From Phil Falk of the Open:
Matt Lacey
The marathon was a story of breakthroughs and breakdowns for the CPTC men’s team.
It was a story of redemption, after an extraordinarily rough patch of marquee marathon racing: the tragedy in Boston 2013, the cancellation of New York in 2012, and the blistering hot day in Boston 2012. I think our team was ready to compete in the biggest and best race in our grand city.
It was a story of disappointment. There’s so much training, build-up, nerves, anticipation going into a single race, and a few errant details can throw it off. A few of our top runners dropped out, and several more brought home results many minutes behind their goal times. Greg Cass brings us some necessary perspective:
“That is both the gift and the curse of the marathon. When you finally get it right, it’s the product of 30 variables that you have maybe 50 percent control of. When you get it wrong, you try to analyze all 30 of those variables. It’s nearly impossible to figure out exactly what went wrong and how to make it better next time. But that’s the goal. To take a look at what happened and go back to the drawing board. And, if it’s in the cards, to give it another go.”
It was a story of wind. That unrelenting northerly gale was the unseen handicap on Sunday. Times were off by at least a couple minutes from the pros all the way back, and this was surely the chief culprit. “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” I think most of adjusted the sails – stick with the pack, take turns in the lead, avoid getting stranded. (Although I did my share of complaining – at one point, alone on first avenue, I gave a good yell to no one in particular.)
But more than anything it was also a story of teamwork and resilience. I’ve been inspired and uplifted by some of the race stories shared by my teammates. There were PRs and course PRs to be had. Orange jackets dotted the crowds along the route, bringing much needed support. The wall of orange, at perhaps the most difficult part in the race, cresting the mile-long climb on fifth avenue at 90th st, gave me a jolt of energy and a swell of pride.
Our top five men were: Phil Falk, 2:34:44; Greg Cass, 2:36:33; Matt Lacey, 2:43:19; Justus Meyer, 2:43:22; and Martin Huber, 2:46:05. The team had 25 men under 3 hours, including the ever-consistent Alan Ruben, taking a 6th place in his age group.
But the story is best told in the words of some our athletes, who have kindly shared their post-race thoughts:
Greg Cass
Photo: Sue Pearsall
Greg Cass came through the fall in tremendous shape – unfortunately his stomach refused to cooperate and he was forced to make multiple pit stops. If you need an example of pulling through a race you would rather quit, or turning in a respectable performance in the face of a near disaster, look no further: “I knew that the conditions weren’t necessarily ideal from the minute I stepped outside of my apartment, but everyone had to deal with whatever weather was dealt to us on Sunday. Things didn’t go the way I had planned or would have liked, but I tried to battle to the end. The support from the Club was, as always, remarkable. Hearing about great performances, seeing my teammates fight alongside of me, and feeling the encouragement from cheering sections throughout the city make me proud to represent CPTC. And Canada.”
Phil Falk
Photo: Sue Pearsall
Greg was kind enough to pen this note: “Phil Falk ran tremendously and deserves some accolades so I’m forcing him to add this. I have come to count on Phil to pass me in the final mile of every Thursday night workout and every scoring race. But this fall was different. I knew that Phil was battling injuries, and time commitments forced him into lower mileage and missed workouts. To me, his struggles culminated in a tough day at Grete’s just 4 weeks before the Marathon. But on Sunday, Phil showed that he’s a true gamer. Starting conservatively and running smart, Phil attacked the day by working between groups, adjusting his pace to make sure he was never caught without a few runners to escort him through the headwinds. After a 1:16:25 first half, Phil went back to his old ways and spent the rest of the race chasing down the competition, showing off his experience and confidence to lead the way for the Open Men with an impressive 2:34:44. We all know that Phil can (and will) run much faster, but Sunday was all about fighting through an entire training cycle and coming through for the team.”
Jimmy Drawings: “This race was one of my most incredible team experiences ever in any sport. Right before mile 3 marker I strained my right outside hamstring. I stopped for a half minute, started up, felt the sharp pain and stopped again. Another minute later I restarted begging my hamstring to give me 23 more miles. Slowly but surely I gained speed and kept the pain at bay. There is no way I would have done as well without all of that help from my teammates, especially during those last 6 miles. It really was an incredible team experience. My 1st marathon and in turn PR- 2:58:03.”
In pursuit of his first marathon, Tom Papain, ran great workouts with the team in the park. Unfortunately, “lack of (i) hydration, (ii) gels, and (iii) mileage = worse breakdown I’ve ever experienced, in either running or life…. Really have a new found respect for the marathon and the training that it demands. Overall, a great experience, and a lot to learn from it.”
