Running in the Big Apple

Running in the Big Apple

November 05, 2010

By Terrence Mahon

The ING New York City Marathon is finally here. It has been a long time coming and this is a very special weekend for us here in Mammoth Lakes. It has been one year since our own Meb Keflezighi won this race – the first US winner in a very long time. Meb has trained hard and he is ready to defend his title. He knows the streets of New York better than anyone and he won’t give up without a fight. I know a lot of people in our small mountain town that will be getting up extra early on Sunday to catch every minute of the race. US distance running will be well represented in both the men’s and women’s races and we should see the Stars and Stripes well represented on both podiums if all goes well. I can’t wait for the gun to go off and watch them start up the Verrazano Bridge as I know that soon enough they will be charging home into Central Park for the final sprint to the finish line. From Staten Island to Manhattan every runner will be tested by this challenging course, but they will have the support of up to one million spectators cheering them along each and every mile. There is nothing like the Big Apple to get you excited to go out for a run and participate in such an awesome sport. Lace up your shoes as it is time to be a part of something greater than you can imagine.

I can’t truly define it but there is just something about racing in New York City that is so exhilarating for all of the competitors. Maybe it is because this is the one day every year when the gridlock on the streets will not be that of honking yellow taxis. Instead it will be a rumbling of foot-strikes pounding down First Avenue as one after another after another – these thousands of runners – will take over all the five boroughs that make up this great city. Running New York is an experience that every runner should be a part of at least once in their career even if it is as a spectator. The buzz from the media, the screaming crowds and the expo mayhem cannot be matched anywhere else in the world. Once you arrive in New York City you are instantly aware that this is a special weekend.

This weekend everything in NYC is about the marathon. It all starts with the marathon banners in the airport, it then moves on to the ads on the buses and taxis as you make your way into town. From there it moves on to the hotel convenience stores where racks of soda bottles have been replaced with extra sports drinks for all the visiting guests. When you step outside your hotel you will notice that all the food carts and corner bodegas are carrying bunches and bunches of bananas to sell everyone looking to top up on their potassium levels. Water is being sold by the truckloads by places that don’t even sell water. And when it comes to those great H & H bagels if you haven’t found them early then you might as well not even try. Everything that is “runner” is front and center and for this one weekend at least – NYC is the running capital of the world.

The New York Road Runner’s have done a phenomenal job with this event time and time again – from its inception to its current state. New York has always been about more than just running 26.2 miles. It has been about giving each and every runner their shining moment on Broadway and it delivers a great show every time. From Fred Lebow, (visionary of the inaugural event) to Allen Steinfeld (former CEO of NYRR) and now with Mary Wittenberg (the current CEO of NYRR) at the helm – these leaders always have great plans for this big city marathon and we can see it year in and year out as the NYC Marathon continues to get better and better. I hope you can get a chance to experience what the buzz is all about. I will be out there with the mass of running fans cheering on all of the marathoners. Today is their moment to shine in the spotlight from the first to cross the line to the final finisher. By the end of the night each will have a story to tell and it will be one that they will never forget.

Congratulations to the New York Road Runner staff and their volunteers. We couldn’t have any of this without you. Your hard work is a true labor of love so that all of us out there on Sunday can pound the pavement and have our senses overwhelmed with all that is New York. Thanks for making the impossible possible.