining us in a little while. Meb Keflezighi in the audience. Let's hear it for Meb. Meb will be up here talking about life, talking about the podcast, about running.
But when we first started this little podcast, it was me and Meb, a great team here at New York Road Runners, and we just figured, you know what? Let's give people something to listen to while they're putting in all those miles, training for the TCS New York City Marathon or whatever it is.
We need it.
And here we are, a hundred episodes later.
A hundred episodes, a year and a half. So many guests, so many member stories, and tons of races. So I can't even think about the miles and the minutes combined. But thank you all for listening, leaving the reviews and keeping us going, because we do it all for you guys, and obviously our love of running, which is huge. But yeah, and here's too many more, we're ready for
the Comma Club. We're ready for a thousand episodes, right? He's going to be sick of me.
Let's be happy we made it to a hundred. I'm happy with that. But I think for me, my favorite part of doing this is when I'm at races, I was just at a race this past Sunday. We had the Run as One 4M, in Central Park. Who ran that? Anybody run this past weekend?
Yay. Awesome.
It was a good day to run, good running weather, a little damp, but turned out to be a pretty good day to run. And I'm at the finish line of these races, Becs, and I just love how many people come up to me, give me a high five at the finish line and say, " Thank you so much for the podcast. Love listening to it. Where's Becs?" They usually say, "
Where's Becs?" They want to know where Becs is. They all want me to say hi to you, so hi.
Hi. Thank you.
But it's just great that people are finding some value in it,.and I think the value is the conversations and the stories and the incredible people that we've had on the show, the incredible stories that they have. So many of them, which we'll talk about some a little bit later on today.
Surely. Did you run this weekend?
I did run, I did.
Did you break your four- mile PR?
I did not. I did not break my four- mile PR. That's going to be a hard PR for me to break. I was in a really good speed zone about a year ago, and I ran a great time in that, that exact same race, the Run as One.
You got me to do it too somehow.
It's a great course. I love that course because you get Cat Hill out of the way early, and the first mile you go right up that thing and it's over, and then you can kind of look forward to going downhill toward the ends. It's a great course.
And you don't see the judgy cat, which I like.
Yeah.
Yeah. You won't know, you don't know my feelings about the judgy cat, versus our friend, Abbey Fuller.
That cat does have a judgy look.
She loves the cat, I hate the cat. But I love not seeing it. But yes, congratulations to everybody who ran it. It was a bit of a miserable day.
It turned out okay.
I think for running, it was pretty good.
But it cleared up, and it turned out okay. And Becs, April is a busy month. That was really just the beginning of things for us in the month of April, that great race presented of course by J. P. Morgan Chase. The run is one 4- miler. By the way, the winners of that race, Roberta Groner won the women's side, 21 minutes, 27 seconds. She continues to just amaze.
But those hills.
She is an incredible athlete.
Unreal.
On the non- binary side, it was Elijah Taylor who's won a lot the last year or so with 22:29.
Yikes.
And on the men's side, Devin Hart's clocking in at 19 minutes and nine seconds for that race.
That is so fast.
So that was an incredible day for Devin Hart. So congrats to the winners. And we're right back out there this weekend, Becs, with another 4- mile race. This is the Retro Run, that we go. Who's running the Retro Run? Anybody signed up to run this weekend?
Yay. Great.
The Retro Run is, if you don't know, is a run where we invite everybody to show up wearing retro styles, retro clothes, the short shorts, so much the '70s, and the '80s.
And the high socks.
You won't catch me wearing those, but some people wear those. A lot of tie- dye.
You got to ask Quasi, he might tell you to wear those.
Oh, yeah. Our fashion guest, that's right, from a couple of weeks ago. He could tell me to wear them. It's not going to happen. I am not putting those things on. But somebody can do it, and I'd love to see a picture of that.
We want headbands and all sorts, right? The vibe.
Definitely headbands. We want the headbands, like the tube socks.
Tube socks.
Pulled up nice and high. So you got to definitely dust off your best look. Go to whatever thrift shop you need to go to to find some old running gear. So that's the retro 4- miler coming up this weekend. Then on Saturday, April 19th, we'll be out at Icon Stadium for the kids, the New York Road Runners Spring Jamboree, presented by TCS, which is a great event. It's so great to see the kids out there on the
track. And then the month wraps up on April 27th back in Central Park for the Maybelline Women's half, which is an awesome day.
One of my favorites. It's the best.
It is a great race.
It really is. It really is.
Actually, so many women love the chance to go out, run that distance just with other women. I don't know, have you run that race?
Yeah, I podiumed in it a couple of years ago.
Well, excuse me. Of course you did. What was special for you about running that race?
It was my first official race after having Tallulah.
Wow.
Yeah. And I cried hysterically when I ran past her, because she was this tiny little dot strapped onto Austin, and I just broke down. And the girl I was running with, bless her. She, A, at the moment, she was like, " You're a mom?" I was like, " Yeah, that was my baby, that's why I'm crying." And she was ever so sweet. And she's like, " Just imagine what she's going to
think of you one day." I was like, " Oh." That was women coming together, and it was truly magnificent to see her at the finish.
That's really sweet. Becs was just telling me before the show that Tallulah is going to take on her first New York Road Runners race a little bit later this year.
Yeah. She is. And if she doesn't win, you'll hear her.
That's going to be at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile.
Hopefully.
Is that the plan?
That's the plan.
That's what the coaches have slotted for her.
Yeah.
That's her big debut.
Mom and poppy coach have got it in.
I can't wait for that.
I know.
We start them as young as two, if you don't know, at New York Road Runners, and those two- year- old races, I dare you to find something cuter than that thing. These little kids toddling down, some with parents, some without. You said you were going to let her go on her own, right? No hand- holding.
I'm a tough love mom. I'm like, " You can do this by yourself baby girl." She'll be just under three, so I think that's fine.
I love it.
Austin might have another idea. He'll probably be, she's a daddy's girl so he might be glued to her. We'll see.
