This page is intended to immortalize the words of Central Park Track Club people. As is customary for this web site, everything is supported by factual details (dates, places, witnesses, photographs, audio-visual clips, etc.).  This page will grow over time, but obviously that will depend on your contribution of new stories.

#1501.  WHO:  Margaret Angell
WHEN: May 2004
WHERE: New England Runner Magazine
WHAT THE ARTICLE SAID:

'Two athletes with large upsides on the day were Margaret Angell, 27, of NYC and the BAA's Cathi Campbell, 36, of Allston, MA. Training with the Central Park Track Club former Harvard track captain Angell's effort paid off in a PR 2:44:05 with the most even splits of the day - 1:21:58 out, 1:22:07 in.

"I felt that the key to my training was to make a 6:10 per minute mile pace comfortable for a very long run," explained Angell. "On race day I wanted to go out between 6:10 and 6:15 pace, run relaxed yet focused, and then try to push as hard as I could in the last 10K. At the halfway mark I was exactly where I wanted to be. I felt comfortable and I focused on maintaining my pace through 20 miles. After the half way point the other competitors started coming back to me. I focused my attention on the next runner, then the next runner, the next, etc.

"My coach and I talk a lot about finishing a race with dignity. It's our philosophy that in the last 10K, a marathoner should have one aggressive move left, I chose mile 23 in the long stretch along the edge of the park. I ran a 6:07 mile and passed about 7-10 women. After that I just focused on the finish line. I was a little surprised at how even the splits were, but I think it was because I was not too aggressive early and then focused on performing in the last 10K."

#1500.  WHO:  Kate Irvin
WHEN: May 18, 2004
WHERE: Columbia Track
WHAT SHE SAID: "I just love getting shorter and faster."

#1499.  WHO:  Alan Ruben
WHEN: May 6, 2004
WHERE: One-mile race at the Armory
SITUATION: Asked by a teammate why he wasn't running in the first heat.
WHAT HE SAID: "Give me a break. I just ran two marathons."

#1498.  WHO:  Sid Howard and Catherine Stone-Borkowski
WHEN: March, 28-29 2004
WHERE: The Boston Herald
WHAT THE ARTICLES SAID:

CANADIAN POSTS MIRACULOUS MILE
By Joe Reardon/ Track Notebook

Monday, March 29, 2004

...

Howard still on run

Sid Howard has no intention of slowing down any time soon either. The 65-year-old Howard has been on a tear of late, breaking American age-group records in the 800-meter run (2:19.4), 1,500 meters (4:56.36) and the mile (5:23.1).

The soft-spoken Plainfield, N.J., resident's 60-year-old mark of 2:12.71 in the 800 is still the fastest ever run.

Howard is still on a high from the recent World Masters Indoor Track Championships in Sindlefingen, Germany. Racing against some of the best Master athletes in the world, Howard used his deadly kick to take home the gold medal in the 800 and 1,500.

"The Lord blessed me with this gift and I'm sharing my gratitude," Howard said matter of factly. "I hope when they call for all the guys 100 and over to the starting line, I'll be one of those guys."

Howard wasn't about to share first place on the Reggie Lewis track. Racing in the 65-69 800, Howard got off to a strong start and was never challenged as he crossed the line in 2:23.79, nearly three seconds ahead of Mack Stewart of Katy, Texas (2:26.36).

Howard plans to rest up over the next few weeks and focus on August, when he'll be competing at the nationals in Decatur, Ill., and the North American Championships in Puerto Rico.

Howard hopes his achievements on the track inspire both his peers and younger athletes. "If anybody can see me and take a benefit from anything I've achieved, that's important to me," he said.

Martin wins 800

Middle-distance aces Catherine Stone-Borkowski of Ringwood, N.J., and Kathy Martin of Northport, N.Y., wrapped up phenomenal weekends on the track as both captured wins in the 800.

Stone-Borkowski used her dominant kick over the final 200 meters for a 2:25.26 win in the 40-44 division. The win was her second after copping the gold in Saturday's mile.

Martin showed no ill effects from her American-record win in Friday night's 3,000-meter run and Saturday's mile victory in the 50-54 age group by falling just one second short of the world record with a 2:28.07.

"I felt strong," said Martin. "I just miscalculated the first lap. I was going for the world record and I just missed it."

Said Stone-Borkowski, "I was hoping someone would take it out. I didn't go for time today, just the win."

Steve Sergeant of Charlestown ran away from the field in the 800 in 2:00.77 and Boston's Everad Samuels won the 45-49 200-meter dash in 22.88.

---

RUNAWAY VICTORY: Champion rolls on in mile

By Joe Reardon/ Notebook
Sunday, March 28, 2004

Defending 800-meter champion Catherine Stone-Borkowski of Ringwood, N.J., warmed up for today's 40-44-year-old group race by using her blazing kick to take the mile in 5:18.85 yesterday at the National Masters Indoor Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

The former University of Arkansas All-American defeated runner-up Mary Beth Evans of Scarsdale, N.Y., by almost seven seconds.

Stone-Borkowski, a national body-building champion, took a 10-year hiatus from track to concentrate on bodybuilding and only recently returned to the oval, toned and 20 pounds heavier.

"I took the time and completely changed the look of my body," said Stone-Borkowski. "I used to be really thin. I feel a lot stronger now. It helps me a lot."

Stone-Borkowski captured the cross-country nationals in the 40-44 division last fall in Holmdel, N.J.

"I was really surprised," said Stone-Borkowski. "I had only run one cross-country race prior to that in 20 years."

Despite her uncontested win in the mile, Stone-Borkowski wasn't totally pleased. She hoped to conserve a little more energy for the 800 race. "Unfortunately, I kicked harder than I wanted but I'll be all right for tomorrow," she said.

Stone-Borkowski hasn't ruled out a run at her personal best time she accomplished during her college years. She has recently run 2:19. Today, though, she'll be going for the win.

"My best was 2:13 and I don't think that's out of my range," Stone-Borkowski said. "We'll just see what this race holds. I really want to win here and worry about time later."

#1497.  WHO:  Stefani Jackenthal
WHEN: May 2003
WHERE: Attaché Magazine
WHAT SHE WROTE:

ROCKS AND ROLLS

An intrepid triathlete wages an uphill battle with the rugged terrain of the Catskills.

By STEFANI JACKENTHAL

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AT PRECISELY 9 a.m., someone yelled, “Go!” Like elephants charging a peanut factory, 182 pairs of feet funneled across the narrow wooden bridge and scattered up the first of many steep ascents. Civilization would not be seen for hours. It was just like every third Sunday in July for the last quarter of a century. This was the 26th annual 30K (18.6-mile) Escarpment Trail Run race. “No award. No fancy categories.” In fact, the only thing race director Dick Vincent did give out (besides a terrific spread of bagels and fruit at the end) is the “broken bones” pin to the finisher with the best injury. Busted bones aren’t necessary—bruises, scrapes, and gashes will do.

