This week, Becs is flying solo as Rob is off in Paris for the final week of the Olympics. She’s joined by her partner Austin Curtis as they talk about how they met, how he transitioned from hockey to running, and the joys of raising their daughter Tallulah. Austin grew up in the Philadelphia area and played hockey as a child and into college until he turned to running as an adult. He ran his first marathon in 2015 in Philadelphia with his sister, finishing in just under five hours. After training competitively with a friend, he ran his second marathon in 2019 in New Jersey finishing in 2:57! He talks about what it took to cut two hours off his marathon time, what it’s like running with Becs (she pushes the pace!), and what’s ahead.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
New York Road Runners is a non- profit organization with
a vision to build healthier lives and stronger communities through
the transformative power of running. The support of members and
donors like you helps us achieve our mission to transform
the health and wellbeing of our communities through inclusive and
accessible running experiences, empowering all to achieve their potential. Learn
(00:22):
more and contribute at nyrr. org/ donate.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you, New York. Today we're reminded of the power
of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on
your mark.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
The first woman to finish for the second straight year here in the
New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman, a smiling Miki
Gorman. And why not? 2
Speaker 4 (00:53):
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 (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (01:10):
All right, team, welcome to Set the Pace presented by
Peloton. I'm your host, Becs Gentry flying solo today as
Rob is off in Paris with his daughter for the
final weeks of this year's incredible Olympics. And yes, I
am going to be right behind him heading to the
games later this week too. I cannot wait to get
over to Paris. I have been glued to the NBC
(01:35):
broadcast and just watching primetime every evening, catching up on
all of the medals, all of the wins, and all
of the drama as well. Not that it has been much,
but it's been a really, really strong year. I've got
to say. I think the women have been really, really
floating the Olympics this year. Watching the women's triathlon yesterday,
(01:56):
just the women came over the line, they were on
the floor. They gave it their all. And I haven't
been to the Olympics, but I got close and I
know what that feels like. So I can't wait to
get out there. I'm hopefully going to watch some of
the games. I'm going to be running the Marathon Pour
Tous on Saturday night. And then I will be doing
lovely, lovely commentary hits for the women's marathon on Sunday
morning. You can also find me on the NBC social,
(02:18):
which is going to be really, really exciting. Training as
well as all of this, I've got to say, it's
inspirational watching the incredible athletes out there in Paris. It's
really giving me the energy I need to get out
for my miles and my training for this bizarre race
that I am still doing. This was the back of
(02:40):
a 114- mile week, which is just mind- blowing. I
can't believe I'm saying that, but I am also in awe
of my body that's allowed me to do it. And
I got to finish it off with one of my
most favorite races in Brooklyn, which was the Brooklyn Mile.
And I say it's one of my favorite, because I
get to run it with Austin and Tallulah. We ran
it last year when Tallulah was teeny, tiny. And we'll
(03:02):
talk about it more, but we got to run it
this year together as a family. And Tallulah actually ran
over the finish line by herself, which was tear- inducing
and pride- elevating and all of the good stuff. So
that was finishing out a really big day and a
really big week. But there is nothing more inspiring than re-
listening to podcasts when you run. And that's what I've
(03:23):
been doing. I actually listened to last week's episode with
the Paralympic power couple of Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike,
who will both be heading to Paris in a few
weeks for the Paralympic Games. And they also did help
inspire the choice of our guest for this week. So
yes, shortly. Hold on, hold on. We will be joined
(03:44):
by Tallulah's dad. Before we get to Austin though, who
is patiently waiting, I want to share a little about this
week's member moment highlight that Meb will be sharing shortly.
Joanna Carter is a lifelong runner who began her journey
in Barbados. And she's returning to running here now. She's
75 years old. She continues to inspire others through her
participation in New York Road Runner's Striders, where she remains
(04:06):
committed to staying active and celebrating her resilience by training
for half marathons. Joanna and her fellow Striders will be
taking part in this weekend's Percy Sutton Harlem 5K. So
if you'll be out in Harlem this weekend, keep an
eye out for those New York Road Runner's Strider shirts.
Make sure you say hi and give them some really
good words of encouragement. Now, because we only have 13
(04:29):
weeks until the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, I absolutely
cannot believe it. Nope, nope. 13 weeks does not feel
like long enough. But needless to say, this week's Meb
Minute will be focused on what you should be thinking
about 13 weeks before the greatest marathon in the world.
So of course you got to stay tuned for that.
(04:51):
Whatever summer plans, Peloton is here to help you meet
your running goals. Whether you're tracking your own route, trying
a new trail, or crushing interval runs, Peloton offers a
variety of running and walking content to keep you moving
anytime, anywhere. Feel supported the entire way and get ready
to move with Peloton. Try the Peloton app in the
(05:13):
Apple, Android, and Google app stores today. Peloton, the official
digital fitness partner for New York Road Runners. All right,
should we move on to the main event of today's
show? This is a guest I know very, very well,
but I may learn a thing or two about him
today. And I'm so excited to better introduce him to
(05:36):
our Set the Pace crew. Here is the man who
changed my world, my inspiration and my partner in everything,
including with our wonderful daughter, Tallulah, Mr. Austin Curtis. Hi.
Speaker 6 (05:53):
Hello.
Speaker 5 (05:54):
We're not sitting side by side doing this together. We've
separated ourselves into different rooms so we can actually have
a good conversation here.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
I'm sitting in Tallulah's nursery chair, which I've spent many,
many of hours here. So it feels quite comfortable, but
it's always funny (inaudible) you on, actually me trying
to be quiet when you guys are recording these and
now I'm on the other end of it.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Yay. Well, thank you for sharing your day with us today. So
the reason why I wanted you on, I was inspired by
Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike last week and their absolutely
beautiful relationship that they share. The support that they give
one another through their training, through the highs and the lows,
and through their journey of life. And I know when
(06:45):
we met our lives were very, very different. And here
they are. Well, here we are, should I say. And I
think I want to ask you, about when we met.
There are so many things that people could ask you
like how you met? Why you met? And what's your favorite
(07:06):
answer? What do you like telling people about how we met?
Speaker 6 (07:11):
I think we met, both of us it was... Our paths would've
crossed at some point, but they crossed that weekend that
I decided to stay back in the city. It was
around July 4th and I know that, because it was my brother's birthday.
(07:33):
And our car broke down, it overheated like going through
the Holland Tunnel and I was just like, "Wait, I'm not sitting in a tow
truck with you 200 miles to the beach house. I'm
just going to go back to our place (inaudible)
and hang out." And we met watching the Women's World
Cup. Actually Team USA. And we met at a bar
(07:57):
at 10 AM on a Sunday to watch that game.
And I think we decided it was good luck if
we took a shot every time USA scored. But I
think we started as friends as first. There was very
much a physical attraction, but I think I just saw an energy
(08:20):
that you had that was intoxicating and someone I wanted
to spend time with. So after that day, we just
made a plan to go for a run and went
from there.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
Running bringing everyone together. You see? And we actually met
through a friend who I knew through running. So we
always tell people that we kind of met thanks to
running in many ways.
Speaker 6 (08:56):
Yeah. Our friend pulled the group together that went to
watch that soccer game. And that's how we met.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
Wild times. And that was over five years ago now.
Look at us fly. Okay, so now we've got the nitty-
gritty out of the way in the relationship conversation. I want
to tell people or I want you to tell people a little bit
more about your journey in sports. Everybody knows that you
(09:24):
run, we often run together, but your background isn't necessarily
running, unless you can call it running on ice, I
suppose. But you played hockey. That was from when you were
born. I can attest to Austin's dad, I think maybe
still has a tiny hockey boot of yours or something.
(09:44):
But you literally say you played hockey from when you
could walk, all the way through from University of Colorado
and Boulder to the men's league, right? In Chelsea Piers.
Speaker 6 (09:58):
(inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (09:59):
Had to get it in, babe. Very proud of the men's league.
Speaker 6 (10:05):
Yeah, it's a glorified men living out their childhood dreams
is the men's league.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
But hockey was your first sport love, right?
Speaker 6 (10:15):
Yeah. So I grew up in the Philadelphia area, so
Philly Flyers, Eagles, it was... Philadelphia is a very blue
collar sports town, at least the upbringing that I had.
So there was an AHL team called the Phantoms. And
(10:41):
they always ran promotional deals. So we seemed to always
have tickets to go see the Phantoms play. Hockey is
not a sport that anyone in the family had played
before. But after going to a number of the Philadelphia
Phantom games I wanted to play. And asked my parents if
(11:05):
I could and had no idea what we were getting
ourselves into. And I think if they did, they would probably
have pushed another sport, because it's quite early mornings, late
nights. And at the level that I started to play
at, quite intensive in travel and expensive as well. So
(11:26):
that is... Yeah, I grew up playing ice hockey. Became
quite talented I would say, and started playing on some
select teams and club teams, and got to see a
lot of the East Coast, Canada, and travel quite a
(11:48):
bit for a young teenager. And had little brother, Quinn,
kind of follow in my footsteps and started playing hockey.
But it was a very new sport for the Curtis
family. And paved the way and what that allowed. But
(12:08):
it's just a sport I loved. I tried... I would
say I'm decently skilled at other sports, but not really
great at any other. But hockey just came very natural
and I enjoyed it. So just kind of focused on
that and it allowed me to play in college, and
(12:30):
now in a very glorified men's league. Which I think
is really just an excuse for guys to probably get
out, continue to play, and have a couple beers after the game.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
You're very humble. I remember the first time, one of
our early dates, and you took me ice skating. And
I was petrified, because I am Bambi on ice. I
move in one direction and that is running. You think
running and ice skating might go kind of well together,
but no. I got it in the end, but you were
(13:06):
such a good teacher and very patient and your skills
were evident there. And then having since seen you play
hockey in not an actual match, but at our friends
league, you are very, very good. Very, very humble. But
that leads me to ask you then why you transitioned
(13:27):
away from hockey and into running focus. Because I know
we're going to talk about your Ironmans as well, but
running focus, what was the reason?
Speaker 6 (13:37):
No, hockey, it was always something I enjoyed. In off
seasons there were... We did training. It was a lot more time
spent in the weight room than cardio- focused exercise. But
there was that element to it. So it wasn't super
foreign and a hard or unnatural transition to running. But
(14:03):
I think plain and simple was when I moved to
New York after university, there was a void that needed
to be filled. I was very used to a routine
schedule of at least being on the ice once a day, sometimes
twice a day. So that would be two to three
(14:24):
hours of some sport- related element in my daily activity.