I can't wait, I can't wait to see that. And then also, Becs, another big thing about April, not just at New York Road Runners, but everywhere. It is Global Volunteer Month, which is huge for us here.
Huge. Yeah.
Because if anyone has ever run any New York Road Runners race, you know how crucial volunteers are to everything that we do, and we're really excited to thank them this entire month. Our volunteer team is celebrating all of you, not only this month but every race throughout the year. And so to that end, Becs, we're going to
have a very special member moment on today's show. Our member's going to be a familiar face to New York Road Runners, longtime volunteer, Janelle Hartman will be here later in the show to talk about her amazing run as one of our top, top volunteers.
Really. And it's also, I know it's not in our show notes, sorry Catherine, but it's Earth Day this month too. And I think that ties in really nicely to our volunteers and all of the great things that New York Road Runners are doing to be earth- conscious with our runs, and we're helping encourage people to hold onto their trash while they're running. Shove those gel packets in your
shorts. All the tech gear these days has plenty of pockets, so use them. Don't use the ground, okay, spread that word around. It's plenty, New York trash... I hate saying that word, bins are, they're big receptacles. Like you have the space to dodge and pop your plastic bottle if you're using one, in. So let's celebrate Earth Day with Healthy Earth Running as well this month.
We will be celebrating it throughout the month. I know we're going to have some clogging events where you can run and pick up trash and other things to celebrate that. So April is a great month. We just need to get a little bit warmer, that will be nice. A little warmer, 30- something degrees in April. Not what we need?
There's snow Upstate. Yeah. Looking for new ways to keep you moving? Step
Yeah. Yeah. But that'll happen, inevitably that will happen.
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All right, well, Becs, this show started out with me and one of the legends of running here in New York, taking on our very first episode, Meb Keflezighi. Meb, I want to have you come on up here to the stage to join us.
Yay, Meb.
Meb is a man who needs really no introduction around New York. I love walking around with Meb on marathon weekends, whether it's in Boston or New York or wherever you might be, because it's like walking around with Paul McCartney. People are grabbing him, they are stopping him. They are taking pictures with him. You really can't go anywhere
with Meb on a big marathon weekend. But for those who don't know, this man is a 2004 Olympic silver medalist in Athens. In 2009 he became the first American since 1982 to win the New York City Marathon. Follow that up in 2014 with a win at the Boston Marathon, becoming the first American man to win there since 1983. An unbelievable career this man has had. I'm just going to
keep embarrassing you, if you don't mind. In 2015, he set a TCS New York City Marathon Masters event record with a time of 2:13: 32. And he's someone we just love having around at New York Road Runners, and we could not have launched this podcast without him. So Meb, welcome back to the show.
Thank you, Rob, it's great to be here. Thanks Becs. I'm honored to be here. And this historic place, what a wonderful journey it has been. Thanks for a wonderful introduction. But New York Road Runners have been a big journey, part of my life.
We are so honored to have you here. I feel like Rob's correct, you can't go anywhere when you are in a city with a major running event, but it is so phenomenal to see, and you're not only known for your incredible contributions to the running world as a runner
yourself, but also as a philanthropist. You have your MEB Foundation, which has been one of the biggest things for you in your life to help runners continue, and help everybody come into running, right?
Absolutely. My running started when I was in seventh grade to get an A and a T- shirt. And when I ran as hard as I could, a PE teacher named Duke Lorde says, " You're going to go to the Olympics." Because I ran a 5: 20 during physical education class and I said-
Wait a second, let's just, say that again. In eighth grade-
Seventh grade.
Seventh grade. Seventh grade you ran a 5: 20 mile. You had never really run before, they just sent you out there and said, " Go run a mile, see what happens."
Just basically my oldest brothers have a T- shirt that says Roosevelt Junior High Mile Club T- shirt. And he told the whole class, " If you run hard, I'm going to give you A or a B. If I see you mess around or go for a run, you're going to get a D or a F." I didn't want to disappoint my parents, so I ran as hard as I could. I was a soccer
player before, but I never ran in my entire life. In fact, when I saw first people running, I saw, what are they doing? They're not chasing anything. So I became one of those crazy people because in seventh grade I ran at a 5: 20 miles. And I grew up in Eritrea without electricity, no running water. So he says, " You're going to go to the Olympics." I'm like, A, T- shirt." That's all I
knew. And he called the high school coach and says, this little one's going to be a really good one. And then the rest is history.
I would love to know the splits in that mile, Meb. I really would like to know whether that was a negative split for you, that mile. I'm going to guess not, since you probably just took off running as fast as you could.
Rob, I took off like crazy because it was not around the track either, it was more, if you're ever in San Diego next to the zoo, there's a middle school, you run around the baseball field, go down the ramp around the softball field and the finish come up the ramp. And he has to have a difficult job because he has to keep a eye on me, but also on the back of the people because they don't
want them to cut. But to be able to just run that fast and for me was eye- opening, and that was my God- given talent. And I want to make my parents proud to get an A, and then to get the T- shirt because I want to be like my brothers.
Fred LeBeau had the quote I often use, " Never underestimate the power of a free T- shirt." And in this case it actually ended up minting an Olympian.
Testament.
So that's pretty impressive power of the T- shirt right there.
Yeah, who knows how many other Olympians have followed that, Fred LeBeau. Talking of quotes, let's talk about Meb's, one of your quotes. Okay. So if you run with me at Peloton, people have heard me say forward is a pace, and that is my mantra because I believe that doesn't matter how fast you're running, as long as you keep moving, that's the most important thing, you're moving forward.
Yours is, " run to win." Okay. Can you talk to us about what you mean when you say that, and how can we apply that to all aspects of our life?
