NYCM 2001 Race Report - Carol Hoepfner

RACE REPORT - Carol Hoepfner

Hi,

Well I am going to try and put my first marathon into words. This will probably be long for you and for me. I am getting teary eyed just thinking about what to write. I can see me taking many breaks to get my emotions in order. Well.....here goes.

I pack my stuff in Germany. I packed every book, paper, training info, etc that I collected when I started training for this in Feb of this year. Never mind all my running stuff. Needless to say, my bag was way heavy.

My flight was good. Nice and empty so I get a row of 5 seats, about 6 pillows, 3 blankets and slept the whole way. When we were getting ready to land I quick got into a seat on the left side of the plane so I could see NYC. The view of the city coming into Newark is great. Well, it was the first time for me to see downtown without the WTC. I just started crying. I got off the plane in tears and shaking. My Dad grabbed me and asked what was wrong. I told him I just saw downtown and he gave me a big hug and said it will be o.k. God, I am 33 years old but when Daddy said that, I knew it was true and very comforting to see him after all that happened.

We get on the Turnpike and I am starving. This is the first time I was hungry since Oct 11th. The salmonella really did a job on me. Here it is, 2 weeks later and finally, I want to eat and can eat. So, we went out for a huge lunch in Basking Ridge. Yummy. He was so happy I was hungry and eating and so was I.

So, Sat comes, Oct 27th and I go for a run. A nice run and Daddy walked while I ran. It was 9 miles and I was still weak and on the wrong time. Daddy said I looked good. Hmm...I didn't feel so good. Anyway, on Wed I go to see my doctor to see what he says about what happened here, my hospital stay etc. He said I seemed o.k. and that I could run the marathon. He said, what is the worst that could happen? You don't feel good and stop running. Thank god he has done the NYCM. I was happy for his advice and it was the first doctor that said I could run. Three doctors in Germany said it was 100% out of the question. Needless to say, I didn't tell anyone that.

On Thus, my Mom and I went to the Expo. God, I thought I would just puke on line for my number. Sorry, but true. I was so nervous and thinking....what the hell am I doing? Once that passed, Mommy and I had fun. Picking up free stuff, chatting with people. I bought a mug, a hat and a t-shirt. I also bought my sis and my husband gifts. They were my co-trainers and had to listen to me for 9 months and were great. They loved their gifts, by the way.

Thurs night my husband arrived from Germany. I saw him and just started crying. I knew he was coming to watch but until I actually saw him in NJ, I just didn't believe it. We hugged and kissed just like when we were long distance dating. It was great.

Sat came and Detlef and I headed out to the pasta party. We were meeting my best friend Tom who flew in from Seattle to watch me run. It was great to see him. I had a great time at the pasta dinner but really only talked to Detlef and Tom. I was nervous about meeting the penguins and was quiet. SORRY!!! I did meet Abe, Mike, Daniel, Peggy, Glen so that was cool. Next encounter I will relax, I promise!!!

Sat night my sister arrived from Germany with no bags. We planned she would run with me at mile 19. She was so upset about not getting her bag and had to run out and buy new sneaks, clothes etc. She was yelling at lost and found.......I have to run the end of the marathon with my sister!!!! I have no running shoes!!!! She was so nervous and upset. She raced to the mall and got new stuff and we hope she will get the money back. Hmmmm.....we will see.

I slept like a rock Sat night. Go figure. Sun AM comes and my Mom drives me to the start. I got there at 8:15. Gee, reading all the other reports, I see I was late. There was more than enough time to get everything done so it worked out good that I didn't get up early and head out like I had originally planned.

I had no tag for my bag and was in a panic. I talked to so many volunteers that could not help me and I began to panic. I thought.....where are the Penguins?!?!? They can help!!! I found them and I got a label and a marker and was in business. Everyone seemed so calm and cool and it made me calm. I dressed very warm which was not necessary. I wore ex-boyfriend sweats. It was a symbolic thing. I figure, hey, I am married for 3 years, let it go. I was happy to throw that stuff away. It was junk anyway. Cher wears nice throw away sweats, by the way!!!

After a mix up and me not being able to find anyone for the start, Cher saw me and she found the guys. Ron, Doug, Ryan, Mike, Daniel. We all got together and off to the start. We were standing on the bridge and it was just amazing. It was a clear day and the view was great. When I landed I thought, God, NYC looks like any other city. I couldn't place buildings downtown without the trade center. It was a very sad sight. Then at the start, looking over again at downtown I thought that it just looked beautiful. It is still a great city and still a great skyline. That will not change.

The start was very emotional for me. It was the first time I could take part in singing God Bless America, the Star Spangled Banner and NY, NY. It meant so much to be there during this time. Coming from Brooklyn and being here in Germany was very hard. I wanted to see my family, my friends, help out, etc. It was good to be home.

As I stood there, I thought about all the obstacles I had to overcome to be at the start. First all the negative comments and feelings I get here because I am slow. My 11 week back injury after returning from Chile, Sept 11th, and then the salmonella and my hospital stay just a few weeks earlier. I also thought, for the first time in my life, I AM A RUNNER!!!! I don't know why this hit me but I guess standing on the bridge with 30,000 other people all ready to go, training done, it just became clear to me.

