Charlotte Cutler, Open Women winner

OPEN WOMEN

• Photo 01:  What makes this race so attractive is that for this one day of the year, one of the world's premier streets is closed to vehicular traffic to hold this road race.  The leaders are led out by a police car with flashing red light flanked by motorcycle cops.  The only disappointment this year is that there were fewer spectators than in past years.  You can see that the race leader wears orange!
• Photo 07:  Coming to the 1200m mark, the race leader is Charlotte Cutler of the Central Park Track Club in her first ever team race!
• Photo 02:  Charlotte Cutler at 1400m.  No change in position, and still bouncing on her feet.
• Photo 03:  Charlotte Cutler is actually an 800m specialist, with a 2:11 PR.  Her winning time today was 5:04.
• Photo 08:  Not far behind is Etsuko Kizawa, in an exceptional 5:38 that left teammates Eve Bois and Bola Awofeso raving afterwards. 
• Photo 04:  Etsuko Kizawa at 1400m
• Photo 05:  Charlotte Cutler said, "It was a lot of fun running down Fifth Avenue, especially with the wind behind my back all the way."
• Photo 06:  When you win a race, all sorts of riffraffs want their pictures taken with you: Charlotte Cutler between Raphael Devalle and Frank Schiro.

OPEN MEN

• Photo 10:  Frank Morton stands in the middle of the start of the second race.  The good news is that the overhead banner shows that there is a strong wind coming from the back. 
• Photo 11:  We know this man wears the wrong colors, but Eve Bois said, "Make sure that you take a good picture of Stéphane."  That was fairly easy since this man was in third place moving into second.
• Photo 12:  In this mob scene, the standout is Graeme Reid in the orange color.  Now if only we could figure out who is Ardian Krasniai ...
• Photo 19:  Adam Newman, Theo Spilka, Alan Bautista at 1200m.
• Photo 13:  Left to right in orange at 1400m: Tyronne Culpepper (65 seconds in first 400m, again), Alan Bautista and Theo Spilka.
• Photo 14:  Richie Hamner
• Photo 15:  James Siegel said, "Meet my coach Graeme Reid.  He helps me set pace by running in front of me."
• Photo 16:  The Fifth Avenue Mile is a middle distance where 100m/200m sprinters can step up and marathoners can step down.  Our sprinters' corner --- Ray Prybylski, Richie Hamner, Alan Bautista.
• Photo 17:  Stéphane Bois picks up his second-place trophy on the podium.  Once upon a time in France, this man was a 800m runner.  Then he became a marathoner.  Now he is a miler.  Why?  His own explanation: "When you are getting slower at what you doing, you better look for a different distance ..."  P.S. He was spotted on a bicycle later on.  Is the triathlon his next refuge ...?
• Photo 18:  Adam Newsman's disappointment --- a photo with half of the hero emergency doctor, Alan Bautista.

MASTERS WOMEN MILE

• Photo 20:  A road mile on Fifth Avenue means that you have to look out for the manhole covers.
• Photo 31:  Sue Krogstad-Hill finished as 2nd W40-49 in 5:45, a good time considering that she does not think of herself as being in good shape ("Sorry, I haven't been training with you guys ...").
• Photo 32:  Mary V. Rosado

MASTERS MEN MILE

• Photo 47:  Alston Brown ahead of Don Didonato at 1200m.
• Photo 41:  Alston Brown now battles Don Didonato for third place overall at 1400m.  Actually, Alston is in the 50-59 division and 9 years older than Don.
• Photo 48:  Tom Phillips looks like he is alone at 1200m.
• Photo 42:  Tom Phillips in the midst of a pack of five at 1400m.
• Photo 43:  Alston Brown on the victory podium
• Photo 44:  Close-up of Alston Brown
• Photo 45:  Alston Brown is the dominant runner in his age group, with an inconceivable range from 50m up to the marathon.  Here is a post-race interview between him and our special reporters:
   
  SC: Have you been doing this all your life?
  AB: No, I took up running exactly three years and three months ago.
  SC:  Before that, you played soccer for a long time, didn't you?
  AB:  Yes.  The national team players had a lot of problems with me.  When I play left or right back, they never touch the ball for the whole game.
  SC:  What is your favorite event?
  AB:  I'll have to say it's the 800m.
  SC:  At the mile distance, is there anyone close to you in this country?
  AB:  Yes, there's someone in southern California who could compete with me.  I believe he ran the mile in 4:28.
   