The New York Road Runners have a great, it says inspiring to run in generation to come. The mission of the New York Runners is to inspire people, and from point A to point B, from Staten Island all the way to Central Park. It's not how fast, but whatever you are capable of doing, no gender or age or weight or all those things, getting there to the finish line, and " run to win," that's what it is, to get the best out of
yourself. So when I started that, I was a sophomore in high school, if I go to the state meet and I finished fifth at the state meet, about four people were better than me, that I really have a place to complain, because if I run a PR, that's the fastest time I ever run. Four people were better than me, then that's what " run to win" is, because I
got the best out of myself. And how you can apply that in real life is, we are some of our parents, we want to be a good example to kids, make sure they eat the right nutrition, make sure we introduce them to exercise, because we know like New York City marathons, 55,000 people run across the finish line, but at the middle school or high school, run is not seen as a positivity or it's, " Oh, you're late
for basketball or you're late for football, give me a lap." It's a punishment. But we know that in real life, running is a therapy, running is for the head and mind and body, is huge. So to be able to do that in an example, and I try to be a good parent to tell my kids that, " Hey, you got to work hard. By working hard, amazing things can
be achieved." And an example of that is when I was in seventh grade, my brother got the most outstanding student at Roosevelt Junior High, because my dad woke us up at 4: 30 AM to learn English as a dictionary. And then my oldest brother who had the most difficult, imagine yourself going to ninth grade to a different country and learning the English, and getting the most outstanding
student. There's the trophy that they gave us. So even though I won nationals and other medals, that was the most prominent trophy displayed at our house because hard work does pay off. And I think that's what running is. And the New Yorker Road Runners has done an amazing, amazing job, not only for me but for runners at the elite
level. In fact, the New Yorker Road Runners used to give to the Mammoth Track Club or Running USA, a dollar per entry to help us support to make sure our dreams become reality. So the silver medal, the winning New York City Marathon or Boston Marathon would not have been as much if it wasn't for the stepping out for the New Yorker runs to help. And I know for me they've been a big part of my journey.
In fact, 2007, when the trials were held here, my goal was to win to go to Beijing and win a medal for our country, after the silver medal, maybe preferably gold, but ran amazing there. 2: 06, it would not be possible, but I made it a personal goal
to represent the United States. When I wear that USA jersey here in Central Park, it was my Olympic because I said I can't wait four years, New York City Marathon will be my Olympic, that's why I brought the medal.
Oh, Meb, I've never seen this before.
What?
How cool is that?
Wow.
There it is. He's holding up his medal from-
You can read what it says in there.
It says, " If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. New York. New York."
Oh, that's amazing.
Wow.
I've never seen it, that this is his medal from his win.
Is it me, or are they lighter these days. That's really heavy.
In 2009, we'll make sure folks can see it online. By the way, it's a beautiful medal. Actually I haven't seen this medal before.
It's stunning.
Gorgeous, (inaudible) ... What's that?
We are an historic place, so to be able to be a New York City Marathon champion, to be here, thank you for having me.
Wow.
Thank you for bringing that, that's so cool.
Thank you, Meb, that's so cool.
Meb, we've talked so much over the years, about 2009 in the year you won, and of course that was a year that really puts you so much on the map here in New York and lots of other places. But this whole idea of running to win is interesting because you've had other memorable, he's putting the medal on. I love it.
Why not?
Meb's putting the medal on.
Wear it with pride.
It's my tie.
Yes.
New York's my tie.
Just like all the folks walking around for a week after our marathon with their medals on, Meb's wearing his years later, but he can because he won it.
Because he won it. Yeah.
So you can wear it for the rest of your life when you won it. But Meb, in 2013, you had another really memorable New York City Marathon experience, which we haven't really talked about as much, a different kind of idea of winning. You crossed the finish line that year, hand- in- hand with a local elite runner named Mike Cassidy. Can you tell about that story?
Absolutely. At Staten Island, just as we were boarding the bus, I met Mike Cassidy, a doctor introduced us. And he's a local guy, and I was silver medal and he says, " Hey, nice to meet you. See you at the finish line." But I was not training, I had a little calf strain, but I was healthy, just not the proper training to get me to that finish line the
best I can. But as most of you know that a competitor that I am, once the gun goes off, I want to be as competitive as I can, and mind over body. Right? And then about going five minute pace, I know this is for the New York Runner Marathon, that's 211 pace and whatnot, it's just we're pushing the
pace pretty hard. At 17, and I have a certain struggle, and at 19 miles I remember saying my body lift their right leg up, next try, it was not going to happen. So I have to stop and think about the Hurricane Sandy, in 2012 constellation, and think about the Boston Marathon, think about my dad's journey from Eritrea to
Sudan where he has to walk over 225 miles. I know how to feel to win, I know how to feel to be up in the front, but I was scared that the sweep van or the bus is going to take me in, but I'm thinking in my head, how can I convince them?
Come on, Meb-
Absolutely.
The sweep van?
It was, I was thinking, how am I going to tell them I'm not going to go in because I am determined to get to that finish line. So I bragged about my five- minute pace, but that mile 19 to 20 was 9: 58. It took me twice as long because my body just shut down. I can't go anymore. So people encouraged me to keep going, keep going. I tried. But then Mike Cassidy, from Staten Island, came by
and said, "We have 5k to go, come on, Meb, you can go with me." And I'm like, " I've been trying." And let me see, he got in front of me, I tried to draft out behind him, and then on the downhill I could hold, okay, going uphill. You know how Central Park is. It's a challenging, but we encouraged each other, we support each
other, just keep pushing. And if he really wanted, he could have finished the race way ahead of me, but he helped me get to that finish line, and we came across holding hand. And that's what " run to win" is to be able to meet people and be able to just cherish it. And if it wasn't for him, I know I wouldn't have finished. In fact, I talked to him
today, the friendship that he make with is amazing. He was going to try to make it, but his daughter had a fever so he couldn't make it. But I tell him I was here, and those are the friendship that beyond the finish line that you make and be able to just cherish what the camaraderie of sports is. And I feel blessed to be able to come across the
finish line. And he wrote a beautiful blog. If you ever get a chance, Google his name, and he's almost running in a plane with Michael Jordan is what he says, " And he gave me the last shot to make a shoot, and I sanked it." And he wrote a beautiful
blog, it went viral. And that's the other time that I cried because I was just running a full on runner, not that it meant so much to him, but by saying that it meant a lot to me.
