I was honored to be chosen to represent the Bronx in the 2015 Foot Locker Five Borough Challenge, the race within the race in which one representative from each borough starts the race together and then at the halfway point itās a race to see which borough will win the challenge and take home the borough trophy. When I applied, I never in a million years thought I would be chosen, one never does with these types of things. But I got the call and the next thing I knew I was being filmed, given lots of really cool Asics gear and instructions for race day.
After months of training and weeks of drama and excitement, it was finally race day. I woke up early with no alarm as I do every morning. My clothes were laid out, ready to go and I was dressed in no time. As I put on my running skirt with the 261 Fearless stick given to me by Kathrine Switzer, I did my best to tap into her strength, knowing I would need it to get through my day. I had my regular pre-race breakfast and was ready to roll. My good friend Maureen was driving her fiancƩ to the team bus and graciously agreed to pick me up on the way. We arrived at the bus and the excitement really started to build. Lots of pictures and then we were ready to go. Having team members out there at 5:30 am in the dark who were not even running come to see us off was really amazing. Such dedication!
The bus ride was uneventful and we made it to the athletesā village with time to spare. This is where I had to leave my team and head to the VIP Partner tent to meet up with my FL5BC teammates. I was sad to be leaving the comfort of my team but really excited about the journey ahead. It took some time to find the right tent but once there, the butterflies were really fluttering around in the belly. There was a whole spread of food and drinks but we had just over an hour before we were to start so I didnāt want to eat anything other than a banana and some coffee. The team mates who were coming in the VIP bus from Manhattan were delayed in getting to Staten Island so we were stressed about that until they arrived. Once they walked through the door, things happened pretty fast. We left the warm tent and walked over to the starting line. The push rim athletes were just getting ready to start and the Achilles athletes were getting into position.
We were getting some final instructions from the Foot Locker and ABC teams and had a couple minutes to do some warm ups and practice running in step so we all could look like weāre in sync for the camera. There were lots of pictures, including another picture with Marathon Grand Marshall Spike Lee.
All of a sudden it was time to get on the starting line, our names were being announced by Peter Ciaccia, and the horn went off. We were on our way at last! I almost didnāt get my watch started in time because of all the distractions, which would have been a big problem during the race since I knew the race clocks wouldnāt help me. We were asked to run together over the Verrazano and the camera crew was in front of us for the first two miles, capturing our first steps of the race over the bridge. The plan for the race was to hold as close to a 9:30 pace as possible. Even though we were running up a pretty big incline over the bridge, our first mile was a 9:06 and mile 2, down the other side of the bridge was a 9:07 even though we really tried to keep the pace down.
We did better about settling into a more reasonable pace through the first half of Brooklyn, after a brief scare when we got over the bridge and the escort vehicles had taken off and we werenāt totally sure where we were supposed to go. For a few minutes we were concerned that the 5 Borough team might get lost in Brooklynā¦ Luckily, our Staten Island team mate knew which exit we should follow and it all worked out.
Brooklyn was amazing. There were already so many people out lining the streets. Signs were ready, noise makers and whistles at the ready. All the events of the previous weeks did not compare to how much I felt like a rock star during the race. Everyone was cheering just for us, there were no other runners out there and at certain points the crowds and entertainment were so loud we couldnāt hear each other talk.
The noise came to crescendo when the elite women passed us just before we got to the 6 mile mark. I couldnāt help myself, I had to take out my phone and get a selfie with my running heroās coming up behind me. I was particularly waiting for Buzunesh Deba, my fellow Bronxite and elite runner in contention for the win based on past performances. Turns out this wasnāt her race, but I had such a boost from seeing her run by me!
I knew to watch for my sister-in-law who was waiting for me at 13th street and 4th avenue. It had been a little tough being in Brooklyn because most people were cheering for the Brooklyn rep (and who wouldnāt, we were all cheering for Darris, too, heās such a great guyā¦) but itās always nice to get a shout out every now and then. Dana was so excited to see me and had such a smile on her face, I ran over and gave her a hug. We were about 10K into the race so Iām sure I was already sweaty and smelly but she hugged me right back. That kept me smiling for miles.
