Early Call Time

In April's banter episode, Tony and Eli talk about a "triple crown" of Boston topics: the 70,000-runner virtual Boston Marathon, the additional $25 COVID fee being applied to the Boston Marathon registration fee this year, and, most importantly, and a slick Nike/Boston Red Sox collaboration honoring the Boston Marathon but costing consumers a pretty penny.

The guys close by discussing some big news for Tony, but we're not giving any spoilers about that in the show notes--wanna find out, then you've got to listen!

This was a short episode, so it'll also be a short summary. If you enjoyed this one, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you don't ever want to miss an episode be sure to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, guests you would like us to invite, or topics you would be interested in hearing us explore, please send us an email at [email protected].

Thanks as always for listening, and we'll catch you bright and early on the next episode of Early Call Time!

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In their April interview episode Tony and Eli welcome Chicago Event Management Chief Operating Officer Mike Nishi to the ECT Pod. Mike was the man they had in mind when they created pod, and we can promise this episode lived up to their lofty expectations!

Mike gives the guys a deep history lesson, stretching back to his first childhood experience with the Chicago Marathon (and the nature of that experience will definitely surprise you). He shares how he went from working as a gofer for the Chicago Marathon in its early days, to working for the race full-time, to--along with his business partner Carey Pikowski--forming CEM and growing it into the industry-leading juggernaut that it is today. And along the way he explains the parallel evolution of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, which is a little 46,000-finisher race that you may have heard of.

This episode is full of insight on creating and maintaining a high-performance culture, the value of connecting with people, being an organization that gives back, and industry insight and knowledge of the type that only Mike Nishi can give. If you want to better understand the big picture of what makes one of the premier event production companies in the world tick, this episode is a must-listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you don't ever want to miss an episode be sure to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, guests you would like us to invite, or topics you would be interested in hearing us explore, please send us an email at [email protected].

Thanks as always for listening, and we'll catch you bright and early on the next episode of Early Call Time!

Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod
Instagram: @EarlyCallTimePod
Twitter: @EarlyPod

In March's interview episode Tony and Eli welcome Caroline Fitzgerald, Vice President of Partnerships & Runner Experience at P3R and fellow member of the "one marathon club," to the pod. Caroline drops tons of knowledge about how P3R, the organization the guys dubbed "Most Likely to Succeed" back in Season 1, effectively integrates its operations teams with its partnerships and experience team to provide great experiences for their runners. From the Racing Pierogis to Pittsburgh Dad, Caroline shares how she and P3R makes it happen, and also comes dangerously close to breaking news about what P3R has planned in the virtual space for the Expo for the 2021 Dick's Sporting Goods Virtual Pittsburgh Marathon.

Can't get enough of Caroline? Check her out on her own podcast, The Business Case for Women's Sports.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you don't ever want to miss an episode be sure to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, guests you would like us to invite, or topics you would be interested in hearing us explore, please send us an email at [email protected].

Thanks as always for listening, and we'll catch you bright and early on the next episode of Early Call Time!

Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod
Instagram: @EarlyCallTimePod
Twitter: @EarlyPod

In this month's banter episode, the guys start by wishing each other a happy podiversary, as it has now been over a year since we recorded the first ECT Pod! A huge thank you to all of our friends, guests, and listeners who have gotten us this far. And if it's okay with y'all, we're still feeling it, so we're just gonna keep on doing this thing.

Tony and Eli check in on their over/under wagers, none of which are resolved yet. But data points are starting to emerge, some of them courtesy of the Atlanta Track Club, who, almost exactly a year after their triumphant Olympic Marathon Trials, returned to large-scale in-person racing with an approximately three-thousand in-person runner Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The guys are very interested to see large-scale racing continue to (safely!) ramp up, including soon at the Woodlands Marathon in Tony's home state of Texas as well as Florida's Gate River Run, which is sold out at 8,000 registrants (half its usual capacity) for its upcoming race.