“Despite accidentally blasting the second mile,” Fritz Huber still notched a PR in 2:46:05. “Definitely will try to run a smarter race next time, but I’m still happy. That’s the advantage of it being only my second marathon, first NYC.”
Ron Brooks and Kieran Garvey
Ron Brooks reports: “This year’s NYC was my 10th marathon, so it meant a lot to come back and run it after last year’s cancellation…. I ultimately felt great, ran a 2:54 [a course PR], and have never enjoyed a race as much as this one. It was amazing to see so many cptc people out cheering on what seemed like every few miles of the race. Anyways, I couldn’t have been happier with my time and felt blessed to be able to run NYC again with my best friends and teammates.”
Henry Tong
Henry Tong shared: “Had my marathon debut/retirement in one awesome day in NYC. The most exhilarating part was seeing my friends, teammates, coaches, and all the beautiful New Yorkers out there in this bitchin’ course…. And a special thanks to the guy in the Bronx who yelled ‘go Jackie Chan’ as I passed by even though my bib clearly had my name on it.”
Cary Segall and Martin Huber
Photo: Sue Pearsall
Cary Segall: “As for my race, I was happy as one can never complain about a PR. My time of 2:46:19 was a 2 minute overall marathon PR from Chicago 2011 and a 9 minute course PR from NYC 2008. The wind definitely played havoc and contributed to my 4 minute positive split from the first half, but I did hold it together, and as TR would say, finish with dignity.”
Robert Reffkin: “My number one reflection is to listen to Coach. Run slow to run fast. I did everything he told me to do regardless of how much it went against my instincts — and it worked. Drank water at every station… ran the second half faster than the first half… and my last mile was my fastest mile. I broke 3 hours for the first time where my previous PR was 3:36, and it was my 50th marathon in 50 states to raise $1mm for nonprofits.”
John Jones: “The day did not go my way, to say the least, but I hung in there and completed my first NYCM. I didn’t quit though and crossed the finish line in 3:01 with a smile on my face. It was an amazing experience to not only run the marathon, but to do so wearing that orange CPTC singlet. All the chants of “Let’s go Central Park!” made me feel like the city was behind every step of the way. And seeing teammates spread throughout the course always gave me a much needed boost. I am truly humbled and honored to be part of this club.”
John Gendall: “Missed my target, but eked out a 1-min PR (2:56:50).”
Brenn Jones chimed in with good news: “It was a good day for me. Ran a 2:56:40 to smash my PR of 3:08:12 and finally get under 3. Training was helped by running with teammates during lunch everyday, at workouts, and on weekends as the marathon approached…. For the first time didn’t hit a wall. Woo-hoo!”
Ben Pedersen shared: “So the NYCM was my first marathon in 10 months as well as my first marathon since joining CPTC back in April, so I went into the race a little unsure of what I was going to be able to accomplish. I have to say though, the 10-10-10 plan really worked for me–I executed it almost exactly as I had envisioned prior to the race–and I had a huge PR (almost embarrassingly so: my 3:02:30 was 27 minutes faster than my previous best from January).”
Geoff McGrane: “For me, while it wasn’t a PR, it was probably the most satisfying and enjoyable marathon yet because of my growth as a marathoner. This was my fourth NYC and fifth overall. In my first NYC in 2009, I collapsed between miles 24 and 25, was put in an ambulance and taken to the hospital… This year, I had my first negative split.” He came in at 2:46:30.
James Sung finished in 3:08:38 “almost a break-through, nearly a break-down, but still a course PR. But NYC is relentless. I lost my focus and felt a cramp trying to crack through during miles 21-23, before regrouping back home in CP and finishing in decent shape.”
Matt Wyatt: “This was my first marathon, so I guess that also means I PR’ed (2:54). The last 4 miles were pretty rough, but the energy from the crowd definitely helped.”
From David Greenberg of the 40+:
A relatively small but fleet band all’orange 13 members strong completed the NYC Marathon on Sunday. Going into the race we were in a virtual tie with West Side Runners for the second step on the podium, so we needed a good day…and we got it. The CPTC M 40+ placed an excellent second in the team competition. Unfortunately West Side Runners, with whom we are neck and neck for second place in the year-long points battle, won the day, so it looks like we will stay in third place for now. But we did make up some points on Urban Athletics, which is leading the standings unassailably. One more race – that may decide if we finish in second or third, so let’s bring the power to the 15k in December.
Suitably, our team leader on the day, Richard Nelson, set a big PR – three minutes!
