Long Distance Voyager

Bridge of the Week #78: Porpoise Bridge

2012-01-29T20:36:00.000-08:00

This week's bridge is the Porpoise Bridge over the Flushing River in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. Its location is just east of the ramp coming down from the subway and LIRR stations, and near the miniature golf course.

It is a fixed bridge, but includes tidal gates to prevent high tides or flooding further into the park. This is the southernmost (inlandmost) bridge before the Flushing River is "buried", or diverted into tubes and covered by parkland. There are some proposals being put forth to restore the river to daylight.

This bridge was built for the 1939 World's Fair to protect the fairgrounds from flooding and saltwater, and according to one source was originally called Meridian Road Bridge, although according to Google Maps the park road that crosses it is now called Perimeter Road, although I don't think it really matters, since it's just an access road for park employees and other official vehicles. Tide Gate Bridge is a name given on a sign-map in the park, but I think that's more descriptive than an official name. The sign in the picture above is good enough for me. Apparently it got its current name because at the 1939 World's Fair there was nearby a statue of a woman with porpoises dancing around her.

Bridge of the Week #77: Rockaway Blvd. Bridge (#1)

2012-01-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

This week's bridge is only a few steps away from last week's bridge, this is the Rockaway Boulevard Bridge. I put the #1 up there because there's another bridge on the same street farther north. Neither bridge has an official name as far as I could find, and neither is very interesting or unique in its own right.

This bridge is more interesting and unique in its location. It's at the southern end of the tiny area sometimes called Meadowmere, which itself is a little appendix dangling from the southern tip of Rosedale, Queens, east of JFK airport. This bridge runs south from this appendix over Hook Creek to Meadowmere Park, Nassau County, where Rockaway Blvd. becomes Rockaway Turnpike. Hook Creek is one of the little inlets in the JFK area on the east side of Jamaica Bay.

There are no large parks in the immediate area, although the Rockaway beaches are just a few miles to the south. So if you happen to live in Rosedale, Laurelton, Springfield Gardens or other areas of southeastern Queens, this could be on your way if you want to run to the beach. Otherwise, there's probably not much reason for a runner to cross this bridge. It's a fixed steel and concrete bridge, I don't know when it was built or exactly how long it is (maybe 100 feet or so). But there it is.

The name of the bridge, of course, comes from the street, but the name Rockaway, which refers to the peninsula of Long Island that extends westward from more or less the area of this bridge, comes from a Lenape word, roughly "Rack-a-wak-e" which is believed to mean "place of sands."

Bridge of the Week #76: Meadowmere Park Bridge

2012-01-14T06:55:00.000-08:00

I know with the Hawtree Basin Bridge I'd already said that was the last footbridge, but not so. This week's bridge is the Meadowmere Park Bridge between the extreme southern tip of Rosedale, Queens and Meadowmere Park in Nassau County.

This wooden footbridge is one of the little hidden gems of the city that I'm sure few people ever see. It's tucked away between two tiny neighborhoods along the marshy inlets east and south of JFK Airport that eventually feed into Jamaica Bay. This particular waterway if the Head of Bay Inlet according to some sources, Hook Creek according to others. I'm going with Head of Bay Inlet, not that it really matters much. The waters all kind of mingle among each other here.

The bridge itself is nice enough, although not entirely upkept, with the "EA" of the "MEADOWMERE PARK" lettering having fallen off (see 2nd picture). I haven't been able to find a date the bridge was built.

The location and the neighborhood is what's fascinating about this bridge. As Rockaway Boulevard runs through Rosedale, Queens along the eastern edge of JFK Airport south towards the Five Towns area of Nassau County, there is a tiny triangle of land west of the boulevard, called Meadowmere, that is home to 66 people and four short streets (1st-3rd Sts, and Meyer Ave.), no more than a couple hundred yards in any direction. The houses all look to be in some state of repair, or disprepair. The neighborhood only got sewer service from New York City in 2007. Through a quirk in geography, the tiny Nassau County neighborhood to which the bridge connects actually is to the west of the Queens neighborhood, as it's on a small island that hooks up to the north.

For runners, it's not easy to get to this area, but that's what makes it fun. There are no subways in the area, but there is bus service along Rockaway Blvd., and the Lawrence and Cedarhurst LIRR stations are not too far to the south. There is a long, isolated stretch of Rockaway Boulevard along the northeastern edge of the airport, that at least has a sidewalk. You can also get there by taking Brookville Blvd. south from Rosedale. Or, from Far Rockaway, you can go east to Inwood and Lawrence, up Rockaway Turnpike, which becomes Rockaway Blvd. Not an obious runners' destination, but worth making a visit if you're ready for a long run. There are also a couple of other bridges nearby that I will discuss in future posts.

2011 Running Year in Review

2011-12-30T18:34:00.001-08:00

As I was thinking about the year gone by, as far as running, I thought it would be a good idea to put down my reflections in my blog. It was definitely a big year for me, so here is a basic summary of what made it so big, the highs and the lows, the daily grind and the new adventures.

First of all, the numbers. In 2011 I ran 3,197 miles (plus whatever I run Dec. 31), which might sounds like a lot but I'm sure a lot of people will be surprised it's so low. I ran 18 races, which break down as follows: 9 ultras (1 48-hour, 2 24-hour, 3 6-hour, 1 100-mile 3-day race, 1 50-mile and 1 50-km), 3 marathons, 4 half marathons, and 2 5-mile races. I got four ultra wins, which will at least get me onto UltraRunning Magazine's year-end list (BUS 6-Hour, 3 Days At The Fair 48-Hour, Pioneer Memorial 3-Day 100-Mile Trek, North Coast 24-Hour), and 1 tie marathon win (The July 4th Marathon, with Dennis Ball). All of the half marathons and two of the marathons were on the calendar of the incredibly suucessful and popular Holiday Marathons. I set two PR's (marathon and 48 hours), and three that were pretty darn close to PR's (6 hours, 5 miles and 24 hours). I won the New York Ultrarunning Grand Prix for the third time. Oh, and one American record and one national championship.

Not bad, considering that the year started on a low point in Phoenix, with me having pulled out of the Across The Years 48-hour race on the last day of 2010, a day earlier than planned, with a strained achilles. Fortunately it wasn't serious, and with a little icing and resting I was able to get back to normal training before long.

But I think it's fair to say the highlight of the year was 3 Days at the Fair 48-hour race, May 13-15, where I set a new American record (just ratified by USATF!) by almost nine miles, a total of 257.34 miles, which is also a world-best for 2011! No need to rehash the story when I've already written about it, but it was just a race when everything went perfectly according to plan. But I'll repeat my big thanks to RD Rick McNulty, Lydia Redding for crewing, my PT Jack Mantione, additional help from Sabrina Moran's family, and to Mike Arnstein and Mike Oliva for throwing me the awesomest bash ever!!!

Besides that, of course winning a second 24-hour national championship in three years at North Coast in Cleveland was another big highlight, with 153 miles. I'll get that PR yet!!! But it officially puts me back on the U.S. team for the 2012 world championships in Poland in September. Very much looking forward to that! My Boston Marathon PR was also very exciting. People who know me well know i'm not too concerned about my marathon times, but it really would be nice to get under 2:50! Maybe in 2012.

The one other race that I am very proud of, that many might have overlooked, was the Pioneer Memorial Trek, 3-day 100-mile race. It took place just two weeks after my 48 hour, and I wasn't sure if I'd be recovered enough to run it at all, but I knew I wanted to if at all possible because of the historical significance to the race, the fact that it honors Ted Corbitt and the other members of the Pioneer Club. The race has been held every two years since 1981, but this could be the last one, unless Rich Innamorato changes his mind, which I hope he does. But aside from some foot pain, I was feeling ok, so I gave it a shot, and I not only finished, but I won, winning each day's leg. And that was my third straight victory for that race.

I only ran two NYRR races in 2011, both 5-milers. But I was very happy with the Team Championships in August, where I came close to a PR - not bad for an old man! Shows I still have some speed left.

So for the lowlights, aside from the forementioned Across The Years just before New Year's, the big crash was without doubt the Back On My Feet Lone Ranger 24 hour race in Philadelphia in July. There I lacked the mental focus needed to deal with the heat and the somewhat unfamiliar situation of a long 8-mile loop. But not a total loss, as I did learn a few things from my mistakes, not to mention that it was a fundraiser for a very worthy cause.

The other lowlight was the cancellation of the 2011 world championship 24-hour race. After the 2010 race in Brive, it was announced that the 2011 race was confirmed for Brugg, Switzerland. In late 2010 the organizers in Brugg pulled out when they apparently had trouble getting the funding for the race, and the IAU couldn't find a replacement. It was a real shame, and a black mark not only on the Brugg organizers, but on the IAU.

Besides the races, I enjoyed some very fun group long runs, a loop around Manhattan, or a tour of the bridges of Manhattan, or the A Train from end to end. I hope to do a lot more of these in 2012.

But the thing that really stands out for the year is all the new friendships I made, or the recent friendships that got stronger. There are a lot of young, enthusiastic runners out there in New York, whether it's the Dashing Whippets or Dennis Ball's Tri Team, not to mention the Mikes and The Holiday Marathons, or the many other runners I got to know over the past year. The running future in New York looks very, very bright! Of course that is not at all meant to diminish my old friends, and "old" friends (they'd be the first to admit! lol). There's such a great community of runners here, I'm really looking forward to sharing the next year with them all!

So what exactly will I be sharing with them? The only race that's set in stone is the 24-hour world championships in Poland in September (hopefully it won't be cancelled). I will probably run the 3 Days at the Fair 48-hour race again in May, will possibly go down to Oklahoma in October to run 24 The Hard Way. I would love to run Badwater again if I can scrape together the dough. Locally I'm not entirely sure what's on the schedule, except for Caumsett, which I will probably run again. I'll probably do some marathons of halfs with The Holiday Marathons, and I would like to find a fast road marathon to try for a sub-2:50. Probably a couple of NYRR races, probably not the NY Marathon. I'm going to look for other races put on by smaller organizations. A lot of "probably's" there, but that's the scoop. I will also be putting on the RD cap with a 100-mile run in June, small and low-key, but promises to be a lot of fun (because I promise it).

And finally, a big thank you to all of you who are reading this now! It always amazes me that anyone cares what I have to say. Best wishes to you all for the new year - stay happy and healthy!

Pics: 1. Breaking the 48-hour record at Three Days at the Fair in Augusta, NJ; 2. Connie Gardner and me, 24-hour national champions at North Coast in Cleveland; 3. Hopkinton in April; 4. Dennis Ball and me after The July 4th Marathon; 5. The 10 runners who started the A Train run in the summer - 6 of us ran the whole 34 miles.

Bridge of the Week #75: Boston Road Bridge

2011-12-28T20:24:00.001-08:00

This week's bridge (even though it's a couple weeks late) is the last bridge I will be covering over the Bronx River - the Boston Road Bridge.

This bridge is not to be confused with the bridge farther north up Boston Road, over the Hutchinson River, which is called the Eastchester Bridge. This bridge is just south of the Pelham Parkway intersection, and west of the Bronx River Parkway, at the eastern entrance of the Bronx Zoo. Zoogoers must cross the bridge on foot to enter the zoo from the parking lot. Boston Road itself, in fact, has restricted vehicular access here and through the zoo, before regular public access resumes at E. 180th St. But you can very easily run, or walk here from Bronx Park East and the Pelham Parkway (very near the elevated subway station for the 2 and 5 trains). But as it's the entrance to the zoo, there are a lot of pedestrians, and it leads only to the zoo entrance, so not really a great running bridge. But it is near Bronx Park, which has a beautiful greenway north of Pelham Parkway, and Pelham Parkway, which has a nice greenway as well.

The bridge itself is a basic concrete bridge, I don't have the numbers on it, but you can get an idea of its length and appearance from the pictures above. One source lists it as being built in 1920, which sounds good to me. I'll mention here as well that Boston Road, called Boston Post Road north of the NYC line, was obviously so named because it was a road built in the 1700's to carry mail to and from Boston.

As I mentioned, this is the last bridge over the Bronx River that I will write about. However, according to Google Maps there are two other bridges over the river in the New York Botanical Garden, whic carry a roadway, named Bronx Park Road, over the river twice as it loops through the park. But the Botanical Garden charges admission, and since this is meant for runners' information, and runners are unlikely to pay to go into a park to do their run (and in fact I admit I've never been into the Botanical Garden), I won't be writing about those two bridges.

And also since this is the last time I'll mention the Bronx River, it's a good time to give a little trivia note. It's well-known that the name Bronx comes from Jonas Bronck, a Swedish-born Dutch settler who established a farm near the river in 1639. When he died in 1643 the river, named Aquehung, or "River of High Bluffs," by the Mohegan, became known as Bronck's River (later Bronx River). But the name Bronx was not associated with any area of land for centuries. The villages in what is now The Bronx all had their own names and were part of Westchester County until 1874 when New York City (just Manhattan at the time) annexed the villages west of the Bronx River, but it was all still named simply New York City, and New York County. In 1895 the city annexed the rest of what is now the Bronx, but it was still just called New York City, and New York County, until 1898 and the consolidation of Greater New York - the annexation of Queens, Kings and Richmond Counties, which became the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Only then did the northern borough receive its name, after the river that runs through it. (And it was only in 1914 that the borough achieved separate county status from New York County, and became Bronx County.) All that is a long way of saying that the borough was named after the river, more than actually after Mr. Bronck himself.

Sorry, one more trivia note about the river: it is the only true river in New York City, and not a tidal body of water. So there.

Bridge of the Week #74: Goethals Bridge

2011-12-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

This week's bridge is the Goethals Bridge, which spans Arthur Kill between Staten Island and Elizabeth, New Jersey. It is a steel-truss cantilever bridge with a central span of 672 feet and a total length of 7,109 feet, with a clearance of 140 feet above the water. It carries four lanes of traffic, two in each direction, and it has sidewalks on both the north and south sides that have been closed for many years.

Of all the bridges in the city, this has one of the more interesting histories and an interesting future. As far back as the 1860's a bridge or series of bridges have been proposed between Staten Island and New Jersey. But in 1924, with the increase of motor vehicles and the economic advantages to linking Staten Island with New Jersey, the states of New York and New Jersey passed legislation allowing construction of two bridges to take place, one near the north end of the island to Elizabeth, NJ, and one near the south end to Perth Amboy, to be carried out by the new Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority was already constructing the Holland Tunnel as the first auto connection between the two states, and these two bridges would be the Authority's first bridges. Both the Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing were designed by John Alexander Low Waddell and opened on June 29, 1928. The Goethals Bridge (usually pronounced "Goth-" as in "gothic", sometimes I've heard "Go-", rhyming with "toe", which I believe may be more accurate, I've never heard it pronounced as if it were German with an umlaut and a hard "t", so don't try to be clever and pronounce it that way) was named after Major General George Washington Goethals, who supervised construction of the Panama Canal and was the first consulting engineer of the Port Authority. Sadly, he died in January of 1928, and didn't live to see the bridge opened.

Both bridges were built with pedestrian access. The walkways on the Outerbridge were eliminated in 1963 according to one source, to allow widening of the four traffic lanes. The walkways on the Goethals are still there for the most part, but fenced off. The south walkway I believe is partially deconstructed on the New Jersey end, but I've read reports that it's possible, even easy, though illegal, to hop the wall on the north side and cross. I haven't done this, nor do I recommend it. Access to the walkways was available, and the fenced-off entrances can still be viewed, west of the Forest Avenue intersections with Western Ave. (south walkway) and Goethals Road North (north walkway). In Elizabeth, the entrance appears to be west of the New Jersey Turnpike at Trenton Ave. But seriously, I've never crossed on foot, and I'm not saying you should. I've never been in that area of Elizabeth on foot. On Staten Island, there's not much for houses or businesses in the immediate area, but to the east is the neighborhood of Mariner's Harbor. But around there, most people get around by car or bus, and there's not much of interest to runners.

The Goethals charges a toll for drivers, but it was not self-supporting financially until the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was opened in 1964, with which the Goethals is connected by means of the Staten Island Expressway. With the added traffic, and the fact that its traffic lanes are only 10 feet wide, making it dangerous for trucks and buses (and just downright scary even in a car), the bridge has been labeled "functionally obsolete," which is fine, since it has less than 10 years left of its lifespan anyway. Ideas were discussed about rehabilitation, possibly adding a twin bridge just to the south, but it was decided to build a completely new, six-lane cable-stay bridge and tear down the existing bridge. One article that I found from a few years ago gave a 2016 completion date, a more recent article said 2017. Another, still more recent, said that the President's latest budget was cutting out infrastructure projects such as this, so I'm not so optimistic. But the artist's renderings of the proposed bridge look beautiful, and it would include pedestrian walkways. On the downside, Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro wants to sell naming rights to the new bridge like many sports stadiums and football bowl games. So we could end up with a Qualcom Bridge or a GoDaddy.com Bridge. Let's hope this insanity is limited to his head only.

Pics: 1. Aerial view of the Goethals Bridge, courtesy of the Port Authority; 2. Ground view looking towards New Jersey from Goethals Road North; 3. The fenced-off north sidewak entrance; 4. The north walkway, as seen by leaning over the wall; 5. Stairway leading to the south walkway.

College Football Playoff

2011-12-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

Now that the regular season and conference championship games are over, I once again came up with my ideal playoff scenario. I can't imagine anyone objectively defending the BCS system or even the existence of the BCS. Originally establishing itself ostensibly with the worthy goal of setting up a national championship game to determine a definitive number one team. Previously, the bowl games chose participating teams based on their own interests, plus there were conference affiliations that often prevented a number one versus number two game. You might remember that the Big 8 champion went to the Orange Bowl, Big 10 and Pac 10 to the Rose Bowl, Southwest Conference to the Cotton Bowl, Southeast to the Sugar Bowl. As a result, there wsa sometimes a controversy over who was number one at the end of the season, and sometimes the AP and UPI (later the coaches' poll) chose different champions.

So the BCS was supposed to end the controversy, but if anything the controversies have increased, over who should be chosen for the championship game. Sometimes, like this year, one team is a clear choice with several teams possible for the second spot, sometimes there is no clear choice at all, and sometimes the clear choice is left out entirely, like the example I always bring up, the 2008 Utah Utes. Utah and TCU were the only undefeated teams at the end of the regular season, but not being from one of the "BCS Conferences", neither one received any serious consideration for the championship game, the excuse being that since they were from "small conferences" they haven't played a strong enough schedule. But both teams' play, especially Utah's, throughout the season showed that they were as strong as any other team in the country. One-loss Ohio State and two-loss LSU went to the championship game that year. Utah beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl by two touchdowns.

There are many problems with the BCS, the most glaring being that it has chosen six conferences as members, supposedly the strongest conferences. Generally they are the stronger conferences, but in recent years no one can honestly say that the Big East or even the ACC are stronger than the Mountain West or the WAC (at least before the defection of Utah), or this year Conference USA. No matter how strong TCU or Houston or Boise State actually are, it's predetermined before the season even starts that they will have no chance of playing for a national championship. This is also the greatest hypocrisy of the BCS, that it purports to have the championship decided "on the field, not in the polls", but those who have displayed "on the field" that they have been better than their opponent every week are passed over for a team that has displayed "on the field" that another was better than them on at least one particular day. And then the undefeated team is supposed to get on their knees with thanks that they were selected to "a BCS bowl". I won't even get into the problems with the methodology of the BCS poll.

People have been proposing some changes that include a four or six team playoff system within the BCS. The only real choice is to totally dismantle the BCS. It serves no positive function, and only takes money from the bowl games and from tv advertisers, money that could go back to the universities. It has planted itself pretty securely and may be tough to dislodge, but maybe by pulling it up from its roots (the advertisers) it could be done.

So on to the good part - my playoff system. It would be a 16-team standard playoff that would automatically include ALL 11 conference champions and five at-large teams that would be chosen and seeded by a reliable and accountable independent commission. An independent team, such as Notre Dame, could be chosen as an at-large team. This system ensures that an undefeated team has a chance at a national championship. The games could be played at the higher-seeded team's stadium, except for the championship game, which could be a Super Bowl-like game. Teams not chosen for the playoffs could still play in bowl games.
The conference champions for 2011 are:
ACC - Clemson
Big East - West Virginia (actually a 3-way tie with Cincinnati and Louisville, but WVU is chosen by the BCS and for argument's sake is chosen here as well)
Big Ten - Wisconsin
Big 12 - Oklahoma State
Conference USA - Southern Miss
Mid-American - Northern Illinois
Mountain West - TCU
Pac-12 - Oregon
Southeastern - LSU
Sun Belt - Arkansas State
Western Athletic - Louisiana Tech

With no commission yet in place, I have chosen the five at-large teams: Alabama, Stanford, Boise State, Arkansas, Houston. (Note: USC is ineligible for postseason play.)

I have also seeded the teams as follows, based not only on record and conference standing but also to prevent rematches or postpone them as long as possible.
1. LSU, 2. Oklahoma State, 3. Alabama, 4. Wisconsin, 5. Oregon, 6. Stanford, 7. Arkansas, 8. Southern Miss, 9. TCU, 10. Boise State, 11. Houston, 12. Arkansas State, 13. Clemson, 14. Northern Illinois, 15. West Virginia, 16. Louisiana Tech.

If the higher-seeded teams each win the first two rounds, the semifinals would then include LSU against Wisconsin (or Oregon, close call there), and Oklahoma State against Alabama. Now that would be a championship!

Bridge of the Week #73: Saw Mill Creek Bridge

2011-11-25T13:24:00.001-08:00

This week's bridge is again on Staten Island - the Saw Mill Creek Bridge. This steel and concrete bridge carries Chelsea Road over the Saw Mill Creek in the Bloomfield area of Staten Island, an area south of the Goethals Bridge, west of the West Shore Expressway, where there are inlets and wetlands off Arthur Kill, the waterway between Staten Island and New Jersey. There are some industrial areas there and a few other businesses, but not much for residences nearby.

I don't have any stats on the bridge, the first picture above pretty much tells the story of its size. (The second picture is the view west from the bridge.) There are sidewalks on the bridge, but no sidewalks on Chelsea Road leading to and from the bridge. But when I ran it, there was little traffic on the road. While there actually can be some appeal to running on these low-traffic remote roads, I wouldn't think a lot of runners from other parts of the city or the borough would have much interest in taking the bus all the way out here for their run. Unless they happen to want to run all the bridges of the city.

Race Report: JFK 50 Mile

2011-11-20T16:13:00.000-08:00

After years of being told I have to run JFK, the largest ultra in the country with over 1,000 finishers and possibly the oldest continuous existing ultra, I had signed up for the 2011 race. This race started out from a comment by Theodore Roosevelt that all military personnel should be able to cover 50 miles on foot in 20 hours. The first race was held in 1963 under Kennedy's administration.

I rode down to the host hotel in Hagerstown, Maryland with long Island runners George Worth, Jim Morris and Tim Henderson (first pic above). We received some shocking news at the pre-race briefing by race director Mike Spinnler, that the administrator of the Appalachian Trail, Pamela Underhill, not only refused a permit for an additional 500 runners but stated that no permit would be given for the Appalachian Trail after 2012, saying "the runners won't mind not using the Appalachian Trail"!!! What's up with officials refusing or rescinding permits for ultras (as in Morris County, NJ)?!?! Mike is hoping to get a Congressional resolution passed to allow continued use of the trail for six hours one day a year for future races. Please check back with the JFK 50 web site for details and updates.

But back to the race. I hadn't run this race before, and I haven't run any 50-mile race in quite a while, so I really had no idea how I would do. Only the first 15.5 miles is on hilly, tough trails, so I was estimating something between 6:30 (on the very optimistic side) and 7:00. I wasn't planning to worry too much about competition, just to get on the trails, which I don't do too often, step outside my comfort zone a bit and enjoy one of the most celebrated ultras in the country with the richest tradition.

I'm guessing that most people reading this have either run the race or know people who have, so I won't bother with a course description. The weather was good, cold at the start in Boonsboro at 31 degrees, but a forecast high near 50. Once we got on the Appalachian Trail, I understood what everyone meant when they warned me about the rocky trail. Most of it was fine and with some careful foot placement was very runnable, but a few sections were really tricky and tough to maneuver. Still, I was happy with my pace on the trails as I descended the switchbacks on my way to the to the towpath.

And once on the smooth, flat towpath I tried to get into a good road-type pace, hoping to pass some of the runners ahead. It was hard for me at this point to judge my pace, but there were mile markers on the side of the path, so when I did check my pace, I was happy to see it near 7:00 per mile. The scenery along the Potomac was beautiful to be sure, but I was getting a little chilled when the path went into the shade. But it was similar scenery the entire 26-mile length, and after roughly the 30-mile point I wasn't seeing any other runners, so it was getting a little lonely and it was tough to feel like I was making forward progress. The aid stations helped a lot with both of those issues, and they were tended by an amazing bunch of volunteers. So I was counting down the miles on the towpath, even as I did slow down a little the last several miles.

After about a 3:20 marathon on the towpath I finally turned onto the road for the last 8.5 miles, and I felt like I was home, being on pavement again! I was able to pick up the pace a little bit, and I saw a runner a couple hundred yards ahead of me, and I had hopes of catching him. Starting at eight miles to go, mile markers were place alongside the road, allowing me to really feel good about getting near the finish. Still, I was never able to get any closer to the runner in front of me, but I wasn't too concerned with that. Coming off the towpath, I looked to be well on track for a sub-seven hour finish, hopefully under 6:50. But as I neared the finish, I pushed a little more and was looking to take a few minutes off that as well. At this point I have to thank my friend Mike Oliva, an outstanding runner himself, who finished JFK in 2010 in 17th place with a time of 6:44 and I didn't remember how many seconds, because his time became my goal near the finish! The last mile seemed to take forever, but I finally finished in 6:44:24. It ended up being 19 seconds faster than Mike's time, so I do have bragging rights, at least for the time being!

So finishing at the school in Williamsport, the runners had massages, medical help, food and showers, and a lot of opportunities to meet and greet and swap stories, which really is the reward for all the work and pain we put ourselves through!

David Riddle won the race with a new course record time, unfathomable, of 5:40:45. Michael Wardian, continuing his amazing year (not to mention his career) finished a close second, also under the old course record, with 5:43:24. Cassie Scallon won the women's race in 6:31:22 and Meghan Arboghast, at age 50, got second with 6:35:16! Fellow New Yorker and past runner-up Mike Arnstein got 5th place. I was happy to see I just cracked the top 20, getting 20th overall, 18th male, and I was especially pleased to see I was 2nd male master, after Jon Lawlor, who finished 7th. My travel companions George, Tim and Jim all finished in excellent times, George taking an hour off his 2010 time. Many other friends ran and finished as well, too many to mention, but a big congratulations to all who ran! A big thanks to Mike Spinnler and all the staff and volunteers, and of course also to Tim Henderson, Jim Morris and George Worth for letting me tag along with them. And as always, a big thanks to my physical therapist, Dr. Jack Mantione, for helping me get the most out of this old body, and without injury.

Pics (sorry there aren't more): 1. Me, George, Jim and Tim back in NY at the GWB Bus Station; 2. Me and Serge Arbona after the race.