  TP:  Where do you live?
  AB:  Mount Vernon.
  TP:  Where do you run?
  AB:  I run up from Mount Vernon to White Plains.
  TP:  Wow, that route is bog ugly.  Why would you do that?
  AB:  There is no traffic early in the morning when I do my 18 mile run.
  TP:  You've got to try my route which goes from Bronxville to Van Cortlandt Park.  They are all trails.
   
• Photo 46:  Craig Plummer and Raphael Devalle.  Meanwhile, Frank Schiro has disappeared after losing a bet that Craig couldn't break 5:00.  Craig want this to be broadcast: "I also do the mile" on top of everything else from 60m to the marathon, plus the decathlon.

GEORGE SHEEHAN MILE (60+)

• Photo 51:  In this photo, you can see the number of orange people crowding on the right side of the road.  The leader of the race is Sid Howard, whose head is just above the lead car.  The person standing in the middle of the road is Frank Handelman, risking instant arrest.  The person on the bike is G'mo Rojas, who said, "I told Sid that the wind would be from his back on the way, but now it is actually swirling.  I hope he doesn't hate me ..."
• Photo 52:  Race leader Sid Howard
• Photo 63:  This is the lead that Sid Howard had at 1200m
• Photo 62:  Jim Olson was out of running for 6 months, and has been back running for just one month.  So he is running this with no serious training.  At 1200m, he is actually ahead of quite a few people, including teammate Jim Aneshansley.
• Photo 53:  At 1400m, Jim is still ahead of the pack.
• Photo 54:  At 1500m, the reality principle steps in as the mob swallows him up.  But the Fifth Avenue Mile is always be a special experience.
• Photo 64:  Dan Hamner
• Photo 65:  Carol Tyler at 1200m
• Photo 55:  Carol Tyler finishing
• Photo 56:  Jim Aneshansley said, "I want the caption to this picture to read, 'He's back' for Jim Olson."
• Photo 57:  Mary Olson gives Jim Olson a big hug.
• Photo 58:  Carol Tyler on the podium.
• Photo 59:  Cliff Pauling is one of seven Central Park Track Club runners in this race (note: we missed Bob Laufer).
• Photo 60:  Sid Howard on the victory podium
• Photo 61:  Close-up of Sid Howard

OTHER FOLKS

• Photo 80:  The postcard stand on Fifth Avenue offers the World Trade Center postcards at 25 cents each, or six per dollar.  Those memories are everywhere we go ...
• Photo 09:  Jim Olson has expectations to win a Pontiac Grand Prix today?
• Photo 81:  Who is the fastest Central Park Track Club member of the day?  Hint:  He also accumulated 34 miles in this race.  By now, you must be completely befuddled, right?  Answer:  G'mo Rojas, NYRRC marketing manager and NYU cycling coach, sped up and down the course before and after each race on his bike carrying a hand timer.  In his own words, "I'm the backup to the backup timing system."
• Photo 82:  Cheering section (from left to right): Audrey Kingsley, Lauren Eckhart, David Smith, Bill Haskins, Stephen Sipe, Mindy Solkin, Kim Mannen, Charlotte Cutler, Devon Sargent, John Sargent.  Traditionally, cheering at the Fifth Avenue Mile is an event in itself.  After all, there were 17 events today over a four hour period.  What do people do between events?  The field reporter says nothing so trite as "Kiss and Tell," "Spin the Bottle" or "Truth or Dare" took place.  Instead, the more popular games among these people appear to be "Seven Minutes of Heaven" and "I Dare You To Touch This."  It goes without say that we are suitably appalled.
• Photo 83:  Just coming back from an injury, Kim Mannen said, "I'm in tears today --- you don't know how hard it is to watch instead of running this race."
• Photo 86:  Kim Mannen: "Even though I still can't run fast, I can always practice yoga."
• Photo 84:  Stephen Sipe waits for Isaya Okwiya to open up the mysterious white envelope.
• Photo 85:  And the answer is: the envelope contains a photo of Alan Bautista, Kim Mannen and Isaya Okwiya.  Kim said, "Oh, yes, it's from the Springfield meet in which (1) I set a PR and (2) I ruptured my plantar fascia."
• Photo 87:  Luca Trovato comes out of the portosan and encounters a camera in his face.  He wants to know: "Whatever happened to privacy in this country?"
• Photo 88:  The cheering by Charlotte Cutler and Devon Sargent is for the runners, and not because of John Sargent is eating.
• Photo 89:  Photographic evidence that an unidentified high-jumping subject had just committed a misdemeanour against the quality of life in New York City.  Hint for future expeditions --- if you don't want to be observed, you should take off that orange jacket before you go in the bushes ....
• Photo 90:  Another famous person is Toby Tanser, with his bike.  At least the reason that he did not make the race this week is not that he got lost, like he did the past two weeks.