Wow. That's a great story.
That's amazing. Yeah. Big shout out to Mike Cassidy right there. Beautiful. Meb, let's talk about running now. We talk a lot about your... You're giving me a nervous smile. He's like, " Shut up Becs, that's not."
Not right now, not right now. Okay.
Not right now, we're not going to run right now. Maybe he might be there anytime I could ever beat you though if we ran now. What is running like for you now? How has your friendship with running changed since you have stopped competing and changed your routine?
I love to run. I love to train. I think the key to success is preparation, and I did that for as long as I can. And I was 42 years old when I retired from competitive, doing it here in New York City Marathon 2017, that was my last marathon. But then you come through the phase a little bit, how much should I be running? And should I run eight miles, 10 miles? But I'm like, I'm not getting ready for anything, why
am I running all those mileage? So I almost tweeted even to ask people, the everyday athlete, how much is good enough? Because I'm on that side now. But for me, I run about four, maybe five or six miles a day. I run about four, five days a week. If I'm healthy, I like to run every day. It's my
therapy. You enjoy it. But at the same time, I love the endorphin it gives you, it doesn't have to go 20 miles to get that high, but it's a good way to have routine. I love to get it done in the morning, that's how I love morning workouts, get up the day and start that way for me. So it's been fun to be able to just, I'm not worried about the long
runs or intervals. Sometimes you get the itch to do it, but just some people say, which I don't agree with, people say running is boring and things like that. I said, " No, it's not boring, just predict what your heart rate is for the next mile. Just predict what your next mile split will be. If you are that interactive or in tune with your body." So if I run, I'm like eight, 10,
I'm like, " I'm feeling good." Or if he said, " Next mile is going to be 7:43, and it's 7:38 or 7: 35," I'm pretty good. And so those things are good to be able to just enjoy, and I still love the sport, it's done so much for me, and I'm grateful to be able to be a ambassador for New Balance as well.
Oh, that's so lovely. I think for people, our listeners in here, I'm sure there's people in the room who have had different seasons of running. It's amazing to just hear that you run for joy, and you don't think about the numbers per se, on a daily basis, on a cumulative basis. It's just because it makes you feel good in Meb.
Absolutely. I think to be able to exercise is a way of habit, it's a way of lifestyle. We all know that 55,000, whether it is at the New York City Marathon or the Half Marathon or many other things, you have to have a
routine to get out the door. Once you get out the door, it might be cold weather or rainy weather you haven't been experiencing, but once you get out of the door you're going to even run more than you thought because it just give you the endorphin and the commodity. You see people running, you're like, " Oh, I thought it was the only crazy one that
running. But there's other people running too." So it gives you help to be able to just get the best out of yourself.
Sure does.
We were talking before we came up, the three of us, about the fact that between us there are six daughters and no sons. We have six girls between the three of us, Meb, three, two, for myself, and of
course Becs has Talullah. And when we talk about running as something that is part of your life, Meb, there's always the desire I think for a lot of runners, especially somebody who ran at your level, to pass that on in some way, and finding that balance between maybe encouraging, passing it on, but not pressuring, letting kids find their own way. You have a daughter who's a soccer player, one
who at least is a runner, I know. How have you tried to walk that line between encouraging them, maybe giving them a little sense of what running did for you in your life without, I'm sure they don't think you're a big deal because kids never think their parents are a big deal, even though you're a pretty big deal. But how have you managed to try to pass that along in a healthy way?
My wife, Yordanos, and she comes from a background in sports, so we always encourage them to do sports, but running obviously is a special part for our, she ran in high school, I ran as a professional. We tried to introduce them as much as we can, but at the same time you don't want to put pressure on
them. So when I ran in San Diego, they used to come and run with me, " Hey, I want to go to this school, which is 0.7 miles, so let's go jog to the school and back." So they'd be able to do those things, or sometimes they would think on their own. They're like, " Dad, is it okay if I go to the school and back?" I'm like, "
That's good. Yeah, you should do it." But sometimes at the same time, I want them to have their own life, and soccer is interest, a passion of ours, but at the same time they love to exercise, which is a great thing, but routine is important. It's like, " Hey, you want to do sit-ups, you want to do the gym or you want to do push- ups and things like that. I had a time when I was, I used to put them on my back to do
the push- ups. So as long, the stretching, the nutrition, those are good habits to pass on to, and then hopefully they can take it up. Yes, sometimes I'm a dad and they don't listen to it, but hopefully friends say, " Oh, it's cool."
I think they must.
All right, Meb, can we maybe bring you back to the interviewing side of this podcast because we thought it'd be fun to kind of do a little bit of a trifecta here. So we interviewed you and now Becs, we want to turn the tables and ask you a few questions about what's going on with you. Meb, you want to join me? You want to do that?
Yeah, let's do it.
Let's grill her, let's ask us some really hard questions. I mean, Becs, obviously you all know what Becs did last November. You know that she ran seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, which I will never get my head around, to be honest. Looking, I mean listen, it's been what, six months or so since you did that?
Yeah.
Have you gotten to a point yet where you have put that in perspective, what you actually did? I would think at some point it would seem as crazy to you, as it does to me that you did that even though you did it. How do you reflect on that six months later?
Honestly, it sounds really bizarre to say I don't think I have still fully processed it, and you're all probably like, " Okay, come on woman." But there are days when, yeah, I'm like, " Wow, I did that." Or I see the medal, it's by my Tread, and what medals, many of them. But the big one I'm like, " Wow."
How many medals do you get for that, by the way? Seven? You got at least one for all of them?