Bridge of the Week #72: Richmond Ave. Bridge

2011-11-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

We're back to Staten Island for this week's bridge, the Richmond Ave. Bridge. It carries Richmond Ave. over Richmond Creek, between Forest Hill Road and Arthur Kill Road.

Richmond Ave. here is a busy stretch of six-lane road about a mile south of the Staten Island Mall and just north of the north end of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Parkway (formerly Richmond Parkway). The street runs north-south, and there is a sidewalk on the east side, which appears to get little use. (There is also a sidewalk on the west side, but no sidewalk along the street leading to it.) There is little pedestrian traffic in this area, as indeed most of Staten Island is not at all pedestrian-friendly. Therefore I won't make too many comments, as there is not much here to interest a runner, with the notable exception of an entrance to the Staten Island Greenbelt nearby at the corner of Forest Hill Road and Richmond Ave. The Greenbelt is a large forested area in the middle of the island with a series of hiking - or running - trails, that actually extend, with the help of some on-street sections, all the way to Clove Lakes Park. I admit I haven't explored the Greenbelt much myself, so I can't speak about it too much. Also nearby is the site of the notoriously odoriferous former Fresh Kills Landfill, which was closed for trash duties in 2001, and which is now undergoing renovations to become Fresh Kills Park. Seriously, it has potential.

The bridge itself is just a standard steel and concrete bridge. I don't have stats on it, but it's a low-lying bridge, about 100 or so yards long. You'll notice I didn't even bother to take a picture of the bridge itself. Richmond Creek is part of a series of inlets from Arthur Kill, surrounded by protected wetlands. But don't let that top picture, the view to the east, fool you. This is not a nature lover's paradise. The wetlands are then surrounded by random unplanned development, cookie cutter town houses, and lots of concrete on the ground.

Bridge of the Week #71: George Washington Bridge

2011-10-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

I was going to save this one for last, but seeing as how this week was its 80th birthday, this week's bridge is the massive, majestic, beautiful George Washington Bridge. It opened on October 25, 1931 after four years of construction.

At the time it opened it was the world's longest suspension bridge. Its main span is 3,500 feet long and has a total length of 4,760 feet. It has 212 feet of clearance above the water at mid-span. Originally it was built with a single deck with six lanes of traffic, and an open section in the center that could accommodate either two additional lanes of traffic or a rail line. Eventually the roadway was built, giving the bridge eight lanes of traffic. In 1962 the lower roadway was added for an additional six lanes. It is still the bridge with the greatest vehicular traffic in the world. The bridge connects the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, between 178 and 179 Sts. across the Hudson River to Fort Lee, New Jersey. The main connecting thoroughfares in New Jersey are Route 4 and Interstate 80 westward, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway northward. In Manhattan, the bridge has access to the Hudson River Parkway and Riverside Drive, or leads directly to the Trans-Manhattan Expressway which in turn leads either to the Harlem River Drive, or across the Harlem River to the Cross-Bronx Expressway and the Major Deegan Expressway, as well as street exits. The nearest street access for motor traffic is at 178 St. and Fort Washington Ave coming off the bridge or 179 St. and Fort Washington Avenue entering the bridge.

There are sidewalks on each side, but they are never open at the same time that I've seen. Ususally the south walkway is open, which can be accessed by a ramp just west of the intersection of 178 St. and Cabrini Blvd. If there is some sort of maintenance work going on that they need to close the walkway for, they open the north walkway, which is at 179th St. and Cabrini Blvd. (But to get from one to the other, you have to walk around to Fort Washington Ave.) Both walkways have street access on Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee. The walkway is open only from 6:00 a.m. to midnight, and might be closed altogether in bad weather, such as heavy snow or very high winds. Hope you don't get stuck on one side, because the nearest foot crossings are the Bayonne Bridge (previously covered) about 15 miles to the south and the Bear Mountain Bridge about 35 miles to the north (well outside the city).

Much has been written about the history of this bridge, so I won't repeat all of that, but just a few of the items I found to be most interesting. A bridge across the Hudson from Manhattan had been considered for many years and at many locations. Prior to the GWB, the only road connection between Manhattan and New Jersey was the Holland Tunnel, completed in 1927. One location that had been given the strongest consideration was at 59th St. The current location was eventually favored for two main reasons: thanks to an outcropping of land at that point in Manhattan, the Hudson is at its narrowest there; and the high cliffs on both sides eliminate the need for long, extended onramps. Another interesting fact, the working title of the bridge during planning and construction was simply the Hudson River Bridge, and it was assumed that that would be it's final name. As construction neared completion, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who built the bridge (and still operates it) polled the public to decide on a name. The Authority seemed to favor the George Washington Bridge. Although it seemed fitting to honor him thus since a fort he defended in the Revolutionary War was nearby in Manhattan, others opposed it, in part because there already was a Washington Bridge at 181 St. across the Harlem River to the Bronx. The public voted overwhelmingly in favor of Hudson River Bridge, so the Port Authority naturally went ahead and named it the George Washington Bridge.

The bridge is very nice to run on, the walkway is about 10 feet wide, with enough room for everyone. It is very well-used by cyclists, who sometimes ride in packs, and sometimes there are clusters of tourists, but generally it's easy and safe to run, and except for the Manhattan on-ramp, it diesn't have too much of a hill, and the rise to the center is not very noticeable.

It has plenty to offer runners, even aside from the bridge itself. Northern Manhattan has great places to run, and the bridge entrance is close to access to the Hudson River Greenway, which can be accesseed at W. 181 St. or indirectly from W. 177 St. The Hudson River Greenway runs the length of Manhattan; this section runs through Fort Washington Park from the water treatment plant at 145 St. along the riverside and passes next to the Manhattan tower (and near the Little Red Lighthouse at the foot of the tower), under the bridge and up the hill to go alongside the northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway. About 3/4 mile north of the bridge on Fort Washington Ave. is Fort Tryon Park, a beautiful park with seom good opportunities for hill repeats. The George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal, between Fort Washington Ave. and Broadway, 178 and 179 St., built at the same time as the lower deck of the bridge, has a deli and restroom facilities if needed (although it will soon be undergoing renovations and promises to have much more to offer).

The real treat is actually in New Jersey. Just on the north side of the bridge at Hudson Terrace is the entrance to the Long Path - a trail that extends all the way to the Adirondacks. At Hudson Terrace, you take a couple of stairways towards the north walkway (which is usually closed), and follow the stairs on up to the woods. The path leads along the top of the Palisades and is a great place to leave the city behind. You can even enjoy the Palisades staying on roads by following Hudson Terrace south past the Fort Lee Historical Center and downhill to the vehicle entrance of the Palisades Interstate Parkway. This road runs along the middle of the cliffside, has access to a few riverside dock/park areas and continues on to the park headquarters about seven miles north of the bridge. There is also a trail directly on the riverbank and occasionally trails from the top to bottom, so there are plenty of good places to run here on the Palisades.

This is my favorite bridge of the bunch. It's become an icon, and besides its crucial role in transportation between New York and New Jersey, it's a thing of beauty and a real New York City landmark.

Pics (the first three are my pics): 1. The bridge with towers fully illuminated on Sept. 11, 2010; 2. The view of the bridge from Fort Washington Park below; 3. The view of Manhattan from the bridge; 4. Opening day of the bridge, October 25, 1931, in a photograph by Weegee. Pre-Henry Hudson Parkway, I'm fascinated by the differences with today's spaghetti mess of onramps and offramps. Note also the undeveloped center lanes of the bridge. 5. The bridge under construction with Riverside Drive (currently the northbound HHP) in the foreground.

Race Report: 6-Hour 60th Birthday Run

2011-10-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

The 6-Hour 60th Birthday Run was started by the Greater Long Island Running Club in 2000 to celebrate the 60th birthdays of Barry Aronowski and Mike Polanski. It's been held every year as a celebration of those runners who turn 60 that year. This was the seventh time I've run the race since 2004 (every year except 2008), and it's one of my favorites. It's on a nice course in Sunken Meadow State Park on Long Island (2.1 miles, about 2/3 trail, 1/3 pavement), most of the time the weather has been good, and there's a nice party afterwards with food and beer and birthday cake.

The weather for this year's event was picture-perfect, sunny with a light breeze and temps in the 60s. I was feeling good going into the race, so I thought I might be able to repeat my win from last year and nab my fifth ultra win of the year. As expected, it was a tough battle with Aaron Heath. But first, a little background.

Last year, I was leading late in the race, and I knew I would have one more big lap than Aaron, with race directors sending runners on a short lap, about 1/3 mile, as time ticks down. So I was a little overconfident, and seriously bonking, having not taken in enough calories during the race. So while I was slowing down on the big loop, Aaron was running some fast short loops, and unknown to either of us almost made up the difference, and he finished just .07 mile behind me.

So this year, Aaron and I started out running together at a good pace, and I gradually took a slight lead, but possibly due to some poor nutritional choices the night before, I had to make a bathroom stop after three laps which cost me a few minutes. I came out strong and tried to make up ground, but four laps later, another bathroom break. I came out running strong again, and I was hoping that with more than four hours to go, I could chip away at Aaron's lead. At one point, Ray Krolewicz told me he had about a five minute lead on me. On the one point of the course where you see runners coming towards you after a loop on the trail, I saw Aaron coming out of the loop, which was taking me four minutes to run, so I had at least a couple of hours to try to make up four minutes. The next several laps I didn't see him coming out of the loop, so I was thinking I was making up time, but then I saw him there again, and I figured time was running out for me to catch up.

I came into the start/finish area then with 24 minutes to go, alongside Jodi Kartes-Heino, who was running very well as usual. As we made the first turns around the parking lot I saw someone who looked like Aaron about 100 yards ahead, and I even asked Jodi, "Is that Aaron?" I didn't think I'd be able to catch up to him. She said, "Catch him and find out." I tried to catch him, and as silently as possible, but as I closed in on him on the trail alongside the little creek, I kept kicking dirt and gravel, but he didn't turn to look. I finally caught him, we exchanged a couple of friendly comments (seriously) and for a time we were running side by side with 15 minutes to go. I was confident that having caught up to him, I'd be able to then pull ahead, but he picked up his pace. I was thinking this could be a real exciting finish! But before long he put on a surge of power that I couldn't answer. I tried to keep as close as I could in case he couldn't sustain, but he did. My time for that lap was 16:12, my fastest since about halfway through. Back to the start/finish and on to the short loops, he stayed ahead, and ended up finishing .18 mile ahead of me, 45.41 to 45.23 miles. But I can't complain, it's a good total, and I'm happy that I finished strong.

But congratulating Aaron after the race, he told me that he never knew I took those bathroom breaks, and he thought I was ahead of him, and when I caught up to him at the end, he thought I was lapping him! Good thing for him his motivation to not be lapped was as good as motivation to not relinquish the lead!

Jodi ended up winning the women's race, for at least the third time I believe. She really does well here. Susan Warren and Alicja Barahona were 2nd and 3rd women. Jerry Panullo was third man. For those born in 1951, the men's winner was James Gawle from Massachusetts with more than 33 miles, and the women's winner was Patricia Carroll with 23.

As always, it was good to enjoy a beautiful day on the trails with so many friends, and a great way to end the New York-area ultra year. Next up: JFK!

Bridge of the Week #70: Travis Ave. Bridge

2011-10-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'm actually going to try to get these last several bridges in pretty quickly here, so here goes. This bridge actually falls under the category of "don't even bother." The Travis Ave. Bridge on Staten Island in the Travis neighborhood sits on Travis Ave. (naturally) and crosses the Fresh Kills Main Creek. It sits about a quarter of a mile east of Victory Boulevard on a stretch of road about a mile long on the way to Richmond Ave. that has no sidewalk, no shoulder and no respect for the speed limit. Not good for running. The bridge itself is a standard steel and concrete bridge, not very long, not very interesting.

The road runs down the middle of parkland and a wildlife refuge, off-limits to human visitors, and it doesn't connect to anything or go on the way to anywhere of interest to runners, except to bridge freaks like me. It is actually not far from the Staten Island Mall, and not far from the site of the future Fresh Kills Park, but there are better ways to get to either location than this road. The wetlands and creek areas around here are nice, but there are better places to go to get a glimpse of them.

Travis, the town, was named after Colonel Jacob Travis, an early resident of the area. The neighborhood is one of the city's more sparsely populated, and has a somewhat small-town feel to it.

Bridge of the Week #69: Town Bridge

2011-10-12T13:10:00.001-07:00

This week's bridge is one of the little gems that is often overlooked, that has the distinction of being not only the oldest existing bridge in the city (I believe, but most certainly in my survey), but is also the shortest: the Town Bridge.

This is a small stone arch bridge built in 1845 (as you can tell from the sign in the picture above), and it carries Arthur Kill Road over the Richmond Creek in the area of Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island, just north of the intersection of Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Road before Arthur Kill Road becomes Richmond Hill Road. (Yes, keeping all the "Richmond" places straight on Staten Island, aka Richmond County, is no small task.) Just from observation, the bridge looks to be about 10 feet long. But it is wide enough to carry a two-lane road, although with no sidewalks. Many of the streets in this area have no sidewalks, shoulders or room for runners or pedestrians other than on the far edge of the traffic lane.

Historic Richmond Town is one of Staten Island's most significant historic and tourist sites. It includes buildings that date back to the 17th century, and it has many special events. Just on the north side of the creek is St. Andrew's Church with a churchyard/graveyard that looks like it's straight out of a haunted house movie (no offense to those resting there). The streets here are not runner-friendly, as is the case on most of the island, unfortunately, but in this area, near St. Andrew's Church, you can connect to the miles of trails in the Staten Island Greenbelt. These trails can take you to near the Staten Island Mall, to Willowbrook Park, or even all the way to Clove Lake Park. I admit that I haven't explored these trails much at all, but they are another one of Staten Island's great resources, I believe.

Bridge of the Week Bonus: Manhattan Valley Viaduct

2011-10-01T16:44:00.001-07:00

This is a bonus entry, since it isn't a bridge by the terms I've set out for myself, but a viaduct. In other words, it doesn't go over a body of water but connects two hills on either side of what is known as Manhattan Valley roughly at 125th St. I decided to do a report on this viaduct since it's a good size and significant, and it's got aesthetic value, particularly from underneath, and it's a good place to run.

The viaduct itself carries Riverside Drive across the Manhattan Valley from just north of 122 St. at the General Grant National Memorial (Grant's Tomb) to 135 St. It has four wide lanes of traffic as well as parking lanes and sidewalks on both sides. There's plenty of room to run or walk, as it does have a lot of pedestrian traffic, and the roadway even has plenty of room for cyclists, even without bike lanes. But it should be noted that the sidwalks are almost never cleared of snow in the winter. The viaduct is good for runners, as you can run along the west sidewalk of Riverside Drive, usually alongside Riverside Park, without having to cross any streets between 95 St. and just north of 165 St.

Directly underneath the viaduct is 12th Ave, from St. Clair Place to 135 St. 12th Ave. itself is a horrible place to run, since there's a lot of traffic, and the sidewalks are taken up by forklifts and the bike lane usually taken up by delivery trucks for Fairway grocery store. Fortunately, last year Harlem Piers Park opened a block to the west, right along the river, connecting the Cherry Walk to the south with a dedicated bike lane and sidewalk leading to Fort Washington Park to the north. This enables a runner to run traffic-free directly along the river from the midtown piers to Dyckman St. That option doesn't involve running on the viaduct, but it's good that runners have those options.

Prior to the viaduct, Riverside Drive ran only from 72 St. to the loop around the current location of Grant's Tomb (completed 1897) and Claremont Dolphin Playground, the northern tip of which is as far north as nearby Tiemann Place (then 127 St.). Where the playground is now, there used to be located the Claremont Inn, a hotel with some big names among its customers. An eastern branch of Riverside Drive also continued, as it still does, downhill from about a block north of 122 St. down to St. Clair Place. In 1897 a bond issue passed to permit the continuation of Riverside Drive north to 157 St. and connect to Boulevard Lafayette (which would be renamed Riverside Drive as well). This extension would require construction of the viaduct, which was completed in 1900. The city council wanted to pass the bond issue in 1897 before the 1898 consolidation with the other boroughs into Greater New York, since the other boroughs had more debt and the bond issue might not have passed after consolidation. The history and development of Riverside Drive/Boulevard Lafayette/Henry Hudson Parkway is fascinating, and may be the subject of another post after I'm done with my bridges.

Pictures: 1. Underneath the viaduct, looking south along 12th Ave. from 135 St.; 2. Looking north on the west side of the viaduct; 3. Looking north from Claremont Dolphon Playground.

Race Report: North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run

2011-09-21T11:55:00.001-07:00

Satuday, September 17 saw the start of the 3rd annual North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run in Cleveland, which for the third year hosted the USATF 24 hour national championship. It's a very well-done event put on by Race Director Dan Horvath and his mighty team of volunteers, aid station workers, the medical team once again headed by Dr. Andy Lovy, and the timing system this year by Rick McNulty of the New Jersey Trail Series.

The excellent organization of the race, the near-perfect course of 0.90075 miles, and the weather which has been excellent each year here so far all helped to sell out the 200 available spots and to draw many of the best and potentially best 24-hour runners in the country and beyond. The top two male and female finishers would also be guaranteed an invitation to run for the U.S. 24 hour team at the 2012 World Championships in Poland in September (provided they meet minimum mileage requirements, which would prove to be the case).

For myself, I had high hopes for a good race. After a very big spring, I had a disastrous 24-hour race in Philadelphia in July, and I was really hoping for a big race which I hoped might include some of the following: a spot on the team to Poland; a win and a second national championship (having won in 2009); beating my PR of 154 miles set way back in 2007; beating the masters record of just under 158 miles set by John Geesler (I'd hate to do that to John again - almost); a milestone of 160 miles; and I was also holding out hope for the remote possibility of beating Scott Jurek's American Record of 165.67 miles. But I was feeeling in good shape physically and mentally, and I was ready to get to work.

I flew to Cleveland, landing at midday, made my way to the Days Inn in Lakewood and waited for Byron Lane, who I would room with, to arrive. Ultrarunners in the New York area don't need to be told about the history of Byron and me, but suffice it to say we've gone head-to-head many times and had many close races and in the process have become good friends. We'd roomed together at the national championships in 2008 (in McKinney, TX) when Byron won the title and 2009 (Cleveland) when I won, so I guess this was a good sign. We had a pre-race dinner at Players restaurant, which Deb Horn had arranged, getting a ride with Jackie Choi and Jackie Ong, and meeting a lot of the other runners, and sitting across the table from Howard Nippert, the USATF rep, it was nice to get a chance to chat with him for a while.

Jackie, Byron, Kino and I arrived at the race about an hour before the start and began setting up. Byron and I shared a two-canopy complex in Tent City with Deb Horn, Mike Henze, Roy Pirrung and John Geesler. The race was full with the top runners, besides the above, including last year's winners Serge Arbona and Connie Gardner, previous record holder Mark Godale, Zack Gingerich, Jamie Donaldson, Anna Piskorska, Lisa Bliss, and many other excellent runners with a lot of potential. Looking down the entrant list, I was thinking there could be 50 runners over 100 miles and possibly as many as 10 over 140!

I'd been asked about my chances of winning or how many miles I thought I'd run. They have to know I'd never answer those questions! At least not before the race. I honestly wasn't worrying about winning, since I can't worry too much about competition until late in the race. I did set as my mileage goal a very ambitious 160 miles, and I mapped out my race and pacing chart accordingly. It was ambitious, but possible I thought, and what better time to try, with good weather and good physical condition? I'd actually shot for this a few times before, and at least I knew if it wasn't going to happen I'd be able to back off before I killed myself, and still have a good total.

So my goal meant starting out at about 7:00 per lap, or about 7:45 per mile, which I had actually done the previous years also. Throughout the race I'd keep track of my pace by my lap splits, or actually by my 8-lap splits. This is partly for the practical reason that my watch can only count up to 30 laps, and also by grouping the laps like this it makes the race seem more manageable. By the end of the first lap I found myself in the lead with Zack Gingerich, and we were chatting a bit. The laps went by mostly uneventfully. There was a fairly decent breeze from the east, which was then at our backs heading back to the start, causing a noticeable temperature difference on the different parts of the course. But I was able to stay on the pace I had set for myself longer than in previous years, so I was feeling very optimistic at this point. And I was still in the lead, although Mark Godale was closing in on me, only a lap behind as we neared the middle of the race. But it was still too early to worry about competition, I just wanted to stay on my own pace. After a few hours with Mark a lap behind me and waiting for him to pass me by, I eventually saw him stretch out on the grass, and later do some walking, so it looked like he was slowing down. But I will say that even when he was close behind me, his sizeable and enthusiastic crew team would cheer for me as I went by, so a big thank you to them!

I hit 50 miles (56 laps) in a swift 6:43, and was still feeling really good. After darkness came I slowed down more than I would have liked, I think partly because portions of the course were pretty dimly lit and I wasn't totally sure of my footing, especially at one spot where there's a little bump. It was nothing in daylight, but at night I kept hitting it wrong, throwing me off my stride and causing cursing every time! Many runners had headlamps, and even though I'd run this race twice before with no problem, and even though I hate wearing one, a headlamp might have been a good idea. Still, I hit the 100 mile mark (112 laps) in 14:38, which I think is my best 100-mile performance ever (my Brive split might have been faster but I'm not sure of that split). And actually it's probably more like 14:30, since we reach exactly 100 miles very soon after 111 laps. By this time I had I think five laps on Mark and about nine on the other men's leaders, who included German runner Kai Horschig and Jonathan Savage, who I'd chatted with briefly early in the race, and I knew had had a good 24 previously but I didn't know what he might be capable of. Serge and his friend Christian Creutzer were in the top five earlier, but were falling back a bit by this time.

On the women's side, the race had been led at times by Anna Piskorska, Jamie Donaldson and Connie Gardner, but now it looked like Connie had a good grip on her race, and was not too far behind me. Deb Horn was still moving very steady as always, and Lisa Bliss was moving up the leader chart.

In the later hours of the race, I'd adjusted my goals. 160 miles was not going to happen, and neither was the masters record of 158 miles. Beating my PR was still a possibility, but with my achilles starting to feel the strain, I would be happy just to keep moving and get the win, and 150 miles if I stayed steady. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the company of the other runners. Even though I don't talk much during a race, especially as the race goes on, I received a lot of encouragement during those nighttime hours, and I tried to give encouragement back as much as I was able. A special mention to David Corfman and Tammy Massie who gave nice words every time I saw them, and to Bonnie Busch, who encouraged me during my multiple breakdowns last year and who was still encouraging now when I wasn't suffering as much. Kino was great to watch with his patriotic outlook and his bursts of energy during the night, and Jackie Choi looked great in her fedora.

In the end I finished first with 153.37 miles, just a mile short of a PR, but a total I'm very happy with. Jonathan Savage finished strong and came away with a second place and over 146 miles, qualifying for next year's team also. Kai Horschig finished a close third with 145.5 miles, but is not a USATF member and can't run on the U.S. team. Harvey Lewis finished third with 140 and Byron finished fifth with 133 miles, a PR for him by quite a bit, which I was very happy to see! Connie won the women's race, and came just a mile short of Sue Ellen Trapp's American record, finishing fourth overall with 144 miles. That's her third time over 140 miles that comes to my mind, it's possible she's done more. Deb stayed strong for second place with a new PR of 131 miles! She's come very close to the 130-mile mark a few times before, so I was very happy for her also! So she'll be joining us in Poland as well. Lisa ran an amazing race and got third with just short of 126, Laura Bleakley was fourth with 112 and Bonnie was fifth with 108.

One other trivia note, this was my third time over 150 miles in a 24-hour race, which I thought put me in good company with the likes of Roy Pirrung and John Geesler, but they told me they'd only gone over 150 twice, and I might actually be the first American to get 150 three times! I'll hace to look into that!

In any case, it was a great experience overall, I made a lot more new friends, and a lot of people had great experiences as well. Five runners broke 140, and 40 runners got over 100 miles! My thanks to Dan Horvath, Joe Jurczyk, all the volunteers, aid station workers, trash picker-uppers, all the people who made the race work, and to Rick McNulty of the New Jersey Trail Series for working and monitoring the timing station the entire race. And thanks to Deb for the use of her table, Chris for her help during the race, Jackie for the ride to the race, Lisa for the ride to the airport, Byron for not snoring, and all the runners for creating such an amazing community that make it such a pleasure to run ultras.

Pictures: 1. Me at home with my trophy, t-shirt and one of the shoes that got me there (shoe company prefers to remain anonymous); 2. Connie and I after the race; 3. Current and former 48-hour record holders - me, John Geesler, Roy Pirrung, Ray Krolewicz; 4. Tamra Jones and Shannon McGinn; 5. Jackie Choi in her fedora

Bridge of the Week #68: Robert F. Kennedy Bridge

2011-08-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is the biggest, badassest bridge of them all: the Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Bridge. And yes, it makes my skin crawl to call it that, but that’s its official name now. For decades it was the Triborough Bridge but in 2008 it was renamed for that guy at the family’s request. For some reason, New Yorkers really seem to bend over backwards (or forwards) for that family. But that’s another story. On to the bridge.

The Triborough (from now on I will call it that) is definitely the biggest bridge in the city, mainly because it is three bridges in one: one from Manhattan to Randall’s Island, one from Bronx to Randall’s Island and one from Queens to Wards Island, all connected by viaducts and overpasses (one of which actually used to be a fourth bridge over Little Hell Gate from Randall’s Island to Wards Island, but the two islands were joined by landfill in the 1930s, so now that section is just a viaduct – and with no pedestrian element.) The vehicles therefore don’t have to go down onto land on Wards or Randall’s Island (unless they take that exit). But for pedestrians and cyclists they are separate bridges and you have to go down to the ground between each leg, which is a nice thing because Wards Island and Randall’s Island include some nice parkland and are nice places to run in their own right.

BRONX-RANDALL’S ISLAND:
This leg crosses Bronx Kill, which is a quite narrow and shallow waterway, one that could probably be walked across without drowning, and which can support watercraft probably no larger than kayaks. The bulk of the distance of the span is actually across industrial areas in the Bronx. There are two entrances on the Bronx side, on the east and west side of the bridge at Cypress and 133 St. If coming from the west, note that Bruckner Blvd. sits where 133 St. would be, until it veers off to the north a couple blocks west of the bridge entrance, so your approach would be from Bruckner Blvd. The east entrance has a stairway and the west entrance has a switchback-type ramp system to get up to road level. The two walkways join just before descending onto Randall’s Island. The entrance on Randall’s Island is on the north side of the island just off the main road, between the baseball fields. It’s not hard to find.

The bridge is a steel truss bridge with a main span of 383 feet and a length anchorage to anchorage of 1,600 feet. It has a clearance of 55 feet above water. It carries four lanes of traffic in each direction. For motorized traffic, the bridge leads in the Bronx directly to the junction of the Major Deegan Expressway and the Bruckner Expressway.

