Results tagged “marathon2006”

Everyone's story for preparing to run a marathon is unique. But we face the common hurdles from just getting into the famous New York City Marathon, to injuries, frustration, exhaustion and most importantly, and finally the thrill of calling yourself a marathoner. I had run casually off and on for 3 years. I considered myself an amateur, but was proud to be a runner. So after 2 years of watching and cheering for the largest marathon in the world, I thought "why not enter the lottery and try to get in?" Imagine my surprise when I found out that I was one of the lucky ones, out of 90,000 people who entered, to get in.

Nothing reminds us of how sedentary the blogging life is like watching a marathon. This is especially true when we see folks without legs running on prosthetic limbs or flying by in wheelchairs without even breaking a sweat. But Gothamist Health did get to be part of the action again this year, somewhat, working at the medical tent at the 15 mile mark. Most runners who stopped by just needed a little Vaseline and a band-aid for annoying blisters, a bit of salt if they felt deprived, or some Icy Hot for achy joints. A few were even so in the zone that they were grabbing and eating handfuls of Vaseline, before realizing what it was.

For the first time since Tegla Laroupe in 1994 and 1995, the New York City Marathon has a repeat winner. Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia repeated her victory last year with a time of 2:25:05. Prokopcuka was so far ahead of 2nd place women's finisher Tatiana Hladyr that she was blowing kisses to the throngs of spectators as she approached the finish line in Central Park. Prokopcuka finished a full minute ahead of Hladyr. Deena Kastor, who was trying to become the first American winner since 1977 and was one of the pre-race favorites, finished 6th.

Jelena Prokopcuka won her second ING NYC Marathon in a row, finishing at 2:25:05, while Marilson Gomes Dos Santos of Brazil won the men's race with a time of 2:09:58.

1. Lance Armstrong says tomorrow's marathon is the "anti-Tour de France." He's hoping to clock in at 3 hours, though the longest he's run is 16 miles. The NY Post covered the press conference: "When asked if he would feel safe surrounded by 37,000 runners, Armstrong said that after getting thousands of death threats during the Tour de France, he was not concerned about New York." Take note: NYC safer than France's bike country.
2. Great AP story on the manager of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, where the marathon starts. Bob Tozzi, who will retire in 12 days, says about the clothes strewn on the bridge, "There are so many clothes, we literally plow them into piles. Cold days are worse -- runners wear something until the cannon goes off to start the race, then they discard it."
3. Some more articles from Newsday and the Daily News -- remember that streets and roads will be closed - plus the NY Times' marathon section (check out the one about the wheelchair competitors)!
4. Today the International Friendship Run was held, with runners from all over the world in their country's colors running in the city.
5. Finally, good luck to everyone running tomorrow. You are all amazing and we hope you have a great day!

“The guy never even came over to see what had happened,” Ms. Kelly said in a near-whisper. “He got out of his truck and walked away.” As she pleaded for someone to call 911, the driver and some of his colleagues “just stood off and watched,” she said. “Nobody offered anything, nothing like, ‘Can I help?’ That all came from other bikers who came upon the scene.”

Grand Army Plaza Memorial Arch // Prospect Park, Brooklyn // through June 25, Sat. 2 & 7pm, Sun. 2 & 5pm // free, but you can pay for reserved seats at Smarttix