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Win the morning, win the day, I always say.

Oh, we like a mantra.

Get on out there.

Make it happen.

Hey everybody, and welcome to a special holiday episode of Set The Pace, the official podcast of New York Road Runners presented by Peloton.

I'm your host, Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New York Roadrunners, and with me, my co- host and Peloton instructor, Becs Gentry.

Hey, Becs, happy holidays.

Hi, happy holidays.

And talking of, we at Set The Pace today have a very special gift for you all.

That's right.

We're going to give you 26 mantras as our holiday gift to you.

You can use these on your holiday runs or whatever time of year you need a mantra, one mantra for every mile of the New York City Marathon.

Exactly that.

Or just one for every minute, you may need a little more inspiration to get you through.

These are mantras that have helped our guests over the past year discover their own personal finish lines, no matter their debt, their exhaustion, their fear, or just plain old complacency that we all know a little bit about.

Everybody loves a good mantra, Becs.

We need them.

We love them.

So, let's lace up and let's go.

Thank you, New York.

Today, we're reminded of the power of community and the power of coming together.

Athletes on your mark.

The first woman to finish for the second straight year here in the New York City Marathon is Mickey Gorman, a smiling Mickey Gorman.

And why not?

2: 29:30, the time for good of ice.

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 from up to Fluskey.

So, to kick us off Becs, let's start at the beginning.

The hardest part of any run, of course, is the moment before you start.

So, for me, what I've discovered is if I run first thing, everything else in my day is going to fall into place.

Mantra one.

Win the morning, win the day.

Now, Rob, every single person we've talked to this year started somewhere.

And a lot of them started by actually surprising themselves with movement.

Now, Vinny Guadagnino went from reality TV star to marathoner, but before he ran his 26.

2, he had to believe he could.

This is a good message for everybody.

People don't even believe they can run a mile.

People don't believe they can run three miles, but you can.

You just have to do it slowly and you have to just do it easily.

I was more capable than I thought.

I mean, I'm still telling myself that advice every day.

Mantra two.

I was more capable than I thought.

Star of East 89th Street Productions documentary, Final Finishers, Martinez Evans' first treadmill run lasted less than 30 seconds.

Today, he is an accomplished marathoner.

It really took a lot of micro steps along the way.

I go back to the fitness center.

I'm like, "This treadmill is not going to beat me.

I run for 30 seconds straight." I'm like, " All right, that's good enough." I had to prove to myself that I can get on a treadmill and not.

And then every day after that, I would just go and just do a little bit more, like 45 seconds, try to run a minute.

And then a friend told me about Casta 5K and I'm obsessive, so I download four of them.

It took me about 10 to 12 weeks to be able to run my first 5K.

I remember signing up for it.

It was a 5K for the September 11 firefighters, the tunnel tower.

So, I ran that.

And from that day on, I was hooked.

And I was like, okay, if I can do this, I can train for a 10K, train for a 10K, ran a bunch of 10Ks, and then trained for a half- marathon.

And then I said, " Okay, I trained for a half- marathon.

It's time to sign up for the Big Doll." And signed up for a marathon and went out there and did my thing.

It's simple, but it's not easy to do.

Mantra three.

It's simple, but it's not easy to do.

One of our faves, the ever- smiley New York Road runners board member, Randi Zuckerberg, discovered running during the lockdown.

I turned 40 during lockdown and I took stock of my life and you alluded to this a little in the beginning, but I've had a lot of sidekick energy my whole life, which is great.

Everyone needs a sidekick, but I've always been supporting my brother at his startup and supporting my husband and being Asher and Simmy and Shira's mom.

And I realized if someone wrote the story of my life, I wouldn't even be the main character in the story of my own life.

And that was a pretty sad and shocking realization to come to at age 40.

And I didn't really know what to do with that information or sitting with that.

I just really thought...

I would really like to step into the main character role in my own life.

And there were these women at a local gym that I would go to and they would run the New York Road runners races on the weekends and go have brunch.

