How Game Changers and NYRR Are Creating a More Diverse Coaching Community

Game Changers coaches Sam Pawlak, Toni Chatmon, and Nunny Reyes in Central Park.

The TCS New York City Marathon training season is fully underway for runners across the greater New York City area, and for those participating in the NYRR Group Training program, many are finding a new sense of community thanks to a partnership between New York Road Runners and Game Changers, a coaching platform for women of color led by Vanessa Peralta-Mitchell.

Founded in 2020, Game Changers provides funding for women of color to become RRCA-certified coaches. It currently has 179 member coaches across 29 states and Washington, D.C. According to Vanessa, the funding the certification is one of the organization's three core components, along with offering a business strategy to help coaches put their new certification to use, as well as mentorship from a fellow woman of color coach. Learn more about Vanessa and Game Changers on Set the Pace. 

Game Changers first partnered with NYRR last year to provide resources for six New York City–based women of color to become RRCA-certified and coach through Group Training. Currently, the NYRR program has 10 new coaches, or "mentees," who are paired with a veteran Game Changers coach for a paid apprenticeship coaching runners in person—many of them targeting the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon taking place Sunday, November 1.

"The NYRR apprenticeship is a new fourth component that allows these new coaches to use those coaching muscles in a physical space, getting that credibility right off the bat," Vanessa says. "It's a big lift for them both outwardly and inwardly, where they get to wear a shirt that says 'NYRR coach,' which says, 'I am a coach, I am a leader, I am runner,' while they get additional guidance and support."

Toni Chatmon is one of those Game Changers veterans. She has served as a coach since 2022 and, along with her mentees, Nunny Reyes and Sam Pawlak, is local to New York City. Chatman has also worked with NYRR's Run for the Future program, which introduces high school girls to running and helps them train for a 5K, and was a course marshal for some of the organization's races.

Coach Toni running in Central Park. 

"Game Changers really pushed me to not just get certified as a coach, but to also get paid for it. It's been really helpful to meet other people to collaborate, get support, and also get enforcement and encouragement," Toni says. "That's kind of how it works when you have a mentor, and it's all about camaraderie. It's pushing one another, holding each other accountable, and learning from one another."

Adds Sam, who is also a member of Asian Women Stay Running, "Getting a coaching certification can sometimes be a financial barrier, and having this opportunity through Game Changers has given me a whole new level of confidence. It can be intimidating being a woman of color in a male-dominated industry, and I love that this program has made it all possible, while also connecting me with women I otherwise probably would never have met."

Coach Sam before an NYRR Group Training workout in Central Park. 

According to Ben Delaney, NYRR’s head of training programs and education, the partnership with Game Changers has been vital in giving back to New York City's diverse running community.

"The original six Game Changers who started with us last year are still working with NYRR Group Training now, and it's great that they're able to continue to build a strong, larger community and running relationship across our crews with the organization," Ben says. "Vanessa is an amazing partner with a great vision that really goes back to having our runners and our coaches see themselves in each other. It shows that there's so much potential there, and I'm excited to see where it goes."

NYRR Group Training is a year-round program that offers six sessions that last six to 10 weeks throughout the year, allowing runners to train for races such as the United Airlines NYC Half and the RBC Brooklyn Half. Its two summer sessions, which start in July and September, typically build runners toward the TCS New York City Marathon. In Group Training's current summer session, the coaches are training with their athletes through Thursday tempo workouts in Central Park and often join them for long runs, also in the park.

Nunny and Sam live in Long Island City and Astoria, respectively, which are neighboring towns within Queens, allowing them to meet for their weekly check-ins in person, often over brunch. For Nunny, who has been running NYRR races since she was in middle school and eventually completed the 9+1 program to run her first marathon in her home city, the mentorship program has allowed her to help newer runners unlock their potential. One way she has done this is by having her athletes fill out affirmations to carry on their long runs as an additional source of motivation.

"I have really enjoyed that [Game Changers] connected me with more women, especially women of different backgrounds where we are each bringing in an even more unique lens into the field as trainers and coaches," says Nunny, who is also a member of El Barrio Running Club. "I'm currently training my first cohort of runners for both the New York City and Chicago marathons, and it's been great to see them reflect on what they've been learning over the past several weeks."

Coach Nunny before an NYRR Group Training workout in Central Park.

Game Changers' current cohort will conclude with an in-person closing ceremony, which is tentatively slated for Monday, September 14, at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub. Vanessa is looking ahead to next year’s10th cohort, which is a milestone Game Changers is hoping to celebrate in person as well.

"It's been really special to collaborate with NYRR in this way, and it really says something about the program that they want to show up in this space and pour back into a community that was never really poured into in that way," Vanessa says. "It's one thing to get certified and get an understanding of what you want to do with that certification. But then to actually put that into action—it's not that simple and it's not that easy, and it's been so meaningful to have NYRR understand the need for this type of support."

You May Also Like...

Changing the Game: Women of Color Run Coaches Redefining the Industry