Staten Island Half Marathon

Now that was a good race.  I am not sure if it was the weather, the course or my conditioning, but this race felt a hundred times better than the last race, and it showed with my best time since March.  Although not my fastest race, it was a 7 minute improvement from two weeks prior.  Time may not be everything, but it certainly is indicative of how I felt during the race.  All in all, it felt like I was close to being back to my running form earlier in the year (I even had a kick at the end).

The race was on Staten Island, NY, which is the least accessible borough in NY.  The only way to get there is by take a cab and a ferry; subways are not an option.  Luckily my good friend Giuseppe was kind enough to wake up and go over to Staten Island with me, where he grew up, and kind of usher me along.  He even stuck around the island to hang out afterwards - had to give him a special shout out here.


The race started on the north end of Staten Island facing north towards Manhattan: as is fitting for NY, it actually started in the Staten Island Yankees’ stadium parking lot.  We ran through “downtown” Staten, along the water, then turned around and came back.  The course seemed like it was going to be pretty flat, and it was except for what I dubbed heartbreak ridge of Staten; this was an incline that rose 100ft. in a ¼ mile – that is a steep incline for a race.  Downtown had a bit of incline at the end, but was nothing terrible.

Good feeling at the finish

Finished Strong

Because the race was along the water there was a gentle breeze the whole race, even when we ran through the barbed wire fenced in shipping areas (which is what you really would think of when you think of Staten Island.

The best part about this race was probably getting there and the view from the start.  If you have not been to NY, the Staten Island ferry (free to all passengers) leaves from financial district in Manhattan, which is not far from Ground Zero.  The ferry takes you directly past the Statue of Liberty and upon arrival on Staten Island you have an unobstructed view of Manhattan across the water where you can see the Freedom Tower.  The best place to see Manhattan from this area is from the 9/11 memorial built on the water’s edge.  Looking back to Manhattan in the morning, the fog along the water made it look like Manhattan was rising out of the mist.

Waiting for the Staten Island Ferry

Battery Park/Downtown

I have mentioned patriotism and US pride many times in this blog and I have to say, NY brings it out of me more than any other place.  There are patriotic people all over, especially in the South – which I love, but New York is truly unique.  People outside New York see its people as rough, course and rude.  But once you live here and spend time around New Yorkers, you will quickly realize they really are the embodiment of the spirit of our country.  You have a mix of every type of person from every walk of life.  They may not agree on everything – or anything - but when they come together they are a force to be reckoned with.  As Yankee haters have learned, the one thing you do not want to do is pick a fight with a New Yorker because they rally behind each other better than any other group of people – just like Americans.  And just like this country, you may knock us down and think you have hurt us, but all you have done is brought us together to unite as one.  When we rally together, we are one heck of a force.  And no matter what happens, we will rebuild and rise above the mist.

This is the flag with the names of all the victims of 9/11 -
He ran the entire half marathon with it.