And I was like, I don't even think I like running, but I really like brunch and I'm very lonely and these seem like nice women.

And so, that was how I got into it.

I didn't even think I could run on pavement.

I hadn't even run one step on pavement in 20 years.

And I didn't know after having three kids, if that would be something that I could do.

But we entered the mini 10K, the Mastercard Mini 10K, and it was, oh my gosh, Beck, it was so joyful to just see thousands of women out there of all ages and all body sizes and just showing up for themselves.

I left that race and I was like, " I think I could show up for myself in my own life."

Mantra four.

I would really like to step into the main character role in my own life.

Apple Fitness Plus trainer, Cory Wharton- Malcolm, used to listen to all those external doubts.

Then he started running.

I would say I stand taller in who I am and I have less regard for the thoughts and feelings about me that aren't positive.

I think that's the best way to articulate and synthesize it.

And I guess the long version of it is running told me I can do anything and because running told me that I can do anything, I'm now going to do anything.

And then when you just start talking to yourself like that over and over and over again, now I'm like, " So, you want to go to Mars?

Cool.

When?

Tuesday or Wednesday?"

Mantra five.

I can do anything.

Dr.

Melissa Melkonian teaches her students that no matter what happens to you, you can push through.

And she believes that running is one of the best ways to prove to yourself that you can finish anything you set your mind to.

Everybody has their own pace, right?

So, my pace is not your pace and that's okay.

So, everybody's goal is different.

Don't compare yourself to others because you see people run past you all the time.

Every mile ran is a mile run and it's something that nobody can take away from you.

Just remember why you started and be determined to finish even if it means with support, even if it means it takes a little bit longer or you have to walk a couple of steps here and there.

Everybody's training is different and that's okay.

Mantra six.

Every mile ran is a mile ran and it's something that nobody can take away from you.

For Peloton's Jeffrey Mceachern, running wasn't something he ever envisioned himself doing.

The reason I started running is you don't need much.

You can just take yourself.

Back then there was moments also of, " Oh, you should be faster.

You should be doing this." But now I know that there's runs that are supposed to challenge you, but there's also runs where you're supposed to just have joy with it, that there's recovery runs.

And I think being open to the ability my body has on the day of that run to be open to that and to let the critic go and see what a privilege it is to move.

I get to move so I can define and I can write that story, and that's what it comes down to.

Learning all these things makes it so much lighter.

Mantra seven.

I get to move so I can define and I can write that story.

All right.

You've made it out of the door and onto the streets.

You believed in yourself enough to start.

Now comes the next challenge, settling in and finding your personal rhythm.

Now it's the time to quiet any noise in our head and just be in it.

When Vinny Guadagnino faces the fear of 26.

2, his strategy is simple.

Trick his brain into thinking it's no big deal.

I don't like putting pressure on everything.

It's like a little bit of a reverse psychology.

The less pressure you put on me, the better I do.

So, it's really just like, it's just another long run.

Let's go have fun.

And then your mind just starts to be like, " Oh, this is normal." Relax, you got this.

It sounds simple, but we always just say, all right, this is just another long run.

Mantra eight.

This is just another long run.

Vinny just discovered running, but for New York Rider on his board chair, Nnenna Lynch, it's not about fear, but about battling expectations.

I was a competitive runner for 20 years.

I really went after it and my identity, my sense of worth was really tied up in how I did.

And now I have a rich and full life.

And so, I'll enter a race where I'll sometimes push myself a little bit, but I tend not to go all flat out.

I'm not trying to set any personal records.

I'm the only thought trying to set any age group records.

There was a time of life when I did that.

But yeah, so it's really about, I would say now I have very little expectations.

Whatever time I run doesn't really matter.

I really focus now on what it feels like and feeling good.

Mantra nine.

I really focus on what it feels like and feeling good.

What does Mallory Kilmer think about when she tackles 50- mile races?

I'm actually not even focused on the finish line because I'm thinking logically that it is a possibility that I might not cross it.