And when I moved to New York, I was out of
college, I had an internship and a job in a
retail store, but didn't really have the means to... One,
(14:49):
continue to play hockey in York is quite difficult. But also
join, even have the... To (inaudible) enough money to
join a gym membership. So I knew that... I remembered
training in the off season was running. And I had a
pair of running shoes and decided to see and give
(15:11):
that a go. And what became very challenging runs, just
to make it a mile or two, I started to find
that I could go a little bit further. I remember
I lived over on the East Side on 34th and
1st. So right on the running path. And I remember
(15:34):
the first time I went for a run and I went
down and I was just like, " Oh, man. I'm getting pretty tired, but I just
want to make it to the bridge." Which was the
Williamsburg Bridge. I got back and I didn't even have a
watch at that point, so I couldn't track how far it was. And I
put it into MapMyRun.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
I used to love that app.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
Yeah, it was only like 2.5 miles and I was gassed.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
We all got to start somewhere.
Speaker 6 (16:02):
Exactly. And a couple of the guys that I was living
with, they wanted to join in. So each night we'd
go out and go for a little run. And I just
incrementally tried to get further. So it was the Williamsburg
Bridge. And if you're familiar with the East Side, it's
Williamsburg, then it's Manhattan, and then Brooklyn. And the ultimate
(16:25):
goal was to be able to run down to the
tip of the island and back. So that took some time to get to, but I made it and kept going.
Speaker 5 (16:31):
That's the thing about running, I think once somebody in
your friendship group starts, especially if you live with a
bunch of people, it is something that others want to
join you on. And we've seen it amongst our friends
(16:52):
when we both start training. They know we're runners, but we'll
start training for something and then all of a sudden
one of our friends is like, " Oh, hey, I went for
a run today because I saw you did." And even in our neighborhood,
we've made friends on our road and people have started
running because they see us running all the time. That's
(17:16):
the way running goes. And I think starting out small,
especially if you are following in somebody else's inspiration is
fantastic. And then building up to running to the tip of
the island and back up to 34th, awesome. I mean,
that's a pretty long run. That's no easy feat. Done
it once or twice.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
Yes. Today.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
So when you first... Today... When you first did your marathon, your first marathon you
did in 2016, right?
Speaker 6 (17:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (17:52):
And we... Well, I didn't know you then. I say
we. But you did just under a five- hour marathon.
So 4
in 2015, sorry. So that's an incredible time. But then
obviously your passion for running and training intensified because your
(18:18):
personal best over the 26.2 is the New Jersey Marathon over in
Asbury Park in 2019 where you got a 2
is nuts. That is a two- hour difference in your
marathon time. So what changed? What did you do differently?
Speaker 6 (18:41):
A lot changed in that time, I think. No, when I first started running,
it was just to fill that void of a miss
for hockey and training and also just years, 15- plus
years of having that discipline. I needed and also wanted
(19:06):
to have that. But a lot of things came into
play in that I'd say I moved to New York
in 2013, 2014. And by 2015 ran my first marathon. And
in that time I met David. And that's how you and I
(19:26):
eventually met years later. But David was a collegiate runner
and when he moved to New York, I would start running
with him and that was the first time I had
ever run with someone that it looked absolutely effortless. And
(19:47):
something that... And I was competitive. And so I wanted to see
if I could run faster. And so I would just go out
with runs with him, whether it be longer runs, faster
runs, like tempo runs. But he was a great training
partner to have in the city. And then also knowing
(20:09):
I have a twin sister, Michaela, and she was a D1
collegiate gymnast. And when she graduated and kind of wrapped
up her gymnastics career, because it more or less finishes
(20:30):
after college, she also was looking to fill a void.
And so she started running. And we have a childhood friend
that had run the Philly marathon in 2014 that we
went and cheered on. And I think it was both
of us at that point, we didn't say anything to
each other, but kind of knew that was something that
(20:52):
maybe we wanted to do. And it's one of those
things that if you aren't necessarily... We're so tied into
the running community that it seems like every conversation with
friends and colleagues, it's just like, " What's next and what are you
doing?" But the idea of a marathon, I try to
(21:14):
think back to when that seed was first sown. And
for a lot of people when they first see something
like that, they question and ask themselves, " Is that something
I could ever do?" So when Michaela and I saw our
friend Mike Sundry ran a Philly Marathon, next year came around
(21:38):
and we were like, " Hey, we should think about doing
this." And so that's who I ran my first marathon, was with Kayla.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Hand in hand over the finish line. Mr. And Mrs. Curtis.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
That was the first Ironman when they announced that. She actually did a marathon before that, it's a
very small one from Cape May, New Jersey to Stone
Harbor. And I jumped in and ran 17, 18 miles with
her. And I was running quite a bit, but that
(22:13):
was at that point the longest I had run. And
it was... I think once we finished that I knew
that I was like, " Oh, I can train for the
Philly marathon." But I didn't have any idea how to
train. A quick Google search was this is your 16-
(22:37):
week step training program. And Michaela has... She was studying
personal training and coaching and so she did a little
bit more of the research than I did. And she
would send over like, " Hey, this is what we should
be doing this week." And I remember distinctly, she came up
(22:58):
to New York, it was our first 20- mile run that
we both were going to do. And I had mapped it out on MapMyRun,
and it took us up the west side loop of
Central Park, back down the west side. And it was
a week before the... Because Philadelphia Marathon is always after
(23:20):
New York. But they had the grandstand set up and we
ran through that and it just got you so excited for what
was about to come. And also a slight distraction on the six, seven
miles we had left to run down the west side.
But we both, we were following our training program, but
(23:44):
that week neither one of us ran. So we were like, "
All right, we'll see how this goes." And I remember
nearly dying in the Whole Foods on Chambers Street. That to say that that
first marathon was, I think I was just so focused on completing the distance.
(24:09):
Time was never a question. I had no idea what to
expect. I just wanted to complete the distance. I wanted
to run it with Michaela and enjoy it. It was the
Philly marathon. It was very close to home in both location
(24:34):
and in the heart. And that was the first experience.
And after crossing that line, I think many people have
one of two thoughts is, " I want to do that again
and have that runner's high." Or, " That's it, I'm good." And
I had the feeling of there was more left in
(24:56):
the tank. And I wanted to see what I could
do. Sub- three, that idea did not come for a
couple more years. It was more of like, "Hey, can we go under
four hours?" I think was the next thought.
Speaker 5 (25:12):
Chipping away.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Yeah. And then it was sub- 3
it was, " I think I might be able to do
this sub- three." Because I was around a bunch of
guys that they would just call each other like, " Oh,
he's a 27 guy, he's a 19 guy." And I had to ask
them, I was just, " What do you mean, like a 27 guy?" And it's just like
(25:36):
they don't even put the two in front of it. They just know that they are sub-three. And I wanted that. So I'm a 57
guy at the moment
Speaker 5 (25:46):
And in between all of that I have to give you props because I think anybody
who ran the 2018 Boston Marathon deserves an absolute round
of applause for completing that race because that was... I
got pictures of you and Dave just powering through that
race in my mind whenever I think about it. You got
(26:07):
to the finish line when a lot of people didn't. So
that I'm sure helped add a little bit of an
edge before the New Jersey Marathon as well.
Speaker 6 (26:16):
Absolutely. That was pure grit to get through that. We
woke up that morning. We were sitting in this Airbnb kind of by the finish
line. Yeah, by the finish line. And we had a bus
to catch. And we just opened the door and he was
at the time in OTQ shape. And I think he had a quick
(26:44):
realization that that just was not going to happen that
day, which is tough in many ways. I, on the
other hand, just was like, " All right, we'll see what we can do."
Speaker 5 (26:55):
It's just some rain.
Speaker 6 (26:59):
It's just some rain. And it just got worse and worse and worse. So yeah,
that was... I mean, what a crazy race day experience
that was.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
Unreal. Well, that kind of just sums up a bit
of your grit and your determination and that has translated
very well into what I still think is utter insanity.
That is the full Ironman. And you've done three, which
(27:30):
is even weirder to me. I live with you, I have
a child with you. And I still think that is
just bizarre. And watching you train for your most recent
one, which was Ironman Indiana was awe- inspiring. The hours
you'd spend individually or those disgusting brick sessions. It was
(27:54):
COVID. So you were kind of locked up in our
apartment on the Peloton bike to get your long rides
in and between tread and when we could get outside
for you to do your runs. And then you actually
did get to a pool as well for that, but
it wasn't as much as you wanted. And you still
(28:15):
absolutely crushed Ironman Indiana in 11 hours and 20 minutes.
Which I mean, I was exhausted watching you and hearing you and
trying to find you. And that grit and that determination,
I think... I know your parents and I can see where
(28:35):
you get it from when I look at them. But
for you, where do you think you get that willpower
and determination to keep moving for 11 hours and 20 minutes?
Speaker 6 (28:48):
Well, I always say hats off to the support crew
for those races. Because I have cheered Michaela on during
some Ironmans that she's done, that I did not race
side by side with her. And they are long, long days.
Even at a world record pace that's still seven, eight
(29:09):
hours of cheering across three disciplines. And you're trying to
see them and your athletes in different spots. So hats
off and thank you so much for coming to the race
in Muncie, Indiana there.
Speaker 5 (29:27):
That's an experience.
Speaker 6 (29:28):
But as far as training for that, I think... Oh, man, I have followed
Michaela in her athletic ventures. And the marathon was a
bit of both of our ideas when we first started
(29:50):
training for that. And then our Aunt Georgia, she did
an Ironman and that was in honor of our mama (inaudible)
. She was a collegiate swimmer and that was always her
strong suit. And as she was a bit older, she
(30:11):
started cycling with friends. And I think in that world,
the KONA Ironman was always the pinnacle and they broadcast
it. I remember always watching that and just seeing those athletes
push themselves through three disciplines in the scorching heat, it was... And it
(30:36):
always came down neck and neck. So the idea of
an Ironman was always in the background. And I think (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (30:44):
(inaudible) it's always in everyone's background. You pulled it forward.
Speaker 6 (30:46):
Pulled it forward.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
I think about it. And then I realize that I would either
drown when I'm swimming or fall off the bike because
I'm scared of un- clipping myself. But you made it
happen. Three times.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
And so I think the first Ironman that I had gone and seen was Michaela
doing one in... It was either North or South Carolina.
And they were ready to start. It was a rolling
swim start. And I had been in touch with her during her
(31:22):
training, because I think I was training for a marathon.
But I did not understand the discipline that you need
to have to put together a training block for a full-
distance Ironman until later when I signed up. But I was
standing at that start line and the sun was coming
(31:45):
up. And the bagpipes, the Scottish bagpipes were playing. And
I was just quite emotional watching Kayl go out and
just almost gladiator style, like, " Whoa, she's going to go
swim two miles, bike 112, and run a marathon." I
(32:08):
couldn't fathom that idea. And then to watch her accomplish
that... And there's a little caveat in that, and that's
I think maybe what inspired us to run our first,
or to do our first Ironman together was there was
quite a bad storm that came in. And it actually
(32:29):
canceled 30, 40 miles of the bike. So it wasn't technically a full-
distance Ironman. They still gave medals out, they did all
three disciplines, but they had to shorten up the bike course.