Off we go. What also became clear to me was that I was going to have fun. The penguins were just so chatty and fun that I thought, this is the way to go. Ron, who is the tallest man it the world, was great. Telling us where to look, to enjoy the moment. When we got to B'klyn, my home for 30 years, he said, Carol, these people have been waiting to see you. Well, B'klyn was incredible. People were just yelling out my name everywhere. Oh, and they loved Doug. We were at a good pace but every now and then I would go too fast and Ron would slow me down, which I needed. At one point Ron grabbed me a did a little dance with me. Then Penguin scream team was out and I met Julia for the first time. All cheery and happy. We took some pix which was funny and off we went.

Somewhere along the way I lost everyone. Next thing you know, I hook up with a German who lives near me and we spoke German together for miles. He was great. He also kept telling me to slow down. At mile 7 or so, my parents, sis and husband were there with loads of signs in English, German. I stopped, chatted, felt great and off I went. The German slowed down for me and I caught up with him. We ran together for miles. He was so nice. When I had to go to the bathroom he would slow down and I would find him. Sad to say, I lost him somewhere along the way and would really love to see him again and thank him for a great couple of miles.

At mile 12 or so my friends from Kidder were there. We chatted, made plans for the following week. They were shocked I looked so good and fresh. I just felt great. My voice was shot because I was screaming back to everyone that yelled at me. I felt like a star. Thousands of people yelling Carol. Great to have your name on your shirt. They loved when you yelled back at them or waved or anything. It would make them yell louder.

I leave my friends and keep going. At mile 14 my friend Tom was there with his parents waiting for me. Tom ran with me from mile 14 to mile 18. It was quiet there. He also was shocked I looked so good and was running strong. He had no idea of the crowds because he never went out for the NYCM. We headed over the Queensboro bridge and I said, Tom, get ready for the people. We get off the bridge to just complete insanity. People yelling like crazy, I was jumping around, yelling. He loved it and also wanted a shirt with his name on it. He had a cell and was calling people saying we were coming. At mile 17 my girlfriend Linnette is on the street with about 8 balloons, 3 which said...you go girl. Her girlfriend Michelle was also out. They ran with the balloons and Michelle ran with her beer. First Ave was incredible. They were at a party on 1st on a balcony and there was a big banner with my name on it. It was great!!!

At about 18.5 miles, there were my parents again, my sis, my husband and now 2 girlfriends. All yelling when they saw me. I stopped and chatted again. Tom handed me off to my sis and off we went. Now it got quiet. Above 96th is quiet. Saw the penguin scream team again for a second. Into the Bronx I got tired. I don't know if I hit "the Wall" but I needed to walk a bit. I walked between 19 and a bit before 20. Then back to running. There was a huge banner that said "The Wall Can't Stop Me". It was great.

At about 19.5, I started running. We pass 20 miles and I start crying. One step past the 20 mile mark and out came the tears. 20 was the longest I had ever run and that one step brought me to a new world. My sis calmed me down. By mile 21 I was feeling good again and we just kept going. At mile 22, the crowds were starting to come out again. Everyone yelling...Carol, you are almost at the park!! I knew that meant this was in the bag. When I saw Central Park I started crying again. God, I am crying right now!!!!! My parents and husband and friends were at mile 24 but there was no stopping now. I was going good and wanted this over with. My sis asked at about mile 25 if she should stop and let me finish alone and I said, you are coming with me. The crowds were yelling, I saw mile 25 and was just cruising. I felt great. My sis was classic. She would step away from me and point at me and yell to the crowd, Yell for my sister Carol. Well, they went nuts. Screaming for me. It was fabulous.

THE FINISH LINE!!!!! I tried to look good for my pix but who the hell knows. I was talking to myself from 24 on saying, I feel good, this is done, etc. Here I was. DONE!!! I threw my hands in the air and just was in shock. My sis gave me a huge hug and said..YOU DID IT!!!! Got my silver blanket, my medal and off to family reunion. Met everyone, went to dinner, had 2 beers. Oh, marathoners get a free ride on the subway that day which was cool. God, everyone on the street was congratulating me, people in the restaurant, on the subway, on the railroad home. It was incredible.

I am still on a high and still get teary eyed. The next day I had to drop my husband off at Kennedy and on the way back, cried going over the Verrazano. I was all in marathon gear on Monday. Shirt, hat. He flew Air France and the French team was also checking in, Italians, everyone with marathon stuff and the congratulations continued again. It was great.

Well, if you read this far, you are almost there. After thoughts. I would do it again in a second. NY was great. I felt like I did my part for Sept 11th that day. The crowds were out in full force and the feeling was great. NYPD, FDNY cheering for us and us cheering for them. Unbelievable. My confidence was shot while I was in the hospital but my friends and family, the penguins and the thousands of spectators pulled me through. I don't know if I could have done it without them. I can now say I am a marathoner but looking back, if you asked me about the day, it was about running but all the training and everything went out the window and I had fun. No, I had a ball and I am still smiling and probably will be for weeks to come. It was just FUN!!!!! I feel like a new person. I smiled for 26.2 miles and am still smiling.

Thanks for reading this. Sorry it was so long. Trust me, I could have went on even more. Also, thanks for all the support that you all give me and the motivation this group provides. Don't know how it would have went without all of you. Thanks.

Carol

a Marathoner in Cologne, Germany

email comments to Carol at detcar@netcologne.de