MANHATTAN-RANDALL’S ISLAND:
Of the three bridges, this is the only drawbridge, a lift bridge. This also has sidewalks on both the north and south sides. The Manhattan entrances are at the northeast corner of 124 St. and 2nd Ave., and at the southeast corner of 126 St. and 2nd Ave. The Randall’s Island entrances are a little harder to find. They can both be reached from a north-south maintenance road between the main road on the north side of the island, west of the Bronx span, and the north fence of the golf driving range. Once you get to this maintenance road there are signs, but they are easy to overlook. The north entrance is on the east side of the road inside the covered section of the roadway under the bridge. The south entrance faces the fence on the north side of the golf driving range, a few yards north of the maintenance road.

The length of the main lift span is 310 feet, with an anchorage to anchorage length of 770 feet. When lowered, the bridge has a clearance of 55 feet, and when raised, 135 feet. It carries three lanes of traffic in each direction. Cars can get on the bridge in Manhattan on the streets at 125 St. and 2nd Ave. or from the FDR Drive on the south or the Harlem River Drive on the north.

QUEENS-WARDS ISLAND
This bridge is easily the largest and most impressive of the three. It’s also the one that is likely to bring out the acrophobe in you. In my opinion it’s actually the most intimidating of any bridge in the city, due I believe to the relatively low surrounding landscape (which also gives you an incredible view), the height of the sidewalk above the roadway, and the relatively low railing between the towers once the higher chain-link fence stops. Only the sidewalk on the north side is open for pedestrians. It seems that the south sidewalk hasn’t been open for quite a few years. As near as I can tell, the Queens approach was taken down in the early 2000’s and the Wards Island/Randall’s Island approach some time before that. For the open north walk, the entrance in Queens is at 27 St. and Hoyt Ave., and the Wards Island entrance is not hard to find, on the main north-south road near the entrance to the psychiatric center. You can take a ramp up the entire way or use a staircase which meets the ramp partway up a little to the south. Until a few years ago, the walkway followed the roadway quite a ways farther along and descended to Randall’s Island north of the parking facilities. The beginning of that entrance is still there, closed off, but most of that unused walkway has been taken down. The new entrance is nice because it’s much closer to the ballfields on Wards Island, and the roads around them which provide some nice running.

The main span of this suspension bridge is 1,380 feet, with an anchorage to anchorage length of 2,780 feet. The clearance above water at the center of the span is 143 feet. The towers are 315 feet tall. The roadway carries four lanes of traffic in each direction, connecting in Queens to the Grand Central Parkway and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

HISTORY
The idea bridge connecting Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens had been floating around for quite some time, to relieve congestion on the Queensboro Bridge, which was at the time the best way to get from the Bronx, upstate or New England to Queens or Long Island by car (this was long before the Bronx-Whitestone and Throg's Neck Bridges), until finally a concrete (so to speak) plan was proposed by Edward A. Byrne, chief engineer of the New York City Department of Plant and Structures in 1916. The city authorized funding for surveys, test borings and structural plans in 1925. Ground was broken by Mayor Jimmy Walker on Friday, October 25, 1929, one day after "Black Thursday." The five million dollars and change initially authorized was spent on condemnation of buildings, attorneys' fees and a few piers on Wards Island. In early 1930 the city appeared to abandon the project.

This is a good time to mention a few possibilities for the bridge that never happened. Engineer Gustav Lindenthal, designer of the beautiful Hell Gate Bridge, a railroad bridge from the Bronx across Randall's and Wards Islands and to Queens, didn't want a suspension bridge across Hell Gate close to his bridge to detract from its beauty. He proposed simply adding a second deck to his railroad bridge for motor vehicles, with spurs to Manhattan at 102 St. and 116 St. This proposal was not accepted, although the Queens suspension span plan was moved further south to give a little more distance from the Hell Gate Bridge. People today are so familiar with the bridge as it is, that they might not realize the clear logic of placing the Manhattan leg at 103 St., directly across from the Queens span and a mile closer to midtown. The 125 St. site was chosen because William Randolph Hearst owned property on 125 St., which would rise in value if the city needed it for a bridge approach. And Hearst had enough political power to call the shots, even after Robert Moses took over the project.

Speaking of whom, Robert Moses, New York City Parks Commissioner, New York State Parks Commissioner, Long Island Parks Commissioner, etc., etc., in 1932 convinced Governor Al Smith to resurrect the project, because he very much wanted the bridge to bring people out to his parkways and state parks on Long Island, including the immensely popular Jones Beach, as well as Caumsett and Sunken Meadows State Parks (had to give those two a mention) without driving through Manhattan streets. Moses himself drafted the state legislation to create the Triborough Bridge Authority, the "authority" being a relatively new concept of a joint public-private partnership, whose only significant precedent was the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which had built bridge and tunnel crossings between the two states. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia appointed Moses commissioner of the authority. The Authority would be able to issue bonds and receive state and federal money for construction, in addition to approximately $37 million from New Deal programs, but it could operate under its own rules and wouldn't have to open its books. And importantly, Moses's legislative innovation was that the money from tolls that would normally go towards paying off the bonds and debts, at which time tolls would no longer be collected, could now be spent on other projects rather than paying off the bonds for the Triborough Bridge. This allowed Moses to amass huge sums of money which could be used to build projects like the Queens Midtown Tunnel, the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, the Throg's Neck Bridge, the Alexander Hamilton Bridge and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, as well as numerous parkways and expressways which he defined as bridge approaches. (The reader will note that none of the crossings mentioned in the last sentence have any access for pedestrians or rail lines.) The bottom line is that the Triborough Bridge was the foundation of Moses's amassing of power. His main office was even in the foundation of the bridge, in a building on Randall's Island underneath the toll plaza.

The bridge finally opened on July 11, 1936, at a cost of $60 million, greater than the cost of the Hoover Dam, and one of the largest public works projects of the Depression. To bring traffic to and from the bridge, the East River Drive in Manhattan (currently the FDR Drive), was extended north from 96th St., and eventually would come the Major Deegan Expressway and Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx and the Grand Central Parkway in Queens.

Soon after the bridge opened, it became clear that traffic congestion was not being relieved, but exacerbated. Rather than come up with any creative or innovative solutions, or improving mass transit, Moses and the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (after it took over construction of the Queens Midtown and Brooklyn-Battery Tunnels, the word "Tunnel" was added to its name) built more expressways and bridges, notably the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge and Throg's Neck Bridge, both of which passed directly from the Bronx into Queens, and neither of which relieved traffic congestion.

But that's traffic. For runners, the Triborough Bridge is a great resource, as a way to get to Randall's Island/Wards Island, to get from borough to borough, and the Queens suspension span is one of the great bridge crossings in the city.

Pictures: 1. The Bronx truss span over the Bronx Kill; 2. The Manhattan lift span over the East River; 3. The Queens suspension span over Hell Gate; 4. The pedestrian entrance in Queens; 5. The view of Queens from the Queens span; 6. The Hell Gate Bridge as seen from the Queens span.

Bridge of the Week #67: Mill Basin Bridge

2011-08-29T07:58:00.001-07:00

We've finally arrived at the last bridge in the series along the Belt Parkway (Shore Parkway) in Brooklyn and Queens. The Mill Basin Bridge is the bridge west (actually more south) of the Paerdegat Basin Bridge and east of the Gerritsen Inlet Bridge and Flatbush Ave.

This is the only drawbridge along the Belt, a Bascule drawbridge, but it won't be for long. This is one of the bridges along the Belt undergoing or about to undergo total reconstruction. Apparently, the current bridge (including sidewalk) will remain open while the new bridge is being built. When I went over the bridge earlier this summer, it didn't look like work had begun yet, but supposedly the bridge will be done in 2014. Currently having 35 feet of clearance above the water when down, the new fixed bridge will have 60 feet of clearance. This is significant since Mill Basin, along with Gerritsen Inlet to the southwest, has a very active marina with a lot of sailboats and other recreational boats coming and going into Jamaica Bay.

The bridge was opened on June 29, 1940, and some reconstruction work was done in 2006-2007. It carries three lanes of traffic in each direction plus a sidewalk on the south side, which is actually the east side, since the bridge runs basically north-south. The Paerdegat Basin Bridge is about a mile eastward (though actually northward), and about a half mile to the west (south) is the Flatbush Ave. interchange, which is a full cloverleaf vehicular interchange, as Flatbush Ave. to the south leads to Floyd Bennett Field, the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge (previously discussed) and on out to the Rockaways. As the Belt turns to the west it soon crosses the Gerritsen Inlet Bridge (previously discussed). Northward on Flatbush Ave. is the nearest street access to the Mill Basin Bridge, at the corner of Ave. U and Flatbush, where there is the King's Plaza shopping mall, and a city bus stop. The nearest subway stop is still a couple miles up Flabush near Ave. H (2/5 train), or a couple miles west on Ave. U to E. 16th St. (B/Q train). But the most enjoyable running experience is to start in Sheepshead Bay, or even at Coney Island, and run along the Belt all the way to Howard Beach, about 8-10 miles depending on your start, and if you feel like going long, looping around onto the Rockaways using the Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo Bridge, the Cross-Bay Memorial Bridge and the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. Lots of nice running in New York City uninterrupted by traffic.

Pics: 1. The Sidewalk of the bridge; 2. The view east into Jamaica Bay; 3. The view west into Mill Basin - note the towers of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in the far distance!

Bridge of the Week #66: Paerdegat Basin Bridge

2011-08-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge continues our journey along the Belt Parkway (Shore Parkway) in Brooklyn, heading west from the Fresh Creek Bridge we arrive at the Paerdegat Basin Bridge. Again, this carries the Belt Parkway (this section of which is officially called Shore Parkway) across a small inlet, this being the Paerdigat Basin, three lanes of traffic in each direction and a sidewalk/bike path on the south side.

Like the Fresh Creek Bridge, the Paerdegat Basin Bridge is undergoing reconstruction, part of a plan to rebuild seven bridges on the Belt Parkway (some of which are overpasses over streets rather than bridges over water, therefore will not be covered in this blog). The sidewalk remains open during construction. But the Paerdigat Basin Bridge will undergo quite a transformation. The bridge will be replaced by a pair of bridges, one serving westbound lanes, and one serving eastbound lanes and the sidewalk. The clearance will also be higher, as you can see from the second picture above, there will be fewer spans to cross the water, and the design is different and more interesting than the existing bridge. I believe construction on this bridge is expected to last another two years or so.

The bridge actually runs more north-south than east-west, as the parkway takes a turn to the south here on its way to the west. You have to run a couple miles to the southwest, past the Jamaica Bay Riding Academy and across the Mill Basin Bridge (next week's bridge) before you can get back on the city streets at Flatbush Ave. Heading northeast from the bridge, it's about 3/4 mile to street access at Rockaway Parkway, where you'll also find Canarsie Pier, a very nice recreational park/pier that is very busy on a nice summer day.

The basin itself separates the neighborhoods of Canarsie to the east and Bergen Beach to the west. The name Paerdegat comes from the Dutch word paardengat, meaning "horse gate."

Race Report: NYRR Team Championships

2011-08-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

The annual NYRR Team Championships 5 mile race took place on Aug. 6 in Central Park.

As I lined up to run this race again for the West Side Runners, I really appreciated how this is probably the best race on the NYRR calendar. Even aside from the low entry fee (kept low partly by there being no t-shirt), it truly keeps alive the old traditions of road running in New York, being the one race more than any where the runners are really running for their team. No "unattached" runners may enter, and the men and women run separately an hour apart, so the numbers are low and manageable, only 866 male finishers. Nothing fancy, just a good fast five-mile race.

Afterwards, most teams also set up picnic areas for their members, and this is one of two real social events for WSX, the other being the post-New York Marathon party. So it's great to chat with my teammates. And despite the team competition, there is a lot of interteam socializing as well, and I enjoyed talking with my friends from Van Cortland Track Club, Taconic, Dashing Whippets, Prospect Park Track Club, and more.

As for the race itself, I was very happy with my time of 29:20, which was only a few seconds off my PR! If I had known, I might have pushed for it! I finished in 139th place, 12th in my age group, and third masters scorer for WSX, which took third in the masters division. In the open race, despite taking places 1, 2, 4 and 5 overall, West Side men settled for second in the team competition to New York Athletic Club.

But it was nice weather, a good race, and a good chance to reconnect with friends!

Race Report: Pajama Run 6-Hour

2011-08-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

This is a little late in coming, sorry. But better late than never. Maybe. Anyway, on July 30 Rickie Innamorato and BUS staged the Pajama Run, a 6-hour race in the evening, from 6:00 pm to midnight, on a 1.27-mile loop in Astoria Park, Queens.

Despite being a somewhat late addition to the race calendar, 70 runners showed up for the start, more than I've seen at a BUS race in a long time. It was very exciting and encouraging. There were the usual regulars, but a lot of young newcomers or relative newcomers as well, including winners Tommy Pyon and Jimena Barrera. Tommy was kicking it and came up with 48.34 miles! Jimena, running very strong, had 37.93 miles.

David Plosonska, a multi-time Badwater finisher (top 20) came up from Baltimore and got second place with over 46 miles. I got third with 43.7. After my disastrous 24-hour in Philadelphia, I was happy just to keep running the whole six hours. Byron Lane got 4th and Eduardo Lara 5th. A true veteran Gail Marino finished second woman, followed by Amanda Goddard, Lucmar Araujo and Emmy Stocker.

The course was laid out well, it ran under the Triborough Bridge and the Hell Gate Bridge before looping back along the river to the start at the track area. It was heavy with parkgoers the first couple of hours of course, but the crowds thinned out as the race went on. It was also quite hot - about 90 degrees at the start - and stayed quite warm after the sun went down. But it's a beautiful park, it was a festive atmosphere, and Richie and the volunteers did an incredible job as always, but here especially taking on the higher than normal post entries. And it was a nice way to end the 2011 BUS season.

Bridge of the Week #65: Fresh Creek Bridge

2011-08-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge is another on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, the Fresh Creek Bridge over Fresh Creek, along the edge of Jamaica Bay.

As with the others, this was built in the late 1930's when the Belt Parkway (Shore Parkway) was constructed. This bridge is one of seven along the Belt (including some side street overpasses) that are currently slated for reconstruction, and in fact, reconstruction is currently well under way. It is one of the links in the nice Belt pathway that extends from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, to Howard Beach, Queens, with bridges to take you out to the Rockaways, so you can do some nice long traffic-free runs here. As the roadways will stay open on all bridges during reconstruction, so will the walkways, even if it's not as quiet and smooth as traffic roars next to you. A temporary bridge will handle traffic while the new bridge is built on the site of the old one.

Bridge of the Week #64: Hendrix Creek Bridge

2011-07-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge continues the Belt Parkway series, the Hendrix Creek Bridge. This is the bridge number five of six, if traveling from west to east along the Belt.

Otherwise, there's not a lot more to tell about this bridge. It's a fixed steel and concrete bridge, built in the late 1930's with the rest of the Belt, reconstructed in the 1980's, and it has a sidewalk on the south side. The nearest street access is Erskine St. on the east and Pennsylvania Ave. on the west. Hendrix St. does pass underneath the bridge, right along the creek, but there is no access from the bridge or the Belt, and I think traffic on it might be restricted to landfill vehicles. (The beautiful green grass on both sides of the creek in the second picture above is landfill alongside Jamaica Bay.) The large buildings in the background in the first picture are Starrett City, a housing development built in 1974 and apparently renamed Spring Creek Towers in 2002. That development sits to the northwest of the bridge.

The bridge, by way of the creek, as well as the street were apparently named for Joseph C. Hendrix (1853-1904), a trustee for the Brooklyn Bridge Association from 1884, appointed Postmaster of Brooklyn by then-Governor Grover Cleveland, President of theBrooklyn Board of Education, Kings County Trust Co., American Bankers Association, failed in a run for Mayor of Brooklyn in 1883 but did hold a seat in Congress from 1893-1895. Hendrix Street had been named Smith St. but was changed in 1887.

Race Report: Back on My Feet Lone Ranger

2011-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

This will be a somewhat short report, since unfortunately my race was fairly short as well.

Race check-in on Friday was at Lloyd Hall, just north of the Philadelphia Art Museum on the Schuylkill River (never did really figure out how to pronounce that, and don't really trust the answer from those who seemed to know). It's a nice facility, with a little cafe, open outdoor space on the river, showers and a gym for those needing a place to rest during the race. I had checked in and was waiting to meet Dennis Ball and his crew, who I'd be sharing a ride with to the motel we were staying at, when to my surprise I see Ryoichi Sekia, just a few days off his 2nd-place Badwater finish! I've run a couple of races with him and he's about the strongest runner I've ever met. I didn't figure he'd be at full strength for this race, but you can never count him out. But he's a nice guy, too and we chatted for a while, with the help of his friend who acted as an interpreter. I'll have to learn at least a few words of Japanese.

So Dennis and his crew and I returned Saturday morning and found a little place to set up just past the start/finish area and got ready for the race. The course followed Kelly Drive, passed in front of the art museum, across the river and north up to Falls Bridge, and back south along Kelly Drive. There were aid stations set up at about miles 2.3, 4 and 6, with additional water/towel stations at about miles 1, 5 and 7. Even with the aid, it was a different setup than a more common course with a loop of roughly a mile, and it took some getting used to for me.

Race morning was warm, with highs predicted in the upper 80's, much cooler than last year's weather I was told, but still mighty warm. There was some shade on the course, but in the middle of the day especially there were long sunny stretches too. Still, I set out on a pace that felt comfortable for me, but still a strong competitive pace, about 7:45/mile. I found myself in a group of seven (!) runners in the lead pack, including Dennis, Sabrina Moran, a couple of guys who looked like Kenyan marathoners, and a couple others. I hate running in packs in a race, so I alternately tried to speed up and slow down to give some separation, but everyone stuck together for two full loops before Dennis and I were able to hang back and let the rest of them go. It was a fairly aggressive pace still for four loops, considering the heat, but I felt I was able to handle it. However, after about 4 1/2 hours, about a mile after starting my fifth lap, in a long sunny stretch, the heat got to me, and I was forced to walk. And with seven miles to go to get back to my own stuff, it was a long, discouraging loop. Here's where the story gets short, because even when I felt like I'd cooled down enough, I couldn't get myself moving again. There were times when I'd be able to run for a few miles at a decent pace, but for the most part laps five, six and seven were torturous walk/jog experiences. And my mind was filled with all kinds of negative thoughts, which I won't get into here, that were truly debilitating, and I didn't have the mental energy to push them out. A friend of mine who'd seen me in my 48 hour race in New Jersey pulled some really dirty tricks (in a good way) to convince me to go one more lap, but it didn't have the hoped-for effect. After eight laps, about 67 miles, almost 14 hours, just before midnight, I dropped out of the race.

But as with all disappointing performances, I will learn what I can from the experience to run stronger the mext time. And the race did raise a lot of money for Back on My Feet (check it out: www.backonmyfeet.org), a very worthy cause with great people involved. And as always, it was good to see friends there, and to make lots of new friends. My thanks to everyone who showed me support and had nice things to say! Some of you I'll see locally, others I'll see in Cleveland in September!!!

Bridge of the Week #63: Spring Creek Bridge

2011-07-10T19:55:00.001-07:00

This week's bridge is the Spring Creek Bridge, the easternmost of the Belt Parkway (Shore Parkway) bridges along Jamaica Bay. This one crosses Spring Creek on the border between Queens and Brooklyn, about a mile west of Cross Bay Boulevard. This, as all the Belt Parkway bridges, carries not only the Belt, but also has a walkway on the south side. Most runners using this bridge will be doing the Belt route, but there are parks on both sides of the bridge south of the belt - Spring Creek Park on the east and Fountain Avenue Park on the west, or so it's called on Google maps, but it really looks like an old garbage landfill that's in the process of being converted into a park. Oh well.

The Belt Parkway (the name given to four parkways that skirt Brooklyn and Queens, this section being the Shore Parkway) was built from 1934 to 1940, widened in the late 1940's, and the bikeway/walkway was included from the beginning. The walkway isn't very wide and runs right alongside traffic, so not an exciting experience in itself. This bridge is a fixed bridge and is not particularly interesting from an aesthetic standpoint, but it gets the job done. The Spring Creek itself trickles on for a ways inside Queens, but there doesn't look like there's much to explore there.

Pics: 1. View from below; 2. View from the bridge south toward Jamaica Bay

Bridge of the Week #62: Hawtree Basin Bridge

2011-07-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge is, I believe, the last footbridge that I will cover in this series. I might have said that before, but this time I really think I mean it! It's the Hawtree Basin Bridge, just around the corner from the last bridge I covered, in the Hamilton Beach section of the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens.

The bridge connects 163rd Ave. in the Old Howard Beach section to land in Hamilton Beach, at a point between Rau Ct. and Davenport Ct. There is a section of road between the two streets where you can access the bridge on the east. It's a fixed pedestrian bridge, built starting in 1962 and completed in 1963. It's actually a very attractive little bridge, painted in sky blue. And from the bridge you can look over the Hawtree Basin, which is apparently the dredged and straightened mouth of Hawtree Creek, which flows from the land near JFK airport, and into Jamaica Bay. Most of the houses in the area have their own docks for small boats.

For runners, as with the Ramblersville-Memorial Bridge, it can be a nice side trip from the eastern end of the Belt Parkway path, or from the Joseph P. Addabbo Bridge and Cross Bay Bridge to the Rockaways. It can be accessed easily from the Howard Beach-JFK station on the A train, or from the west, the Ramblersville/Hamilton Beach/Old Howard Beach neighborhoods can be accessed from 157th Ave. and going south. To the west of this area is Shellbank Basin and to the east of course is JFK. Check it out - enjoy!

Run Report: Take the A Train

2011-06-25T19:09:00.001-07:00

June 25 was a beautiful day for a long run, especially one that ended at the beach.

A few years ago, I got the idea to run the length of the A train, the longest subway line in New York, at over 31 miles, starting at the 207th St. station (the farthest north entrance at Isham St. and Broadway), not far from my house, and finishing at Far Rockaway - Mott Ave. in Queens. The run itself was about 33 miles. With the Meetup ultra and trail running group, I thought I'd put it up and see if anyone wanted to run with me. Fortunately, there was a good group of runners willing to make the journey. Between Meetup and Facebook, there were over a dozen who signed up, and there were ten of us who started: Lanny, Dave O., Leonardo, Dennis, Susie, Pru, Weihao, Joe, Phil and me. Ellen McCurtin signed up, but she gamely arrived at the start to give us her best wishes, saying that a foot problem would keep her from running. Still it was great to see Ellen and say hello!

The 8:00 a.m. start coincided with the 5:00 a.m. start of Western States in California, so we were feeling a kinship and sending those runners our support. The start was cool, overcast and humid. In Manhattan, we ran down the west side bike path, for ease of running. By the time we got to Chelsea Piers the sun came out and the temps went up. But the humidity seemed to drop a bit by the time we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. Lanny and Dave had gone their own way on the upper west side, but at Chambers St. we were joined by Allison, a Tri-Life friend of Dennis, Susie and Joe. The Tri-Life athletes are really a great bunch of runners! On the Brooklyn side of the bridge, Leonardo went on his own back to Williamsburg, and Pru went home at the Nostrand Ave. station, and Allison ran with us until the Liberty Ave. station.

In Brooklyn, we essentially ran down Fulton Ave. and Pitkin Ave. before reaching Northen Conduit Blvd, in Queens and the Cross-Bay Blvd., which led to the Addabbo and Cross-Bay bridges to the Rockaways. It was roughly at Beach 70th St. that looked like a good place to hit the beach! The weather was warm and sunny, the waves were rolling, and the water was suprisingly clean! (It was filthy there just last weekend.) A perfect way to cool down and have a little fun in the water.

A couple miles later, we were at Mott Ave., and the end of the A train! After some pizza, we all headed back. So a big thank you and nice job to Dennis, Weihao, Susie, Phil and Joe for joining me from end to end! A special shout out to Phil, who ran his first ultra distance, and on his birthday, in preparation for his first ultra race this fall!!!

It was great to run in the company of these young men and women! We'll have to do it again next summer!

Pics: 1. The 207 St. station; 2. Dave and Ellen at the start; 3. The runners - Leonardo, Lanny, Phil, Weihao, Joe, Pru, Dave, Dennis, Susie, me; 4. The gang at the beach; 5. The other end!

Bridge of the Week #61: Ramblersville-Hawtree Memorial Bridge

2011-06-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge is the Ramblersville-Hawtree Memorial Bridge, one of those bridges that most people don't know about, that has no major architectural or aesthetic interest, but leads to a lot of fascinating information about its neighborhood and the city.

It is located in Ramblersville, a tiny section of land that it generally considered part of Howard Beach in Queens, although the name Ramblersville predates the name Howard Beach, and in fact Ramblersville was the name for a much larger area at one time. (It was not named for any person as far as I can tell, possibly just a good place to ramble.) The Howard Beach station on the A train (when that branch to the Rockaways was part of Long Island Railroad, and long before Idlewild/JFK Airport was there) was originally called Ramblersville Station. Now, Ramblersville, is restricted to a small patch of land, almost and island itself, south of 160th Ave. and north od Russell St., and east of the Hawtree Basin and west of the eastern branch of Hawtree Basin along the tracks for the A train, and it includes only a few small meandering streets that branch off from 102 St., which runs right down the middle.

The bridge is at the southern edge of the neighborhood, and carries 102 St. over a branch of Hawtree Basin (which curves around to the north toward the A station and JFK Airport). It is a simple concrete bridge, built in October 1931, that slopes down on the southern side to Russell St. and the Hamilton Beach neighborhood (more about that on our next bridge). It was originally named the 102nd St.-Lenihan's Bridge, in honor of the then-state assemblyman. But in 2001 it was renamed to honor seven soldiers from the neighborhood, who all lived within 500 feet of the bridge, who served and were killed in World War II. Today there is a plaque honoring them and an American flag flying above the plaque in the middle of the bridge.

From a runner's standpoint, this bridge and the quiet streets around it can make a nice place to run, and a nice side trip if in the Howard Beach area, for example crossing the Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo Bridge and Cross Bay Memorial Bridge to the Rockaways, or running the Belt Parkway path, or even a nice stroll if waiting for a train from JFK. Along the Hawtree Basin (called Hawtree Creek before it was dredged) are small houses, each with its own dock, which seem reminiscent of another era. To get to the bridge, you can take 102nd St. south from 157th Ave., which is the most direct way from Cross Bay Boulevard, or you can take a footpath/sidewalk that runs from the very southern end of the A train station to Russell St. at 104th St., where you can really get a nice look at the Hawtree. (The Hawtree Creek/Basin by all appearances seems to have simply been named after the tree. I couldn't find any relevant mention of any person named Hawtree.)

Pics: 1. The center of the bridge, with plaque and flagpole; 2. The plaque, commemorating the seven soldiers; 3. Hamilton Beach sign on Russell St. at the southern end of the bridge.

Bride of the Week #60: Borden Ave. Bridge

2011-06-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge is another little hidden gem - the Borden Ave. Bridge, in Long Island City, Queens.

