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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 Mickey Gorman. A smiling Mickey Gorman and why not? 2: 29:30, it's the time for (inaudible) Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes to the line. Pointing to his chest, pointing to
the USA he so proudly wears across his chest. A great day for Matt Kapusky.
Happy New Year and welcome back to Set the Pace. It's another year of the official podcast of New York Road Runners, presented by a Peloton. I'm your host and the CEO of New York Road Runners, Rob Simmelkjaer flying solo today while we give my amazing co- host, Becs Gentry, the first week of the year off. And full disclosure, this episode was recorded early so the whole team
could enjoy the holiday break. So hope everybody on the team's enjoying themselves as well. Hope you guys all had an amazing 2024, a great holiday season and we're excited to dive into 2025 with all of you, whether you ran the midnight run to kick in the new year or have some other races on your schedule, can't wait to see so many of you out there over the course
of the next year. As this episode is dropping on January 2nd, today's episode is all about, that's right, new Year's resolutions, goal setting and opportunities to help you stick to those goals. Whether it's to start walking or running or to run maybe seven marathons in seven days like Becs. No, don't do that. Nobody is going to do
that other than Becs, so just kidding on that one. No, but whatever your goal might be, we want to talk about how to help you achieve them in 2025. So joining me today is New York Road Runner's head coach, coach
Ben Delaney. For those who have not had a chance to meet or train with Ben, he's responsible for managing all of our runner education and training resources that thousands of runners use every year to prepare for the TCS New York City Marathon, the United Airlines NYC half, and many other races across our calendar, and in fact around the
world. I personally have been coached by Ben and his team throughout the last couple of years through group training, other events, and there's no way I would've been able to set that PR in Berlin this past September without Coach
Ben and that incredible team. So can't wait to talk to Coach Ben about everything that NYRR does and really the myriad of programs we have, including by the way, our pacing program that you'll often see at some of our big races, the folks holding the signs, running a certain pace so you could pace yourself to a goal time. Ben's overseeing that as well. So Ben Delaney will
be with us in just a little while. And just like we are every single week, we'll be joined later in the show by the great Meb Keflezighi bringing us his weekly pro- tip, which this week is of course all about running resolutions. And Meb will also be joined by the NYRR member of the week and NYRR Open Run participant, Rose-Gaëlle Belinga. So stay tuned for an extra New Year's motivation from
Meb. But before we get into today's guest, I want to mention that next week will be a special episode of Set the Pace. We're going to be holding a special NYRR State of the Union. I'll be sharing some exciting things that our team is working on for 2025, and we'll take a look back at an amazing year for the running community in 2024. And also part of this episode,
we want to hear from you. That's right. So if you've got questions for me or for anybody at New York Road Runners, please, we want you to send them our way. You can email us at NYRRpodcast@ NYRR. org, that's NYRRpodcast@ NYRR. org. Leave a question in that email or you can leave one in the review section of the Apple Podcast app or Spotify. Or you can DM NYRR on our social media
as well. We will answer all of your questions next week on this special town hall episode of Set the Pace.
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All right, now it's on to today's show and I'm excited for this next interview. Today we are joined by someone who is mostly known as Coach Ben around New York Road Runners offices in our community. Ben Delaney, he is New York Road Runners' Director of Training Programs and Operations, and a big part of a lot of runners lives here at NYRR, certainly our staff, all of our group
training runners, our Team for Kids runners. So a lot of you out there know Coach Ben. And Ben, it is really great to have you on Set the Pace. I feel like this is overdue. We should have done this a long time ago.
I am so excited to be on here. Thank you so much for having me. It feels great. I mean, you and I talk all the time and to be able to talk about all the things that we get to do and the impact and the connection, this is going to be great. Looking forward to it.
Absolutely. Ben, I guess the first question someone might ask is, what does a coach at New York Road Runners actually do? I mean, Road Runners is obviously a big organization. We've put on lots of races including the marathon, we have all these programs in the community for kids, adults,
all that. So it would seem that there's a lot you could potentially do, but what does the coach, the head of coaching at this organization actually do?
The head of coaching, my responsibility is to make sure that our programs are really connecting with the running community that we have. And like Rob talked about at the top, I work with group training, I get to work with Team for Kids. I'm connecting even with our other programs we have, Run for the Future and Striders as all of our coaches work within
those. So to be able to do that, to be able to be a coach in that space and to have a say and a process, and part of my responsibility is ensuring that our programs are connecting and have the proper voices and that we're out there talking to our runners. And one thing I tell our coaches is, " I want our runners to see us as much as we see them." So I want to make sure that we
have that connection all the time. And then to be able to, I tell people I get to see runners, I get to see people at the best part of their day. Because when you come out to run, I think you're sick in your head, Rob you know it, you're there for you. You're there because you want to do it. And to have that opportunity and that space, I never take it for granted. I remind myself, my coaches, I say, "
Hey, we get to do this. They're here. Let's give them the best experience that we can when they're here."
For people, Ben, who maybe run the marathon or run our races, but that's all they do, and there's a lot of people for whom that applies, they may not really have any sense of coaching at Road Runners, the fact that we have coaches and that we have all these programs, so maybe we could just run through a few of them. And I'll start with group training, which
is my personal favorite. As you know, I've been a regular at the, especially Thursday morning group training runs in Central Park, but I've bounced around to a few others. And it certainly has made a big difference in my running life. I think it's made me a lot better. What is group training and what does it take for somebody to get involved?