Billed as “for mountain goats only,” the rocky, ankle-biting course in New York’s Catskills has nearly 10,000 vertical feet of elevation change, slippery rocks, hidden roots, extremely steep downhills, and narrow cliffs. And racers can’t get enough. Each year the coveted 200 slots sell out months in advance, with runners coming from as far away as Michigan, Iowa, and Canada. This year I was one of them.

Why would I want to do something so tormenting? I’d like to say that it’s all my friend Eric’s fault. He’d been fired up for the Run since last summer. And because his wife was now pregnant, I, by default, became his adventure partner. In May, we got so lost in an orienteering race that little kids and senior citizens were passing us. Two weeks later, in a three-person adventure race, I royally rolled my ankle and looked for the next three weeks as if I was wearing a violet sock. As I signed the Escarpment race application, which clearly stated, “You are responsible for your own medical costs, including the cost incurred if an evacuation is necessary,” I was filled with both dread and excitement.

When Sunday arrived, Eric picked me up in front of my Manhattan apartment at the ungodly hour of 4:45 a.m. Three hours later, with the mercury already pushing 90 degrees and the humidity hovering at 100 percent, we loaded onto the yellow school bus that took us to the starting line in the town of Windham. For the next 45 minutes, I nervously nibbled a Power Bar while seasoned veterans lent advice and spun tales about past races. “Did you hear about the swarm of bees in 1987?” “Don’t leave it all on the first hill.” “Just remember at the top of Blackhead, you’re only halfway there.” Unlike other races, there is no sag wagon or bailout point. Once you start, the only way to reach the finish is by foot—or rescue chopper.

As I stood fidgeting anxiously with my Camelbak hydration system at the start line, amongst the crowd of sinewy runners, Eric shook his head, saying, “What did we get ourselves into?” Exactly what I was thinking. We exchanged sympathetic, sweaty high-fives and were off. One hundred and eighty-two competitors squeezed through the tight bridge, no wider than a swimming-pool lane. Casual chatting evaporated, and heavy breathing filled the bloated mountain air as the rock-peppered trail turned upward.

I dodged and weaved through the school of struggling Lycra-clad racers. I lost Eric. The frantic pace settled into a tempo trot for some, a power walk for others. I silently repeated my mantra: “An object in motion stays in motion.” My head hung heavy, while I constantly scanned for safe footing.

The pack broke up and six fit, lean guys tapped their way up the rock-strewn path. Among them was Peter Allen, a 42-yearold sculptor from New Jersey. Four years earlier the seasoned veteran placed second, finishing in a scorching 3:01. “This year was the first time I crashed hard,” Allen told me a few days after the race. Midway on a steep descent he mistakenly put his foot down where there was nothing but three feet of air. After freefalling past several trees, he stopped abruptly by sliding headfirst into a rocky ledge, but not before slicing open his shin on a jutting rock. “I was going to just ignore the episode and remember to brag about it later,” he explained. “But it required leaving immediately after the race for ten stitches.” (He had finished in fifth place.)

While Allen aimed to crack three hours, I was keen to break four. Finishing sans serious injury was my primary goal. I tagged along with a group moving at a brisk but manageable pace. My arms pumped like pistons as we snaked up the sheer ridgeline. Sweat stung my eyes.

The path narrowed and we followed the blue trail markers to the top of the first arduous climb. The guys skipped across the slick rocks as I followed anxiously. My head swam from focusing on every step. I tentatively stepped over the slippery softball-sized rocks and prayed for flatness, every once in a while remembering to breathe. Just when I was getting into the groove, my toe caught a “hidden” root and I launched forward. My arms shot out and barely saved my face from smashing into a pointed shard of rock. I hit the ground hard. “You OK?” a bearded man casually asked as he scurried past me. I wearily nodded my head yes, snapped to my feet, and staggered after him. Once I stopped shaking, I took inventory of my injuries. A purple knob appeared on my left kneecap, my palms were scraped raw, and my nails looked as if I had been digging for night crawlers. To make matters worse, it started raining, making the footing slick.

We hit the first major downhill and that was when I said adieu to my new best friends. As a competitive triathlete, I had the fitness to hang with the boys on the 40-minute ascent, but like Spiderman, they plummeted down gnarly, narrow, clifflined trails and launched off lofty ledges. My Spidey senses warned me to obey my inner weeniness. I sucked up my ego and cherry-picked through the reckless rock garden, flopping onto my bum at sketchy points and scootching over rock ledges.

I was alone for the first time that morning. An hour into the race, I finally noticed the lovely damp pine smell, melodic chirping birds, and rain tapping on the tree canopies overhead. Wet spruce branches tickled my bare arms with their rain-soaked pointy pods. It was magical.

But the moment was fleeting. I was soon numb to the spitting rain. The cool, wet boulders soothed my scraped hands as I clawed my way hand-over-fist up the muddy rock face. Progress was slow and scary. At the top, orange ribbon lined the route to a crew of cheering volunteers at the rest stop. They had schlepped hundreds of gallons of water, Gatorade, and goodies up the mountainside.

I sloshed down some water, munched a handful of mini-pretzels and the tastiest M&Ms ever, then started down the wicked steep descent that had claimed Peter Allen. Sitting back on my heels, I slalomed between trees to cut speed. I fluttered my arms and desperately grabbed twigs and boulders for balance, longing for the forgotten gloves I had left at home.

Some time later, without warning, the scree-strewn trail spilled onto a grassy field and I tumbled across the finish line. My watch beamed a teasing 4:00:10. I thought of five places I could have saved ten seconds, but it didn’t matter—bruised, scraped, and exhausted, I was exhilarated. As Vincent said, “Sore ribs, skinned hands, and all that jazz is reason to rejoice.”

I sipped an icy-cold Coke and eased slowly toward the mound of mouthwatering melon piled high next to the overflowing bowl of bagels and containers of cream cheese covering the folding table. My legs felt as wobbly as a sailor stepping on land after a month at sea. I dropped onto the grass with a relieved sigh and traded war stories with fellow racers, all the while watching for Eric. A half-hour later, looking as frazzled as I felt, he flopped across the finish line. We embraced in victory and relief. My stiff body ached all over, and I knew that the next day my insides would feel as shaken as a dry martini. But right then I felt as happily buzzed as if I had just finished one.

STEFANI JACKENTHAL resides in Manhattan. Her next challenge is an urban-adventure romp through New York City.

#1496.  WHO:  Devon Martin and Jessica Reifer
WHEN: March 21, 2004
WHERE: At the Armory race
WHAT THEY SAID:

Devon: Coaching this group can be stressful sometimes.

Jessica: Not because of me. I'm the perfect athlete.