Our pace had settled in but there were so many people cheering for us I couldnāt help but wave and try and smile at everyone along the route. I knew it was foolish and I should be saving my energy for the last 10K, but when would I ever get such treatment at a world major marathon? We were getting as much attention as the elite runners, and Iāll admit, I got sucked in. Of course, the elite runners were all business, not looking up, not even when we called their name. I should have taken a page from their book like Michael, the rep from Queens. From the first step of the race he was focused, no talking, looking straight ahead, game plan executed to the letter. For him it was a race. For me it was an adventure. (He ended up finishing 2nd, almost 20 minutes ahead of meā¦)
The next event was Darrisā family just before the 8 mile mark. He had a huge crew, all in red, yelling and jumping up and down. His daughters had made bottles for each of us with our names and boroughs. They had even asked ahead of time if we wanted some specific beverage in them, just like the elites. I asked for blue Gatorade because I know I should have Gatorade but I donāt like the yellow flavor as much as the blue so I figured that would be a nice treat at that point in the race. The bottles were so nicely labeled and it was such a nice gesture I took mine and Michaelās, even though he didnāt want his. I didnāt want to carry two so I gave it to a kid cheering a little ways down the course, and it was great to be able to deliver such a smile to his face.
The five of us were getting to the end of our time together which would end as we left Brooklyn and crossed the half way point. Even though our pace had slowed closer to where we were supposed to be, the speed of the first 4 miles was catching up with Heather. As the elite men were coming upon us, she was falling back. I stayed with her because I recognized where she was and what she needed, because it wasnāt so long ago that I was there too. I could tell she was mentally not with us because she fell behind by just a few steps but then stayed the same distance behind the 4 of us. I went to talk with her and let her know that she was really right there with us. Itās really hard when you get to that place, especially that early in the race, but I knew she was strong and hope I helped her tap into that strength to keep it going.
We held it together until the elite men passed us and I got a little dizzy yelling for Meb, another one of my running heroās who just blew past me. Heās only a few years younger than me and ended up breaking the menās masters marathon record that day even though he was not happy with his performance. Sometimes itās all about perspectiveā¦
Around mile 12, with crowds thickening and the elevating noise level, I noticed that Heather, our Staten Island rep, was really falling behind. I had a choice to make. Try and stick with the pace and keep my race on track, or stay with her a little longer until the halfway point and try and make up the time in the second half. Even though this was my first NYCM, I knew the course fairly well and knew that the 59th Street Bridge was waiting for me. That was going to be a slow mile for me, as was the mile or two going up 5th avenue just before entering the park. I decided I needed to focus on my own race and picked up the pace to meet up with the Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan reps so at least 4 of us could hit the halfway point together.
Well, almost, Kenji from Manhattan, peeled off to hit the porta potty just before we hit the 13 mile mark. Darris, Michael and I began our ascent up the Polaski Bridge heading into Queens and Darris took off, like I knew he would. Michael from Queens also picked up the pace but not as much as Darris and while I wanted to try and stay with him, I knew that I needed to run my own race from here.
Queens was a blur. I think this picture was actually taken in Queens, but Iām not 100% sure. I know it wasnāt Manhattan because I still had my water bottle and I do know it was taken by my VCTC team mate John Farrelly.
