"A lot of people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." - Steve Prefontaine
Stephen sits behind a desk full-time in his IT job, but on the cool, crisp morning of November 1st he was one of 43,741 participants poised behind the starting line for the New York City Marathon. The marathon has been an institution in the world of running for 40 years . One-hundred twenty-seven runners paid a one dollar entrance fee to run the first race in 1970, a 26.2 mile course that looped repeatedly around Central Park.
This year’s marathon logged the same number of miles with a course that spanned all five New York boroughs and sported its share of steep inclines. For Stephen, the 40th New York City Marathon was his first.
Why did Stephen decide to run?
Why does anyone sign up for such a brutal physical challenge?
Aside from a number of elite, even Olympic-winning runners, what motivates someone to enter the New York City Marathon? And what keeps them going for all those miles?
Personal fitness goals. Joining the crowd. Raising money for charity. The reasons for running have even become a bit of a debate this year, with some saying non-elite runners detract from the seriousness and prestige of the race. But the tradition of running has always embraced the spirit of individuality and personal triumph, and valued personal best times as well as winning ones. The marathon may be a very public athletic event, but it is also a very personal journey.
I asked Stephen why he chose to run this year, how he did it, and why he’ll do it again.
Stephen, why did you decide to run the New York Marathon? Are you an experienced runner?
Many years ago it seemed like something I would never be able to do. I remember sitting on the couch with my coffee, watching the race and wondering what it would feel like to run the NYC Marathon.
When I moved to the suburbs in my mid-thirties, I found out my town organized a YMCA 10K race in the spring. I noticed they published the top 50 finishers’ names in the local paper, and I joked about getting my name in the papers the next year. In 2003 I trained for that race. I ran the 10K and placed 104th out of 350 runners. My time was forty-seven minutes, eleven seconds (47:11), at a pace of seven minutes, thirty-six seconds(7:36) per mile.
Needless to say I didn’t make the papers! But after that I couldn’t stop running.
I found out I could do more. I learned I actually enjoyed training under extreme conditions, like running on the coldest days of winter.
I continued to run and continued to race locally. By the next year, I ran the same 10K race in my town and this time I placed 35th out of 400.
I started running longer distances, graduating to a 15K and the Long Beach Island 18 Mile. In that one I finished 134th out of 600, with a time of two hours, thirty-one minutes and forty seconds (2:31:40). This race was humbling.
It really taught me what it takes to be an endurance athlete, when your body gives up and all you have left to get you to the finish line is your mind and your determination. I prefer “determination to finish”.
I learned a lot and I knew I could add a few more miles and get to my ultimate goal – running a marathon.
How difficult was the qualifying/application process? Did you have to complete other races in order to qualify?
The NYC Marathon is very difficult to get into. You can take your chances in a random lottery, earn entry through completing a number of requirements, or volunteer for one of the charitable organizations. I entered the lottery two times and didn’t get in, so I chose the guaranteed entry. I had to run nine qualifying races plus volunteer for one race to get in the 2009 NYC marathon.
There are other guaranteed entry qualifying options, depending on your running time, age, and so on.
How and for how long did you train for the marathon?
I am always running, logging about 20-25 miles per week. For peak marathon training, about thirteen weeks, I logged between 40-50 miles. For the marathon, I did a lot of online research on how to prepare. I used an online training guide that matches the miles I could comfortably run.
Did you do anything else to prepare yourself for the marathon (i.e. scope out the route, sleep more, sleep less, talk to other runners, etc)?
I had missed two very important weeks in the middle of my training, and I think this set me back physically and mentally. So preparing this time was really a mind game. To regain confidence, I put in a few distance runs to assure myself I could keep up at a certain pace. I got as much sleep as possible and I tried to keep my mind in a happy place.
How did you use nutrition to get into your best condition before and during the race? Did you use any supplements?
I ate small, balanced meals frequently. I didn’t take any supplements.
What did you wear for the marathon? Do you have favorite sneakers?
What to wear is always a challenge. You have to consider the weather, how windy it will be on race day, your wait time at starting position, and so on. The night before I picked out several combinations of outfits. Based on the weather the morning of the NYC Marathon I chose very light running shorts and a Tech T.