One for each race. One big one for completing the race, and then one for the Global Marathon club. So nine in total, which was heavy by the end. I was like... But it was, yeah, it's going to take a while. It really is going to take a while. But I will tell you one thing that actually came out today a little in my mentality, is it's really taught me so much about who I am and how I
run. And I got sidetracked this morning. Our studios are closed at Peloton right now for maintenance, so it's fantastic. And I got to go on a field trip with Tallulah, which I've never done, her school. We went to the firehouse, which was so much fun. And I was in my running kit, I looked stupid, I'm in my other brand shoes. And I'm walking along with these tiny toddlers thinking like, " Oh, my gosh, I should be doing
my speed workout today for training." But I didn't care because past me would've been so worried about doing the morning workout because I know I'm terrible afternoon, I'm terrible at training in the afternoon, especially for a speed workout. But then that mentality kicked in of like, " Dude, shut
up. You ran around the world, you had no idea what time was for seven days, and you ran some pretty quick marathons, so you can do an hour's speed training whenever you're done with your daughter." So that was nice to be like, "Yeah, all right, I'm tougher than I think."
Enjoying the moment with family is important.
Way more important.
Priceless moments.
Yes.
But talking about hard, when you are not teaching and it's hard, how do you keep it fun when the miles get monotonous? Like this afternoon.
Yeah. I mean, this afternoon. I'm a big proponent of listening to podcasts. I listen to our podcasts. I do listen to it back and check that we're not going off kilter too much. I listen to a lot of other podcasts. Also, if I'm on my Peloton Tread, I do like to take my friends' classes or watch a new TV show, something that Austin doesn't want to sit on the sofa and watch with me. It's my time, but it's also me
time. I think especially living in a big city, it's very hard to have personal time by yourself. And as much as I love running with other people in communities and in groups, as somebody who is public- facing all the time, somebody who is a mom, lives in New York City, my runs sometimes even when they're really tough, I'm like, " I'm by myself. This is fantastic. No one can get to me."
Having a little kid will do that to you. Any quiet time is great time. No matter what's going on, you're alone. No one is crying, no one asks for their whatever to be changed or something new. So I get that. I'm curious, when you go around, we all go around, we have social situations where maybe it comes up that we're a runner. Maybe it comes up that we ran a marathon. You might mention, yeah, I ran
New York, I ran Berlin, whatever. When it just comes up in a social setting for you that you ran seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. For someone who doesn't know that, what kind of reactions do you get from people? What's the funniest, craziest reaction anyone's given you when they learn this about you?
Why? They're like, " Why would you do that?"
The obvious question is the why?
" Would you do that? Why would you want to do that? How?" A lot of people think I jumped on a Delta flight between each, and they're like, " Yeah, that's not possible." I'm like, " That's not how we did it."
Yeah, connected in Atlanta. Yeah, that would be hard to do.
"I have status, so I got through." No, it's the why? And honestly, I know it may not seem it, but I am a very introverted extrovert. I don't like to talk about my achievements and my accomplishments. I don't walk into the room with that like, " It's me. Look what I did. Ha- ha." It's normally Austin who will big
me up, or other people. Or somebody else will be like, " Aren't you the one who did that really weird race?" And I'm like, " Yeah, that's probably me."
So what do you say? What's your answer to the why, when they ask you that?
Because I needed some downtime.
What is it?
I needed some downtime. I needed to fill my cup.
Downtime, seven days, seven marathons and seven continents.
I needed to fill my cup. Yeah. I had to do it to rediscover who I was, and it worked very well.
That's interesting because I've been asked to do it, and I'm really trying to find my why, because I love to travel, but it's just the seven days kind of threw me off because I mean the recovery, the soreness and all that stuff.
I never got sore, Meb. I never got sore. I know, I think I should get tested for lack of lactic acid or something. Make me do a pushup and I'll be sore for a week. But yeah, that's the why. That's the why.
So we talk about seven continents, seven marathons, seven days. What about the 26.2? I love that distance personally, but how do you convince or tell people that are not marathoners or 26. 2 runners to make the magic, the finish line?
Honestly, this is going to sound terrible. I don't. I let them decide to do it.
That's good.
Because you can't force people to do it. You've got to feel the pull to want to do it for yourself. I will share my stories. I will share my journey, and my adventure on each and every different 26. 2 I've ever embarked on. And if somebody is compelled to sign up and put themselves on that journey, then fantastic. But I'm not a pusher. I'll be there to
cheer you if you want to do it. If not, I don't know, cycling's your thing, great, just move.
It's the way to do it, because nobody has to run a marathon.
Because, no, when you get on mile 17, they want to be cursing you. Right? They could be like-
Exactly. Karma. I believe in karma. I don't need that.
Also as a coach. I just tell people, " I can help you get the best out of yourself. But it's hard for me to see, go down the street, it says, I think you should do a marathon." But once they have the love for 5k, 10k, half- marathon, then they want to challenge themselves to get to that level.
Exactly.
It comes from inside. Yep. All right, so apparently-
We've talked enough about me. We've talked enough about Meb. Let's talk about getting the best out of yourself, and that is we are now going to ask this guy, the CEO of New York Road Runners a few questions ourselves.
Bring it on, Becs.
Yay.
We've done this before. She always asks very difficult questions, but I'm going to do my best.
It's not going to be the interrogation that we started the year with, don't worry. Rob, I want to know, New York Road Runners is a name, a force, a wonderful, wonderful place to be. What are some of the biggest things you have learned about yourself since you've been in the role as CEO?
Thank you. New York Road Runners is an incredible place to work. All of us who work here are so fortunate to have this as what we do every day. I think I had worked in sports for most of my career, mostly on the corporate side. I'd worked at ESPN and NBC Sports, and I loved it. I loved working in those places. I think having a job where you can honestly get up and realize that you're changing people's lives
every day, I had never really had that before. That was why I came here, and I thought it would be good and different. It's even better than I thought it would be. I can't say how great it is to be able to wake up every day and know that the work you're doing is changing lives. And not just theoretically, you don't just know you're changing lives out there somewhere in the world far away or whatever. You
see these people, you see them. I mean some of them are sitting right in front of me right now. I know that in this audience right now, there are people whose lives have been changed one way or another, from running. I see them at the finish line of races. I see them all the time. So that's an
incredible gift to be able to have that. I think what I've learned about myself is how energizing that is for me to be able to have that as my GAOB, as they say, every single day. So it's pretty cool.
