Run Report: 10 Years of Ultrarunning

Today, February 17, 2012 marks the 10th anniversary of my first ultra – the Kurt Steiner 50K, held in Central Park, NY, in conjunction with the famed Metropolitan 50-miler. So I thought it would be a good time to go back and think about my 10 years of ultrarunning. To say it’s taken me places and given me unforgettable experiences I never dreamed I’d have is the understatement of the year!


First, the numbers, since I’m a numbers junkie. I’ve run and completed 69 ultras, plus one DNF (Rocky Raccoon 2007). These include 18 50K’s, 12 24-hour runs and 11 6-hour runs. Most-completed races include 7 times at the Caumsett Park 50K, 7 times at the 6-Hour 60th Birthday Run, and 4 times each at the New York Pioneer Memorial 100 Mile Trek, Joe Kleinerman 12-Hour, the Knickerbocker 60K, and the IAU 24-Hour World Championships (held in four different locations). My most-visited race location, my home away from home, is Crocheron Park in Queens, where I’ve raced nine times on its 1,709-yard loop for a total of 474 miles. My busiest year was 2008 with 10 ultras. Total miles raced in ultras is 4,890. I’ve run ultras in 10 states and 5 foreign countries. I’ve managed to win 17 ultras, my first win coming at the Extreme Workout 50/50, a 50K and 50 Mile race held on the East River Esplanade on Feb. 19, 2005. In that low-key race, 6 runners signed up, 3 started, and I was the only finisher, at 7:28:20. My wins also include two 24-hour national championships (2009 and 2011) and a 48-hour American record.


It’s hard to remember much about my first ultra, the 2002 Kurt Steiner 50K. I’d run four marathons prior to that (New York Marathons in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001) and I figured that I probably wouldn’t get too much faster, but I could always go farther. So, seeing the Metropolitan 50-Mile/Kurt Steiner 50K on the NYRRC calendar, I thought I’d take the leap. I don’t remember too much from that race, except that it was pretty cold, it was a different experience running the 4-mile loop in Central Park eight times (almost), without the hype of the New York Marathon. I remember the novelty of eating cookies during a race! And of course, I remember how glad I was to be finished! Back then, the NYRRC let us into their building before and after the race, and after they had hot tomato soup and hot chocolate. I didn’t chat a lot with the other runners, except for an Italian runner living in New York who finished a little bit ahead of me. Of course, I remember Richie Innamorato getting us going at the start and giving out awards at the finish. I finished 16th male and 18th overall with a time of 4:30:31.


I had a good time, but it was tough for me, and I don’t remember getting “hooked” at that time, or even thinking I wanted to keep doing this. But I think even then I had Badwater in my mind, and I was hoping to work my way up to that some day. So basically I built my way up to longer distances and more races.


Looking at the big picture, it’s interesting that many of my best races, especially early on, happened when I was an unknown and flew in under the radar to surprise people. Notably, I’m thinking of the 2004 Joe Kleinerman 12-Hour, when I finished second and became competitive locally, the 2006 Ultracentric 24-Hour (national championship) when I finished third and became competitive nationally, and the 2007 IAU 24-Hour world championships when I finished fourth and became competitive on the world stage. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it’s getting harder for me to fly in under the radar, but in a strange way, it’s reassuring that it’s still possible for me to be overlooked sometimes.


Just about every race was exciting and memorable and had its own highlights, but overall, the best part of ultrarunning is the community. It’s the other runners, volunteers and other people who keep you going when running loops over and over again, when cold and wet, when battling extreme heat, exhaustion, blisters and sleep deprivation. Everybody’s going through the same pain, suffering and challenges, and everybody reaps the rewards when the race is done.


And I feel so proud especially to be a part of the New York ultrarunning tradition, home of the founders of modern road racing and ultrarunning, and to have gotten to know many of the people who had a part in building that history, and continue to do so.


I know that over the next ten years my times will get slower, but the runs will be no less exciting or less rewarding. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead!

Run Report: Winter Group Long Runs

This is a week after the fact, but it's definitely worthy of mention. Last weekend I joined some friends for group long runs on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I led a group on a 32-mile run across all of the bridges of Manhattan Island, and Sunday Dave Obelkevich led his annual 32-mile run around Manhattan in honor of Ted Corbitt.


My bridge run is a repeat of a run I organized last March, which is why I called it the "2nd Occasional", since it's just basically whenever I feel like leading it. I first ran it solo a number of years ago, and thought it would be fun to have a group doing this urban "trek run" as I call it.


Posting the run on meetup.com and facebook, I got a good response with 17 runners joining us at least part way. 12 started at the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal: besides myself there were Dave, Deanna, Louis, Amy, Maria, Leslie, Bill, Denis and three Mikes - A, O and S. After an out-and-back on the GWB, we proceeded to the Henry Hudson Bridge to zigzag across the Harlem River bridges between Manhattan and the Bronx. At first, the bridges are spaced apart a bit, but by the time you get to Yankee Stadium they're pretty close together until you cross the Triborough Bridge (I'm still calling it that). We had some runners stop partway, and some join us along the way - Grant joined us at 207th St., Susie and Brittany at Yankee Stadium, and another Mike O. and Elizabeth after the Triborough. The East River bridges are bigger and farther apart, so it can be exhausting, especially the Queensboro Bridge for me! But that just makes it all the more special to cross the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan for the finish!


We had five runners go the whole distance - Denis, Deanna, Dave, Michael S. and myself. But the best part was just running with the very cool people, making new friends and chatting and getting to know these fine folks better. And it seemed like the other runners had a good time, so I might lead another "trek run" soon.


Same thing with Sunday's run around Manhattan. This was a different crowd, many runners who I already knew well, like Dave O. and Alicja. But Dave's been holding this for many years, starting at his apartment on West 97th St., and going clockwise, taking three breaks roughly every eight miles. It was schedule to coincide with Ted Corbitt's birthday on Jan. 31, and when Ted was still alive he would meet the runners at their first break at 218th and Broadway. Our second break was at the apartment of Dave's friend Susan on East 86th St, and Susan put out refreshments for us. It was the least I could do to play a little Bach for her, even with my cold, stiff fingers! Our final break was at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, then on up back to Dave's apartment.


I love these winter group runs, because it gives motivation to get out there and go long in the cold, dark days, and makes it fun. So a big thanks to the 30-odd runners (NOT 30 odd runners) who I ran with last weekend. Happy running to all!

Bridge of the Week #78: Porpoise Bridge

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)

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

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

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

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.