NYC Marathon Report by Kevin Madden

Hi Gang!  Attached are a couple of shots as we headed off to battle - on the Staten Island Ferry and at Fort Wadsworth.  And there is a picture of eventual Trials champion Ryan Hall.  Wow, he is a smooth runner.  Below is my race report.  A little heavy on details and light on emotion.  Oh well, I guess that says something about me...

About 8 months ago, a bunch of us decided to run the NYC marathon and watch the men's Olympic Trials the day before. Several of us had qualified, some needed to get in via lottery. In the end, Tom, Chris, Sue, Steve, Terry, Joel and I made the trip. Julia came with me; Cathy was too sick to go. I found a hotel for all of us - the Club Quarters on 51st street, between 5th and 6th. The flight to NY on Friday night was uneventful. On Saturday morning, we went to watch the Trials. They started at Rockefeller Plaza, a block from the hotel. We spotted some of the well-known runners as they warmed up on the road in front of us. It was a cold and very windy morning (Noel, a nor'easter was off the coast). After the start, we walked to Central Park to catch the action. Tom and I ran back and forth across Central Park to see the runners for a total of 9 times. 5 miles into the race, we came across a runner who had collapsed and was receiving CPR. His name was Ryan Shay and he died. He was 28 years old. The race was won by 25 year old Ryan Hall, followed by Dathan Ritzenheim and Brian Sells. Khalid Khounnuchi came in 4th and will be a backup/alternative for the Olympics. After the Trials, Julia and I sold an extra ticket to Wicked and went to the Expo where we joined Chris. Julia bought winter running pants. We cleaned up at the hotel and went to see Wicked. The show was excellent and it was nice to sit for a few hours! We then went to mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral and then had dinner at Sbarro's with the Zielinskis. We salvaged the evening after this lackluster dinner, by shopping at the M&M and Hershey stores on Broadway. After a glass of wine on the 7th floor terrace talking with Tom, I prepared for the race back in the room. After doing this for 20+ times, its gotten a lot easier and less stressful!

I got about 8 hours of sleep due to setting our clocks back for standard time and the late race start. We met at 6:30 in the lobby. The trip to the Start was LONG - walk to subway, wait for subway, ride subway, walk to ferry, wait for ferry, ride ferry, walk to bus, wait for bus, ride bus... Despite being together for 2 1/2 hours during this trip, we were surprisingly uncoordinated when we got to Ft Wadsworth about where we would hang out and meet up after the race. Joel, Steve and I went to the Green staging area and prepared. Toilet lines were short and bag drop was easy (the guys in the Blue staging area had a terrible time with bag drop). I called Cathy before dropping my bag and she wished me luck.

The green runners were started in waves due to construction on the bridge. With this start, it wasn't crowded at all and the run across the bridge was surprisingly serene (no spectators and cover over top of us). The first mile was uphill and a little slow, the 2nd mile was downhill and fast. We didn't see spectators until about 3 miles and a little girl was holding a chalkboard with "In memory of Ryan Shay" written on it. After 4 miles, we met up with the blue and orange start groups. We ran north on 4th Avenue. One odd thing was that the aid stations were at the mile markers so you had to remember to hit your watch at the same time you were taking a drink. Brooklyn seemed to go on for a long time but there was a good entertainment along the way to distract you. At about mile 8, we made a right turn and went through some nice tree-lined neighborhoods. At mile 13, we crossed a bridge that, I think, took us into The Queens. At mile 15 or so, we climbed the Queensboro Bridge hill. I thought this was a "double bridge" and was expecting another climb when we descended away from the bridge. I asked the guy next to me "Is this Manhattan?" and he said "Yup and we are about to experience the infamous 1st Avenue crowds." I must have seemed like a stupid rookie! The 1st Ave crowds were 10-12 deep in many places. Julia and the Zielinskis would be around mile 17 so I also had this to look forward to. I began looking into the crowd at mile 16 1/2 and just before mile 17, I saw them. I went back and blew Julia a kiss. Shortly after mile 17, I came upon Terry. "This crowd loves you." I said. I also told him he must have been shot out of a cannon. He said he started too fast and was paying the price now.

After leaving Terry, I started to feel tired and thought about slowing. But a woman passed me at about mile 19 and she looked strong. I decided to follow her and keep her in my sights. This worked for several miles - I ran mile times of 7:37, 7:32. 7:31, 7:44 during this time. The Bronx was different and a nice change of pace. Just when you got used to it, though, you returned to Manhattan. There was some headwind running south on 5th Avenue. The long hill at mile 23/24 was really tough. I started to look for Julia during this time. I was looking into the crowd and not running the tangents. Although I slowed, it kept my mind off the pain. Mile 24 came and went and I didn't see her. I stayed along the left side and kept looking into the crowd. Somewhere around mile 25, I saw Julia and stopped for a few hugs and she gave me water to drink. It is so uplifting to see her along the course. After this, I was psyched to run the last 1.2 miles. The run through Central Park was pretty - the leaves changing color, short, small hills and lots of curves. I was sad when I ran past the place where Ryan Shay died. I thought about him a lot during the race and I also thought about my Mom as it was her birthday. Early in the race, I was behind a woman with "I'm 30 today" on her shirt and I smiled about birthdays and my Mom. Before the 26 mile marker, you leave Central Park and run along 59th Street. I was surprised how long this seemed to take given that Tom and I had run back and forth across the park the day before in what seemed like no time. Just before mile 26, you make a final turn to the right and re-enter the park. From here to the Finish, it is a total celebration - a big TV screen, a music stage with Beatlles look-a-likes, bleachers full of screaming spectators, etc. It was an awesome experience! I crossed the Finish Line in 3:21:26, just a little over my goal of 3:20ish. I executed the race very well - mostly ran even splits, took gels and drinks effectively, didn't need to stop to use a port-a-potty, hit all but 1 split on my watch, never walked, etc.

After the race, you walk about a mile to the gear-check trucks. I retrieved my bag, changed into warm clothes and made some calls. Tom walked back to my area and we headed out of Central Park to catch a cab back to the hotel. After a shower in the locker room, we grabbed a meal at Subway and caught cabs to Laguardia. After an aborted take off, the rest of the flight was uneventful.

I am very pleased with my run and I really enjoyed the NYC Marathon experience. The effort to get to the Start was not pleasant but the race course and spectators were terrific. I'd like to go back again in a few years. For now, I need to work on my speed and run hills so I can run a sub-3:10 in Boston and a sub-3:00 somewhere in the fall, probably a small-to-medium sized marathon.