Thumbs up from Isabella Tagliati

PRE-RACE ACTIVITIES

• Photo 01: The Decorations Committee (namely, Ramon Bermo and Eve Kaplan) confer about details for the party tonight.

• Photo 02: Orangeless Noel Comess checks in before the race, "This is how I look today.  Look for me on the course."

• Photo 03: One of the wonders about this website is how long-winded we can get about nothing.  What can we say about this photo?  A LOT!  First of all, Toby Tanser is running this race in Kenyan uniform.  He must be the whitest Kenyan that we have ever seen.  When Toby saw this photo of himself, he said, "Ah, there I am again, obviously trying to get ahead by a couple of inches at the starting line."  The more interesting story is about those Nike racing flats that he is wearing.  The really odd thing is that those swooshes are drawn in by hand.  These are his favorite shoes at first; then he began running for another shoe manufacturer and had to strip off those swooshes; then when he got back with Nike, he could only draw the swooshes back in by hand.  Believe it or not, but that's TobyWorld for you.  Finally, since this is a photo of the starting line, then Paul Stuart-Smith must be somewhere around and indeed he did not disappoint us.

THE CHURCH OF HEAVENLY REST 2 MILE RACE

• Photo 04: Stacy Creamer finished second female overall, with a Central Park personal record for 2 miles.

• Photo 05: Diane Lebowitz never misses any 5K or less distance race inside the park.

• Photo 06: Sylvie Kimché ran her first race in over a year.  It is even possible that this may be her PR on this course (she said, "Let's hope not!").

EAST 86th STREET, 3.8 MILE MARK

• Photo 11: The lead pack consisted of eight people, including the Kenyan from Iceland, Toby Tanser.

• Photo 12: At this point, Paul Stuart-Smith is right on pace, as he stated that he wanted to run 5:40 min/mile for the first six miles and he went through the first four miles in 22:40 (exactly 5:40 min/mile).  Unfortunately, his mile splits for the four miles were 5:25, 5:45, 5:20 and 6:10, which is not exactly even-pacing.

• Photo 13: Thomas Pennell

• Photo 14: Victor Osayi took a close look at this photo to see who is trying to catch him.  It's Harry Morales in the far background.

• Photo 15: Harry Morales

• Photo 16: Rick Shaver said afterwards, "I saw my photo here on the club website, but the NYRRC took my chip and gave me no time or position.  I think I'll have to e-mail them or else they are going to charge me for the chip."

• Photo 17: Charles Allard

• Photo 18: Sid Howard & Michele Talgliati.  If you think Sid looks good here, he looks really great in the finishing sprint.  Sid needed to get six NYRRC races in to qualify for the age group awards for the year.  He was counting on running the 15K until someone asked, "What if it snowed on that last race of the year?"  So he now has some insurance with a first-place finish today.

• Photo 19: Here is Jose LaSalle, perhaps unwilling to step in front of someone in the colors of Puerto Rico.

• Photo 20: This pretty picture of Eve Kaplan would not have been possible without the signalman (Bola Awofeso) waving frantically up ahead to indicate that Eve is approaching.

• Photo 21: Guenter Erich

WEST 86th STREET, 7 MILE MARK

• Photo 31: When Toby Tanser saw this poster-quality picture, he was even impressed, "This is the first picture of me that shows any muscle!"  Julia Casals adds the comment, "He looks so mean, gritting his teeth."

• Photo 32: Richie Borrero likes this picture, showing him ahead of Alan Ruben.

• Photo 33: Craig Chilton has a traffic problem as someone tries to go around him.

• Photo 34: Thomas Pennell

• Photo 35: Victor Osayi

• Photo 36: When you are having a good race, you can afford to smile like Harry Morales.

• Photo 37: Charles Allard was following right behind Dan Sack.  When Charles saw the camera perched on top of the hill, he swung left to make sure that both of them are visible.  This is called teamwork.

• Photo 38: David Diviney got so warm that he took his shirt off.

• Photo 39: Michele Tagliati

• Photo 40: Jose LaSalle

• Photo 41: Adam Bleifeld

• Photo 42: Yves-Marc Courtines wore what is supposedly an unidentifiable disguise, but he pointed out, "When you took that photo of Audrey Kingsley, you must have gotten me too."  In fact, these two are synchronized to the point of having their eyes down at the same moment.

EAST 88th STREET, 9.9 MILE MARK

• Photo 51: Toby Tanser finished fourth overall today, still feeling the effects of that high-altitude Maratón de Los Andes two weeks ago.

• Photo 52: Richie Borrero was really concerned that the camera should show him right next to Alan Ruben.  Within seconds after this photo was taken, Alan would switch on the afterburners and sprint away, while Richie's form fell apart completely, to the astonishment of the spectator gallery of teammates.  Here is the NYRRC photo.  Overall, Richie was very delighted with this race, which was a 62 second improvement over his previous PR set on a pancake-flat course out on Long Island.

• Photo 53: We would not have been able to capture this photo of Noel Comess without his pre-race notification.  Meanwhile, we missed orangeless Steve Eick, who finished one second ahead of Noel, completely.  Those two probably had no idea that they were teammates.

• Photo 54: Victor Osayi

• Photo 55: Harry Morales

• Photo 56: Charles Allard

• Photo 57: Gordon Bakoulis

• Photo 58: Are you wondering why Guillermo Rojas is so far back?  That's because he, being the NYU cycling coach, had just competed in a 10 minute rowing-10 minute cycling-10 minute running competition against the running coach and the rowing coach.  That running coach (Ramon Bermo) then decided against running today.

• Photo 59: Adam Bleifeld

• Photo 60: Over and over again, we have been found Audrey Kingsley looking around instead of focusing straight ahead to the finish.  As she came down the straightway, she looked right for just one moment and then she thought (rightly so) that this is the moment when a photograph would be taken.  "You can't get a break around here," she says.  However, she wants to point out that she was just trying to make sure that she was ahead of the woman in the background.  (see NYRRC photo)

• Photo 61: Terri Sonenclar finished second in the Female 40-44 age group today.

• Photo 62: Someone is going to have to ask Eve Kaplan why she wears just one glove on the right hand and none on the left.

• Photo 63: Irene Jackson-Schon

• Photo 64: This photo of Miss Kenya (aka Julia Casals) costs us a lot to publish.  We had received offers from her like, "I'll give you a million dollars" and "I'll do your laundry for a month" to suppress its publication.  In the end, the people's right to be informed about the presence of Mr. and Ms. Kenya today in matching uniforms supercedes all other interests.  The reticence of the subject was based upon the statement, "I look like I'm dead."  Well, compared to others, you don't look any more dead.

POST-RACE ACTIVITIES

• Photo 71: Isabella and Michele Tagliati

• Photo 72: Toby Tanser picks up his age group award at the post-race award ceremonies.

• Photo 73: What kind of award did Toby get?  A NYRRC coffee mug for the wrong age-group placing.  In case you are wondering, Audrey Kingsley does not come as part of the award package.

• Photo 74: While Toby received one coffee mug, Alan Ruben got two of them.  How come?  In Toby's words, "Alan's got a very fast wife (Gordon Bakoulis)."

• Photo 75: Carol Tyler also got a mug for being first Female 60-64.

• Photo 76: Bagels anyone?  Yves-Marc Courtines has got a brand new bag, good enough for a lifetime supply.