That's really cool.
It is cool to be able to be interacting with people as you travel around, but what do you feel is the most proudest that you have accomplished in the last two years that you've been leading the New York Road Runners?
Yeah, that's a hard one.
So many, I'm pretty sure.
We've got so many great things going on right now. It's really difficult to say one thing. I guess the thing I might point to is what's going on with our kids right now, and the kids programs that we have, because I really think that's the heart and soul of what our organization is. It's not what gets the headlines, it's not what people are maybe talking about or
signing up for. All of our races with our adults right up into the marathon are incredibly special, and frankly, they would allow us to do what we do with the kids. But we had over 200, 000 kids in New York City public schools in our Rising New York Road Runners program this year. That's happening right now.
Huge.
That's the biggest number of kids we've had in that program since the pandemic. We started a new middle school running program this year, and at our race, actually, I haven't told this story to anybody yet, at our Run as One race this past Sunday at the finish line, I give out the high- fives as I do at all the finish lines, and a woman fist bumped me and she was a teacher at one of the middle schools
where this program is happening. I haven't had a chance to really visit any of these schools yet. I know that we've got lots of kids doing it, and this teacher comes up to me and she's like, " I just want you to know this program is amazing. Our kids love
it. They're getting so much out of it." And so when I meet people like that, teachers who tell me that it's helping them do their jobs better, and they've got really hard jobs to do, and that job's getting harder and harder these days with budget cuts and the challenges of being a teacher with young people, that is incredible. So I think, for me, that would be the
thing I'm most proud of. And I think we're really just getting started with a lot of these programs that we're building and looking for new areas to go into. But I think that's what I feel best about right now.
Yes.
All right, so we're going to do a little lightning round here, and to wrap up before we bring out our member.
We love this.
To talk about, each of us is going to give a quick answer to this question. Okay. So the first one is, what's the best running advice you'd give to your daughter, Becs?
Slow down.
She goes a little too fast out of the gate?
A little too fast.
Yeah, they do that.
Covered in cuts and bruises.
They do that at two. That's what they do. Yeah. Becs, sorry, Med.
Discipline. Be able to just tie your shoes and plan for when are you going to run.
Love that.
I love it. Mine would be, just start. Just got to start. I mean, my oldest daughter runs cross country. She started, my little one runs a little bit, but the hardest part about any run is the start, always. So you just got to get going. Just take a first step. Okay. What's the best life advice that you would give to your daughters, Meb?
I tell them it is progress. There's no shortcuts in life, and one mile becomes 5k, 5k becomes a marathon or a half- marathon. And in life you got to go through elementary, junior high, middle school. So we'll make mistakes, but just make progress in the right direction.
Believe you can. Believe you can and try. That's for sure.
A hundred percent. I always say in our family there's one rule which is, don't give up. You've got to keep going. You've got to keep trying. Just don't give up until whatever you've done is done, but you've got to keep going.
Got to finish the project.
That's one of the great things about running. The metaphors are endless. The life metaphors are literally endless. Okay. What is your favorite distance to run, Becs?
I mean, really?
Is it obvious? Is it 26.2?
26. 2. I mean, I don't actually enjoy doing it that much. It's painful.
So, what do you like to run? What's your favorite distance?
Literally, if I could just run eight miles.
Yeah, I love that kind of distance.
Joyful
Meb?
It all depends on the shape you're in, but if I have to choose, it's probably 10 miles.
10 miles, it's a nice distance actually.
It is, yeah.
Because it's double digits.
Yeah, double digits.
It's a distance, we don't run it that often. We have of course the New Balance Bronx 10- miler, which is by the way, I always say probably my favorite race of the year in terms of the experience of running it. And you got the Cherry Blossom 10- miler down in D. C. that just happened. It is a great distance.
It is.
I never competed at the high, when I was an elite at the distance, but down at the Cherry Blossom, the distance is 10 miles is respectable and it's a great distance.
Gritty.
And you can walk normal the next day.
Hundred percent.
He's probably running at 4:30, casual.
For me, it's 10k, to be honest. It sounds crazy. When I talk about what I do for a living, everyone thinks it's got to be the marathon. It is not the marathon. I have run four marathons now. I have done it, I've gone through it. It's a great experience. But I love 10 kilometers, because you just get a little bit of speed in there. You get a chance to try to run fast. Feel
the air blowing through my locks. I love that. I love that feeling of running fast. So 10k. Okay. What is your favorite exercise besides running, Meb?
My favorite exercise is to play soccer, but I've been moving so much forward in the last 20, 30 years, 120, 000 miles, and this body can't go laterally anymore, so I'm sticking to running.
Lateral is dangerous. A lot of bad things can happen when you run laterally.
Yeah, a lot of injuries happen, so I finally hanged it up.
Oh, I don't really do much else other than running. I mean
What about you?
I row at Peloton, sorry.
Rowing's good.
Rowing's good.
Low impact.
Again, it's fun. Honestly, tennis probably.
That's mine. Tennis, a hundred percent. Tennis was always my second love. I played baseball, but I always loved tennis. Hard to play baseball as a 50- something- year- old guy. But tennis is always there.
Yeah, it is.
Which I haven't yet taken the bait to start pickleball yet. I'm still trying to play tennis, but I know it's somewhat I'm going to have to become a pickleball guy.
Pickleball is aggressive.
All right, what is your favorite post- race meal? We talk about this a lot at Road Runner's. Favorite thing to eat after a race. I'll start with this. After the 4- miler the other day, I had a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. It was fantastic. At a great deli in the Upper East Side. Not healthy at all, but just tasted so good with a latte.
Yeah. I'm sure.
So it's usually a morning race. I usually go for a morning meal. What about you, Meb?
I'm a breakfast kind of guy, so I like to have a omelet or eggs scrambled, is my go- to. And in the evening I like to have steak.
