As many of
you may know, I represented the Bronx in this year’s Foot Locker
Five Borough Challenge in the NYC marathon. I along with one representative
of each of the other 4 boroughs started 19 minutes ahead of the field,
ran with them for the first 16 miles and then raced to the finish for
bragging rights of the borough. Here’s how it went:
6:45 AM: Just another marathoner on his way to Staten Island in Ken [Rolston’s]
“Marathon Mobile.” Of course, we had to wait for Firdaus to
finish his breakfast at Shortstop before we could go!
7:50 AM Walking from the car to the start, I get several calls on my cell
phone from the person in charge of the 5 boroughs telling me to hurry
up. Of course at this point I am wearing sandals so even if I wanted to
run, I couldn’t.
8:00 Locate my five borough team.
8:05 Brief interview on Channel 2.
8:10 Bathroom stop.
8:15 Bathroom stop.
8:20 Waiting for channel 7 interview.
8:30 Bathroom Break.
9:05 We go to the start.
9:15 Bathroom break behind tour bus at the start.
9:35 Elite women go off.
9:45 On the Verrazano Bridge talking to Mayor Bloomberg, just minutes
before the start.
9:59 The next thing I knew, we have passed the 1 mile mark. We are all
alone on the bridge—just us and a camera crew. It feels more like
a training run than a marathon.
When we get
off the bridge into Brooklyn the crowds cheer us on. It must have seemed
strange for them to see 5 regular runners running with bike escorts. Until
mile 8 it is just the five of us. Then the lead pack pass us in a blur.
It seems like the crowd is cheering more for us than for them. We are
supposed to be the commoners, the every day runners who have jobs, go
to school, have a family and run the NYC marathon.
People in the crowd shout, “I saw you guys on TV,” “Go
Brooklyn” with the occasional “Go Bronx” or other boroughs.
Most have no idea who we are and why we are there. I see many familiar
faces amongst the crowd and people I didn’t expect to see. A former
classmate that I haven’t seen in 5 years is at mile 9 and yells
that she saw me on TV and so she came out to cheer me on.
From miles 8-16 we are passed by the elite and then local elite runners.
Before I know it, it is mile 16. The race is on! I pick up my pace coming
off the Manhattan Bridge and begin my ascent into the Bronx. My pace is
strong, but Paul from Brooklyn’s is stronger. It feels great to
see the VCTC table at mile 21 and I thrive off the support. I grab my
Gatorade from Ken and then it is onward toward Central Park.
I’m still pushing the pace, but I can feel it was not to be. I finish
strongly, but 2 minutes off of the lead (a 3 minute PR). Bragging rights
would go to Brooklyn for another year.
Starting ahead of the field was a once in a lifetime experience. Looking
back, I realized that the NYC marathon isn’t about the elite but
the everyday runners. What makes NY special is that the crowds are there
to support the “ordinary” runner. The course is challenging,
the weather is unpredictable, and the logistics are a nightmare. Anyone
who runs NY has complaints about it. However, the crowds make the race.
Everyone comes out to watch the “other” 30,000+ runners, the
3 hour runners, the 4 hour runners, the 5 & 6 hour runners. Whether
as a runner or spectator, I will always look forward to being a part of
the marathon.
It was a memorable day and one that I will always remember. Having said
that, I look forward to returning to my place in the middle of the pack,
surrounded by those of us who promise to never do another marathon again
and yet year after year find ourselves at the starting line ready to put
our body through hell.
VCTC was also a special part of my marathon day. All the group runs, advice
and support helped make this year’s marathon memorable. You were
all there with me the whole way. I wanted to give special thanks to Ken
for his tireless commitment to helping me achieve my goals.
As for coming in third, there is always next year!
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