oining Set the Pace this week is actor Anthony Ramos, best known for his breakout role on Broadway in “Hamilton” as well as on the big screen in Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite (and coming in 2026, Ryan Murphy’s The Beauty.) This past Sunday, the Brooklyn native ran his first-ever race at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon with his former high school guidance counselor Jason Jacobs, who was one of the first people to encourage Anthony to pursue a career in the arts. Rounding out the experience was a very special pacer—Olympian and Boston Marathon champion Des Linden. Anthony opens up about how the course was like a microcosm of his life as friends and family cheered him on at critical moments. Also joining the show is Sandra Garcia, whose connection to New York Road Runners started in 1998 with the launch of NYRR’s free youth running programs in New York City schools. As a Harlem kid in that program, she raced city courses and became pen pals with New York City Marathon legend Grete Waitz.

Check out our interview with the champions of the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon

And listen to our episode with Susannah Sullivan that Becs' mentions in the show!


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Hear from the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon champions—Hellen Obiri, Susannah Scaroni, Benson Kipruto and Marcel Hug, about what it took to crush the competition on this iconic course. With focus, determination, and a whole lot of heart, these athletes gave it their all on the best day of the year, in the best city in the world.

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Check out this special episode as guest hosts Olympian Carrie Tollefson and sports journalist Chris Chavez bring you the very first interviews with the 2025 Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K champions Amon Kemboi and three time champ Annie Rodenfels. Their conversation was livestreamed at a watch party just steps from the finish line in the new Westside Hospitality Tent. Tune in to the excitement of marathon weekend!

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Actor Oliver Phelps aka George Weasley of Harry Potter fame, joins Set the Pace during a live taping from the Citizens Stage at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance. Millions grew up watching him on screen as one of the fun-loving red-haired twins of the Wizarding World. These days, you’ll find him co-hosting “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking” on the Food Network with his brother James and lacing up for his very first marathon right here in New York, running for the Matt Hampson Foundation. Plus, Anil Nandkumar, advanced clinician and board-certified physical therapist at Hospital for Special Surgery, offers advice for what runners should focus on in the final hours leading up to race day.


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Race week is finally here! And just in time for this weekend's 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, joins Rob and Becs for a conversation about his newly published book “The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports,”. Exactly the inspiration you need before your weekend run, Thompson's book explores how running shaped his relationship with his father, helped him navigate ambition and aging, and instilled lifelong discipline. He shares insights on the parallels between writing and running, and the lessons he learned from the sport, including training for his first marathon in 2005 and earning the American age-group record in the 50K in 2021. He opens up about how his father’s lack of discipline, which led him to die “a bankrupt tax fugitive running a brothel in Southeast Asia,” motivated him to take the opposite path by finding purpose through structure and focus. This Sunday, Thompson will toe the line for his 12th New York City Marathon and is hopeful that his son will join him at the start line in the future for some healthy father-son competition.

Watch 26.2 on YouTube!

The Ultimate 2026 TCS New York City Marathon Race Entry Sweepstakes!

Apply for TFK for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon

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With race day just a little over a week away, New York Road Runners’ Chief Event Production Officer and TCS New York City Marathon Race Director Ted Metellus joins Rob and Becs to give runners all the inside information on this year’s TCS New York City Marathon. Ted breaks down key logistics—from picking up your bib at the Expo to getting to the start on Staten Island. He also highlights the many exciting events leading up to race day, including the TCS New York City Marathon Opening Ceremony Presented by United Airlines, the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, and the TCS New York City Marathon Kids Kickoff. His advice to runners is to plan ahead, stay flexible, trust your training, and enjoy the journey. And for this week’s Member Moment, Meb talks to Michael Alcaide better known as “MTK or “Mike the Korican,” representing his Korean and Puerto Rican roots. He’s the founder of the Global Running Crew and a three-time Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star finisher.

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See the 2025 TCS NYC Marathon Medal Reveal
New York Roadrunners, Set The Pace Watch Party at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K

How to change your emergency contact info here: https://help.nyrr.org/s/article/How-do-I-update-my-emergency-contact-information

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An Insider's Guide to the Medical Operation at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon.

n this episode of Set the Pace, Rob interviews Dr. Matt Friedman, the national medical directory of CrowdRx, the team responsible for the medical operation at the TCS New York City Marathon and other New York Road Runners events. Dr. Friedman talks about the year-round planning that goes into supporting runners on their 26.2-mile journeys; covering everything from medical tents and emergency response teams to hydration, heat safety, and warning signs runners should be aware of. He shares important safety tips for runners taking on the marathon, including what to do if you’re not feeling 100% and why learning hands-only CPR can save lives. Whether you’re running, volunteering, or cheering from the sidelines, this conversation offers essential insights. 

Learn more at www.nyrr.org/marathonrunnersafety 

Details on how to change your emergency contact info here: https://help.nyrr.org/s/article/How-do-I-update-my-emergency-contact-information

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This week, Rob and Becs welcome back to the show Jenny Simpson, a 2025 NYRR Hall of Fame inductee. Jenny has played a pivotal role as an ambassador and special advisor to Rising New York Road Runners, NYRR’s free youth running program. A three-time Olympian and 11-time U.S. national champion, she dominated the iconic 5th Avenue Mile with a record eight victories. Jenny recently retired from professional racing after finishing the 2024 New York City Marathon and shares her latest adventure—a 50-state running road trip with her husband, Jason, to celebrate local running communities. Plus, Meb talks with Shivaii Nikam, who joined the NYRR Youth Ambassadors program back in 2019, and is now a junior at Brooklyn Technical High School and a member of the school’s cross country and track teams. Meb also speaks with Mohammed Saad, a physical therapist with Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and a member of the performance team conducting running mechanics assessments to help athletes prevent injuries.

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Tune into this live episode of Set the Pace during the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon weekend as Rob interviews the legendary Meb Keflezighi, who shares his experience running Chicago in 2003 with the goal to run sub 2:12. Then Meb turns the tables and interviews Rob about training for his own Chicago moment. Also joining the podcast is Al Hamood, the president and chief financial and administrative officer of Culligan International. Under his leadership, Culligan continues its commitment to sustainability and community impact—most recently partnering with New York Road Runners as the official hydration partner of the TCS New York City Marathon.

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Paralympic silver medalist and newly announced 2025 TCS New York City Marathon Team Inspire runner Ali Truwit joins Rob and Becs this week. A former Yale swimmer, Ali survived a shark attack in 2023 that led to the devastating loss of her left foot. Then, less than a year later, Ali qualified for Team USA, winning two silver medals and setting American records at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Ali opens up about learning to live with fear, rebuilding her athletic identity, and training with a running blade. She also shares the mission behind her foundation, Stronger Than You Think, which helps provide prosthetics to young women and girls. She’s now setting her sights on completing her first TCS New York City Marathon. Plus, for this week’s Member Moment, Meb talks to Amina Garau, who discovered her love for racing after moving from Sardinia to New York City in 2018, where she ran her first NYRR race, the Italy Run. She co-founded the NY World Runners team, helping others train and prepare for their first marathons.

2025 TCS New York City Marathon Team Inspire

New York Road Runners Expands Sustainability Efforts for
2025 TCS New York City Marathon

Support Ali and Stronger Than You Think

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