I love the Brooklyn Half course, and I'm obsessed with this race. This will be my eighth time running it. And what's cool about it is how many different ways I have run this race. And I think at this point I feel ready to talk about it and talk about the best parts and the best strategies around it.
Thank you. Thank you very much and welcome everybody to Set the Pace, the official podcast of New York Road Runners, presented by Peloton. I'm Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New York Road Runners and co- host of Set the Pace. And with me to my left, my amazing co- host from Peloton, can we give it up for Becs Gentry.
Hello.
Hello, Becs.
Hi.
How are you?
Good. Good to see you.
It's great to see you. It's been a while since I've seen Becs because Becs husband, partner, Austin, went off and ran the London Marathon- Not long ago and you all took a little European
He did.
vacation after that, which sounded lovely. How was it?
It was amazing. And you're welcome, I brought the sun back with me. It just took me to arrive at a New York Road Runners event for it to come out. But no, it was fantastic. It was so good to see everybody crushing London. What a hot day, might be a little bit like tomorrow. Wait, what day is it? I have no idea what day it is. Whenever the race is.
Today is Thursday. The race is Saturday. Don't worry.
The race is Saturday.
We'll figure it out.
I've got this. I'm still on a beach. But no, it was such a wonderful race. Congrats to anyone who ran London Marathon out there as well. Great, great event.
Well, for those of you who are listening out there, you might hear some crowd noise. That's because we are live at the RBC Brooklyn Half pre- party presented by New Balance. And it's a thrill to be here-
Yeah.
At Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier number two. And, yes, it's Thursday. We're here-
Thursday. There you go.
Speaking, recording this on Thursday. A much nicer day than we had yesterday. The sun has come out, it's a beautiful day all of a sudden as we watch runners streaming in to pick up their race bibs for the RBC Brooklyn Half coming up on Saturday. We could not be more excited. Becs, the sun came out so suddenly-
So suddenly. I'm sweating.
And we've got this spectacular view of New York Harbor, Lower Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty is right in front of us.
Which you haven't been able to see all day because it's been foggy.
Not for the last two days.
No.
But it all opened up. It's gorgeous. And so much so that we needed some last- minute sunglasses.
Yeah.
So I want to thank our friends at Knockaround Sunglasses for giving us some last- second shades. Anybody out there who-
They're fabulous.
Suddenly finds themselves blinded by the sun, go get yourselves some Knockaround shades. They are fantastic.
They're so good. They're chic too. I think we all look pretty good.
All right.
Yeah.
Well, Becs, we're so excited. This by the way, this party, this pre- party is just the first party of the weekend.
I know.
Because there'll be another party on Saturday, of course. That is the RBC Brooklyn Half, 13. 1 miles to Coney Island. And then after that we're going to have another party, the epic RBC Brooklyn Half After- Party at Maimonides Ballpark. There will be live music, entertainment, and another live recording of Set the Pace. And Becs, I know you're not going to be with me, so I'll be solo-
I know.
For this one, which I'm sad about. But we're going to have an amazing guest.
I have to do my real job.
Yes, you got to go teach people at Peloton.
I do. I do.
That is what you get paid to do. We understand. But we're going to have an amazing guest at the after party on Saturday. Dancing with the Stars, Alan Bersten-
Wow.
Will be our guest. Don't miss that. And I can tell you one thing that won't happen... I'm sad you won't be there because I was hoping Alan would have someone to dance with at that show. And I can tell you one thing, it will not be me. I will not be dancing.
I'm a runner. We move in one plane of motion. I do not dance well. Austin is embarrassed when I start to dance.
I think Alan Bersten could teach you a couple of moves.
I'd take it.
And there's no way he could teach me anything. So anyway, you can look forward to that. That'll be another special episode of Set the Pace, and we can't wait. Try the Peloton app for free and access classes for every type of runner, whether you're training for your first race or you're a seasoned pro. From outdoor runs and intervals to strength, yoga, and stretching, you'll find a perfect
fit for every part of your routine. Whether it's long run day or you just need a quick five- minute reset, the Peloton app meets you where you are and helps you become a stronger, faster runner because it's designed for someone like you. Try the app for free for 30 days and download it now from the App Store
or Google Play. Terms apply. Peloton, the official digital fitness partner of New York Road Runners. Our event schedule at the RBC Brooklyn Half pre- party presented by New Balance is packed. So to keep things moving, we're going to have a super speedy show today, a quick show that celebrates the stars of the RBC Brooklyn Half, our local elite runners. This is a race, Becs, that does not
have a professional field. Instead, we pay tribute and highlight some of the fastest runners here in our New York City club scene.