This is something completely out of my territory and I don't even care.

I just want to focus on the mile that I'm in.

I want to enjoy it.

I really just want to focus on the experience and staying so present.

If I cross that finish line, there better be an ice- cold Diet Coke for me.

Mantra 10.

I just want to focus on the mile that I'm in.

Kenneth Rooks is an Olympic steeple tracer.

When the pressure gets loud, he goes back to basics.

We love Coach Eyestone and he's also just been there before.

He's a two- time Olympian.

That's something that has always given me strength.

I mean, not now that I have been an Olympian as well and a medalist, just trusting in his experience has been helpful.

If my mindset's going a little bit astray, he does a good job at bringing me back to like, " Okay, let's focus on the process.

Focus on what we can control.

Let's go out and just take advantage of the wonderful opportunity we have in front of us."

Mantra 11.

Focus on what we can control.

Ali Truwit survived a shark attack and lost her leg.

Since then, she's won Paralympic medals and swimming and ran the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon.

To do that, she had to learn how to quiet the fear.

I'm nervous for the hills because that's been something that I'm continuing to learn is just incline on the plane.

And I'm also nervous for, and this makes sense.

I think this has been the case my entire athletic career, but unknowns and uncontrollables, things like humidity and weather really affect my prosthetic fit.

And that's something you can't control and you don't know what it's going to be until right before race day.

So, I'm really leaning into trying to focus on the knowns of the work that I put in day to day and the fact that I'm adaptable and I'm willing to fight for what I want and remind myself of the knowns when those unknowns get loud.

Mantra 12.

Focus on the knowns of the work that I put in day to day.

Now here is where it gets really challenging.

Absolutely.

Now Rob, if this were a marathon, I'd say we'd be somewhere around mile 13.

You found your rhythm, but now you have to hold on for quite a long time.

This is the part where the voice in your head starts to get pretty loud.

The one that asks you, " Why are you doing this?" The one that starts doing math on how far you have left to go.

Yep.

And this is where mantras matter most.

Something to repeat when your brain is looking for an exit.

Peloton's Kirra Michel is a master yogi, but running is a new challenge for her, both physically and mentally.

I'm not at the stage yet where I've hit that runner's high or that steady state.

I'm still struggling.

Got it.

Mm- hmm.

But I know that I'm putting effort in and I'm doing one foot after the next, after the next, after the next.

And I'm trying to focus on my breath while I'm doing this.

And it's similar with meditation.

It's given yourself the grace to realize that if you're finding a little bit of stillness, even if the mind is still crazy active, that you're actually working towards, you're putting the reps in towards softening, releasing, noticing tightness in the body.

Can you release in that?

Can I release my jaw?

Okay, my mind is really busy.

Can I just sit with the busyness of my mind?

We're not trying to get somewhere.

There's no specific destination.

We're working with what we have.

And if right now we have monkeymind, cool, let's work with monkey mind.

Mantra 13.

We're not trying to get somewhere.

There's no specific destination.

Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic.

When he hits mile 21 and the bridge feels like Everest, he stops thinking and starts counting.

So, for the first time marathoners, what you need is you need to be able to keep going, right?

If your first marathon and you're trying to run it in five and a half hours, you need to have some discipline at the start because you're going to feel much better the first 10 miles of the run than you think you're going to feel.

And then you're going to feel better the first 10 miles of your run than you've ever felt in a 10- mile run before.

It just happens.

There's magic on the course.

You're so excited.

There are other people around you.

The New York City Marathon is a miracle.

People are cheering for you everywhere.

You will feel amazing.

You'll probably feel amazing up until about miles 16.

And then you probably won't feel amazing.

And when you get to mile 21 and you're going across that bridge, it's actually a very narrow incline, but it will feel like you're on Mount Everest.

And so, what you need is you just need to be able to keep going.

I am going to finish this race and I have a mantra.

And so, I basically do one, two, three.

One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three.

And I'm landing.

I'm thinking about my left foot landing.

