Race Report: New York Mini-10k

Submitted by: Ursula Forrester

Destiny! Don't you sometimes believe in destiny? Sometimes certain things are just meant to be, meant to happen, and if you just put forth a little faith, you just know it will work out. Well, I believe it was destiny for me to run the New York Mini-10k this year. I already had a "daytrip" planned to New York and when a friend sent me a link to this race as something I may want to do, I knew I had to try. The race meant something to me right away when I saw the web site.

So, here's how it played out:

I pre-registered on Tuesday and investigated logistics.

I carefully packed my race stuff along with everything else I'd need for a day in New York City. Then boarded a bus late Friday night.

I changed into my running attire when we stopped at 5:00 a.m. in Maryland. I also organized my bags on the bus so I could promptly exit the bus and get to the race. The biggest unknown was "will the bus get there in time?"

Well, I stepped off the bus onto 48th Street, near 7th Avenue, at 8:10! Time to jog up to 67th Street in Central Park. I need to get my packet by 8:30.As I moved north on 7th Ave, I looked about at the New York streets, at the people, at the traffic, at the buildings, and I felt so happy and excited to be there. It was as if I had a secret that no one else around me knew. I had just hopped off a bus from NC and was running through the NYC streets on a mission of sorts. I was going to race through Central Park today!

I arrived at the pre-registration table at 8:29. I got my number, snapped it onto my race belt, applied my D-Tag to my shoe, retrieved my race t-shirt, and deposited my orange RMEC bag at the #8 baggage check pile.

Now, on to the porta-potty line and the starting corrals. Of course, the lines were long. I stepped into line at 8:39. At 8:56, I walk the last 200 yards or so to the starting corrals and had a couple minutes to spare. Whew! I made it!

I could hear Mary Whittenburg introducing Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher (who both spoke too). Then the race started.

As I neared the start line, I saw Kara greeting runners and shaking hands as they came by. So, I shook her hand too. Yay! What a great way to start a race.

As I crossed the start line, I began my journey around Central Park in a crowded sea of runners. Wall-to-wall runners. All women. Because this is an all women's race. It started as the first competitive race for women 39 years ago, originally orchestrated by Kathrine Switzer (my hero!).

The first couple miles were crowded. It wasn't really possible to get into a stride. Lots of dodging and weaving, surging and slowing. It was kind of strenuous. And it was obvious people didn't exactly line up according to their correct pace. But, I wasn't planning to approach this as a race; more just as a race experience. I was happy to be there; even in the middle of a crowded pack.

When I waited in the potty line, I talked with a "local" who runs through Central Park routinely. She gave me the low-down on the terrain to expect. And she was right. After the first couple miles, it would be a lot of up and down with the biggest hills (although not too bad) coming between miles 2 and 4. But there was a decent amount of downhill too. I kept thinking, do these downhills count as training for Steamtown? Yes, I think I'll count it!

At one point early in the race, there was a woman who got really vocal and ugly with another runner. She yelled "on your left, on your left!" I guess she wanted the other woman to move out of her way. But it was comical because where exactly did she think any of us were going to move in such a crowd? Wouldn't it have been nice for any of us to have a clear path? Who did she think she was? It was pretty funny. And then one minute later, the "ugly" woman had started walking! Run/walk strategy? Who knows? But, I had to laugh. To be so incensed at another runner and then to start walking, thus slowing the people behind her. Laughable! And interesting. Oh well. I got past her.

One unique fact about running the race through Central Park -- the race course was only on the right side (i.e., sort of the inside track). The left side was open to the usual park "foot traffic." I saw runners, walkers, dog owners, and roller-bladers. There were tons of people out for their usual Saturday morning outings.

Also, you know how squirrels sometimes run out in the middle of the street when you're driving through a residential neighborhood? And then they start to turn back, but do a "double-take?" They're so confused. Sometimes, they make the right call and go back. And...well, sometimes they don't. Well, one of the plumpest, and most furry squirrels I've ever seen ran over into the middle of the race course around mile 4.5. Keep in mind, the race course was littered with runners moving along at a nice pace. Just like observing it from the driver's seat. Good news for the squirrel though. He turned back and returned from whence he came. Several of us laughed out loud! You just don't see that everyday. At least not by foot.

By the time I was past the 5-mile mark, I was all smiles from that point on. Big smiles! Really, I was smiling almost the whole time. A big, proud, happy smile. I was running in Central Park in New York City. It was in the high 60's with reasonable humidity and a cool breeze blowing, in June. I was running a race among only women. Despite getting minimal sleep, I felt pretty good. I was following in the footsteps of amazing world-class athletes. I was in a race Kathrine Switzer started as a major milestone to further women's running. And whether I planned on racing today or not, I realized I was going to finish with a respectable time.

I didn't know exactly what my time was when I finished because I'd started my watch late, but I knew it was under an hour, perhaps between 56 and 57 minutes? So, I was very EXCITED to learn my time was 55:14. Not too shabby. And I ran negative splits! Well, that part is not too surprising. The crowds thinned out some after the half-way point.

There was a nice simple touch for all finishers...a pink carnation. Sweet!

So, now on to get my bag, call home, call my friend Mary (who had kindly offered to keep my backpack and also chose to cheer me on and watch the race! Awesome!), and head to the nearby YMCA for a shower and change. I then transformed from runner to "city girl" for the rest of the day. ;-) Oh, and by the way, the YMCA was most hospitable. That worked out fantastic.

What a race! It was awesome. Everything worked out just as I'd hoped. I took a chance. I had faith. And it came together. It was just meant to be. Destiny!