NYC Marathon 2011

Congratulations to Singaporean Dr Ben Tan, Dr Benny Goh and David Tay for completing the tough New York City Marathon! They achieved it in splendid times, with Benny completing it in 2:52, Ben in 3:10 and David in 3:44, for a hilly course that covers all the five boroughs. Entry is by your previous fastest times, or by the luck of the draw in the NYCM Lottery.

The late-Norwegian track star and Olympian, Grete Waitz won the NYC Marathon in 1978 (with Bill Rodgers in the Men’s section). The, then unknown, runner  or  #1173 won the NYCM a total of  nine times, setting three world records in her first marathon. The legendary story told was that she threw her shoes down after completing her maiden 42.195K, which actually was directed at her husband Jack, because she hurt in that race. The track star, Grete ran the race ‘blind’ never exceeding 12 miles for her longest run. Nobody knew who she was for she was a late entry.

Today, the woman’s race begins first; the rules changed in 2002 when originally it was a co-ed, mass start. As reported earlier, the late-Fred Lebow masterminded this race and never ran it until just before his death. Grete came out of retirement to run with her dear friend Fred, side-by-side, for his completion. Grete attributed Lebow for getting her initiated to the marathon, where her potential shone. Ironically, both icons had cancer and we lost two influential leaders in the global running community.

Leadership Lessons: When were you ever a ‘late entry’? What was it like to fill in somebody’s shoes at the last moment? What was it like being ‘blind’ to the conditions of an event or challenge? Which personal values do you draw on when you plunge into a new challenge? How do you face a challenge of epic proportions?

The Most Popular Marathon In The World

‘Few things in life match the thrill of a marathon.’ ~ Fred Lebow

Run For Your Life – The Fred Lebow Story is a documentary of the fascinating founder and maverick promoter of the New York City (NYC) Marathon. The Romanian immigrant started the race with 55 runners and it phenomenally grew into 43,660 participants in 2009.

Boston may have been the oldest marathon in the USA, but the way Run For Your Life tells it, it was the New York City Marathon (NYCM) that put the idea of the big-city, road race on the map, which accelerated the popularity of running in general. In 1970, the first New York event consisted of four circuits around Central Park. It then progressed in 1976 into its much-hailed ambitious route, when the race expanded to include all five of the city’s boroughs. The NYC Marathon attracted some 2,000 athletes, including Olympians Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers (who went on to win it four years in a row). It has attracted media celebrities like Lance Armstrong to race in it seriously.

The success of the NYCM was due to the vision and persistence of the marathon’s founder: Fred Lebow. He was a influential businessperson (and celebrity in the fashion circle) in the garment industry (where he was skilled at copying expensive designs and selling them as 'knock-offs') when he became a long-distance running aficionado.

In this documentary, Lebow’s coterie of friends, foes, family, politicians and athletes reminisce about him in producer-director, Judd Ehrlich’s film. They described Lebow as everything from a brilliant promoter and entrepreneur to a ‘chaos creator’ and a ‘master manipulator’. One thing is unarguably clear - they all agreed that without him, the NYCM would never have hit its stride. It was Lebow who wooed the sponsors (then an unheard of proposition for a running event), attracted the best runners (also including Grete Waitz, who won the women’s division an amazing nine times, and Alberto Salazar, another multiple winner), and convincingly earned permission from the city officials into closing bridges and streets along the route. He also dealt with major controversy, including disqualifying the notorious Rosie Ruiz, who allegedly cheated (and won) in the New York race before achieving lasting infamy by ‘winning’ the Boston Marathon in 1980.

It is interesting to note that Lebow did not compete in his own race until 1992, when he took part a few years after being diagnosed with brain cancer (still single, he died, in 1994). Waitz ran it with Lebow, who completed it in about 5:35; Waitz never ran another marathon after that. Run For Your Life includes the director’s commentary, deleted scenes, and more. (Available in Singapore at video shops, under the Imported section).

Every year, the lottery for entry (which costs US$11) to the NYCM (which costs US$30 million to organize) attracts about 110,000 runners. I missed the chance for slot this year, and will attempt again next year by results and/or lottery. Keep running, and hopefully, we meet in the five boroughs in November next year.

Remembering the Greats and Honoring the Best

Yesterday eveninhg, I ran an unusually challenging 23K. I was recovering from a week-long head cold, and my planned 32K @ 5-minute pace disintegrated as I felt flat as a pancake. My Garmin Forerunner 310XT reminded me at 1K intervals my erratic pace. I made a decision to apply dyslexia to my session, and switched the ambitious 32K for a conservative 23K. I experienced fatigued despite following my nutritional plan intimately. I could attribute it to Sunday’s 4-hour bike ride, which was executed at moderate pace.

I spent the remainder of the evening reading the May edition of Runner’s World. This issue was a compelling one, for it featured Boston Qualifiers (BQ) and the immense difficulty of getting a slot in the 115-year-old race that takes place every April. Although I finally qualified for my age group in February at the Hong Kong Marathon, I think I would stand a better chance for a roll-down if I qualified again at the Gold Coast Marathon in July. This year’s entries sold out within 8 hours and 3 minutes! It left many upset BQs in the lurch. Come October, I will certainly be up with my partner on two terminals to ensure a better chance of securing one of the 25,000 slots. Fingers crossed!

Congratulations to Uncle HF Kor! Uncle Kor (Edward Kor’s Dad) ran 5:13:02 in the Boston Marathon yesterday and placed 11^th in the 75-79 year old category. It was unfortunate he narrowly missed a top-10 placing (the 10th place gentleman was only one minute ahead) as this fairly fast runner was slowed down by a cramp; he could have placed much higher. I suspect that the cramp was due to the average temperature of 11 degrees Celcius. [Note: It is raining now with expectations of high winds with gusts.]

Also, congratulations to Ben Swee for his second Boston Marathon finish (3:59:59)! Apparently, he would be snapping photographs instead of pursuing a PB.

Olympic legend Joan Benoit Samuelson ran the Boston Marathon today in 2:51:29. That's a 6:33 pace for the 53-year-old.

Marathon great Grete Waitz dies at 57. May this multiple-NYC Marathon champion rest in peace.