The guys then dive into data, talking about what they learned from Running USA's 2020 Global Running Survey and Run Signup's demographic overview of virtual registrants on their platform. There are great takeaways about DEI and how events need to be willing to lead their consumers in that space (and be willing to leave some behind), as well as insights into who virtual runners really are. The biggest revelation of all, though, comes when Eli realizes that Tony can summarize in fifteen seconds what it takes him five minutes to say.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you don't ever want to miss an episode be sure to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, guests you would like us to invite, or topics you would be interested in hearing us explore, please send us an email at [email protected].

Thanks as always for listening, and we'll catch you bright and early on the next episode of Early Call Time!

Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod
Instagram: @EarlyCallTimePod
Twitter: @EarlyPod

In this special Valentine's Day (or is it Galentine's Day?) episode the guys hand off the mics to the women who tolerate them, Leslie Wise and Christina Yamanaka, to talk about what life is like when you're married to an RD. They talk about race week traditions, being supportive during busy times, and how at times having an RD for a spouse means you're like ships passing in the night.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you enjoyed it so much you don't ever want to miss another episode be sure to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, guests you would like us to invite, or topics you would be interested in hearing us explore, please send us an email at [email protected].

Thanks so much, Leslie and Christina, for showing Early Risers a little bit of the softer side of Tony and Eli (who both want to say that they love you very much), and thanks as always to all of our loyal Early Risers for listening. Time to get some rest, and we'll catch you bright and early on the next episode of Early Call Time!

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Twitter: @EarlyPod

In this week's episode the guys have on the one and only David Katz! The founder and owner of Finish Line Road Race Technicians, David is one of the world's foremost experts on the technical side of road racing. He has not just measured marathon courses and served as an official for world-class events such as the Olympic Trials, Olympic Games, and Eliud Kipchoge's Breaking 2, but also helped to create modern road race standards by serving on the original AAU Standards Committee in the early days of our sport and currently upholds those standards by serving as the chairperson of the Road Running Technical Council (among other roles in the sport at both the national and international levels).

David has been around the sport of road racing since its infancy--and one might even say he, alongside road racing titan Ted Corbitt, played a role in birthing the sport in its modern form--and he pulls from his deep well of knowledge to regale us with stories from re-measuring the New York City Marathon course after Alberto Salazar's 1981 World Best (with an asterisk . . . ) to how the Museum of Tomorrow ended up on the marathon course at the Rio Olympics. The self-proclaimed "poster child for running nerds," David didn't disappoint, explaining the "why" behind all his hard work and meticulous attention to detail in words so profound that Tony declares they should be "the oath" for people who work in  operations at marathons.

If you have ever wanted to know what goes into designing the course for an Olympic Marathon, the difference between the "shortest possible route" on the course and the "prudent route," or just want a deep history lesson on the history and standards of the sport of road running delivered in a charming and non-nonsense New York accent, this episode is a must-listen! And for those who stick around long enough at the episode's end, there's a special Easter egg where you'll learn that David's taste in bikes matches Tony's taste in cars.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you enjoyed it so much you don't ever want to miss another episode be sure to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, guests you would like us to invite, or topics you would be interested in hearing us explore, please send us an email at [email protected].

Thanks to David Katz for being such an interesting and insightful guest, and thanks as always to all of our loyal Early Risers for listening. Time to get some rest, and we'll catch you bright and early on the next episode of Early Call Time!

Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod
Instagram: @EarlyCallTimePod
Twitter: @EarlyPod

Eli and Tony are back! The first episode of Season 2 of Early Call Time starts with the guys catching up  about  how they spent their nearly month-long break from podcasting (which, in Eli's case, included going on a mass non-industry running  audience about directing large events on the Strength Running Podcast). They then talk a little about what their hopes for the pod this year (some tight explainer episodes! And also a sponsor!) before opining about some good news for one of the best guys in the industry--Ted Metellus's promotion to Race Director of the New York City Marathon. It's a big job at a tough time for New York Road Runners, but if anyone is up for it, it's "Ted the Man."

The meat of this episode is an over-under-challenge in which, after Eli explains the rules to Tony, the guys each come up with three "over-under" propositions for the running industry in 2021 and each take a stand on either side. Click here to see what the propositions were and where the guys landed on them, and know we'll be referring back to this throughout and at the end of the year to see whether Tony or Eli had the better crystal ball.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you don't ever want to miss an episode be sure to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, guests you would like us to invite, or topics you would be interested in hearing us explore, please send us an email at [email protected].

