Marathon Sunday always seems like a block party of sorts. This year’s 26.2-mile celebration of spirit and endurance flew by on the wings of strong winds as runners and spectators alike braved chilly temperatures and fierce gusts. Our staffers reported from various spots along the blustery route.
Paper Victories and High Fives
MILE 8 (PARK SLOPE) – Spectators huddled on the sidelines holding signs, wrapped in winter coats usually reserved for later in the year, hoping to see loved ones running the marathon route, which starts in Staten Island and ends in Central Park.
But others with no connection to any racers showed up, too, undeterred by the cold or constant rush of trash swirling high off the ground into their faces, to uphold their own marathon traditions.
“I get motivated by them because they’re coming from so far,” said Mina Rutti, 63, a visitor to the race’s sidelines for more than 30 years.
BRAWNY TASK: Mina Rutti is the marathon’s paper towel lady. (Photo by: Karen Shakerdge)
Besides a short stint handing out lollipops, she has been there, every year, armed with paper towels for runners to wipe away sweat or blow their noses.
“It’s incredible,” she smiled, stretching her arm long over the blue “do not cross” police tape, waving a paper towel at the runners. In her other hand, she clutched a plastic bag full of paper towels already cut into pieces.
Not far away, two oversized, handmade signs in the shape of palms that read “HI 5” bobbed up and down. Underneath, Ana Galo, 35, shouted to runners, calling them by the names written on their shirts and tags.
BIG HAND: Michael Cantone gave runners a giant high five in Brooklyn. (Photo by: Karen Shakerdge)
“Let’s go, Tara! Let’s go! High fives! Let’s go, Columbia! Come on guys, let’s go! High fives! Yeah, good job!” she yelled.
Runners slowed down to high five the “HI 5” signs, laughing and thanking Galo and her husband Michael Cantone, 47. She said that they have turned out for the marathon for the past eight years, rain or shine.
“We never had anyone to see, either,” said Galo. “It’s just for fun.”
– Karen Shakerdge
Walk on By
MILE 11 (WILLIAMSBURG) – By 3 p.m., almost all the runners had passed Bedford Avenue at North 3rd Street. The spectators were gone, and the volunteers were sweeping away the thousands of paper cups that littered the ground. Police officers pulled streamers off the trees as red balloons floated into the sky above.
A few stragglers remained on the course. One of them, Terry Frost, just couldn’t run anymore. His knee hurt and it was cold. But he was determined to keep going. So he walked and walked, relying on two walking sticks for support.
“If you don’t allow something to stop you,” said Frost, 60, “it won’t stop you.”
STICKING TO IT: Terry Frost doesn’t let a knee problem stop him from competing. (Photo by: Beimeng Fu)
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Frost first ran the marathon in 1984. He’s only missed two races since: in 1999, he ran in Chicago instead, and the 2012 marathon was canceled because of Hurricane Sandy. Not even three major surgeries on his left knee have slowed him down.
“They called us disabled, but I prefer the term ‘inconvenienced,’” he said.
Frost kept going, at his own pace, sticks at his side. He finished at the halfway mark, his goal.
– Beimeng Fu
The Sounds of Music
MILE 15 (LONG ISLAND CITY) – Music filled the air – along with high winds.
Yellow Red Sky, a Jewish rock band, performed courtesy of the Chabad Long Island City. The center’s director, Rabbi Zev Weinberg, ran the marathon in 2010 and since has hired a live band to cheer on the runners with classic rock and traditional Jewish songs, like “Hava Nagila.”
Two blocks down Vernon Avenue, the William Cullen Bryant High School band played jazz.
COOL JAZZ: The William Cullen Bryant High School band played on. (Photo by: Natasha Madov)
“We have been doing this for nine years,” said band director Eric Tichman. “It is a great bonding experience for the students. They talk about this all year long afterwards.”
Tichman said he loves watching the costumed runners and the unusual ones. “There is the lighthouse, Paddington Bear,” he said. “But I am always impressed by the juggler. How he manages to run 26 miles while juggling, I don’t know.”