Speaker 5 (32:43):
Michaela needed retribution.
Speaker 6 (32:43):
So there was a little asterisk on her name, on her finish. So she wanted retribution. And I had... We were a couple of years out of college
at this point. But I said to Kayla at the
finish line, I was like, " Let's do this together." I think
(33:07):
that was the first thing I said after congratulations. And
a week or two later I sent her a link
for Boulder Ironman. And I thought to myself at that
point, if I'm going to do one of these, I want
to do it in a beautiful and very familiar scenery.
And we signed up for the Boulder Ironman. And that
(33:30):
is where we crossed hand in hand, Mr. And Mrs.
Curtis, by the announcer's idea. But that was, yeah, it
was the training for an Ironman and triathlons in general,
I quite like it's broken up across three disciplines.
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Yeah, you like the change, yeah. You like to switch it up.
Speaker 6 (33:53):
I think you might switch over after this, 777.
Speaker 5 (33:55):
No way. No chance. Not a chance. Unless you're trying to off me. But then
that started you guys off. And I think from my
standpoint, one of the toughest things I've ever seen for
you on the sporting side was the Ironman... Where were
(34:17):
you going to do it? Texas?
Speaker 6 (34:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (34:20):
It was Ironman Texas. And you and Kayla had both
been training for this one again to do together. And
you were fully trained. And you were three, two weeks
out, maybe?
Speaker 6 (34:31):
We were tapering. Yeah, we were tapering.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
Yeah. You were in taper. And they canceled. They canceled
it. So you had done the complete training cycle, both
of you. And it was just unreal to watch and
just to see you train and it kind of... There
was nothing you could do. You couldn't even do it
virtually because the world literally shut down. But you got
(34:54):
Muncie Indiana in not too long after. And now you're
chasing your Six Stars with the marathon with Berlin and
London left to go. You... Well, we both just did
Tokyo. We both had a wonderful time in Tokyo. I got to see
you finish Chicago and New York. And New York, I
(35:15):
was actually at the finish line to see you come
in, which was one of the most emotional and incredible
moments for me. But now you are not running everything
with Kayl. You've now got another training partner in me.
And I think people always want to know what it's
like for us to run together and train together. So
(35:37):
I'm going to give you a green card here to
be honest, because I know your honesty, you're very polite
normally when other people ask. But you can go for
it. What's it like?
Speaker 6 (35:52):
Well, I mean, we've shared a fair share of miles both training for... I mean, our
most recent race, Tokyo. Actually I did not train really
at all for Tokyo, because I was quite sidelined with
some... Just being sick and the holidays and it just...
But we still had a fun time on that race.
(36:14):
And Chicago and New York were quite last- minute decisions
and actually decided by you. So I don't feel so
bad pushing you into the 777 (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (36:27):
You've got your own back.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
But those were... Yeah. I had always wanted to run New York. It's
such a special race. I've cheered on a number of
friends, have been on the sidelines for many of years. I'm not a huge fan of
training for fall races, because it just... Running in the
summer, the heat is tough. Just kind of...
Speaker 5 (36:55):
That's why we're different.
Speaker 6 (36:56):
Yeah. Takes a bit away from social life. And I
think that's different now that our social life is...
Speaker 5 (37:04):
I was going to say, what social life? (inaudible)
Speaker 6 (37:07):
This was in our early 20s, I think. I didn't want to train during the
summer months. But both very, very fun races. Different. Each
have their special moments. New York being able to... I
got to see T and give her a kiss right
(37:28):
by our house in Brooklyn. And then knowing that you
were at the finish line, we both had very special
days for us in New York. But as far as
running with you, we've had some very good runs and
some very frustrating runs.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
We've fallen out (inaudible) . Let's be honest. We've fallen
out on one or two runs.
Speaker 6 (37:59):
I think with the public listening, I want to just
clearly define going for a run and asking someone to
go for a run, whether it's a significant other or
a friend, and just what the unspoken rules are in
going for a run is that the slower person decides the
(38:22):
pace. And the other person that accepted the, " Let's go
for a run." Matches that pace. And I would say
most of the time we are even keel, even though
I know that I'm holding you back. But every once
in a while, as much as I love the view,
(38:43):
you're a few steps ahead of me. And if I decide like, I'm feeling
fit and want to push you a little bit, I
just know you have so much more left in the tank.
And so even if I become even with you again,
you just keep pushing it faster and faster. So I
know that I just don't stand a chance. And I...
Speaker 5 (39:04):
I'm your coach. Listen, I'm your coach. I'm just trying
to help you get that speed workout in even when you didn't know
it was coming.
Speaker 6 (39:12):
That's it.
Speaker 5 (39:13):
I've definitely had my ponytail pulled a few times by you.
Speaker 6 (39:17):
Yeah, absolutely. So I sneak a headphone in my running
belt in case I find you 20 steps ahead of
me. And I think that's the most difficult and challenging
is, why do we not just run next to each other? But
it's not like you're miles ahead of me at this point.
(39:39):
And sometimes we do have those runs where we warm
up together and you have a speed session and you go on and we
know our way home so we see each other back there. But
it's the runs that I find you only about 50
feet ahead. And I'm just like, " Why wouldn't you just run with me?"
Speaker 5 (39:59):
I blame our New York pathways. And that you're always
moving out of someone's way. And you're a gentleman. You
let me go first. But yeah, I know. I've been
really trying to hone that in and I think it'd be really (inaudible) .
Speaker 6 (40:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (40:14):
So let's talk about your... Now I realize that it
is kind of payback for signing you up for Chicago and (inaudible) .
Speaker 6 (40:23):
1000%.
Speaker 5 (40:24):
New York. And Tokyo. All in a few months. Which
is now concerning me. But you and David Kilgore are
the reasons why I'm doing 777 this November. And obviously
David was the real- time inspiration. You and I sat
there and followed him on his journey in February, 2023
(40:47):
when he did the race and we were just in
awe. And absolutely exhilarated by his performance on those seven
runs around the world. And then you just, as you
put it the other day, planted the seed and kept
watering it. And here we are. Here we are. Me asking you to
(41:09):
join me for many miles or as many as I
can or as many as you can training. And I think I
want to know what it's like live living with somebody who's
training for this race.
Speaker 6 (41:25):
To be on the sidelines. Yeah, no. I mean, watching...
We were in Naples, Florida. Which is a much shorter
drive than New York to Miami. And we were following
David that week. And I know you had him on
here recently to talk about this challenge. And we were going to
(41:49):
go see him at the finish line, because he's a
friend of ours. I was introduced to him by you.
And we had joined him on just... Who randomly decided
to go for a 100- mile run around New York. And
we've seen him do that. And I knew... I knew
(42:10):
that... I know what makes you happy and your gears
turn. And after Tokyo Marathon, I knew you wanted that
sixth star. But you were ready for another challenge. And
it's I think a very different challenge. And you're familiar with
the distance and you've constantly, every time, I mean, take
(42:35):
Tokyo away from it, but every race that you've trained for is
always obviously time- focused. And so this was a challenge
that was the same distance, but more endurance. And I
mean, there's so many elements to what you're about to
embark on. Mental, physical, spiritual. But it was when we saw him finish
(43:05):
that, I knew, I could see that you were eyeing it up. And I just
had to vocalize it and put it out there. So
we both knew that it was on the table. And
I'd let you sit with it for a while. And I
think after... We talked about it right after the race. And it
(43:26):
wasn't until after Tokyo that I think that you were like, "
Okay, I'm ready for something." And that seemed to be
what you kept coming back to. I know there were
some other races that you have on your list that
you'd like to do one day, but this is something
that you may not be able to do or want
(43:50):
to do at a later point in your life where
some of those other races are. And I know you've
got a big birthday in a couple of years and
you want to do it before then, so this seemed
like a good year to do it. Training with you is
actually nice. Because our friends, Kersh, who's your coach is
(44:15):
giving you some times that are much more in my wheelhouse to
run (inaudible) . And I can actually, by coach's guidance,
pull you back to run slower (inaudible) , because it's
more time on feet than distance ran.
Speaker 5 (44:35):
It is.
Speaker 6 (44:35):
And so we've had some very nice runs recently. And it
also helps that you might have 80, 90 miles on your
legs during the week before we go on that first
run, so I know you're a bit more tired.
Speaker 5 (44:52):
I feel like my training has sort of helped amp
up yours. Just a little bit. Given you that motivation
to start going to track workouts with Alex Kay from Peloton, Matt Wilpers,
Tunde. You go out on a Wednesday morning and you
do that workout, which I think is... Both of us
have got this energy right now.
Speaker 6 (45:12):
No, I think it's like you mentioned earlier, it's like
our neighbors have seen us run and have always had food
around and gone for runs. We've seen two of them
run the marathon this year. And a couple more running
(45:33):
their first half marathon. And so there is this energy
around, and that's not just running, that's in many elements I find in
life is when you're surrounded by people that motivate you,
it's tough to not be inspired by that. So seeing
(45:54):
you run and have the discipline, it reminds me a lot
of Ironman training, because it's the hard work are done in
the shadows. You're not rewarded every day with messages, compliments,
(46:14):
congratulations. It's not until your race day or race week for
what you're training for that people come out and wish
you luck and congratulate you. And so I have a
front row view of seeing the sweat, the tears, the
(46:38):
excitement, the nerves. I see all of that. And that very much
pushes me to... I'm not training for anything at the
moment. I go in cycles of training. I don't always have something on the calendar. I'd like
(47:01):
to just enjoy running as well and I think that's... I've
had some time goals that I've hit. And I've been very excited by that. But it's also finding
the joy in sharing miles with you, sharing miles with
friends. Recently the track workouts have been very fun to have a group to
(47:27):
suffer with. Because the track is not-
Speaker 5 (47:30):
And our little girl.
Speaker 6 (47:30):
And Tallulah.
Speaker 5 (47:30):
And we get to share a lot of miles with Tallulah in the stroller. And we got to share a mile with
her at the weekend. Not that we're pushing her into running.
Speaker 6 (47:41):
Yeah. She's pushing herself into running. She is... No, and I think that's
inspiring too of just, she's at an age now where
she's nearly two. And she sees us and what we do and she knows
what we do.
Speaker 5 (47:59):
Yeah. She knows mama run. Mama run.
Speaker 6 (48:01):
And she's been to your work and has seen a
live class, so she very much knows what we're doing.
She enjoys going for a run. Even our babysitter is...