Devon did not respond to this, but we imagine that she was thinking all sorts of unprintable things.

#1495.  WHO:  Jonathan Cane and Jesse Lansner
WHEN: March 20, 2004
WHERE: At dinner, wondering whether it was a good idea to order another round of drinks before an 8:00 am group run the next morning.
WHAT THEY SAID:

Jonathan: We can't lead a group run hungover.

Jesse: Laura [a member of the group] is still here, so we won't be the only ones who don't feel well tomorrow.

Jonathan: No, because she's just drinking water.

Jesse: I guess she's smarter than we are.

Jonathan: The water she's drinking is smarter than we are.

#1494.  WHO:  Otto Hoering
WHEN: March 8, 2004
WHERE: New York Daily News
WHAT HE WROTE: 

MIA
Manhattan: President Bush wants us to remember the leadership he displayed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I do remember. I remember that he stood on the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center and proclaimed that he would find those responsible for knocking the towers down. So why isn't he using images of a captured Osama Bin Laden in his reelection campaign commercials? Otto Hoering

#1493.  WHO:  John Gleason
WHEN: March 2, 2004
WHERE: At the Armory workout
WHAT HE SAID: "You're a diamond in the rough. But only time will tell if the emphasis is on 'diamond' or 'rough.'"

#1492.  WHO:  Devon Martin and Jessica Reifer
WHEN: March 2, 2004
WHERE: At the start of the Armory workout
WHAT THEY SAID:

Devon: Jess, here's the workout.

Jessica: Um--

Devon: Shush!! I don't want to hear it!

#1491.  WHO:  Kate Irvin and Andrea Haver
WHEN: February 29, 2004
WHERE: Reacting to the tunes played in the van on the ride home
WHAT THEY SAID:

Kate: What CD are you guys playing? Those are strange tunes

Andrea: I think what we are dealing with is a major generation gap

#1490.  WHO:  Andrea Haver
WHEN: February 29, 2004
WHERE: During a speedy ride from Boston to NYC after the track meet with D'Money on the wheel - making it back in record time.
WHAT SHE SAID: "Devon, you're the man!"

#1489.  WHO:  Tony Ruiz
WHEN: February 28, 2004
WHERE: Observing the following photo at Club Night
WHAT HE SAID: "I came over to ask you to take a photo, but instead I just want to take your place here."

#1488.  WHO:  Tony Ruiz and Margaret Angell
WHEN: February 10, 2004
WHERE:  On the way home from the Armory
WHAT THEY SAID:

Tony: I've been doing 50 push-ups first thing every morning since I was 18.

Margaret: How do the women in your life feel about this?

Tony: Why do you think I'm divorced?

#1487.  WHO:  Mike Dougherty
WHEN: January 27, 2004
WHERE:  Coogan's
WHAT HE SAID:  "I'm going to look you up on the internet, but in a good way."

As Chris Price replied, "Aren't they all good ways?"

#1486.  WHO:  Jerome O'Shaugnessy
WHEN: January 27, 2004
WHERE:  The Armory
SETTING: A fellow member commends Jerome for still trying to recruit members, even at his last workout.
WHAT HE SAID:  "I'm still going to be recruiting new members at the airport."

#1485.  WHO:  Frank Handelman
WHEN: January 20, 2004
WHERE:  The Armory.
WHAT HE SAID:  "My father and his brothers all lived into their 90s. My wife's fear that I'll be 85 and still running the 800m. My fear is that Sid Howard will still be running better age-graded times in the same race."

#1484.  WHO:  Joe Glickman
WHERE:  Metrosports Magainze
WHAT HE WROTE:

Three women, three countries, three sports. The common thread: they're all New York City endurance athletes who excel on a local, regional and national level. Helen Havam, a 27-year-old from Estonia who didn't lace on in-line racing skates until 1997, now competes against the best in the world. Stefani Jackenthal, a 37-year-old native New Yorker with a long and eclectic athletic resume, is a sub-3:00 marathoner (2:59:59 to be exact) who has competed at the elite level as a cyclist, triathlete and adventure racer. And duathlete Margaret Schotte, a 27-year-old Canadian and Harvard grad, has in just two seasons become one of the top run/bike/run specialists in North America. All three "wonder women" live in Manhattan, train in Central Park and race internationally. Read their stories, but prepare to suffer if you try to keep up with them in a race.

She'll Tri Anything

Name: Stefani Jackenthal

Age: 37

Home: Manhattan

Sport: Triathlete, Cyclist, Adventure Racer

Full-time job: Journalist, entrepreneur

How's this for a novel personal ad: White Jewish female, 5 feet, 6.5 inches, 115 pounds, former professional cyclist, rises at 5 a.m. to swim, bike and/or run. Trains 16 to 18 hours a week, enjoys sushi, gourmet coffee (black with sugar), yoga, weight training, low-fat frozen yogurt, fine wine and running across the Grand Canyon. Seeking like-minded athlete willing to climb 20,000-foot mountains, swim leech-infested rivers and rappel sheer granite cliffs. No drugs or meat eaters please. Meet Stefani Jackenthal, all-around athlete extraordinaire.

Jackenthal's career as a multi-day adventure racer started innocently enough. A varsity lacrosse player at SUNY Cortland, Jackenthal began cycling between her sophomore and junior years to rehab a leg injury. After graduating from business school in 1991, she cycled through Scandinavia and enjoyed it so much that she got her racing license when she returned. Though the first few races scared the sushi out of her, Jackenthal hung tough, secured a sponsor, and began shining on the national stage. In 1994 she finished a surprising second during a stage of a prestigious pro race in Killington, Vt., proving that she could hang with the top sprinters in the sport. But after damaging her hip in a pileup in 1995, her umpteenth serious crash, she'd had enough. After a six-month layoff, Jackenthal started swim training.

A triathlete was born. By 2001 she earned All-America Triathlon honors at the Olympic distance. That same year Jackenthal won the inaugural New York City Triathlon and qualified for the World Champs in Hawaii at Ironman Lake Placid. How tough is this petite woman from the Upper West Side? Despite "vomiting her guts out" in the heat of Hawaii from mile 80 on the bike to mile 20 on the run, she willed herself to carry on and finish. "It was such a primal experience," she says. "It wasn't pretty but it showed me how deep I could dig."

In fact, until Jackenthal agreed this year to be part of a four-person relay team that set out to break the coed record for cycling across America, she'd planned on qualifying for Kona a second time to "do it right." Though her team crossed the country in six days and 16 hours, narrowly missing the record, Jackenthal raised $15,000, to be split between the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association. Her mother, who joined Jackenthal at the end of her ride, recently endured surgery and chemotherapy for breast cancer. Despite sleeping about three hours a night for six days in June, Jackenthal loved the experience. "One night I was riding in Missouri at 2 a.m., cranking along while listening to the B52's blaring from the speakers duct-taped on top of our support vehicle," she says. "The headlights barely penetrated the mist in the mountains; it was an eerie and strangely beautiful landscape. I felt part of something larger."

