Race Report: Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, 7 April 2024, Washington D.C.

by Paul Thompson (pictures by Shamala Thompson)

This was the closest I had come to quitting in 20 years of racing in the US. Aside that is from dropping out of the Brooklyn Half Marathon back in May 2018 due to a hamstring injury. What got me through it was the advice of Deena Kastor at the race Expo the day before.

I first, and last, did this race back in 2007 when I was a youthful 41. I won the masters category, placing 27th in 51:35. It was one of my all time best performances as a masters runner. Seventeen years later here I was again on the start line of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile. Seventeen years older but, as it turns out, slower and no wiser. With no hope of eclipsing (sorry I could not resist that) my previous attempt at this race.

In the lead up to the race I was injury free and running some workouts thanks to training pal Luke McCoubrey. But recent work travel and wet weather had stymied consistency. I had seesawed between 40-50 and 60-70 miles per week. I ran almost 3.3 miles in a 20 minute Mona Fartlek 10 days out that gave me some encouragement.

So as I stood in the starting corral with some 20,000 other runners – near the front thanks to a seeded entry – I had limited benchmarks. There were no familiar faces to follow. I had virtually no race experience since 2019. And I had no idea how my aging body would hold up. When I last raced on a regular basis back in 2018 my body and mind just seemed to intuitively know what to do. This time I had no idea. So I set a target finish time of 60 minutes.

The race starts right next to the Washington Monument. Bathed in the first light of the day it was quite the backdrop. The skies were clear and in the shade it was cool. We had been waiting patiently for 20 minutes in the corral, in the cool shade. So much for the three mile warm-up!

Good morning Washington Monument

The elite women set off 12 minutes ahead of us. I assume a requirement they race with some separation from the rest of the field for the purpose of record ratification and USATF Championship placings. And then 15 seconds before 7:30am the elite men were off. My final thought before the gun went was how odd the faster elite runners get a head start on the slower runners!

And then we were off. I was perhaps five rows back from the front so had some 100 runners ahead of me. After a short slight rise we then dropped gently, passed the Tidal Basin on our left, and headed towards the Arlington Memorial Bridge. I immediately felt out of my comfort zone, shell shocked. It seemed like I had set off too fast and yet a steady flow of runners was passing me (the race data shows 202 passed me while I passed 27 during the whole the race).

I missed the one mile marker so had to wait until the two mile mark on the crest of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, the highest point of the course, before I could confirm I had set off too fast. It read 11:30, 5:45 minutes per mile (mpm) pace, 15 seconds a mile faster than my race plan. So there went my plan. And the damage was done. It was too late to make amends.

My next epiphany was the sudden salutary realization that I was older than everyone else! They were old enough to be my grown up sons and daughters. They looked so young. I felt so old. I had that ‘over the hill’ or ‘time to hang up the shoes’ feeling rather than some sort of accomplished feeling.

The course passes under the Kennedy Center where the race does a sudden U turn. A few hundred meters later I passed the 5K point in 18:05. Further confirmation I was ahead of schedule but would pay for it in spades later.

By the half way point, reached in around 29:15, I was wrestling with the idea of dropping out. I was clutching at reasons to keep at it. And had no real reason for dropping out. I was not injured or ill. Simply suffering from after an over exuberant start and not enjoying it! At this point I needed a sudden injury as good reason to bail out. But of course we never get injured when you most need it. My lower back was nagging me but I knew it was not enough to justify dropping out. If I could not persuade myself it was a good idea to drop out it would have been harder to persuade others.

Entering East Potomac Park, the pan flat peninsular opposite Reagan National Airport, I saw Fiona Bayly walking off the course. I yelled out and she looked back and yelled support. Fiona is one of the best US female masters distance runners having been rarely beaten since turning 40 some 15 years ago. She had started with the elite USATF Championship women and had stepped on a rock and twisted her ankle. She pulled out to avoid serious injury. Seeing her was strangely a source of motivation to keep going. She’s not the sort to bail out without a good reason. And I did not have one.

I passed the 10K in 36:51. By now I was deep into survival mode. Get it done. I had stopped competing. And started running outside 6 mpm. Runners were still passing me though the torrent was now a trickle. I knew that I could finish and maybe even close to my 60 minute target. But I was well past crunching the numbers using my watch of the mile clocks. Math is so hard to do in the final phase of a race. Even when the target is 60 minutes for 10 miles: 6 minutes per mile or 10 miles per hour, the easiest math in the sport of running.

In the pain cave at mile 9.5

As I exited East Potomac Park I had less than a mile to run albeit with a short rise in the final 400m. Over that last half mile I managed to hold my own against the runners around me. Crossing the line I once again got to enjoy my favorite part of any race. When you finally release yourself from the pain cave. And then spend time in the finishing funnel enjoying the fact that the pain is subsiding. Running is hard. Physically, mentally, emotionally. But that feeling at the finish makes it worth every minute. Who needs cannabis when you can get a runner’s fix anytime. All you have to do is pay with a little pain.

I finished with an official time of 60:04 and placed 284th male overall and 2nd M55-59. Like an old running friend said 59:64. It puts me 4th on the UK’s ten mile M55-59 (or V55-59 as they call it) ranking for 2024. My race results dataset is here and my Strava data is here. As they say there are lies, damn lies and statistics. And in these days of data analytics there are lots more statistics.

Data, damn data

While it was nice to finish 2nd in my age group it was sobering to know the 1st guy Shane Anthony was three minutes ahead of me in 57:04. The age group awards are listed here.

Even more data

The elite race proved to be historic. Hillary Bor broke his own American Mens Ten Mile record in 45:57 while Emily Durgin was three seconds outside of the American Womens Ten Mile record in 51:26. The full set of results are here.

Sham sauntered over to me as I waited in the shadow of the Washington Monument. She asked if I were happy, unsure how I would feel so far down in the field (284th male and around 50 women ahead of me). I said I was mainly relieved. It could have been much worse. And happy overall. Afterall I now have to expect increasing numbers to eclipse me (sorry again). That makes spotting me while spectating, for those all important pictures and words of encouragement, harder she said.

So what about the takeaways from this excursion to the nation’s capital. First, as we get older we get slower but not necessarily wiser. And second we make life harder for our support crew.

Outside the pain cave at mile 10.5.

Race Report: British Masters Virtual 5K Relays, 20 June 2020, New York

by Paul Thompson (and pictures by Shamala Thompson)

We run in interesting times. While much of my life has been turned upside down this past few months there has been one constant. My running, my wife’s support of my running and virtual coaching from Troopy.

