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FLRC Newsletter - May 2004 |
| The MORE Half-Marathon | |
4:30 am, I awake to the buzzer of my alarm and fight the urge to hit snooze as I remember that today is race day. About 3 months ago my mother and I decided to run the MORE marathon the first marathon for women over 40 -- as a tag team (each doing 13.1 miles). For her, this race is an amazing accomplishment as she only just recovered from a serious case of plantar fasciitis about a year ago, and has slowly been increasing her mileage ever since. Racing together today is a huge milestone -- this time last year, she could barely walk.
7:30 am, we walk into Central Park. The race area is bustling with activity -- long lines to the registration booths, as well as tents handing out free samples, and of course the never-ending mile-long porta-potty line. Women's running teams stretching together, mother and daughter tag teams warming up, and team cheers sporadically bursting though the constant stream of announcements buzzing over head.
7:50 am, my Mom and I join the crowd forming behind the 10 minute mile marker. Everyone around us is excited, but with pride, not nerves. Today marks the culmination of months of training for many of the women here. One woman exclaims to her running partner, "Can you believe we're finally here? I can't believe I'm actually doing this!". The editor of MORE magazine steps up to the microphone to congratulate the runners and everyone hoots and claps in approval.
8:05 am, the race starts. We find ourselves standing still for another 5 minutes as the runners ahead of us file through the start gate. 1630 women are participating in the half-marathon today, and another 358 marathoners will join us when their race starts at 8:30. (Quite a turnout!!) The crowd lined up around us cheers us on as we run the first mile. The onlookers and other recreational runners in Central Park are wonderful. My personal favorites are the man holding a sign proclaiming, "You don't look a day over 29!" and the speed walker in a yellow jogging suit who cheers us on with an enthusiastic, "Keep it up ladies, you look great!" every time we pass him. The crowd most definitely makes up for the rather bland 2 loop course through a winter-blanched Central Park.
9:00 am, I run through the start gate once more, completing the first loop. The crowd is bigger now and more energetic. I run behind one racer who's about 75 years old, and she looks about as strong as I do...on a good day. I'm surrounded by mother-daughter teams with, "I'm running with my mom (arrow)" and "I'm running with my daughter (arrow)", as well as a team with t-shirts emblazoned with the MORE theme : "How about some MORE?". We're nearing the 7th mile and everyone is still going strong.
9:50 am, nearing the finish I feel that end of race adrenaline rush and sprint to the end. But today, I'm empowered by something more than the desire to finish fast for me, today is just a training run -- I'm not trying to beat any PRs or time goals. What makes this race special is the pride I feel to be finishing with my mother, who's close behind and finishing strong -- and that of the hundreds of mother-daughter teams finishing ahead and behind us. Today, we celebrate women, and their daughters, and most importantly, their strength.
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