So what's next for this peripatetic jock/journalist/wine connoisseur who's raced and reported on adventure races all over the world? "I dunno," she says. "Maybe a cool half-Ironman this fall; although my running stinks right now. I'm really getting into videography-filming adventure races with a mini DVD player. Did I mention in September I'm headed to Primal Quest in Lake Tahoe ."

Fastest Female on Five Wheels

Name: Helen Havam

Age: 27

Home: Manhattan

Sport: In-line skating

Full-time job: Administrative assistant

Born and raised in Estonia (a small country between Latvia and Russia that gained its independence in 1991), Helen Havam was a national junior champ in the heptathlon with Olympic aspirations. Made up of seven track and field events, the heptathlon is the female equivalent of the decathlon. After high school, however, Havam stopped training and started working at the Foreign Ministry. In 1996, she came to New York for a two-year stint at the Estonian Consulate; she's been here ever since.

A year after arriving in the Big Apple, Havam bought a pair of recreational skates. Every day after work she and a co-worker headed to Central Park to do a lap as fast as they could. One evening, she blew by accomplished local racer Bobby Piedra, who stared in disbelief at the 5-foot, 3-inch woman whizzing by on four wheels. Much to her dismay, he took up the chase, attempting to fraternize with her all the way around the park. By the time they finished the 6.2-mile lap, Piedra asked if she'd like to log another lap, something she'd never done before. In the months that followed, Piedra had Helen on the faster five-wheel skates and began teaching her the nuances of the technically demanding sport. In October, he convinced her to check out a "fun" race in Georgia called the Athens to Atlanta. She finished the 86 undulating miles in 5:21, third in her age group. Though her back ached for weeks, she eventually married her in-line mentor and vowed to learn all she could about her new sport.

In 1999, Havam finished in the money in a prominent pro race out West. In 2002, she made the U.S. National Team and qualified for the World Marathon Champs, although she couldn't compete because she's not a U.S. citizen. Earlier this year, however, Havam represented Estonia at the European Championships in Italy. "It's the biggest race of my career," she says. Havam competed in eight events, finishing fourth in the 500-meter sprint and 13th in the 26.2-mile marathon.

Havam trains six days a week, two to three hours a day. Though she's the dominant skater in the East, she still considers herself a "new skater" compared to the international competitors who've been racing for a decade or more. Getting her to brag about her accomplishments is nearly as difficult as defeating her on the road. "Every race gives you more experience," she says. "I'm still learning. I just love the feeling of pushing hard and doing my best. If my best isn't good enough to win, I'll train harder and go again next year."

A Two-Sport Terror

Name: Margaret Schotte

Age: 27

Home: Manhattan

Sport: Duathlon

Full-time job: Rare book dealer

Ask Ontario native Margaret Schotte, the former captain of the cross-country and track teams at Harvard University, what her best 10K time is and she equivocates like an elected official. "Well, it's not that fast."

How fast?

"Well, just 37:05," she says. "I should be able to go faster."

In elementary school, Schotte (pronounced Scotty, as in "Beam me up") gravitated to running because, she says in her wry, self-effacing style, "I had absolutely no coordination to do anything else." Under the rigorous coaching she enjoyed (and endured) in high school, Schotte was the Canadian national champ at 3,000 meters. At Harvard, where she majored in history and literature, she focused more on the rich social and academic world of Cambridge, Mass., and less on running. "I was faster in high school than I was in college," she says. "There was so much going on, not to mention all the junk food I consumed."

In 1999 she moved to Manhattan, got a job as a rare-book dealer on 55th and Park Avenue and joined the Central Park Track Club. Schotte found the camaraderie and laid-back attitude a "good environment to recharge my running batteries," she says. In 2001, she began cycling to soothe her ailing hamstrings. After completing the 325-mile New York-to-Boston AIDS ride, Schotte continued training on two wheels throughout the winter. Last fall, she tried her first duathlon and was the second woman and eighth overall. She won her next race, the Central Park Biathlon. "My strength as a cross-country runner came through on the bike," Schotte says.

Last winter, Jonathan Cane, a personal trainer and competitive cyclist whom she met during speed workouts in Central Park, hooked her up with Kirk Whiteman, a spinning instructor and elite track cyclist. "Kirk turned my sluggish distance-runner legs into decent biking legs," she says. This spring Schotte eyed the duathlon race calendar like a book dealer would a first edition of Boswell. "I was chomping at the bit to race," she says.

In 2003 Schotte crushed the field in each of the four duathlons she's done. At the Canadian Nationals this July, the 5-foot, 7-inch, 140-pound bookworm won the 10K/40K/5K race comfortably. "I had a smile on my face the whole race," she says.

#1483.  WHO:  Stacia Schlosser
WHEN:  November 2, 2003
WHERE:  The post-marathon party at The Parlour.
WHAT SHE SAID:  "I don't care what you write on the website as long as it doesn't mention me.  Of course, now you'll probably put that on the site."

Well, if you insist...

#1482.  WHO: John Prather and Stuart Calderwood
WHEN:  November 2, 2003
WHERE:  The post-marathon party at The Parlour.
WHAT THEY SAID:

John:  "From now on I want you introduce me just as 'John who used to run with CPTC and now lives in Arizona' and not add anything else."

Stuart:  "Sure."

John:  "Thanks."

Stuart:  (turning to the person next to him):  "This is John.  He once ran a 10k in 30 minutes."

#1481.  WHO: Yves-Marc Courtines and Alexandra Horowitz
WHEN:  October 23, 2003
THE SETTING:  Yves-Marc had just made a hooting sound during the workout.
WHAT THEY SAID:

Yves-Marc:  "That sound means to start the pickup."

Alex:  "So all those construction workers are actually telling me to run faster!"

#1480.  WHO: Margaret Angell and Kevan Huston
WHEN:  October 23, 2003
THE SETTING:  The recently married Kevan was pusing Kieran Calderwood's baby jogger during the workout.
WHAT THEY SAID:

Margaret:  "Are you running with that baby jogger for practice?"

Kevan:  "No.  Why, do you know something I don't?"

#1479.  WHO:  Marty Levine
WHEN:  October 14, 2003
WHAT HE SAID:  "The only thing worse than being a Yankees fan in Boston this weekend was being beat by Trot Nixon and Mike Timlin's wives by almost six minutes in the Boston Half Marathon."

According to the race website, "Included in the field were Red Sox wives Dawn Timlin (wife of Mike), who placed 1001st (1:50:55); and Kathryn Nixon (wife of Trot) who placed 1002nd (1:50:56).  Both were running as part of the Dana-Farber team of runners, who competed and fundraised to fight cancer.  More than 400 Dana-Farber Runners were among the field."  Marty finished in 1:52:30.