My last run with other people was this long easy one on 15 March 2020 in Central Park. It was my usual gig – train from hometown of Peekskill to 125th Street Harlem, 2+ hours on Central Park’s trails, grab coffee and toasted cinnamon raisin bagel, and then board train home. That day six of us rendezvoused at Engineers’ Gate. We exchanged elbow bumps. We sensed we’d not be running together again for some time. We’ll run together again but until we do I figured I needed to race.

So here I was at 8:45am earlier today all set to race. Only a virtual race. The British Masters Athletics Federation (BMAF) Virtual 5K Relays. As a 54 year-old, turning 55 this December, I was running in the M45-54 category for Kettering Town Harriers, the UK club I joined in 1984 and remained a member of since I left the UK in 1998.

My brother had persuaded me to run. I’d have happily waited until I turn 55 (I’m entered for the postponed London Marathon on 4 October but doubt it will go head and, even if it does, I may not make the trip). Ironically I have lockdown and virtual races to thank for presenting me the opportunity to run a BMAF race – I’m rarely in the UK around the time of their ‘real’ races and BMAF are open to you running anywhere!

Virtual races add an extra dimension to ‘real’ races. You get to choose when and where to run, provided you satisfy criteria like start and end in the same place and get it done in the ‘window’ of 14-20 June (the deadline for running being 12pm midnight GMT on Saturday 20 June). I chose to run a section of the North County Trailway – out and back from the parking lot at Route 117 heading south. The trailway is paved, largely flat and straight, and much of the course in the shade of trees.

I recceed the course by running the whole course as my 5K warm-up. I sensed a gentle incline for the first 600m, as the trailway rose above the nearby Saw Mill Parkway, and then flat through halfway. At the half way point I left a water bottle as a marker. Weather conditions were far from ideal – hot and humid with the temperature around 80F / 27C. Pedestrian traffic was light, mainly cyclists of all shapes, sizes, ages and gear from Tour de France to kid basket.

And then I was off. I got stuck in from the get go, setting out at 3:10 minutes per kilometer pace (I reset my Strava to metric as I was running a 5K not 3.1 mile race) – around 5:07 minutes per mile pace per this – before easing back and passing 1K in 3:15. I have a Garmin 235 but its GPS ‘gave up the ghost’ a few months back so I was recording using the Strava app on my iPhone. My target time was 16:30-40 and 3:20s would get me home in 16:40. Hence, I was fixated on my Strava app’s showing an average pace of sub-3:20. Recent training – 60+ mile weeks with two workouts and a LSD – suggested this was possible. I was injury free though recovering slowly from workouts.

The expected flat ‘main course’ middle portion of the race was actually a gentle descent from 600m through halfway (and so gentle uphill for the bulk of the return leg with a slight descent in the last 600m). I’ll blame that optical illusion on the lockdown or an early symptom of some virus (I did not wear a mask by the way).

I ran the 2nd km in 3:19. At the turnaround – a sharp 180 degree which felt like I turned on a penny – my iPhone showed 8:12. But the writing was on the wall. Not only did the course climb slightly, contrary to what I had expected, but I was also paying for an exuberant start and creeping humidity. My 3rd km was 3:23 and my app was now reading an average pace of 3:20. My 4th km was 3:25 and the average read 3:21. With a little bit of uumph I did the 5th km in 3:20 to get home in 16:47.

Approaching halfway

I was toast. I stumbled into the shade and caught my breath. My Strava data reveals I ran a fraction too far (5.02km) but in a real 5K I’d have likely run even further as we all tend to run slightly off the optimal racing line. The full individual results for M45-54 are here. Stephen, my younger brother, ran 17:08 and buddy ‘Rocket’ Ron Searle ran 20:36.

I was 8th M50 of 674 runners. The fastest M50 times were recorded by Mark Symes in 15:41 (World Masters Athletics 1500m champion at the WMA in Malaga in 2018 – see page 119 here) and Tim Hartley in 15:45 (multiple BMAF champion for 5K, XC and 10K and M50 winner of the British and Irish Masters Cross Country International 2018 where I’d come 8th). Five M55s and M60 Tommy Hughes, multiple world record holder at age 59 and 60, were also ahead of me. The official BMAF race report is here.

Kettering Town Harriers (KTH) had 21 runners. The team results are as follows: M45-54 9th of 117 teams – myself, Steve, Phil Brigden (17:11) and Phil West (17:46); M55-64 34th of 76 teams – Bruce Whitehead (20:03), Ron Searle (20:36), and Pete Goringe (20:40); and W45-54 66th of 111 teams – Trudi Pike (23:43), Karen Albery (24:06) and Nicola Speed (24:09).

Some 4,144 men and women aged 35 and over entered, over 3,300 competed, over £12,000 ($15,000) was raised for MacMillan Nurses charity (runners made a charitable donation in lieu of race entry fee).

So there you go. My first virtual race. The after effects – tired muscles, aching joints – are anything but virtual. Just like the good ‘ole days. We are on our way back. For now we’ll have to make do with virtual races. A good backup but not the real thing.

Race Report: Bushy Park Run (5K), 28 December 2019, London

by Paul Thompson (picture Shamala Thompson)

I’m not known but my spontaneity but I had no intention of running this race until 2 hours before the start. Infused with morning coffee on a wing and a prayer I decided to join my brother Stephen and wife Lynn on my second race of 2019 and first ever park run. It seemed a perfect way to start my 54th birthday. And the perfect place to run my first park run, Bushy being the birthplace of park runs.

The build-up and preparation for this race was far from ideal. Sham and I were in London for a 3 night stop over en route back to New York having been out in Singapore for most of December (incuding trips to Colombo and Tbilisi). On the Thursday morning I ran 13 miles in Singapore’s signature 33C, during a solar eclipse, and boarded a flight to London later that same day arriving at before day break at Heathrow some 13 hours later. After checking into the hotel at 8am Sham and I did a shakeout run in Richmond Park, my favorite place to run and an inspiration to David Attenborough. That evening we had a family dinner at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant.

2019 has been my least active year for racing since I can remember. Bushy was my second race of the year, the other race being the 2019 New Haven Half Marathon on 2nd September. While my memory ain’t what it was that’s at least 20 years. This time last year I was looking forward to running the London Marathon in April but piriformis syndrome struck in early February on my first long run. I was unable to resume normal training until late May. After New Haven extensive work travel got in the way of high intensity training So here I was pscyhing myself up for race two of 2019.

