My husband and I signed up for a 5K race, Coogan's Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K, in the Cloisters, which is located in north Manhattan near Columbia University. It was the first race of the year, sponsored by the New York Road Runners, and it is one that counts toward the nine for automatic entry in the New York City Marathon.
Since we had not picked up our race numbers the day before, we needed to be at the pick up location between 7:30 and 8:30 am. We left our house on the south shore of Long Island at 7:00 am and drove through the Bronx into Manhattan.
I wore a series of mismatched items but decided to wear my first pair of Brooks Ghost sneakers. I also proudly wore my Team for Kids tank over the entire outfit. Team for Kids is a New York Road Runner’s Charity that helps kids in inner cities learn about nutrition and about running. To get into the NYC Half Marathon, I pledged to raise more than $1310 for the cause (I raised under $3,000 thanks to my family, friends and business associates.)
Parking was a disaster. We kept driving around and around. We finally saw a parking garage a few blocks away and parked there. It was 8:15 am. We had fifteen minutes to get our number, so we ran to the start line.
The weather reports were saying that it may rain in the morning but there was an 80% chance of rain after 12 noon, so we thought we would get in the race and stay dry.
As soon as we got to the New Balance Track and Field at the Armory, the pick up location, it started to pour. Of course we weren’t dressed for it but we decided that since we were there, we would participate in the race.
Article comments
1 - Bahan Kuliah
Running, jogging, and marathon are my favorite sport beside soccer.
I love it because it's very simple to do. And gives a huge great effects to my health.
2 - Hilary Topper
Thanks for your comments... Maybe I'll see you out there one day!