I was still feeling pretty good here, a little high from all the attention in Brooklyn, but feeling out my own race now that I wasnāt with my other 4 borough team mates. I knew the bridge was coming, had run it several times in the past, but really wasnāt prepared for just how hard it was at this point in the race. You can see from this picture that Iām still mostly by myself, only the really fast sub-elite runners are passing me but as I made my way over the bridge that changed. I slowed down on the way up and was passed over and over again by much faster runners who had started the race an hour after me. Ā I knew this was going to happen, expected it, but wasnāt prepared for the mental challenge that came with it. I had selected people to run for in each mile starting with 13, after I left my FL5BC team and my friend that I selected for mile 15, who I was supposed to be sending positive healing thoughts to, helped me get over that bridge more than she knowsā¦
For anyone who has done NYCM, 1st avenue is amazing. You hear the crowds from about a half mile away, this wall of sound as youāre running down what feels like the longest bridge in the planet. There is such a boost you get there itās infectious. Again, I was not 100% ready for this. I ended up running miles 17 and 18 way too fast because pacing with much faster people passing you is something that most of us never have to do. Between the faster runners and all the cheering, I just couldnāt keep my pace to the 9:30ās and was between 8:40 and 9:00 for a few miles. And then I saw Maureen on 1st Avenue in the 130ās who gave me such a smile and had my emergency gel ready for me just in case, I was still feeling great! Foolishly, I didnāt take that gel and only took two of the salt tablets I brought the whole race. My fueling plan was to take 4 gels, roughly one an hour, but I didnāt quite stick to that and only took 3. I had to balance taking the salt tablets on alternate water stops from the gels so I just didnāt get them in.
Once I got to the bridge into the Bronx, I knew everything was going to be good. My home borough, I had Bronx on my chest and I was reppinā the peeps! There is only 1 mile of the race in the Bronx, so I assumed I would get to the VCTC table in no time flat but it really seemed to be much longer than a mile.
Eventually the wall of purple came into view and all my friends were there yelling their heads off. There were some in costume, others in team clothing, but all yelling and leaning out to give the runners whatever we needed. What I really needed was a hug. And I hugged everyone at the table. There must have been 20+ people there, big and small, and I hugged them all. I knew I needed to keep moving but I also knew that I did have a big lead on my PR so I could afford a few extra seconds to get a boost from the team. And I knew Maryann was waiting for me to help me through those incredibly tough miles from the Bronx into Central Park. I had run many people in from the table to 90th street and I knew how tough that stretch can be. Strong runners have been brought to tears by the mile from 100th to 90th streets. Itās not a huge hill but itās an incline that just doesnāt seem to end and every time you look up it seems to be getting longer. I was so spent by this time, Maryannās help was crucial to my being able to finish. Her words of encouragement and cheering were infectious and she actually held my hand when I wasnāt sure I could keep going. Over and over again I took her hand and she told me how much strength she was giving me through her hand. It really worked because by this time my quads were ready to give in and I wasnāt sure if I was going to be able to keep any kind of pace once I got into Central Park. In looking back at my splits, I really wasnāt going that slowly in Central Park but it felt like I was crawling. I felt my quads seizing up, rebelling against my efforts to finish and not getting with the program.
By this time I was though most of my list of people I was running for and it was my oldest son Billy (mile 25), husband Rob (mile 26) and then my youngest son Tommy (that last .2, the hardest point in the race), that kept me going. I knew they were all waiting at the finish line with my mom and step-dad and I had to keep going.
I also knew the Foot Locker team was waiting for me to finish and that I was well off the 4 hour time they were expecting. It was also the time I was hoping for, but that will have to wait for another marathon. Today was about my 15 minutes of fame and enjoying the marathon as much as is humanly possible. I managed to finish with a 2 minute PR which is something considering how many āmistakesā I made during the race. It was not the smartest race I have ever run, but it was the best experience I could have had. Crossing that finish line was one of the hardest things Iāve ever done. I was totally spent and pretty sure my legs were going to stop working altogether. I was also feeling nauseous and wasnāt sure if I was going to pass out or not (I managed to keep alert and not throw upā¦ pretty proud of that).
But my day wasnāt over, I had to smile for the cameras and the awards ceremony. It was a real struggle to stand upright and yet somehow I managed to hold it together and smile and clap while Darris received his well-deserved plaque. Until they turned the mic to me, which I was just not ready for. I said something goofy and laughed like a crazy person but then it really was over.
I was so honored to be selected to represent the best running borough in the city and had such amazing treatment that the time on the clock really didnāt matter. I knew I wasnāt going to win the challenge and I also had an inkling that Darris would win and was very happy for him. He has been able to raise so much money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society this year and getting this kind of publicity will only help his cause even more. As a coach for Momās in Training, an organization that also raises money for LLS, Iām so happy to see more attention and funds being directed to an organization thatās making a difference in the world.