I jogged over to the start from our hotel in Kinsgton upon Thames. After a 4 mile warm-up, including some strides, I was all set to go bar a slight tightness in my left hamstring. My plan was to set out easy and then, depending on how I felt, either settle into a tempo run or go for it.

I stuck to plan. For a short while. I covered the first mile in 5:38 and yet was passing runners moving through from around 12th to 5th. Then I got caught. That changed things. My race instinct kicked in and I immediately stepped up my pace to fend off the interloper and set about chasing two runners some 20 metres in front.

Bushy is flat and, aside from a few tight turns and some soft ground (most of it is unpaved), and fast. In the second mile there were long straights with some paved surfaces. Inow had the bit between my teeth and enjoying running fast. I clocked 5:11 for the second mile. in so doing I caught the two runners in front and successfully fended off the interloper.

Into the third mile I dug deep and clocked 5:12 despite occasionally losing traction on the soft surface and having to navigate some puddles. I finished in 16:55 for 2nd (the 2nd placed guy some 5-7 seconds in front of me was scratched from the results for not being registered) out of 1358 parkrunners. That was enough to win the M50-54 age category and secure the highest age-graded score of 90.05%. Steve was 2nd M50-54 in 18:28 while Lynn recorded her 2nd fastest in 26:13. Full results are here. The official Bushy parkrun race report kindly notes my first outing.

The feeling at the finish reminded me why I do it. It felt good, real good, especially when I put the pedal down. The hamstring held up and the race was a welcome introduction to park running. I will surely do more. And 16:30 should be possible on a fast paved course without jetlag.

• 

In sight of the finish

In 2019 for perhaps the first time since joining the masters ranks I failed to get in the top 3 in any of the UK masters rankings lists. My best effort was equal 6th in the half marathon. In 2020, despite being the elder statesman in my age group, I plan to put that right. The London Marathon, which includes the inaugural AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championship race, and the World Masters Athletics Champs in Toronto (XC, 5000m, 10K and half marathon are on the program) beckon.

Race Report: 2019 New Haven Road Race Half Marathon, September 2, New Haven CT.

by Paul Thompson (Photos by Shamala Kandiah Thompson)

Well this race was a long time coming. Almost a year since my last injury free race, the Bronx 10 in late September 2018 (in November 2018 I ran the British and Irish Masters Cross Country Champs unaware I was nursing a broken shoulder). And of all the days I chose to make my comeback it had to be Labor Day. It turned out to be hard labor. But let me stop laboring that point and get to explain that year out and the race.

My Year Out

The past year consisted of 3 phases. The first phase, what I called pain in the shoulder phase, was 2 months of intense PT rehab through December and January to get the shoulder back to normal, in terms of movement and strength, during which time I built up my mileage by end of January to 70 miles per week, all set for the 12 weeks through to the 2018 London Marathon.

The second phase, what I call pain in the arse phase started in early February. In the closing miles of my first long run as part of my London campaign while in Singapore I noticed a sharp pain in the butt and hamstring brought my 20 mile long easy – as easy as it can be in 32C and 90% humdity – to stand still. It took a while to figure out it was piriformis syndrome rather than high hamstring tendinitis. This phase lasted to the end of May. The piriformis proved stubborn but not as stubborn as me.

By early June I was back to normal training mileage but without the speedwork. This marked the start of the third phase which ended on Labor Day. I call it the hard labor phase since it was all about getting back to the normal routine including getting reacquainted with time in the hurt locker. On Labor Day I spent 1:14:33 in that locker.

Going into the race I was cautiously optimistic. A 20 minute Mona Fartlek, in which I covered 3.53 miles at an average pace of 5:40 mpm, the farthest and fastest I can remember in the 3 years I’ve been doing them, gave me confidence. But set against this was the fear the piriformis would reemerge: its still lurking albeit only rearing its head during intense workouts . And this was the longest time ever between races since I started running seriously in my early 20s. How would I take to racing again.

Race Day

Sham and I, with running mate Mo’ath Alkhawaldeh and his wife Maira, had driven up the day before from Peekskill. After picking up race numbers – having switched from the USATF 20K National Championships to the half marathon that starts with and shares the same finish line but includes a 1.1K ‘detour’ at around 11 miles (course map) – I grabbed an early dinner and settled into my bed early at a rather unkempt La Quinta Hotel (never again).

The alarm rang at 6am for the 8:30am start from New Haven Green, barely a mile away. I had my small bowl of oatmeal and coffee and then jogged to start area, picking up Mo at another hotel en route. Conditions were favorable, for the time of year. It was slightly overcast, a little breezy, quite humd and in low 20sC / 70sF.

The great thing about this race is that being a USATF National Championship it has quality and depth at the front, and feels like an occasion, but has none of the heavily regulated corral arrangement of a NYRR race.

New Yorkers make for such a stressful final countdown to a race. After a 3 mile warm-up I lined up about three rows back. I now run for 212 Track Club (#212TC) but as I’d yet to get a vest I decided to race in my Team GB masters vest.

My plan was to settle into a group with some of the leading women and run 1:13:30 to top the 2019 UK and US half marathon rankings for M50-54. And sutre enough soon after the race started I was running alonside a group of some dozen women (see picture below), including 2018 champ Sara Hall. Turns out most of this group would end up finishing in front of me, at least in front of me at the point when I had to add the 1.1K detour.

It felt great to be back at it. And it showed in my fast start, clocking 5:20 for the first mile. Realising this I then tried to make some adjustments, slowing down slightly but not much as I was keen to stay in contact and work with a small group. I reeled off miles in 5:30, 5:32 and 5:34, passing 5K in 17:00 and 4 miles in 22:00. The course was fast – flat, long straights, few turns and good road surface. And I was happy racing for the first time in the Hoka One One Carbon X having been using the Adidas Adizer Adios since 2016 (though the Carbon Rocket may have served me better).

Up ahead of me was NYAC runner Jerry Faulkner running with Katie Newton – and even further ahead Michael Cassidy, who I used to trade strides with in NYRR races when he was slower and I faster, duking it out with Mo’ath. I passed mile 5 in 27:40. My mile splits were now slowing slightly – I clocked 5:39 and 5:42 for 5th and 6th miles, passing 10K in 34:40. I caught Jerry and Katie. Jerry dropped off.