As for my running shoes – I wouldn’t call them sneakers [author’s note: oops, running shoes!] I really like Asics right now.
As a runner, how important would you say lean muscle mass is in endurance running? Does muscle mass = energy reserve, or does it just weigh you down?
A few years before I started running, I was working out at the gym. Even though I never had huge muscle mass, a lot of the mass that I had built up has disappeared. It is really hard to keep muscle mass on when logging an average of 50 miles per week in peak training. I think energy reserve comes from the training you put in while preparing for a long- distance race.
Someone in this year’s marathon was dressed as the Eiffel Tower. What is the craziest outfit you saw during the marathon? Did you see anyone famous participating in the marathon?
I saw “Larry the Light House,” he’s a walking advertisement – literally – for Camp Sunshine.... a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. . Plus there were a lot of other people in costume. Winnie the Pooh ran near me for a while. As for anyone famous? I started in the first wave line-up directly behind the elite runners, so I consider anyone who finished before me to be famous!
The marathon route passes through all five boroughs and includes some steep inclines just at a point where many people are ‘hitting the wall.’ Was the marathon more difficult than you thought it would be? Did you ever consider dropping out? How did you get through the hardest parts?
I’ve always heard that New York was a very difficult course. After running it, I can say it definitely is difficult, and now I believe all of the stories I’ve heard about the 59th Street Bridge and how it takes your legs away from you. It did exactly that to me. . But dropping out would never be an option for me unless I had a serious health issue.
I had stomach issues early in the race but managed to get through that and established a good pace. Of the three prior marathons I’ve run, this is the first one to take my legs away from me by mile16. Coming into the city off the 59th Street Bridge, my legs wouldn’t move and my body got swallowed up by exhaustion.
The crowd on First Avenue is famous for being large and cheerful, but that wasn’t my experience. And it was at just this point in the race when I started failing. The rolling “hills” on First Avenue took a toll on my hamstrings and calves; I could feel all of my muscle fibers tightening up. I had to focus on getting over each little hill and took walking breaks at the water stops.
I couldn’t wait to get through the Bronx and get on the turnaround heading back on Fifth Avenue, the “home stretch.” I was passing a lot of other runners who seemed to be in even more pain than me at this point, and getting sick.
When I saw my family, I circled around them and kept moving.
At the time I thought, this isn’t even running anymore, it’s just keeping my feet moving to make my goal, the finish line.
On Fifth Avenue I just kept thinking about the hills in Central Park. I was pretty sure those would bring me to my knees at that point, but luckily they really weren’t that bad. Normally during a marathon I would get that little extra rush of adrenaline around mile 24, but that just didn’t happen this time. I would not be high-stepping it to the finish line on this one. I told myself to just keep moving.
When I turned in at Columbus Circle in Central Park I focused on seeing the finish line. As I got closer to it, I couldn’t wait to get across it. I crossed that finish line a humble man and thanked God for getting me to the end!
I can’t describe the amount of pain that took over my body as I stopped moving, but I stayed on my feet, got some water, and kept walking to cool down. Ten minutes later, aside from serious muscle stiffness and waddling like a duck… I was OK again.
What surprised you about the marathon?
I try not to have too many expectations because there are so many variables that go into an event. And there’s not a whole lot I can control except trying to get to the finish line and making my target finish time.
Going into the NYC Marathon I knew I probably wouldn’t beat my best time because of the training I missed and the difficulty of the course.
Were you happy with your run?
I am satisfied with my finish time of three hours, sixteen minutes and twenty-six seconds (3:16:26).
Although I didn’t like that my body seemed to let me down at times, I was very happy to run in the NYC marathon because it was a dream come true.
Will you do it again?
I will do NYC again. Hopefully the next time my training will not be interrupted, I will be injury-free, and able to enjoy the second half of the marathon as much as the first half.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about running the marathon for the first time?
People may want to do this because it is a dream for them, a way to help a charity, or a way to fight their own personal demons. Anyone seriously contemplating running a marathon already has their reasons to run.
I would just tell them to be prepared. Make sure you can run 20 plus miles on your own. Once you do that the marathon gets easier, but then it becomes about setting better time goals to challenge yourself… and why wouldn’t you? That’s the whole point.
*Thinking about running the NYC? The entrance lottery for 2010 is already open!