The first time I heard about the New York City Marathon was back in 2004 when my friend Ronnie completed the race. Having been a runner for only one year at this point, I had no idea of the significance of this race. It was not until right before I entered my name in the race lottery earlier this year that I really started doing research on the marathon. Let me start by sharing a few NYC Marathon facts as this may give you a better understanding:
- The first New York City Marathon took place in 1970 in Central Park. Only 127 runners registered for the event and only 55 of those actually crossed the finish line.
- Six years later the race course changed to include all 5 New York City Boroughs. The race course begins on Staten Island and finishes in Manhattan.
- The ING New York City Marathon is the most watched, one-day sporting event in the world.
- In 2008, a total of 103,000 applied to be in the race that capped at 38,000 runners.
- Unless you have a qualifying time, run for a specific marathon charity, or have entered your name and have not been chosen for 3 years in a row, the only way to get into the race is through a lottery system. Basically, they have to ‘draw’ your name!
- Approximately 2.5 million spectators come out to cheer on the runners.
- In 2008, more than 20,000 of the 38,000 finishers came from outside the United States.
Due to the race logistics, each runner is assigned transportation to get them to the race start as private transportation from NYC is not an option. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (the races starting point) is closed to public traffic around 6am so marathon authorized vehicles are the only ones that can get you to where you need to be….and on time!! Oh what a nightmare to miss a race all due to road closure!! So, bus or the Staten Island Ferry were the two types of transportation being assigned for race morning. I was lucky enough to get assigned to the Staten Island Ferry for an 8am departure! Yay for me as the busses left as early as 5:30am which is quite the early wake up when running at 10:20am!! From the hotel Jason and I hopped on train 1 (yes, of course he went with me!) and took it all the way to the last stop which was for the ferry. I was really surprised at the calmness everyone exhibited that morning. I think it was a sobering moment to look back at the city while on the ferry and realize that we had to run all the way back from where we just came. I am sure most people like me were wondering why we were doing this. At the finish line, we all discovered the answer.
On the bus ride from the Staten Island Ferry to the start at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, a mere two miles, I met a runner from NY named Amira. We were both joking around with two guys from Scotland that decided to run in their kilts. Funny thing was that neither of them had run in their kilts prior to today. (Body Glide commercial possibility here!!) Anyway, prior to departing the bus, I asked Amira if I could hang with her until our wave start. For those of you who have run with me in the past, you know my fear of being alone in a sea of people!! She kindly agreed and together we made our way to the bag drop off, bagel table, port-a-potty, and finally the starting line. I have to add that during this time we kept hearing the usual race announcements. The unique part was that they were not only spoken in English, but also Spanish, French, German, and many other languages! So, finally we were lined up and ready to go when we saw the 2nd wave of runners above us, making their way across the bridge to Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York”. Of course, this brought both of us to tears. Then, it was our turn. We found our way with the other 15,000 runners in our wave to the starting line. First up “God Bless America”, followed by the start of “New York, New York”, and then the gun fired and we were off. First mile uphill across a bridge…….gotta love it!!! Within this first mile Amira and I talked about our possible finishing time, a few races we had done in the past, the wind, our shared love for half marathons, the really stinky guy beside us so early in the race, anything we could think of really to help keep our mind off of the slight climb. We ran together for what I thought was 6 miles or so (I may be wrong) before I had to fall back a bit. In that short amount of time though, I learned that she had run the NYC Marathon twice. The first time she ran on her own, and the second she ran with her mother, which if I remember correctly was in 2008. As it turns out, her mom suffered an injury prior to the race they were doing together and could only walk the 26.2 miles. Instead of running ahead, Amira walked the entire race with her mom. Many of you have heard me say that it is truly about the race memories and not about the completion time. Ok, so I know I don’t always listen to what I say when I am at the finish line, however I do try!! Anyway, Amira said that her favorite race was the one she did with her mom as they both had very fond memories of that day. The important thing is that they were able to share the experience and that is AWESOME!!