This bridge crosses Dutch Kills, a northern branch of Newtown Creek (which separates Queens from Brooklyn), on Borden Ave. between 27th St. and Review Ave. It's a two-lane two-way street with sidewalks on both sides (the south sidewalk is currently closed for maintenance), a clearance above the water of only about four feet when closed, and only 127 feet long total.

What makes this bridge special is that it is a retractile drawbridge, meaning that the trapezoid-shaped bridge pulls back horizontally, diagonally, on rails. It is one of only four retractile bridges still operating in the U.S., one of the others being the Carroll St. Bridge in Brooklyn over the Gowanus Canal.

The first bridge on the site was a wooden bridge, built in 1868, which was later replaced by an iron swing bridge. The current bridge was built between 1906 and 1908, opening on March 25. On Dec. 31, 2008 the bridge was closed due to shifts in the western abutment, and reconstruction was required. This was complicated by soil contamination, but the reconstructed bridge was opened on Dec. 23, 2010.

This area of Long Island City, or Sunnyside by some accounts, is a largely industrial area, no running paths or parks nearby, unless you count Calvary Cemetery to the southeast, generally not much of interest to runners unless you're taking a tour of the bridges of Newtown Creek and its tributaries as I did. But the more popular Pulaski Bridge is close by to the west, and the Greenpoint Ave. Bridge not far to the southeast, so if crossing one of those, it's worth a short side trip to see this little gem.

***Addendum: The Borden Ave. Bridge was obviously named after Borden Ave., but the street was apparently named after the Borden Milk Company that opened a plant in the area after the Civil War.

Pics: 1. North side of bridge, with sign telling of six-hour notification requirement for opening bridge; 2. Bridge at street level from the east, with operator's house on the right; 3. The bridge's rails, on the east bank on the south side (and Empire State Building in background).

Bridge of the Week #59: Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge

2011-06-03T18:31:00.001-07:00

Back to the bridges! Sorry for the few weeks off. I'll try to get caught up if I can. But this week's bridge is the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. It provides a link between the Floyd Bennett Field area of Brooklyn and the Rockaway Peninsula of Queens. It was built beginning in 1936 and opened July 3, 1937. It is a vertical lift drawbridge with a lift span of 540 feet and a total length of 4,022 feet. When raised, the bridge gives 150 feet clearance above the water. It crosses the Rockaway Inlet portion of Jamaica Bay, essentially where Jamaica Bay opens out to the ocean. It carries four lanes of traffic on a roadway that is a direct extension of Flatbush Ave., and has a sidewalk on the west side.

The bridge was built by the Marine Parkway Authority, an entity created by, headed by, and entirely populated by Robert Moses. Along with the bridge he built Marine Park in Brooklyn, which consisted basically of a marina and a golf course, and Jacob Riis Park, a beachfront park in the Rockaways. Directly on the north (Brooklyn) side of the bridge is Floyd Bennett Field, which at the time of the bridge's construction was a commercial international airport, although it failed to succeed as such in competition with Newark Airport. In 1974, Floyd Bennett Field, Jacob Riis Park and virtually all parkland in and around Jamaica Bay (except Marine Park) became part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.

In 1978, the bridge was renamed in honor of Gil Hodges, former first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, who also played for the New York Mets late in his career, and managed the Mets from 1968 until his death in 1972. That makes this, I believe, the only bridge in New York City to be named after an athlete.

For runners, the bridge can be an excellent part of a very enjoyable long run. Even aside from exploring Floyd Bennett Field, there is an excellent bike/pedestrian path in Brooklyn along the Belt Parkway from Sheepshead Bay all along the north edge of Jamaica Bay, and along Flatbush Ave. to the bridge. On the Rockaway Peninsula is Jacob Riis Park, and a beach that extends eastward all the way to Far Rockaway at the Nassau County border. You can also include the Cross Bay Memorial Bridge, Broad Channel, the Joseph P. Addabbo Bridge into Howard Beach to complete a large loop around Jamaica Bay, almost entirely on separate pathways or quiet residential streets. And, of course, lots of bridges! More Belt Parkway bridges to come.

Race Report: New York Pioneer Memorial 100 Mile Trek

2011-05-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30, saw the 16th biennial running of the New York Pioneer Memorial 100 Mile Trek. It's a three-day stage race, 33 1/3 miles each day, that has been held every two years since 1981. The race honors the members of the Pioneer Club, who were true pioneers in long-distance running, going back to the 1950's. As race director Rich Innamorato says, it's the only thing Ted Corbitt ever asked him to do. The first day's winner would receive the Abe Fournes, John Sterner and Al Williams Award, day 2's winner gets the Nat Cirulnick, Aldo Scandurra and Kurt Steiner Award, and the third day's winner receives the Ed Levy and Harry Murphy Award. The overall men's winner receives the Joe Yancey Award, and the women's overall winner gets the Ted Corbitt award.

The first day's stage, along the old Vanderbilt Motorway in Alley Pond Park, was held in conjunction with a separate 50K. The 50K winners were Byron Lane and Jodi Kartes-Heino. The additional runners on Saturday made for a fun event on a hot day. The motorway, a 3.45-mile out and back, has some real ups and downs, and despite being mostly shaded, was a tough go in the heat.

I wasn't sure if I should enter the 3-day only two weeks after my 48 hour, but this race has such historical significance, and significance for running in New York, that I knew I had to try if I thought it was at all possible that I could finish. A week before the race, I was feeling pretty good, so I sent in my entry. The only lingering pain I was really feeling from the 48 was some strain in my left foot. But I really wasn't sure if I'd even be able to get through the first day. But I thought if I took a relaxed pace I might make it. I got through the first day in one piece, and even was the first day winner, ahead of Derrell Janey and Andrei Aroneanu. For the women, Hanna Ben-Shoan had the day's lead over Gail Marino.

The course for day 2 was moved because of downed trees on the intended course, so it took place instead in another section of Alley Pond Park, a course that had been used for the three-day at least a couple times before. The temperatures again rose into the 80's and was making life tough for all the runners. 1997, 2001 and 2003 winner Dave Luljak passed me a little over halfway through, but I was able to pass him back soon after, and finished only about 5 minutes ahead of him for this stage. Hanna again won the women's stage.

The final day's (today's) course was my home away from home (away from home), Crocheron Park. The forecast called for temps of 90 degrees, so Richie, with unanimous consent from the runners, agreed to move the start from 9:00 am to 8:00 am. Unexpectedly, a storm came through between 6:30-7:30 or so and dropped quite a bit of rain on the city. It let up in time for the start, but the skies remained overcast and sprinkles kept falling for two hours into the race - a very nice start! But the sun did come out, and the temperatures and humidity went up and up. I managed to take the stage again, and the overall win for the third time in a row, with a total time of 14:00:19, much better than I thought I'd do! Derrelle finished slightly ahead of Dave today, but Dave had a few minutes on him coming into today, so overall Dave took second and Derrelle third. Lucimar Araujo ran an excellent race, winning the women's stage and moving herself into second for the 3-day. Hanna got the women's win and Antana Locs took third.

Overall, there were 21 starters and 16 hardy finishers (in order by bib number): myself, Lucimar, Sal Carretta, 4-time winner Frank DeLeo, Derrelle, Bruce Kacen, Hiroshi Kitada, Antana, Dave, Gail, Frank Pellegrino, Al Prawda, Lydia Redding, Andrei, Hanna, and Jay Lustgarten. Congrats to all!!!!! It's really quite an undertaking to participate in this race, not just for the runners, but for the volunteers, who did an amazing job as always, and especially for Richie, so a big thanks to him! He says this was "definitely" the last edition of this race. Some have mentioned that he's said that before, but it really is a lot of work, and he's been doing it since 1981, so I can't say I'd blame him. But I can still hope for a 2013 edition.

Pics: 1. Dave Luljak, Derrellt Janey and me; 2. Hanna Ben-Shoan and me with our trophies; 3. Lucimar Araujo winning day 3; 4. Bruce Kacen with his trophy; 5. Bob Falk and Tim Ryan at the scorer's table

Race Report: 3 Days at the Fair 48 Hour Race

2011-05-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Pic: Lap 290, for the record

Pic: Early in the run, with creeply humanoid recycling containers in background

Pic: Me, Sabrina, Deb and Anna with our awards

Pic: Me with last year's 48 hour winners, Scott Brockmeier and Liz Bauer

Pic: Me with RD Rick McNulty

This race I had high hopes for coming into. After the 2007 24 Hour World Challenge in Drummondville, where I did better than expected, I was talking with Roy Pirrung and John Geesler about running a 48 hour race. They both encouraged me and gave me advice, and thought I might even be able to take a shot at the record, which was John's at 400K (258.55 miles) and was Roy's before that. So I had set my sights on the 48 hour record.

I got my first chance at the prestigious invitation-only race in Surgeres, France in May 2008. I had one of the greatest experiences of my life and ran very well, but fell short of the record, with 235 miles. Due to various circumstances, I didn't get my next chance until Across the Years this past New Year's. I started out well at this race, but was slowed down by the cold the first night, then after about 25 hours I had to pull out with an inflamed achilles.

So after Across the Years it was actually Deb Horn who reminded me about 3 Days at the Fair, which takes place at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ. I was free and I signed up. The event also includes 72 hour, 24 hour, 12 hour and 6 hour races, all of which (except the 6 hour) concluded at 9:00 am Sunday morning, May 15. I enlisted the help of Lydia Redding to drive me to the race and home again after.

My plan for this race was the same as my previous 48's. I mapped out my intended splits for each 50K. My first would take 5 hours, then 5:30, 5:30, 6, 6, 6, 6:30 and 6:30, which left an hour for a cushion. I had originally thought I could easily run a 6-hour 50K on a basically flat course no matter how tired I was, but I learned at Surgeres how hard it can really be. But I decided to stick with that plan.

I arrived at the race site and race director Rick McNulty gave me a quick tour of the facilities, which looked nice, indeed. The start/finish area was on what could be called the fairgrounds' "main drag", with the large kitchen/concession stand on one side, a large hall of some sort used for special events on the other, and a large, clean restroom facility (including showers) at the far end. (I can't tell you know nice it is to be able to wash your hands during a race like this!) This stretch would be a bit of an uphill, but nothing too strenuous, and I thought could be a good place for walking breaks. I knew the course would not be pancake flat, which was fine with me.

I set up my table under Deb's canopy, which I was thankful for, since the weather forecast during the race called for scattered showers, and set up my little pup tent, which I was hoping would go unused. Sabrina Moran set up next to Deb and me, and her parents came by later to provide a more substantial setup for her.

So at 9:00 am we 48 hour runners were off on our adventure. The course was a .8578-mile loop that ran counterclockwise from the start uphill towards the bathrooms, around and down the other side and after jutting out 50 yards or so headed down around a long bell-type curve. This curve is a gradual downhill to the bottom and gradual uphill coming back. Then a turn onto a grass/gravel section before coming back towards the main drag.

The race started comfortably enough, and I was settling into a stride and getting comfortable with the course. I decided that I'd take my walking breaks at the little section that juts out on the downhill stretch, since it's a slight uphill between downhill sections, and could become mentally discouraging later on. I also decidded to keep my walking break there to 36 steps - just enough to stretch my legs and catch my breath a bit. Early on, I caught onto a stride that felt very comfortable and sustainable. My physical therapist, Dr. Jack Mantione, had told me that I had been working my hamstrings too much, and that I should let the glutes do the work, and here I felt like I was letting my glutes propel me forward. I hit my first 50K split ahead of schedule at about 4:45.

I continued on, and no issues arose. I had decided to take more liquid calories in this race, mainly from Hammer Perpetuem and Sustained Energy, as well as Cytomax. The kitchen was offering some incredible food - besides the usual ultra food, they had a wider selection of fruits, including blueberries, raspberries and grapes, soups, and hot foods like hamburgers, grilled cheese, pizza, quesadillas, lots of good stuff. I went through quite a bit of the chicken broth - that really hit the spot! But lot of it would slow me down while eating, so I only occasionally took part of a hamburger or grilled cheese (but they were soooo good).

Through the first night, I was still keeping pace, and I only stopped once to rest, laying down about 10 minutes without sleeping, just to rest my feet. I did start to have a recurrence of my achilles problem after about 20 hours, but this time I brought a brace that I wrapped around my ankle, and the achilles was not an issue after that. Once at about 20 hours as I went by the timing tent, they gave my mileage and said, "You're in second." Second?!!! Last year's winner, Scott Brockmeier, and Darren Worts were both running well, but I didn't think they were ahead of me, who could it be? Next time around I asked and they said Sabrina was ahead, but we were on the same lap. Yes, she was running well, and she was well on track for the women's record of 234 miles, if she could keep the pace. She is definitely a young runner to watch. And her parents very kindly volunteered to fill my bottles for me.

At the halfway point, the 24 hour runners joined us, including good friends Anna Piskorska and Shannon McGinn. So that brought a new energy to the course. I had hit my 200K mark just under 22 hours, just ahead of schedule, and was still feeling comfortable. As the second day passed I just kept plugging along, and was surprised that even after 36 hours I was still keeping the same pace I was running at 12 hours.

I don't generally like to talk a lot during a race, even a long race like this, but I did get some enjoyable chatting time with a number of runners and was rooting for many of them to reach their goals. Sabrina, however, had struggled just before the halfway point and went home to re-energize and regroup. Deb wasn't having the race she was hoping for, saying she was having trouble eating enough. Charlotte Vasarhelyi was running the 72 and shooting for the Canadian 48 and 72 hour records. She had her ups and downs, but well into her third day was running as well as I'd seen anyone running that late into a 72 hour.

Saturday evening there was some sort of large event going on in the hall on the main drag, which looked like a lot of fun, but it was crowding the course a little, and I was looking forward to the time when they'd all go home. But it did provide something new to look at and think about. At 9:00 pm the 12 hour race started, which brought still more fresh runners to the course. It's always a little boost to see runners who are clean and fresh. And I was told that the course can be very sparsely populated on Saturday night, so the more runners out there, the better.

Through the second night I took a couple more short non-sleeping rests - about 5 minutes and 7 minutes, and another few minutes on a park bench - for my feet's sake, but my legs were still feeling good. I kept monitoring my stride, and I was still using my glutes to propel myself, my feet were still going "pat-pat-pat" instead of "clomp-clomp-clomp", and my nutrition plan was working. I was not taking extended walking breaks, and I was still running roughly 10-minute laps (11:30 miles). I needed 290 laps to break John's record, and I was counting down and silently celebrating every 10 laps. I was feeling very confident that it would happen, but still anything could happen, especially on the second night. After 220 laps, about 34:00, I decided to take one last rest break before making a final push for the last 70 laps.

Lydia came back to crew for me at about 11:00 pm, and it was very nice to have her help. I didn't feel like I was getting sleepy, but my mind was definitely a little out of it. Going past the timing station and having Rick call out my lap number, and with the people in the kitchen, by the time I went out on the lonely back stretch (which seemed to get longer and longer all night), it felt like the timing station was a dream, they were two separate worlds. The time in the race was winding down, and I was hoping I'd be able to stay out there and not take any time off the course.

Then at about the 41 hour mark (2:00 am) the rain came down, and it got heavy for a while and was creating some puddles on the road. Fortunately I had my rain jacket with me, but my feet were getting wet, and I suddenly felt awake, although I couldn't tell if I was still maintaining my pace. The rain let up to become a spotty drizzle, and I was determined to push on and get that record, it was too close now, and I might never be in this position again. The splits were well ingrained in my head and I was still on pace.

At about 45 hours it poured again, for almost an hour straight. By this time I had 280 laps, and I was going to push for those 10 laps, even picking up the pace. I was thankful for Lydia being there to help keep my supplies and extra clothes dry. My own clothes were soaking wet, which at this time was shorts and wind pants, a long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, wind jacket and rain jacket, much bulkier than I'd prefer, but I didn't want to get sidelined by hypothermia at this point.

Rick was at the timing station counting down the final laps for me, and there was an enthusiastic group at the picnic tables by the kitchen cheering me on as well, and I kept up sub-10 minute laps. Finally I crossed the line at 290 laps - 248.7 miles at 46:18, more than an hour 40 minutes left. After some hugs and handshakes to celebrate I was back on my way. I was still feeling good, and although there was a part of me that wanted to relax and be happy with anything I could get now, I still was motivated to get as high a mileage total as I could. Pulling away from the main drag, it felt strange that this was now uncharted territory for any American runner, everything I did now was covering new ground.

With a little over an hour to go, Rick told me I could get 300 laps - 257 miles. I thought it would be close, averaging 10 minute laps, and the last thing I wanted to happen, since partial laps weren't counted, was for me to run almost a full lap and just miss the finish line by a few seconds. But what choice did I have? I just had to push harder. But my last few laps I was running just a little faster, and my last three laps were even under nine minutes. Heading out on my last lap with 15 minutes to go, I was mentally saying goodbye to the landmarks I wouldn't see again. No more hill by the bathroom, no more downhill stretch interrupted by the right-turn uphill, no more long bell curve, no more recycling container that looked like a soldier, no more gravel section, then the road before turning back onto the main drag one last time, and across the finish line for 300 laps - 257.34 miles, with six minutes to spare. My last lap was 8:33 - about 10:00 for a mile. But it felt so good to finally be done, and to be able to celebrate.

With a good breakfast and a very nice awards ceremony, where winners of all races were given beautiful homemade pottery in place of trophies, I was able to enjoy the company of the other runners, who were so supportive during the race and as ultrarunners tend to be, just incredibly wonderful people. Sabrina came back and won the women's 48 hour, Deb getting second. Anna won the 24 hour. Darren Worts got second in the 48, with over 200 miles himself.

So I have to give a big thanks to Lydia Redding for crewing me and giving me transportation, and for cleaning up and breaking down after the race; to Jack Mantione for his pre-race tune-up; to the Morans for their help during the race; and of course for Rick McNulty and all of the staff of the race for putting on such a great event, and for being attentive to my record attempt. And a special thanks to John Geesler for being supportive throughout, as was Roy Pirrung before him. It's my pledge to be as supportive of whoever is going to break my record.

But the basic info, that people have asked about: my shoes were the Mizuno Wave Precision 11, socks were WrightSock double-layered socks, and I never changed shoes or socks during the race. My 24-hour splits were about 136 and 121. My 50K splits are below - intended splits and total time, followed by actual splits and total time:

50K: 5:00 - 5:00; actual 4:47 - 4:47

100K: 5:30 - 10:30; actual 5:06 - 9:54

150K: 5:30 - 16:00; actual 5:52 - 15:46

200K: 6:00 - 22:00; actual 6:04 - 21:51

250K: 6:00 - 28:00; actual 5:44 - 27:35

300K: 6:00 - 34:00; actual 5:59 - 33:34

350K: 6:30 - 40:30; actual 6:24 - 39:59

400K: 6:30 - 47:00; actual 6:19 - 46:18

P.S. - I haven't been able to keep up on my bridges, but they will return shortly!

Bridge of the Week #58: Little Neck Bridge

2011-04-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

Continuing east on Northern Boulevard, this week's bridge is the Little Neck Bridge in Bayside, Queens. It carries Northern Boulevard over Alley Creek from the Cross-Island Parkway on the west to

The bridge carries six lanes of traffic, three in each direction, and a sidewalk on both sides. It is a fixed bridge, opened in 1931, and is at least the second bridge on that site, the first being a drawbridge built in 1822.

Northern Boulevard actually underwent a few name changes over the course of its history and over the course of its course. In some parts it was called Jackson Ave. (and still is on its far western end in Long Island City), and in some parts, including over Alley Creek, it was called Broadway. Little Neck is the piece of land in far northeastern Queens that kind of sticks out into the water (Little Neck Bay) and that includes the neighborhoods of Little Neck and Douglaston. This is as opposed to Greak Neck, a much larger piece of land that stick out into Long Island Sound just across the Nassau County line.

I don't know how much interest there is for runners in Douglaston (although it is a beautiful, very well-off part of town) or Little Neck (which I don't think I've ever visited). But on the western side of the bridge is a pathway along the Cross-Island Parkway that extends north to pass underneath the Throgs Neck Bridge (another neck!) and just to the south, south of the Long Island Expressway, is Alley Pond Park, and from there you can hit the Queens park corridor all the way to Flushing Meadows and even Forest Park with little traffic interruption.

Pics: 1. Little Neck Bridge; 2. View north; 3. View south

Bridge of the Week #57: Flushing Bridge

2011-04-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge, the Flushing Bridge, is one that can be hard to find, and is nothing too amazing in and of itself, but it can be a nice connector if going on a long run through Queens.

The Flushing Bridge carries Northern Boulevard over Flushing River between Willets Point and Flushing, Queens. The bridge is very close to the Whitestone Expressway/Van Wyck Expressway intersection (really just an extension of the same expressway), and the Grand Central Parkway is not too far to the west, and there are a lot of onramps and offramps for Northern Boulevard as well, all on the western side of the bridge. But there is also a nice pedestrian/bike path along the edge of Flushing Bay that runs from just east of LaGuardia Airport to the mouth of the Flushing River which is actually a part of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. But this pathway ends on the east at a rather foreboding unnamed one-way road (westbound) with a crumbling sidewalk that passes by heavy industrial areas and carries heavy traffic, including truck traffic, either coming straight off westbound Northern Boulevard or going from the Van Wyck to westbound Northern Boulevard. But the road is at least wide enough to avoid putting yourself in any real danger, and within about a quarter mile you will see on the right the pedestrian entrance to the bridge. The eastern end of the bridge is much easier, with easy access at the northwestern corner of Prince St. and Northern Boulevard. From there you can continue on to College Point or any of the other northeastern Queens neighborhoods bypassing the busier Roosevelt Ave to the south. From the Flushing Bay path, of course, you can also get to Citi Field and the rest of Flushing Meadows, although the area between the stadium and the bay is not the most pedestrian-friendly, either.

*Addition/correction: I originally called this the Northern Boulevard Bridge, simply because it was on Northern Boulevard, and I didn't see any name to the contrary. But just after posting this, I found a reliable source that called this the Flushing Bridge. Furthermore, I've discovered that there have been a few bridges on this site dating back to the 19th century. A drawbridge built in 1906, replaced by another drawbridge in the 1930's, and finally replaced by the current higher bridge which opened in October 1980. Northern Boulevard, by the way, was originally called Jackson Ave., and now only the very western end of the street retains the name Jackson Ave.

Pics: 1. View of downtown Flushing from the bridge; 2. The Flushing River; 3. A concrete plant (apparently) on the east bank of the river.

Race Report: Boston Marathon

2011-04-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2011 was my fourth time running the Boston Marathon, and the first since 2005. I ran in 2003, 2004 and 2005 with mostly pretty disappointing results. 2003 was a fairly warm day, and I finished in the 3:15 range, and was the first time I'd ever walked in a marathon. 2004 was downright hot with temperatures around 85 degrees, and my goal eventually became to just cross the finish line on my own two feet, rather than on a stretcher, as I saw many runners being attended to in the medical tents. That is still my slowest marathon, in 3:54. 2005 was much better, and I finished in 2:56.

But Boston is a tough course, and many stories are told of those who start out too fast on the downhills and crash on the uphills between miles 16-21. Still, I was feeling in good shape and thinking that a PR was possible, my current PR being 2:52:06 in New York in 2007. I don't run as many marathons as I used to, in 2008 not running any at all. But I thought everything was looking good. Even the weather forecast was looking good, with high temperatures around 60 and a good tailwind.

I rode up to Boston with Mike Arnstein, who also arranged for a home stay with a family in Hopkinton. So right off the bat, I have to give a big thanks to Mike and to our hosts, Cecile and David. They were also hosting another runner, Jeff, and his wife Tania, so it was nice meeting them as well.

After being dropped off within walking distance of the athletes' village and finishing my preparations and dropping off my bag, I was on my way to the corrals and the start of my fourth Boston Marathon. Since I don't run many marathons, my qualifying time of 3:01 from the 2009 New York Marathon was a bit slower than my PR, so I was placed in the third corral behind the elite men. At the start, the field around me was running slower than I would have liked to, but it was so crowded I had no chance to move up for a while. My first mile, even on that steep downhill, was about 7:00. I was not just shooting for a PR, but for a sub-2:50, so I would have to average about 6:28 per mile to accomplish that. But I knew I'd have time to make up the slow start, and it might even be to my benefit to start slow.

Eventually I did settle into a 6:20-6:22 pace, a little slower or faster depending on the terrain, but always staying under 6:30. My 5K splits were almost exactly 20:00, just a tad under for the first 25K. My first half split was about 1:24:14, so in theory I was on pace for a sub-2:50, but those hills were yet to come. I did slow a little on the tough hill leading into mile 18, and the next couple of miles also were in the 6:40 range, but I was hoping I'd still be able to make up the time on the subsequent downhills and crack that 2:50. I was feeling confident about the PR still.

On the downhill at mile 21 I did feel like I was flying, and except for some involuntary muscle twitches, was still feeling good, although exhaustion was setting in. Turning on to Beacon St. the course leveled out and I just tried to keep my focus on my pace. At mile 24 I remembered my first two years when I stayed with my cousin Kirstin who lived near that spot and she would cheer me on. No one was cheering for me now, but with only two miles to go, I could sense the end was near. But I always get frustrated because it doesn't look like the end is near. And it also became clear that I wasn't going to get in under 2:50, but was still likely to get a PR, as long as I kept pushing. Two weeks before, I let a 6-hour PR slip away because I let up at the end, and when you have a chance to run your fastsest time ever, and the conditions are good, you don't miss the opportunity.

But before you know it, you're on the familiar stretch leading into downtown Boston. The final right and left turns onto Boylston St., the finish line came into sight, still close to a half mile away. But it got closer and closer, and I finally finished in 2:50:55, a PR by over a minute. And just seconds after I finished, I heard the announcer say that Joan Beonit Samuelson had just finished, and I looked over and saw her come through. It was nice to be in her presence. In looking back over my splits and her splits, we were actually running very close to each other the entire race, and I didn't know it!

So I was very happy all things considered. When I heard Geoffrey Mutai's winning time, I thought I should have been able to run faster, under 2:50. But even with the downhills and the tailwind, it's still a tough course, and to get a PR at age 42 after 13 years of running marathons is not bad. I'll get that 2:49 yet!

Bridge Updates: Williamsburg and Queensboro Bridges

2011-04-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of updates and news items for our bridges. The Williamsburg Bridge now has separate entrances in Brooklyn for bikes and pedestrians. Pedestrians now enter on Bedford Ave. under the bridge. The other entrance, mentioned in my previous post, is just for bikes now. The two paths join each other partway across to Manhattan. Also, this week Mayor Bloomberg signed into effect the renaming of the Queensboro Bridge to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, in honor of the former mayor. I don't like it and most New Yorkers don't like it, but there it is. I don't know how many people will actually call it that. A lot of Manhattanites still call it the 59th St. Bridge. At least they didn't name it after a Kennedy.

Bridge of the Week #56: Bronx Shore Footbridge

2011-04-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, how about that, another footbridge! This one isn't even done yet. It's a footbridge between the Bronx and the north end of Randall's Island over Bronx Kill, and it sits underneath the Hell Gate Bridge (train bridge) viaduct. It will connect what will apparently be some new bike paths in South Bronx at 132 St. and approximately Willow Ave. with a bike path under construction on Randall's Island and Wards Island, which will sit underneath said viaduct for its entire length on the islands.