She only goes to her... We have two strollers. We have
a jogging stroller and a standard one. I'm actually about
(48:28):
to put the standard one in storage, because she only
wants to go on the jogging stroller.
Speaker 5 (48:31):
Yeah. She only wants to go on the jogging stroller. That's it.
Speaker 6 (48:31):
And it's... Yeah. It's (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (48:36):
Well, what can we do? We've got the inspiration, we've
got the little girl who is there. But well, thank
you for being my inspiration. Thank you for being my
push and my support network. Without you and T, there's
no way I could be doing this at all. I'm
(48:56):
going to be pushing you to get your Six Star
Medal very, very soon. We're hoping for London to be
your Six Star next year. We'll have a big celebration
there. And whatever future... I'm thinking the coach role. I
think you'd be really good at the coach role. But
thank you for...
Speaker 6 (49:16):
I've got one client.
Speaker 5 (49:16):
You've got one client. You've got me. Thank you for joining us
today for this episode, Aus, it was nice to chat with
you about running and have honest conversations about couples' running goals.
Speaker 6 (49:29):
Yes.
Speaker 5 (49:30):
Where can people find you if they wanted to check
you out on social?
Speaker 6 (49:33):
@becsgentry on Instagram. No.
Speaker 5 (49:41):
You can find him on Instagram.
Speaker 6 (49:43):
What's my... AustinJCurtis on Instagram. I am a very... It is
running, baby, and...
Speaker 5 (49:54):
Pretty things.
Speaker 6 (49:55):
Yeah, pretty things (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (49:58):
Well, thank you my love. And good luck for all
of your next miles.
Speaker 6 (50:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (50:17):
Joining us today is Joanna Carter, a member of New York
Road Runners Striders. A free walking and fitness program for older
adults, age 55 and up. Joanna's passion for running sparked
in her childhood in Barbados has had to be put
on hold at times due to health challenges. However, her
determination to stay active was never waned. After discovering the
(50:39):
Striders program, Joanna has found renewed inspiration and such a
supportive community helping her reclaim her love for running. Now
she's in her second year with the Striders. She continues to
build her strength and mobility aiming to celebrate her 75th
birthday by participating in a half marathon. Proving that it
(51:01):
is never too late to reconnect with the joy of fitness.
Speaker 7 (51:05):
Joanna, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 8 (51:08):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 7 (51:09):
It's an honor to have you. Thank you for being with us.
You have been running all your life, but you recently
joined Striders. It turns out this is your second time
around with the New Yorker Road Runners after a long layoff. Can
you tell us about what brought you to NYRR first
time around the 1980s and now in the '90s?
Speaker 8 (51:28):
Well, in the '80s I was up here and I wanted to
run, because I always found that running was a release. Getting
out and being able to run, freedom sort of thing.
So I looked around and asked which clubs would have
me and stuff. And I found New Yorker Road Runners. And that's
(51:52):
why I went with them. Plus, it was Central Park
running and that sort of thing. At that time most
of the races were over there. The runs and so
forth. So that's why I joined New Yorker Road Runners the first time around.
Speaker 7 (52:06):
That's great. What brought you back to running after long, not
being able to do?
Speaker 8 (52:12):
Yeah, I was cycling and stuff, but this time I had this weird idea again, "
Let me jump back into running." Because I wanted to
celebrate my 75th birthday this year. And I said, " What
a better thing to do?" Kind of celebrate and run. So I
found the Striders on Facebook and I said, " Let me
(52:37):
see." Because I figured if there... They had the exercise
class and I know what exercises can do for your body
to prepare you for running. And I said, " Let me
join them." And plus it would be with a group and that sort of
thing. And it's turned out to be very helpful. This
Striders exercises and that sort of thing. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (52:59):
Exercise is important at all levels, but as we get
older is even more crucial, more important. In that regard, why
did you join Striders and how has that been going?
Speaker 8 (53:12):
It's been going pretty good, being with the group. And
I must also mention to you too that I've been
trained while I was working, I trained to be NASM. So
I know the importance of exercise and running. And plus
when it was with New York Road Runners, I did a thing with Grete Waitz,
a camp. And I also did the running with... I don't
(53:37):
remember the names of... There was a husband and wife team that
used to run, do training races in Central Park. And
that's where I learned to sprint and do... Because I
used to train on my own, never had formal training.
But that group in the park helped me a lot
to really get into placing. Because I was running and
(53:58):
stuff. But I like to compete, I like to, if
I run, I want to finish, I want to finish
up front. So that training helped me, in Central Park
training. I can't remember the name we used to call
it. But yeah, I know that training and exercise and
nutrition and all that helps with running. Yes.
Speaker 7 (54:21):
It's a complete effort from walking to strength training to
mobility to nutrition.
Speaker 8 (54:26):
Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 7 (54:28):
It is important to have those moments, but you can
get away when you are in the 20s, 30s, or 40s. But what do you tell the Striders on to get
them to get into a routine?
Speaker 8 (54:40):
Well, the thing is, I've been even trying to get
people to join with the Striders and stuff, but I find it's tough
because when you get older age like me, it's hard
to... I got a young... Not young. A person I
met (inaudible) a volunteer. Because I usually do bike
volunteering and stuff. And I told her. She joined up
(55:04):
with me, she got the shirt and everything, but she
hasn't gone back. And she got the shirt before I
got my shirt. And I find it's very tough when
you're a certain age. I've been sending out notices to
friends. And even have a card I'm going to take
over tomorrow at a class to let her put up
in her church, because I find that when people get older,
we sit and we don't want to bother. But if
(55:26):
you move, it helps you to... They don't realize that
the movement helps you to continue with everyday life and
that sort of thing. You know? Yeah.
Speaker 7 (55:35):
Absolutely. Mobility is a positive energy to everybody. And doesn't
have to have be age or gender. It's always good
to be able to be positive example. But you'll be
running the Harlem 5K this weekend.
Speaker 8 (55:48):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (55:48):
What are you looking forward to?
Speaker 8 (55:51):
Just placing and better time. Because right now, I just... Because really this was supposed
to be a fun thing. The competition, yes, in my
mind I still, I like to see that I'm the
top with the Striders. Because I've been doing that. So what I
do each time is see if I could progress a
little more. Because I wasn't running for a long time. So I know I have to, as you
(56:14):
say, (inaudible) then crawl, then go for it. So
yeah, now it's just to finish. Finish strong. The first time
I did it, I said, " When I get to the last mile, I'm going to speed up." No, I did not no speed up. But the second race I did, I found I (inaudible)
. And the last one I did, I had that last mile going. So it takes... When you haven't ran for a while it takes a while. And I even look back and say, "You know, Joanna, you probably
(56:42):
should have keep doing your little running and stuff." But
I switched over to cycling and that's what happened. Yeah,
I just stopped running and I was cycling. I would walk
though. Because I used to walk. When I would start running,
I used to go for walks. In fact, that's how
I found out, you (inaudible) seen that I had
something bothering my heart, because at work I would notice
(57:04):
I go downstairs and I couldn't breathe. And I didn't
know what it was. And I was walking. And I told my primary
care doctor, something is not right. And they sent me and
found that my right atrial was having a problem. So
I had ablation done. So I was walking for a
while before I started running back and riding. But I'm
(57:24):
good now. I'm good now. Because they tested me. I
put in my notes that I'm going to celebrate my
75th by doing a marathon. And the doctor could read
my notes, because I'm at all these different hospitals (inaudible) NYU.
I told that doctor, my doctor at Presbyterian who's checking
my heart saw it, and he told me... I forgot
(57:45):
that it was to mention it to him. And he said, "
Wait, I noticed you're going to run. Wait, you didn't
tell me anything." And I said, "How did you see that?" He said, " In
your notes." So yeah, and he sent me for a
stress test. He said, " You're good to go." But I
am not good to go this year for a marathon,
because I listen to my body so much. For years
I've been doing it. And it says, " That is a
(58:08):
bit..." So I'm going to do the half on Staten
Island and that will be my celebration. Then I'll be 75
when I'm running it. I'll be 75 years (inaudible) . Yeah, this year.
Speaker 7 (58:21):
Well, congratulation on being healthy and moving and mobility. It's
wonderful to see. You've been an example to others. But
later this month you will be running the greatest Gallop
Race you ran almost 30 years ago.
Speaker 8 (58:34):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (58:35):
What does it feel like to return to the race
with so much more life experience behind you?
Speaker 8 (58:41):
Yeah. When I first was signing up, because I had my
coach checking it for me, what could I do and
so forth from the Striders. And I didn't see that one up.
And then I saw that it's for members only. So I
sent her a note and said, " Could I get it?"
Because I had such great... I have to look for it, because she
has signed a card for me and so forth when
she was alive and stuff. And I had such fond memories of her. So I have to be in that
(59:06):
one since that's also part of the celebration. When I saw
that, I was like, " Gee, I have to run that
race." So I got in and I'm so happy that
I would be able to do it. Although it's close to this one. Because normally I
wouldn't let two races be this close at my age,
but I wanted to run it this weekend. And then
(59:28):
I saw that and I said, I would just go
and finish it just to celebrate her and myself at
the same time. That sort of thing. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (59:35):
Absolutely. Grete is an icon and what she did with Fred Lebow
and what she have done for the New Yorker Road
Runners is incredible. I'm glad we'll honor her and glad you're going to participate.
Speaker 8 (59:46):
Yeah, I'm going to her camp. I still have her notes and stuff. She give
us things, how to run and stuff. I still have
her printouts. Yeah, I keep those and stuff. And I
thought, when I was at my job I used to share
them with other people. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (01:00:04):
Wonderful. Well, keep up the great work. We're so delightful
to have you here and keep up the great work.
Speaker 8 (01:00:09):
Thank you for having me and so glad I could
even speak to you because this is also a pleasure.
This is when I saw your name, I said, " Jinx, I'm
going to talk to him." So yeah, I appreciate this.
Speaker 7 (01:00:22):
Well, I appreciate you and thank you for cheering for me and supporting me over the years.
Speaker 5 (01:00:22):
Thank you for joining us, Joanna, and for being a member
of New York Road Runners. And now back to Meb for
this week's Meb Minute.
Speaker 7 (01:00:33):
This week is be consistent. Consistency was the bedrock of my
success. I ran on the same day each week, which
builds discipline and steady improvement in my fitness. Find a
routine that works for you and stick to it. It
pays off in the long run. For example, I had
an 8
when I was in college, I had eight 08:00 AM classes
(01:00:56):
and it just works to be able to have consistent and
stay to the target that you want. And fitness will
come together slowly but surely. And you can make those
progress make big time. So be consistent and you'll do great.
Speaker 5 (01:01:10):
That does it for another episode of Set the Pace,
a huge thank you to Meb, Joanna, and of course Austin.