#1478.  WHO:  Yves-Marc Courtines
TO:  Mark Sowa
WHEN:  October 5, 2003, during Grete's Great Gallop
WHAT HE SAID:  "There are only two women ahead of you!"

Hearing this, the runner next to Mark asked him:  "What race are you running, anyway?"

#1477.  WHO:  Kim Mannen
TO:  Jessica Reifer
WHEN:  September 7, 2003, after Jessica finished the Fifth Avenue Mile
WHAT SHE SAID:  "Come here.  I want to spank you!"

#1476.  WHO:  Sid Howard
WHERE: RunnersWorld.com, A Brief Chat with Sid Howard by Peter Gambaccini, September 5, 2003

Sid Howard, 64, a great-grandfather from New Jersey, won the 1500 meters gold medal in 5:04.19 for the 60-64 age group at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Puerto Rico in July.  In August, he won the 1500 in 4:57.97 and the 800 in 2:21.94 at the USA Masters Championships in Eugene.  On his 60th birthday, Howard, who competes for the Central Park Track Club, had set a 60 and over indoor world record of 2:12.75 for 800 meters.  At age 59, he received his B.S.W. degree from Kean University if New Jersey

Runner's World Daily:  Is this 1500 your first individual world championship?
Sid Howard:  It is.  Twenty years ago in the same place, Puerto Rico, I ran the World Games and I didn't make the finals of the 800 or the 1500.  A friend of mine was running the marathon and said "why don't you run 20 miles of the marathon with me?"  I was only running after five years at that time.  We got to the 20-mile mark, and instead of me stopping, he stopped.  I ran the whole marathon in 2:46:47.  Someone said "Sid, they're looking for you, you got third place."  But I wasn't legally entered into the marathon.

The next time I ran the World meet was 1989, when I was 50.  I got sixth place in the 800 and seventh place in the 1500.  I finally made the finals.  In '95, in Buffalo, I got my first medal, a second place in the 800.  In '99, I got a bronze medal but I broke the American record (60 and over) with a 2:12.71 in the 800.  Two years later in Australia, I got the silver medal in the 800 and still got fourth place in the 1500.  So I never even won a medal in the 1500 until this year.

RWD:  Was this 1500 a close race?
SH:  It was close until the last lap.  We had 16 people in the race because we didn't have a prelim.  Nobody wanted to take the lead.  Nobody wanted to sacrifice themselves.  It was more of a tactical race; I actually ran seven seconds faster at the Nationals.  My closest competitor was a guy from Norway, and the third guy was from Great Britain.  I led with a lap to go.  It was pretty close until the last 120 meters, and I had a nice finishing kick.

RWD:  You've set world records and relay records and won lots of national championships.  Is this your happiest running achievement?
SH:  I love the team golds more than anything.  I love relay records more than individual.  But for individual accomplishment, I can't get higher than this.  I set world records, and records are made to be broken, and no one can ever take away the fact that I won the 2003 world championship in the 1500 for men 60 to 64.

RWD:  There was a large Central Park Track Club contingent in Puerto Rico.  You've meant a lot to them, leading by example, but it must work both ways. They keep you interested.
SH:  It was good to have my teammates there in Puerto Rico to cheer me on.  That had to help me tremendously.  Without the team, my succcess would not be what it is today.  I have to give the team a lot of credit.  Training by myself is never the same as when I train with the team.  When I'm by myself and I set out to do eight quarters (400s), when I get to the fifth one, I say "oh, I think I've had enough."  When I'm with the team and I know I'm tired and I look over at my teammates and they're still going at it, that helps me tremendously.  Nothing's better than team camaraderie.

RWD:  Were your 800 and 1500 wins in Eugene pretty convincing?
SH:  They were exciting races, especially the 1500.  On the last lap, I took the lead.  I wanted to have those guys chase me down the backstretch and pass me, which they did.  I know that in the 1500, you only have the opportunity to make one quick move.  I wanted those guys to make their move on the backstretch so I could save mine for 150 to go.  That's when I started my kick.

RWD:  You're been running great in age groups for over 20 years.  Physically, how do you keep it going at that level?
SH:  I don't run on the roads and do roadracing as much as I used to.  I don't do any road workouts with the team if I can help it.  I think a lot of it has to do with my diet, that I've been a vegetarian for over 25 years.  I don't do a lot of quantity; I do a lot of quality.  I think that has helped me maintain my speed and my fitness.  I do 400 sit-ups in the morning, five days a week, and try to stretch as well as I can.  I take two days off a week now; I took no days off when I was younger.

RWD:  In December you do the Pete McArdle 15-K cross country in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, with three laps of those difficult back hills.  That's unusual for an 800/1500 guy.
SH:  I will always do that Pete McArdle.  He was one of my idols.  That basically sets me up for indoor track.  Whenver I can do those three times around, that gives me a lot of confidence that I'm going to have a good indoor season.  That's the longest distance (15-K) that I run, and it helps me out tremendously.

RWD:  Do you figure you'll be racing well into your 70s?
SH:  I was hoping I would be one of the first men at the age of 100 to actually not jog but run.  Next year, I'm going into a new age group.  Every age group gives you something to motivate you.  I'm doing to continue hitting age groups until three digits, one-zero-zero.

#1475.  WHO:  Isaya Okwiya and Devon Martin
WHEN:  August 16, 2003
WHERE:  Post-softball game dinner on Devon's rooftop deck
WHAT THEY SAID:

Isaya:  "Breasts are nice, but I prefer legs."

Devon:  "Of course you do; you're a runner."

Isaya:  "I thought we were talking about the chicken."

#1474.  WHO:  Paul Carbonara
WHERE: Metrosports New York

Sweat, Rides and Rock 'n' Roll
By Jonathon Cane

A strange collision of worlds happens around sunrise on weekend mornings in New York City.  While club-goers doing the "walk of shame" head home from a long night on the town, cyclists zip through the streets on their way to races in Central and Prospect parks.  Ask a member of either group, and it's likely they'll tell you that the other is crazy.  One exception is Paul Carbonara.  As both the guitarist with the timeless rock group Blondie and a regular on the local cycling scene, Carbonara is one of the few New Yorkers who is equally comfortable in either world.

Carbonara began riding in 1991 as a way to get in shape and help motivate him to quit smoking.  When he entered and won his first race, he was hooked.  At the time, Carbonara was playing the New York club scene and supplementing his income with a variety of jobs, including work as a computer programmer, construction worker and stockbroker.  When he got the Blondie gig in 1997, it meant a steady income, but also a steady dose of traveling.  Despite the time on the road, Carbonara manages to stay in top shape, and he still races regularly when he's in the city.  Carbonara sat down with MetroSports to talk about his dual lives.

MSNY:  Which came first music or bikes?

