I awoke this morning to the sounds of screams, cowbells and -the Black Eyed Peas? My first thought: have Halloween celebrations overflowed to the morning of November 1st? Then, I realized that the New York City ING Marathon was going on, and my 1st Avenue apartment was part of the experience by default. The hazy photo above was the best shot I could muster of last years winner Paula Radcliffe leading the pack this morning around mile 18, a more focused recap after the jump.
The view from our Upper East Side apartment, not a bad front-row seat for the annual event. Too bad that Jason is out of town, as a former professional runner, I know he appreciates watching this event live. This recap is dedicated to him!
I went down our painfully slow elevator to get a closer look at the scene. So much energy and cheering for everyone running/biking by. What a contagious and marvelous event. I’ve never had one of those PowerBar Gels before, but apparently they are life-saving when running something as strenuous as a marathon. Behind me, between 93rd & 94th street, were some huge speakers blaring the likes of any “workout i-tunes mix,” with the crowd around dancing and eating egg-sandwiches while cheering on the runners. So very New York. I love it.
A clearer image of the leading men- with the USA contestant, Meb Kefilzlgh, following the pack. He later took leaping strides and finished well before the rest of the men. All this watching of people exercising made me and my friend Grace hungry!
So we washed down the excitement with coffee, sauteed blue-potatoes, a zucchini omelet and fresh cherry tomatoes. So far, a very good start to the month of November. And for those of you celebrating the Mexican tradition also taking place today,Feliz Dia De Los Muertos!