Rob, I hope I held down the fort well enough
and I'm going to see you very shortly in Paris.
If you like this episode, please go ahead and subscribe,
rate, or leave a comment for the show on whatever
platform you're listening on. This not only helps us, but
(01:01:33):
it helps others find out about the show too.
New York Road Runners is a non- profit organization with
a vision to build healthier lives and stronger communities through
the transformative power of running. The support of members and
donors like you helps us achieve our mission to transform
the health and wellbeing of our communities through inclusive and
accessible running experiences, empowering all to achieve their potential. Learn
(00:22):
more and contribute at nyrr. org/ donate.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you, New York. Today we're reminded of the power
of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on
your mark.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
The first woman to finish for the second straight year here in the
New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman, a smiling Miki
Gorman. And why not? 2
Speaker 4 (00:53):
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 (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (01:10):
All right, team, welcome to Set the Pace presented by
Peloton. I'm your host, Becs Gentry flying solo today as
Rob is off in Paris with his daughter for the
final weeks of this year's incredible Olympics. And yes, I
am going to be right behind him heading to the
games later this week too. I cannot wait to get
over to Paris. I have been glued to the NBC
(01:35):
broadcast and just watching primetime every evening, catching up on
all of the medals, all of the wins, and all
of the drama as well. Not that it has been much,
but it's been a really, really strong year. I've got
to say. I think the women have been really, really
floating the Olympics this year. Watching the women's triathlon yesterday,
(01:56):
just the women came over the line, they were on
the floor. They gave it their all. And I haven't
been to the Olympics, but I got close and I
know what that feels like. So I can't wait to
get out there. I'm hopefully going to watch some of
the games. I'm going to be running the Marathon Pour
Tous on Saturday night. And then I will be doing
lovely, lovely commentary hits for the women's marathon on Sunday
morning. You can also find me on the NBC social,
(02:18):
which is going to be really, really exciting. Training as
well as all of this, I've got to say, it's
inspirational watching the incredible athletes out there in Paris. It's
really giving me the energy I need to get out
for my miles and my training for this bizarre race
that I am still doing. This was the back of
(02:40):
a 114- mile week, which is just mind- blowing. I
can't believe I'm saying that, but I am also in awe
of my body that's allowed me to do it. And
I got to finish it off with one of my
most favorite races in Brooklyn, which was the Brooklyn Mile.
And I say it's one of my favorite, because I
get to run it with Austin and Tallulah. We ran
it last year when Tallulah was teeny, tiny. And we'll
(03:02):
talk about it more, but we got to run it
this year together as a family. And Tallulah actually ran
over the finish line by herself, which was tear- inducing
and pride- elevating and all of the good stuff. So
that was finishing out a really big day and a
really big week. But there is nothing more inspiring than re-
listening to podcasts when you run. And that's what I've
(03:23):
been doing. I actually listened to last week's episode with
the Paralympic power couple of Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike,
who will both be heading to Paris in a few
weeks for the Paralympic Games. And they also did help
inspire the choice of our guest for this week. So
yes, shortly. Hold on, hold on. We will be joined
(03:44):
by Tallulah's dad. Before we get to Austin though, who
is patiently waiting, I want to share a little about this
week's member moment highlight that Meb will be sharing shortly.
Joanna Carter is a lifelong runner who began her journey
in Barbados. And she's returning to running here now. She's
75 years old. She continues to inspire others through her
participation in New York Road Runner's Striders, where she remains
(04:06):
committed to staying active and celebrating her resilience by training
for half marathons. Joanna and her fellow Striders will be
taking part in this weekend's Percy Sutton Harlem 5K. So
if you'll be out in Harlem this weekend, keep an
eye out for those New York Road Runner's Strider shirts.
Make sure you say hi and give them some really
good words of encouragement. Now, because we only have 13
(04:29):
weeks until the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, I absolutely
cannot believe it. Nope, nope. 13 weeks does not feel
like long enough. But needless to say, this week's Meb
Minute will be focused on what you should be thinking
about 13 weeks before the greatest marathon in the world.
So of course you got to stay tuned for that.
(04:51):
Whatever summer plans, Peloton is here to help you meet
your running goals. Whether you're tracking your own route, trying
a new trail, or crushing interval runs, Peloton offers a
variety of running and walking content to keep you moving
anytime, anywhere. Feel supported the entire way and get ready
to move with Peloton. Try the Peloton app in the
(05:13):
Apple, Android, and Google app stores today. Peloton, the official
digital fitness partner for New York Road Runners. All right,
should we move on to the main event of today's
show? This is a guest I know very, very well,
but I may learn a thing or two about him
today. And I'm so excited to better introduce him to
(05:36):
our Set the Pace crew. Here is the man who
changed my world, my inspiration and my partner in everything,
including with our wonderful daughter, Tallulah, Mr. Austin Curtis. Hi.
Speaker 6 (05:53):
Hello.
Speaker 5 (05:54):
We're not sitting side by side doing this together. We've
separated ourselves into different rooms so we can actually have
a good conversation here.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
I'm sitting in Tallulah's nursery chair, which I've spent many,
many of hours here. So it feels quite comfortable, but
it's always funny (inaudible) you on, actually me trying
to be quiet when you guys are recording these and
now I'm on the other end of it.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Yay. Well, thank you for sharing your day with us today. So
the reason why I wanted you on, I was inspired by
Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike last week and their absolutely
beautiful relationship that they share. The support that they give
one another through their training, through the highs and the lows,
and through their journey of life. And I know when
(06:45):
we met our lives were very, very different. And here
they are. Well, here we are, should I say. And I
think I want to ask you, about when we met.
There are so many things that people could ask you
like how you met? Why you met? And what's your favorite
(07:06):
answer? What do you like telling people about how we met?
Speaker 6 (07:11):
I think we met, both of us it was... Our paths would've
crossed at some point, but they crossed that weekend that
I decided to stay back in the city. It was
around July 4th and I know that, because it was my brother's birthday.
(07:33):
And our car broke down, it overheated like going through
the Holland Tunnel and I was just like, "Wait, I'm not sitting in a tow
truck with you 200 miles to the beach house. I'm
just going to go back to our place (inaudible)
and hang out." And we met watching the Women's World
Cup. Actually Team USA. And we met at a bar
(07:57):
at 10 AM on a Sunday to watch that game.
And I think we decided it was good luck if
we took a shot every time USA scored. But I
think we started as friends as first. There was very
much a physical attraction, but I think I just saw an energy
(08:20):
that you had that was intoxicating and someone I wanted
to spend time with. So after that day, we just
made a plan to go for a run and went
from there.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
Running bringing everyone together. You see? And we actually met
through a friend who I knew through running. So we
always tell people that we kind of met thanks to
running in many ways.
Speaker 6 (08:56):
Yeah. Our friend pulled the group together that went to
watch that soccer game. And that's how we met.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
Wild times. And that was over five years ago now.
Look at us fly. Okay, so now we've got the nitty-
gritty out of the way in the relationship conversation. I want
to tell people or I want you to tell people a little bit
more about your journey in sports. Everybody knows that you
(09:24):
run, we often run together, but your background isn't necessarily
running, unless you can call it running on ice, I
suppose. But you played hockey. That was from when you were
born. I can attest to Austin's dad, I think maybe
still has a tiny hockey boot of yours or something.
(09:44):
But you literally say you played hockey from when you
could walk, all the way through from University of Colorado
and Boulder to the men's league, right? In Chelsea Piers.
Speaker 6 (09:58):
(inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (09:59):
Had to get it in, babe. Very proud of the men's league.
Speaker 6 (10:05):
Yeah, it's a glorified men living out their childhood dreams
is the men's league.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
But hockey was your first sport love, right?
Speaker 6 (10:15):
Yeah. So I grew up in the Philadelphia area, so
Philly Flyers, Eagles, it was... Philadelphia is a very blue
collar sports town, at least the upbringing that I had.
So there was an AHL team called the Phantoms. And
(10:41):
they always ran promotional deals. So we seemed to always
have tickets to go see the Phantoms play. Hockey is
not a sport that anyone in the family had played
before. But after going to a number of the Philadelphia
Phantom games I wanted to play. And asked my parents if
(11:05):
I could and had no idea what we were getting
ourselves into. And I think if they did, they would probably
have pushed another sport, because it's quite early mornings, late
nights. And at the level that I started to play
at, quite intensive in travel and expensive as well. So
(11:26):
that is... Yeah, I grew up playing ice hockey. Became
quite talented I would say, and started playing on some
select teams and club teams, and got to see a
lot of the East Coast, Canada, and travel quite a
(11:48):
bit for a young teenager. And had little brother, Quinn,
kind of follow in my footsteps and started playing hockey.
But it was a very new sport for the Curtis
family. And paved the way and what that allowed. But
(12:08):
it's just a sport I loved. I tried... I would
say I'm decently skilled at other sports, but not really
great at any other. But hockey just came very natural
and I enjoyed it. So just kind of focused on
that and it allowed me to play in college, and
(12:30):
now in a very glorified men's league. Which I think
is really just an excuse for guys to probably get
out, continue to play, and have a couple beers after the game.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
You're very humble. I remember the first time, one of
our early dates, and you took me ice skating. And
I was petrified, because I am Bambi on ice. I
move in one direction and that is running. You think
running and ice skating might go kind of well together,
but no. I got it in the end, but you were
(13:06):
such a good teacher and very patient and your skills
were evident there. And then having since seen you play
hockey in not an actual match, but at our friends
league, you are very, very good. Very, very humble. But
that leads me to ask you then why you transitioned
(13:27):
away from hockey and into running focus. Because I know
we're going to talk about your Ironmans as well, but
running focus, what was the reason?
Speaker 6 (13:37):
No, hockey, it was always something I enjoyed. In off
seasons there were... We did training. It was a lot more time
spent in the weight room than cardio- focused exercise. But
there was that element to it. So it wasn't super
foreign and a hard or unnatural transition to running. But
(14:03):
I think plain and simple was when I moved to
New York after university, there was a void that needed
to be filled. I was very used to a routine
schedule of at least being on the ice once a day, sometimes
twice a day. So that would be two to three
(14:24):
hours of some sport- related element in my daily activity.
And when I moved to New York, I was out of
college, I had an internship and a job in a
retail store, but didn't really have the means to... One,
(14:49):
continue to play hockey in York is quite difficult. But also
join, even have the... To (inaudible) enough money to
join a gym membership. So I knew that... I remembered
training in the off season was running. And I had a
pair of running shoes and decided to see and give
(15:11):
that a go. And what became very challenging runs, just
to make it a mile or two, I started to find
that I could go a little bit further. I remember
I lived over on the East Side on 34th and
1st. So right on the running path. And I remember
(15:34):
the first time I went for a run and I went
down and I was just like, " Oh, man. I'm getting pretty tired, but I just
want to make it to the bridge." Which was the
Williamsburg Bridge. I got back and I didn't even have a
watch at that point, so I couldn't track how far it was. And I
put it into MapMyRun.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
I used to love that app.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
Yeah, it was only like 2.5 miles and I was gassed.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
We all got to start somewhere.