PC:  I'm lucky. I love music and knew what I wanted to do when I was 11 years old. I've been riding for over 10 years now and recently got into running as a way to stay in shape when I don't have the bike on the road. I found out I can run OK and started racing some duathlons last year.

MSNY:  Can you ride when you're out on tour with Blondie?

PC:  If we're traveling by tour bus, I take my bike everywhere.  After the show, we drive overnight to the next venue.  We usually get to the hotel around 6 A.M., and I'll go right out for a ride and then take a nap before the afternoon sound check.  One time I rode 100 miles before a show, and I was a basket case on stage that night.  Now Debbie [Harry] has me on a strict 80-mile limit.

MSNY:  Your cycling and running teammates must be surprised when they find out you're in a famous rock 'n' roll band.

PC:  I don't talk about it too much.  People have expectations of what you're supposed to be like.

MSNY:  Does that mean it's not all the sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll that we imagine?

PC:  When you're doing anything at a high level you can't [screw] around.  It's the music business.

MSNY:  So it's more PowerBars, GU and Gatorade than bourbon, scotch and beer?

PC:  We actually had a tour where no one in the band even had a beer.  The hard part is controlling your diet with the unbelievable food spreads that are waiting for us in every city.

MSNY:  Even if the stereotypes aren't all true, it must be hard making the two lifestyles mesh.

PC:  It's rough because the hours conflict.  Weekend nights are big for working musicians, and most races are first thing Saturday or Sunday morning.  It was easier when I was younger.  I could go straight out to the race without any sleep.

MSNY:  Now that you've hit the ripe old age of 40, how much longer can you keep this up?

PC:  I don't want to be on the road forever, but one way or another, I'll be riding and playing until I'm an old man.

#1473.  WHO:  Audrey Kingsley
WHERE:  At the Thursday Night Road Workout on July 25, 2003
WHAT SHE SAID:  "I'm the glue that holds this team together.  The least you could do is mention my name more often on the website!"
OUR RESPONSE:  We think this just a ploy to get another mention on the Famous Quotes page.  Of course, it will never work...

#1472.  WHO:  Brice Wilson (New York Flyers)
WHERE:  New York Flyers Newsletter, June 2003
WHAT HE SAID:  "I lost to a girl."

The newsletter then notes that "Margaret Schotte of CPTC edged him out for first place on the run leg of the Spring Couples Relay."  In this case "edged out" is shorthand for "Margaret and Brice were running together for about 1.5 miles of the 2.2 mile run.  Then Margaret sped up and won by 15 seconds."

#1471.  WHO:  Kim Mannen and Frank McConville
WHERE:  The Houston Chronicle

#1470.  WHO:  Bill Haskins and Jerome O'Shaughnessy
TOPIC:  The Proposed 150-Mile Relay for Central Park's 150th Birthday
WHAT THEY SAID:

Bill:  Is anybody interested in joining me in a 150-mile relay to commemorate Central Park's birthday?

Jerome:  I'll do it, as long as we're not the only two runners.

Bill:  Don't worry.  We'll each run one loop, and Audrey Kingsley will run the rest.

#1469.  WHO: Margaret Angell
WHERE: RunnersWorld.com, A Brief Chat with Margaret Angell by Peter Gambaccini, May 23, 2003

Margaret Angell, 26, ran 2:46:20 for 21st place at the London Marathon in April and qualified for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Angell, a former captain of the Harvard track team, now lives in New York and competes for the Central Park Track Club. She prepped for London by dominating the local roadracing scene in New York this winter, winning the Joe Kleinerman 10-K in 35:48, the New York Road Runners 20-Mile in 2:14:41 ("a workout"), the Brooklyn Half-Marathon in 1:18:37, the Snowflake Four-Mile in 23:15, and the Al Gordon 15-K in 58:09.

Runner's World Daily: Why did you travel to London for your spring marathon instead of Boston? Did you figure the time had arrived for you to go under the Trials qualifying time of 2:48?
Margaret Angell: I actually ran London two years ago on the suggestion of someone from the Central Park Track Club, Craig Chilton, who had PRed there. He said it was a very fast course, and there was an all-women's start, which is really exciting and fun as a female athlete, to just be racing against women. Two years ago in London, I broke 3:00 for the first time, with a 2:56:58. Then in New York in 2001 I ran 2:51:41. After that, I felt in my next marathon I'd go for the sub-2:48, and I really wanted to do it in New York in 2002, so I trained for a year for that. And six weeks before New York, I got a stress fracture in my left foot. I got a recovery regimen which included pool running, which helped me significantly, and I continued pool running throughout my training. So when it came to picking a spring marathon to try to do it (sub-2:48), I felt really good about it--the memories of the course, the all-women's start.

RWD: A lot of attention was heaped on Paula Radcliffe and Deena Drossin. Was that distraction, or were you able to focus on your own mission?
MA: I was standing right behind Deena Drossin on the starting line. I think it was really cool. Watching Paula come to the line was really exciting. All the women were cheering for her. She was really nice; she turned around and said good luck to everybody. My race is very different from their race. What was sort of nice about it was it didn't really matter what place I came in. What mattered to me was my time. Having more fast women around is beneficial.

RWD: You were 1:40 under the qualifier. By mile 24 or so, were you able to relish that, figuring unless you completely bonked, you'd made it?
MA: Yeah, except it hurt (laughs). People have asked me "how did it feel?" Literally, for the last six miles, the only thought in my head was "stick to this pace, stick to this pace, just don't slow down." I was really racing against my own body at that point. There's a huge "800 meters to go" sign. I still didn't know if I was going to finish the race. I'd talked to my Coach Tony Ruiz a lot about keeping that pace consistent throughout, and finishing with the same amount of dignity that you started with. That was the only thing I was focusing on. I sort of didn't believe it until I crossed the finish line.

RWD: Did you find the range distances, the regularity of races, and the competition level in New York in the winter to be ideal preparation for London?
MA: Yeah, it was. I also ran the DMR anchor leg for the Central Park Track Club at indoor nationals. What was key for me was to have the support of my club team, and to mark my training with our club team scoring races. The only one that wasn't a team race was the 20-miler, which I did as a training run. Having that focus of races for the team helped me tick off check marks along the way in terms of tuning up. Looking at your own schedule and lining it up against the New York Road Runners schedule, you think "I'm going to run a half-marathon four to six weeks before my marathon, I want to do a really fast 10-K, I want to have shorter distances involved." I'm more of a strength runner. I need that speed, and to be able to do a four-mile roadrace and that indoor season up at the Armory where I ran a couple of times. To have all that in New York City, and being able to do my pool running at different pools as well, along with my training in Central Park with my club, all that infrastructure that goes into creating a program really helped.