Two months ago I purchased a book by Liz Robbins titled “A Race Like No Other”, which covers the entire 26.2 miles of the NYC Marathon. Basically every chapter is a mile or so of the race. Ms. Robbins not only describes the bridges and boroughs, she also speaks about specific people that are competing. One particular competitor caught my attention in the book. Bill Reilly is a 55-year-old man from Brooklyn with severe cerebral palsy. He has participated in the race for the past 12 years or so and he does it all going backwards in his wheelchair. Since he cannot use his legs, Mr. Reilly powers his chair by kicking his feet. Mr. Reilly finished this year in 6 hours 51 minutes, starting out at 8am prior to any other competitors. I saw Mr. Reilly around mile 15 on the Queensboro Bridge, just getting ready to head downhill with the help of a friend. I knew exactly who he was when I passed by and could not help but smile at his accomplishment. Here I am at mile 15, complaining a bit to myself about my sore legs and swearing up and down to never run this far again, and here he is in his 13th or 14th year of competing in the NYC Marathon and he is still going strong. Everyone has a story of why they run….whether it be 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles. People run for the accomplishment, the t-shirt , the medal, the thrill, the right to eat whatever they want guilt free, the one day of doing something most others have not even attempted. Well, that is why I do it. I cannot help but wonder what brings him out year after year. Obviously nothing could stand in his way and that motivated me to keep going that day. So I have a sore hip…big deal. As the saying goes on my favorite running shirt “Suck it up, buttercup”! So, I did.
The Achilles Track Club is a worldwide organization whose mission is to enable people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics, promote personal achievement, enhance self esteem, and lower barriers. I think this is the first race where I have seen so many members and volunteers of the club, identified by their running shirts, out on a course. Three runners specifically stood out to me as they were tethered to other runners. You are probably wondering what this means. Well, the volunteers were leading a blind runner, member of the club, along the course. The volunteer was always on the runners left, often with another Achilles volunteer to the right of the runner. This is not the first time I have seen a blind runner led along a race course, however with this many runners in a race, it has to be more difficult to maneuver for both the volunteer and the runner. In this race we were literally shoulder to shoulder with other runners for several miles. It was hard enough for me to navigate between everyone, so I can only imagine the difficulty for the runner. Plus, some of the roads were really rough. Around mile 22 I passed one of the blind runners, a lady who looked to be in her mid to late 70’s. To be honest, she looked like she was in less pain than me!! A half mile or so later I began to walk. All of a sudden I heard the crowd clapping while screaming a ladies name. I turned just in time to see the lady I had just passed passing me. Yeah, I was passed by someone probably 30 years older than me. Not the first time, and I am sure not the last!! Anyway, I ended up finishing just before her……barely. I wanted to take a moment to stop and say hello, however I was too busy hyperventilating. She took her medal and moved on as gracefully as she ran.
This was by far the greatest race I have ever run. The cultural changes we experienced going through each borough can only truly be experienced on this one day. The bridges were the quiet spots, open only to runners. Cheering was going on at every mile so it was odd to come upon complete silence as we reached mile 10, in the Hasidic Jewish neighborhood. This is the only community that is not quite sure what to think of the runners. Sunday is a work day so as we run past, everyone is going on about their daily lives. The children look on with curiosity. The adults do not watch as it is not appropriate to be in shorts and somewhat skimpy clothing, and especially to be running. I was so fascinated by this area. Coming off the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx had to be my favorite spot as I was greeted by a lady as I ran off the bridge screaming “Welcome to da Bronx!”. Most runners had written their names on their shirts so the crowd could cheer them on personally. Amira told me she wished we could find a pen to write my name on mine. I did too. After a few miles though I started to realized that people just called me ‘pink’, the color of my shirt. “Go pink” is what I heard through the streets of NY!!
I hope my postings and blogs on this race inspire YOU to run. Or at least inspire you to step out of your comfort zone. I have heard from so many people lately that I inspire them. Yes I run and train, however I do not do anything out of the ordinary. Not really. Anyone can get up in the mornings and do what I do if they really want to. Heck, a few of my friends have…and you know who you are and I am so proud!! The people that run with a disability or challenge and refuse to let it get in the way are inspiring to me. The oldest man to compete was 88 years young and the oldest woman 84. They are inspiring to me. I just run.
Run on friends,
Karen