I shouldn't call it a footbridge, since it will also get heavy cycling use. People can currently walk across the Bronx leg of the Triborough Bridge, only a few hundred yards to the west, but cyclists are supposed to walk their bikes across. And with that bridge's height and length, this simple footbridge will be much more convenient not just for cyclists, but for kids and older folk. I don't even know if I should call it the Bronx Shore Footbridge, but the web site for Randall's Island calls it that, so that's good enough for now.

This bridge was first planned way back in 2001, with funding from the New York Power Authority. It was to be community remuneration for some power plants they wanted to build in the Bronx. But eventually remuneration took the form of power-saving endeavors in the Bronx, and plans for the bridge were shelved. The plan was later revived with help from ConEd, who wanted to put power lines on the underside of the bridge. This is not without controversy, as canoers and kayakers say the with the cable ducts, the low-lying bridge will be impossible to get under at high tide, and at low tide the water of is sometimes too shallow to paddle. And the Bronx Kill is otherwise a perfect place to canoe or kayak because of its lack of commercial traffic. But it looks like the plan is going ahead. If you look closely at the top picture you can see the ducts and how close they are to the water. The bridge will supposedly be done (as of August 2010) in mid-2012. The bridge structure has been in place since at least May 2009. Doesn't look that tough, but what do I know. To be fair, they had to remove some old ducts and install the new ones before surfacing the bridge. But let's hope they git 'er done.

Actually it will be very nice, and is expected to really open up Randall's Island and Wards Island to Bronx residents. There are a lot of new ball fields that have just opened up in that northeast corner of the island as well, the "Sunken Meadow" area.

Pics: 1. The bridge under construction (it's fenced off, but I stuck the camera over the fence); 2. Location of future bike path on Randall's Island south from the bridge.

Race Report: BUS 6-Hour Race

2011-04-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 2, the BUS (Broadway Ultra Society) 6-Hour Race took place in Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream, NY. It took place along with a 3-hour race in conjunction with the New York Ultrarunning Grand Prix Awards Luncheon. This was the second year the luncheon (previously a brunch) took place in the administration building at Hendrickson Park, and the administrators and village officials should be commended for permitting us this great event! In previous years the brunch was held at the GLIRC clubhouse in Plainview, Long Island, preceded by voluntary group fun runs on the roads or trails. Last year the brunch was moved to Valley Stream and an organized 3-hour race (not an ultra for most people) was held beforehand on the 1.453-mile park path loop. This year, BUS director Rich Innamorato decided to hold a 6-hour race as well as the three-hour, with the 6-hour being a scoring event in the 2011 Grand Prix.

The weather forecast was good for race morning, with temperatures to reach the low 50's. I uncharacteristically opted for a long-sleeved shirt, wary of possible cool temperatures. Despite this being a grand prix event, I couldn't quite get out of the fun run mindset, especially since the one man who's been my toughest competitor in my ultra career, Byron Lane, told me beforehand that he wouldn't be able to come. That, with the Boston Marathon being two weeks away, and a 30-mile tough trail training run the week before, left me hoping I wouldn't have to push too hard on this race, and a PR was not one of my goals. I didn't even look back to see what exactly my PR was, or how many laps that would be.

The usual crowd began to gather before the start, although quite a few of the regulars were in North Carolina running the Umstead 100. But it was great to see those who were there, not just the runners but the volunteers and the race directors of the other Grand Prix events. And the crowd suddenly got younger as Dennis Ball arrived with his friends from the Tri-Life triathlon team, most of whom were first-timers at a BUS event. Dennis himself hasn't run a lot of ultras, but he came in a close second to me at the Queens 50K last year, and beat me at the Knickerbocker 60K last fall, as well as the St. Patrick's Day Marathon in March, and he also won a 50K in New Jersey in March. That Knickerbocker performance in particular worried me, as it was not too far off the distance we would be running this day. And I couldn't help but think that one of those guys could be a real speedster too.

At the 8:00 start, Dennis and I ran side-by-side and had a nice friendly chat, although we kept a brisk pace, about 7:20 per mile. I felt that it was a little fast, but it was still comfortable, and I didn't want Dennis to get ahead of me. After an hour of side-by-side running we took turns making pit stops, the result of which left him about a minute and a half ahead. At the north end of the loop I could see that he was keeping the same distance ahead of me each loop, so I just tried to stay patient. After about three and a half hours at the same fast pace, I caught up to him again and we ran side-by-side again for a few loops. But then he waved me on saying he couldn't keep up the pace. Of course, I didn't know if I could keep up the pace, but I tried to get some separation. Eventually I lapped him as he was walking and saying that his shin was giving him pain. That enabled me to relax a little, which was good, because it seemed like the wind from the south was picking up quite a bit. So I did ease up on the pace a little, thinking of Boston, not worrying about a PR, and having only a rough idea that I would finish with about 46 miles.

To finish the race, the course was marked off in 100-yard increments, with a numbered stake in the ground at each mark. I finished on the east side, running against the wind, and relaxed as the seconds wore down. I passed the #17 mark and thought I might be able to reach 18, but the whistle blew about 5-10 yards shy. I wouldn't blame a runner for giving himself the next mark if his momentum carried him through a second or two after the whistle, but if I really wanted that mark I would've pushed it the last few seconds, so as John Garlepp came by with the clipboard noting our marks, I gave him 17. Besides, I was two laps up on Dennis, so why would I care about 100 yards? Well, my final total was 47.46 miles. My previous PR, set at the Staten Island 6-Hour in 2008, was 47.48 miles. By my calculations, .02 miles equals about 35 yards, and I ran about 90 yards past the mark. So there you have it. But it's my own fault for not knowing my exact PR and for not pushing at the end. BUT, I remember that finish in Staten Island, and I remember just reaching a similar mark when the whistle sounded - no extra distance. So even though my official scored distance is not as much, the actual distance run was more, so in my personal books I'm giving myself a tie for a PR!

Dennis got second and Michael Ryan third. Gail Marino, a true veteran, won the women's race, with Dennis's tri friends Susan Schmelzer, Brittany Klimowicz (a 2011 Badwater entrant) and Allison McDevitt taking 2, 3 and 4. And I was also given my 2010 Grand Prix championship award, my second after 2007, with Jodi Kartes-Heino receiving the women's award.

But it was a great day, lots of great friends to run with, and even with the wind the weather was beautiful. It was great to see Grant there helping out, even if not running due to recovery from surgery. Barbara S. ran well, we had a quartet of Franks - Collela, Stonitsch, and Deleo and Pellegrino who ran together a lot of the way. Jim Morris, my co-crew from Tim Henderson's Vermont run, ran well. Sal, Sam, Tim Ryan, Bruce, Lanny, Bob Falk, Lydia, Lucimar, Ruth, and so on - my apologies for not naming you all. Quite a few came for the 3-hour as well, including Al Prawda tossing a baseball while he ran, Elaine Acosta arriving late after another race in New Jersey, and Mike Costello, my Badwater pacer from 2009.

Pics: 1. Jodi and me receiving our Grand Prix awards; 2. Dennis, Michael and me, 1,2,3; 3. Gail and me with the 6-hour trophies; 4. Dennis and the Tri-Life team

Bridge of the Week #55: E. 238 St. Bridge

2011-04-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge is a nice one - the E. 238 St. Bridge in the Bronx, which may also be known as the Nereid Ave. Bridge, since Nereid Ave. is the name of the street that crosses it, but more on that later.

This bridge crosses the Bronx River as well as the Bronx River Parkway and the Metro North railroad tracks. A bridge on the site was proposed as far back as 1915 to eliminate a street crossing of the railroad lines. But disputes between the railroads and the city over responsibilty for financing the bridge, pasrticularly since it also crossed the Bronx River, pushed back the start of construction. An agreement was eventually reached to build bridges at both E. 238 St. and E. 241 St. (previously covered). Construction began in 1929 and the bridge opened on April 23, 1931.

The bridge might not look like much while crossing it, but from the bike path that runs underneath (which dead-ends not too far north - see Muskrat Cove Footbridge) it is an attractive bridge with ten high arches, reminiscent of the High Bridge Aqueduct. Overall it's 822 feet long, 80 feet wide, carries four lanes of traffic and easily accessible sidewalks on both sides. The bike path underneath can be accessed from 233 St., at the Woodlawn train station. I've covered this pathway and this area of town for running interest while discussing other bridges, so I won't repeat that here, except to remind that Van Cortlandt Park is not far to the west and the Bronx River pathway continues south from 233 St. a few blocks south.

Nereid Ave. and the bridge are located in the Wakefield neighborhood in the extreme northern section of the Bronx. In fact, Wakefield is the neighborhood that sticks up north of the city line with Yonkers to the west and Mt. Vernon to the east, and Nereid Ave. at that point runs even with the city line. So on the west side of the bridge, the north-south intersecting street is Webster Ave. to the south (New York) and Bronx River Road to the north (Yonkers), and Nereid Ave. itself becomes McLean Ave. as it gently curves north in Yonkers. Bronx Blvd. is the intersecting street on the east.

I was actually putting off discussing this bridge for a while because as much as I looked I couldn't find out why or when E. 238 St. was renamed Nereid Ave., a fact itself that I'm only assuming. A plaque on the bridge names it as the E. 238 St. Bridge. In at least one other case, the Eastern Boulevard Bridge, when a street was renamed, the bridge would retain the old street name. Nereid Ave. does sit where E. 238 St. would be, and I've seen many references that give both street names, particularly references to subway stations, and one unreliable source that said the street was renamed in the 1980's. The word nereid just means a mythical sea nymph, so the street was not named after anybody. However, several blocks to the east, the street angles to the northeast to join the street grid pattern of the Edenwald neighborhood of the Bronx, and I did see one old New York Times article that mentioned how confusing street names became when all the different villages of the Bronx were annexed into the city in 1898, so my best guess is that the angled portion of Nereid Ave. was always there, and E. 238 St. was E. 238 St., but at some point they decided to continue the Nereid Ave. name onto E. 238 St. Confusing enough?

Bridge of the Week #54: Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge

2011-03-28T20:32:00.001-07:00

This week's bridge is the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge that joins Broad Channel and the Rockaways in Queens.

The bridge is 3,000 feet long with a main span of 275 feet. It is a fixed bridge with a maximum height above the water of 55 feet. Construction began in 1967 and it was opened on May 28, 1970. The roadway on the bridge is Cross Bay Boulevard, which comes from Howard Beach, Queens across the Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo Bridge (previously covered) to Rulers Bar Hassock, including the Broad Channel neighborhood in Jamaica Bay, where the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge takes it to the Rockaways. This bridge replaces a bascule drawbridge built in 1939. The lifting of the bridge caused bad traffic backups, so the fixed bridge was constructed.

There is one sidewalk on the east side of the bridge, not very wide, and bikes are supposed to be walked across. The south entrance to the bridge is at Beach 92 St. and Beach Channel Drive, and the north entrance is pretty tough to find from the Broad Channel neighborhood. From E. 21st Road, take Van Brunt Rd. to its end, and the path entrance is around the dumpsters of a restaurant, and is very poorly marked. Still, the bridge can be part of a good long loop around the Rockaways and the Belt Parkway which can give you a lot of miles of nearly traffic-free, waterfront and bridge running.

Bridge of the Week #53: Randall's Island Footbridge

2011-03-27T13:54:00.001-07:00

This week's bridge is another rare footbridge that I'm covering. As I've said more than once, I'm generally not worrying about footbridges within parks unless they cross a notable waterway or otherwise have some historical or running significance. This one meets my criteria for interest, although it doesn't have a name that I'm aware of, so I've just called it the Randall's Island Footbridge. This is not to be confused with the Ward's Island Footbridge (previously discussed) which crosses the East River from Manhattan onto Ward's Island.

This is a small footbridge that crosses a marshy inlet between Ward's Island and Randall's Island, the last remnants of the Little Hell Gate, which separated the two islands before it was filled in with construction debris in the years following the completion of the Triborough Bridge (yet to be covered) in 1936. When the Triborough was completed, the two islands were developed as parkland (as well as the psychiatric center, a water treatment plant and a Fire Department Academy), and eventually joined by landfill. There had been a 1,000-foot vehicular bridge between the two islands, which was made obsolete by the landfill, but was only demolished in the 1990's. This bridge was located just east of and parallel to the current road that runs west of Icahn Stadium, and just west of the Hell Gate (railroad) Bridge viaduct.

If you cross the Ward's Island Footbridge from Manhattan (which is currently undergoing work and won't reopen until summer) and turn left, you'll run along a nice new bike/pedestrian path along the west side of the island. This path leads to the footbridge across the inlet to a boardwalk across the marshlands, which leads to the southern end of Icahn Stadium. You can then continue on a road along the western edge of Randall's Island or enter the stadium at the northeast corner. I thought the parkland on the two islands, including the pathway, the presence of Icahn Stadium, and the historical aspect of the joining of the two islands (which are still referred to by separate names) merits inclusion of this bridge on my list.

Icahn Stadium definitely deserves a special mention here. Previously on the site was built the 22,000-seat Triborough Stadium in 1936, the same year the Triborough Bridge was opened. Its opening even on July 11 was the Olympic Trials, which of course was a triumph for Jesse Owens on his way to Berlin. Besides track and field, it was also used for professional football and baseball, as well as music concerts. It had been renamed Randall's Island Stadium, and then in the 1950's Downing Stadium after John J. Downing, a director of New York Parks and Recreation. Downing Stadium was torn down in 2002, replaced by Icahn Stadium, named after donor Carl Icahn, which opened in April 2005. It is one of only four Class 1 internationally-certified (IAAF) tracks in the U.S., and hosts many amateur and professional track meets, including the Adidas Grand Prix, where Usain Bolt broke the 100-meter world record in 2008 (which he broke again a few months later at the Beijing Olympics).

Randall's Island itself was named after Jonathan Randel (or Randal), who bought the island in 1784. His heirs sold it to the city in 1835.

Manhattan Island Bridge Run

2011-03-19T14:48:00.005-07:00

Today was a beautiful day for a long run, and I was lucky to be joined for my run across the bridges of Manhattan Island by a very good group of friends, new and old. Mike Oliva inspired me to lead a group run and put it up on Meetup, on his New York Trail and Ultrarunning group. Check it out!

I did this a few years ago, but back then some bridges were under construction or reconstruction, so this would be a 30+ mile run across all of the bridges of Manhattan Island currently open for pedestrians (and then some), 17 total:

1. George Washington Bridge (out and back)

2. Henry Hudson Bridge (to the Bronx)

3. Broadway Bridge (to Manhattan)

4. University Heights Bridge (to the Bronx)

5. Washington Bridge (to Manhattan)

6. Macombs Dam Bridge (to the Bronx)

7. 145th St. Bridge (to Manhattan)

8. Madison Ave. Bridge (to the Bronx)

9. Third Ave. Bridge (to Manhattan)

10. Willis Ave. Bridge (to the Bronx)

11. Triboro Bridge (to Randall's Island)

12. Triboro Bridge (to Manhattan)

13. Queensboro Bridge (to Queens)

14. Pulaski Bridge (to Brooklyn)

15. Williamsburg Bridge (to Manhattan)

16. Manhattan Bridge (to Brooklyn)

17. Brooklyn Bridge (to Manhattan)

I met Mike, Brian, Prue and Lewis at the GWB Bus Terminal and off we went. Brian, Prue and Lewis I met for the first time, and they were excellent running companions. We had a great time running past various sites and neighborhoods of northern Manhattan and western Bronx. After entering Manhattan on the Triboro Bridge, about 20 miles, Lewis and Prue ended their run and went about their day. Brian decided to go his own way at the East River walk a little ways later. But Mike and I finished the run, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. I had estimated a 30-mile distance, but Mike's GPS read about 35 miles, so a little more than expected, but earning a good rest afterward. Thanks to Mike, Brian, Prue and Lewis! A great bunch of people, who I hope to see at the races or at another Meetup event soon!

Pics: 1. Prue, Brian, Mike and Lewis overlooking the High Bridge Aqueduct (closed to pedestrians); 2. Lewis and Brian on Randall's Island; 3. Prue and Mike on Randall's Island; 4. Mike and I on the final bridge crossing

Bridge of the Week #52: E. 233 St. Bridge

2011-03-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

Another bridge since I'm a little behind, and hopefully another one by the end of the week. This one is a close neighbor to last week's (yesterday's) bridge, the E. 233 St. Bridge in the Bronx over the Bronx River.

This bridge consists of a pair of concrete and stone masonry arches, and runs on E. 233 St. between Bronx Boulevard and Webster Ave. It not only crosses the Bronx River, but also the Bronx River Parkway and the Metro North Harlem Line tracks. In fact, the Woodlawn station is just to the north of the bridge on the west side of the river, with access from Webster Ave. The bridge was built in 1931. It carries three lanes of traffic in each direction, with one lane in each direction being a left turn lane, and has sidwalks on both sides. The street and sidewalks are at grade, meaning no climbing involved, and actually the terrain rises to both the east and the west. I don't have a total length, but it is fairly long for Bronx River bridges, and also rises roughly 20-30 feet (really rough guess) above the river.

There is a pathway under the bridge on the west side of the river, but it doesn't look like it links in any way to the path from the E. 231 St. Bridge (see last post) or any other path in the park, and maybe it's just because I went there in the winter when there was a lot of snow on the ground, but the path looked unmaintained, trashed but barely trod, and just a little bit scary. It just seems to be one of those obsolete dead-end paths that has fascinated me lately. But it did allow me the first picture above. There is a staircase on the west side of the river on the south side of the bridge that leads down to the riverbank there, but the stairs are blocked off. Access to this path can be had from the Woodlawn station. It is possible to continue north from Woodlawn station about 3/4 of a mile on a nice new path underneath a couple of other bridges and ending at the Muskrat Cove Footbridge (previously discussed).

Other than continuing south along Bronx Boulevard and through Bronx River Park, it is also nice to run west on 233 St. along the north edge of Woodlawn Cemetery and eventually meet up with Van Cortlandt Park. Most of my own crossings of this bridge have been coming from Pelham Manor just to the north of the city line along Boston (Post) Road to E. 233 St., but that's a ways to run, and on streets. But just about a mile to the east on 233 St. is little Seton Falls Park, which looks fascinating but I haven't yet expored it. It does appear to have a little stream running through it (and the namesake falls presumably), but I don't think it would have a bridge that I would cover.

Bridge of the Week #51: E. 231 St. Bridge

2011-03-13T20:41:00.001-07:00

This week's bridge is one of those that could be easily overlooked, the E. 231 St. Bridge over the Bronx River in the Bronx. As with some of the other bridges, I don't know if this is the official name, but somewhere I saw this name given, and the bridge is located between E. 230 and E. 231 St., so it works for me. The other option would be Bronx River Parkway Onramp Bridge, which doesn't sound as nice.

This bridge does indeed carry an onramp to the northbound Bronx River Parkway from Bronx Boulevard. The Parkway of course has no sidewalk and pedestrians are not allowed, and yet there are sidewalks on both sides of this small bridge, hence its placement on this list. The north sidewalk appears to just dead-end at the west end of the bridge, but the south sidewalk (in the foreground of the second picture above) leads to an unmaintained pathway that curves around to head under the bridge. By unmaintained, I not only mean that snow and ice are not removed, but neither are weeds and other plant and trash life and it looks like no one's walked on it in decades (except to throw trash), and once under the bridge it appears to be unpassable due to overgrowth. So not much to run on, but it's there, and it's how I got that neat first picture. I've recently been fascinated by abandoned pathways, dead-end stairways and such, that usually are the mark of some later intrusive highway or other development. There's a lot of it along Riverside Drive and Henry Hudson Parkway in northern Manhattan, but I digress.

I don't know the date of construction of the bridge, but apparently this section of the Bronx River Parkway (from about E. 233 St. to Westchester County) was constructed starting in the early 1920's, so I think it dates from that period. Sections further south weren't completed until the 1950's, but this seems to have features of bridges as originally intended for the Parkway. The Westchester sections of the Parkway were completed by 1925 and it was the first parkway in North America, meaning a high-traffic, limited-access road that shows off the natural features of its environment. The bridges were to be covered in rough-cut stone to appear more natural and blend in with the landscape. By the post-war era, styles had changed. This certainly is a neat little bridge.

Race Report: The St. Patrick's Day Marathon

2011-03-13T15:06:00.003-07:00

This race came only a week after the Caumsett Park 50K, but how could I pass up the opportunity to run a local marathon in honor of St. Patrick! This was the latest in the Holiday Marathon series, started by Mikes Arnstein and Oliva, the first being The Thanksgiving Marathon last fall. For me, it was my second marathon in the series, having also done The Thanksgiving Marathon, as well as The Valentine's Day Half Marathon a month ago.

The course is an excellent and enjoyable 6.55-mile loop, run four times for the marathon, twice for the half and once for the 5K+. On Valentine's Day the trails were all covered with snow and ice and made for treacherous running, but all signs of winter were gone now. But there were a number of muddy stretches, and one area where the trail was a stream for runoff. Nothing like getting a little dirty!

I met up with some friends before the race, as expected, including Mat Gerowitz, who ran to the start from his upper west side home, Andrei Aroneanu from New Jersey, who was my ride to Caumsett, and Dennis Ball, a very fast runner who I've run a couple of ultras with last year. With the national anthem again being sung beautifully by Vicki Arnstein, and a sound of the gong, we were off.

I ran the first lap and a half with Dennis, hitting the first lap in 50 minutes. I let him go ahead while I made a pit stop - I'd have to let him go ahead of me sooner or later anyway. I got the second lap also in 50 minutes, the third and fourth in 52 and 56 for a gong time of 3:28:29, better than my Thanksgiving time! Mike Oliva, who whupped me at Caumsett, won the race in 3:06, Dennis got third (I think) in 3:15. I finished two or three spots behind him.

It was also good to see Lucimar Araujo helping, handing out bibs (everyone got number 777) and finishers "medals" (a bag of gold coin chocolates), Emmy Stocker helping out as well, and regular pals Frank Colella, Sal Coretta, Ruth Liebowitz (a surprise since she hates running on trails, but these were "very mild"), and the rest.

Mike A. couldn't be there this time, but again a HUGE thanks to Mike and Mike and Vicki and Hiroshi and friends for putting on this fun, free, event!!! Besides the gold coins they also had the most delicious green apples I've ever had, bananas and green caps (not the one I'm wearing in the pics, that's my own).

Pics: 1. Mike O., me, and Dennis B. after the race; 2. My gong moment; 3. Mike's gong moment; 4. Lucimar handing out chocolate money with a smile

Race Report: Caumsett Park 50K

2011-03-07T05:34:00.000-08:00

The Caumsett Park 50K was held March 6, and this was my seventh time in a row running it, my longest streak of any race. And for the sixth year in a row it has been the USATF road 50K National Championship. That meant that there would again be strong competition and some exciting performances.

The weather forecast called for mild temperatures but heavy rain on Sunday, although some reports said the rain would hold off until the afternoon, which I was hoping. At the start, temperatures were in the low 50's with cloudy, threatening skies and plenty of wind. We didn't have use of the Winter Cottage this year, but a large heated tent was set up, and it was well-heated and worked well, as long as you didn't mind the goose droppings on the ground.

The course would be the same as last year, with an extra out-and-back section to make an even 5K course. The organizers warned the runners of some potholes on the out-and-back, which were definitely unpleasant, especially when they became large puddles later on in the race. It is easier mentally to run 10 5K loops, and it's nice to not have to walk nearly a half mile to the starting line, but that out-and-back is not fun with the potholes, puddles and the sharp turnaround. My PR is still from the race two years ago when we started on the opposite side of the course and didn't do have either the out-and-back or the Winter Cottage turnaround.

I knew this wouldn't be a PR (3:25) day for me, particularly since I haven't put in a lot of speedwork. But I was hoping for something similar to last year (3:28). I also was hoping to finish in the top 10 and first local runner, and maybe place in the masters category. But I saw two masters runners, Mark Godale and Dan Verrington, who I was certain would beat me, as they had in previous years, so I wasn't counting on a masters place. After the first quarter mile or so I counted the runners ahead of me, and I was in 10th place, until Mike Oliva pulled up next to me, and while I was running and chatting with him another runner pulled ahead of us. Mike continued on ahead, and after two laps, the first place woman passed me, putting me in 13th place, with Byron Lane right on my tail.

At one point in the midpoint of the race I passed Dan Verrington, who was struggling and obviously having an off day. But that gave me hope for a masters prize if I could hold off Byron. I held on to the pace I wanted to keep for five laps, but then felt myelf tensing up, and Byron was still right behind me. The rain was a minor inconvenience, but the wind was fairly strong at times. It always is at Caumsett, but it was blowing from another direction than usual, so we had the strongest winds in our faces on the second half of the loop, rather than the first. Byron and I were going back and forth the last half of the race, but he was cramping up on the last lap and I was able to finish ahead of him.

The winner, for the fourth year in a row, was Michael Wardian, who came within a few seconds of his own course record. Joshua Ferenc and Jim Johnson, both from New Hampshire, finished second and third. Jodie Schoppmann, from Levittown, broke the women's course record in 3:20:12, quite an impressive performance in what I'm told was her first ultra. Shanna Ailes Istni from Ohio was second and last year's winner, Yolanda Flamino from New Hampshire was third.

I finished 12th overall, 11th male and third master behind Mark Godale and George Adams, another New Hapshire runner! So I didn't get the time I wanted, but I did get a masters award. And I didn't finish in the top ten, overall or men, but if you want to stretch it I did get the USATF 10th place medal, since Mike Oliva, who I've done some training runs with, and who helps put on the Holidays Marathons in Van Cortlandt Park, and who rode up in Andrei Aroneanu's car (thanks Andrei!!!) along with Mat Gerowitz, finished 10th man eight minutes ahead of me but is not a member of USATF, making him ineligble for any of their awards. So after mistakenly being given the medal he had to turn it over to me, which he gamely did. That'll learn ya Mike!

So although I've seen many of my ultra friends over the winter, the Caumsett Park 50K is always a good way to see them again and to start the racing season.

Bridge of the Week #50: Muskrat Cove Footbridge

2011-02-27T20:00:00.001-08:00

After more than a year (with a few weeks off for one reason or another), we're still not done with the bridges, but we've hit the big 5-0. For this big number, I've chosen probably the smallest bridge on the whole list, the Muskrat Cove Footbridge.

I'll say again that for this project I'm not including most footbridges, particularly within parks, but I will if they cross a significant waterway or otherwise have some significance for runners. Like the Burke Ave. Bridge, this one crosses the Bronx River in the Bronx, but a ways farther north still. This bridge can be accessed by a paved bike path that begins at the Woodlawn Metro North station on the north side of E. 233 St. The path continues to the north for about 3/4 of a mile on the west bank of the river to the footbridge. However, on the east side of the bridge the path deadends, as there is no paved path, and there doesn't appear to be a dirt path that goes anywhere, only signs warning you not to go past a fence lest you be trespassing on railroad property. According to the Web site of the Bronx River Alliance, a nonprofit that is helping clean up, restore and educate the public about the Bronx River, a dirt pathway is or was planned from the east side of the bridge back to the station, but it doesn't currently look like that area is very passable. That Web site is also where I discovered that that section along the river is called Muskrat Cove. They also described the footbridge as "scenic", but the bridge itself is small and short and looks kind of rusted out actually!

