Surviving the 2014 NYC Marathon

The New York City Marathon had its beginnings in 1970 which was held entirely in Central Park.  Total event budget then was $1,000 with 127 participants.  In 1976, it took the 2,060 entrants to the streets of the five boroughs of New York – Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island.

Over the years, the NYC Marathon grew in size and number.  Record times were posted in both men and women’s categories and up to last year’s staging, the event was dominated by Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, they with the almost emaciated body structures.  Submitting run times of just a few minutes over two hours for the 42 kilometer distance, move over Vin Diesel, this is what “The Fast and The Furious” means.

The 2014 TCS-NYC Marathon held last November 2 was chilly, winds hitting runners colder than ice.  Imagine running in conditions similar to that of inside SnR’s walk-in freezer.  It had 50,896 registered starters of which 50,530 crossed the finish line.  This is a huge number by any standard.  And as in previous NYCMs staged, this year’s event was multi-national and the Philippines were well represented with 137 male and female runners.  Starting gun is passe.  The race was began with a loud boom from a cannon.

The male and female age categories were grouped into waves from aged 18 up to, would you believe, age 99, where a female runner finished in the 90-99 age group.  What’s surprising for me was that 195 finished in the 70-74 category, 47 in the 75-79 and 12 in the 80-89 group.  So, who says these people are old?  Old guys rule!  Wilson Kipsang of Kenya ruled the men’s category with a blistering pace of 2:10:59.  Another Kenyan, as usual, won the women’s side, Mary Keitany with a time of 2:25:07.

I “magically” found the chance to interview an NYCM finisher and considering his schedules are divided between his resto and family business and also handling the affairs of the northern town of Liloan as their local chief executive, Mayor Duke Frasco was gracious enough to accommodate me.  He finished the race at 29,394th overall with a time of 4:38:35.

How did you get in and qualify to the 2014 NYC Marathon?

- I got in the 2014 TCS-NYC Marathon through lottery.  I’ve been applying for the past four years and it was only in 2014 that I got in.

What was your preparation/training for the event?

- I followed a three-month training program that I got from the New York Road Runners (NYRR) website, the organizers of the TCS-NYCM.

November is usually the time of year that the NYCM is held and the weather that time could be very cold.  How did you cope?

- The weather was very cold.  It was 4 degrees Celsius plus the wind made it even colder.  I heard it was one of the coldest and windiest NYCM ever recorded.

Can you briefly describe the route?  How challenging/difficult was it?

- The marathon goes thru all the five boroughs of NYC starting at Staten Island, through Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Manhattan.  It was my first marathon so I can’t compare its difficulty to any other marathon, but I cramped up around mile 20 (32k) and was in pain until the finish line.

There is the ever-present terror threat.  How was the security and crowd control handled?

- With respect to security, I remember going thru at least 3 check points before getting in to the marathon village and throughout the race, police, security personnel and marshals were ever-present.

There were a large number of runners registered in different age groups.  How long were you in the staging are before your wave started?

-  I was in the fourth wave.  Our cannon start was at 10:50am.  My bus departed Times Square at 6:20am and we arrived at Staten Island a little past 7am.  Luckily, the training program that I bought from NYRR allowed me access in the VIP area which had heaters and hot coffee, much needed when you’re in 4 degree weather.

When were you most nervous?

- I was most nervous right before I got on the bus.  My Uber driver dropped me off two blocks away from my bus so I had to walk around Times Square a good 10mins before finally locating my bus.  I was afraid I would be left behind.

What were available along the course in relation to hydration and medical support?  How was the crowd along the route?

- There was a Gatorade and water station at every mile.  I also noticed medical support all throughout and at the end of the marathon.  The crowd was amazing, nothing I’ve ever compared.

Where were your family and friends at race start?  Did you meet them at the finish?

- They were waiting for me on 91st Street in Manhattan, right around mile 18.  Yes, they met up with me at the finish line, family reunion area.

137 runners represented the Philippines.  Do you know of any other Cebuanos who joined the race?

- I knew of one Cebuano, Dr. Verallo, but never got the chance to meet.

Will you be given an automatic entry for the 2015 NYCM?

- No automatic entry, but I plan to enter the lottery again.

In your family, who’s your biggest fan and who likes your sport most?

- My daughter Sofia, is probably my biggest fan.  After I passed them on mile 18, I was told by my wife Christina that she kept saying, “I want to run like Dada.”

Aside from long distance running and triathlons, what other sport would you like to compete in?

- Every now and then, I participate in golf tournaments.  I guess you can say I’m a tournament player.

If you have the influence on Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, what will you say to them on their proposed fight that has more chances of not going to happen?

- Do it for the fans..!

If you could be head coach of the NBA for one season, what team would it be?

- The Lakers, of course..! 

If you didn’t come to be Liloan’s mayor, where would you be?

- I’d be probably living in Los Angeles, CA still… and, most probably, practicing law or accounting.