Nice to see Nike and the organizers of the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco doing the right thing.
I've been slow in blogging on this, but Arien O'Connell, a fifth-grade teacher in Brooklyn, ran the fastest time at the marathon last weekend (Awesome race, I might add). Yet, she wasn't the first person to cross the finish line.
Confused? Welcome to the world of elite running.
Back in the day, everyone started at the same time, and the first person to cross the finish line was the winner. Now, with electronic chips and elite starting times, the rules have changed. Only those running in the elite race could win.
O'Connell didn't push to get in the elite pool. Her time of 2:55:11, done within the general population of racers, was faster than anyone in the race. But because she wasn't an "elite" runner, she wasn't eligible to "win."
Now, to be fair, race strategy is dictated by who is running with you, so there's no guarantee she would have won if she was in the elite group. But, still ...
The solution: Co-winners of the race, and no elite start next year.
See the article from the New York Times here, which has a photo (so if you see her running in Brooklyn, say "howdy.")
There's mention, btw, at the bottom of the article, that the elite start at the NYC Half Marathon (also sponsored by Nike), might end up changing as well.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Who Is Marcus Garvey?
It's a question that came up today during my run of the last 10 miles of the New York Marathon. A training run, purely, since I won't be participating in the extravaganza in two weeks (except as a spectator).
Four of us, part of a larger group that did the run, carved away from others because of speed, traffic light timing and the simple fact that we've been running together for so long this year. Only one of the four is doing the marathon, so we were there to get our own 10 mile runs in, calm any jittery nerves, and tease her (and each other) as we wended our way through the streets.
It's one of those runs that in itself isn't overly special, except that it was. It *is* the last 10 miles of one of the most famous marathons in the world, and it was done with some friends, which made it all the more special.
The route itself is pretty straightforward - from the Queensboro Bridge on 59th Street (just after mile 16), you just head up 1st Ave., cross over the Willis Avenue Bridge, do a left-right-left combination and cross back into Manhattan on the Madison Ave. Bridge. From there, it's down 5th Avenue until you enter Central Park, with a slight detour around Marcus Garvey Memorial Park (hence the question that came up during the run.)
So, who was Marcus Garvey? One of the most influential black leaders in the early 20th century ... and more. One of the great things about New York is the history nestled everywhere in the five boroughs, and so often, with everything else going on in life, it's so easy to ignore things that you see every day (or in this case, at least once a year for the past several years).
Four of us, part of a larger group that did the run, carved away from others because of speed, traffic light timing and the simple fact that we've been running together for so long this year. Only one of the four is doing the marathon, so we were there to get our own 10 mile runs in, calm any jittery nerves, and tease her (and each other) as we wended our way through the streets.
It's one of those runs that in itself isn't overly special, except that it was. It *is* the last 10 miles of one of the most famous marathons in the world, and it was done with some friends, which made it all the more special.
The route itself is pretty straightforward - from the Queensboro Bridge on 59th Street (just after mile 16), you just head up 1st Ave., cross over the Willis Avenue Bridge, do a left-right-left combination and cross back into Manhattan on the Madison Ave. Bridge. From there, it's down 5th Avenue until you enter Central Park, with a slight detour around Marcus Garvey Memorial Park (hence the question that came up during the run.)
So, who was Marcus Garvey? One of the most influential black leaders in the early 20th century ... and more. One of the great things about New York is the history nestled everywhere in the five boroughs, and so often, with everything else going on in life, it's so easy to ignore things that you see every day (or in this case, at least once a year for the past several years).
Monday, October 13, 2008
Other NY Marathon Bus
Just stumbled across this on the Brooklyn Road Runners Web site:
"For those of you who are running the NYC Marathon, BRRC will again this year, have a bus leaving from 15th st and PPW, at 6am. To reserve a spot on the bus, contact Steve Bonal at 917-238-9447. The fee is $20 for non-members, $10 for members."
"For those of you who are running the NYC Marathon, BRRC will again this year, have a bus leaving from 15th st and PPW, at 6am. To reserve a spot on the bus, contact Steve Bonal at 917-238-9447. The fee is $20 for non-members, $10 for members."
For those of you (Brooklyn residents) who are taking a bus to the marathon, I'd urge you to consider the PPTC or BRRC buses if it will save you time and give you an extra hour of sleep before the race.
You will spend a few hours sitting around in Staten Island anyway, so this may make the journey and time spent before the marathon a little more palatable. Yes, you had to pay the money to NYRRC, but it's worth writing that off (and sending them a note about it).
Get to the 'Point 5K Results ...
in Greenpoint, are here. Still looking for the Bed-Stuy 10K results ....
Brooklyn's Foot Locker 5-Borough Challenger
Danielle Hansen, 44, a "running mom" and a member of the Prospect Park Track Club, is this year's representative in the five-borough challenge, according to this blog entry.
Hansen will run with the four other borough representatives for the first 13.1 miles of the November race before racing to the finish. If like other years, the marathon telecast will showcase the start of her race and provide periodic updates.
Hansen ran a 1:43:21 on Sunday at the Staten Island Half.