Still, despite the short length and deadend nature of the path, it's a very nice and scenic place to run. It follows the river under the Bronx River Parkway and underneath the Nereid Ave. Bridge (to be discussed later). At one point you'll see a highway sign on the Bronx River Parkway saying you are entering Westchester County, but I am sure that the land immediately along the river is still in New York City, as are the streets to the east, although the streets to the west are in Yonkers. Also, at the trail head at the train station is a marker that maps the length of the Bronx River, which is a nice and interesting item to look at. On the south of the train station is E. 233rd St., with another bridge that I'll discuss later, and south of there the park pathway continues on the east side of the river.

Pics: 1. Muskrat Cove Footbridge; 2. Bronx River marker; 3. Pathway passage under the Bronx River Parkway

Bridge of the Week #49: Congressman Joesph P. Addabbo Bridge

2011-02-26T20:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, make sure you put "Congressman" in there. This is the Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo Bridge, which carries Cross Bay Boulevard from 165th Ave. in Howard Beach over the Grassy Bay section of Jamaica Bay to Rulers Bar Hassock, or Broad Channel, on the way to the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Rockaways.

This is a fixed girder bridge. Considering that it's a significant bridge, I'm surprised to have had such a hard time finding out specific information on it. I haven't found anywhere that gives its length, but it's roughly 3,000 feet long. It has a rise toward the center to allow boats to pass underneath that section. It replaces the old North Channel Bridge, and was built starting in 1988 and opened, I believe, in 1991. It was named for Joseph P. Addabbo, congressman from the area from 1961 to 1986.

This is a significant bridge for recreation in New York City. For runners, it's quite a ways out there from Manhattan, or even Brooklyn, but for a good long run it's an excellent place to go. On the Howard Beach side, there is some street running involved, but with little trouble you can connect to the Belt Parkway pathways. On the south, there is a rather long paved pathway along Rulers Bar Hassock that leads to Broad Channel, a small island neighborhood, still in Queens. The bridge, the hassock and the many surrounding small islands and wetlands fall within the Gateway National Recreation Area (which also includes areas in Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey). From Broad Channel you can access the Cross Bay Veteran's Memorial Bridge to the Rockaways, and even return to Brooklyn on the Marine Parkway Bridge, both of which I'll discuss in later posts. Actually I should qualify my earlier comment that it's an excellent place to run, and exclude times when there's snow on the ground, as the bridge is apparently never cleared of snow and ice (see above pics). The day I ran across it several weeks ago, it was most unpleasant. Again, the things I do for you guys.

The bridge also received the "Best Bridge" award from Transportation Alternatives, a cycling advocacy group, for its three non-vehicular lanes on each side of the bridge! There is an on-road bike lane, a pedestrian sidewalk which is separated by a concrete barrier, and a fishing area on the outside, separated from the sidewalk by a high chain-link fence. While the bridge receives high marks for its attention to such recreation, apparently there are a lot of complaints about fishermen (and women) leaving a lot of trash behind, even throwing trash and fish and crab parts onto the sidewalk and roadway. One blogger mentions seagulls landing on the roadway to pick up fish parts, only to meet their demise in traffic, which does damage to cars as well. I have no doubt there is a lot of trash underneath all that snow. Other forms of misbehavior on the bridge, including vandalism, have been attributed to the fishermen as well. But, in any case, sidewalks are easily accessed on either side.

And most of the time, it is a good place to run. If you don't want to run there all the way from your house, you can take the A train to the Howard Beach/JFK Airport stop (the airport is just across the bay to the east), go north to 157th Ave. and west to Cross Bay Boulevard, then south to the bridge. There is also an A train stop in Broad Channel and several in the Rockaways. The A train takes a separate bridge across the bay, and it is a very pleasant ride in itself.

Bridge of the Week Update: Willis Ave. Bridge

2011-02-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

I talked about the Willis Ave. Bridge way back in October I think it must have been, right after they opened the new bridge, just before the New York Marathon. At that time, the old and new bridges stood side by side, with the new bridge taking the vehicles across the Harlem River, and the old bridge still taking pedestrians across.

Since then, the old bridge has been dismantled and the pedestrians now get to cross on the new, wide walkway of the new brown bridge, and it's actually quite a nice way to go (see pic above). But there are a couple items to note.

Construction crews are still removing the last remains of the old bridge approaches on both sides, so the pedestrian entrances are a bit out of the way. In Manhattan, the entrance is accessed from 126th St. and 1st Ave., like the temporary entrance to the old bridge, but you have to walk on the ground further, going under an old roadway, before climbing the stairs to the bridge. In the Bronx, access can still be had from the south side of Brucker Blvd. at Willis Ave., but you really have to walk way out of the way before crossing over a temporary overpass to get to the bridge. But it can be done!

The ohter interesting item is that the two spans of the old bridge are still sitting in the river just north of the bridge. (The old bridge had a shorter swing span and one fixed truss span. The new bridge just has the longer swing span.) I do not know what they are planning to do with them. Turn them into scrap metal I suppose, but until then they're on display in the Harlem River. All of this, by the way, is actually accurate as of about a week and a half ago, but I doubt anything has changed since then.

Bridge of the Week #48: E. 241 St. Bridge

2011-02-17T20:55:00.001-08:00

This week we're back to the Bronx River (no we're still not done yet) to the northernmost bridge in the whole city* - the E. 241 St. Bridge in the Bronx. This bridge I have very little information about, but it carries E. 241 St. from Carpenter Ave. in the Wakefield neghborhood of the Bronx, over Bronx Blvd. and Bullard Ave., over the Metro North railroad tracks at the Wakefield station, over the Bronx River and the Bronx River Parkway before reaching Bronx River Road in Yonkers, where E. 241 St. continues on as Wakefield Ave.

This is a simple, fixed steel and concrete girder bridge, there is one lane of traffic in each direction and a sidewalk on both sides, although there are no pedestrian signals on the Yonkers side on the south sidewalk, so you take your life into your hands trying to get across the intersection unless you use the north sidewalk. The north sidewalk also leads directly to Wakefield Park in Yonkers, just a small park. There is really nothing of much interest to runners here, there is no Bronx River park pathway in this area. In NYC the pathway essentially ends at E. 233rd St. (although I'll go into greater detail about that later), and whether it picks up again farther north in Westchester for any significant distance I don't know, but not in the nearby area. But Wakefield is the neighborhood that sticks up NNE of the main boundary line between New York City and Westchester County, kind of like that little piece of Minnesota that sticks up into Canada.

*A note about this being the northernmost bridge in the city. One map I have (paper map) shows that there may be a tiny sliver of land within the New York city limits that extends far enough north wedged between Mount Vernon and Yonkers to reach Mount Vernon Ave., at which point there is another bridge across the Bronx River. Having visited the spot, the street signs on the east side of the bridge are clearly Mount Vernon street signs, and on the west are clearly Yonkers street signs. Looking back at my map, if there is a sliver of land within the New York City limits it would have to be only the railroad tracks and possibly the Mount Vernon West station there at the most. So I don't consider this a New York City bridge. But even if some completist does, it's been mentioned, so there.

Pics: 1. The bridge from Bullard Ave. in the Bronx; 2. The bridge from Yonkers.

Bridge of the Week #47: Gerritsen Inlet Bridge

2011-02-04T20:11:00.001-08:00

This week's bridge is the Gerritsen Inlet Bridge, one of the bridges on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn. It carries three lanes of traffic in each direction and a narrow sidewalk on the south side. It is a fixed steel and concrete bridge and has a 35-foot clearance over the water.

Gerritsen Inlet (also known as Gerritsen Creek) is the westernmost freshwater inlet on Jamaica Bay, and the bridge is the westernmost on the Belt Parkway bike/pedestrian path, which leads from Emmons Ave. and Knapp St. in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn for several miles to the Howard Beach neighborhood in Queens. There are also connecting paths to the bridges to the Rockaways, which I'll cover later, and to Floyd Bennett Field, which I'll talk about later also. It's a great place to get in some good mileage in a natural environment with no or little traffic interruption, but not when there's snow on the ground, as the pathways aren't cleared (see top picture).

The bridge, the inlet, a street and a beach in the area are named after Wolphert Gerritse, an early 17th-century Dutch settler who built a house and a mill in what is now the nearby Marine Park neighborhood. The mill stood for 300 years before burning down in the 1930's.

The Belt Parkway, or belt system, which is actually a system of connected parkways, of which the Shore Parkway is the most commonly thought of as the Belt Parkway, was proposed by Robert Moses in 1930, and construction began in 1934. The Gerritsen Inlet Bridge was completed in 1940. But since 1940, New York International Airport (now named JFK Airport) opened, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was built, and many Long Island suburbs were developed post-war, all contributing to traffic volumes much higher than the highway and bridges were built for. In 2008, Mayor Bloomberg announced that seven of the Belt bridges, four over water and three over roadways, would be reconstructed. I'm not sure if work has started yet, but I'll find out soon enough. Work on the Gerritsen Inlet Bridge is supposed to start this November and continue until 2015. Pedestrian access is to continue on all bridges during reconstruction. Supposedly the walkway wll be wider. I hope so.

Pictures: 1. The snow-covered walkway over the bridge; 2. The view from the bridge back toward the Manhattan skyline.

Bridge of the Week #46: Ocean Ave. Footbridge

2011-01-31T21:29:00.000-08:00

This week's bridge is one of the few footbridges on my list (along with the Ward's Island Footbridge and the small Burke Bridge over the Bronx River). The Ocean Ave. Footbridge is a wooden footbridge across part of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn that connects the neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay with Manhattan Beach. It's about 100 meters long and connects Emmons St. at E. 19th St. on the north to Shore Blvd. at Exeter St. on the south. The southern end is slightly raised to allow small boats under, like I guess, rowboats.

I'm not entirely sure of the bridge's name. I've seen it called the Ocean Ave. Footbridge and the Sheepshead Bay Footbridge, but given that its southern end is actually at Exeter St., a block west of Ocean Ave., Ocean Ave. Footbridge seems more likely to have historical basis rather than be an accident or a generic name.

Speaking of historical basis, the first footbridge on the site was a drawbridge built in 1880 by Austin Corbin, a wealthy landowner who owned two large resort hotels on Manhattan Beach at the time, when Coney Island and Manhattan Beach were outside the urban area and were major resort locations. Corbin also built the Manhattan Beach Railroad, providing New Yorkers the hour-long trip to his resorts. But he found that his footbridge provided too-easy access to his properties (apparently he was a bit antisemitic) and he destroyed the bridge. But it was built back, and in 1881 the New York Commission of Highways declared it to be a public highway, and it has remained ever since, although rebuilt, with the current bridge dating from the 1930's.

The bridge has become something of a neighborhood landmark. It's really not well-suited for running, since it's quite narrow and even on a winter day had plenty of pedestrian traffic (and uncleared of snow). It's also popular with fishermen and women, and with the dredges of humanity - those who feed birds. Even if you're on Manhattan Beach it doesn't cut that much distance off your trip, since it's only about five blocks west to West End Ave. at the west end of the bay. But there it is.

Of interest in the region: Emmons Ave. provides the entrance to the Belt Parkway recreation path at the east end of the bay about 3/4 of a mile from the bridge. This path runs for several miles east to Howard Beach in Queens and can connect to Floyd Bennett Field and the bridges to the Rockaways. There are a few bridges along the path itself, so I'll get into more detail when describing those bridges. And as I may have implied, Manhattan Beach is the eastern portion of Coney Island (now a peninsula), which aslo includes Brighton Beach and Sea Gate.

Another historical item of interest is that John Philip Sousa and his band regularly played on Manhattan Beach in the 1880's and 90's, and it's rumored that the first performance of The Stars and Stripes Forever took place there in 1897, and may have been written there, although the official premiere took place in Philadelphia.

Bridge of the Week #45: Bayonne Bridge

2011-01-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

This week we're back in Staten Island for the first time since week 1 for one of the big bridges, and one of the most underappreciated, the Bayonne Bridge. This bridge connects Staten Island with Bayonne, NJ, spanning the Kill Van Kull.

The Bayonne Bridge is a steel arch bridge, the longest such bridge in the world at the time of its completion in 1931, and still the fourth-longest in the world. It's just a few feet longer than the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The main span is 1,675 feet, and it has a total length of 5,780 feet (pretty darn close to a mile). Compared with the other major bridges, it has a relatively low traffic capacity, with a single deck carrying two lanes of traffic in each direction. It has one sidewalk on the west side. The top of the arch is 266 feet above the water, but the roadway gives only 151 feet clearance. This was high enough for the biggest ships of 1931, but now some ships have to lower antennas or wait for low tide to pass underneath, so there is talk of either replacing the bridge or jacking it up somehow, which apparently can be done, to give over 200 feet of clearance.

The bridge is under the authority of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and was one of the first major projects to be completed by the body. It was designed by engineer Othmar Ammann and architect Cass Gilbert. Ammann chose an arch design over a cantilever or suspension design partly because that design would be easier to expand to include rapid transit rail lines, although that never materialized. It was also designed to have stone masonry covering the steelwork, but like the George Washington Bridge to follow, to cut costs the decision was made to leave the steelwork exposed. Construction began in 1928 and the bridge was opened on Nov. 15, 1931. It took the place of the Bergen Point ferry service, which was eventually discontinued. No rail lines were ever built on the bridge, but in 2007 the MTA did add a bus line, the S89, which runs across the bridge during rush hours between the 34th St. light rail station in Bayonne and the intersection of Hylan Blvd. and Richmond Ave. in Eltingville, Staten Island.

The sidewalk's entrance on Staten Island is at the corner of Hooker Place and Morningstar Road, just west of the toll plaza. In Bayonne the entrance is by a stairway on 4th St. just east of Ave. A. Bikers are supposed to walk their bikes across, and if they don't they must beware coming to New Jersey not to ride down the stairs. The walkway gives a bird's-eye view of the working-class neighborhoods of Port Richmond and Mariner's Harbor on Staten Island, and even has a pretty good view of New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline, although the view is much better by car, actually, traveling to New Jersey. Unfortunately, when I crossed the other day it was getting dark and visibility wasn't good, so I didn't bother getting a picture of the harbor and skyline.

It really is a beautiful bridge, and a great bridge to walk or run across, although it might make the acrophobic a little nervous. Once you reach the arch span itself the walkway separates from the roadway by about 20 feet, so you do feel sort of up in the air. There isn't a lot of interest for runners on either side of the bridge, however. It's pretty much working-class neighborhoods on both sides. A couple miles north of the bridge in Bayonne on John F. Kennedy Blvd. is John A Gregg Bayonne County Park, which is a pretty big park and has some nice areas to run. A couple miles east of the bridge on Richmond Terrace on Staten Island is Snug Harbor Cultural Center, which has some nice gardens, a children's science museum and a couple of performance spaces, and has historical appeal as well as being a sort of retirement home for sailors way back when, but not much of a haven for runners. About another mile and a half or so east of Snug Harbor is the Staten Island Ferry, the way most people get to Staten Island. If you like running on bridges, it's definitely worth the time and the trip to run from the ferry, across the bridge and back, or even take the S40 bus from the ferry. Richmond Terrace is the logical choice for getting to Morningstar Rd. and the bridge, but it's not very pedestrian-friendly, expecially in the winter when most of the sidewalks aren't cleared. On the bright side, you can take a breather at Faber Park, which has a nice view of the bridge. One trivia note is that the renovated Staten Island Ferry terminal in St. George, Staten Island has an ornamental arch atop the structure, which is intended to mimic and complement the arch of the Bayonne Bridge, which is visible from the water as the ferry approaches Staten Island.

The bridge has been largely overlooked in popular culture, except that it was blown up in Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds", as Tom Cruise lived in Bayonne.

The bridge, of course, was named after the city of Bayonne, but there are two theories as to how the city got its name. One is that it was named after Bayonne, France by the Huguenots who settled there before the founding of New Amsterdam, but this theory apparently doesn't have a lot of historical credence. The other theory is that it got its name from land speculators who must have wanted a French-sounding name, and because the land sits on two bays - the BAYs Of Newark and NEw York. I would really hate for that to be the true story.

Of course, the bridge is also notable for being the only way to get to Staten Island on foot, as none of the other bridges have open pedestrian walkways. That means that in order to get to Staten Island from anywhere else in New York City under your own power (unless you're a good swimmer) you have to go through another state. This gave me the idea for a sort of trek run to go from my place in Manhattan over the George Washington Bridge, through New Jersey and over the Bayonne Bridge back into New York. I did this for the first time the other day, and while it can be done, it is not easy and not fun. I took River Road from Fort Lee through Edgewater past a bunch of townhouse communities which I found to be extremely depressing, on past the clodsed parks of Weehawken, and finally into Hoboken and Jersey City, and eventually Liberty State Park before heading up to Kennedy Blvd. in Bayonne. I wonder how many people have ever made that trip. was worth doing once, but never again!

Pics: 1. Bayonne Bridge (not my picture); 2. Beginning the run from Bayonne; 3. The walkway mid-span; 4. The view from Faber Park; 5. Mariner's Harbor, Staten Island, with Richmond Terrace the main street in the foreground and the Goethals Bridge on the horizon to the right; 6. The staircase entrance in Bayonne, NJ

Bridge of the Week #44: Roosevelt Island Bridge

2011-01-20T19:50:00.001-08:00

This week's bridge is the Roosevelt Island Bridge, connecting Queens with Roosevelt Island in the East River, providing it with it's only vehicular access, and its only unaided foot access.

The bridge is a vertical lift drawbridge with a 418-foot long lift span and a total length of 2,877 feet. Access in Queens can be had from the intersection of Vernon Boulevard and 36th Ave., and on Roosevelt Island access can be had from a parking garage. It carries one lane of traffic in each direction and has one six-foot sidewalk on the north side. The narrow roadway and grating of the road surface make it difficult for bikes, and cyclists are instructed to dismount and walk their bikes over the bridge.

Construction on the bridge began in 1952 and it opened on May 18, 1955, named the Welfare Island Bridge, taking the name of the island as it was then. The island itself has an interesting history. The Dutch bought it from teh Algonquin in 1637 and named it Varckens Eylandt, or Hog Island. The british took over the island in the 1660's and granted it to Captain John Manning, whose stepdaughter eventually named it Blackwell Island after her husband, Robert Blackwell. It remained private property until 1828 when the City of New York bought it (it is still part of the borough of Manhattan) and built mental institutions, hospitals and prisons there, by 1921 earning it the name Welfare Island. In 1930, vehicles could access the island by an elevator on the Queensboro Bridge. The Welfare Island Bridge made the elevators obsolete and they were finally demolished in 1970. By the late 1960's many of the institutions had been abandoned and the city began plans to develop the island for housing. Today, nearly 10,000 people live on the island. In 1973 the island, and the bridge, were renamed after Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1976 a tramway began service from 1st Ave. in Manhattan to the island, and in 1989 a new subway stop on the F line gave people additional access.

The bridge has been undergoing a reconstruction, which appears to be almost complete. Among other things, it's been repainted, so instead of a dull red it's now sort of a maroon or eggplant color. See the second pic above, which I took on Tuesday when it was cold and crappy and raining, so I wasn't in the mood for setting up good pictures. Previously, according to one source the lift span was non-operational, requiring ships to use the west channel of the East River, but according to another source, it was operational whenever the special session of the United Nations was in session, and for security reasons they wanted ships to use the east channel. Either way, it's being fixed.

Roosevelt Island is about two miles long and at most 800 feet wide. With the light traffic it can be a good place for a run. But of all personal access options, the bridge is probably the least appealing and least convenient. In that part of Astoria, Queens, there is Rainey Park on the water a little to the north and Queensbridge Park on the river a little to the south, under the Queensboro Bridge, but in the immediate vicinity are power plants, auto shops and other wonders. It's otherwise just a lot of street running. The tram just reopened after its own reconstruction (if you don't know why, I won't tell you), and it's a fun way to get to the island and takes the Metrocard. The subway stop is one of the deepest below ground on the entire system. It may be the deepest, I'd have to check.

Bridge of the Week #43: Stillwell Ave. Bridge

2011-01-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

Staying in the Coney Island area, this week's bridge is the Stillwell Ave. Bridge in Brooklyn. It carries Stillwell Ave. over Coney Island Creek between Shore PArkway on the north and Neptune Ave. on the south. It is just a few blocks east of the Cropsey Ave. bridge, from my last post.

I have had a hard time finding stats on the bridge, but it's a fixed steel and concrete bridge with two lanes of traffic in each direction and a sidewalk on each side. It's not real long and not real old and not real interesting in and of itself.

This is a good time to mention that while Coney Island isn't actually an island any more, it used to be. It was the westernmost of the barrier islands off the southern coast of Long Island, separated from Long Island by Coney Island Creek, which ran from Gravesend bay on the west to Sheepshead Bay on the east. Part of it was little more than tidal flats. Officials at one time considered dredging and straightening it for a ship canal, as was done on the Harlem River, but instead it was filled in between Shell Road and East 15th St. in the 1930's as the Belt Parkway was being constructed. But the name Coney Island remained, as Coney Peninsula doesn't have that same ring.

Stillwell Ave. was named after Nicholas Stillwell (1603-1671) who had a farm in the area and was patriarch of a prominent Brooklyn family.

Bridge of the Week #42: Cropsey Ave. Bridge

2011-01-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

OK, back to the bridges, and a little catching up to do. And moving away from the Bronx, we're back in Brooklyn for the Cropsey Ave. Bridge. This is a double twin-leaf bascule drawbridge (two twin-leaf bridges side by side) over Coney Island Creek on Cropsey Ave. between Bay 54 St. on the north and Hart Place on the south, or just a little farther to the north is Shore Parkway and the Belt Parkway, and a little to the south is Neptune Ave. In fact, just a few blocks to the south is the Coney Island Boardwalk, the Brooklyn Cyclones stadium and the Parachute Jump (visible in the top picture).

The bridge was opened on December 20, 1931, each side carries three lanes of traffic and a sidewalk. Cropsey Ave. carries a lot of traffic as one of the main roads to Coney Island.

For the runner, as for anyone, there is plenty to do at Coney Island, less in winter, but still a good place to run as long as you have a little patience with the traffic. The Cropsey Ave. Bridge can be a connector between the Shore Road pathway, a 4-mile sidewalk/bike path along the Brooklyn waterfront from Owl's Head Park under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (remember that one?) to Bay Parkway, and about another mile along Shore Parkway to the Cropsey Ave. Bridge. For a good long run, you can continue east on Neptune Ave. about a mile and a half when it becomes Emmons Ave. at Sheepshead Bay, and catch a bike path that can take you miles along the waters of Gateway National Recreation Area, and the bridges to the Rockaways, which I'll discuss later.

Race Report: Across the Years

2011-01-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

The venerable race Across the Years was back in 2010, after a year's absence, held at Nardini Manor outside Phoenix. I was excited to go out there and try my hand at my second 48-hour race. My first 48 was way back in 2008 in Surgeres, France, and there I got 135 miles, so hopes were high that I might be able to take a shot at John Geesler's 400K (248 mile) mark that he set at ATY in 2003. He would be there again this year running the 72-hour race, so if I could accomplish it, I'd be even more honored. But not to get ahead of myself!

I flew into Phoenix from Omaha (via Denver) on the 28th, giving myself an extra day to relax and allow for bad weather. Omaha and Denver had good weather, but Phoneix not so much, at least at the start for the day 1 runners on the 29th. It rained on them most of the day, but apparently it was after midnight when the real heavy stuff came, the rain and very strong winds. By the time I got to Nardini Manor on the 30th for the day 2 start, the rains had let up, but the course was still pretty muddy. But the Coury brothers worked diligently hauling wheelbarrows full of dirt and using shovels and rakes to clean up the course. After a couple of hours, the mud was mostly a memory. The weather was looking pretty good for the start, too, except for some strong winds from the west. I was watching Jamie Donaldson finish up her awesome 24-hour run, which would become the overall winning performance. Deb Horn was looking gerat halfway through her first 48, and John had a good first day as well, although the rain, wind and mud took a lot out of him. Davy Crockett also had a great first-day total and was leading the men's 48-hour race at that point.

The race started well for me, I hit my first 50K mark on schedule at 5 hours and my 100K mark, just over 10 hours, was ahead of schedule. By then it was after 7 pm and time to start putting on warmer clothes to prepare for the cold night predicted. Soon I had a most welcome visit from Carilyn and Tim Johnson and their boys Grant and Spencer, who stopped by for a few hours on their way from El Paso to LA. Carilyn helped crew me a while, and their visit lifted my spirits.

But I understimated how much the cold would affect me. All the layers I had couldn't keep me warm enough, and by 11:00 pm I had to take a 10-minute power break in the heated tent. It's easy to forget that although this is Arizona, it's still winter, and temperatures would dip into the 20's. With the onset of fatigue, the occasional warmup breaks in the tent, although I was still running well when I was running it was becoming clear through the night that I was not going to break John's record. But I was still on track for a great race, and as the sun came up in the morning I got renewed energy. I started to feel some soreness in my left Achilles, but it didn't bother me much or seem to affect my stride. But as the 24-hour mark neared, the pain intensified quickly. The first 48-hour and second 24-hour runners were finishing, the third 24-hour runners were about to start, and I stopped in to see Dr. Andy. He tried a few different remedies, but the pain got worse with every lap, and I made the decision to pull out rather than risk a serious injury. I finished with a little over 115 miles. Dave ended up with the 48-hour win with just a few miles over Deb's women's win. George Biondic pulled ahead of Ed Ettinghausen for the 72-hour win, with Kena Yutz taking the women's title. Jamie won the 24 overall, with Matthew Watts winning the men's race. In the 24, women took the top 2 (Jamie and Melissa Williams) and 5 of the top 8!

After my pullout I took a little nap, got some food and hung out for a while to cheer on the runners. The best part of the race was seeing all the people I'm privileged to count among my friends from around the country and beyond, and to make new friends too. There was a lot of good cheer out there, and a good way to ring in 2011.

Bridge of the Week #41: E. Gun Hill Road Bridge

2010-12-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

Not surprisingly, this week's bridge is another over the Bronx River, in close proximity to the last two bridges on this blog. In fact, it is adjacent and perpendicular to the Bronx Blvd. Bridge 2 (as I call it). The E. Gun Hill Road Bridge carries E. Gun Hill Road over the Bronx River between Olinville Ave. and Webster Ave. It is a concrete arch bridge, built in 1918 and has a total length of 93.8 feet. It carries vehicular traffic and has sidewalks on both sides.

This bridge is a nice way to get to or from the pathways in Bronx Park. Van Cortlandt Park is about a mile to the northwest on Gun Hill Road, there is a Metro North station, Williamsbridge, just to the west of the bridge, and the 2 and 5 lines stop at White Plains Road, a couple blocks to the east.