RWD: Are you going to graduate school in September?
MA: I'm doing a joint degree, an MBA at Columbia and a masters in public policy at the Kennedy School at Harvard. It will be three years. My first year, while I'm training for the Trials, will be in New York, which is critical to me.

RWD: How well did you run as a Harvard undergrad?
MA: My focus was always the mile, but I ran cross country. My senior year, I was pretty good. I was a walk-on. They really didn't think a New York City private schoolgirl was Division I material.

RWD: They should have learned from Meredith Rainey (a New York private school girl who won myriad Heptagonals titles at Harvard and became an Olympian).
MA: Exactly. She's one of my heroes. I think my mile PR in high school was like a 5:16. Senior year at Harvard, I ran a 4:52.11. I had a great time with the Harvard track team. I came in second in the indoor mile and the outdoor 1500 at the Heps my senior year.

RWD: Tell us about fundraising for ALS research.
MA: It's the ALS Marathon Team. We raised funds for the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins and the ALS Development Foundation in Boston. We've run seven events, five large scale (New York City or Boston Marathons), and we've raised about $650,000 for ALS research

RWD: And you've worked as a Program Director for another terrific organization, Take The Field.
MA: I have just left Take The Field. I had the most amazing experience. They've shaped everything I want to do with my life, but I'm taking the summer off to travel and hang out and try and relax a little bit. Take the Field is a not-for-profit that is rebuilding the athletic fields at public high schools in New York City. They have a $100 million three-to-one challenge grant from the mayor which allows them to build 12 to 14 fields a year, usually a track around a multipurpose field. They're all at big inner city high schools. They're beautiful state-of-the-art facilities. Kids love them, teachers love them, communities love them. It's a fantastic, fantastic program. As of June 30, they will have completed 32 fields, with about 27 tracks. One of my favorites projects was a 400-meter Mondo track we put in at Boys and Girls High school in Brooklyn--the best track in New York City for the best track program in New York City.

#1468.  WHO: Charlotte Cutler
WHERE:  JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge Website
WHAT SHE SAID:  "The hours were incredibly long and the day-to-day stress was difficult to deal with at times, but running is something that is there to get you through it.  Maybe you can't train as long or as hard as you would like, but during the past few months it was more important than training for a race.  It was training to maintain a quality of life and to create separation for what was going on in the world."

#1467.  WHO: Gabe Sherman
WHERE:  New York Runner, Spring 2003 issue, in an article titled 'Running Your First Road Race'

Laura Ford decided to try racing when she moved to New York two years ago.  "I was looking for a change in my running routine," the 23-year-old says.  "I had raced on the track team in college, but I wanted to experience something new.  My first road race was a 5-miler in Central Park and there was such electricity in the air.  I could almost feel the crowd carrying me along."

Beyond offering a break from training, road racing is an excellent way to measure your fitness and boost your motivation.  "It really focuses my running," adds Ford.  "After I sign up for a race, it's something extra to train for."

Joseph Kozusko, a 29-year-old college professor who recently completed his first half-marathon, agrees.  "I started running only about a year ago." he says.  "When I decided to get back in shape, I found that running and racing were important indicators of my improvement.  It's been exciting to see the progression."

#1466.  WHO:  Kevan Huston
WHERE:  New York Runner, Spring 2003 issue, in an article written by Stacy Creamer

#1465.  WHO:  Audrey Kingsley
WHERE:  Biography for 2003 Central Park Track Club board elections
WHAT SHE WROTE: "I began running competitively (or so I thought) in January 1997, but didn't really compete until I joined CPTC later that year.  I now race distances from the 5K to the marathon, and the running joke is --- no pun intended --- all at the same speed.  I have served on the Executive Board as the Women's open rep since 1999 and have seen the caliber of the women's team escalate since then.  I am also responsible for maintaining our ever-changing membership rosters, which is no small feat since you all seem to move more than the average New Yorker.  It would be an honor for me to continue to serve CPTC in both capacities, as it would give me the opportunity to give to something that has given so much to me."

#1464. WHO: Toby Tanser
WHERE: RunnersWorld.com, A Brief Chat with Toby Tanser by Peter Gambaccini, March 7, 2003

Toby Tanser, the author of the highly respected "Train Hard, Win Easy: The Kenyan Way," has now written the newly published "The Essential Guide To Running The New York City Marathon." Tanser served as the marathon's Assistant Elite Athlete Coordinator in 2002. He was born in England, competed internationally for Iceland and Sweden, and now is a New York-based member of the Central Park Track Club. His personal bests include a 2:16:07 marathon and 1:03:01 half-marathon.

Runner's World Daily: Your book goes beyond how to prepare for and run the New York City Marathon. It encompasses the entire experience visitors will have while they're in the city.
Toby Tanser: I was absolutely shocked the first time I came to live in New York before the '99 marathon. I'd heard about the marathon, but you take everything you hear with a grain of salt. I had been to a lot of big marathons, so I didn't expect anything. And I was flabbergasted by the whole week. It wasn't so much just the one race. The day before, at the Friendship Run, I saw 15,000 people, and it's not even the main event yet. People look forward to it as much as the marathon. I thought "why not try and have a fun book that would also encourage people, and highlight the many, many great parts about the New York City Marathon?"

RWD: Why, of the more than 500 races you say you've done, does the New York City Marathon stand out the most?
TT: I'd really lost the lust to do racing, so the only race I really looked forward to doing was the New York City Marathon. I ran a marathon in Finland once, and there were maybe ten people on the whole course. You know when you go through the marathon you're going to go through pain, whether you're in bad form or good form. It's universal, at 20 miles, everybody starts to feel it. But here, you know that when you reach mile 15, it'll seem like you're starting all over again, because you come onto First Avenue. The marathon has so many exciting highlights. Fifth Avenue, on the way back, and Central Park South are parts of the course to look forward to, instead of just one stretch of 26 miles. At the Istanbul Marathon, you run in the middle of the traffic. You don't even know you're in a marathon anymore; cars are beeping. But in New York, as soon as you lose concentration, people are yelling at you in the street. The energy here is like nothing else.

RWD: One runner in the book says the New York City Marathon "gives me chills." That must be a common reaction.
TT: I used to watch the New York City Marathon every year in Europe. But it's one of those events you have to experience yourself in life. No one can tell you how it feels. No one can explain it. I was a disbeliever before I ran the course, but coming off that (Queensborough) bridge, it's a wall of noise. It's almost like you're in a tunnel with people shouting all around you.

RWD: You quote John Kagwe (the 1997 and 1998 champion), warning runners not to do anything crazy until you get past 18 miles. Most of the winners have heeded to that.
TT: Definitely. The runners I've spoken to who've won say, "Wait until you can see Central Park" (around 22 miles). Your mind plays tricks with you. People talk about the second wind. You feel good, and the crowds pull you along, and you get lulled into this false sense of security. The marathon is really a game of patience.