– Natasha Madov
Dreaming of Mimosas
MILE 22 (HARLEM)– The bitter cold wind whipped as runners whizzed – or, in some cases, wheezed – their way down 123rd street, a mere four miles from the coveted finish line.
GETTING CLOSE: Runners begin the final four miles in Harlem. (Photo by: Monica Melton)
While the Marathon gets more applicants every years, some spectators said they harbored no urge to join the race in years to come.
“Hell no!” said Heather Gaines. “It looks so miserable. I’m proud of all the runners but I’d rather go to brunch. I want to be handing out mimosas to people.”
Nearby, restaurateur David Seatts stepped outside of his apartment to catch a glimpse of the race.
“I think it’s ridiculous to run 26 miles on concrete,” he said. “It’s insane, everyone has something to prove… I wouldn’t do it even if I could.” And with that, he excused himself to go back to his apartment to make a steak, a green salad and a mimosa.
– Monica Melton
Uphill Battle for Wounded Warriors
MILE 26 (CENTRAL PARK) – Michael Spivey stood on the sidelines of Mile Marker 26, waiting for some friends to finish the race. Unlike hundreds of others nearby, he was not holding any inspirational sign. The only ornamentation he usually carries is a Purple Heart from his 2004 Afghanistan tour. But on Sunday, the medal was in Fort Bragg, N. C., where Spivey serves in the U.S. Army.
Spivey, a chief warrant officer and a Kiowa helicopter instructor pilot, made the 550-mile trip up to New York to support the Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans, with 25 members represented in this year’s race.
As one of them came speeding by on a hand-cycle, Spivey’s eyes lit up. “You got this, Dick! Last hill before the finish, almost there! Team Achilles!” After taking a moment to compose himself, Spivey exclaimed, “Do you know who that is? That’s Dick Traum!”
MARATHON HERO: Pioneering racer Dick Traum nears the finish line. (Photo by Justin Joffe)
In 1976, Traum became the first amputee to compete in the New York City Marathon. Since 1983, his nonprofit group, Achilles International, has provided athletic training to more than 10,000 people living with disabilities worldwide. Achilles launched the team of wounded warriors to provide support and motivation for soldiers returning home wounded from battle.
Spivey’s placement at this pivotal point along the track was no coincidence. As Team Achilles members climb up the trying final incline, grunting and furiously turning the wheels on their hand cycles, he explained, it helps to have someone on the sidelines who knows what their cause represents.
“Competing is important because it gives wounded warriors a chance to continue to be athletes.” said Spivey, who would not go into detail about how he earned a Purple Heart. “They are fellow warriors and I am proud to help cheer them on and remind them that their sacrifices are not forgotten.”
As members of The Freedom Team passed, he listed those who have inspired him, like Cedric King, a double amputee who ran the whole race on prosthetics.
“It is important for me as a soldier to continue to help my brothers and sisters in arms however I can,” he added, his eyes fixed on the racers whirring past.
– Justin Joffe
Bucket List Cross-Off
FINISH LINE – After her husband’s death 10 years ago, Meredith Trammell became a single mother to three toddlers. Running in the New York City Marathon dropped to the bottom of Trammell’s bucket list.
But now that her “babies” are old enough to stay for longer periods with their grandparents, Trammell, 45, knew it was time to pursue her one-time goal.
For Trammel, an attorney in Tallahassee, the race wasn’t only about her personal goals. She was running as part of the Team For Kids, a program that offers free physical education programs to children in underserved schools.
Five miles from the finish line, about the time most runners hit “the wall,” Trammell broke into a sprint.
“I wanted to have a strong finish and I did,” she said after the race.
Tired and cold, but happy, she smiled and clutched at the medal around her neck.
“Now I have one less item on my bucket list,” Trammell said. “It was a thrill of a lifetime. I loved every bit of it!”
– Natasha Scully
DONE DEAL: The finish line proved a scene of joy. (Photo by: Natasha Scully)