Gun Hill Road is one of the main thoroughfares in the northern Bronx. In the revolutionary war, the American army would use the road to push (or pull) their cannons up to the top of the hill, to a spot currently located in Woodlawn Cemetery, hence Gun Hill. The road itself was called Kingsbridge Road, and was part of the original Boston Post Road. In 1875 it was renamed Gun Hill Road. In the 1940's a highway "upgrade", called Gun Hill Crosstown Highway, was proposed for the corridor, but never came to fruition.

I don't promise a big, exciting bridge for next week's bridge (in fact, I know it won't be), but I do promise it will be in another borough at least.

Bridge of the Week #40: Bronx Blvd. Bridge 2

2010-12-13T06:23:00.000-08:00

This week's second bridge is another bridge on Bronx Blvd. over the Bronx River, this one located immediately north of Gun Hill Road just south of 211th St. I could also find no name for this bridge or any information on it at all, really. But it is, like the Bronx Blvd. Bridge 1 (see last post) a pair of concrete arch bridges, very likely built about the same time as the Bronx Blvd. Bridge 1 or the adjacent Gun Hill Road Bridge, 1918-1920. Very charming and attractive, and a nice area to run.

Bridge of the Week #39: Bronx Blvd. Bridge 1

2010-12-13T05:58:00.000-08:00

Still in the Bronx, over the Bronx River, this week's bridge is actually a pair of bridges, one for each direction of traffic, on Bronx Blvd. just north of Duncomb Ave., itself just north of Magenta St. I've had trouble finding an official name for the bridge, so I just call it the Bronx Blvd. Bridge 1, leaving room for another bridge on Bronx Blvd. just a little farther north.

This is a pair of concrete arch bridges with a total length of 75 feet, and was built in 1920. There is a sidewalk on each side. It lies within Bronx Park, just south of Gun Hill Road, where there are plenty of nice paths to run on. Not much else to mention, but a very nice area of the city.

Bridge of the Week #37: Burke Bridge

2010-12-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

When I started this bridge series, I intended to do only the bigger bridges over major waterways. I certainly wouldn't waste my time with little bridges that you barely even know you cross over, like the 9th St. Bridge over the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn (Bridge #21). But then I decided some of those little bridges have some interest, either in terms of history, engineering, geography, neighborhood, etc. Plus I realized that in some cases I can run across a handful of those little bridges in one run and be good for several weeks. So I decided to do them all. But only the ones over water - no overpasses, viaducts (except one which I'll do later as a bonus) - since this is a city of waterways. And no little footbridges in the parks. Except this one. I chose to do this one, and not ones like Bow Bridge in Central Park, because this at least crosses a river, and upriver and downriver are larger roadway bridges, drawbridges even. Plus, it does connect paths that are good for running, as opposed to the footpaths in Central Park.

The Burke Bridge is a footbridge in Bronx Park over the Bronx River. It's a few blocks north of the Kazimiroff Boulevard Bridge and is even with Burke Ave. to the east, to which it connects by a footpath and stairway. I don't have any specs on it, but it's a stone and concrete arch bridge. The current bridge on the site is fairly new or at least newly renovated. I has a wide, smooth path and nice benches on both sides. It's a very pleasant little spot on the tranquil Bronx River. It also features an informational plaque telling about restoration of the Bronx River floodplain. Much of the area around the Bronx River, especially this section, had been abandoned for decades, used as a dumping ground, but is now cleaned up and a new haven for wildlife, not to mention a nice park area.

Bridge of the Week #38: Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge

2010-12-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

I'd heard that it existed, but I didn't know if it was true or just a legend, a myth. There was a cyclists' web site that mentioned it, and the New York City Department of Transportation web site mentioned it. But was it really there, and how did one get to it?

The Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge certainly did, and does, exist. It's clearly on all the maps, and it carries the Hutchinson River Parkway over the Hutchinson River from the Co-Op City area to the undeveloped northwestern regions of Pelham Bay Park before heading on up to Westchester County. But was there a walkway, was it open, and how could I get to it?

The DOT web site just says there's an eight-foot sidewalk. A cyclists' web site says it's a rough ride and gives some vague or cryptic directions to approach it. I had optimism, though, since even a rough ride for cyclists is certainly runnable. But my first two journeys to try to catch a glimpse of the beast were unfruitful. From Co-Op City, a sidewalk on Bartow Ave. goes directly underneath the bridge, and would surely have an entrance to the walkway. But it doesn't. Staring up at the bridge from different angles, it looked possible that there was a sidewalk on the west side, but I couldn't be sure. Maybe the entrance was a little further back, so I ran alongside the line of trees and bushes that separate the parkway from the sprawling parking lot of the Bay Plaza shopping center. But the parking lot ended with no entrance to the walkway, and I didn't see any sign of a sidwalk along the parkway.

After re-checking the cyclist web site, I took a second trip to the bridge, but still could find no entrance. I saw a worn path that went into the bushes, and possibly to the bridge, but that couldn't be it. No one would take a bike through there at least. And with a police car parked right there I didn't want to have them see me wander off into the bushes. There must be a real entrance. The web site's instructions on entering from the northern side were even more confusing, and sounded much more treacherous. I'd been in the general area where such a path must originate, and I saw nothing, and no pedestrian access along the roads.

But before I continue on my adventure, here are the specs. It's a twin-leaf bascule drawbridge, 673 feet long, carries six lanes of traffic (three in each direction) plus the possibly mythical eight-foot sidewalk. It opened in 1941 and was reconstructed in 1985. The river, the parkway and the bridge all bear the name of Anne Hutchinson, who settled in the area in the early 17th century proclaiming religious freedom.

After my second unfulfilling journey, I went back home and looked for more information on the internet, and studied Google maps carefully, and then I found it! What surely had to be the entrance to the bridge walkway began all the way back about a half mile south of the bridge, just south of the I-95 interchange, at the intersection of Gun Hill Road and Stillwell Ave., across the street from a nursing home.

So back I went, trotting down Gun Hill Road all the way to its southeasternmost point to the nursing home, and there was the sidewalk as on the map. It crossed under I-95 but I had to be careful of traffic on the access ramps. The pavement was buckled and unmaintained, it appeared. And as it continued alongside the parkway, it was even more overgrown to the point where it disappeared altogether in spots and I was forced onto rough grass dangerously close to the traffic whizzing by. But it must come out to the bridge. Every once in a while I'd see a patch of pavement reassuring me that someone was meant to walk here at one time. So on I pressed until the bridge came within sight. Sure enough, that dirt path through the bushes from Bartow Ave. does give quick and easy access to the sidewalk. Live and learn. I'm glad I found the "official" entrance, though, terrifying as it was. But now I wsa on the bridge and all was well, although the roadway shook with every car that passed. I never felt so much like a bridge was about to fall. And the tires on the steel grating roadway of the draw span made a ghostly moaning or howling sound.

So now on the northern side of the bridge I'd discover the fabled north entrance. First I descended to a rough paved path. There was a worn grass pathway that led under the bridge, but that was a little too scary even for this adventurer. I didn't want to interrupt any murder, body drop or pagan rituals. Sticking to the paved pathway in what looked like the logically correct direction, it followed an onramp to the parkway, including an overpass, but soon became a dirt pathway, then an overgrown dirt pathway, then an area where the leaves looked only slightly more trampled than surrounding areas. Doing a little bushwhacking (and who among us hasn't done a little bushwhacking?) what remained of the path seemed to come to an end onto a roadway, but at least a famliar roadway. It was just west of where Orchard Beach Road meets Shore Road, and there's a bridge over the rail lines on which construction is being done. There is a nice bike path along Shore Road there, but from Shore Road, it certainly looks like there is no pedestrian or bike access to this access road. But I only had to run on the roadway for about 100 yards or so. So the third journey was a success! I had found the fabled pathway onto the Hutcinson River Bridge.

So to make a long story short, it's totally not worth it at all. You see what I go through for you guys?

Pics: 1. Entering the bridge; 2. View of the river, part of Co-Op City and surrounding wetlands on the west; 3. Steel grating surface and landscape to the east; 4. Looking back from the north.

Race Report: Thanksgiving Marathon

2010-11-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

I got an email a few days ago from Mike Arnstein telling me about a trail marathon he and Mike Oliva were putting on in Van Cortlandt Park on Thanksgiving morning. I rejected the idea at the outset, having just run a 60K on Saturday and needing a recovery week. But I felt good on runs during the week, so I decided to go for it.

The marathon consisted of four 6.5-mile loops incorporating parts of the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail, the South County Trail (Old Put), the flats and the back hills. There were also a 10K (one loop) and a half marathon option (two loops). The trails were beautiful, leaf-covered and in good shape. It was generally flat, but did have a few fairly steep ups and downs, and some rocky sections.

This race was firmly in the fatass tradition - no entry fee, no aid stations, no t-shirt, just run. There were, however, finishers "medals" in the form of forks, which could be used for Thanksgiving dinner. There was a standard table fork for 10K runners, a medium fork for half marathoners and a large serving fork for marathon finishers. This no doubt was part of the appeal for the runners, and the reason about 200 people showed up for the three races, despite it having only been planned two weeks ago and making its way around by email and Facebook. About 100 of them were doing the 10K, an estimated 20-25 running the full marathon.

The weather was cool and cloudy, but good running weather. Without pushing too hard, I was happy to run consistently about 53 minutes per loop, and finished in 3:33:33, good for fourth place. Oz Pearlman, who had trouble at JFK on Saturday and DNF'd after 31 miles, won in under three hours. Mike Arnstein, who finished JFK, got third in 3:08. (Second place I don't remember the name.)

Frank C. and Emmy S. showed up for the 10K before going on to family events. Grant M. also ran, for the first time in about six months. Sal, Lucimar, Elaine were there, too. A lot of fun and a great way to justify overeating and watching football later in the day!

Race Report: Knickerbocker 60K

2010-11-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

The 33rd annual Knickerbocker 60K was held on Saturday, Nov. 20, on a beautiful day in Central Park. I like this race partly for its historical significance, but also because it brings a lot of first-time ultra runners to the sport.

The race was first held in March 1978. It was the brainchild of Nick Marshall, and was planned for Forest Park in Queens, where it would've been called the Queens 60K, but snow and ice on the road required a move to Central Park. Richie Innammorato, who was helping Nick, wasn't crazy about the idea of having it in Central Park, since "everything was in Central Park". So he at least made it go clockwise, against regular traffic. It also required a name change, with Richie calling it the Knickerbocker 60K, for a New York name. Back then it used the full six-mile loop, including the Great Hill.

It was a pure coincidence that the first winner was Terry Knickerbocker in 3:51. There were four finishers under four hours that first year. Terry went on to set a still-standing course record in 1981 of 3:40:42, also setting an unofficial American record (official records aren't recognized for 60K).

Today, this is the only ultra still on the New York Road Runners calendar, and the only ultra still in Central Park. But with that kind of exposure, it brings a large field, many of whom are new to ultrarunning. (The race is also an introduction to ultrarunning for a lot of bewildered park-goers.) This make is very exciting, as you never know who might show up, like a fast marathoner doing his first ultra.

As for me, having won last year in 4:22, I was hoping for a similar result this year. I started out on pace, just under 7:00/mile, and shortly found five runners ahead of me, including Dennis Ball, who ran really strong at the Queens 50K in the spring. But I was running my pace and let them go, hoping they'd fade at the marathon point, allowing me to catch them. Well, one faded enough for me to catch him, but the others remained strong. The race was won in 4:08:36 by Gerardo Avila, a perfect example of a fast marathoner (in the 2:20's) running his first ultra. Second was Sebastien Baret, who finished second last year, but improved his time considerably with a 4:09:10 finish. Third was Michael Coveney, just edging out Dennis. My 4:24:01, only a couple minutes slower than last year, but good enough for fifth this year.

The top three women were Deanna Culbreath, 9th overall with 4:42:11, Elena Makovskaya and Jessica Purcell.

Although there were a lot of new faces there, there were plenty of old friends as well - Tony P., Wayne B., Dave O., Frank D., Al P., Lydia R., Sal C., Andrei A., Al T., Chris S., with Grant M. acting as a course marshall, and Admas stopped by on her training run.

Thanks to John Garlepp and Richie Innammorato for their work with the Road Runners in staging this race. It was another great race all around.

Bridge of the Week #36: Kazimiroff Boulevard Bridge

2010-11-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

This week's bridge is the Dr. Theodore Kazimiroff Boulevard Bridge over the Bronx River in the Bronx. The Dr. Theodore Kazimiroff Boulevard runs along the western and northern borders of the New York Botanical Garden. The bridge is on the northern border of the garden, east of the southern terminus of the Mosholu Parkway, west of the Bronx River Parkway, before the boulevard continues east onto Allerton Ave.

I can find no information on the stats of the bridge, when it was built, etc. It is a stone arch bridge that carries auto traffic, and a rather narrow sidewalk on the north side. Fortunately, there is a wide shoulder area on the roadway next to the sidewalk, so cars don't go whizzing by right next to you, and if you need to step down to pass someone, it can be done safely. It does connect a nice bike path and greenway from Mosholu Parkway to paths northward through Bronx Park, and on the west side of the Bronx River Parkway one can run south to the Pelham Parkway. Also, the New York Botanical Garden is right across the street.

The bridge (I'm not even sure if that's its official name) and the Boulevard are named after Dr. Theodore Kazimiroff (1914-1980), a dentist who was a strong advocate for protection of ecosystems and natural features in the Bronx, especially in Pelham Bay Park. This portion of road north of Fordham Road, formerly a part of Southern Boulevard, was named after the doctor in 1981.

College Football Playoffs

2010-11-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

I hope we can all agree that the BCS is a disaster and an embarrassment. If you're reading this, I probably don't need to tell you the history. But the BCS is its own entity comprising authorities from six conferences, which at the time of its creation were considered the strongest and most significant conferences in college football. The fact that that is clearly no longer the case (Big East, ACC - really?), and yet the BCS continues to serve those conferences while blatantly discriminating against teams from other, stronger conferences (MWC, WAC) is reason enough, and probably the main reason to do away with the BCS. The fact that it claims to want to settle the dispute over which team is the best "on the field" while ignoring results that took place on the field (i.e., overlooking undefeated teams in favor of one-loss teams) is only further evidencce of its hypocrisy and incompetence.

Since everyone knows the BCS is a joke, here is my solution, in the form of a 16-team playoff. The teams would include all of the 11 conference champions plus five at-large teams. The at-large teams would be the five highest-ranked teams that are not conference champions, combining the point totals from the AP and Coaches' polls. The teams would be seeded by ranking also by combining the points from those two polls. (There would have to be some set rule or procedure to avoid rematches, which I'll try to come up with.) No computer polls or other polls would have any part in the process. The BCS would be eliminated.

The playoff games would be played on successive weekends following the end of the regular season, all games being played at the higher-seeded school's home stadium, with the possible exception of a predetermined site for the championship game, as with the Super Bowl. This would help reduce traveling expenses, would provide income to schools hosting games, and would be a greater convenience to players and ticket-buying fans. The bowls would be eliminated for these top teams, but bowl games could still take place for teams not in the playoffs. These 16 schools, then, would play 15 games rather than eight, giving more opportunity for revenue generating, for those interested in money.

So, for example, this year's regular season ends December 4. The first round of the playoffs would take place Dec. 11, quarterfinals Dec. 18, semifinals Dec. 25, championship game Jan. 1. (There could be some adjustment possibly if the NCAA wanted to avoid Christmas.) In most years the championship game would take place near New Year's Day.

As a further example, I've compiled a list of the 16 teams who would play and where they would be seeded if the season ended today. In other words, the teams currently leading the conferences (ties being broken by the AP and Coaches' polls) and the other five highest-ranked teams. They would be as follows, with seedings in parentheses:

ACC: Virginia Tech (12)
Big East: Pittsburgh* (15)
Big Ten: Wisconsin (6)
Big 12: Nebraska (9)
Conference USA: Central Florida (14)
Mid-American Conference: Northern Illinois (13)
Mountain West: TCU (4)
Pac-10: Oregon (1)
Southeastern Conference: Auburn (2)
Sun Belt: Florida International* (16)
Western Athletic Conference: Boise State (3)

At-large teams:
LSU (5)
Stanford (7)
Ohio State (8)
Michigan State (10)
Oklahoma State (11)

*Currently, Pittsburgh is 5-4 and FIU is 4-5. If a conference champion would happen to not be bowl eligible, that conference would lose its automatic spot and a sixth at-large team would be chosen.

So by standard seeding procedures, the first-round games would be:
(16) FIU @ (1) Oregon
(9) Nebraska @ (8) Ohio St.

(12) Virginia Tech @ (5) LSU
(13) Northern Illinois @ (4) TCU
---------------------------------------
(15) Pittsburgh @ (2) Auburn
(10) Michigan St. @ (7) Stanford

(11) Oklahoma State @ (6) Wisconsin
(14) CFU @ (3) Boise St.

On Dec. 5, I'll put my plan to the test against the real end of regular season results. Stay tuned.

Bridge of the Week #35: Madison Ave. Bridge

2010-11-05T18:54:00.003-07:00

Just in time for the New York Marathon, here's the last of the five bridges that the runners cross - the Madison Ave. Bridge. I've already covered (in order, and yes I planned it that way) the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Pulaski Bridge, teh Queensboro Bridge, the Willis Ave. Bridge and now the Madison Ave. Bridge. It comes at the 21 mile mark when runners cross the Harlem River from the Bronx back into Manhattan.

This bridge is a swing bridge with a 300-foot swing span and a total length of 1,892 feet. It carries four lanes of traffic, two in each direction, and has sidewalks on both sides. The Bronx entrance is at E. 138 St. and the Major Deegan Expressway ramps, just west of the Grand Concourse. (Here the numbered streets of the two boroughs line up, although by the time you get up to the Jerome Reservoir, they're about 30 blocks off. While the street planning and layout of Manhattan and the Bronx is a fascinating subject, it is beyond the scope of this blog.) On the Manhattan side, the bridge splits, with Bronx-bound traffic, one lane of Manhattan-bound traffic and the south sidewalk entering (or exiting as the case may be) at 135 St. and Madison Ave. But one lane of Manhattan-bound traffic, which the marathon runners use, and the north sidewalk exits at 138 St. and 5th Ave. It was opened on July 18, 1910 and replaced a swing bridge on the same site that was opened in 1884 after New York City annexed three Westchester County towns on the west side of the Bronx River in 1874. Both the old and new bridges were designed by Alfred Boller, who also designed the original 145 St. Bridge, Macombs Dam and University Heights Bridges.

So that concludes the series of New York Marathon bridges. But don't worry, many more bridges to come, including ----- another retractable bridge; the only bridge to connect three boroughs (any guesses?); not one, not two, but THREE bridges to New Jersey(!); and a special bonus feature on a very special viaduct that we all know and love. So remember, keep your feet on the ground (but no more than one at a time) and keep reaching for the stars.

Bridge of the Week #34: E. Fordham Road Bridge

2010-11-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

So having completed the pedestrian-access bridges across the Bronx River south of the Bronx Zoo, now I'm moving to north of the zoo. This bridge is on E. Fordham Road, just north of the zoo, and runs right between the zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. It's one of those bridges you could drive across, even walk across, without even realizing you're crossing a bridge.

The E. Fordham Road Bridge carries the full four lanes of E. Fordham Road and two sidewalks across the bridge, between Southern Boulevard to the west and the Bronx River Parkway to the east. It is a concrete arch bridge 92.9 feet long, built in 1907.

There is a lot in the area for runners to enjoy, such as the Pelham Parkway to the east, once you get across the Bronx River Parkway, Boston Road and Willett Ave. (where the subway stop is for the 2 and 5 lines). The Mosholu Parkway path is also nearby, north of the Botanical Garden, but I'll describe that further with other bridges. To the west on E. Fordham Road is Fordham University and beyond that a busy commercial district that is hell to run on with the crowded sidewalks. One must run slowly and carefully and sometimes stop to walk in congested areas. And expect giggles and comments if wearing running shorts.

Pic: View south from E. Fordham Road Bridge

Bridge of the Week #33: East 174 St. Bridge

2010-10-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Staying with the Bronx River, this bridge is the East 174 St. Bridge in the Bronx. It is a steel truss bridge that carries E. 174 St. over the river between Bronx River Ave. on the east to Boone Ave. on the west, with staircase access to West Farms Road. The bridge approaches also cover Amtrak's rail lines on the east bank of the river and Sheridan Expressway on the west.

The truss span has a length of 190 feet, with 30 feet of clearance over the river, and the total bridge length is 589 feet. It opened on June 15, 1928. It carries one lane of traffic in each direction and a sidewalk on each side.

There is also a staircase, currently closed off, that leads down to the west bank of the river, between it and Sheridan Expressway. Currently, this is a field of dirt that looks like some kind of construction site, but it will eventually become Starlight Park to te south of the bridge. I think it was to have been completed by now, but additional cleaning was necessary due to contamination on the site. Don't hold me to this, but I think plans are for a Bronx River Greenway along the length of the river south of the Bronx Zoo.

This, then is the last reviewed bridge over the Bronx River south of the zoo. In order, from north to south, they are the E. 180 St. Bridge, E. Tremont Ave. Bridge, E. 174 St. Bridge, Westchester Ave. Bridge, and the Eastern Boulevard Bridge. It's also the most colorful of the five, being a nice shade of sky blue.

Bridge of the Week #32: E. Tremont Ave. Bridge

2010-10-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

This will be a quick one. The E. Tremont Ave. Bridge in the Bronx, once again over the Bronx River. This is a fixed street-level steel bridge on E. Tremont Ave. between the West Farms Rd./Boston Rd. intersection on the west and Devoe Ave. on the east. It's not very long, not very big, not very noticeable, not very pretty, not very interesting, but it does the job. It's just a few blocks south of the 180 St. Bridge, from my last post, not far south of the Bronx Zoo, and carries regular street traffic and pedestrians.

Pic: View north from the E. Tremont St. Bridge

Bridge of the Week #31: 180 St. Bridge

2010-10-23T14:36:00.001-07:00

Sticking with the Bronx River, the next bridge is the 180 St. Bridge. This bridge carries 180 St. over the Bronx River between Devoe Ave. on the east and Boston Road on the west. It is the first bridge over the Bronx River south of the Bronx Zoo.

This is a concrete arch bridge, 64 feet long, built in 1925, and carries the road and sidewalks at street level.

Going over the bridge is no life-changing experience, but it is nice to look at from the micropark on the south side of the street (which a stray cat was doing when I visited) or from River Park on the north at Boston Road. River Park is not very big, but it does have a nice riverside walkway, and features a manmade waterfall to provide soothing water sounds. The river here looks very bucolic, and is shallow, although, sadly, a child drowned here this summer. It is also in close proximity to the Bronx Zoo, so it can be a little side trip.

Bridge of the Week #30: Eastern Boulevard Bridge

2010-10-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge (and again, I'm about three weeks behind) is the Eastern Boulevard Bridge in the Bronx. This is a dual double-leaf bascule drawbridge that carries the Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Boulevard over the Bronx River, one bridge for east-bound and one for west-bound traffic. The bridge connects Bronx River Ave. in the Sound View neighborhood on the east side of the river to the Hunt's Point area on the west. The bridge can be accessed on foot directly from Edgewater Ave. on the west, although there is an additional, fixed, span westward over Amtrak's rail lines.

For the stats, the bridge has a total length of 634 feet. Each side, east-bound and west-bound, carries three lanes of expressway traffic (Bruckner Expressway), two lanes of local traffic (Bruckner Boulevard) and one sidewalk.

The history of the bridge is tied to the history of the espressway, and explains its name. Eastern Boulevard was a major artery in the first half of the 20th century that ran along the eastern and southern edge of the Bronx. In the 1940's Robert Moses and other city officials decided to convert it into an expressway, mainly for the purpose of connecting Westchester County and Connecticut with the Triboro Bridge. So they did, and much of it they elevated over the boulevard, keeping the boulevard available for local traffic. Both were renamed after former Bronx borough president Henry Bruckner, who died in 1942. The original drawbridge, which opened in 1930, is still used for west-bound traffic. The second bridge, for east-bound traffic, was opened on October 27, 1953. The entire expressway, however, wasn't completed until 1972.

Most of my internet sources list the bridge as Eastern Boulevard Bridge, its original name. A New York Times article and another reliable Web site, however, call it the Bruckner Drawbridge ("formerly the EAstern Boulevard Bridge"). But the NYC Dept. of Transportation Web site calls it Eastern Boulevard Bridge, so that's what I'm going with, even though Eastern Boulevard is just a memory.

As I mentioned with the Westchester Ave. Bridge, there is a new riverside park between the two bridges (about half a mile) on the west side, which is a nice antidote to the otherwise visually unappealing surroundings. But on the east, it's a short run southeastward to Soundview Park, which has a lot to offer for running and all types of recreation. For public transportation, the Whitlock Ave. station on the 6 train is closest to the bridge on the west side, just to the north, near the Westchester Ave. Bridge.

Race Report: 6-Hour Birthday Run

2010-10-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 17 was the 11th annual 6-Hour 60th Birthday Run. It's not just a 6-hour race, but it gives special honor to runners who turn 60 this year. The weather was absolutely beautiful, sunny, light breeze, temps in the 60's. Much better than the Arctic monsoon from last year! It's also the last race of the year in the New York Ultrarunning Grand Prix. It's always a good time, and a good chance to chat with runner friends and to make new ones.

A lot of the New York area ultra regulars were there, including Rudy Afanador, who'd been out for a while after knee surgery. And it was a reunion of Tim Henderson and his crew at Vermont - John Rosa, Jim Morris and me. And there were some runners I didn't know who looked fast. Last year's winner Byron Lane showed up, but said that he wasn't feeling well, and he ended up not starting the race. And Ray Krolewicz made another New York appearance.

I often say this is my favorite race, mostly for the social aspect, but while running I have other thoughts. It is a nice 2.1-mile course, mostly on trails, but in the second half of the race I really come to dread those little hills and sandy patches.

At the start of the race I went out in front, running alongside Aaron Heath, who I met at Caumsett, and who ran very well there. After the first lap, I pulled ahead of Aaron, but by the end of the 2nd lap I heard footsteps coming up behind me again. But these footsteps belonged to Rudy, and he soon sped away. I was also spending some time early on running near Beak Cosenza, who was running his first ultra, but who was preparing for JFK next month. Soon enough came Mike Petrina, a member of the Sayville running club, and a newcomer to ultrarunning I was told, but who had been putting in a lot of miles, and was looking really good. Another runner I didn't know joined the lead pack, which shifted somewhat, but by the end of the fourth lap, there were five of us within a few seconds of each other - Rudy, Mike, Beak, me and the unidientified runner. The pace was pretty fast, but I felt good and was hoping to be able to keep it up.

Eventually Mike and Rudy pulled ahead of me and the others fell back. Rudy has the course record, and Mike looked strong, so I just tried to stay patient and hope I could catch up. Somewhere after the halfway point I managed to catch up to Rudy. All the time I knew that I could finish in the top five and still win the 2010 Grand Prix, but I was hoping I'd be able to catch up to Mike. After about four hours, I caught up to Mike, who was walking and looking spent. Unfortunately, he'd been throwing up and had to call it a day. But I hope to see him in future ultras.

