Michael Capiraso: NYRR President and CEO -R4R 167

It truly is the best time to be a runner. As a woman, an underprivileged child, an elite runner, a master’s runner, a blind runner, or any other type of runner you can think of, your opportunities are massive and growing.  Today you have access to some of the best information on running, from internet forums to professional studies. You can run for a career or run for a hobby. You can track your miles with a watch, and you can run with like-minded strangers in new cities. The possibilities are simply endless.  This year the largest marathon in the world had the most participants it has ever had. Some 53,000 runners laced up and started the 26.2-mile race in New York City. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of this highly cherished event, and the New York Road Runners (NYRR) organization who puts on the race every year, expects the race to continue to grow. Michael Capiraso is the President and CEO of the NYRR. This year was his 28th consecutive year of running the New York City Marathon. He is passionate about running, and even more so, helping other people get excited about running.  Today he talked to us about his job, the running initiatives they are working on, and some of his personal training habits and goals. Michael is one of those people that loves what he does, and it shows in his enthusiastic and happy leadership. Tune in to the Running for Real podcast today to learn more! Run to Give A significant amount of the NYRR’s day-to-day business is to educate runners and provide running opportunities to those that wouldn't otherwise have them. They work with former and current elite runners like Meb Keflezighi and Jenny Simpson who volunteer to spend time with kids, inspiring them to be healthy and active.  Creating a strong community of volunteers and team members is something Michael Capiraso has been very successful at. Everyone that participates in one of NYRR programs feels like thay are a part of something bigger than themselves. From volunteering at the marathon to donating to their “Team for Kids” program, there are many ways to get involved.  One of NYRRs initiatives involves donating running shoes to kids in their youth programs. In collaboration with New Balance, for each new pair of running shoes purchased from the New Balance Run Hub they donate a pair to a youth. Running is one of the simplest sports, all you need is a pair of shoes, and Michael wants to lessen that barrier even further for kids. Virtual Running Races Capiraso and the rest of NYRR have found other ways to grow the running community by connecting runners around the world. While many of the events sponsored by NYRR take place in New York, they’ve always wanted to give opportunities everywhere. Today you can participate with and compete against someone in New York or Tokyo. So how exactly does it work? NYRR works with the Strava running app to track your route and time. Simply download the app, decide where you want to run, and go for it! In addition, you can print out an official bib and enter to win prizes as a virtual race participant. Michael Capiraso’s Yearly Running Goals What about Michael personally? As someone focused on the running of others, Michael rarely talks about himself or his personal running journey. But as someone who has run marathons for three decades, he has plenty of advice to offer.  In 2018, on his 27th New York City Marathon, Michael ran his fastest marathon ever. This year he was on pace to complete another personal best when he suffered an injury at mile 20. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to beat his previous time, but he was still able to take away positives by sharing his experiences with others.  Each year Michael sets three training goals to switch things up. For this year he worked on his core, ran more of his miles slower, and ran the last 10 miles of the marathon course 26 times. These new ways of training are what keep things fresh and fun for Michael, so that he never puts too much pressure on himself or his race time. Do Things Differently Like Michael, you can approach the new year a bit differently. He suggests listening to other people and setting unique goals so that you can find ways to improve and new ways to enjoy running. What will you set out to do this year?   Resources: Michael on Twitter New York Road Runners United in Stride Achilles International   Thank you to my wonderful sponsors Janji, Athletic Greens, NYRR, and Vital Farms for sponsoring this episode of the Running for Real Podcast.   JANJI is an official sponsor of the Running 4 Real podcast, I am so excited about this! They visit designers in countries all around the world, currently is Mexico, to help with their upcoming clothing lines and any profit they make off of that design 5% goes right back to that country to supply for their clean water supply. The materials they use are recycled which I LOVE. Go here and use code TINAMUIR for 10% off and if you want to know my favorites click here.   Athletic Greens is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients. Just to help my immune system be stronger and greater! It is so simple to do and it taste good as well. Now you can get a free travel pack with 20 servings with your first purchase, Visit here to learn more!   I have been a BIG fan of Vital Farms for years for their eggs, because they truly do care about their products and where they get them from. It is a brand that I trust, it is Lactose and casein free! With a new product of Ghee butter, it is a clean and versatile butter oil for all your culinary needs.  Go Here for a chance to win a year supply of Pasture-Raised Ghee.   New York Road Runners is a wonderful organization who now offers a virtual community driven coaching lab, which is in Beta and offers training teams for half and full marathons. You will get two coaches and be able to train with people who could be training for the same race as you. Go here  and use code Tina10 for $10 off any program. Spots are limited!   Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode. To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Join the Running for Real Facebook Group and share your thoughts on the episode (or future guests you would like to hear from) Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will really help me climb up the iTunes rankings and I promise, I read every single one. Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here. Thank you to Michael, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.