I'm thinking about my right foot landing, then my left foot and then my right foot on every third beat.

And you should have whatever mantra you have, but you should train it before.

What are you going to think about when you are in complete agony and you want to stop?

It's like a form of meditation.

Mantra 14.

One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three.

HSS's Mohammad Saad is passionate about helping fellow endurance athletes meet their athletic goals, especially when the race gets tough.

We're so focused on time goals that we overlook the excitement and the joy that's in the process itself.

The race itself is the goal, but you really have to enjoy the process in getting towards that goal.

So, definitely enjoy the training process itself, but also focusing a little bit too hard on time goals, whatever your time goal is for the race, can sometimes cause you to ignore how your body is feeling and your body might be giving you signals that like, " Hey, we can maybe even go faster or we need to take it a little bit easier so that we can make it to the finish line." So, one mantra that I like to think about when I'm running and maybe my race isn't going as well as I'd hoped is adjusting is not failing, right?

Adjusting is your body's way of being resilient and accommodating to conditions.

And ultimately, that's what racing smart is all about, adjusting to the conditions.

If you expect you've trained your entire maybe 18, 16 to 18 weeks in 60 degree weather and you show up on race day and it's 80 degrees, you're going to have to adjust to that.

You can still chase your goals, but stay flexible.

Mantra 15.

Adjusting is not failing.

Ali Truwit's family has a saying.

It's two words, and it got her through the toughest parts of Paralympic and marathon training.

My family is a big mantra family, and one of them is work works.

I love it because it's so simple, but it's true and makes sense.

And so, my whole life, my mom has said to me and my three brothers, work works.

It doesn't always work exactly on your timeline or exactly in the way that you hope it will, but sooner or later it works.

And so, take pride in the day- to- day work, have confidence in it and let it give you that confidence when those high pressure performance moments come.

And so, through the Paralympics, that was the case for me of really focusing on the process and the journey there and giving my all every day.

And now with the marathon, it's been the same, but really focusing on through my running training, through my strength training, through physical therapy, through mental training, am I putting in the work day to day so that come race day, I know the work works and that work is going to be there for me when I call on it and when I need it.

Mantra 16.

Work works.

Sharon Lokedi entered the 2022 New York City Marathon as a first time marathoner.

Halfway through, she wasn't even sure she'd finish.

When I decided to do the marathon, I was like, " We'll just go to New York." It's hard.

You don't have as much expectation.

You just go run and compete and get the feel of the marathon.

And so, during training, all I ever thought about is like, "Oh, this is going to be my first marathon.

Just train, just get the mileage in and just start to feel like the distance of how it goes." And honestly, it was just coming around and the training and the workouts and you know how long they are and very tiring there.

And I was like, " Jesus, am I going to be able to do all this in the buildup?" And I mean, we came to the race and I'm in there and we're running through the halfway point and I'm like, " This is the longest I've done." At that point, I had only done like maybe two or three half- marathons, so I'd never done anything.

It wasn't like I'd done a lot.

So, as we go through the halfway point of the full marathon, I was like, " Oh God, how am I going to be able to finish this?" And we just kept going and I think at 25 or 30, then they made a move and I was like, "Well, this is where things happen." And I just started counting people.

I'm like, " If I'm till five, I'm fine.

I don't have to worry about anything." And we just kept going and I stayed with one of the girls and we just kept pushing and all of a sudden we could see the leaders ahead of us and we just started working.

And at this point I'm like, "Oh no, you got it." And I had had so many people say, " Once you get to like 35, you start to hit the wall and maybe that's where things are." And we get there and I was like, " Oh no, this is where it's happening." But then I also had this confidence in me.

I knew that I had done enough training and I was strong enough.

And once we got up to the leaders and I was like, " We came back, nothing is done until it's done." So, at that point I was like, keep doing, keep going.

And I have this thing that when I'm running or when I'm competing and I see people ahead of me, I start to chase them.

And this was the point was the thing.

We just started chasing them and we caught up to them and we just went.

