I attended the Fifth Avenue Mile in a completely different capacity this year. Instead of as a competitor or a sideline cheerleader, this year I attended as a coach. I brought seven middle-schoolers from Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School, all of whom were brand new to running, to the youth race. The experience made me appreciate our sport, and the performances of Central Park Track Club, so much more. To get to the point: Central Park Track Club is hard-core.
When I arrived at 8:30 the sun hadn’t broken through yet; the air was crisp and most of the course was shaded. Athletes were warming up, ranging from super-serious competitors to people out for a morning jog. I came upon a small group of Central Park athletes warming up. The air was practically buzzing with their energy, and I thought to myself how ready to go Alma Lebrecht seemed. Once the women’s 15-29 age-group race started, Alma, Laura Wang, and Joy Romulus powered through the crowd. When I saw them at the three-quarter-mile mark, their faces were set in determination as they picked up their pace, covering the last quarter mile with fierce strength. Laura won the 20-24 age group, and Joy finished second.
Coach Devon’s instructions for the Fifth Avenue Mile are always “compete, compete, and compete!” This year CPTC was rife with top finishes and personal records. Les Page set a new road PR by seven seconds (4:25), looking his usual mix of competitive toughness and confidence, and finishing fourth in the 25-29 age group. Tim Freeman finished just ahead in second place in 4:24, and Carl Dambkowski was fifth in 4:26.
Mel Stafford ran 4:47, Michael Chary set a three-second PR in the 20-24 age group, running 4:51, and Doug Labar tied his PR of 5:18. In the 40-49 age-group race, Sue Pearsall’s performance was completely awe-inspiring. She dropped a six-second PR (5:50) and couldn’t have looked more comfortable doing it; her race is a testament to her stalwart commitment to coming back from injury.
Additional top finishes showed New York City yet again that CPTC is a team to watch out for. Bill Wells (4:35) finished second in the 20-24 age group, and in 30-34 Tom Dichiara (4:35) and Ulrich Fluhme (4:41) finished in third and fourth respectively. Maintaining his perpetual status on the top of the results, Anselm Lebourne won the 50-54 age group in 4:41. He is probably the envy of 2132 finishers, as he was also thirty-fourth overall in the men’s age-group races.
Christina Michael (5:25) finished third in the 25-29 age group. Yumi Ogata (5:37) was 2nd in the 45-50 age group, Hank Schiffman (5:39) was fourth in the 60-64 age group, and Sid Howard, 70, won his age group with a 5:57.
Racing is intense. The doubts you have about yourself as a runner, about your fitness, about your competitive spirit are never more present than the half hour before you step on the line. It’s such a cruel reality, and its also why it’s so special. You have those doubts and you do it anyway. You literally put yourself on the line and prove to you, your teammates, your coach, your competitors, that you are stronger than it is. The huge range of age-group placing, from the 8-11 age group (go, Erika!) to the 60-64 age group (yay, Hank!) is a testament to the mental strength and tenacity that CPTC athletes demonstrate over and over again.
In addition to the age-group races, the NYRR has an elite race, in which several Central Park Track Club athletes competed. In the men’s race, Dustin Emrani finished second by less than 2 seconds, running a PR of 4:03.4. Brian Gertzen (4:11.4) and Chris Spooner (4:13.4) finished in sixth and eighth respectively.
In the women’s NYRR Championship race, Kate Irvin finished fourth in 4:47, closely followed by Aileen Conlon in 4:50, who improved on her time from last year. Melissa Salerno ran a sweet, exciting PR of 4:54. Melissa’s tenacity was first in evidence when she ran two relays at our club championships about two weeks) after joining the team.
My young runners didn’t fare quite so well. While everyone finished (huge success and much excitement), two students of mine were beat by a teenager competing on crutches (true story). While we have a long way to go, the good news is that they recognize and appreciate the athletes they can become by watching CPTC compete. “Ms. Cushing, the orange team is good!” one young runner, Kimani, observed when I told them who we should cheer for. Indeed it is.