Yeah, a group training is adult training for anybody who wants to get involved with running. You don't have to even be wanting to race. If you just want a community of runners, group training is for that. We offer it in Central Park, as Rob said. I've got Central Park, I've got Prospect Park, Uptown Manhattan, Historia Park. Seasonally, we have East River Track, I've got Engineers Gate. So in terms of where
we are, what we offer, you can get out there. This is a year round program, so you don't have to be involved in one part and then we're going to go away and come back. This runs year round. Matter of fact, our January session, it's open right now, it opened up by just earlier last week I believe. And we are getting our (inaudible) runners ready for the United Airlines NYC Half in March. 1st workout to the week of
January 6th. So if anybody out there listening is thinking, " Heck, I want to get on there. I got the NYC Half on my calendar right now." Or just New Year, new you, or just trying to get that routine. I like to tell people, make it a habit, make it part of who you are, bring that part of your day and group training is a great way to step into that. Our coaches are there to facilitate the workouts that we
have. So Nick, as Rob can attest, we want to give you a great experience. We want to make you see the best part of yourself, but we're going to challenge you. The coach is really out there. They're going to talk to you about what your goals are, give you some tips on how to best approach the workout based off of where you are in your process. Because
running is going to meet you where you are. Our job as a coach is to ensure that what we're doing is helping you get to where you want to be. And everyone's goals are going to be a little bit different out there, whether you're competitive with yourself, the person next to you. But remember, it is group training. It's not racing. So when you show up, don't worry about where
you are, how long you've been doing it for. Just put on your shoes, come talk to us. We'll have a great time out there and you apply to make you sweat a little bit.
And Ben, what would you say is the type of runner who's best suited to do group training? I've been there, I'm a decent runner. There's people there that are faster than me. Obviously there's lots of folks who are running more modest paces. Is it literally any pace, any goal, anyone?
It really is. We cover the gamut because we know that running is for everybody out there. One of the programs we have in our evenings in Central Park currently is called Fundamentals. And this is for a runner who would be new or maybe is looking to have a sustained running effort for 30 minutes or a little bit more. But really group training, you show up, we have coaches, we have support for where you're going to be.
I just encourage runners when they show up on day one, you'll be open about that. Sometimes it can be a challenge to have that conversation, but part of what our coaches are there, we're there to ensure you get the best experience. We want to make sure that you're getting the best overall output of what you're trying to get to. And everyone's going to be a little bit different.
And one of the philosophies that we preach at New York Road Runners as our philosophy as coaches is we really train by our effort. On a scale of one to 10, how hard are you working as compared to like, " Hey, we're doing this workout at six minute pace, seven minute pace, eight minute pace." We're going to be working at an
effort level, seven or eight. Everyone's effort level is going to be the same, and we judge that different ways, but this way we know that everyone's working at a consistent space that we can help you at. And our coaches know how to gauge that and how to find out where you are. As Rob will tell, can you talk too much? Can you not talk at all? How are you working hard?
But that's really what we want to talk to. So our programs are designed for every pace out there. We just tell runners to make sure the first time you show up, talk to us and be honest so we can make sure that you're in the right space to get the right support within our community.
Yeah, I think for somebody who's got a New Year's resolution to get more fit, I can't think of a better way to kickstart that than group training. Even in January it's going to be chilly, but it's going to get your day off and your year off to an amazing start to be out there running in the early morning hours or in the afternoons. There's evening sessions as well, so you
can do either one and it's awesome. I know the Central Park sessions tend to sell out, so people have to get on their game if they're going to sign up for those.
Yeah again, if you're thinking about it folks, get out there. If for any reason something is sold out, you can send an email over to Training@ nyrr. org. Myself, my colleague Steve and Gemma, we get to work with Gemma and Steve all day long. We take care of a lot of stuff. Always email us over. We'll always do our best to get everybody in there, but obviously safety is a key to what we want to do, whether it be
our trainings, our races, whatever we're going to do. That's Road Runner's philosophy. But like Rob said, we got mornings, we got evenings, different locations out there because we want to make sure we give as much offer and we're looking to grow and get into as many spaces as we can because group training's a popular place these days.
It is. It's awesome. And with good reason, you and the whole coaching staff does such a great job. So let's talk about Team for Kids for a second. And for those who are running with Team for Kids, especially those who run multiple races halfs and marathons, they know that it's so much more than just the bib. It's so much more than raising money to get into these races.
There's an incredible community around Team for Kids, for all of these races and especially for marathon. The coaching is really a big part of what you get when you sign up to run in support of Team for Kids, which of course is a funding mechanism that helps us fund all of our youth and community programs all year long at New
York Road Runner. So you're supporting an incredible cause and you're getting something for yourself out of it, which is the community and also Ben, the coaching that you and your staff provide.
Yeah, I mean, I've been with Team for Kids, this is to finish up my third year with that group, and it's been an incredible three years with that team. That community is so strong. A lot of those runners come back year after year
after year. They believe so much in the mission of Team for Kids and New York Road Runners, and seeing the money that they're raising going to something that's really beneficial because this is what we do, this is what we love. And so again, when I talk to my coaches say, " Hey, these people are out there raising money year in, year out, they want to get what they got to do
for us as coaches." " We want to give them the best experience. How can we get them ready for their day?" Because ultimately that date in November, but then again, Team for Kids, we have teams for all of our world marathon majors out there. So we have people training for Tokyo right now, people looking at Boston and London already.