It was like it happened and we just kept going and we kept going and then we started to get close to the park and it was only three of us.

And I was like, oh, oh no.

And we started going and then one of the other girls who like a little bit was like dropped and then I was like, " Oh, so now it's two of us." And I honestly cannot tell you, but there was something that just I felt so strong and I just wanted to go and I made a move.

And immediately I made the move, I was like, " Oh no.

I did it too soon.

This is a bad idea.

This is a bad idea." But I just kept fighting and I just, it was like at the time where I'm like, " You got this.

You can do this.

Just come on." It's like the thing they've never done and you're just doing it so well.

And I just kept fighting and I had never longed for that finish line in my life as I did that point.

I started looking, you're not supposed to look bad and I do that all the time.

I don't know why because I have to be confident, but I'm also like, I don't trust that I am that strong to get to the finish line before anyone gets up to me.

So, I kept looking back and I think at this point, it's like I'm tired.

I'm just trying to get to the finish line.

And I think once we'd like 200 to go and I was like, " Oh no, we hit that hill and I just didn't know why drop.

Can you change that?"

The hill?

Yeah, not the first time I've been asked.

Please drop.

Please.

But it's like the thing that you think you're done and then you hit that and you're like, " Oh, but again, at that point it's like when you are just by yourself and you have enough left, then you're like, okay, we can see the finish line, so just get through it." And just crossing the finish line and winning in my first marathon, honestly, it's still happening.

It's still in my head and I just honestly think that it's always, always going to be a memory I'll never forget.

Mantra 17.

Nothing is done until it's done.

When the miles get tough for Susanna Sullivan, her coach reminds her that the key is you just need to keep showing up.

A lot of people say that they have a big performance and then they think that they have to do something bigger and greater in order to get to higher heights.

And I think that I've learned from enough people who've gone before me and have shared their story that it's really about consistency and you don't have to run significantly more miles or do significantly more cross- training or lift heavier weights or completely change your diet or whatever it is.

It's a matter of just continuing to stack bricks.

And so, I think that that was something that my coach and I reflected on after the race, that I didn't need to do anything drastic to feel like I could continue to improve.

And so, I think just checking in on that and remembering that I keep doing what I'm doing and focus on the things that have worked for me in the past and I don't pay attention to what everybody else is doing, that's probably going to be what serves me best and is going to make it more likely that lightning can strike again.

Mantra 18.

Continuing to stack bricks.

And here's the thing about running, especially in a race, but honestly, even on a solo run, you're never really alone.

Right?

There's the person you passed at mile three that you've been reeling back in.

There's the stranger who nodded at you when you were struggling, those amazing volunteers who handed you water with their frozen fingers.

Running looks like a solo sport, but it's actually not.

Sometimes, the thing that gets you to the finish isn't a mantra about grit.

It's remembering that you belong to a community.

Tiki Baber spent years in the NFL where fans will boo you when you're down, but running taught him something very different.

The beauty of running is that it is all encouragement.

Unlike in football, there are times where they will boo the hell out of you.

It happened to me often.

And so, the one thing I always felt that running before I got really involved with it was like a solitary event.

You train, maybe you train with partner, but when you're out there, you're running by yourself.

It's like mental fortitude that you have to have.

But the reality is it is so collective.

And after my third or fourth one, I kept hearing this mantra, right?

" You're not going to win, so just best yourself." And so, I found myself always just challenging myself, but then as I got to six or seven or eight of them, you realize everybody there that you're running with is your teammate.

And so, that's what I've come to love most about running is the community of it.

And you don't have to know anybody, yet you do know them and they will pick you up, especially if you're struggling.

And it's a beautiful thing.

It's a solitary thing, but it's also a collective beauty that comes with being out on the pavement and trying to complete a marathon or a half- marathon or a 10K or whatever race you happen to be in.

Munch at 19.

Everybody there that you're running with is your teammate.

Mike the Korican founded Global Running Crew and discovered that running communities have no borders.

