We got up around 6:15 and I started the process of suiting up…
It was really chilly and windy at Fort Wadsworth, so I wore an old sweatshirt and pants over my running clothes that I ended up adding to the donation pile at the start of the race (the donation pile was more of a mountain! People were tossing everything from hats, pants, I even saw North Face jackets!) We had to take the subway from our hotel to the ferry terminal (Staten Island Ferry) which is on the southern tip of Manhattan, at the financial district.
This is where Wes left me. He headed for the ferry that goes to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. (This is where he spent his time while I was running.)Getting on the ferry gave me the feeling of a herd of cattle being lead to their doom…. But the ride was great. It made me miss Charleston.
Once off the ferry, we were “herded” onto buses that took us to runners village in Fort Wadsworth. This guy was in front of me in line for the buses. I ended up seeing many kilted men...
entrance to the village
The runners village was divided into three waves (mass starts), Blue, Orange, and Green. I was in the green wave, closest to the bridge and the last to run. While walking to the green village (which took a while), the police created a barrier right in front of me and then opened a fence nearby. Out came the elite runners. That was cool. I got to see last year’s winner and Haile (the world record holder). walk to the green wave (and porta john alley) 
After I turned in my bag and figured out where I was supposed to go, I headed for the bathroom line. While waiting (and graciously accepting extra TP from the girl in front of me) the cannon went off and a few seconds later, the first wave of runners started the race. We could see them from under the bridge. Before I headed for the corales, I called Wes, left a message for Gracie on Becky’s phone and called Laura. (Last year, Laura prayed with me before the race. This time I called her and we prayed together again.)
Runners on both top and bottom. I will start on the bottom.
bathroom lines
My start time was 10:40. I headed to the corrals (see why I felt like cattle?) and nudged my way into the start area. I befriended a girl from Toronto and we took each other’s picture at the start. Hers turned out better than mine because the start banner was behind her. We were packed like sardines so I couldn’t easily swap places with her. I found a cool Dunkin Donuts hat in the piles of clothing and traded it for my boring gray toboggan.
We started without a bang. Well, there was a bang from the cannon, but we stood still for another five minutes before we actually started running. We just kinda started walking and then came upon the start. Not much hoopla. That’s expected in such a big race though… Here’s pics from the course…
Water stop. After hours of runners trotting through, these thousands of cups will turn into gray slush, much like black ice on a snowy, busy road. This is evident by a picture we took after the race of the back of my legs...
The guy who passed me juggling! (BLACK SHIRT)
A Girl I passed with a CFF shirt on. I also passed a guy running whose shirt said "Double lung transplant recipient. CF survivor."
Bridge heading into Queens
Empire State & Chrysler building
Bridge heading into Manhattan (first time) Mile 15
Polland Spring water station. Mile 18
mile 19
Bridge going into the Bronx
Bagpipers
I saw this sign about three times. I think this is the same girl too.
Entering Central Park. Mile 23
Around this time, mom and wes both called me and said that Jared Fogle was right in front of me. I picked it up and caught up with him! (Sorry for the blurriness)
my reaction to passing Jared.....
last mile
finish line ahead. Pete called me right here. I was actually talking to him as I finished! Pretty cool.
:)
I did it! Finally!
the herding continues....
It took forever it felt like to get out of Central Park. They herded us through the baggage pick up area and then out of the park. I met Wes a few blocks away and we headed back to the hotel. His feet were hurting too, so we decided to go ahead and get dinner on the way. (It was almost 5pm by then) We got burritos from a Chipotle near the hotel. The subway was so crowded!!
water/gatorade/paper cup slush on my legs (along with evidence of my aid station tape from mile 9)
That night, the Empire State Building was lit up with the marathong colors.
I’ll post pictures from when Wes met me around mile 20 in a different post. (Blogger makes is difficult to edit pictures)
The elites
After I turned in my bag and figured out where I was supposed to go, I headed for the bathroom line. While waiting (and graciously accepting extra TP from the girl in front of me) the cannon went off and a few seconds later, the first wave of runners started the race. We could see them from under the bridge. Before I headed for the corales, I called Wes, left a message for Gracie on Becky’s phone and called Laura. (Last year, Laura prayed with me before the race. This time I called her and we prayed together again.)
Runners on both top and bottom. I will start on the bottom.
bathroom lines My start time was 10:40. I headed to the corrals (see why I felt like cattle?) and nudged my way into the start area. I befriended a girl from Toronto and we took each other’s picture at the start. Hers turned out better than mine because the start banner was behind her. We were packed like sardines so I couldn’t easily swap places with her. I found a cool Dunkin Donuts hat in the piles of clothing and traded it for my boring gray toboggan. We started without a bang. Well, there was a bang from the cannon, but we stood still for another five minutes before we actually started running. We just kinda started walking and then came upon the start. Not much hoopla. That’s expected in such a big race though… Here’s pics from the course…
Water stop. After hours of runners trotting through, these thousands of cups will turn into gray slush, much like black ice on a snowy, busy road. This is evident by a picture we took after the race of the back of my legs...
The guy who passed me juggling! (BLACK SHIRT)
A Girl I passed with a CFF shirt on. I also passed a guy running whose shirt said "Double lung transplant recipient. CF survivor."
Bridge heading into Queens
Empire State & Chrysler building
Bridge heading into Manhattan (first time) Mile 15
Polland Spring water station. Mile 18
mile 19
Bridge going into the Bronx
Bagpipers
I saw this sign about three times. I think this is the same girl too.
Entering Central Park. Mile 23
Around this time, mom and wes both called me and said that Jared Fogle was right in front of me. I picked it up and caught up with him! (Sorry for the blurriness)
my reaction to passing Jared.....
last mile
finish line ahead. Pete called me right here. I was actually talking to him as I finished! Pretty cool.
:)
I did it! Finally!
the herding continues....
It took forever it felt like to get out of Central Park. They herded us through the baggage pick up area and then out of the park. I met Wes a few blocks away and we headed back to the hotel. His feet were hurting too, so we decided to go ahead and get dinner on the way. (It was almost 5pm by then) We got burritos from a Chipotle near the hotel. The subway was so crowded!!
water/gatorade/paper cup slush on my legs (along with evidence of my aid station tape from mile 9)
That night, the Empire State Building was lit up with the marathong colors.
I’ll post pictures from when Wes met me around mile 20 in a different post. (Blogger makes is difficult to edit pictures) The next day... it was sleeting.
1 comment:
Amazing! Congratulations!
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