They'll be getting ready for Berlin and Chicago, and I think maybe even that one down under, I don't know if anyone's on that, maybe that's on your radar, Rob. We don't know, but-
It is. Sydney's on the radar. Absolutely.
That's a heck of a flight for a marathon folks, I'm telling you. But our Team for Kid, they do it for all the right reasons because they want to raise the money. But then again, they do it because they enjoy the sport, they enjoy the community. And so again, from my coaching perspective, when we put our coach hat on, I say, " Meet the runners." Because that community is so big that
a lot of them come back. I say when we have someone new, someone that we don't recognize, say hi to that runner. We want to make sure that they're a part of our community as much as anything else. And so you're meeting them, you're bringing them into the community, you're making them feel this great space because we're going to be with you for training for a marathon 20 weeks.
We get to know each other pretty well. We're out there twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays with this group. So our coaches get to know you. We get to know intimately what you're trying to go for. Whether this is your first marathon, your 10th, your last. We don't know where it may be on the spectrum of what you're trying to work through. Hopefully it's not your last, but we make sure that we talk to you
through that. And give you some pointers because Team for Kids gives you so many perks on race day that we want to make sure that you're utilizing all of those things that are going to make your race day as enjoyable as you can. Because once that cannon goes off in Staten Island, you got to cover the 26.2 to get the tavern on the green and the finish line. But along the way, we have Team for Kids coaches on course
for miles. Usually from mile 13 right before the Pulaski Bridge until mile 25. We have you waiting for you on Central Park South at 59th Street, every mile where our TFK coach is going to be out there on race day. So the people you work with, you practice with, we're with every day during the season you see them on race
day. And that could be what you need on First Avenue, what you need in the Bronx, what you need on Fifth Avenue as you make your way into the park, wherever that is to give that little boost.
Yeah, it's really special, Ben. It's hard. A lot of things right now, road hard to get in to TFK. It's so popular, you're right, so many people come back year after year after year to be a part of it. So you got to get out there early. What's the best way for someone who wants to be a part of Team for Kids to sign up?
Teamforkids.org, or send an email to Tfk@ NYRR. org. Get involved with them because like Rob said, these teams fill up quick, especially our marathon teams and anyone out there chasing the six stars. I know people out there are trying to get those. And some of those bands, everyone puts in their name for the drawings for London, for Berlin, and I try, but you got to 600, 000 people going for some of these races, it's going to
be hard to get into. But really reach out, be part of the community out there, show the interests you have and understand that sometimes you are one of a lot of people that are reaching out, but the team, at Team for Kids, the in- house team, they did an amazing job
connecting with everybody. They'll get back with you. Just know that I think our Marathon team for next year's New York City Marathon is already at capacity or pretty darn close to it. And then once you're in there, you may have to do the Brooklyn half, you may have to do some other races and we've got Queen's for Team for Kids. Our coaches are out there at the Frosty five kids, as we
can get in some people ready for that. So the team's always out there, send emails over, reach out, talk to us, we'll do the best we can. Because again, running really has exploded, I think is the best way to boom... The boom is back for running, for sure.
No doubt. No doubt. No doubt. Ben, for people who can't get to group training or can't get into a Team for Kids program, there's other options out there that we offer as well. We've got a new virtual coaching platform that we partnered with this year, Runna. It was the first year of that. I, as you may know, Ben used Runna in part, in training for the Berlin
Marathon and had a good experience. Although I've joked around, Runna thinks I am very, very fast because some of the tempo runs that Runna gave me during that run- up were just grueling. I just couldn't do them. I mean, the speed ones I was okay with, but the tempo runs
were just too much for me and I modified, I did the best I could. I hit the distance, but maybe not always the time, but can you talk a bit about Runna know, obviously it's not something we're fully running. We've got a great partner that has built this platform, but our coaching staff is involved. We've got an online community on Facebook where we're talking to our runners who are using the platform as well.
Yeah, NYRR by Runna is amazing. Personally, I've been using it for a year. When we first got connection that we were going to be moving to this platform about a year ago, Steve Mura, Coach Steve out there and myself and as well as Coach Gemma-
With the handlebar mustache, Steve Mura. You can't miss him if you've ever seen him. Absolutely.
He actually, he cut it too short. He didn't have it for a while, but in it's back folks, don't worry. There were some feelings about the handlebar mustache growing, but Steve has brought it back. If you look at Steve, Gemma and myself, we have very distinctive looks about us on who we are. Gemma, with the accent being from New Zealand, Steve and I with our own personality, I tell you, love working with
them. We have a great time. NYRR by Runna. Yes, Rob, those workouts are hard and I tell people it's by design. They want you to get uncomfortable because I think as you saw at the end of Berlin, it wasn't very comfortable. And so-
You got that right. You've seen the video, huh? You've seen what I looked like or the splits. You could see how uncomfortable I got the last couple of miles. Yes, that's a fact.