Along the long straight tree-lined Chapel Street heading east to wards the city centre I worked with Katie (see picture above) chasing the pack of women some 100 metres up ahead. We ran miles 7, 8 and 9 in 5:39. I was now outside my goal of 1:13:30 and hurting. During the 10th mile, that ends near the high point of the course at an elevation of 140ft (verses 50ft at the start / finish area and 5ft at mile 9), I started to crack. This is unknown territory for me at point in a race: typically I’m either holding pace or accelerating slightly.

As I ascended the hill, most appropriately on English Drive, Roberta Groner, the 41 year old masters standout who will run for the USA at the marathon at the upcoming World Champs, caught me. We worked together and crested the hill. The 10th mile had taken 5:48 and I passed mile 10 in 56:05. But as we descended Roberta stole a lead. While I had to conserve a little, as I had my 1.1K detour coming up, if I was doing the 20K she’d have beaten me.

As the 20K runners made a right just before 11 miles I turned left. Just before the turn I saw Mo, leading the half with me in 2nd, pass in front of me having just done the 1.1K detour, a straight out and back before rejoining the 20K course. That 1.1K included a steady descent followed by a steady ascent. I was now treading water, in survival rather than competing mode as I typically find myself in a marathon. I’d covered the 11th mile, largely descending, in 5:40 but the 12th in 5:55. I was glad to rejoin the 20K runners. The 3rd place guy was some distance behind me.

The last mile felt like a procession, a slow funereal one, despite being flat and straight. I was focused on limiting my losses and hoping to get as close to 1:14 finish as possible. I ran mile 13 in 5:52 and crossed the line in 1:14:33. This was 2nd place after Mo with 1:08:48. Race results are here (and 20K, won by Leonard Korir and Sara Hall, here) and my Gamin data with splits and heart rate here. It gets me =5th in the UK M50-54 rankings.

Post Race

Overall I enjoyed being back racing and relieved I got this one under my belt. I was back doing what I love, maybe a little slower than I’d like but unjury free and hungry for more. Perhaps I pushed too hard in those early miles.

I now look forward to the 2020 London Marathon and World Masters Athletics Champs Toronto 2020. The inaugural AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championship race will be part of the London Marathon. While I did not qualify via the rankings system – based on finishing places in 2 major marathons over the past 2 years – I will able to compete for this as I’m in the race.

This race has left me as tired as if I’d run a full marathon. Tired enough to prompt me to take today off and instead write this! Needless to say the tiny bottle of champagne I got for being first masters, and the one Mo gave Sham as he’s teetotal (see picture below), have already been consumed.

Race Report: 2016 Race to Deliver 4M, Central Park, New York, November 20, 2016

by Paul Thompson (with pictures by Shamala Kandiah Thompson)

While my sojourn to Perth, Australia to run the World Masters Athletics Championships was purely a personal indulgence this one was solely for the team – Urban Athletics. Race to Deliver promised to be one of NYRR’s lower key races coming as it does soon after the New York City Marathon, not being a club points race, and the absence of prize money. We decided if we turned out in force and populated the front end we’d get a lot of kudos and name recognition. And that we did.

Weather conditions dramatically worsened on the eve of the race. Peekskill encountered gale force winds and torrential rain overnight and as temperatures raced down to below freezing the rain turned to snow on higher ground. While the rain stopped it was no surprise to find it windy, cold and overcast on the start line. The weather seemed to reflect the rather gloomy mood of most New Yorkers as the election results have sunk in. And that mood was reflected in Peter Ciaccia’s words just before the start. He was in a mournful mood and suggested the New York running community needs to hang tough these next four years. And that’s exactly what it will do.

New York’s running community is a microcosm of all that  is best about New Yorkers – open minded, diverse, respectful of others. On the start line I realized we – just like the vast majority of Americans – were all immigrants in some shape or form, some whose families settled here in previous centuries through to some like me who had more recently got off the plane. The diversity – of gender, of ethnicity, of age, etc. – was clearly visible. And it’s this diversity that makes the New York running community so interesting.

UA’s  Jason Lakritz, me, Stefano Piana-Agostinetti, Harriott Kelly and Fiona Bayly in front.

With the front end lacking depth there wasn’t the usual scrum in the corral. There was elbow room and none of the compression that characterizes typical NYRR races. I quickly got settled into a four man lead group comprising team mates Jason Lakritz – returning to form and hoping to run 5:15 mpm pace for the first three miles and then open it up in the final mile – and Javier Rodriguez and Alejandro Ariza of Henwood Hounds.

Jason, Javier and I after 400 meters just before the Boathouse.

The opening mile takes in Cat Hill and ends just after the Metropolitan Museum. As we passed the clock at the mile mark showing 5:20 Jason decided to accelerate. Alejandro made chase while Javier and I resigned to spectate from a steadily increasing distance. Jason slammed in a 5:03 second mile and half way through it Ariza slipped off his tail. That was my cue to make chase.

Jason in the finishing straight having just passed the Daniel Webster statue.

The course was the so-called Central Park inner loop, run counter clockwise. Javier and I, with me doing the pushing in pursuit of a fading Alejandro, reached the two mile mark on the 102nd Transverse, in around 10:35 according to my Garmin (the NYRR clock was not working).

Just after the two mile mark we caught and overtook Alejandro, clearly suffering from going with Jason’s second mile surge. The third mile, heading south down the West Side Drive, is arguably the toughest in the park as it takes in three hills and include significant net gain in altitude. I continued to push hard, albeit in surges rather than consistently. Javier and I were side by side as we passed the the three mile mark in 16:02. It was literally all down hill to the finish from here. Javier, in view of my doing most of the work, conceded a few meters in the finishing straight to let me take second.

Javier and I in the finishing straight.

I ran the last 200 meters hard, almost all out, and passed under the finish line clock as it showed 21:17-18. Disappointingly the final official result was 21:22 though that was good enough for winning the masters and getting an age grade of 89.61%. In any case NYRR is legendary for its :59 finish line clocks translating to :01 in the official online results.

Jason won comfortably in 20:55. With me in second and Javier in third UA took a clean sweep 1-2-3 in the men’s race. And for good measure Harriott Kelly won the women’s race in 22:56 and Fiona Bayly, 4th woman overall, the women’s masters in 24:23.

Harriott digging deep in the finishing straight.