Yep.
And we've got one of those runners here with us today. As well as the woman who makes it all happen,
Yeah, we do.
booking those guests. First I want to introduce New York Road Runners own Dorian Kail, our Director of Professional Athletes.
Yeah, Dorian.
She's got one of the coolest jobs in running. She recruits pro athletes to our big races like the Marathon, the United Airlines NYC Half. And for the RBC Brooklyn Half, she recruits our incredible local field of elite runners. And one of those runners with us today is we call them sub- elite athletes. We're going to talk about that because I feel it's kind of like-
Yeah.
A little insulting. Sub- elite.
Sub-elite. So elite.
These runners are pretty elite. But Alana Levy is here and she's one of the fastest amateur women in New York City.
Oh, yeah.
Alana ran at Cornell where she received All East Honors at the ECACs. She has personal bests of, get this, 4: 42 in the mile, 16:29 in the 5K, and 2:40. 33 in the marathon. All those records were set within the last 18 months. And she was the first woman, New York City resident, to finish the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon with a time of 2: 42. 01. And Alana is a true Brooklyn runner because she's been running with the
Brooklyn Track Club since 2018. Outside of running, by the way, Alana, your resume is ridiculous. She has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, an MPH from the University of Edinburgh, and she's the director of product management at Pearl Health, which is a healthcare technology startup. Hello, Dorian and Alana, welcome to the show.
Hi.
Wow.
Wow.
Hello.
I did not know you went to Edinburgh.
I did.
As in Scotland.
I love it there.
Yes.
It was the most beautiful city, beautiful place.
Isn't it stunning?
Yes.
Oh my gosh. Can you do a Scottish accent?
Not on this podcast. Not right now.
Oh, no.
That was great.
There we go.
Wait, wait, wait. It's Alana's birthday.
Yes.
Everyone, it's Alana's singing.
So wait, can we sing happy birthday?
We will be getting to a little happy birthday singing.
Yeah, we will.
We're going to finish with that. We're definitely going to wish her-
All right. Okay.
We have to make sure she's out of here-
A happy birthday.
For her dinner reservation.
I'll have to dread it the entire time.
That's right. We want to hold that over your head for the entire podcast. All right, Dorian, I want to start with you and your incredibly fun job of recruiting these amazing athletes to our races. But let's talk about the field for the RBC Brooklyn Half for a second.
How does one get to be a, what we call seeded runner, one of the folks who get to start right in front at the RBC Brooklyn Half running with the very best runners we have in New York City?
So Alana is part of our Seeded Athlete Program, and this is an elevated experience for the fastest athletes in the area. It's pretty cool because they get to start, they kind of have a VIP start at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. They get indoor bathrooms by the way, indoor bathrooms. That's key for your VIP start, right?
Fancy, fancy.
They get bananas, they get a little breakfast, they get to warm up, and then we put them right on the start line. When they are on the start line, we, our team, our great team takes their bags right to the finish line. So literally they cross the finish line and they get their bags right away. It's truly a VIP experience for these amazing athletes. And what's really cool about all of these athletes is that many of
them are the fastest in the area. And this year's group represents 13 local running clubs and we're really proud of that. And Alana is part of the Brooklyn Track Club, so give it up for the Brooklyn Track Club.
Amazing.
Yeah. And this year we had the defending champion in the men's division, Ryan Cutter from the Brooklyn Track Club, and he happens to be running for the first time with our New York Road Runners Team for Climate, which is really cool. And we're very, very proud of that.
Yay.
We love that.
Absolutely.
So for those who don't know, Team for Climate is a new thing at Road Runners that helps raise funds to help us offset or actually inset, which is prevent the carbon emissions from all the things we do and all the runners flying to the marathon and other races. So thank you to him and everybody else who's running for Team for Climate.