Hansen will run with the four other borough representatives for the first 13.1 miles of the November race before racing to the finish. If like other years, the marathon telecast will showcase the start of her race and provide periodic updates.
Hansen ran a 1:43:21 on Sunday at the Staten Island Half.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
What Is the Hardest Half?
This question comes up all the time, in various forms or fashion. Today, being Staten Island, I got the question: Is it harder than Brooklyn? And what's the hardest half?
Being the ultimate equivocator, my response: It depends. I haven't run Queens, so can't comment on that, but Staten Island remains my favorite half. I like the combination of rolling hills and flat parts, I love the volunteer and spectator support.
Is it the hardest half? Well, let's think about weather, elevation, your personal shape, etc. Personally, I think running the Bronx half in the dead of summer has been the most difficult in terms of conditions/course/etc. of my races. Then again, while Brooklyn is "mostly flat,'' try competing in sub-freezing temperatures with a headwind. And we're all familiar with the Central Park hills, esp. those in Harlem (and the familiarity helps a lot - I know how to run Central Park, albeit not always with the best results).
One way to look at it is to consider the number of people who finish under 1:30, and then create a percentage based on the overall finishers. (This method has a *ton* of flaws, not the least that Staten Island, because it's the closest in time to the New York Marathon, loses a lot of runners.)
That said, for illustrative purposes only, let's take a look at how the half marathons stack up:
Staten Island: Oct. 12
Finishers: 3624
Sub-1:30: 182
Percentage: 5.02
Queens: Sept. 14
Finishers: 3,059
Sub-1:30: 81
Percentage: 2.65
Brooklyn: May 3
Finishers: 5,832
Sub-1:30: 351
Percentage: 6.02
Bronx: Feb. 14
Finishers: 3,265
Sub-1:30: 164
Percentage: 5.02
Manhattan: Jan. 27
Finishers: 4,994
Sub-1:30: 272
Percentage: 5.45
So based on this, one could argue that the Queens Half was the hardest this year, and Brooklyn was the easiest (or put another way: You had a lot better chance running a faster time at Brooklyn than Queens this year).
Knowing from colleagues about the number of turns on the course, and recalling the weather: 73 degrees, 87 percent humidity, according to the Web site ... Queens this year definitely has an argument for the being the toughest. (And Brooklyn racing conditions were pretty sweet).
As mentioned above, there are tons of holes in this methodology - you'd need to take a look over time, use runners that had the same level of physical fitness, compensate for weather, etc.
It's open for debate, as always. And congrats to everyone who completed at least one of this year's Half Marathon Grand Prix (once a list surfaces for the Brooklyn residents who knocked out all five, I'll post it).
Being the ultimate equivocator, my response: It depends. I haven't run Queens, so can't comment on that, but Staten Island remains my favorite half. I like the combination of rolling hills and flat parts, I love the volunteer and spectator support.
Is it the hardest half? Well, let's think about weather, elevation, your personal shape, etc. Personally, I think running the Bronx half in the dead of summer has been the most difficult in terms of conditions/course/etc. of my races. Then again, while Brooklyn is "mostly flat,'' try competing in sub-freezing temperatures with a headwind. And we're all familiar with the Central Park hills, esp. those in Harlem (and the familiarity helps a lot - I know how to run Central Park, albeit not always with the best results).
One way to look at it is to consider the number of people who finish under 1:30, and then create a percentage based on the overall finishers. (This method has a *ton* of flaws, not the least that Staten Island, because it's the closest in time to the New York Marathon, loses a lot of runners.)
That said, for illustrative purposes only, let's take a look at how the half marathons stack up:
Staten Island: Oct. 12
Finishers: 3624
Sub-1:30: 182
Percentage: 5.02
Queens: Sept. 14
Finishers: 3,059
Sub-1:30: 81
Percentage: 2.65
Brooklyn: May 3
Finishers: 5,832
Sub-1:30: 351
Percentage: 6.02
Bronx: Feb. 14
Finishers: 3,265
Sub-1:30: 164
Percentage: 5.02
Manhattan: Jan. 27
Finishers: 4,994
Sub-1:30: 272
Percentage: 5.45
So based on this, one could argue that the Queens Half was the hardest this year, and Brooklyn was the easiest (or put another way: You had a lot better chance running a faster time at Brooklyn than Queens this year).
Knowing from colleagues about the number of turns on the course, and recalling the weather: 73 degrees, 87 percent humidity, according to the Web site ... Queens this year definitely has an argument for the being the toughest. (And Brooklyn racing conditions were pretty sweet).
As mentioned above, there are tons of holes in this methodology - you'd need to take a look over time, use runners that had the same level of physical fitness, compensate for weather, etc.
It's open for debate, as always. And congrats to everyone who completed at least one of this year's Half Marathon Grand Prix (once a list surfaces for the Brooklyn residents who knocked out all five, I'll post it).
