*Full disclaimer, I've been sitting on this blog post for a few weeks, I decided to post it today as it remind me of my love of the sport on a tough day in other areas of my life.* What do you do when you haven’t received entry into your favorite race? If you’re me, someone who has only known the New York City Marathon as THE activity to do on the first Sunday in November since you were born; you stand outside for six hours in misting rain cheering so loud you lose your voice. Nov. 6, 2016, I ran my personal best marathon on the world’s greatest stage. Nov. 5, 2017, I stood on Central Park South and watched history unfold in front of my eyes. I had not spectated at the race since 2010, when I was a senior in high school and couldn’t run yet due to my age. The past year has be challenging and rewarding in so many ways. I wouldn’t and couldn’t miss my favorite Sunday in New York. NYC Marathon Sunday was a fairytale dream for female able-body American long distance running. I was heartbroken for Tatyana McFadden not winning this year, but then about an hour later Shalane Flanagan was racing up Central Park South. She was on the far side of the road from me and had at least a football field lead on Mary Keitany. I was screaming and my voice was already cracking. Shalane couldn’t run her hometown Boston Marathon race in April due to injury, but here she was with a HUGE lead with a half mile left in New York! I was jumping for joy and my smile felt like it was wider than my face; I was on cloud nine. It wasn’t until later that I saw she yelled “F*** YES” as she was 100 feet from the finish line. Here’s an amazing video with a great soundtrack for it. Here's a hilarious video of her finish -- the internet is useful sometimes. A wonderful moment for Flanagan which really exemplifies the raw emotion that goes into pushing your body to the limit. Flanagan has always been a runner I admired. It helped that at last year’s NYC Marathon Expo I met her and had her sign my copy of her cookbook. But her accomplishment, something that had not happened in 40 years at the New York Marathon, gave me hope. Hope for my running career, hope that my Boston Qualifying goal will one day be reached, hope for the next generation, hope for parity in the sport of running. I will never win the New York Marathon (unless a miracle happens) and wear the famed laurel crown. But I had a lot of fun watching the race – seeing strangers inspire me, seeing college friends run a PR, meeting a random stranger at mass the night before who ran Chicago in October and then finished New York, but man did I want to be on that course. I will be back next year to run my favorite race (either through lottery or charity) and be a part of the race's storied history, not just to witness it. Chicago was an incredible marathon and I am lucky to have run it this year, but New York throws the best block party. See you next year New York, I can’t wait to run your streets again.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Megan FloodMegan is 29 and a 14-time marathoner. She is hoping to Boston Qualify one day. She doesn't know exactly how this blogging will go, but she is giving it her best shot! Archives
June 2019
Categories |
Marathoning Megan