Absolutely.
And what I love is that last year Ryan ran a 1:04. 08, that is a 4. 54 pace. So these people are fast, they're really fast.
That's moving.
I know.
And it's not, I mean, we've got this on another podcast episode. The course is not easy. Okay.
Yeah.
Alana, you have run this race before. It's not a new one for you. And so what do you love? What is your favorite part? Because I feel like this race has got chapters to it. It could be three races. What's your favorite part?
I love the Brooklyn Half course, and I'm obsessed with this race. This will be my eighth time running it. And what's cool about it is how many different ways I have run this race. And I think at this point I feel ready to talk about it and talk about
the best parts and the best strategies around it. But I think my favorite part is leaving Prospect Park, you hit the downhill, you've done all of the hills, the majority of the work, and then you just hit cruise control and you go through all of these crowds and you lock in.
Yeah.
And that's probably like a moment when you flip the switch and it's like, now is my time.
I would agree and I feel like it's the coolest thing as a human to be running on a on- ramp or an off- ramp onto a, as you call them, highways, freeways, whatever. I don't know what this one is, a motorway to us Brits, but it's cool because you're like, I didn't do this in the car, but today I get to do it as a human machine. It's pretty funky.
No, it's so special because I think all of the biggest New York Road Runner races have this where you're on these massive roads and these on- ramps that you're never on before. So you have it on the FDR. In the NYC Half, you're running over the bridges, in the New York City Marathon, of course you're all over the place and whenever you're running on these empty streets, it is a really surreal experience.
It is.
Dorian, how does someone get to be Alana Levy and get this experience of running in this competitive elite field?
Well, Alana's nice, but she's also really fast. Alana I think last year came in fourth and ran a 115. So women have to run at least a 118, non- binary athletes have to run 118 and men have to run a 108 to qualify for this group. So they're fast.
That is so speedy. Alana, what did it feel like the first time you qualified for it?
It felt amazing. Again, what's cool about this is that I didn't just kind of start running and then here I was. I very much worked my way into this. So the first time I ran this in 2012, I ran a 132 and then each year I kind of set these new goals for myself and kept chopping off time and getting faster and faster. So then it was,
what's the goal? Let's get to corral A, let's get to corral double A, and then finally we got to this and you have your own private little start and it's really fun and you get to know all of the people around with all of the local clubs. So you get to run together and it really feels like a community out there, which is amazing.
That's pretty incredible, the journey that you took, Alana, from 132, a great time down to where you are now in this group. You also, by the way, were in the pro field at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon lining up with the Helen Obiris and the Sharon Lokedis of the world as well. So I mean, how do
you reflect on where you are now as a runner? We read your resume at the start of the show and it's a great running resume in college and you've obviously got talent, but what has it taken to go from a talented college runner to someone who really is now showing up at some big time starting lines?
Yeah, it's amazing to be on the start line with some of those women. It's really, really special to be at least just part of that group, knowing that they're obviously so incredible and very inspiring for everyone. After college, I kind of took a break from running, not fully, just competitively, and I kind of was just running on
my own a little bit. I was running in these races, but I didn't have as high expectations for myself. But then when I joined Brooklyn Track Club, I started racing a lot more and then I ended up getting a private coach during the pandemic and just kept running
more and more. So now I've been seeing all of that effort kind of turn into much better race results, which has been really, really cool to see how when you put in that time and when you put in that effort every day, it really ends up turning into these better performances. So running 70, 80 miles a week, just every single week, just staying really, really consistent is what's been
doing it for me. And I don't think this is what I ever saw for myself. I don't know if 10 years ago I would've said I would be here, but I'm so excited that I am here. It's really amazing.
Wow. And that's it. Persistence pays off. It really does.
It's almost more impressive with this group because they all have full- time jobs.
Yeah.
Right. They're working really hard. They have to train. I mean, what's your schedule like?
Wow. It's busy. No, I typically run in the mornings and then I work all day and I often double. So I usually double two or three times a week either with a run or some sort of a swim and I'll do a little bit of a lift or some core exercises and then yeah, cook dinner and go to bed.