But that's what training is, is getting you used to those uncomfortable spaces and NYRR by Runna does that. I mean it really, I've used it for a while. I used it for Boston this past year and yeah, I questioned my life twice a few times out there on some of those long runs. I mean, they give you progression long runs to really test you, but they really want to get you ready
for that. And I think that's key. Coach Steve manages our Facebook group. It's an amazing Facebook group. He has a weekly thing I think on Monday it's called Ask Coach Steve anything. And it's incredible the kind of stuff he gets. And on Fridays he goes, " Hey, where's your long run?" So he does a lot of great things within that space
to ensure we have the community out there. But Dom and Ben and the crew at Runna really have created a platform that's evolving every day. They have a lot of good stuff out there. I know that currently, our NYC half program is open for anybody out there. We have our RBC, Brooklyn half as the 20- week plan is open. And then coming up in February we do have the drawing
for the TCS Nursery Marathon. We'll be launching our plans then as well. Even though training will start really until June, you can get started and get in the habit, get in the Runna plan, get going, get yourself ready to go because a marathon's not easy, but we do hard things and we get to that finish line every way we can.
That's what we're trying to do. Absolutely. And NYRR by Runna, it definitely helps. One of the other things that people may not know is part of the job of Ben Delaney, Head of Coaching at New York Road Runners, is our pacing program. The races that we have, all of our half- marathons or longer, we have a pacing group. And I'm
forever fascinated by the job of the pacer. These folks that we send them out in these blue and white jerseys, they look like... What do you call those?
The hoops, our hoops because they're blue and white and they go circular round our hoops.
Yeah, yeah, they look like Waldo but with blue and not red. And they carry the little stick with their pace on it. And I'm always amazed at how effective these runners are, overwhelmingly successful in running the pace to which they've been assigned. Can you talk a bit about what it takes to be a pacer? How does somebody get to get that job basically, and how hard it
is to execute that? Because they're like human metronomes basically. They're out there really running and I can tell you that they've really helped me in some races. I mean, my last marathon in New York in 2013, I found that 330 pacer, and I stuck to them until mile 23 or so and felt good enough to run ahead of them at one point. But it really made a huge difference
for me. And I know so many runners out there going to those corrals, looking for those pace signs.
Yeah, I mean the NYRR Pace team is incredible. Coach Steve, Steve Mura, he has, that is his baby. He has taken that from infancy. He was given it when he started here at Road Runners 10 years ago, and he has grown it. I think this year at the TCS New York City Marathon, we had 90- plus Pacers out there, pretty much almost every corral from had a pacer. And these
pacers go from three hours to six hours. If you have a pacer, they're going to pace you to a sub- three. Because again, what their sign says, they're aiming for 30 seconds underneath that regardless of the race that we're at. So all of you sub- three marathoners out there, we've got, it's Anthony Chan and Justin Woody and man, these guys go 250, 930 and it's like, as Rob said, it's a metronome.
These guys are incredible. But we have people that do six hours, Jackie Choi, Steph Rezeska. I mean, they're out there and they are money. They get runners through. As I tell them, they are like your guiding light, hook your wagon to them and they will get you to where you have to be because they do an amazing job. But they are human also.
So everyone's not going to have a perfect day. But I think efficiency rate, they over 92% with all the races that we offer. I mean, Bronx 10, all of our training runs. Yeah, there's NYC Half, you name it, Staten Island, the marathon. I mean the Marathon team is incredible. Everybody wants to be a part of the marathon team. It's
a very select crew that Steve really curates well. We have a lot of connections and reachouts to people who want to be a pacer with New York Road Runners. Steve's actually partnered with a pacing company called Elevate. We're actually sending pacers through this, basically a class. They do a four- week class where they have assignments to do and they've got to clock
their splits and they get checked. Because again, Steve will tell you, the people that pace our races, specifically the TCS New York City Marathon, are the best pacers in the world. No offense to Berlin, Sydney or anybody else out there. Steve has paced London. He paced London last year to four hours and nailed it. But really, because putting your whole training cycle and your whole faith and hope in this person
to guide you. And so we take that very seriously. The pacers, they are very serious. They want to have as much success as you do, and they want to make sure that you have the best day possible out there. So as Rob said, we're there to guide you to a certain point. And then if you have your day, go. I've had the benefit of pacing a few races last year. I paced the marathon this past year. I got to mile 23
before. Unfortunately my day did not go very well, but hey, you know what? I did the best I could for what I did. My co- pacer, he nailed it, 4:19: 27. We're trying to go for 420.
So the runners were not left alone. Exactly. You've got a backup, which is good-
Always.
... in case somebody does have a bad day. Which it's a marathon that's going to happen, absolutely. How much faster does a pacer have to have run a marathon on their own, than the pace time? You're not going to give someone who's only run a 345, I guess, to run as their pace time. What's the margin we use?
Usually somewhere in that 15 to 30 minute range, obviously depending on the pace itself. Because one thing that we talked to some paces about, and I've learned, and you see this is like, yeah, maybe I can be out there for two and a half hours, but that's a lot for a half- marathon or five hours for a full, that's a lot longer
than I'm used to being on my feet. And that's the difference because as everyone learns, when you train for a marathon, you're training for time on your feet, your body to get used to what you want to do on pace day. So while somebody who's quick can maybe be out there, their body's not going to be used to
that. So if we really stick to that 15 to 30 minutes, sometimes it can be around 10 at the quicker range, but we want to make sure the pacer's are well within a space where it's comfortable for them. It's not outside of their wheelhouse. And like I said, it speaks to their efficiency, 90 plus percent efficiency. In some races, they're a 100%. I think for the Brooklyn half this year, they were a 100%.
Amazing.
Which is incredible.