That's Tallulah's favorite meal right now. No wonder she's fast. Okay. I hate eating after a race. I literally can't eat when I finish running, because I feel like I eat so much when I run. But I make a really mean, big shake, and I think about that for the last few miles of my run, and it's got everything in it. And it's calorific and chocolatey and peanut buttery, and some spinach. I know it sounds gross and weird.
You're so healthy. A protein shake. Okay, last one before we move on to our member moment interview. And I'm curious, for Meb especially, what race in your life that you've run are you most proud of?
That's a tough question.
Because you've got a few to choose from. You've got quite a few, how would you pick one?
How long have we got?
New York City Marathon is my favorite, favorite marathon. The most meaningful victory was what happened in 2014, the year after the bombing. And you visualize it, you dream it and whatnot. But I mean for me to be able to come across in terms of proud moment is to be able to say when the weight of the nation was on your back and to persevere through that and not be able to be caught, and you were the underdog.
And to come on top in front of the 36, 000 people was pretty special. But New York had give me all the opportunities, taught me a lot of lessons, what to do, what not to do, and it was the day that all came together for me, even though I was two weeks shy on my 39th birthday. So proudest moment, it was the Boston Marathon.
Yeah. Wow.
Absolutely.
What a day. Tough one for me as well. I think the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon, for me, I'd gone through a really tough year, gone through a divorce, I'd gone through a lot of stress. I had no idea I had that pace in me at all. And I finished first non- elite female at the New York City Marathon, and I never expected that ever. Yeah.
That's a pretty big deal.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's amazing. I don't know, for me, I don't have anything that's going to compare to your races. I mean, I think it's probably my first marathon, to be honest. I ran it 25 years old. I just had the bright idea to run a marathon. When I saw the end of the Boston Marathon my last year in law school up there. And I said, " God, that'd be
cool to run a marathon." So I just mailed in back then you mailed in, that's right, with a actual paper. Mailed in for an application, got it back, sent it back to East 89th Street.
Wow.
And I got in my first try in the drawing, and I trained on my own. I had no idea what I was doing. I got a magazine with a training chart on it, and I did what the magazine said, and I showed up in Staten Island all by myself. And it was the rainiest marathon in the history of the New York City Marathon. I think it rained two inches that day. It absolutely poured rain. But I got to the finish line.
You did it.
I think what I remember most about that is that my parents came out for that. And my parents caught me on the way up 1st Avenue, and then they doubled back into Harlem, caught me coming down 5th Avenue in Harlem. And the fact that they came out along with the way a bunch of my friends who waited for me on Central Park South in an absolutely driving rainstorm. I think that's what I remember the most, is the people who
came out to see me that day. But it was a good one. New York Road Runners is a nonprofit organization with a vision to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running. The support of members and donors like you helps us achieve our mission to transform the health and wellbeing of our communities through inclusive and accessible
running experiences, empowering all to achieve their potential. Learn more and contribute at nyrr. org/ donate. All right, so we're going to stop talking about our stories and we're going to shine a spotlight on one of our members right now.
Yes, let's do it.
Our member moment this week is someone who loves running and loves volunteering, and she has helped to shape the New York City running community. Janelle Hartman was the recipient of the 2018 Joe Kleinerman Award. She's an open run captain who's been volunteering since the first Astoria Park Open Run back in 2015. She's a runner herself. That's right.
She's a runner herself, and in 2018 at the age of 55, Janelle proudly crossed the finish line as the official final finisher of the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon. Janelle, welcome to the show. Nice to have you.
Thank you so much. Thank you, Rob. Thank you, Becs. Thank you, Meb, for having me today. And yeah, I did those things.
You did all that. Janelle, we were talking earlier, it's volunteer appreciation month, and we so much appreciate everything you've done for New York Road Runners for the running community. That open and run location you have out there in Astoria is really special. I went out there, it was the first open run I'd ever gone to in Astoria Park. And the community you guys have there is so great. People come in
week in and week out. They know they're going to see your face, your fellow volunteers' faces out there. What is it that motivates you to keep showing up week after week after week to help put that run together?
Well, that park is amazing. And if anyone hears from Astoria, don't know if I have any Queens people in the house.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
We've got a couple.
We're such a diverse neighborhood and it really is amazing to see. Every week you don't know who's going to show up, and you get to see mothers, fathers, kids,
scooters, dogs, people from all ages who come out. And what's been growing is this amazing amount of people started an open run, started doing their first 5k, moved up, and we have so many marathoners now that literally after every race, pretty much we take pictures of anyone who's gotten a medal. It's kind of my thing. But particularly the amount of people who have completed marathons, RTCS, New York City
Marathon and other marathons, is amazing. And they started with Open Run, or they've used Open Run as an anchor, because that's also a place that you know every week on a Saturday you can show up, see people from the running community. You don't have to go in a corral, you just show up. We send you on your way, and you'll run through the park, and it's a gorgeous
park. So it's a fun time. You should come out, Meb, I'd love to have you.
That'd be great. That'll be fun sometime. You've been volunteering for over a decade for the New York Road Runners, can you tell us the first time you volunteered for the New York Half, and then how you're still involved now?
So I decided I wanted to become a runner. I had a trainer who is one of your mentors for Team for Kids. And she said, " Well, let's get you through a 5k." Which she did. And then she put me through a 10k. And then we looked at the half and the Maybelline, which was another name at the time, was my first half. So I said, you know what? I got to see if people are going to stick
around for my pace. What is it going to be like? So I'm a prepper, I'm going to go to dinner later. I already know what I'm going to get on the menu. I get ready. I prep for whatever I'm getting ahead. So I wanted to see what it was like, and I got a spot at the finish as a volunteer, and I cheered on those final finishers.