And do it again. Rinse and repeat. That's it. Well, talking of rinse and repeat and doing it with full- time jobs and getting it done, that is for the local, the everyday runner as well. Dorian, let's talk about that field this year. How big is the local competitive field each year?
So this year it always hovers around 40. We're at 36.
Okay.
And some people get their niggles and they pull out, but it's pretty much even split. And we're really excited. Actually, the non- binary athlete in this seeded athlete field has the record here in the non- binary division.
Amazing.
So we're really happy about that. 1:12:55 Galo Vasquez. We're really excited to see what they can do-
Woo. Wow.
On Saturday, but we have a great field. And on the women's side, I know Alana didn't want to hear this because...
Tough for me.
Yeah. We have the defending champion from last year, Kim Conley, who was a two- time Olympian in the 5, 000. She ran really well last year and she's back to defend her title. So we're really psyched about that.
Oh my gosh. Competition from the get-go.
Alana, what are you thinking going into the race on Saturday? You finished just off the podium last year, fourth place. Do you have a strategy or do you want to do things differently than you've done in this race in the past? Go to the lead, stay close to the lead, what's your plan?
My plan for races like this, for long races is really just to run your own race. I'm not thinking too much about who else is out there. If there's a pack, that's always amazing to try to stay with. But for the most part, I just kind of want to hit consistent splits, see where I'm at, see where I'm feeling at about halfway and then hopefully pick it up
a little bit for the second half. I think this is a great course to negative split and then you can start picking people off. It's a long race.
Oh yeah, definitely. If you start counting the alphabet. Oh, I hate that on the streets.
Oh wait, wait, that's right, that's right. Do you do that?
Do you do it?
I do not.
Now she's going to cut. She's going to be like Becs, ugh.
So the one good thing about running on Ocean Parkway where I never run is I actually have no idea where I am.
Yeah.
So I'm not thinking about the...
No, that's very true and in a good way, stick to that. Okay. Dorian, what is your best advice for people to get noticed by your team if they're out there thinking I want to be in that group?
Well, if you want those special bathrooms and those bananas-
We all do.
You have to work at it. You have to work on your speed and you have to work on your, like what Alana was saying, you have to put the work in. It is fast. I mean, those people are running really fast and they're running a lot of the races. Right, Alana? I mean your team, Brooklyn Track Club, you run a lot of our races. I think it's putting in the training, it's putting in the good nutrition,
it's doing what we all aspire to do. If it's joining our group training runs and working on your speed because you need that qualifying time.
Yeah. Yeah, very true.
Dorian, can you talk about the role that the clubs play? I mean, Alana's talking about her club, Brooklyn Track Club, but the clubs play a huge role in developing this local scene and I mean, there isn't another city in the country that I know of, maybe not the world that has a local running scene like New York and the
clubs are a huge part of that. And I think most of the folks who are towing the line with Alana and the other sub- elite athletes are members of one of these clubs.
Yeah. Many of our front, the top runners are from these run clubs and I don't know all of the training that they put in together, but I suspect they meet up, they train together, they cheer each other on. We have seven competing in the seeded athlete program from the Brooklyn Track Club. We have several from the Central Park
Track Club. I think they work together, they cheer each other on, they support each other and I think that's a big part of it. And in New York we have so many run clubs and I think that's the support. Right. And Alana, you probably can speak to it better than I can, but I believe that that's what it is, right?
Yeah, absolutely. And one thing I'll say is one of the things that got me here were all of the women that I was able to look up to who were already doing this. So you see somebody and you're running with them maybe every so often, or you're just kind of looking at their training and you can say, that's not too far from where I am right now. I
think I can do that too. Or I think I can run that long, or I think I can try to run
that fast. And maybe you take the next step towards that and then you just kind of continue to make your way and you find the people that maybe are just a little bit better than you and push you to go a little bit further or faster than where you are on that day and then suddenly your strides ahead of where you were a year or two years
or three years prior to that. So I'm really lucky that I've had women on Brooklyn Track Club, women across all of the clubs, that I've been able to say, oh wow, you ran that time? Okay. Can I run that time?