So the rest of the race I was trying to keep up the pace I could, and hoping that Rudy wouldn't be able to catch me. The last hour I was seriously bonking, probably since I was living on just water, Gatorade and Coke. That'll teach me to not eat. But I figured I could tough it out the last hour. As I came in after 20 laps with about 20 minutes to go, I was relieved to see that Rudy was already on the short loop. Thinking that he wouldn't be able to make up the difference, I took my short loops at an easier pace, and even tossed in some walking. With just a few minutes left, I decided to push a little to get back to the start/finish mat before the clock ran out, and I just barely did.

So I finished with 20 large laps and 4 small. Meanwhile, I was so worried about Rudy, I wasn't paying attention to Aaron, who I hadn't seen since the first lap. It ends up that he was really pushing at the end, and even though I had one more large lap than him, he racked up the small laps and ended up beating Rudy and coming to within .07 mile of me! I didn't know it, and I don't think he knew it. So it goes to show, never let up! I finished with 43.56 miles, Aaron had 43.49, and Rudy had 43.09. Tim was not far behind with 41 and change and Beak was 5th with 39+. For the women, Jodi Kartes-Heino defended her title with over 39 miles, Concetta Acunzo was 2nd with 37 and Alicja Barahona third with 36. For the 60-year-olds, the winners were Peter Martin and Natalia Service.

For me, this was my third win at this race, after 2005 and 2007. And with my wins at the Queens 50K in March and the Joe Kleinerman 12-Hour in June, and being the top local finisher at Caumsett, I lock up the Grand Prix win for the second time, after 2007.

The post-race food and beer were very welcome, and everyone had a good time in the beautiful afternoon. It was a good occasion to chat with old friends and make new ones. Thanks to Lydia for the ride, and to the RD's Fred von der Heydt and Myron Bellovin and the Greater Long Island Running Club for again putting on a great race!

Pics: 1. Top men - me, Aaron, Rudy - with RD's Fred and Myron; 2. Top 3 women - Alicja, Concetta, Jodi - with Fred and Myron; 3. Lydia and Alicja post-race; 4. Lanny, Admas and Harry post-race; 5. Happy runner

Race Report: Staten Island Half Marathon

2010-10-10T12:31:00.000-07:00

This was an absolutely beautiful day to run in New York City, and perfect conditions for the Staten Island Half Marathon. This is the first time I've run this race since 2003 I think. This is the first year I've ever run all five of the half marathons in the five-borough series, and it was a nice finale.

Getting up and out the door a little after 6:00 a.m., I caught the 7:30 boat, and the waiting room was packed with runners, as full as I've ever seen it. That left not a lot of time to spare on the other side, from waiting for the porta-potty to checking my bag and getting to my corral. But we were off at 8:30 sharp.

The course is a good one, starting on the access road to the ferry/Richmond County Bank Ballpark, to its entrance on Richmond Terrace, back towards the ferry and on to Bay St., eventually coming to a turnaround on Father Cappodano Blvd. at about 6.5 miles, then back, with a deviation through Ft. Wadsworth, along the same route to the finish in the parking lot near the ferry. The out-and-back layout really makes the race feel like it goes by fast, because before you know it you're at mile 6.5 and on your way back. There are some gentle hills, but nothing worth mentioning. (I'm always a little disappointed that the course avoids the tough hills.)

I haven't been feeling very speedy lately, so I wasn't expecting a PR, but was hoping for sub-1:25. I started out at about 6:25 pace and tried to settle into a comfortable, sustainable pace. Some miles were a little faster, some a little slower, but I kept on pace pretty well and finished in 1:24:12, in 90th place, 86 male, 13th in the 40-44 age group.

I was also a little disappointed that aside from a few West Side Runners who I don't know very well, I didn't see anyone there I knew! If they were there, I didn't see them. But this is a big race day everywhere, so I guess people were off doing something else. Still, it was a very nice race and a very nice day.

As I said, it was the first year I've run all five of the five-borough half marathons, a couple of which came soon after some very big ultras, but the series went well for me:

Manhattan, Jan. 24: 1:22:21
Brooklyn, May 22: 1:26:29
Queens, July 24: 1:28:13 (2nd in age group)
Bronx, August 15: 1:24:46
Staten Island, October 10: 1:24:12

Bridge of the Week #29: Westchester Ave. Bridge

2010-10-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

For our next bridge we head to one of the lesser-known, at least for runners - the Westchester Ave. Bridge in the Bronx. This carries Westchester Ave. over the Bronx River, Amtrak lines and the Sheridan Expressway, between Whitlock Ave. on the west and Bronx River Ave. on the east.

I don't have much for stats on this one, but it is a fixed bridge that carries two-way vehicular traffic, pedestrian traffic with sidewalks on both sides of the street, and the elevated 6 train. I'm not completely sure which neighborhoods in the Bronx this connects, on the east it would be either Parkchester or Soundview, and on the east I've seen the name Foxhurst, but for the first time in my life. The Bronx Zoo is about a mile to the north along the river, Crotona Park is about 1/2 mile to the northwest and Sound View Park is about 1/2 mile to the southeast.

Regular sidewalk access can be had at Bronx River Ave. and Whitlock Ave., but there is also a pathway directly on the west side of the river, before crossing the Amtrak tracks or the Sheridan Parkway, that leads south to what looks like a new riverside park. It's a nice little park with enough room to fly a kite, get some sun or generally hang out, and it leads along the west bank of the Bronx River for about a half a mile south to Bruckner Boulevard and the Eastern Blvd. Bridge (guess which bridge is next). Otherwise, a lot of the immediate area is largely industrial, particularly on the west.

When I ran across the bridge a few months ago, I forgot to bring my camera, and the only picture I could find on the internet was the one above, taken from the Estern Blvd. Bridge, which must be at least a little old and somewhat misleading, since the rusted-out industrial area on the left side is now the riverside park.

Bridge of the Week #28: Willis Ave. Bridge

2010-10-03T20:00:00.001-07:00

New bridge floating up the East River

Old bridge (left) and new bridge (right) on July 26, view from Triboro Bridge

New bridge (in front) on openeing day, Oct. 2

Metal grating of old bridge, new bridge right next door

New bridge (left) on opening day, old bridge on right

I'm going to try to do two bridges a week for the enxt few weeks to get caught up. The Willis Ave. Bridge is a special one, because it is a brand new bridge that just opened to traffic yesterday! It crosses the Harlem River between Manhattan and The Bronx, and is the first bridge to the north of the Triboro Bridge.

First, a little about the old bridge. It connected Willis Ave. in the Bronx at E. 135th St. and Bruckner Blvd. with 1st Ave. in Manhattan at 125th St., and had a direct on-ramp from the northbound FDR Drive, and carried traffic north-bound only. (The nearby Third Ave. Bridge carries south-bound traffic to the same area.) It was a swing bridge with a 304-foot main (swing) span, with a total length of 3,212 feet.

The new bridge was constructed just to the south of the old one. The main swing span, 350 feet long, was constructed near Albany and floated down the Hudson River, first to Bayonne, NJ, then on July 26 this year was floated up the East River and put into place. All roadways, approaches, etc. were completed and the bridge was opened to vehicular traffic yesterday, October 2. It has the same street connections as the old bridge, ans traffic never had to be shut down for any significant period of time during construction. Pretty clever, I say, to pull all that off!

The old bridge had a walkway on the west side of the bridge from 125th/1st in Manhattan to Willis Ave. at 135th St., and a stairway at Bruckner Blvd., but that stairway has been the only Bronx entrance available for some time as construction was going on. Recently also, the main Manhattan entrance was closed and a stairway entrance constructed at 127th St. near 1st Ave. Currently, while the old bridge is still standing, this is still the only pedestrian walkway available. It looks like the new bridge will also have a walkway on the west side with pedestrian access at the same spots. But there might be a period of time when the old bridge is demolished before the new walkway is opened. I'll keep you updated.

The Willis Ave. Bridge is well-known among runners, of course, as being the fourth bridge crossing during the New York Marathon, occurring at the 20-mile point, going into The Bronx. So the bridge opened just in time, although the course might have to be adjusted by a few meters one way or another. (Since the marathon is run on the roadway, the status of the pedestrian walkway doesn't matter.) I didn't get a real close look at the new road surface, but I won't miss the metal grating of the old surface, even with the rug on top.

Race Report: North Coast 24 Hour Run

2010-09-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

Annette Racaniello and Frank Pellegrino, fellow New Yorkers in Cleveland

Serge Arbona (1M), Anne Riddle-Lundblad (2F), Anna Piskorska (3F), Me (2M)

Tent City, in the direction of traffic (Photo courtesy of Michael Henze)

Connie Gardner, women's winner, 2nd overall (photo courtesy of Lisa Bliss and Tim Englund)

Serge Arbona, with me behind, early in the race (Photo courtesy of Michael Henze)

The North Coast 24 Hour Race held its second running on September 18, 2010, and for the second year in a row, it served as the 24 hour national championship, this year under the supervision of USA Track and Field. Race Director Dan Horvath once again put on a phenomenal event. The course was a .90075-mile loop in Edgewater Park in Cleveland, on the shore of Lake Erie, with an excellent running surface and very little vertical undulation.

With three automatic qualifying spots for next year's US team on the line, a lot of runners were hoping for top performances, and the competition looked fierce. The men's side featured returning world championship team members Serge Arbona, John Geesler, Matt Chaffin, the ageless Roy Pirrung, and myself, along with recent record holder Mark Godale, 100-mile wonder Dave James, fellow New Yorker Mike Arnstein, and co-RD of Across the Years, Nick Coury. The women's competition looked especially tough, with names that need no introduction: Jill Perry (defending champ), Connie Gardner, Amy Palmiero-Winters, Anna Piskorska, Deb Horn, Anne Riddle Lundbald, Lisa Bliss, Bonnie Busch, as well as up-and-comers like Jen Aradi, Kim Martin and Angela Radosevich.

My own goals were to defend my championship from last year and to get a personal record, which is still 154.48 miles. It wouldn't be easy of course, but all of my preparations seemed to go well and I was ready for good things.

On Friday I took the short flight to Cleveland, made my way to the Travelodge in Lakewood, where a number of the runners would be staying. There I also met up with New York ultra friends Frank Pellegrino and Annette Racaniello, who would be my companions (and chauffeurs) for the rest of the trip. That evening we went to dinner with a number of other runners, friends and spouses, which totaled about 20. So it was great to catch up with some old friends and make some new ones there.

Saturday morning at the park before the race I set up my things, sharing some table/tent space with John Geesler and Roy Pirrung. Tent City was coming together again, with many of the runners and crews setting up along the course after the start area. Besides the regular pre-race nervousness, I was doubly nervous because I was about to sing the national anthem. About a week before, Dan had put out an email to entrants asking for a volunteer, and I guess I was the only sucker. In any case, about 15 minutes before the start, as I came back from the bathroom I saw people gathered at the start and I walked over there just in time to get up and sing. It was my first time singing the national anthem solo for an event, but it went well enough, I didn't embarrass myself at least. And some people had some nice comments for me during the race, so part one done. Now all I had to do was run for 24 hours.

The race itself was quite a roller coaster for me. The first six hours and the last six hours went very well. In between, it was another story. Early in the race, Dave James moved out in front, and at a pace slower than last year, so I was thinking he'd be out there the whole 24 this time. Mark Godale also ran at a slower pace than last year, and we were pretty much neck-and-neck for quite a while for second place. Serge Arbona also took a slower pace than last year and allowed me to lap him. I was a little surprised by the slower starts, although they seemed very smart. I tried to keep on about the same pace as last year.

The afternoon sun came out, and the humidity and temperatures went up, although it didn't feel like it ever got terribly warm. This race for me was a lesson in negative thoughts. It's certainly common to get them and to wonder why you're out there, and to want to just quit, especially in a 24 hour. The mind can really take you to desperate places. So after about 9:15 race time, 70 laps - 63 miles (I hit my watch lap counter every five laps), when I started getting shallow breath that made me take the first of my rest breaks, I can't say that it was entirely a physical break that I needed. But I laid on the grass for a few minutes, walked a full lap and then some, and had the medical team do some checks and manipulation to get me good to go. And even though it was still early in the evening, I had gotten chills and resorted to my long-sleeved shirt, which stayed on for the duration. This all took quite a bit of time and was my first meltdown that almost drove me to quit.

Meanwhile, in the women's race, it was hard for me to keep track of who was where, but Connie, Anna, Amy, Anne, Jill , Deb and Jennifer all looked good and strong, and Angela Radosevich also was in the top three at one point I think. It was very interesting to watch all of the runners, and particularly the walkers. There were a couple of heavier men walking (not together) who never seemed to take a break, and there was a man and woman (very much together) who I took to be husband and wife who walked side by side, and also never seemed to take a break. The man with the tall back brace with the American flag and signs supporting out troops was back again this year, amazing to be carrying all that weight - in support of our soldiers.

Anyway I did get up and running again, at a decent pace. Seeing that I'd been passed by a few more runners, I tried to reevaluate my goals, and to reevaluate my motivation. But a couple hours later, after 90 laps, about 13 hours, the shallow breathing hit me again. I again had to take an extended walking break, and sat in a chair for a few minutes again. It was then that I happened to see Amy's handler Erik pull her from the race with kidney problems. She had barely urinated the entire race, she told me, and by this time she was becoming dizzy and disoriented. I hated to see that happen, of course for her own well-being, but also because she was running so well.

Anyway, my desire to quit now was just a little less than before, and I got up again and got running again, at a decent pace again, although by now I was just waiting for the next meldown. Safe to say, I was not in a good place mentally. But I was closing in on 100 miles (111 laps is just short of 100 miles) and wanted to push it at least to that point. I was calculating how long it would take me to get there, comparing it to past races, and trying to figure out what kind of mileage I might still be able to end up with. I was in 6th place by this time I think, behind Serge, who was really moving fast, Dave, who I was told was struggling, a surprising Chris Peverada, a young cross country star and fast marathoner I was told, who was running in his first ultra (!), Mark Godale and Nick Coury. Figuring that if Dave was struggling I might be able to get past him, that if Mark were struggling I might be able to get past him, and that my experience might help me outlast the young Chris and Nick, I saw that I could still possibly finish up second behind Serge. Still, part of me just didn't want to run. But I got another chance to rest in meltdown #3 at about 15 hours, when I had my vomit break. I'd been eating very little, and the fluids and gels weren't getting along in my stomach, so I had to step off into the grass. Vomiting is not uncommon either, although I usually manage to avoid it during most races, but this one sent me to the grass with dizzyness. Usually I feel better afterwards, but I didn't this time. I got up and walking, feeling just a little weak. I tried to eat more as well as drink more.

As I was walking, I came in contact with the amazingness of Bonnie Busch. We were walking and chatting, and I had almost resigned myself to walking or lightly jogging the rest of the race. She had been giving me encouragement the entire race, but here she said just the right things for me to kick myself in the ass and get running again. I also came into contact with the coolness of Jimmy Dean Freeman, who I'd met for the first time at Badwater this year. He wasn't running, but showed up in the night in a really cool suit, which looked very out-of -place in Tent City, and was giving me lots of encouragement. Actually, I didn't recognize him at first, until after a couple of laps I saw his Badwater buckle, which just goes to show that a Badwater belt buckle goes with anything. In fact, Jimmy Dean and Dave James (who by that time had called it quits) told me that Mark had also quit, and Chris was struggling, so I could still get a top finish.

I hit 99.8 miles in about 17:30, quite a bit slower than I have done in the past, but still good enough for a good showing if I kept running the last 6 1/2 hours. I hadn't seen Nick in quite a while, but when I did see him he was running strong, so I didn't know if I'd be able to catch him or not. And there was another runner, Matthew Shaheen, who I didn't know, close behind me. I was also trying to do the math to see if I'd be able to get to 135 miles, necessary (along with a top 3 placement) for automatic qualification to the US team, and generally a milestone to aim for. But I would have to push for that 35 miles. So this was a critical moment in motivation vs. negative thoughts. Negative: there was still a part of me that just didn't want to run, although at least the desire to quit had left the building. Motivation for a top-three, 135-mile finish: 1. Automatic qualification to the team. (Although my 151 miles from last year's race would more than likely get me on the team, my pride wanted me to re-qualify with a different race this year.) 2. Prize money - not an insignificant issue, but not always at the top of the list when you're actually running. 3. A lot of people were very encouraging to me throughout the race, and I felt like I didn't want to let them down, not to mention my New York ultrarunning friends, my family, and all those who are so supportive.

So doing the math, 39 more laps, 150 total, would be needed for 135 miles, that's an average of 10 minutes per lap for the last 6 1/2 hours. It would be close, but now, finally, I was determined. My legs still felt good. The mental letdowns were in the past. In addition, I was only a couple of laps behind Nick, and I might still be able to take second. The last six hours went by fast. Weather-wise, there were a few drops of rain, the wind picked up from the east, but I still felt good and comfortable. I did eventually pass Nick in the last two hours, and he was very sportsmanlike in encouraging me. Rather than counting down the time, I had been counting down the laps to 150, converting that to miles, and relating that to my training courses. (Five more miles, that's my run out-and-back on the Harlem River Speedway.) I was actually a little disappointed that I was moving faster than I'd expected, because that meant I'd have to run more miles! Strange, how the mind acts up.

But I did finish with 139 miles, second place, which I was very pleased with, a spot on the team, some good prize money, and despite some mental letdowns I can hold my head high. Serge blew us all away with 156 miles. Nick was third with 136, and got his spot on the team! For the women, Connie had 141 miles in one of the best American women's performances ever. Anne was second and Anna was very happy with third. Deb got fourth with another solid performance, but it didn't get her an automatic spot on the team. I'll take this moment to mention what a great runner Deb is, an extremely solid and consistent runner who has never had a bad race that I've seen, a good friend, irreplaceable asset to the team - she has scored for the women's team every year since 2007. I look forward to running the 48-hour race with her at Across the Years. But we've had just the absolute best women running 24 hours here in the US lately. Getting on the team is now extremely competitive, and I know they'll do great things in Switzerland next year. We men will too, of course, but the women are just especially strong right now.

So like I said, this race was for me a lesson in negative thoughts. They brought me to the brink a few times, but I did learn from the experience, and hopefully I can keep them in the background, and keep the motivating factors in the foreground. But I owe a big thanks to so many people - too many to name here (I feel like an Oscar winner), but very special thanks to Frank Pellegrino and Annette Racaniello, Bonnie Busch, Jimmy Dean Freeman, Mike Henze, and Doctor Andy, Tyler, and the medical team. And of course to Dan Horvath and all the volunteers for the race for doing an incredible job again!

Bridge of the Week #27: Queensboro Bridge

2010-09-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Yippee, we get a big one this week! The Queensboro Bridge, aka the 59th St. Bridge is one of the major bridges in New York City, crossing the East River between 59th/60th Streets in Manhattan and Long Island City in Queens. After the Brooklyn Bridge, it is the second oldest East River crossing, opening in March 1909 (after eight years of construction), only nine months before the Manhattan Bridge.

The Queensboro Bridge is a double cantilever bridge centered on Roosevelt Island, meaning it has one cantilever span over each channel, east and west of the island. The total length of the bridge and approaches is 7449 feet. It has 130 feet of clearance above the river. It has two roadway decks, the top carries four lanes of traffic (two in each direction) and the lower carries five: three Queens-bound lanes and two Manhattan-bound, with the outermost lane on the north permanently closed to traffic in 2000, and used for pedestrians and bicycles. The pedestrian lane can be accessed on the Queens side at Queens Plaza N. and Crescent St., and on the Manhattan side entering at 60th St. and 1st Ave. The bridge also carries the N, Q and R lines between Manhattan and Queens.

Plans for a bridge between Manhattan and Long Island City were conceived as early as 1838, but early organizers ran into financial problems. One potential designer in the 1850's was John Roebling. He proposed two suspension spans connected in the middle by a cantilever span. But it did not come to pass, so he went on to design the Brooklyn Bridge. The Queensboro Bridge had its own difficulties and loss of life during construction, but was finally opened on March 30, 1909, as Blackwell's Island Bridge, Blackwell's Island being an earlier name of Roosevelt Island.

The bridge had a number of different traffic/rail/trolley configurations over the years. There was even a trolley stop in the middle, over Roosevelt Island, where people could take an elevator or staircase down to the island. There was a similar station over Vernon Boulevard on the Queens shoreline. These stations were eventually demolished. Access to Roosevelt Island now can be had by a tram from Manhattan just to the north of the bridge, by subway on the F line, or by the Roosevelt Island Bridge to Queens (to be covered in a later post).

By the late 1970's it became clear that the bridge was deteriorating and needed major repair work. Restoration began in the 1980's and was scheduled to be completed in 2009. I'm actually not sure if it has been or not. But I'm sure it's close at least.

This bridge has been immortalized in a song by Simon and Garfunkel, and it is the third bridge on the New York Marathon route, taking place in the lower deck Queens-bound lanes. The 15-mile mark comes as you climb the bridge, and the 16-mile mark near the end of the bridge. The climb alsways seems endless, especially when you're exhausted and you look over and see that you're still over the land of Queens. And when you descend onto the streets of Manhattan, the runners supposedly hit the "wall of sound" from all the spectators. It can be loud and fun, but personally, I've never been that impreessed by it. I've always just been glad to be off the bridge.

Bridge of the Week #26: Third Avenue Bridge

2010-09-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

OK, I'm falling further behind, I'll try to get caught up. This week's bridge is the Third Avenue Bridge over the Harlem River between The Bronx and The Manhattan.

The bridge is a swing drawbridge with a 300-foot span that swings open to allow two 102-foot wide channels. When closed, it gives 25 feet of clearance above the water. It has a 52-foot wide roadway that carries four lanes of southbound traffic into Manhattan and a 9-foot wide sidewalk on each side, although the sidewalk on the southwest side is currently closed. The total length is 2,800 feet.

A bridge on the site was proposed as far back as 1770 to carry the new Boston Post Road (which in the Southern Bronx is now Third Avenue), which would be a major link between New York and New England. A dam/bridge, the Coles Bridge, was finally built by John B. Coles in 1797. A new cast-and-wrought iron swing bridge was opened on the site in 1868. Construction on the third and current bridge began in 1893 in conjunction with the dredging and engineering of the Harlem River Ship Canal. The bridge opened in 1898 to vehicular and trolley traffic, and the sidewalks were opened in 1901. Trolley service was discontinued in 1953 when the bridge underwent rehabilitation and the Third Avenue Elevated in the Bronx was torn down. A new span was placed on the existing foundation structures in 2004-2005.

As near as I can tell, Third Avenue (not 3rd Avenue) in the Bronx is a continuation of 3rd Ave. in Manhattan (Manhattan street signs read "3 Ave", in Bronx, "Third Ave"). There is no north-south numbered avenue system in the Bronx. In Manhattan it conforms to the street grid and runs in a straight line, but in the Bronx it meanders around quite a bit before ending at Fordham Road. As I said, the southern portion was originally part of Boston Post Road. What is now named Boston Road (and eventually Boston Post Road) begins by branching off Third Ave. to the northeast just north of E. 163rd St. in Morrisania.

The sidewalk across the bridge can be reached in Manhattan from Harlem River Park in Harlem, most directly from a pedestrian bridge over an offramp (stairs to climb and descend) at E. 129th St. and Lexington Ave. In the Bronx, the sidewalk begins in the Mott Haven neighborhood on Third Ave. just south of 135th St. and the elevated Major Deegan Expressway, but there is also a staircase with access a couple of blocks south on Third Ave. at the western end of Bruckner Boulevard. There are no major specific attractions in the immediate area on either side of the bridge, although you are in the middle of "Bridge Row", a series of six bridges (plus a railroad bridge) over the Harlem River from the Triboro Bridge to the Macombs Dam Bridge (from 125th St. to 155th St. in Manhattan).

Bridge of the Week #25: Hamilton Ave. Bridge

2010-08-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

This week's bridge (actually last week's, since I'm a week behind again), the Hamilton Ave. Bridge, is the final bridge over the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, or rather, the first if you're traveling from the Gowanus Bay. The bridge runs northeast-southwest between Smith St. and 2nd Ave. and sits directly underneath the Gowanus Expressway.

This bridge is unique among other bascule drawbridges in that it has two parallel leafs, one carrying the four northbound lanes and a sidewalk and one carrying the four southbound lanes and a sidewalk. I'm not aware of another bridge in New York City with this feature, but then again I'm not done yet! The bridge was built in 1942 and recently had some major reconstruction work done. I'm only assuming that it was named indirectly after Alexander Hamilton, as there are a number of place names in Brooklyn that include Hamilton, beginning with Fort Hamilton in the Bay Ridge neighborhood.

Like the other Gowanus Canal bridges, this sits in a largely industrial area between the residential neighborhoods of Red Hook and Park Slope. Just to the west is Red Hook Park, a nice enough neighborhood park, but not much of a destination, and of course Prospect Park is nearly a mile to the west. The bridge does see heavy auto traffic, and the intersections on either side are not particularly pedestrian-friendly.

To recap, then, the Gowanus Canal bridges from south to north, traveling inland: Hamilton Ave. Bridge, 9th St. Bridge, 3rd Ave. Bridge on the side, 3rd St. Bridge, Carroll St. Bridge, Union St. Bridge. If running in this area, I recommend seeing the Carroll St. Bridge as it is the most unique and has an old-time charm.

Bridge of the Week #24: 3rd St. Bridge, 3rd. Ave. Bridge (Brooklyn)

2010-08-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Going back to the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn for this weeks bridges. So sue me, but at least you get two for one - the 3rd St. Bridge and the 3rd Ave. Bridge (not to be confused with the 3rd Ave. Bridge over the Harlem River between Manhattan and the Bronx, whixh I'll cover in an upcoming post).

The 3rd St. Bridge runs generally east-west, between 3rd Ave. and Bond St., parallel to the 9th St. Bridge, Carroll St. Bridge and Union St. Bridge, all profiled earlier. It carries a lane of traffic in each direction and has sidewalks on both sides. It is a bascule drawbridge. I'm sorry I don't have much more information than that. As with the other Gowanus Canal bridges it connects the Red Hook and Park Slope neighborhoods, and has mainly industrial areas in the immediate vicinity.

The 3rd Ave. Bridge, just around the corner, is even less interesting. In fact, my guess is that most people crossing it on foot, by bike or car, don't even know they're crossing a bridge. It is a momentary blip on Third Ave. for a short time between 3rd St. and 6th St. It actually crosses the5th St. Basin, an eastern branch of the Gowanus Canal. Looking over the railing on the western si de you can get a view of the industrial waterway, but it apparently ends just under the bridge, as all you can see over the eastern railing is a few reeds at best. This is a fixed bridge, not a drawbridge. I can't find the length but it's not long, and is at street grade.

That's all for this week. I'll try to do a bigger bridge for the upcoming week. Either that or the last Gowanus Canal bridge.

Pics: 1. On 3rd St. Bridge, looking south; 2. On 3rd Ave. Bridge, looking west