I was just a regular runner and I had a bunch of people say to me, " Listen, why don't you put together this team?

We would all move and run with you.

We love your ideas, your attitude." And really the idea was really more around building a team that's built more like a family.

I've played a lot of sports in my life and having been part of a team has always been something that has helped me as an athlete, helped me as an adult.

And my thought about global running crew was to bring people from all different backgrounds, all different countries, different ethnic backgrounds, and have them all melt together and create this global running crew where we could say, " We run from every part of the world." They have runners here all over throughout the US, throughout Puerto Rico.

We have people from the UK, people down in Panama.

You can run from anywhere in the world.

We're part of this global running community, and that's what the global running crew was really built around.

Mantra 20.

You can run from anywhere in the world.

We're part of this global running community.

Alison Desir found purpose in building a community of people who thought running wasn't for them.

Running really transformed my life, and honestly, I would not still be here on this earth if it weren't for running.

When I found long distance running 13 years ago, I was very depressed.

I couldn't find a job at the time.

My father had Lewy body dementia, and anybody who has an older person in their life suffering from Lewy body dementia, you're watching somebody who you used to love and know to be powerful and commanding just become a shell of themselves.

I also was dating somebody who, man, I don't even want to go there because I'll get upset.

So, I was very depressed.

I spent all my time at home unemployed, scrolling through social media.

Everybody seemed to be living their best life.

But thankfully, as I was scrolling one day, I saw this black guy who was training for a marathon.

And at the time, I had these ideas about who a marathon runner was, and I didn't think a regular black guy was a marathon runner.

So, misery loves company, so I was like, " This dude's never going to be able to complete this marathon that he's trading for." So, I started following his story, right?

And he was sharing how he was meeting all these people.

He was doing things he never thought he was capable of.

He was finding new passions.

And all of that for me was like, " Whoa, this is what I need," right?

I need community.

I need to believe in myself again.

I need to accomplish things.

And so, I followed his story and then a year later I signed up for my first race, which was the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon.

And I cried at the end of the race.

Initially, I thought I was one and done, but I finished that race and I was like, " Not only am I going to continue running, I'm going to start a community for people like me who maybe thought it wasn't for them so that they can show up and know that they can do anything." And I think more than ever, people need to feel a sense of belonging.

People need to feel like they can show up in a space and be themselves.

I think one of my superpowers is making people feel that way, making people feel like, " Yo, get on in here." And a lot of the current world politics are very complex, obviously, but I think a lot of it is people feeling estranged, people feeling like it's a zero- sum game.

When we create spaces where people truly feel like they belong, they can stand up for themselves, they can be who they are.

Mantra 21.

When we create spaces where people truly feel like they belong, they can stand up for themselves, they can be who they are.

The most

Important thing you can bring to the running community is you.

Nikki Hiltz is one of the most visible LGBTQ+ athletes in the sport.

To be good at this sport, you have to do all the physical stuff.

You have to run the mileage, do the workouts, do the weight sessions, sit in the sauna, all of the little things.

And then you also have to do that on the mental side too.

And I feel like since 2023 really prioritized that.

I journal a lot.

I meditate every single day.

I have some crazy meditation streak that I'm like, I can't break, which I know that's not the point of meditation.

Yeah, I'm definitely a perfectionist.

And then I think that also has really helped with when it comes to being an advocate in this space and time right now.

It's really centering myself.

And Emma, my partner is my best friend and biggest advocate and always reminds me, you just have to show up as yourself and that's going to be enough.

Mantra 22.

You just have to show up as yourself and that's going to be enough.

Okay.

You can see it now.

Maybe it's the literal finish line.

Maybe it's your front door after a cold winter's run, but no matter what, you're close.

Look around, take it in.

You did this.

New York Road Runners Hall of Fame member, Jenny Simpson, is an Olympic medalist who has come to appreciate running in this country in a whole new way.

I don't care where you are in this country.

You are less than an hour from somewhere beautiful and somewhere with amazing running.

We've been all over to places I've even been before and one hour away or 40 minutes away.