Yeah.
So-
It's a challenge and it's something to strive for and you can see, right, what work they're putting in, how they're training and try to emulate some of that. Right?
Absolutely.
It's very cool.
We love that and that's beautiful advice for people to look up to their peers and just to take inspiration from the immediacy around them, soak it in and roll with it. That's so nice. All right, let's talk about not just your schedule, but so I'm going to get this right, I'm going to read this so I get this right. You have both an MBA and an MPH.
MPH is a master's in public health, right?
Yeah.
Master's in public health.
Master's in public health. And you work at a tech startup. We already discussed that your schedule sounds pretty grueling. What do you think, what can you say that running gives you in your professional field? How does it support you or so on?
I think the thing that running has done for me is one, allowed me to set goals that I'm actually kind of scared of and I'm not really sure if I can achieve, but really try to continue to chip away at them. So I'm able to see that in my professional life as well where it's like, okay, this is something that seems impossible, but I've been able to
make that become less impossible over time. So it really just is more of the framework of how to think, where it's like, I think I can get there and I know it's going to take time and I know it's going to take work, but I've put in hard work before. So it's kind of that mentality.
Wow.
I have noticed Becs, everybody that I think the runners over index for success in various parts of life, right?
Agree.
And it's really what you're talking about, Alana, that the discipline, the framework, the knowledge that what you get out of something is a function of what you put in. And seeing those results in running makes you realize, yeah, you know what? The same thing is going to happen in life. If I put in those extra hours studying or those extra hours working or whatever it may be, you do see the return.
Yeah. I agree. And you have plenty of time to think it over while you're doing the miles.
I mean, honestly, running is a great time to just be able to think through whatever problem is eating at you, whether it's with work or personal life. It's an amazing way to kind of just think over whatever is happening in your life.
I feel like you can be your most creative when you're running, right?
100%.
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
You think about things that you would never think about when running.
I feel like a genius when I'm running and then as soon as I come home, I swear I take off my running kit and I'm like, where did that thought go? Oh my gosh.
I think what we need to do is tell my boss that running counts as work because I am working in my head while I run.
I like that.
Is it challenging? I mean, there must be times when jobs just takes you away. You can't get in the training you want. I mean, we have this conversation also with a lot of moms or dads who just have crazy schedules. How tough is it to balance these things?
No. So one thing that I've done, I used to be somebody who ran in the evening and I had to change that just because sometimes work can be unpredictable. Sometimes days go long, sometimes you're just so tired by the end of the day. So I've really forced myself to get up and run every single morning because one, I'm then way more awake, way more present at work, and I'm no longer worrying about, oh, will I get
this run in? Will I be able to make this
happen? It's just a given. I'm going to run. And then for some reason, if you're traveling for work or if you have some big project, you have to kind of just take that into consideration and maybe you're running really early that morning or maybe you've shifted the workout to another day during the week, but if you kind of are able to zoom out and just take it day by day and know when the hard days are
going to come and be mentally prepared for it, I think that's the best way.
I like that. That's a really important message I think to everybody, professional or not with running, be able to zoom out and just put yourself first, don't over index, but know it will get done. But you might have to rejig it and just find it a little bit of a nicer route for you. Love that. Love that.
Dorian, there are probably thousands of runners in this race who would love to have your job because what's more fun than recruiting professional runners, great sub- elite athletes like this to run races. What is the most fun thing about your job in the pro- athletes division of New York Road Runners?
Wow, that's a loaded question and kind of unfair because you're the boss. I love my job. I love working with all my colleagues who are out here. I love running and when you love running and you can for a living be around runners and races and anything having to do with running is really cool. And I love the athletes. I think my biggest problem with my job is that I love everybody and I want everybody to
win. And I become kind of so attached to everybody, but there's only one winner, right? There are only three people on the podium. But I care a lot about the athletes. I care a lot about running and that's why I love what I do.
That's why you're good at what you do because they can see the love and they love you right back, and that's how we're able to get such an incredible field. You or your colleague, Sam Grotewold and Christine Burke and that whole team, you guys do such a great job. Okay. Can we come up with another name for sub- elite? I feel like it just seems a little like, okay, you're just a little below elite.