Finished the marathon yesterday in 2:47:14. Personal record of 3 minutes and 41 seconds (ran 2:50:55 in Philadelphia last year).
Per Tony’s advice, did my best to not worry about the wind and just went out there to execute the race plan. Worked with some teammates to run together and share the wind blocking duties. Felt strong in Central Park and was passing runners the last 5 miles. Finished feeling good. The Central Park support in the crowd was amazing throughout the course from Brooklyn to Central Park. Just might need to go after that sub 2:45 in Boston.
Richard Nelson
Photo: Sue Pearsall
CPTC veteran David Bosch should play for the Knicks, because every time he starts, he scores points. He has carried the team multiple times this year:
From the CPTC bus we could see the Fort Tilden flag flying perfectly horizontal, pointed straight to the south, in a hard northwind. A lot of us were in the local competitive start on the lower level, and after a lot of twists and turns in Bensonhurst we joined those from the upper level. Unfortunately my compadre Aruthur Palmer of CPTC had to slow after a few miles due to his heart arrhythmia, and I was alone as the young boys had gone out harder. Fourth Ave. was pretty windy but with a lot of runners around drafting helped significantly, and the sun was out, which made for some relatively pleasant early miles. I was looking to run sub -2:54, starting intentionally at a 2:55 pace, and was 30-40 seconds off that pace for the rest of the race.
The hill up Lafayette is bigger than you think – breathing patterns changed, but it was good to see a bunch of our teammates cheering around mile 9. In Williamsburg the sun had gone away, and by the Pulaski Bridge I think many of us new it was going to be pretty difficult the rest of the way with the wind. The Queensboro was grey, tough, and cold, and coming down the ramp the crowds seemed way more subdued than I remember from my last NYC in 1998 (yes, that long ago). The wind was front and center in our faces up First, and it became harder to draft as runners started to slow – I had to keep popping out into the wind to pass.
My Dad’s name is Willis, and that is my new least favorite bridge – it’s a real slog, then you have to keep climbing on the access ramp after you crest the bridge before hitting the streets of the BX. Turning onto 5th – surprise – the wind was in our faces again; how it does a 180 like that, I do not know, but it does. So much for kicking the last 10K in Tony’s 10/10/10 plan.
I think we all knew the “Wall of Orange” was coming at the top of the hill at 90th, and we wanted to look strong, but my left hamstring was cramping, though the sun was back I just kept turning it over, and got some breath back, and Cat Hill was a bit of a relief. I was still 40-50 seconds off pace and just running block to block on Central Park South. Back in the park I held my “kick”, if you can call it that, until the last rise and just nosed under 2:56. There have been few days where I have been more grateful to hit the finish line.
Unfortunately WSX had the “Sauce” and beat us. Big guns, need you guys at that race in December.
David Bosch
Dan Ifcher was third man, and set a new masters PR:
After some great months of hard training with newfound CPTC teammates, I have a very good race – things clicked for me. Several firsts for me: sub-3 hour in my 40’s (I had done that in my 20s and 30s); negative split NYC Marathon by about 40 seconds; and I believe this is the first time I scored for the team. Go Orange!
Alexandre Tilmant ran 3:03, and then, like Dan, Kimihiko Oishi checked in with a masters PR of 3:05:
It was my fastest time since 2008 and the second fastest marathon overall. I am very happy with my recent improvement and strong finish this year. Hope I can run a PR race next year.
Mickey Hawtrey came close to a bq, and sounds fired up for his next attempt:
In spite of not reaching my goal of 3:10, I enjoyed the race tremendously. I didn’t really notice the wind, but it must have played a factor. Felt great until 5th Ave, and what I call “The Escalator.” Only because it looks like an escalator from 110th, albeit a broken one that definitely doesn’t help you along. Although I’m disappointed I didn’t qualify for Boston with my time of 3:16:28, it was my second best marathon out of four, and with a tweak or two, I’m confident a sub 3:10 is in my future.
Edwin Hernandez continued his way up the performance charts with his 3:13:
I really enjoyed this Marathon, and I have to say it was a wonderful experience, it felt like I was a participant in a parade. The crowd was fabulous. I really participated with the crowd, was very excited, and took the time to enjoy the moment.
My plan was to run a 3:15 to 3:20 marathon, and wanted to proceed with caution, previous p.r was in 5/2013-3:21:01!
I managed to pull off a 3:13:06, which I am happy with. I am running Boston in April and I am sure the NYC experience will be hard to replicate. I will be training for a 3:05 to 3:09! Additionally, running for the club gave me additional motivation and inspiration, just knowing that i had a team behind me gave me a jolt of needed energy for the last mile, which was a tough one.
