CEO Behind New York Marathon on How They Pull Off World’s Biggest Race | Invesloan.com

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners, the nonprofit that puts on the TCS New York City Marathon. With more than 55,000 runners in 2024, the New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world. The 2025 race is set for November 2. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

I was born in Manhattan and grew up in the New York area, and I’ve always been a runner.

I decided the year I graduated from law school in 1997 that I really wanted to run the New York City Marathon. It was the rainiest marathon in the history of the marathon at that time, but I had an incredible day. I always felt like running the marathon made you a true New Yorker. I ran the marathon again in 2013.

After a career in sports media, including at ESPN and NBC Sports, I was recruited for this job in 2022. It pulled together everything that I ever cared about: sports, New York, and making a difference with my work.

The energy on marathon day never gets old

On the morning of the marathon, I wake up at around 3:30 a.m., and a police escort vehicle picks me up and brings me to Staten Island. I get to the starting line at about 4:30 a.m. and will do media interviews, say hi to runners, and visit with some of the charities, eventually making my way to the bridge for the start of the race just after 8 a.m.

I get back in the police car and follow the leaders on the course for the first 14 or 15 miles of the race. Then we’ll break off and cut across town so I can beat the runners to the finish line in Central Park. I like to be there when they break the tape. Throughout the day, I am with my assistant and chief of staff, and our teams are in constant communication.

My favorite part of the day is when the bulk of the runners start to come in, and that’s happening for many, many hours. The first runners come in sometime after 10 a.m., and the final finisher will come in around 9 or 10 p.m., so I spend tons of time at the finish line.

The energy of marathon day never gets old. The energy at the starting line is incredible, as is the energy along the course and the crowds that are lined up to see these runners come through. There are spots in Brooklyn and on First Avenue, Manhattan, and in Queens throughout the course, and it’s just a giant block party.

It’s a great day for New York, not just because it’s a feel-good day. Our economic impact study found that the marathon generates about $700 million of economic impact for the city of New York because of the huge number of people who visit, including the 40% of our runners who come from overseas. They come with family and friends, stay in hotels, eat at restaurants, take transit, and visit the sites.

It’s a miracle the marathon comes together every year

Marathon planning starts at least a year in advance, and once we’re about 90 days out, the operational aspects start to kick in. Right now, we’re already planning for the 2026 marathon.

Planning is very much based on teams. We have a team that is focused on the starting line, and they’ve actually been out in Staten Island now for two weeks working full-time on the starting line. We have a course team that’s in charge of the route between the start and the finish. We have a finish line team. We also have teams focused on the expo, transportation, credentials, and medical safety and security.

Then our entire staff of 275 employees will have some sort of a job that is specific to the marathon on race week. We have a job catalog where staff can sign up for their race week roles.

Leading up to the race, we have an update call every morning where every single one of those teams gives an update. So I feel confident because I know that we are doing a great job with the things that we can control.

What can stress me out is the things that are not in our control. This year, the weather looks cool, cloudy, with a high in the mid-fifties. That is absolutely perfect for running a marathon, so that takes a lot of stress away.

It’s both a well-oiled machine and a miracle that it happens every single year.

The marathon is special to me as a New Yorker

I will not run the New York City Marathon while I’m in this job. There’s just way too much going on and way too many obligations that I have. But I have run three other marathons since I’ve been in this job: the Berlin Marathon in Germany last year, the Tokyo Marathon in March, and the Chicago Marathon in October.

So many people have a tradition of engaging with the marathon as part of their life as a New Yorker, even if they’ve never run it. New York City has a reputation for being a little bit tough, but we have literally millions of people who come out to support total strangers. It just brings out the best in New Yorkers, and I think that’s what makes it special.

I’m a fourth-generation New Yorker. My great-grandfather came to New York City as a young child from what were then the Danish West Indies, now the US Virgin Islands. My great-grandfather was the first African-American court clerk in the history of New York and was a Broadway actor.

I have a lot of family history here, so it feels very special for me to have an opportunity to oversee something like this. New York Roadrunners is a cultural institution, and to have the chance to lead it is pretty special for anybody who loves New York.