Chicago Marathon Finishers
Formatting on this is going to be a little off, I think, but here's a list of the Chicago Marathon finishers who are listed as being from Brooklyn.
| Runner | Age | Finish | |||||||
| Garcia, Bruno | 27 | M | 3:06:49 | 615 | |||||
| Clausen, Adam | 26 | M | 3:13:41 | 945 | |||||
| Towle, Scott | 30 | M | 3:22:48 | 1473 | |||||
| Quarfordt, Erik G | 33 | M | 3:23:32 | 1532 | |||||
| Remy, Steve | 41 | M | 3:24:29 | 1600 | |||||
| Casaburri, Teresa | F | 3:36:12 | 2740 | ||||||
| Ha, Theresa | F | 3:38:12 | 2979 | ||||||
| Derman, Jeff | 37 | M | 3:40:00 | 3216 | |||||
| Scott, Todd W | 30 | M | 3:43:22 | 3590 | |||||
| North, Matthew | 29 | M | 3:44:11 | 3698 | |||||
| Calabrese, Alexis | F | 3:46:52 | 4079 | ||||||
| Macnerland, Nathan | 24 | M | 3:48:00 | 4256 | |||||
| Ogrodowicz, Mark | 50 | M | 3:53:39 | 5127 | |||||
| Kraszewski, Andrew P | 25 | M | 3:55:23 | 5467 | |||||
| Reiter, Lisa | F | 3:55:24 | 5473 | ||||||
| Kasmarcak, Jeremie | F | 3:58:30 | 6094 | ||||||
| Cordes, Jill L | F | 3:58:58 | 6180 | ||||||
| Rogness, Jill C | F | 4:02:39 | 6821 | ||||||
| Thomas, David | 28 | M | 4:03:13 | 6906 | |||||
| McKeon, Kevin | 51 | M | 4:04:06 | 7077 | |||||
| Maynard, Roger | 46 | M | 4:05:34 | 7337 | |||||
| Caruso, David | 36 | M | 4:07:17 | 7632 | |||||
| Benn, Bradlee A | 33 | M | 4:07:59 | 7781 | |||||
| Capece, Carol | F | 4:25:24 | 11440 | ||||||
| Rajan, Sonali | F | 4:27:24 | 11899 | ||||||
| Lucas, Chris | 26 | M | 4:28:56 | 12267 | |||||
| Gallagher, Mary Katharine | F | 4:29:58 | 12547 | ||||||
| Roberts, Robin N | F | 4:30:46 | 12710 | ||||||
| Lemus, Luisa F | F | 4:31:24 | 12850 | ||||||
| Cesare, Patrick | 45 | M | 4:32:43 | 13146 | |||||
| Amori, Amy | F | 4:33:21 | 13306 | ||||||
| Bullock, Amanda | F | 4:34:55 | 13702 | ||||||
| Collier, Casey O | F | 4:36:33 | 14058 | ||||||
| Dodge, Catherine M | F | 4:38:56 | 14579 | ||||||
| Wille, Patrick J | 31 | M | 4:38:57 | 14590 | |||||
| Wharton, Emma | F | 4:40:54 | 15029 | ||||||
| Antler, Ashley | F | 4:43:29 | 15642 | ||||||
| Latoszek, Tadeusz | 53 | M | 4:46:21 | 16300 | |||||
| Zellmer, Stacie K | F | 4:46:36 | 16356 | ||||||
| Breyer, Melissa | F | 4:50:23 | 17202 | ||||||
| Bwerinofa, Rumbidzai | F | 4:51:39 | 17493 | ||||||
| Felker, Brent T | 34 | M | 4:53:16 | 17875 | |||||
| Foster, Yvonne | F | 4:53:43 | 17994 | ||||||
| Chattoraj, Kathleen A | F | 4:54:14 | 18114 | ||||||
| Harker, Kristen M | F | 4:55:33 | 18421 | ||||||
| Krissoff, Sarah R | F | 4:56:34 | 18665 | ||||||
| Lee, Chang B | 42 | M | 5:00:04 | 19477 | |||||
| McCullough, Kat | F | 5:06:18 | 20733 | ||||||
| Kravitz, Avi | 30 | M | 5:08:07 | 21113 | |||||
| Hanford, Daniel L | 39 | M | 5:08:52 | 21265 | |||||
| Ortiz, Carlos M | 67 | M | 5:12:28 | 21973 | |||||
| Bocker, Jennifer M | F | 5:12:45 | 22019 | ||||||
| Rosenberg, Bryan | 26 | M | 5:20:14 | 23321 | |||||
| Ausmus, Brittany A | F | 5:29:41 | 24880 | ||||||
| Koram, Antoinette | F | 5:31:00 | 25070 | ||||||
| Lass, Randi | F | 5:33:54 | 25487 | ||||||
| Leng, Jennifer | F | 5:39:14 | 26160 | ||||||
| Farber, Seth J | 45 | M | 5:41:49 | 26446 | |||||
| Durka, Ralph | 11 | M | 5:48:11 | 27185 | |||||
| Ashok, Anu | F | 6:20:50 | 29797 | ||||||
| Navarrete, Benjamin | 60 | M | 6:31:59 | 30337 | |||||
| Sunday, Kirk | 32 | M | 6:46:29 | 30818 | |||||
| Rizzo, Mike | 39 | M | 6:51:16 | 30917 |
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