Andy Kiss had a good day, meeting goals and running fast in his marathon debut:
This was my first marathon and my goal was to break 3:30 and I came in at 3:29:01 so it was very satisfying to execute my race as I had planned. I used the 10-10-10 strategy, so I ran conservative for the first 10 miles, pushed it for the 2nd 10 and held on for dear life in the last 10K and just had enough energy to hit my goal. The weather and crowds were great and I had people at different parts of the course cheering me on. The uphill on 5th Ave at mile 23 was really tough and both my hamstrings started cramping late at the same time. I had one moment of slight panic at that point when I thought I might crumble at the very end, but my legs held out and at mile 25 I looked at my watch and knew I would make my goal if I just held pace, so that gave me the boost to push through. This was an amazing experience, but next year I’ll be working on my 5K time!
Andy Kiss
Joe Bachana showed why the finish line is the only thing that matters sometimes, working with an injury yet still finishing:
I started the race extremely conservatively, but an old injury to my surgically repaired left leg cropped up and I just couldn’t run pretty much starting at Pulaski. I’m undeterred, the marathon is still one major conquest in my athletic career that I’m going to make someday in the near future!
I also noticed no fewer than seven 39-year-old CPTCers finished the marathon, including Cary Segall’s 2:46, Jacob Cooper’s 2:47, Ulrich Fluhme’s 2:49, Gerd Zeibig’s 2:55 and Brenn Jones’ 2:56. I can feel the rejuvenation coming – the 40-49 has good times coming.
Finally, Peter Brady came within just one second of the 1982 CPTC masters road 5k club record with his 15:56 at the Dash to the Finish Line. Peter has cemented his role among the fastest masters runners in the Northeast.
On to the December 14 15k! This is our last chance to vault into second in the points – let’s get it done!
From Chris Donnelly of the 50+:
A back of the envelope tally suggests that the seven members of the CPTC men’s 50+ team toeing the starting line on Sunday have collectively run the New York Marathon nearly 100 times. Buffeted by cold temperatures, and strong headwinds that rushed from the northwest and from the rotors of low-flying police choppers that swept the very leaves from nearby trees, our men put that experience to work and triumphed over a difficult course in rough conditions, seizing second place overall.
Alan Ruben
As he has done so often in the past, Alan Ruben led the charge, and charge he did! Passing the mile 9 cheering crew before that sharp left onto Bedford Avenue, Alan appeared comfortable and in control, though his half marathon split (1:29:55) left us in suspense; after 23 straight sub 3 hour performances, would he pull it off again in this, his 26th outing? We needn’t have worried. A solid negative split well in hand, Alan appeared at the Wall of Orange with the bit firmly between his teeth, all turnover and determination, and then he was gone. At the finish Alan’s 2:58:49 was good for a sixth place slot in the 55-59 age group, and he was our first scorer. Alan was one of just four of the top 100 finishers in his age group to run a negative split in Sunday.
Casey Yamazaki
Photo: Sue Pearsall
Our second scorer is no less a veteran. Casey Yamazaki, too, was running his 26th consecutive New York Marathon. Casey chalked up a 3:18:45, for 172nd in the 50-54 age group. That’s a top 5% finish in a crowded age group. Well done. A little 60+ magic from Captain Hank Schiffman (3:26:51) sealed the deal. While we were well behind a solid BAA team, our 50+ men ginned up a comfortable four minute margin over NY Flyers and Greater New York, who battled for 3rd and 4th place, separated by less than a minute, and fifth place finisher West Side, another 2 minutes back.
Dennis O’Donnell’s supporting run merits special attention. All Dennis’s hard work in recent months led up to this: a PR by two and a half minutes in his New York Marathon debut, and a Boston qualifier — his first. Dennis executed well. As he says of his 3:38:12: “Did some version of 10-10-5 and never hit the wall.” While new to New York, Dennis is no novice, with marathons in LA, Las Vegas, London and Rio under his belt. Dennis planned to run his first New York last year; truly, it was worth the wait.
Art Palmer
Photo: Sue Pearsall
After New York was cancelled last year, Art Palmer moved on to Philly and printed a muscular 2:52:20 at age 56. This time out Art battled his way to a 3:27:07, good for 85th place in his age group. CPTC stalwart Peter Allen, starting his 32nd New York Marathon and his 27th under the CPTC banner, couldn’t stomach a Did Not Start despite falling off his bike a couple of months ago. Still, he wisely opted to fight another day, and pulled the plug a few miles in. For those of you who aren’t aware, Peter has shifted his attention to triathlons in the last year, completing a couple of half ironmans and a full ironman.