RWD: Your books got lists of restaurants, running stores, doctors, massage therapists, and even some detailed advice people might overlook - like not letting your feet get wet.
TT: I drilled every single person I could to get as wide a perspective as possible. My fastest friends run just over two hours and my slowest friends run seven hours. The faster marathoner doesn't have to worry about the water cups around the stations but for the six-hour marathoner, that's a concern. I tried to appeal not to just one frame of runner but to every single runner.

RWD: And you mention that New York City has qualifying times, which isn't well-known.
TT: It's not well-publicized. A lot of people I've spoken to have half-marathon times that qualify them and they don't even realize it.

RWD: And if you've lost in the marathon lottery three times, the New York Road Runners let you in.
TT: Right. Those who persevere will get in. And the nine (NYRR) races is great. It's made sure that people are committed to the event.

RWD: As the assistant elite athlete coordinator in New York, you've gotten to know many of the top runners quite well. Rodgers Rop has now won in Boston and in New York City. A lot of attention gets paid to the people who run fast on the flat "raceway" courses, but could a case be made that Rop is the top marathoner in the world right now?
TT: I think (Khalid) Khannouchi is perhaps the best. But barring Khannouchi, yeah, Rop is by far the most underrated supreme athlete at the moment. The fact that he's winning on these "classic" courses like New York and Boston means "okay, he hasn't got a 2:06 time." But he's well-respected in Kenya by a lot of these one-shot Kenyans who come in and run one 2:06 and then fade away. He's easily holding his own against those (in training) if not running in front of them. He was doing kilometer repeats, 20 of them, in 2:43, with 20 seconds rest, and he was refusing to take the 30 seconds in-between. He's running so smoothly. I think he has to be one of the top favorites for the Olympics in 2004.

As runners we know first hand the benefits our sport gives us. Everything from the physical merits such as slim waistlines, rosy cheeks and strong hearts to the mental benefits of stress reduction and that endorphin high to the coveted awards and medals. Most of us came to running through school track and cross-country programs or well meaning (nagging?) friends who dragged us to a race or a workout. Now imagine that no one ever gave you the opportunity or the encouragement or support to run. Imagine your elementary school couldn't afford after school programs and the gym class was cut or reduced to near nothing in terms of physical education. Imagine no one you know runs and there are no places to run in your neighborhood. That's a pretty bleak outlook, but sadly it is all too true for some New York kids. Due to budget restraints, most middle school students, more than 200,000 New York school children, have no regular school-based athletic program.

But you can help change this. New York Road Runners has formed the New York Road Runners Foundation with the mission to establish community based running programs within underserved populations throughout New York City and eventually around the world. Sounds like a formidable goal but with winners such as Grete Waitz as Foundation Chairwoman at the helm, you better believe it will take off like a rabbit.

The kids will benefit and you will benefit as well, maybe even more. The Foundation needs runners to volunteer as either coaches or race buddies. Coaches meet the kids at their school and help them set realistic and attainable goals and start them with training routines that include stretching and workouts that match their level and ultimately teach them to excel and improve.  Race buddies are paired with a student and run weekend races with them, providing support and enthusiasm from start to finish.

I was recently a race buddy at the Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrock 5K and it was a thrill. If you have forgotten what it is like to run your first race or you've lost that surging scintillating sensation of crossing the finish line with a goofy smile spread across your face you can get it all back when you become a race buddy. I was teamed up with 13-year old Jackie from Bayside. She was hoping to run an 8-minute pace and her coach, NYRR runner and Foundation coach Susan Lombardi, said she was ready. Anyone who ran that race will remember it was a muggy, warm March morning. Jackie wore her dark blue Foundation sweatshirt and I worried it would be too hot for her but she didn't want to take it off; she was proud of it and determined to show it off.  While waiting for the start we talked about her school and how she loved running and how it made such a difference in her life. She had a new identity as a runner and her team was really good! She hoped her team would beat the other schools and win the most points. A healthy competitive spirit was brewing.

My job was to stay with her and encourage her and along the way give her a few tips on racing like staying to the side, looking for the openings and pacing herself. The Coogan's course starts out with a mean hill and she took it like a pro but it knocked the wind out of her and we finished the first mile in 10:10. Not wanting to discourage her, I didn't tell her the time, just that she had run the first mile and was doing great. As we rounded the half way mark she slowed to a walk and I knew something was wrong. She thought she pulled a calf muscle but wanted to keep going so we did a walk/run pace for the next half- mile until she started crying and couldn't go any further. I walked her off to the sidewalk and knew her race was over. All I could do was try to keep her spirits up and laugh about the situation. A woman in an apartment building above us called out to see if we needed assistance and made us an ice pack. You can't beat New Yorkers for helping out in a pinch. Jackie was crying, calling herself a failure but I kept insisting that I was the failure because I had failed her as a race buddy. We ended up in fits of laughter arguing over who was the bigger loser, her or me. I won.

With her 13-year old feistiness, Jackie wanted to walk the mile to the finish but I didn't want her to risk further injury. (Another good reason race buddies are needed at this fledgling time in these young runners' careers.) We ended up hitching a ride back to the finish in a police squad car. The police were great and had her laughing, telling her she could beat them in a race any day. When we got to 168^th street, Jackie's aunt and her coach and teammates were waiting and the hugs and smiles were the only treatment she needed for the moment.

What that day taught me was just how valuable the race buddy program is to these kids. Jackie is a good runner and in time will meet all her goals. But these kids need the help and support and guidance from us veterans to get there. It's our opportunity to give back, to give these students what running has given us.

To date, the Foundation has over 300 children and 20 schools involved in the program. The students sign contracts with the Foundation, used as a motivational tool to help keep them focused on their goals as they go through the hard work of becoming dedicated runners. They also receive a monthly newsletter where they can write letters to Grete and receive advice directly from her. Bottom line, it's a win-win situation. As Waitz says, "Running does more than physical fitness: it provides goals, discipline - values that they need in life."

For the program to expand further, it will take funding and volunteers. It's easy, rewarding and doesn't take much time or effort on your part. It also feels great to know you helped introduce a life long sport to a child who otherwise might miss out on the most healthful, fun and uplifting sports out there.

For more information on the Foundation, visit their website at www.nyrrc.org/divisions/foundation.

Gail W Kislevitz is the author of several sports books. In her book It's Never Too late, she interviews people in their 60s-90s who came to exercise late in life and discovered their own Fountain of Youth. The life of Sid Howard, Central Park Track Club member and recent NYRR age-division award winner is chronicled in the book, along with NY Flyer member Muriel Merl. Gail is offering this book to NYRR members at the discounted price of $15, and $5 of that will be donated to the NYRR Foundation. If you are interested, send a check for $15 along with your name and return address to: GWK 534 Summit St. Ridgewood, NJ 07450. This offer has been sanctioned by the Foundation.