I was not going to leave until I made sure everybody got through because I said, " Well, hope somebody's going to stick around for me at my half, so I'm going to at least do it for these." And I remember the volunteer leader at the time came over and said, " Hey, you can come back anytime. You have a lot of good energy." And just that one encouragement got me hooked. So
now I'm like, " Okay, now I got to do both. I got to run." So I used to run short and volunteer long, as I called it. So I would do all the halves and different things, and then I would start and I would run the shorter races, until 2018.
Wow.
Awesome.
That's amazing. Okay, let's talk about 2018. 55 years old. You ran the TCS New York City Marathon. You were a final finisher that day. Talk about those last few miles. What was going through your mind? I mean, that's a long race.
Yeah, it's a long time out there, but I have an amazing support group of people who really have loved me through. And I also knew that a lot of people said to me like, this guy at works said, " Don't you dare come back to work unless you finish."
Wow.
There's something about somebody saying, " Don't you..." Because you can't shut up about this running business. You better show up, and you better finish. That carried me through a lot of miles.
Wow, the tough love. Yeah.
But when I got to Engineers Gate, I had a group of supporters that came from my running group. One of them is here tonight with me, Maggie, and they cheered me on. And somebody pulled out a video and showed me a lot of finishers sitting at a bar enjoying their post- run marathon, and they were all cheering. And there was my name. The tears ran. I really have
to finish. So I just said, " All right." And I kind of took over, because I kind of do that sometimes. And I took over, I said, "All right, these are the songs I want." So we literally, the last few miles, songs and every once in a while, Road Runner guide come and say, " Who's Janelle?" And I'd be like, " I'm Janelle. I'm going to make it. Tell Peter I'm coming." Because that was Peter Ciaccia's last race. So
I needed Peter to retire. I mean, he would've been mad. He wouldn't have gotten his 401k, well, in those days. So I needed to finish for Peter to get on with his life. So I needed to get there.
Peter Ciaccia's.
And I did.
You did.
You did.
Beautifully.
The former race director of the New York City Marathon. I love that. Peer pressure can really do a lot, right?
It sure does. As long as it's in the right way, because sometimes it can be a little, as long as it stays on the side of encouragement with a slight feeling that there may be a little shame if you don't. But also, I knew people believed in me, and I think that sometimes all that we need to do in this community is say, " I really do believe you can do this." And so I think that that's what, if we can say, " I know
you can do it." So somebody looks at me today, or here's me, actually I was 56 when I did it. This old lady did this race, and she's not that small and she's pretty slow, it's like paint drying when I run. That person said, " You know what? She did it." " Maybe I can do that." And I really hope that that makes people say, " Try it." Do what you need to do.
Do it the way you need to do it, not the way you think you have to do it.
That part, that part.
I love it. You're a social worker in your non-running career.
I am. I am.
And just listening to you, I can feel it, I can feel the encouragement. What's the tie- in you think, between your work as a social worker, and what you do as a runner, as a volunteer, encouraging people to get into running?
Well, I work in one of the largest nursing homes in the city, and people there are at every level of ability. And one thing I knew is that both my legs worked. And so I said, " You know what? Both my legs work, and they may not be the fastest, but let me use them. Let me do movement. Let me keep going as far as I can." And I have to say that it's just amazing to see you're
encouraging people that have to relearn to walk. You say to yourself every day, it's a gift to have legs, or to have a chance, maybe even if you're using a wheelchair or have the arm strength to move a power chair, to move a chair or to move, I'm thinking of the name of that wheelchair, see-
Or one of the bikes. Yeah, that little hand cycles.
I mean it's amazing to see that. So I know that it just ties in. So every day when I'm encouraging people, I also know that I have to encourage myself to listen. Every day you got to practice what you preach. You got to get out there and move yourself and do things and encourage people to get their goals. It may not look very Instagrammable, but it may look the way it is for you, and people will be behind you.
Amazing. Janelle, thank you. Thanks for coming.
Janelle, thank you so much.
Thank you.
This is what we talk about. This is what we talk about on Set the Pace. This is what it's all about.
This is it.
So love your story and it's been great having you.
Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.
Thank you, Janelle. Thank you for what you do.
Thanks for you volunteering and all the difference you've made. I love those stories. And Open Run is something not everybody knows about, but free running in every borough of New York City every single weekend. So if you want to give it a try, you
You can do it.
haven't gotten into running, you don't want to or don't know how to sign up for a race yet, it's easy. You go on nyrr. org, find Open Run, and you can sign up and be running within a week for free.
Never know who you're going to meet.
It's pretty cool program. All right, now every week we wrap up the show with something we like to call the Meb minute.
Is he...
And Meb, what's your minute today? What are you going to talk about today with your Meb minute?
Rob and Becs, today, as Janelle said this, consistency is the name of the game. Routine is important, but progress, whether you're from the pack, middle of the pack or the back of the pack, getting to that finish line, it means so much. But the discipline, the dedication, and the hours that you put in, will get you to that finish line. And I
always said the key to success is preparation. Janelle just discussed about getting to that finish line, that's what " run to win" is, it means to get the best out of yourself. We all have gender, age, weight, or whatever issue that we have or that we are given God- given talent or when you discover running late, but you have to have the routine and the discipline, and be able
to get to that finish line. And I think that's what it is, today's Med minute.
There's no way to get to the finish line of a marathon without discipline. That is one hundred percent required. Right? You don't have to have speed, you don't have to have agility, you don't have to have strength. But discipline is a must- have for everybody.
Absolutely. Thank you, Meb.
Discipline is important. Well, that's a good way to end this conversation on a Meb piece of wisdom, which is how this podcast started, with a little Meb wisdom. We're going to wrap it up with that as well. Everybody, thank you so much for joining us for this 100th episode of Set the Pace. Thanks to this incredible live audience. We've got Meb Keflezighi. I want to thank you for coming up here,
joining us in person for this. It's so great to see you.
Thank you, Meb.
And hey, this podcast would not be a thing if it hadn't been for you, helping us get it off the ground. So thank you, Meb.
Thank you, Rob. Thank you, Becs. It's great to be with you guys.
Absolutely. Becs, as always, phenomenal. Great to see you.
You too.
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