That’s not all. UA runners were all over the leader board, many taking a Top 3 age group placing. The Javier was 1st M40-44 in 21:22, Carlo Agostinetto 1st M35-39 in 22: 25 (less than 24 hours after winning the NYRR NYC 60K in 3:57 minutes), Stefano Piana-Agostinetti 1st M45-49 in 22:46, Jonathan Schindel 2nd M50-54 in 24:10, Stephane Bois 3rd M50-54 in 24:18, Jim Olsen 1st M75-79 in 32:16, Michelle Goggin 3rd W35-39 in 27:30, Ellen Basile 2nd W40-44 in 25:42, Jennifer Harvey 2nd W45-49 in 25:59, Dominique Saint-Louis 1st W50-54 in 26:47,and  Ivy Bell 1st W60-64. It would have been quicker for me to list what we did not win.

Jason, Javier and I picking up our awards.

Immediately after finishing Jason, Javier, Harriott and I were rounded up and reminded repeatedly to be at the Naumburg bandshell to collect our awards at 9:30am sharp. Ans so we did, shaking and shivering as the windchill took the feel like temperature under 0 celcius.

UA on parade. Photo credit: Sam LaFata

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Race Report: NYRR Retro 4-Miler, Central Park, New York, June 5, 2016

by Paul Thompson

It dawned on me today, as I lined up and observed the retro paraphernalia – the sweat bands, psychedelic colors, the mini shorts etc. – that I actually experienced much of the retro era. For many it was something they’d read about like  a history lesson. For me, and other masters runners, it was something we’d lived through. And for a moment it made me feel sentimental and old!

This race fell on Sham and my anniversary. At 6 am, in pouring rain, she was driving us (or was it me?) to New York. It’s amazing sometimes what our partners, consciously, do for us.

After Sham had set me down at Marcus Garvey Park I ran the 3 miles or so south down to the start on the East Drive at 68th Street. As I reached the Boathouse I saw Urban Athletics team mates headed north for a warm-up. I was already warmed up – the  weather was as humid as a sauna though not so hot – but jumped in. This would be my first time running for Urban Athletics (UA) – in the US at least as I’d premiered in the Greater Manchester Marathon. This was also my first race since Manchester in early April. I’d finished that marathon with a chronic calf strain: question was would it re-emerge?

On the start line I was some way back from my usual position near the front. As

Retro lead car at the start line

well as hearing a rendition of the National Anthem we also heard a tribute to The Greatest. Muhammad Ali passed away yesterday. As I get older I’m finding that not only have I lived through eras like retro, I’ve also lived during the lifetimes of iconic figures who have had a profound positive impact on our lives. Bowie now Ali.They show us what’s possible.

Right back to the race. Within seconds of the starting gun I found myself passing the Boathouse dodging traffic thanks to starting deep in the A corral. Club mate Javier Rodriguez ‘s rationale for starting deep was that it would moderate the early pace and help ensure we run 5:15 miles and finish  in 21:00. But I found myself panicked into trying to make up for lost time and get into my finishing position! The net result was a 5:07 opening mile, a mile that takes in Cat Hill. Too fast. I’d pay for that later.

Heading up Cat Hill

In the second mile fellow masters runners Javier, who had never beaten me at distances over  a mile, and John Henwood, who  I don’t recall  I’d  ever beat, joined me. We’d end  up duking it out for the rest of the race: another masters runner, Peter Brady, was also in hot pursuit. We traded strides, sparring running style. We passed the two mile mark in 10:19 making it a 5:12 second mile.

Bobby Asher, who looked like Freddie Mercury but was  hoping for Mark Spitz, breezed passed us during the third mile as we navigated the hills on the West Drive heading south. Fellow UA club mate Jason Lakritz, nursing an injury, caught us. Approaching mile 3 we had Greg Cass in our sights and he’d stay there. During the third mile I found myself starting to pay for the fast opening. We passed mile 3 in 15:47: the 3rd mile had taken 5:28, the slowest of the race due in large part to the hills and fast opening.

The final mile drops down to the 72nd Street Transverse. Javier started to open it up and stole a small gap on me. John had dropped off. As we took the sharp left hand turn into the finishing straight I was 5 meters shy of Javier but I appeared to be catching him. I didn’t despite a 5:14 final mile. Bobby, Javier, myself and Jason finished in that order, and with daylight between us, but shared the same time of 21:01 in the official results.

Jason, Javier and Paul heading to the finish line

I  had hoped to get under 21:00 not least since I’d tapered and had been doing some faster workouts with UA. But hey I can’t, or shouldn’t, complain. I got 31st overall (though I  was 30th over the line but that’s chip to chip timing for you), second masters, first M50 and best age grade with 91.08%. This suggested I had recovered from my spring marathon ordeal though my AG scores indicated I was better at longer races. UA got 4th in men’s open: The NYRR race report reveals WSX winning with its 5th scorer running 19 flat. With Aaron Mendelsohn closing in 21:24, and like Javier getting a PR, we comfortably won the men’s masters.  My Garmin race stats are here.

After driving home and getting a quick shower, Sham and I  were holed up at the Taco Dive Bar having a celebratory brunch. Sham had a potent cocktail with her breakfast burrito while I had water paired with a stack of pancakes inches deep. A few hours later I was at JFK. There I had a  frustrating 4 hour wait on the runway waiting for my plane to Las Vegas to depart due to foul weather. I’m now getting accustomed to a few days in 110F.  This morning I got out at 6 to beat the heat. I ran an easy 6. It was 85F.

Race Report: Greater Manchester Marathon, UK, April 10, 2016

by Paul Thompson

Reason for Running

Eight years ago I ran the Boston Marathon in 2:38:52. The wheels came off soon after getting over the ‘summit’ of Heart Break Hill, just as they had at 22 miles in my two other marathons, London 2006 and London 2007. At the end I made one of those running vows – this was my last marathon. And like all running vows this was destined for the breakers yard. All it needed for it to give was self-discipline to slip, memory to wane, or curiosity to return. And so here I was standing on the start line of the Greater Manchester Marathon.

Having recently turned 50 I made another vow that trumped (that word’s on my mind a lot lately, hopefully not after November) the one I made eight years ago. To try and get a PR at the distance as an M50 (sorry British readers but masters has a far better ring to it than ‘veteran’, a term that conjures up images of those wounded in war rather than those that have mastered something). My PR, from Flora London Marathon 2006, was 2:29:56.

There was more to it than that. This was a distance I’d yet to conquer. My three previous attempts were poorly executed, a combination of irrational exuberance in the early miles and inadequate fueling. On all three occasions my racing was done at 22. I’d been defeated long before the finish line, the last 4 miles typically being a funereal march to just get to the end. I’d stopped competing with myself, with others, with anyone. Many of us have been there. Deep down I had to put that to rights. Or at least collapse trying.

