Running with the Field
This week, New York City is for runners.
Every sport has a week in New York City. Baseball and football, it could be argued, get multiple weeks.
But here's the key difference — I think we'd agree that the chances of you sharing the same playing field with A-Rod or Eli Manning are pretty much non-existent. Heck, the chances of even seeing them up close are pretty much a one-in-a-million shot, right?
But running is the only sport that lets you take the field with the best in the world. You're there with them, playing the same game, at the same time. No other sport can do that.
This week, New York City is for runners.
It started Sunday morning, with the Poland Spring 5-Mile Marathon Kick-off, a brief lower-loop race in Central Park, run by 5,973 people in 52-degree weather. Over the course of the week, though, the excitement builds to the two biggest events in running: Obviously the ING NYC Marathon on Sunday, November 4th. But on Saturday, November 3rd, Central Park plays host to the 2008 Olympic Team Trials for the Men's Marathon. This race, which determines which men are going to represent the United States at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing next year, starts at Rockefeller Center and follows several Central Park loops to end at Tavern on the Green, and is truly a spectator's delight. Pick any point on the lower 5 miles of Central Park, and just wait by the road. The trials start at 7:35 a.m. at Rock Center, and then move to Central Park. The leaders will be running 5-minute miles (which is enough to make me realize just how slow I really am!).
NBC's "Today in New York" will have the start of the trials live on TV, if 7:35 a.m. on a Saturday doesn't sit that well with you.
But don't cheer too much on Saturday – after all, you're going to need your voice to cheer on Sunday, when 38,000 of your closest friends line up at the Verrazano Bridge, make their way through Brooklyn, into Queens, over the 59th Street Bridge to Manhattan, up First Avenue to the Bronx, over and back to Fifth Avenue, down Museum Mile to Central Park, and then out of the park at 59th Street, only to enter a few minutes later to cross the famed finish line in front of Tavern on the Green, having completed the 2007 ING New York City Marathon.
New York is, without question, the best place to watch a marathon. Grab a jacket, and a spot on First Avenue, to catch the runners as they come across the bridge, headed up the Avenue to the Bronx. Or head deep into the heart of Brooklyn, to watch the runners navigate the corner in front of Automotive High School on Bedford Avenue. Or, even better, head up to the Bronx, anywhere between the Willis Avenue and Madison Avenue bridges. That three-quarters of a mile stretch is one of the best places to see the runners, and the best-kept secret viewing spot in the entire city.
Ask your friends what they'll be wearing. Remember — you'll be watching a sea of close to 38,000 people. It's good to have some kind of pointer to look for. Tell them to write their names in big letters on their shirts — people will scream for them, trust me on this.
So go out — cheer, watch some amazing racing. Then get motivated, and perhaps I'll see you on the course next year!
I'll be live blogging both the Olympic Trials, as well as the Marathon itself, not to mention having updates on the Mayor's "Welcome" event, the Achilles Track Team party, and various club and team "carbo-loading party nights," so check back several times over the rest of the week and weekend. Happy watching!