There's some gorgeous mountains or a gorge or a prairie or some sort of landscape that is just awe- inspiring and we need awe in our life.

And I just want to encourage everyone it's not far from you.

You don't have to be crazy like us and go get some van and be transient for a year.

You can take a weekend.

You can drive 40 or 60 minutes away from where you live and find something that'll just transform your idea of the space that you live in.

Mantra 23.

You can drive 40 or 60 minutes away from where you live and find something that'll just transform your idea of the space that you live in.

At New York Roadrunners, we have one mantra that perhaps trumps all others.

Here is Chief Event Production Officer and Race Director, Ted Metellus.

One of the really cool things about New York Road Runners in our volunteer program is many of the runners are volunteers themselves.

So, they are out there volunteering and they're out there being of service to their fellow runner as well.

So, when you're out there, show them some love and say a huge thank you to them.

The mantra is simply this, Becs.

See a volunteer, think a volunteer.

Yep.

See a volunteer.

Thank a volunteer.

Mantra 24.

See a volunteer.

Thank volunteer.

What could be more fitting than ending this holiday edition of Set The Pace with the two signature mantras from our two co- hosts, Becs Gentry and Meb Keflezighi?

If you run with me at Peloton, people have heard me say...

Forward is a pace.

That is my mantra because I believe that doesn't matter how fast you're running.

As long as you keep moving, that's the most important thing you're moving forward.

Yours is run to win.

Okay?

Can you talk to us about what you mean when you say that and how can we apply that to all aspects of our life?

When I started that, I was a sophomore in high school.

If I go to the state meet and I finish fifth at the state meet, about four people better than me, that I really have a place to complain because if I run a PR, that's the fastest time I ever run.

Four people were better than me, then that's when run to win is because I got the best out of myself from point A to point B, from Silent Island all the way to Central Park.

It's not how fast, but whatever you are capable of doing, no gender or age or weight or all those things.

Getting there to the finish line.

Run to win, that's what it is, to get the best out of yourself.

We did it.

26 mantras for all of the holiday runs from all of our wonderful guests this year on Set The Pace.

And what an incredible reminiscent moment that was to hear everybody go through their key sayings and also to remember each of those incredible episodes.

Yeah, it really takes me back on what's been an amazing year of Set The Pace.

Amazing year with you, Becs, co- hosting.

So, thank you for being such a great partner all year.

And so, before we go, let's do a final rundown of all 26 of these great mantras to take you through this holiday season.

Ready?

Good idea.

All right, you kick it off.

Number one is my mantra.

Win the morning, win the day.

You are more capable than you think.

It's simple, but it's not easy to do.

Step into the main character role of your own life.

You can do anything.

Every mile ran is a mile run and nobody can take that away from you.

You get to move so you can define and write that story for yourself.

This is just another long run.

Focus on what it feels like and feeling good.

Focus on the mile that you're in.

Focus on what we can control.

Remind yourself of the knowns when those unknowns get loud.

We're not trying to get somewhere.

There's no specific destination.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

Adjusting is not failing.

Work works.

Nothing is done until it's done.

Stack bricks.

Everybody that you are running with is your teammates.

You can run from anywhere in the world.

You are part of a global running community.

When we create spaces where people feel like they belong, people are empowered to stand up for themselves.

Show up as yourself.

That's truly going to be enough.

You can drive 40 or 60 minutes away from where you live and find a run that'll just transform your idea of the space that you live in.

See a volunteer, thank a volunteer.

Forward is a pace.

And on behalf of Meb Keflezighi, run to win.

Okay, everybody.

We are so grateful that you let us be part of your runs throughout 2025.

It has been such an honor to get the miles in with you, joining you in your ears and in person at each and any race.

We hope that these 26 mantras carry you through these holidays and into the new year.

That's right, Becs.

For all of us at Set The Pace and from everybody at New York Roadrunners, happy holidays.

We hope that we've been a great part of your year and we will see you in 2026.

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