Speaker 6 (16:02):
Exactly. And a couple of the guys that I was living
with, they wanted to join in. So each night we'd
go out and go for a little run. And I just
incrementally tried to get further. So it was the Williamsburg
Bridge. And if you're familiar with the East Side, it's
Williamsburg, then it's Manhattan, and then Brooklyn. And the ultimate
(16:25):
goal was to be able to run down to the
tip of the island and back. So that took some time to get to, but I made it and kept going.
Speaker 5 (16:31):
That's the thing about running, I think once somebody in
your friendship group starts, especially if you live with a
bunch of people, it is something that others want to
join you on. And we've seen it amongst our friends
(16:52):
when we both start training. They know we're runners, but we'll
start training for something and then all of a sudden
one of our friends is like, " Oh, hey, I went for
a run today because I saw you did." And even in our neighborhood,
we've made friends on our road and people have started
running because they see us running all the time. That's
(17:16):
the way running goes. And I think starting out small,
especially if you are following in somebody else's inspiration is
fantastic. And then building up to running to the tip of
the island and back up to 34th, awesome. I mean,
that's a pretty long run. That's no easy feat. Done
it once or twice.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
Yes. Today.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
So when you first... Today... When you first did your marathon, your first marathon you
did in 2016, right?
Speaker 6 (17:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (17:52):
And we... Well, I didn't know you then. I say
we. But you did just under a five- hour marathon.
So 4
in 2015, sorry. So that's an incredible time. But then
obviously your passion for running and training intensified because your
(18:18):
personal best over the 26.2 is the New Jersey Marathon over in
Asbury Park in 2019 where you got a 2
is nuts. That is a two- hour difference in your
marathon time. So what changed? What did you do differently?
Speaker 6 (18:41):
A lot changed in that time, I think. No, when I first started running,
it was just to fill that void of a miss
for hockey and training and also just years, 15- plus
years of having that discipline. I needed and also wanted
(19:06):
to have that. But a lot of things came into
play in that I'd say I moved to New York
in 2013, 2014. And by 2015 ran my first marathon. And
in that time I met David. And that's how you and I
(19:26):
eventually met years later. But David was a collegiate runner
and when he moved to New York, I would start running
with him and that was the first time I had
ever run with someone that it looked absolutely effortless. And
(19:47):
something that... And I was competitive. And so I wanted to see
if I could run faster. And so I would just go out
with runs with him, whether it be longer runs, faster
runs, like tempo runs. But he was a great training
partner to have in the city. And then also knowing
(20:09):
I have a twin sister, Michaela, and she was a D1
collegiate gymnast. And when she graduated and kind of wrapped
up her gymnastics career, because it more or less finishes
(20:30):
after college, she also was looking to fill a void.
And so she started running. And we have a childhood friend
that had run the Philly marathon in 2014 that we
went and cheered on. And I think it was both
of us at that point, we didn't say anything to
each other, but kind of knew that was something that
(20:52):
maybe we wanted to do. And it's one of those
things that if you aren't necessarily... We're so tied into
the running community that it seems like every conversation with
friends and colleagues, it's just like, " What's next and what are you
doing?" But the idea of a marathon, I try to
(21:14):
think back to when that seed was first sown. And
for a lot of people when they first see something
like that, they question and ask themselves, " Is that something
I could ever do?" So when Michaela and I saw our
friend Mike Sundry ran a Philly Marathon, next year came around
(21:38):
and we were like, " Hey, we should think about doing
this." And so that's who I ran my first marathon, was with Kayla.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Hand in hand over the finish line. Mr. And Mrs. Curtis.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
That was the first Ironman when they announced that. She actually did a marathon before that, it's a
very small one from Cape May, New Jersey to Stone
Harbor. And I jumped in and ran 17, 18 miles with
her. And I was running quite a bit, but that
(22:13):
was at that point the longest I had run. And
it was... I think once we finished that I knew
that I was like, " Oh, I can train for the
Philly marathon." But I didn't have any idea how to
train. A quick Google search was this is your 16-
(22:37):
week step training program. And Michaela has... She was studying
personal training and coaching and so she did a little
bit more of the research than I did. And she
would send over like, " Hey, this is what we should
be doing this week." And I remember distinctly, she came up
(22:58):
to New York, it was our first 20- mile run that
we both were going to do. And I had mapped it out on MapMyRun,
and it took us up the west side loop of
Central Park, back down the west side. And it was
a week before the... Because Philadelphia Marathon is always after
(23:20):
New York. But they had the grandstand set up and we
ran through that and it just got you so excited for what
was about to come. And also a slight distraction on the six, seven
miles we had left to run down the west side.
But we both, we were following our training program, but
(23:44):
that week neither one of us ran. So we were like, "
All right, we'll see how this goes." And I remember
nearly dying in the Whole Foods on Chambers Street. That to say that that
first marathon was, I think I was just so focused on completing the distance.
(24:09):
Time was never a question. I had no idea what to
expect. I just wanted to complete the distance. I wanted
to run it with Michaela and enjoy it. It was the
Philly marathon. It was very close to home in both location
(24:34):
and in the heart. And that was the first experience.
And after crossing that line, I think many people have
one of two thoughts is, " I want to do that again
and have that runner's high." Or, " That's it, I'm good." And
I had the feeling of there was more left in
(24:56):
the tank. And I wanted to see what I could
do. Sub- three, that idea did not come for a
couple more years. It was more of like, "Hey, can we go under
four hours?" I think was the next thought.
Speaker 5 (25:12):
Chipping away.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Yeah. And then it was sub- 3
it was, " I think I might be able to do
this sub- three." Because I was around a bunch of
guys that they would just call each other like, " Oh,
he's a 27 guy, he's a 19 guy." And I had to ask
them, I was just, " What do you mean, like a 27 guy?" And it's just like
(25:36):
they don't even put the two in front of it. They just know that they are sub-three. And I wanted that. So I'm a 57
guy at the moment
Speaker 5 (25:46):
And in between all of that I have to give you props because I think anybody
who ran the 2018 Boston Marathon deserves an absolute round
of applause for completing that race because that was... I
got pictures of you and Dave just powering through that
race in my mind whenever I think about it. You got
(26:07):
to the finish line when a lot of people didn't. So
that I'm sure helped add a little bit of an
edge before the New Jersey Marathon as well.
Speaker 6 (26:16):
Absolutely. That was pure grit to get through that. We
woke up that morning. We were sitting in this Airbnb kind of by the finish
line. Yeah, by the finish line. And we had a bus
to catch. And we just opened the door and he was
at the time in OTQ shape. And I think he had a quick
(26:44):
realization that that just was not going to happen that
day, which is tough in many ways. I, on the
other hand, just was like, " All right, we'll see what we can do."
Speaker 5 (26:55):
It's just some rain.
Speaker 6 (26:59):
It's just some rain. And it just got worse and worse and worse. So yeah,
that was... I mean, what a crazy race day experience
that was.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
Unreal. Well, that kind of just sums up a bit
of your grit and your determination and that has translated
very well into what I still think is utter insanity.
That is the full Ironman. And you've done three, which
(27:30):
is even weirder to me. I live with you, I have
a child with you. And I still think that is
just bizarre. And watching you train for your most recent
one, which was Ironman Indiana was awe- inspiring. The hours
you'd spend individually or those disgusting brick sessions. It was
(27:54):
COVID. So you were kind of locked up in our
apartment on the Peloton bike to get your long rides
in and between tread and when we could get outside
for you to do your runs. And then you actually
did get to a pool as well for that, but
it wasn't as much as you wanted. And you still
(28:15):
absolutely crushed Ironman Indiana in 11 hours and 20 minutes.
Which I mean, I was exhausted watching you and hearing you and
trying to find you. And that grit and that determination,
I think... I know your parents and I can see where
(28:35):
you get it from when I look at them. But
for you, where do you think you get that willpower
and determination to keep moving for 11 hours and 20 minutes?
Speaker 6 (28:48):
Well, I always say hats off to the support crew
for those races. Because I have cheered Michaela on during
some Ironmans that she's done, that I did not race
side by side with her. And they are long, long days.
Even at a world record pace that's still seven, eight
(29:09):
hours of cheering across three disciplines. And you're trying to
see them and your athletes in different spots. So hats
off and thank you so much for coming to the race
in Muncie, Indiana there.
Speaker 5 (29:27):
That's an experience.
Speaker 6 (29:28):
But as far as training for that, I think... Oh, man, I have followed
Michaela in her athletic ventures. And the marathon was a
bit of both of our ideas when we first started
(29:50):
training for that. And then our Aunt Georgia, she did
an Ironman and that was in honor of our mama (inaudible)
. She was a collegiate swimmer and that was always her
strong suit. And as she was a bit older, she
(30:11):
started cycling with friends. And I think in that world,
the KONA Ironman was always the pinnacle and they broadcast
it. I remember always watching that and just seeing those athletes
push themselves through three disciplines in the scorching heat, it was... And it
(30:36):
always came down neck and neck. So the idea of
an Ironman was always in the background. And I think (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (30:44):
(inaudible) it's always in everyone's background. You pulled it forward.
Speaker 6 (30:46):
Pulled it forward.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
I think about it. And then I realize that I would either
drown when I'm swimming or fall off the bike because
I'm scared of un- clipping myself. But you made it
happen. Three times.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
And so I think the first Ironman that I had gone and seen was Michaela
doing one in... It was either North or South Carolina.
And they were ready to start. It was a rolling
swim start. And I had been in touch with her during her
(31:22):
training, because I think I was training for a marathon.
But I did not understand the discipline that you need
to have to put together a training block for a full-
distance Ironman until later when I signed up. But I was
standing at that start line and the sun was coming
(31:45):
up. And the bagpipes, the Scottish bagpipes were playing. And
I was just quite emotional watching Kayl go out and
just almost gladiator style, like, " Whoa, she's going to go
swim two miles, bike 112, and run a marathon." I
(32:08):
couldn't fathom that idea. And then to watch her accomplish
that... And there's a little caveat in that, and that's
I think maybe what inspired us to run our first,
or to do our first Ironman together was there was
quite a bad storm that came in. And it actually
(32:29):
canceled 30, 40 miles of the bike. So it wasn't technically a full-
distance Ironman. They still gave medals out, they did all
three disciplines, but they had to shorten up the bike course.