Yeah, it's really, really cool. It's a great, great program that we offer for our runners in our races. Then I think a lot of people don't realize how many coaches we actually have at New York Road Runners. And we've talked about some of the programs, but it takes a lot of folks. We got, of course, a lot of part- time coaches. I think most of them are part- time. Really it's only yourself, Gemma and Steve who are on
the full- time staff. How many coaches do we have and what does it take for somebody who's maybe listening out there who thinks they might like to join in as a coach for group training or something like that?
I mean, I think the last time I checked just between group training and teaching for kids, we were around 95 coaches on staff. A lot of those same coaches work with Run for the Future as well. Run for the Future, which is our junior and senior high school young women, who are coming into a great program run during the summer time. They use about five or six coaches throughout
the program that they have, it's not a lot. We have some crossover. We have our Striders program as well. They probably have about 15 or so instructors out there and coaches. That's a different... We have a couple that cross over, but a lot of them are more specialized. They'll listen me to that program. Marcy Simon does a great job with some movement- based stuff. We have a lot of coaches out
there, but again, safety is the key for us. And also making sure we have connections out there. But if anybody wants to be a coach out there, there's RRCA, there's VDOT, Lydia, there's a lot of different coaching philosophies out there, USATF as well. But if we have an application up online open all the time, I keep it open because I'm always curious to see who's out there, who wants
to become a coach. Whenever my needs may be. And again, I tell my coaches, I want our runners to see us and I want us to see them. I like varied voices. I like varied experiences. I like varied paces. I like varied people. That way when you stand in front of a group, they're not just looking at a bunch of people with a whistle and a stopwatch. They're looking at everybody and every person in every place.
And again, regardless of what that coach's skill level place in their world, where they may be, they can talk to anybody. It just tells our runners should feel comfortable and confident, approach them and ask them questions because it's important. But anybody wants to be a coach, throw him in the hat, talk to me. You never know what could happen. The answer may be no today, but maybe in
six months it's a yes. But always keep the conversation open.
Yeah, we need a lot. Absolutely. So it's definitely an opportunity for somebody who loves to coach, loves people. I think that's the key and can get out there and work with people to make them better runners and more fulfilled, which is what it comes down to. Ben, I know that
you, like me, are a dad. I know this because we've talked about it, but I really know because you and I co- starred in the New Yorker Road Runner Father's Day video last year where we're basically making fun of ourselves as running dads, which was very cute by the way. But running's a family affair for you. I know not only your kids, your wife, you guys have run
races together. Can you talk about how you even came to running yourself, Ben?
I was always athletic my whole life. I played team sports, soccer, basketball, ice hockey, roller hockey, beach volleyball. I did something I couldn't sit still. A buddy of mine, he was 261 pounds. I remember that because 26.2 is the miles. He was 261 and he's hard to walk, and he was doing all this stuff and my son was about three years old at the time and I was doing adult sports and
it wasn't fun anymore. So he said, " Hey, try this running thing, man. You may like it." So I went in my local running store, like I tell everyone to do, got fitted for a pair of shoes, found a couple people that I liked to run with and off I went. And that was
almost 18 years ago or so. Ran my first marathon within a year of starting to run, which is the biggest mistake of my life because I wasn't ready for a marathon within 12 months of my running journey. Again, the marathon is this carrot, this idea, the Caltra 5K is so last year. But I came into running and what I really have come to love about it, and I tell people is that you can literally do it
from anywhere. I mean, if I travel somewhere, if I'm seeing friends, I can take my shoes and walk out the front door and I can find a route on Strava or run with them if they're local and I can get miles in and I can meet new people, or see new sites. I was working with someone this past summer and they were traveling over in Europe and I was envious of all the routes they were running and they
loved it. Sometimes when you're doing a training cycle, a new place to run can be just enough to break up the monotony enough. But yeah, my running journey started very simply, very straight forward and fast- forward to where we are today. And it's-
Turned into your career. Exactly. I mean, it's probably not something you envisioned when you first started running that you'd end up working in the industry.
I did not, but I'm blessed to be able to do it. And like you alluded to earlier, Rob, being able to have moved to New York. The Run As One was the race I did with my son when we first started to move here. I think the first time he did it, actually it was before it was rising, it was still the Mighty Milers. He did the Washington Heights Mile, that's where we live. We live uptown. He did
that. I think the year after that, we did the Run As One together. He did a four- mile race. So we did that every year until the pandemic. And then he did it. He just went to college a couple years ago. And so the last two years, my wife, myself and my son, we all ran that race as a family. The Run As One is the one that we do.
Now my wife and I do it together and that's our family race and I look forward to it every year. A, it's in April and it's finally getting warm. But B, it's a beautiful day out there and it's a great cause.
I love it. I love it. Well, this is a New Year's podcast. We're right around that turning of the year for folks out there. A lot of people are thinking about those New Year's resolutions, those running resolutions that they might have. So I guess I'll ask you, Ben, you got any goals, anything you want to accomplish in 2025 from a running point of view?
I always tell people if I keep myself healthy, I turn 50 this year, 2024. So to be able to continue to be able to do what I do every day, I will never take that for granted. Every day I get to put on my shoes, I will take it as a blessing. As a director of a training program, and I think Steve and Gemma will allude to this, it's hard for us to get out and get our own miles in, but I'm always looking to
challenge myself. Whether it be at the 10K distance, I wear my tech orbit shirt. This is one of my favorite races that we do. It's the one race I try to race, but if I had to put one on the radar, it's always the Washington Heights 5K. I love the Washington Heights 5K. I live uptown, so I run that course on
the regular. It's always a good test. I love to train in the wintertime, so you'll always find me putting myself out there for that race for sure. But it's never easy. But maybe I'll turn the tables on you, Rob. You got any size set or anything out there? Are you keeping that one close to the vest?
