There’s an old Irish blessing that begins, “May the road rise up to meet you/May the wind always be at your back.” On Sunday, 50,000 runners and I had a 26.2 mile road rising up to meet us, but the wind wasn’t always at our back; it pushed and pulled us in any and every direction. A distant nor’easter caused 40 mph wind gusts, with a windshield factor that resulted in below freezing temperatures. This was my third New York City marathon and it was brutal! The most difficult by far. The wind slowed us down, caused us to stop and catch our breath at points and I’m sure it even made some of us question our sanity. But we did it! And I loved every second of it. I said all I want is to finish this race and if I finish in under five hours even better, and I did! My final time was 4:56:46. Certainly not my best but given the weather conditions and some slight pain in my right knee, I’ll take it!
The New York City Marathon is magical. The solidarity and camaraderie among the participants, spectators, NYPD and volunteers makes for a dynamic that is unparalleled and special. Fred’s Team has raised nearly $5 million this year for cancer research, and I find it incredibly gratifying to know that I played a small part in that. I am beyond thankful to all of you who have supported my decision to run as well as those who have also supported Fred’s Team.
In that same vein, I am just $174 short of my fundraising goal so if you haven’t made a donation and think you might be interested, you can click here to access my fundraising page.
Thank you all!