Race Preparations

This time I had taken a few crucial extra steps (!) to maximize the chance of success. The main one being getting myself a coach who has a word class pedigree at marathon running and a philosophy that sits well with mine. Lee Troop. And to top things off, on the eve of the race, Lee revealed he’d finished 7^th in the Commonwealth Games marathon held in Manchester in 2002.

This time round I was stronger, smarter, and better prepared than before. As well as Lee’s expert guidance since 2011 I’d been running long easy distance of 18-21 almost every weekend. This started more by accident than design, dictated by a Metro North train schedule for Peekskill to New York that left me with 2:30 to get a run done (with trains every hour of course I could have opted for 1:30 but then I needed to justify the 50 minute ride each way with at least as long a time running!). 26.2 was no longer intimidating. I’d also made regular visits to DrStu to keep me in running order and was popping some pills.

Heading into the race I made no secret I was doing it. And the words of encouragement – text, email, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, Strava, even face to face – boosted  motivation, pressure (living up to their lofty expectations) and accountability (explaining to them should I fail to meet those expectations). Thanks to all of you that sent me words of encouragement and / or congratulation.

I had three targets – an “ultimate” one of under 2:29:56, an “I’ll take that” one of under 2:33, and an “I’ll live with that” one of under 2:36. Why more than one? Well we need a goal to stretch us. But then if mid-race we find it beyond our reach we need an anchor to help us get safely ashore. And if that goal is beyond us we need something else that will keep us motivated to finish rather than throw in the towel – in this case catch the Manchester Metrolink to the finish!

The final count-down to race day had gone to plan. Sham and I were in Paris the previous weekend so I spent a few days running there with my final longish run on Sunday on the trails of the Bois de Boulogne, catching some of the Paris Marathon. In the final week I clocked 56 miles and as I tapered, simultaneously reducing the load and intensity, my legs started to feel fresher and the IT band steadily improved. Sham made sure I also stuck to Lee’s fuel plan, gradually moving to a largely carbohydrate diet in the final days.

On the Saturday, the Thompson Clan – my brother Stephen, hoping to run 7 minute miles and smash his PR, his wife, Lynn, and two boys, our parents, and Sham – drove to the Didsbury Travelodge located in a Manchester suburb conveniently located at the end of a Metrolink tram line. That afternoon we did a recce trip in to see the start and finish area, half a mile from a Metrolink station and collect my race number.

Red rose, Lancashire’s symbol from the War of Roses, on gate to Emirates Old Trafford, Lancashire County Cricket Club’s stadium.

Race Day

On Saturday morning, after an early breakfast of oatmeal and banana, Steve, Lynn, Sham and I rode the tram in and made our way to the start. I took a GU caffeine gel 30 minutes before the start. While thousands suddenly started descending on the start area it felt decidedly low key: no fencing in the runners and jostling for a good starting position. Athletes were casual and courteous. Altogether much less stressful than the Marathon Majors. The downside was that it did not have that big race feel. I was proved wrong.

Runners arriving early at start area.

This was my first race in new club colors. I’d entered using my UK registered club of Kettering Town Harriers but was wearing my new Urban Athletics vest. Ever since settling in the New World in October 2004 I’ve run, through mainly thick and some thin, for Warren Street but it was time for a new chapter in my running. A new club, a stronger vibe, greater ambition, and more resources in form of store base and potential sponsorship. As well as being one of the best teams in the New York area for men and women the UA masters men and women can be the best in the US. But the main thing was that many of my old Warren Street buddies joined me at UA.

In the closing minutes Sham called me over to get a picture with Ron Hill. An athletic icon, famous for breaking all sorts of records, who at 77 is still looking incredibly fit. There’s a campaign to get him a knighthood. No one deserves the accolade more given his accomplishments and what he’s put into the sport.

Talking to Ron Hill just before the start.

Race Start

Ron saw us off. The first few miles were out and back down a highway. By the second mile I was running with Michael Hargreaves of East Hull Harriers who was hoping to dip under 2:30. We passed the first mile in 5:28 and second in 5:29. As Salford Harrier Josh Tighe joined us I gently applied the brakes. But by 5 miles it was clear I was comfortably running 5:35-40 miles – ahead of my ultimate schedule but perhaps too fast for me to sustain. By this point I’d also come to understand what Lee meant by “Manchester’s roads are hard”. The stones laid down onto the tar are harder than the slick tar roads of the US.

Trading strides with Michael Hargreaves of East Hull Harriers.

From miles 5-10, through the suburbs of Stretford and Sale, I was isolated but running strong in the 5:40 range. Soon after mile 9, a heavily spectated section,  I took my first GU gel. Suddenly I was slowed by a sharp deep pain in my left calf, similar to a pain I’d experienced a month earlier in training in new training shoes. Within a few hundred meters I’d gone from running at 2:28-29 pace to facing the prospect of an early retirement. My sudden slowing to around 6:00 pace helped a chasing group of four, led by Phill Taylor, catch me.

Mile 9 with chasing pack of four closing in.

Half Way

I figured if I tough it out the pain might ease. And so it did, soon after settling into the pack of four who had joined me. We worked well as a group running at around 5:40 pace and taking turns leading. But at the half way point in Altrincham – the highest point of the course which the website boasts as one of the fastest in the world, faster even than Berlin and Chicago – passed in 1:13:34, Phill Taylor and James Turner broke away. I let them go as I was concerned I’d run the first half 2 minutes faster than I should have.

By mile 14 I found myself once again running solo. I slowed slightly and downed my second gel. I was now running 5:50 miles. Pacing was starting to prove difficult: tiredness makes basic maths a challenge and I’d also inadvertently stopped the Garmin for a few minutes. At around mile 18 I found myself gently accelerating and through 21 maintained 5:40-45 miles. I overtook Phill Taylor who had got away from me exiting Altrincham. And a lady on the roadside shouted “Good run young man”. The best cheer of the race even if inaccurate.

Closing Stages

For the first time in my marathon running career I found myself enjoying it and confident of a strong finish. It did not last. At 21 I was again struck by sharp pain in my calf, only this time the left one. This forced a slowing in my pace as I again focused on running through it. I did  only this time there was no increase in pace. Deep fatigue was setting in and it was now a case of hanging on. The final few miles felt like hard labor. There was a head wind. My pace gradually slowed to 6:00 then 6:10 then 6:20. I was back in that zone – surviving as opposed to competing. I guessed I was on track for 2:33-35 but was almost past caring.