Well, first of all, I had such a gratifying 2024. It was such an amazing running year for me, and year in general to be honest. And I'm so thrilled that I was able to run a marathon at all. I know what you mean about turning 50. I'm a couple years north of that and I was able to pull off a run in Berlin and set a PR by
one little skinny minute there. But I'll take any PR at 53 years old from 11 years ago the last time I ran a marathon. So it was a great, great year for me. I think that what's interesting for me, Ben, is I do go to a lot of these Abbott World Marathon majors races. I'm going there to support our partners, all the other majors, we tend to
attend each other's races. And what I learned in my first year or so on this job is that I don't really like going to races that I'm not running it. I don't really love just watching the people run. I mean, in New York, of course that's what I
have to do because I'm so busy. We have so many responsibilities, but if I'm at somebody else's race, I don't really have that much to do, and I'm like, " Why am I standing here watching this race?" So that's why I ran Berlin. And I do go typically to one international major a year. And so this year the one I'm attending and I'm very excited, is Tokyo. I will be going to Tokyo the first weekend in March.
I'm very excited. I've never been to Japan. And so I'm going to go to Tokyo and I'm going to put in some extra miles over the next month or so and see how the body feels. I ran the Ted Corbitt 15K. Came out of that feeling pretty good. So we'll see how the body holds up over the next month or so, and see if maybe I can try
to pull that off. But I take nothing for granted, Ben, because the knees and the body, they'll tell you what you're going to do and what you're not going to do. You can suggest, but they'll have the final answer, the body will. And so that's the humility with which I'm trying to approach these things.
Yeah, it's true because we all have our goals and our aspirations and sometimes wake up one day and go, " Wow, that didn't hurt yesterday. Where did that come from?" And you realize you're not 32 anymore and you're like, " Ah, this is what we do." But hey, you get to put in your shoes though, so it's always a good day.
A 100%. And the thing about even having a coach, for a lot of runners probably is not the first thing they think of. Other than running in cross country in high school, I ran my whole life without really having a coach. I'd just go and I'd run. And if I was getting really serious about it, I'd have some electronics, devices, whatever to try to push me a little bit. But having actual coaching and advice is new
for a lot of runners. So what do you think for somebody who's got those resolutions, whether it's to pick up the sport of running, to get fit or to improve their performance or maybe set a PR or run their first marathon, whatever it might be, what's the benefit of having a coach, whether it's a shared coach as you have in the group training setting or a digital coach like
NYRR by Runna, or a personal coach, which some people have?
Yeah, I mean, really the coach is going to help you with a roadmap, give you somewhere to start, a place to work through it and hopefully an end point. Obviously the race we can't control, but to get you to the start line in one piece. They also, we are therapists to a certain extent. We're trying to help you out to get every, because some
days you don't want to do it. Or to your point earlier, the workouts are hard and you can do hard things, but you have to be willing to talk people through that. But you're really helping and then you're giving them advice. And the advice really comes from the experience as a coach. We've all been there to a certain extent. The great thing with group training and with TFK and even Run for the Future is that
our coaches are with you during the workout. So we're right there with you. We're not standing on the sideline as you go by one time yelling at you. We are actually in the space with you so that we can talk to you in that moment, give you some pointers, help you out before and after. Our coaches are available to talk about
strategy, to talk about where your training is. If you're having some issues, maybe some guidance on where to look for answers. If our coaches are not qualified to give the information, a lot of our runners ask, " Hey, this hurts. That hurts. What about this nutrition?" And we are not nutritionists, we're not PTs, we're not doctors. So we give you advice
on where to go. It's a great resource, then that's what a coach can be as a resource where they be within the training plan or to find things that you need. But really it's to guide you along to talk about what your goals are. And I tell runners, " You've got to be honest about where you are when you
start." If I ask you what is your comfortable running pace, you tell me nine minutes and go out and run for a nine- minute pace and you can't talk to me, that's not a comfortable pace. So be honest with your coach and where you are in your ability levels, and
always go from there. If the coach will pick up on, " Hey, you're not working hard enough or you're working too hard," Because ultimately we understand the physiological process the body has to go through for the games to happen and we want to make sure that we put you in
the right spot. And that's really what we're trying to do is get you in the right space to build your training because training is all about stress and recovery, and we want to make sure that as you put stresses on your body, you have ample time to recover for the next workout, for
the next week, for race day. So it's trying to balance that load, that intensity, that when we as a coach can do that, that's really where we're giving you the best chance for success on race day. Because if you get to the start line too tired, injured, not mentally ready, then you haven't put yourself in a position of success. And that's what I preach to my coaches, " Get them in a
position of success." I mean, it's better to be a little bit under trained than anything over trained. If it means taking a day off, take the day off. Get yourself ready because I think you saw any race, I'm sure Ted Corbitt or any race, showing up feeling that, hey, I may have a day today or I feel at least I have a chance, is better than showing up like, " Dude, why am I here? Why
am I doing this? I don't even want to do this today."