Can we call them local elites?
Well, how about-
Well, no, no. Wait, wait. So sub- elite is really a term we use at the marathon. We have a sub- elite field, which is after the pros, it's the next one, 50 and 50 of the fastest athletes. Then we do have a local competitive group. For this group at the RBC Brooklyn Half, it's called the Seeded Athlete Program. So let's not, we're not really talking about sub- elites except for the marathon, Rob.
A lot of names. I can't keep track of so many names.
I know. There are too many names.
Too many names.
I don't think any word that you're putting next to elite is going to make it better. Right. I think once you're local, anything, it's kind of you're downgrading it and it's okay. We know that we're not the professionals and that's fine.
Hey, it's less pressure.
Yeah.
That is the beauty of this sport, right? You are running with the best and anybody can do it, right? Anybody can run the RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon. You don't have to be an elite athlete or anybody in the Seeded Athlete Program. You can just run.
Speaking of running, I have a funny Alana Levy story-
I'm scared.
That I like to tell when I think of Alana Levy. At the marathon this past year when the runners go off, I jump in a police vehicle to get to the finish line and Alana has taken off with this pro field and I'm in the police vehicle. We're going through Brooklyn and the elite field has, the pros have spread out a bit by about mile eight. Some
of the leaders have gone off ahead. There are some that are lagging back, not having a good day, and I'm following and passing some elite runners. And then I think it was about mile eight or so where it gets really quiet, there are not a lot of people
cheering, it's kind of quiet and lonely. And we pull aside, Alana, Alana Levy's there and she's running well, but she's falling behind the lead pack, but she's way ahead of the people who she's passed. And you're literally all by yourself, like running in the TCS New York City Marathon with no one within 100 yards of you. And I pulled up next to you and I said, " Hello." I said, "
Hey, how are you doing? You're looking great. Keep running. You're doing a great job." Do you remember that?
I do. I do. I had a personal cheer squad for that one moment and then solo.
You actually said something while she was running the race?
I did. The police officer let me use the loudspeaker on the car, and so-
I love that.
I was like hyping up the crowd and everything.
Yes.
And when I get to Alana, I'm just like, " Alana, keep going. You're doing great." And she turns and looks and smile all by herself. It was a little moment-
Only in New York.
We had there in the middle of the marathon.
That's amazing. And I will actually say, I remember Becs, you were there too.
I was on the women's elite lead vehicle.
So I remember seeing you on the first bridge.
Yeah.
Yeah. And I gave you a little wave. You gave me a little wave back. Any person who wants to cheer me on, I will be so excited for it.
Yep. We were ready for it.
All right. Before we go, can we sing happy birthday to the birthday girl?
Yes.
We got Alana Levy here who came on our podcast on her birthday.
Everyone queuing up.
So everybody can hear me on the count of three, we'll sing happy birthday to Alana.
All of you lot.
One, two, three. Happy birthday to you.
Come on everyone.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear Alana.
Dear Alana. Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you. Yay.
Thank you. Thank you. That's very kind.
Alana, happy birthday.
Yay. Happy birthday.
Thank you for coming on Set the Pace. Great to have you. Dorian-
Thank you for having me.
Great to see you.
Thank you. This was fun.
Thanks for coming on.
Thank you both.
It was a command performance.
It was great.
And you were great. Thank you so much. Great to have you. Good luck on Saturday.
Best of luck.
Thank you. We'll see. We'll see you about the podium. We'll see about Kim Conley.
That's right.
You got this. You got this.
We will see. Throwing the gauntlet down. I like it.
Yeah.
You heard it here first.
Right from the stage-
I won't tell Kim.
Of the pre- party. Becs, great to have you back.
Thank you. Great to be back.
Thanks for coming in. Good luck to everybody out there running.
Yes.
Let's hear some noise. Who's running out there? Who's ready to go for Saturday? Good luck. Hope you have a great day. Hope we get some good weather for you out there on Saturday. Thanks for coming out and watching this very special episode of Set the Pace. We'll see you Saturday at the after party at Maimonides Park. Have a great race. Enjoy the miles.
Woo.
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