Race Report

New York City Marathon

Sunday, November 3, 2002

GETTING THERE:     

Mike and I rode Amtrak from Charlotte. Left at 1am Friday, arrived NYC Port Authority Terminal at  2pm. Here Mike is checking in with wife (and runner) Linda.

FRIDAY NIGHT - EXPO and PENGUIN ENCOUNTER:     

Checked into the Portland Square (more on that later) then headed to the expo. Outside was this VERY cool billboard. Gotta give props to Nike for this one - but I still consider them to the be the Satan of modern day athletics!

Met the crowd at Carmines - wonderfully noisy Italian place on upper West Side. Here is the incredibly talented (and caring) Lauren Clark, holding the medal she HAND MADE (thus talented) for Sharon Scott, who ran 20 miles and 10,000 feet of vertical at Pikes Peak but didn't get a medal. She did this even though she has never met Sharon! (thus caring) See the 2002 Pikes Peak reports for Sharon's story.

Others enjoying Carmine's (the encounter was set up by NYC's own Debbie Sullivan - THANKS DEBBIE).

Pics from left to right: Kathryn and Jenn; Lauren and Lisa; Karen and Julia; Group shot outside Carmines

Daniel, Rebecca, and Mike - Rebecca is Mike's niece and is in college in NYC. She and boyfriend Daniel dropped by the Portland Square for a visit Friday night.

SATURDAY - FRIENDSHIP RUN AND BREAKFAST:      

Old and new friends from across the map gather in Central Park to await the Friendship Run. L to R: Ellen and Ken Weissman, our resident NYC runners and tour guides; Mike, Kathryn, and Carol - Carol just found us on the web the previous Wednesday and was welcomed into the group with open arms

 Ken and Ellen talking to Karen Bingham; Group Shot at the NYCM Finish Line - we wanted to see what it looks like in the light, since it may be dark before we get back here Sunday!

Watching the runners stream by on Central Park West is an inspirational sight. Flags and colors of every description. We tried out a few languages, but the only one that seemed to work was Daniel's "Viva Le France"!

Canadians Carlene and Kelly after Kelly crossed the finish line; MaryD finds an ESPECIALLY enthusiastic Italian! She just LOVES those hot-blooded runners...

Yes, we WALKED to the Kraft Restaurant for a great breakfast. Some then headed for the river cruise around Manhattan, while others of us headed back to the Portland Square...

...along the way we passed this Fireman's Memorial. Very moving, a silent reminder of the sacrifice that others made for people they never even met.

A visit to Toys R Us on Times Square brought back days of childhood. Cool Harley and a REALLY Cool operating Ferris Wheel...

...along with some incredible LEGO buildings. I LOVE LEGOS!