A 100%. Yeah, the mental side is so big. And you mentioned the coach as therapist and I tell you what, that's so true. I can think back to the moments I had leading up to Berlin this past September, and you might remember, I got quite sick early in September. I got this walking pneumonia that's going around. I was knocked out for a week and I was really worried I wasn't going to be able to run Berlin at
all. And I came out for group training just as I had started to get over that. And I remember I ran with Coach Alem, who a lot of folks will know is a fixture at our races, a former elite runner himself. And Alem and I were running up and down the west side in Central Park. And Ben, I could not get a word out. I was absolutely dying, gasping for air on this
run. And Berlin was less than two weeks away. And I was like, " Oh my God, what am I going to do?" And I remember finishing that and I remember just telling Alem, I was like, " I just felt awful. I don't know what I'm going to do." And just almost spilling my guts. I was like, "This is just not good." And Alem reassured me, he said, " Listen, the fitness is there. It'll
come back. You're just getting over a little thing." And I ran the Bronx, the New Balance Bronx 10 Mile or a few days later had much, much better. Had an amazing day with Coach Roberto, of course, who was well- known and had your job essentially at one point, was in a role similar to yours. And that really reset my confidence. I probably ran a little too well in the Bronx to be honest. I set my PR by
five minutes in the Bronx. I blew that thing away, probably left a little too much on the table there, but still had enough left in Berlin. So the psychological side is so important, just to have someone to talk to, to get some feedback from it makes a really, really big difference. Coach Ben, you do a great job. Your team does a great job. You're a huge part of New York Road Runners and will be a huge part
of the lives of many, many runners in 2025. So I encourage everybody out there to check out group training, Team for Kids, NYRR by Runna, all the things. Our coaches are there to make you better and have a great, great running experience throughout the year and beyond. So Coach Ben, thank you. Appreciate having you on.
I couldn't believe it. This has been amazing. Rob, thank you so much. Always a pleasure to chat, talk running. Hopefully see everybody in 2025. It's going to be an incredible year. Come out, have fun. We're waiting for you and we'll have a great time.
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Rose-Gaëlle Belinga is a software engineer originally from Cameroon. During the week, Rose- Gaëlle tackles complex technological challenges, but on the weekends she's an open run volunteer captain at Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan where she fosters community through running
and encourages participation among diverse groups. A dedicated NYRR volunteer and runner, Rose- Gaëlle has run 54 races with New York Road Runners, including seven marathons.
Thanks, Rob Rose, Gael, welcome to the Set the Pace podcast. How are you doing today?
Doing well. Thank you for having me.
Great to have you. You grew up in Cameroon by your father's experience studying the influences in the US, your decision to pursue education abroad. How did your upbringing in Cameroon shape your desire to study as software engineering?
Oh, both my parents definitely inspired me. My dad having received a scholarship to come pursue his MBA at NYU, he had already completed civil engineering in Cameroon. And I don't think anyone else in the family had ever traveled to the US, so it was quite mind- expanding. When he came back, he had already met my mom before he came back. So when he came back, he got married,
had us. He kept telling us about this place where people from a different background, different ethnicity, religion, political affiliations, could all work together. And that was very different compared to what was happening in Cameroon at the time. And my mom was also first generation in her family to go to high school. And just like my dad, she went beyond, she went to college and grad school as well, which was quite unusual
for a woman at the time. So they both encouraged us to focus on, apply our studies. They believe that education is the best way to build a bright future. It will help with social economy disparity. The idea was for us to go pursue our studies, not necessarily in the US. But if we were blessed enough to get a scholarship to also come to the US, my dad recommended not going to New York because he did not like
the winter. So we ended up going to Atlanta instead because we heard that during the 1996 Olympic Games, we heard that it doesn't snow in Atlanta. So that's where my siblings and I started our studies.
Awesome. How was your experience when you first came to the US though in Atlanta? Tell us, you spoke English beforehand and how was that experience, your transition living and study in the United States?
It is a very good question. It is quite surprising how different English can be. Cameroon is a bilingual country, similar to Canada it's the second largest English- French- speaking country in the world. However, the English we speak is closer to British English. So when I moved to the US, people spoke very fast. I
had a hard time understanding what people were saying. So I ended up enrolling into an intensive English program, also known as English as a second language, ESL. And that helped a lot. It didn't just help with the language, it also helped with the culture. There were a lot of concept I wasn't familiar with. For example, we learned about the civil rights movement, which was very different compared to
this historical lessons we've had in Cameroon. In terms of sciences, I feel that the curriculum was a bit more advanced in Cameroon because we went all the way to Calculus II in high school. So on the STEM side I was okay, but everything else, I felt like a newbie. I felt like a sponge just absorbing everything. So it was challenging, but I would say I had a really good support network.
I can relate Rose- Gaëlle. When I first came here to the United States, I was also in English as a second language, ESL. And yes, the math can be done and few other things, but the English, spelling and pronunciation can be extremely difficult. But it's all about adaptation, just like running and learning. Sometimes you have to work extra hard. Some like myself, I'm very gifted at running, but
some might not be gifted at running. So I have to wake up early and work the extra mileage and I did the extra hours. In fact, my dad woke us up at 4: 30 AM in the morning before going 7: 30 to class. But wisdom and support comes from our families, friends. But your grandmother's wisdom about borrowing the air from the future generation
clearly resonates with you. How does this philosophy influence your commitment to volunteer with NYRR Open Run program?
It's a good part of my personality. So growing up, my father's grandmother, who's our great- grandmother, often reminded us that we did not inherit this earth from our ancestors. We're borrowing it from the next generation, from our children, so we should strive to leave things better than we found
them. So that has pushed me to, I'm already passionate about technology, about art, but it has also fueled my passion for philanthropy, for giving back to the community. And not just myself, my siblings as well. We're very involved. Whichever community in which we landed in the world, because we're spread throughout various continents, we make sure that we always give back to the community.