With less than a mile to go I got overtaken by a fast finishing Joel Jameson, a triathlete debuting at the marathon, but caught Michael Hargreaves (who would clock a PR but was clearly paying for a 1:12:30 first half). A spectator called out “you still have good form” which roughly translates to “you’re slowing down but at least still looking good.” And then Old Trafford football stadium, home to Manchester United, and Emirates Old Trafford, home of the Lancashire County Cricket Club (LCCC), came into view.

That final mile, a long straight ending right outside the LCCC, seemed to take a little longer, actually a lot longer, than forever. Eventually I passed under the finishing gantry with the clock reading 2:32:02. I was very happy, at least as happy as you can be after a marathon which leaves you so completely exhausted that there’s little if any energy left to celebrate with. Steve, pictured gallery here, went even better clocking 3:11:56, several minutes inside his previous best.

The end is nigh.

Steve approaching the finish line.

Race Analysis

I finished 14th of the 9,500 starters, the fastest M35 upwards. My time placed me top of the UK 2016 M50 marathon rankings, just seconds shy of the leading time from 2015 of 2:31:56 by Graham Green. Manchester put on a great show – super fast course, enthusiastic spectators, relaxed atmosphere and even dry weather. Unfortunately there were baggage issues leaving some disgruntled.

Here’s the official review, race video, my official race pictures, my official results, the Garmin data (missing segment near mile 16 of 0.2-3 miles and forgot to stop the watch at the finish line), and Strava data (again missing segment but edited out the failure to stop the watch). My heart was unusually high in the first 10 miles but then moderated.

This is my last marathon. At least it might be. Somehow I need to trump Manchester. But maybe I’ll wait until Donald is behind us all. Either way I’ve ticked off one of my 2016 goals. Steve (pictures here) meanwhile said “there’s unfinished business”: he’ll likely aim to go sub-3 hours in 2017.

Replacing calories and discussing with brother Steve what went right and wrong.

Race Report: 2016 Gridiron 4M, New York, February 7, 2016

by Paul Thompson

Today was my first race as a M50. It was also the first time ever, or at least as far as I can remember, that I was on the start line having not adjusted my training in preparation for a race. Quite the reverse. I did a long easy, or as easy as I could make it, 18 miles the day before. And it was the first time I completed a race having wished New York Road Runners (NYRR) operated a double dipping awards program. I’ll come back to that later.

This race was not on my bucket list for 2016. The USATF Cross Country Championships in Bend, Oregon (the M50 title I coveted was won by Carl Combs) was but the logistics – 5 hour flight then 3 hour drive – together with flight and hotel costs ruled that out. So with Bend out of the reckoning I had no viable excuse when team mate Carlo Agostinetto started press ganging his Warren Street team mates into running this race in the hope of picking up some team prize money. His methods proved very effective. Pretty much the entire racing team towed the line having gone to great lengths, and no doubt great ‘cost’, to get ‘leave’ from partners.

I explained to coach Lee Troop that I’d like to do this one “for the team”. He said OK. But there was a catch. First he suggested I make it part of a long run but eventually he settled on my running at least 1:45 the day before. In the early miles I thought about not racing but imagined Carlo’s disappointment so I focused on putting as much easy into that long easy run as I could and worked on managing expectations. My slowest time for 4 miles in the part was 21:11 on a hot September’s day back in 2014. A personal worst was on the cards.

I rode the train in to Harlem 125th Street from Peekskill. My driver, manager, cheer leader, bag carrier and photographer (hence no pictures for this post except for MarathonFoto!) wife Sham was in Singapore with family seeing in the Lunar New Year following a work trip to Bangkok. I then ran over to the Upper West Side to drop my bag and collect team mate Aaron Mendelsohn. We ran to the start picking up team mates en route.

The weather was near perfect. Still, bright sunshine and a few degrees above freezing, quite unusual for early February in these parts. Standing waiting in the starting corral for the gun I tried to seek some place in the sun. I only had a vest, shorts and gloves. And then we were off.

My new Garmin got to tell the story and passed it onto Strava. Three runners stole a big lead within the first quarter of a mile. Meanwhile team mates Carlo and Sebastien Baret and I chased 4th and 5th placed Bobby Asher and Tesfaye Girma. We caught them during the undulating first mile heading south down the West Side Drive. I passed mile one with Carlo in 5:21. We traded places – we may be team mates but we typically compete hard against each other – in the gently descending second mile. We passed the second mile marker in 10:34.

As we crested the high point of the 72nd Street Transverse I opted for the Denver Broncos channel owing to my liking for Boulder (for those that did not run please see the NYRR race report for an explanation). As did Carlo. And as we ascended Cat Hill Carlo started to edge away. I was running strong but I had no gears or speed to respond with. I covered the third mile in 5:29 and Carlo stole 5 seconds. He went on to rob me of another 4 seconds by the finish line. He posted 21:15, close to a PR, while I breasted the tape in 21:24, a PW.

In the finishing channel Carlo and I waited for the team. They all followed in quick succession – Sebastien Baret (21:38), Fabio Casadio (22:20), Aaron Mendelsohn (22:23) and Alex Lorton (22:37). All six of us either won our age group or else were in the top 5. But more importantly we were top team and NYRR owed us $500.

Now back to the double dipping. Were NYRR to permit double dipping my net worth (can’t you tell I’m an accountant) would have increased $425 ($100 for 5th overall, $150 for 1st 40+, $75 for 1st M50 AG and $100 for my share of the $500 team prize) in 21 minutes. That’s a great hourly rate. Unfortunately NYRR applies the following rule: “Unless otherwise noted, runners with multiple eligibility will be awarded the highest prize money amount only.” So I’ll have to settle for $250 – or $150 as likely the whole team will get to blow the $500 on beer.

The big consolation of the day, after a warm down, was being treated to a slice of chocolate brioche by Aaron and his fiancee Aviva. We might spend our $500 on these.

 

Race Report: NYRR Ted Corbitt 15K, New York, December 12, 2015

by Paul Thompson

In the penultimate race of 2015, and of my 40s, I fell just shy of my goal of 50 minutes. Spring had come to New York and many of us were able to make hay. The race also marked the end of the NYRR season-long club points championship and Warren Street managed to end on a high with 3rd in the open men’s race and 2nd in the men’s masters. That was enough in the final reckoning of the 2015 season overall, to finish 4th in the open men’s competition and 3rd in the men’s masters (assuming my math holds water). We’ll take that.