Speaker 5 (32:43):
Michaela needed retribution.
Speaker 6 (32:43):
So there was a little asterisk on her name, on her finish. So she wanted retribution. And I had... We were a couple of years out of college
at this point. But I said to Kayla at the
finish line, I was like, " Let's do this together." I think
(33:07):
that was the first thing I said after congratulations. And
a week or two later I sent her a link
for Boulder Ironman. And I thought to myself at that
point, if I'm going to do one of these, I want
to do it in a beautiful and very familiar scenery.
And we signed up for the Boulder Ironman. And that
(33:30):
is where we crossed hand in hand, Mr. And Mrs.
Curtis, by the announcer's idea. But that was, yeah, it
was the training for an Ironman and triathlons in general,
I quite like it's broken up across three disciplines.
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Yeah, you like the change, yeah. You like to switch it up.
Speaker 6 (33:53):
I think you might switch over after this, 777.
Speaker 5 (33:55):
No way. No chance. Not a chance. Unless you're trying to off me. But then
that started you guys off. And I think from my
standpoint, one of the toughest things I've ever seen for
you on the sporting side was the Ironman... Where were
(34:17):
you going to do it? Texas?
Speaker 6 (34:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (34:20):
It was Ironman Texas. And you and Kayla had both
been training for this one again to do together. And
you were fully trained. And you were three, two weeks
out, maybe?
Speaker 6 (34:31):
We were tapering. Yeah, we were tapering.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
Yeah. You were in taper. And they canceled. They canceled
it. So you had done the complete training cycle, both
of you. And it was just unreal to watch and
just to see you train and it kind of... There
was nothing you could do. You couldn't even do it
virtually because the world literally shut down. But you got
(34:54):
Muncie Indiana in not too long after. And now you're
chasing your Six Stars with the marathon with Berlin and
London left to go. You... Well, we both just did
Tokyo. We both had a wonderful time in Tokyo. I got to see
you finish Chicago and New York. And New York, I
(35:15):
was actually at the finish line to see you come
in, which was one of the most emotional and incredible
moments for me. But now you are not running everything
with Kayl. You've now got another training partner in me.
And I think people always want to know what it's
like for us to run together and train together. So
(35:37):
I'm going to give you a green card here to
be honest, because I know your honesty, you're very polite
normally when other people ask. But you can go for
it. What's it like?
Speaker 6 (35:52):
Well, I mean, we've shared a fair share of miles both training for... I mean, our
most recent race, Tokyo. Actually I did not train really
at all for Tokyo, because I was quite sidelined with
some... Just being sick and the holidays and it just...
But we still had a fun time on that race.
(36:14):
And Chicago and New York were quite last- minute decisions
and actually decided by you. So I don't feel so
bad pushing you into the 777 (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (36:27):
You've got your own back.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
But those were... Yeah. I had always wanted to run New York. It's
such a special race. I've cheered on a number of
friends, have been on the sidelines for many of years. I'm not a huge fan of
training for fall races, because it just... Running in the
summer, the heat is tough. Just kind of...
Speaker 5 (36:55):
That's why we're different.
Speaker 6 (36:56):
Yeah. Takes a bit away from social life. And I
think that's different now that our social life is...
Speaker 5 (37:04):
I was going to say, what social life? (inaudible)
Speaker 6 (37:07):
This was in our early 20s, I think. I didn't want to train during the
summer months. But both very, very fun races. Different. Each
have their special moments. New York being able to... I
got to see T and give her a kiss right
(37:28):
by our house in Brooklyn. And then knowing that you
were at the finish line, we both had very special
days for us in New York. But as far as
running with you, we've had some very good runs and
some very frustrating runs.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
We've fallen out (inaudible) . Let's be honest. We've fallen
out on one or two runs.
Speaker 6 (37:59):
I think with the public listening, I want to just
clearly define going for a run and asking someone to
go for a run, whether it's a significant other or
a friend, and just what the unspoken rules are in
going for a run is that the slower person decides the
(38:22):
pace. And the other person that accepted the, " Let's go
for a run." Matches that pace. And I would say
most of the time we are even keel, even though
I know that I'm holding you back. But every once
in a while, as much as I love the view,
(38:43):
you're a few steps ahead of me. And if I decide like, I'm feeling
fit and want to push you a little bit, I
just know you have so much more left in the tank.
And so even if I become even with you again,
you just keep pushing it faster and faster. So I
know that I just don't stand a chance. And I...
Speaker 5 (39:04):
I'm your coach. Listen, I'm your coach. I'm just trying
to help you get that speed workout in even when you didn't know
it was coming.
Speaker 6 (39:12):
That's it.
Speaker 5 (39:13):
I've definitely had my ponytail pulled a few times by you.
Speaker 6 (39:17):
Yeah, absolutely. So I sneak a headphone in my running
belt in case I find you 20 steps ahead of
me. And I think that's the most difficult and challenging
is, why do we not just run next to each other? But
it's not like you're miles ahead of me at this point.
(39:39):
And sometimes we do have those runs where we warm
up together and you have a speed session and you go on and we
know our way home so we see each other back there. But
it's the runs that I find you only about 50
feet ahead. And I'm just like, " Why wouldn't you just run with me?"
Speaker 5 (39:59):
I blame our New York pathways. And that you're always
moving out of someone's way. And you're a gentleman. You
let me go first. But yeah, I know. I've been
really trying to hone that in and I think it'd be really (inaudible) .
Speaker 6 (40:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (40:14):
So let's talk about your... Now I realize that it
is kind of payback for signing you up for Chicago and (inaudible) .
Speaker 6 (40:23):
1000%.
Speaker 5 (40:24):
New York. And Tokyo. All in a few months. Which
is now concerning me. But you and David Kilgore are
the reasons why I'm doing 777 this November. And obviously
David was the real- time inspiration. You and I sat
there and followed him on his journey in February, 2023
(40:47):
when he did the race and we were just in
awe. And absolutely exhilarated by his performance on those seven
runs around the world. And then you just, as you
put it the other day, planted the seed and kept
watering it. And here we are. Here we are. Me asking you to
(41:09):
join me for many miles or as many as I
can or as many as you can training. And I think I
want to know what it's like live living with somebody who's
training for this race.
Speaker 6 (41:25):
To be on the sidelines. Yeah, no. I mean, watching...
We were in Naples, Florida. Which is a much shorter
drive than New York to Miami. And we were following
David that week. And I know you had him on
here recently to talk about this challenge. And we were going to
(41:49):
go see him at the finish line, because he's a
friend of ours. I was introduced to him by you.
And we had joined him on just... Who randomly decided
to go for a 100- mile run around New York. And
we've seen him do that. And I knew... I knew
(42:10):
that... I know what makes you happy and your gears
turn. And after Tokyo Marathon, I knew you wanted that
sixth star. But you were ready for another challenge. And
it's I think a very different challenge. And you're familiar with
the distance and you've constantly, every time, I mean, take
(42:35):
Tokyo away from it, but every race that you've trained for is
always obviously time- focused. And so this was a challenge
that was the same distance, but more endurance. And I
mean, there's so many elements to what you're about to
embark on. Mental, physical, spiritual. But it was when we saw him finish
(43:05):
that, I knew, I could see that you were eyeing it up. And I just
had to vocalize it and put it out there. So
we both knew that it was on the table. And
I'd let you sit with it for a while. And I
think after... We talked about it right after the race. And it
(43:26):
wasn't until after Tokyo that I think that you were like, "
Okay, I'm ready for something." And that seemed to be
what you kept coming back to. I know there were
some other races that you have on your list that
you'd like to do one day, but this is something
that you may not be able to do or want
(43:50):
to do at a later point in your life where
some of those other races are. And I know you've
got a big birthday in a couple of years and
you want to do it before then, so this seemed
like a good year to do it. Training with you is
actually nice. Because our friends, Kersh, who's your coach is
(44:15):
giving you some times that are much more in my wheelhouse to
run (inaudible) . And I can actually, by coach's guidance,
pull you back to run slower (inaudible) , because it's
more time on feet than distance ran.
Speaker 5 (44:35):
It is.
Speaker 6 (44:35):
And so we've had some very nice runs recently. And it
also helps that you might have 80, 90 miles on your
legs during the week before we go on that first
run, so I know you're a bit more tired.
Speaker 5 (44:52):
I feel like my training has sort of helped amp
up yours. Just a little bit. Given you that motivation
to start going to track workouts with Alex Kay from Peloton, Matt Wilpers,
Tunde. You go out on a Wednesday morning and you
do that workout, which I think is... Both of us
have got this energy right now.
Speaker 6 (45:12):
No, I think it's like you mentioned earlier, it's like
our neighbors have seen us run and have always had food
around and gone for runs. We've seen two of them
run the marathon this year. And a couple more running
(45:33):
their first half marathon. And so there is this energy
around, and that's not just running, that's in many elements I find in
life is when you're surrounded by people that motivate you,
it's tough to not be inspired by that. So seeing
(45:54):
you run and have the discipline, it reminds me a lot
of Ironman training, because it's the hard work are done in
the shadows. You're not rewarded every day with messages, compliments,
(46:14):
congratulations. It's not until your race day or race week for
what you're training for that people come out and wish
you luck and congratulate you. And so I have a
front row view of seeing the sweat, the tears, the
(46:38):
excitement, the nerves. I see all of that. And that very much
pushes me to... I'm not training for anything at the
moment. I go in cycles of training. I don't always have something on the calendar. I'd like
(47:01):
to just enjoy running as well and I think that's... I've
had some time goals that I've hit. And I've been very excited by that. But it's also finding
the joy in sharing miles with you, sharing miles with
friends. Recently the track workouts have been very fun to have a group to
(47:27):
suffer with. Because the track is not-
Speaker 5 (47:30):
And our little girl.
Speaker 6 (47:30):
And Tallulah.
Speaker 5 (47:30):
And we get to share a lot of miles with Tallulah in the stroller. And we got to share a mile with
her at the weekend. Not that we're pushing her into running.
Speaker 6 (47:41):
Yeah. She's pushing herself into running. She is... No, and I think that's
inspiring too of just, she's at an age now where
she's nearly two. And she sees us and what we do and she knows
what we do.
Speaker 5 (47:59):
Yeah. She knows mama run. Mama run.
Speaker 6 (48:01):
And she's been to your work and has seen a
live class, so she very much knows what we're doing.
She enjoys going for a run. Even our babysitter is...
She only goes to her... We have two strollers. We have
a jogging stroller and a standard one. I'm actually about
(48:28):
to put the standard one in storage, because she only
wants to go on the jogging stroller.
Speaker 5 (48:31):
Yeah. She only wants to go on the jogging stroller. That's it.
