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Everyday Heroes of the Marathonby Peter Shankman
Run like the City! Okay. I swear, this isn't just a running blog. Honestly. This will most likely be my last running post for a while. But today … Wow. I mean … WOW. Okay. Let me back up. Last night found me at the Standard Chartered Bank pasta dinner at Beppe. I sat next to Henry Wanyoike and Joseph Kibunja, two ridiculously fast marathoners. Not only are they fast, but — get this — Henry is blind, and Joseph is his guide. Yeah. They're 2:40-ish marathoners, and one of them is blind. I know. Blows my mind, too. Standard Charter Bank started a charity program called "Seeing is Believing" back in 2003, and their goal is to raise $10,000,000 by World Sight Day 2010, to fund medical, community, and education projects to help over 10,000,000 people across 20 countries. Henry and Joseph are their spokesmen. And let me tell you, they're sick-fast. Like, I didn't deserve to eat the same pasta as they did. It was an amazing dinner. This morning found me biking across town to the White Castle on 103rd Street and First Avenue. Some running teams meet at Central Park, perhaps near the Boathouse — or perhaps over the Queensboro Bridge. Not the New York Harriers. My team chooses to cheer while spitting bits of sliders from their mouth. I don't get it, either, but who am I to argue? We're still the most fun team in New York. The race was, as expected, truly awe-inspiring. Paula Radcliffe re-entered the world of Marathon by winning New York in 2:23:09. When she passed us on 103rd and First, she wasn't even breathing hard. It was funny to hear all my female team members go, "Do you know she had a baby in January? And her stomach's that flat? I hate her!" all at the same time. The men came next (the women got to start earlier), and as expected, Martin Lel held off various challenges to run a 2:09:04. The real story, for me, though, was the number of people running who weren't famous, who weren't doing it for the money, but were doing it to prove something, to beat a goal, or to just run for the sake of being out there. People like Camen Epstein, a New York City schoolteacher, who ran a 3:57.31. Or Hillary Potkewitz, a reporter, who ran a 3:53.50. Or even Norie Goto, from Japan, who at age 67, crossed the finish line in 5:52.19. People whom I tried to photograph, and capture what they must have been feeling. These are the real stories. Unlike Paula or Martin, who go home and rest for six months, these heroes will limp back to work tomorrow, walking down the subway steps sideways to avoid the pain, secure in the knowledge that yesterday, they did something great. Whether they challenged themselves, challenged a buddy, or just challenged the 38,000 other people out there today, they rose up, and met the challenge head on. They're all superstars, even if just for today. That's what the NYC Marathon is really about. With that, a hearty CONGRATULATIONS to each and every runner, to every finisher, to everyone sitting on their couch tonight, with a cold beer and an ice pack. You have my respect. And that's it. No more about running for a while, I promise. I'll be covering other outdoor activities on NYC Outdoors for a while. From biking to skydiving to snowshoeing (yes, down Columbus Avenue after a storm), to skateboarding to shuffleboard, if you do it outside, let's talk about it here. Help me. Post some comments — what do you want me to explore? Let's talk about it. And no more talk of running. Well, at least until May of 2008 … when I start training for my 3:30 2008 ING NYC Marathon.
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