Runners heading towards the starting area

While I may have had a lofty target of 50 minutes I had little idea how fit I was. In my two previous races – Bronx 10 and Grete’s Half Marathon in back to back weeks in early fall – I’d hit a real high with highest ever age grade (AG) performances (us masters runners rarely get in the mix at the sharp end so AG is a nice consolation). But in the 4 week period ending November 23rd I’d logged 120 hours of flying. And I’m not a pilot.

The business travel took me to Seoul, Geneva, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (twice!). While I enjoy traveling, and seeing new places like Seoul which was a pleasant surprise for running (see here for a sample run in Strava), my running routine that hangs around long runs and repetition workouts got bent out of shape. But somehow I got in 70 mile weeks. In a future article I’ll share how with the help of expert time management!

Lining up in the front corral it was clear that West Side Runners (WSX) and New York Athletic Club (NYAC) would be duking this one out for the top team (see the NYRR race report here). Barely 400 meters into the race I found myself in the mid teens with 5 or so runners from each of these teams ahead of me. I passed the first mile in around 5:20, the second in 10:40, and then settled into 5:25-30 miles.

With the Warren Street men at the start

For most of the race I found myself isolated. From 2 through 5 miles I traded strides and places with someone new to the local running scene who I was unfamiliar. Passing  the 5 mile mark in 27:02, I got a gap on this guy and found myself running alone until John Davies of NYAC breezed passed in the 7th mile. John quickly opened up a gap on me. It was a timely kick up the backside as one often needs three quarters into a race when one is prone to losing concentration.

In the closing stages I could see a sub-50, equivalent to my Bronx 10 performance albeit that was on a flatter course (this one took in the middle 4 mile loop and the bottom 5 mile loop, missing the northern hills but still taking in Cat Hill twice) was off the charts so I reconciled on running 50:30. Which I did with 5 seconds in hand.

Heading to the five mile mark

My 50:25 was good 10th overall, 1st place masters and top AG of 92.04 (once NYRR have corrected for 9th place  Michele Giangaspro, a 47 year old 23 minute 5K runner who posted 3 PRs back to back). I got to hang out in the finishers area to see team mates finish – Carlo Agostinetto (2nd M35-39 and a PR in 51:25), Sebastien Baret (3rd M35-39 in 52:03), Danny Tateo (1st M50 in 55:37), Alex Lorton (final scorer in 5 man open team with 55:48), Antonio Nebres (2nd man in 3 man masters team with 56:59) and Fabio Casadio (57:21).

Sebatian B. looking good at five miles.

So with December 28 closing in fast I now have one race left as a M40-49 runner – next Saturday’s 2015 USATF New York 10 km Championships in Central Park, a place that is my second home. I will soon reach my goal of 50 – years rather than minutes.

Race Report: NYRR Five-Borough Series – Bronx 10-Mile, New York, September 27, 2015

by Paul Thompson

This race came as a timely shot in the arm. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all I’d put in a good few months training with many 70 mile training weeks and spent last weekend training in Boulder. But confidence was low on back of some mediocre performances at distances below my bandwidth, like the Fifth Avenue Mile. I’d also not raced at a distance of 10 miles or more since November 2013 so I was in uncharted waters. But an ‘easy’ opening mile in 5:18 put all my concerns to rest: the engine room had plenty of horsepower. I ended the day with my best ever age-graded (AG) performance.

It’s been 3 years since Paul last raced in this borough

The Bronx 10-Mile is a classic race. Classic in distance – a rarely run imperial distance that harks back to Chariots of Fire days. And classic in venue – much of the out and back course (Download Course Map (PDF)), gently undulating with a 600 meter steady incline just after the 10k mark, is on the Grand Concourse, the borough’s main artery. A record field of over 9,300 toed the line and, thanks in part to prize money and being a part of the NYRR Club Championship series, was loaded with talent. So it was no surprise that course records would tumble – Ayele Megersa Feisa setting a new mark for men in 48:18 and Salome Koskei for the women’s in 56:57.

They’re off and some really mean business

The course record looked vulnerable barely a mile into the race. As I passed the mile mark in 5:18 the leading two, sporting bright yellow tops, were over 100 meters ahead of me. In the early miles I settled into running 5:18-22 pace and by three miles I was running in a 5 main pack pack including Michael Cassidy, Brent Frissora and Bobby Asher.

While running relaxed, strong and confident I was in the company of guys that, in recent years at least, typically beat me. That left me wondering whether I was out of my depth. Turns out I was not. During the approximately 2.5 mile section that’s not run on the Grand Concourse, I emerged as the driving force of the pack. I passed 5 miles in 26:57, an average of 5:24 mpm. By the time we got back onto the Grand Concourse at around 6.5 miles I  was edging away from the pack. Unfortunately I had no one to chase: I could barely see the runner ahead.

The route back was slightly net downhill and we had a tail wind filling our sails. The roadway on the other side was full of runners headed out, many cheering us on. As I reached 8 miles I realized I had stepped up the pace to 5:20 mpm. I seemed to be clear of my chasers. I was wrong. Soon after Michael Cassidy came cruising past and went on the open a big gap.  With the finishing line in sight I dug deep and found that long lost sprint finish. I crossed the line in 53:36, 40 seconds faster than my last Bronx 10 in 2012. The pictures capture the finale.

Sprinting hard for the finish line

This was my best race performance for sometime. I was first masters, 13th overall (lucky for some), first age grade on 93.26% and ranks me second on the UK rankings in 2015 for M45-49. But more importantly the Warren Street team boasted PRs for Sam Lynch (5th overall in 50:40), Carlo Agostinetto (54:57), Aaron Mendelsohn (56:17), Alex Lorton (58:10), Paul Sorace (64:17) and Michael Watling (67:14) and secured 3rd open team (Sam, Carlo, Aaron, Alex and I) and 1st masters (Aaron, Peter Heimgartner (60:07) and I). I was in the minority without a PR! How’s that?

Warren Street and friends team photo (clockwise from top left – Christopher Stewart (Urban Athletics), Aaron, me, Alex, Fabio Casadio and Carlo

For my post race warm down I ran down the Grand Concourse with Aaron to Marcus Garvey Park where Sham had parked the car. There I waited for Sham and her running buddy Kelly Gould to run / walk their way back. As they came into view Kelly’s smile was as wide as Madison Avenue. And she had good reason, running 1:23:22, a 7 minute PR!

Kelly Gould was ecstatic thanks to a 7 minute PR

Back home Sham – coach, manager, driver, camera woman – turned chef. She whisked up a brunch of egg and sausage on home-baked bread washed down with mimosas.

No better way to follow a race with brunch thanks to Sham