Oscar Garcia was next up with a 3:53:27. It’s the best of Oscar’s 3 New York outings by a whopping 25 minutes, and improves his marathon PR by nearly one minute over last May’s Pocono race, when he ran 3:54:19. Congrats to Oscar.
Charlie Lyons closed it out for us with a 4:02:34. How does 10 time New York Marathoner Charlie (2:46 PR, btw, here in NY a few years back) feel about his first race in more than a year? “Chalk this one up to experience. Overall, it was a minor miracle, in my mind, I was able to get out there at all. Eight weeks ago I was just getting off injuries that had sidelined me for most of the year. Although the results were less than desirable, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. ”
From Hank Schiffman of the 60+:
Our 60+ men were all over this race, however only two of us actually ran it. No matter, we were out in force, and it proved a great day for just about everyone.
Hats off to George Hirsch for planning; NY Times: “Off Without a Hitch.” George, were you responsible for getting the picture of two of our guys on the cover of Monday’s paper? What a coup!
Super Sid Howard was in a video on the tele in a pre-marathon show, trucking down 5th Avenue in one of his cake walks to a first place finish.
Personally, I had numerous pre and post run emails from our guys. Along the way I cheered by Hal Lieberman, Fred Trilli, Kevin McGuire, CoachTony Ruiz, Allan Dias, Chris Neuhoff and Andy Moore, but no doubt I missed others. I’d like to continue sharing this race with you all, especially the delayed onset muscle soreness….
Speaking of DOMS, I’m experiencing post marathon this treat with our other finisher, Mr 36, Rick Shaver, a man who can run this event in his sleep. He had been sidelined for nearly half the year, unable to run saddled with an injury. Though he cross trained on the bike for cardio, running a marathon isn’t something you can do off the shelf. Training wisely in limited time, he did very well running it sensibly in 4:05:12. That comes out to be 199 out of 1092, men 60-65. Well done!
Which brings us to the hard fact that the one person who had a real shot at a medal in our group was a “did not start.” [1st place men 60-64: 3:00:36, 2nd: 3:07:02, 3rd: 3:13:36] Our man with a 20 year NYC Marathon streak was not there. We all feel badly that he sat on the bench. Yasuhiro Makoshi was not on the team bus, he was not at the start, he was did not cross the line. He suffered a knee injury running the Bronx 10 miler. Even though he ran Grete’s with it, his injury never resolved, eventually catching up to him. We all respect his need to back off racing and resolve his injury, letting his body heal. We are grateful for his effort in propelling us up to first place; he needs to recover. It is our good fortune to have Yasuhiro as one of us. He shines brightly, lighting up all of us.
Regarding NYRR’s bar for qualifying for this event. When the new qualifying time is placed against the 1092 men 60-64 running this event, the results show that only 16 would qualify for next year’s marathon. This 1.5% is below the statistical margin of error. Granted, most of us enter qualifying by our half marathon time, something is certainly feels wrong with the new policy which states you have to run 75% for the first year in your age group. Thus, I ran 77% for age 64, but my 3:26:51 is less than 75% for 60 year old men. Qualifications are over the top if I, as the second 64 year old mens finisher, could not qualify on my time in a race with over 40k runners, while hordes of junketeers buy their way into the race from overseas. In fact, no 64 year old man running this year’s marathon qualified for next year! Yes, this is an economically driven world, but what about a reasonable nod to merit?
One of us had to score for our 50+ guys, and by default that fell to me. Art Palmer‘s condition acted up; I was saddened to pass him, stuck in first gear on Central Park South. Even with me as the low card in the hand, our 50+ men still managed to capture 2nd to Boston Athletic Association. If CPTC had trouble filling the ranks with 50+ guys we shouldn’t be surprised getting 60+ men to run this event. Marathons are no country for old men, period. I’m still shocked that Hal ran and Frank attempted the Masters XC 5k in Flemington.
So, we have Frank Handelman on the DL with a sprained ankle and Dave Delano with a broken arm. And now Yasuhiro is out. Sid is sidelined. Bill Allert and Kermit Birchfield are recovering. I know I’m missing a few more walking wounded in our ranks. Our bench runneth over.
If my calculations are correct, we have first place for the year in the bag, ahead of Taconic by 20 points. Therefore, we don’t have to show up for the Ted Corbitt 15k on December 15th. But I’m pretty sure we want to run this one for team spirit, to celebrate our health and fitness, and savor the moment of being strong and one.
Captain Hank