Harlem never felt so good. I realized I was speeding up and I continued to refocus on a smooth, low impact, gliding form. My arms pumped back and forth, my trunk moved directly forward with no bobbing.
At one point I heard all sorts of cheering and didn't understand why, then a Rhino passed me from behind. Cool. An amazing effort running a marathon with that get up on. Wow.
I met Ted and his wife, Nancy, at Engineer’s Gate (90th and 5th Ave.). They held a banner with my name on it. Very nice and oh so appreciated. Inside Central Park I wolfed down a Gu and pressed on.
At this point I knew my energy would not flag. The rises of Central Park proved no problem. Here nearing mile 25 the joy I experienced intensified as I picked up the pace and bore down with my form. I had a much better time in sight than I’d expected at the start.
My arms felt tired. My right leg felt sore with inflamed tendons on the outside of the knee. I placed my feet softly, briskly gliding forward. I visualized a little weiner dog scampering speedily along. Go dog! Go!
Here, I cross the finish line and get an official portrait taken.
Another view of the finish.5:42:44. In 2000 I race walked the marathon in 5:32. Not a bad time all considered.
This marathon ranks as one of my best finishes—not by time but by sheer joy.
On the other side of the finish line one runs the gauntlet of getting a medal, getting the chip removed from shoe . . .
. . . getting a space blanket, water, there was a goodie bag with food I didn’t bother to get.
Then on up the drive to retrieve the bag from the UPS truck. And, oh, the many blocks one walks just to get out of the park.
I went to the nearby apartment of my friend Ron (holding up Ted and Nancy’s banner). I had appetite for pizza. That’s all. Marathon done.