September 29, 2021
“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!
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.