“What I love about being out here and doing this is that I didn’t think it was accessible. I didn’t think I was going to run sub-3. Why would I think that? That’s crazy. But what I’ve been able to do is inspire people, which I wasn’t trying to do but I feel good about that. I just want us to all feel – especially Black American women – that we can do that. I started because I wanted to train and get faster. There’s nothing stopping anyone from doing that.”

My guest for this episode is Erica Stanley Dottin, who is a mother of two, a wife and runs with Black Roses NYC. She is a producer and also works as the Tracksmith New York City Community Manager. At 48 years old, she just ran 2:52:05 for a huge personal best at the Berlin Marathon. The time makes her the 25th Black American woman to break three hours in the marathon since 1973. It’s a list that started being tracked by Ted Corbitt and is now kept by his son, Gary. We discuss her running career from her sprinting days at Georgetown to what called her to the marathon. What started off as a fun hobby for herself in the mid-2000s, she eventually found the Black Roses and coach Knox Robinson in New York City which elevated her training. We talk about how she managed to do it all and the inspiration she serves to other women in her community.

You can follow Erica on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/estanleydott/

This is Runners of NYC. A podcast from CITIUS MAG. Host Chris Chavez looks to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Spotify. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter | @RunnersOfNYC

Email any comments, feedback or possible sponsorship ideas to runnersofnyc@gmail.com

Music for the show is by Future Generations. Podcast artwork by Kyle Klosinski.

“It’s refreshing because I spent quite a long time in my career thinking about being in the top 1%. Being able to pull back and realize that there is this joy and enjoyment that people have to go out…They may not have a reason to get up other than to be with some other people or have time for themselves in the chaotic space that is New York. It was nice to engage with running in a different way. That’s why it brings me a refreshment and a perspective that there are so many different stories and reasons why people are doing this and it doesn’t always have to be about making it to the very upper echelon.”

For this episode, we welcome Rebeka Stowe. She is a hell of an athlete and has qualified for the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships seven times in her career, including the 2012 Olympic Trials in the steeplechase. She is a former Big 12 Conference champion while attending Kansas. She trained professionally for some time with the New Jersey-New York Track Club under legendary coach Frank Gagliano. He is just one of the handful of great coaches that she has surrounded herself with throughout her career, which has played a major role in her own coaching of all levels including high school. She's someone who has led so many people through their own running ups and downs because she cares about the person before the performance and you''ll learn why. She leads runs on Monday evenings out of As Is NYC in Hells Kitchen so if you're feeling inspired after she shares her story, join her for a run out of there.

Follow Rebeka on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebekastowe/

This is Runners of NYC. A podcast from CITIUS MAG. Hosts Zac Price and Chris Chavez look to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Spotify. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter | @RunnersOfNYC

Email any comments, feedback or possible sponsorship ideas to runnersofnyc@gmail.com

Music for the show is by Future Generations. Podcast artwork by Kyle Klosinski.

"Going back to how welcoming Dao-Yi Chow, Eugene Tong and Ryo Yamamoto are. That sets the tone for everybody else. That's a huge reason why Paolo and I are as welcoming as we are. We've learned from them. We want to pay it forward. We do realize that yes, you can feel alone in a big group of people and we just want people to know that we're not going to leave you behind. That's something we try to drive on a weekly basis and try to emphasize that we are a club for the purpose of community. The PRs will come. It's crazy too that we're not totally after PRs – sometimes we are – but they just come because we're having fun while running. Sometimes you don't realize you're improving while you're improving."

Our guests for this new episode are Paolo Alberca and Kim Yee. They are the captains of Old Man Run Club. Paolo Alberca is an account manager for a medical supplier. Kim works in the technology department within the Creative Artists Agency. In this episode, you'll get to know them, how they got into running and eventually caught the marathon big that now has them leading so many others on their respective marathon journeys.

What started as a Saturday morning run crew has blown up into one of the biggest running clubs in New York City. They're currently in the middle of their summer training block called Oasis, which is a training and long run series aimed at getting people ready for the fall marathons. If you want the original story of how this club started by Ryo Yamamoto, Dao-Yi Chow and Eugene Tong, you can go back and listen to episode 15. 

It's one of my favorite episodes, especially seeing the trajectory of this club's footprint on the scene. We recorded this at Nom Wah Tea Parlor, which is where we recorded another past episode. It's a little loud in the background but the substance of the conversation is quality.

This is Runners of NYC. A podcast from CITIUS MAG. Hosts Zac Price and Chris Chavez look to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Spotify. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter | @RunnersOfNYC