Excellent. What impact do you hope to have on the NYRR Open Run community?
I hope that more folks like me, who didn't grow up with many running role models will know that it's something they can do. I cannot think of a single person in my family who had run more than 800 meters growing up, and the 800 meter was because it was mandatory in high school. Once we were done with high school, that's it. Nobody ran. And
we knew very, very little about health. Which meant that by the time we became adults, most of us suffered from hypertension, diabetes, and other disease that could be preventable with the right amount of education. For just running, like going out for a jog is not something we were taught in the community. So that's where I hope we can create more role models, where anybody can know that
they can run. On the other hand, I've also been very inspired by the Rising Road Runners, the children who are learning about leadership skills. I wish I had had a similar program growing up. It will have certainly made me a lot more confident and made me a better communicator. So that's another aspect where I hope the New York Road Runners legacy can continue. Yeah.
Absolutely. I think the New York Road Runners have a complete package from their rising New York stars to Team For Kids and other organization races. But you've begun your journey with the NYRR in 2017, and have since completed impressive 54 races, including seven marathons. What initially drew you to New York Road Runners and how has your involvement with the organization evolved over the years?
You are going to laugh. I used to go and cheer for the marathoners after I moved to New York, a little over 12 years ago, and it was always fun. It was on my way to church, therefore not out of my way. I would just be there at the finish line by Columbus Circle, just before going to
choir rehearsal. And I saw a postcard in my neighborhood one weekend talking about a program called Open Run, and I figure this is a great opportunity to explore the woods because I like walking in the neighborhood park, but I was always weary of going into the woods alone, and I figure by joining this community, I will have the
safety net of a large group. So I joined the group and I jokingly mentioned to someone that on my bucket list I would like to participate in the New York City Marathon. In fact, the previous autumn here, it will be fall, but in New Zealand, it was actually the spring in November, I had just visited Queenstown, New Zealand and I happened to be visiting it during the marathon.
And I thought that would be interesting for me to do so. I just thought it's a matter of doing it in 10 or 20 years, it would take me that long to train. And everyone in the group dared me to just put my name in the hat and sign up for the marathon lottery. And then I got selected. I got selected that year.
It was meant to be.
My first reaction was, " Yay." And then, " Oh no, I don't know what to do." So I had to look up a Couch to 5K program. Ended up remembering that how he done has a really good program on his website, so that's what I followed. It's like a couch to 5K, and then 5K
to marathon. Believe it or not, training for my first 5K was a lot harder than training for marathon because I didn't know what you're supposed to do while you're running, because it's been two, three minutes. I'm like, why am I still running? Am I supposed to have water? Am I supposed to have food? What if I have to make a pit stop? It started as a dare.
It all starts from one mile to the 5K to the 10K, half- marathon, full marathon, and you have an impressive-
Exactly.
... impressive-
And most qualify to Nine Plus One, one year, then the following year you feel that, well, I'm already qualified, must well doing it.
Great. No, no. The Nine Plus One is a great way to get into the marathon, but to be able to do seven marathons at this year's marathon is very impressive. So what's your goal for 2025?
That's a good question. I have been very inspired by people who travel to other cities to do a marathon, so definitely I'm still interested in doing the 2025 New York City Marathon, but I would also like to see what other marathons are out there. I've heard of the Philly Marathon, Chicago, Boston, Berlin, Tokyo, Paris, and of course the Queenstown one, maybe
go back to New Zealand. So my goal is to, it doesn't have to be a full marathon, but to hopefully do a race in another city or another state.
That'd be an excellent, this is the borrowed space from the earth, so go enjoy it. Wherever you go, wish you all the best and good luck.
Thank you.
Thank you so much, Rose- Gaëlle for joining us and for being a member of New York Road Runners, and an incredible leader in our Open Run program as well. Now it's on to the final part of today's show, the Meb Minutes. When it comes to New
Year's resolution, start with a clear, achievable goal that excites you and that has a personal meaning. Whether it's running your first race, setting a personal best, or simply running your consistently, make sure it is something that inspires you and to stay committed. Set small milestones along the way and celebrate the progress. Stay patient, trust the process and
remember, consistency is the key. Most importantly, enjoy the journey. Running is about more than just crossing the finish line. It is becoming a stronger, both physically and mentally. It is your happy hour and make sure you put no pressure on yourself or others because this is something that is personal to you. I'm going to give you advice.
The progress that you make is huge. I had a tea with Paul Tergat, the great 10K runner, marathoner from Kenya, two- time silver medalist. And he told me he's like, " Anybody can do a workout, but making the progress is going to be big difference because it's not how many workouts you do by the small progress that you make weekly, monthly, and then leading hopefully to the big races."
All right, that's a wrap on the first episode of Set the Pace for 2025. We want to thank our guest today, coach Ben Delaney and Rose-Gaëlle Belinga, and again, a reminder next week I'll be answering your questions. So if you've got a question for me or anyone at New York
Road Runners, send it to nyrrpodcast@nyrr.org. Or you can put them in the review section on the Apple Podcast app, or just hit us with a DM on social and we will answer your questions. If you like this episode, please make sure you go ahead and subscribe. Rate it, leave a comment so we can make sure others find the show as well. Thanks for joining us. Happy New Year and we will see you next week.