Speaker 6 (48:31):
And it's... Yeah. It's (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (48:36):
Well, what can we do? We've got the inspiration, we've
got the little girl who is there. But well, thank
you for being my inspiration. Thank you for being my
push and my support network. Without you and T, there's
no way I could be doing this at all. I'm
(48:56):
going to be pushing you to get your Six Star
Medal very, very soon. We're hoping for London to be
your Six Star next year. We'll have a big celebration
there. And whatever future... I'm thinking the coach role. I
think you'd be really good at the coach role. But
thank you for...
Speaker 6 (49:16):
I've got one client.
Speaker 5 (49:16):
You've got one client. You've got me. Thank you for joining us
today for this episode, Aus, it was nice to chat with
you about running and have honest conversations about couples' running goals.
Speaker 6 (49:29):
Yes.
Speaker 5 (49:30):
Where can people find you if they wanted to check
you out on social?
Speaker 6 (49:33):
@becsgentry on Instagram. No.
Speaker 5 (49:41):
You can find him on Instagram.
Speaker 6 (49:43):
What's my... AustinJCurtis on Instagram. I am a very... It is
running, baby, and...
Speaker 5 (49:54):
Pretty things.
Speaker 6 (49:55):
Yeah, pretty things (inaudible) .
Speaker 5 (49:58):
Well, thank you my love. And good luck for all
of your next miles.
Speaker 6 (50:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (50:17):
Joining us today is Joanna Carter, a member of New York
Road Runners Striders. A free walking and fitness program for older
adults, age 55 and up. Joanna's passion for running sparked
in her childhood in Barbados has had to be put
on hold at times due to health challenges. However, her
determination to stay active was never waned. After discovering the
(50:39):
Striders program, Joanna has found renewed inspiration and such a
supportive community helping her reclaim her love for running. Now
she's in her second year with the Striders. She continues to
build her strength and mobility aiming to celebrate her 75th
birthday by participating in a half marathon. Proving that it
(51:01):
is never too late to reconnect with the joy of fitness.
Speaker 7 (51:05):
Joanna, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 8 (51:08):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 7 (51:09):
It's an honor to have you. Thank you for being with us.
You have been running all your life, but you recently
joined Striders. It turns out this is your second time
around with the New Yorker Road Runners after a long layoff. Can
you tell us about what brought you to NYRR first
time around the 1980s and now in the '90s?
Speaker 8 (51:28):
Well, in the '80s I was up here and I wanted to
run, because I always found that running was a release. Getting
out and being able to run, freedom sort of thing.
So I looked around and asked which clubs would have
me and stuff. And I found New Yorker Road Runners. And that's
(51:52):
why I went with them. Plus, it was Central Park
running and that sort of thing. At that time most
of the races were over there. The runs and so
forth. So that's why I joined New Yorker Road Runners the first time around.
Speaker 7 (52:06):
That's great. What brought you back to running after long, not
being able to do?
Speaker 8 (52:12):
Yeah, I was cycling and stuff, but this time I had this weird idea again, "
Let me jump back into running." Because I wanted to
celebrate my 75th birthday this year. And I said, " What
a better thing to do?" Kind of celebrate and run. So I
found the Striders on Facebook and I said, " Let me
(52:37):
see." Because I figured if there... They had the exercise
class and I know what exercises can do for your body
to prepare you for running. And I said, " Let me
join them." And plus it would be with a group and that sort of
thing. And it's turned out to be very helpful. This
Striders exercises and that sort of thing. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (52:59):
Exercise is important at all levels, but as we get
older is even more crucial, more important. In that regard, why
did you join Striders and how has that been going?
Speaker 8 (53:12):
It's been going pretty good, being with the group. And
I must also mention to you too that I've been
trained while I was working, I trained to be NASM. So
I know the importance of exercise and running. And plus
when it was with New York Road Runners, I did a thing with Grete Waitz,
a camp. And I also did the running with... I don't
(53:37):
remember the names of... There was a husband and wife team that
used to run, do training races in Central Park. And
that's where I learned to sprint and do... Because I
used to train on my own, never had formal training.
But that group in the park helped me a lot
to really get into placing. Because I was running and
(53:58):
stuff. But I like to compete, I like to, if
I run, I want to finish, I want to finish
up front. So that training helped me, in Central Park
training. I can't remember the name we used to call
it. But yeah, I know that training and exercise and
nutrition and all that helps with running. Yes.
Speaker 7 (54:21):
It's a complete effort from walking to strength training to
mobility to nutrition.
Speaker 8 (54:26):
Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 7 (54:28):
It is important to have those moments, but you can
get away when you are in the 20s, 30s, or 40s. But what do you tell the Striders on to get
them to get into a routine?
Speaker 8 (54:40):
Well, the thing is, I've been even trying to get
people to join with the Striders and stuff, but I find it's tough
because when you get older age like me, it's hard
to... I got a young... Not young. A person I
met (inaudible) a volunteer. Because I usually do bike
volunteering and stuff. And I told her. She joined up
(55:04):
with me, she got the shirt and everything, but she
hasn't gone back. And she got the shirt before I
got my shirt. And I find it's very tough when
you're a certain age. I've been sending out notices to
friends. And even have a card I'm going to take
over tomorrow at a class to let her put up
in her church, because I find that when people get older,
we sit and we don't want to bother. But if
(55:26):
you move, it helps you to... They don't realize that
the movement helps you to continue with everyday life and
that sort of thing. You know? Yeah.
Speaker 7 (55:35):
Absolutely. Mobility is a positive energy to everybody. And doesn't
have to have be age or gender. It's always good
to be able to be positive example. But you'll be
running the Harlem 5K this weekend.
Speaker 8 (55:48):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (55:48):
What are you looking forward to?
Speaker 8 (55:51):
Just placing and better time. Because right now, I just... Because really this was supposed
to be a fun thing. The competition, yes, in my
mind I still, I like to see that I'm the
top with the Striders. Because I've been doing that. So what I
do each time is see if I could progress a
little more. Because I wasn't running for a long time. So I know I have to, as you
(56:14):
say, (inaudible) then crawl, then go for it. So
yeah, now it's just to finish. Finish strong. The first time
I did it, I said, " When I get to the last mile, I'm going to speed up." No, I did not no speed up. But the second race I did, I found I (inaudible)
. And the last one I did, I had that last mile going. So it takes... When you haven't ran for a while it takes a while. And I even look back and say, "You know, Joanna, you probably
(56:42):
should have keep doing your little running and stuff." But
I switched over to cycling and that's what happened. Yeah,
I just stopped running and I was cycling. I would walk
though. Because I used to walk. When I would start running,
I used to go for walks. In fact, that's how
I found out, you (inaudible) seen that I had
something bothering my heart, because at work I would notice
(57:04):
I go downstairs and I couldn't breathe. And I didn't
know what it was. And I was walking. And I told my primary
care doctor, something is not right. And they sent me and
found that my right atrial was having a problem. So
I had ablation done. So I was walking for a
while before I started running back and riding. But I'm
(57:24):
good now. I'm good now. Because they tested me. I
put in my notes that I'm going to celebrate my
75th by doing a marathon. And the doctor could read
my notes, because I'm at all these different hospitals (inaudible) NYU.
I told that doctor, my doctor at Presbyterian who's checking
my heart saw it, and he told me... I forgot
(57:45):
that it was to mention it to him. And he said, "
Wait, I noticed you're going to run. Wait, you didn't
tell me anything." And I said, "How did you see that?" He said, " In
your notes." So yeah, and he sent me for a
stress test. He said, " You're good to go." But I
am not good to go this year for a marathon,
because I listen to my body so much. For years
I've been doing it. And it says, " That is a
(58:08):
bit..." So I'm going to do the half on Staten
Island and that will be my celebration. Then I'll be 75
when I'm running it. I'll be 75 years (inaudible) . Yeah, this year.
Speaker 7 (58:21):
Well, congratulation on being healthy and moving and mobility. It's
wonderful to see. You've been an example to others. But
later this month you will be running the greatest Gallop
Race you ran almost 30 years ago.
Speaker 8 (58:34):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (58:35):
What does it feel like to return to the race
with so much more life experience behind you?
Speaker 8 (58:41):
Yeah. When I first was signing up, because I had my
coach checking it for me, what could I do and
so forth from the Striders. And I didn't see that one up.
And then I saw that it's for members only. So I
sent her a note and said, " Could I get it?"
Because I had such great... I have to look for it, because she
has signed a card for me and so forth when
she was alive and stuff. And I had such fond memories of her. So I have to be in that
(59:06):
one since that's also part of the celebration. When I saw
that, I was like, " Gee, I have to run that
race." So I got in and I'm so happy that
I would be able to do it. Although it's close to this one. Because normally I
wouldn't let two races be this close at my age,
but I wanted to run it this weekend. And then
(59:28):
I saw that and I said, I would just go
and finish it just to celebrate her and myself at
the same time. That sort of thing. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (59:35):
Absolutely. Grete is an icon and what she did with Fred Lebow
and what she have done for the New Yorker Road
Runners is incredible. I'm glad we'll honor her and glad you're going to participate.
Speaker 8 (59:46):
Yeah, I'm going to her camp. I still have her notes and stuff. She give
us things, how to run and stuff. I still have
her printouts. Yeah, I keep those and stuff. And I
thought, when I was at my job I used to share
them with other people. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (01:00:04):
Wonderful. Well, keep up the great work. We're so delightful
to have you here and keep up the great work.
Speaker 8 (01:00:09):
Thank you for having me and so glad I could
even speak to you because this is also a pleasure.
This is when I saw your name, I said, " Jinx, I'm
going to talk to him." So yeah, I appreciate this.
Speaker 7 (01:00:22):
Well, I appreciate you and thank you for cheering for me and supporting me over the years.
Speaker 5 (01:00:22):
Thank you for joining us, Joanna, and for being a member
of New York Road Runners. And now back to Meb for
this week's Meb Minute.
Speaker 7 (01:00:33):
This week is be consistent. Consistency was the bedrock of my
success. I ran on the same day each week, which
builds discipline and steady improvement in my fitness. Find a
routine that works for you and stick to it. It
pays off in the long run. For example, I had
an 8
when I was in college, I had eight 08:00 AM classes
(01:00:56):
and it just works to be able to have consistent and
stay to the target that you want. And fitness will
come together slowly but surely. And you can make those
progress make big time. So be consistent and you'll do great.
Speaker 5 (01:01:10):
That does it for another episode of Set the Pace,
a huge thank you to Meb, Joanna, and of course Austin.
Rob, I hope I held down the fort well enough
and I'm going to see you very shortly in Paris.
If you like this episode, please go ahead and subscribe,
rate, or leave a comment for the show on whatever
platform you're listening on. This not only helps us, but
(01:01:33):
it helps others find out about the show too.
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