Thanks as always for listening, and we'll catch you bright and early on the next episode of Early Call Time!

Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod
Instagram: @EarlyCallTimePod
Twitter: @EarlyPod

In the season finale, the guys start with a toast before discussing the industry news of the day: NYRR leadership turnover, mid-sized races returning (here's to you, Space Coast Marathon and Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon!), and the upcoming elite-only Marathon Project (listen to Episode 28, our interview with Big River Running CEO Matt Helbig, to learn what has gone into making this event happen).

Tony and Eli then share what they've learned this year as well as their hopes for next year before closing out the inaugural season of the ECT Pod by letting the listeners know what to expect from the pod next year (with juuust a touch of begging for sponsors thrown in).

We hope you have a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season, Early Risers, and we'll see you bright and early in 2021!

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe. And if you have any questions, comments, or guests you would like us to invite, please send us an email at [email protected].

Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod
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In this month's interview episode Tony and Eli get to talk to Matt Helbig, CEO of Big River Running, whose Big River Race Management arm is producing The Marathon Project, an elite-only, 100-runner marathon in Arizona on December 20 which the guys have talked about before on the pod and are very excited about.

After the guys learn a little about Matt's early days in the industry (which include a collegiate connection with one of his partners in The Marathon Project, Hoka One One Northern Arizona Elite Founder and Head Coach Ben Rosario), Matt then tells them about The Marathon Project's origin as Rosario's idea to create a competition opportunity for elite athletes who haven't had many other racing opportunities this year. He outlines the risk that Matt and his partners in this endeavor (the aforementioned Rosario as well as athlete agent Josh Cox) have taken on in producing this event, and how Big River Race Management is taking the idea and making it a reality--from venue-sourcing and course certification to  COVID protocols and virtual technical meetings. And in the process Matt almost breaks news on the pod, teasing that there may be an announcement about a TV deal for the race coming soon.

Everything about this event sounds like it will be world-class, and the guys are stoked for there to be a professionally-produced,  elite, criterium-style marathon featuring some of America and the world's best marathoners competing for Olympic berths, contractual bonuses, and (hopefully if the sponsors come through) a substantial prize purse before the end of the year. Listen to the full episode so you'll have all the behind-the-scenes details when you (hopefully) watch the race on TV with them on December 20! And consider showing your support for this event (and Matt) by participating in its virtual event.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, guests you would like us to invite, please send us an email at [email protected].

Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod
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The guys begin November's banter episode discussing Start Line Impact, a grassroots movement spearheaded by friend of the pod and past guest Kirsten Fleming to galvanize the industry's many players to call attention to running events' positive impacts on their community and the challenges they face right now (want to get involved? Fill out this form). Discussion of Start Line Impact devolves into Tony deciding he needs to start an industry motorcycle gang called "Herd of Cats" and Eli boning up on the definition of "gantry" before Eli moves on by asking Tony to tell listeners about a project he has been working on: the Tony Banovich Roads, Tracks, and Trails Memorial Run, a virtual race fundraiser for Run Wild Missoula in honor of their recently-deceased and much-beloved Executive Director. (Want to learn more about Tony B? Listen to this episode we shared from our friends at BibRave.) The goal is 1,000 registrants, and you can  be one of them by registering here.

Eli then does a "professional podcaster segue" into talking about the Running USA Global Running Survey, the industry's annual census of runners. Tony (a Running USA Board Member!) lets folks know that the survey has expanded its scope this year, including both a version focused on the European market and also a new section on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The guys then discuss a serious DEI topic, Rebuild NYRR, an organization established by current and former New York Road Runners employees looking to force the organization to confront  what the group alleges is a culture of bias and racism within NYRR. We can't stress this enough: it's important that the industry take claims like this seriously and tries to live up to its stated ethos of inclusion, and this isn't a problem exclusive to NYRR. The guys recommend listeners check out and join the Running Industry Diversity Coalition, and call on all of us to do the sometimes uncomfortable work needed to move the industry forward to become an inclusive and equitable one.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, or guests you would like us to invite, please send us an email at [email protected].

Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod
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Twitter: @EarlyPod