Becs Gentry Hoka Success Comes After 15 Years of Ultras

The Peloton instructor trades the start line for the broadcast moto at Sunday’s NYC Marathon and opens up about ultras, motherhood, and earning her bib.

Image: HOKA / @becsgentry Instagram

The Becs Gentry Hoka story took center stage this week in a Footwear News profile by Jean E. Palmieri, published October 29, 2026, days before the New York City Marathon. Gentry won’t be among the nearly 60,000 runners lining up on the Verrazano Bridge Sunday morning, and she’s fine with that.

Instead, the British endurance runner, Peloton instructor, and Hoka global ambassador will ride a broadcast motorcycle and provide on-course commentary on the women’s professional field for WABC-TV and ESPN. It’s her third year in that role after covering the finish line her first year. She told Footwear News the moto puts her meters away from the athletes she idolizes, showing the world strong women in sport. Our Becs Gentry NYC Marathon broadcast guide has the full reporting team and every way to watch.

Gentry also cohosts “Set the Pace,” the New York Road Runners podcast, where she interviews elite athletes and runners every week. In a May episode, she turned the mic on her own trail running comeback, a shift that set up her 2026 season.

 

 

 

 

 

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Becs Gentry Hoka Season Included a Mountain Ultra

At the end of August, Gentry finished the CCC at UTMB Mont-Blanc in 19:03:14. The trail race runs through Courmayeur, Italy, Champex-Lac, Switzerland, and Chamonix, France. The Clip Out tracked the Becs Gentry Hoka buildup to Chamonix in our CCC race preview.

That finish came a year after she completed The Great World Race, seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, where she placed second overall among women. Her standout New York City Marathon memory remains 2019, when she ran 2:37:01 and was the first non-elite female finisher. She told Footwear News nothing will top that day, so she has no urge to repeat it.

Gentry has been an ultramarathoner for more than 15 years. She moved from the 5K to the half marathon, then skipped the marathon entirely and went straight to ultras. She and four girlfriends traveled across Europe racing and exploring cities, back when running was a hobby rather than a career.

Image: HOKA

From Advertising to Peloton

At the time, Gentry worked in advertising and public relations at a small boutique company with nowhere to grow. She told Footwear News she was also in a toxic relationship and dealing with an eating disorder. Her aunt and uncle in Naples, Florida, saw how much happier and more motivated she was after a run and urged her to share that passion with other people.

She quit her job and entered a YMCA Fit program in the U.K., an affordable way to start a fitness career. She was coaching and working with Nike when Peloton made her an offer, and she relocated to the U.S. to join the company in 2018.

Today she lives in the Hudson Valley with her longtime partner, runner and triathlete Austin Curtis, their daughter Tallulah, who just turned 4, and two energetic dogs. The move from Brooklyn means a longer commute to the Peloton studios near Hudson Yards. The Becs Gentry Hoka partnership adds personal appearances, including helping unveil the brand’s Fly Station experience for runners the Thursday before the marathon.

Balancing Peloton classes, family, and Becs Gentry Hoka commitments starts with her morning. She aims to begin the day calm with her daughter and dogs and stays off her phone for the first 30 minutes to an hour. From there, she picks the most important task, protects it, and fits everything else around it.

How the Peloton Tread Helped Her Train

Gentry said The Great World Race was easier to prepare for than the CCC. Living in Brooklyn at the time, she could run to work, log 20 miles before teaching a Peloton class, run home, and repeat it the next day.

Mountain training from New York was harder. She called the CCC the most technical course she has ever tried to run, so she drove to trails in Beacon, Harriman State Park, and Bear Mountain. She also credited the Peloton Tread, where she spent hours jogging and walking at a 15 percent incline in a weighted vest.

Becs Gentry Hoka Deal Did Not Come With a Free Bib

Gentry stressed that being a Hoka global ambassador does not buy race entry. “You have to earn your racing stones,” she told Footwear News. Hoka provides her shoes and kit, but she earned her CCC bib by finishing two tough 50K races this year. She added that it frustrates her when brands hand bibs to people with no running experience, since showing up to a marathon untrained isn’t safe.

The Becs Gentry Hoka partnership itself took time to build. Gentry ended her Nike deal when she joined Peloton and only began talking with Hoka in summer 2025. She told the brand up front she needed time in the shoes before committing, because she teaches at Peloton every day and can’t fake it if a shoe doesn’t support her body. Adjusting to Hoka’s more cushioned models took a while, but she came to love them and appreciated that Hoka gave her the space to get there. Hoka made the partnership official with a video on Instagram, which closed with Gentry saying she runs with Hoka.

Hoka views the Becs Gentry Hoka pairing as a win too. Rima Patel Diedrichs, the brand’s global senior director of PR, social and talent, pointed to Gentry’s performance mindset, energy, and ability to push her community beyond their limits as reasons she fits the brand.

Becs Gentry Hoka Plans Start at Home

There’s no next race on her calendar. Gentry and Curtis alternate big training cycles, and with Tallulah still young, it’s his turn to chase marathons and Ironman events. For now, the Hoka global ambassador says she’s training for life, and on Sunday she’ll call the women’s race from the best vantage point on the course.

  The Clip Out is an independent Peloton news site with reporting, analysis, and community insights. We deliver breaking updates, feature reporting, and expert context on the stories driving the community and the industry. Our weekly podcast offers deeper conversation and perspective, and you can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TuneIn, and YouTube Music. You can also follow us on our socials on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, BlueSky, and YouTube. See something in the Peloton universe that you think we should know? Visit us at theclipout.com and submit a tip.