By Ernest Joseph – November 2005

Marathoners at Turkey Trot (L to R) – Joe Cymerman, Alisa Carbone, Laura Michello, Grandma Killeen, Bill Carpenter, Steve “chicken” Joseph, Joann Hodges, Laura Dimarino, Ernest Joseph and Anthony Ferraro.

While running in this past spring’s San Blas Half Marathon in Puerto Rico, members of the RRR team realized that the marathons they planned to run in the fall of 2005 would be on the same day. Instantly they thought of a team competition. After all, a competition would allow RRR members running these marathons to train together. A goal of competing against one another while training with one another would make the training period enjoyable. (Hmmm, the words marathon training and enjoyable in the same sentence!!!???) But today, looking back, each and every one of the participants would wholeheartedly agree that not only did they have fun, they also trained to be in the best possible shape for October 9^th.

So, what was at stake? Bragging rights for the winning team; and turkey/pilgrim costumes at RRR’s Turkey Trot for the losing team. That’s enough to cause sleepless nights for some. After months of bantering, teasing, trying to change rules to one’s advantage, practicing voodoo on the rival team, and planting Gatorade with unknown salt to knock the opponents out, the teams were ready. It does not get any better than this!

The team captains were Kathleen Daly (Steamtown) and Joann Hodges (Chicago). Thirteen of the twenty-five or so RRR members running Steamtown and ten for Chicago had agreed to participate in the challenge and follow the rules set by captains Kathy and Joann. When the Steamtowners drove to Scranton the day before, they faced torrential rain and at that point it looked like they were going to have a very wet marathon. Meanwhile the weather forecast for Chicago was sunny and mild! Fortunately on the marathon day the rain held off and the conditions were ideal for both marathons.

Both teams took advantage of ideal conditions and scored many personal bests, some by as much as 30 minutes. At Steamtown former county champion from North Rockland Danny Cruz was running his first marathon and cruised at a Boston qualifying time of 2 hrs. 58 min., stopping to stretch along the way! Danny joined the training group for long runs and at times was humbled by the distance. But he learned fast, using training abilities sharpened during his track days. The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat! Alisa Carbone, injured during early part of the year, mostly had low but quality mileage with Laura Dimarino and long runs with the group. Alisa ran steady with Bill “the metronome” Carpenter to finish in 3 hrs. 41 minutes. This was a PR for both and a Boston qualifier for Alisa. Alisa was pleasantly surprised since qualifying for Boston was not in her plans. Bill, who came back to long distance running two years ago, is hoping that his improved training and advancing years will come together with a Boston qualifying time at Steamtown 2007, or 2017.

Ernest, Laura Michello, Mitch Pollack and Rafi Shrem were planning to run a 3:30 marathon, and Ernie was the metronome for this group. They started out on pace, joking along the way as if this was just another long run in Harriman. Laura was joking about how she successfully managed to qualify for Phoebe Snow division after gulping down gallons of Gatorade and stuffing loose change in her pocket. Laura and Ernie had met a year ago at David’s Bagels via Kathleen and had agreed that qualifying for Boston in the fall would be possible with the right kind of training. Laura stayed focused during the year doing daily runs with the six o’clock group and was ready. As she reached mile 25, and realized that she will be going to Boston even if she walks rest of the way, the emotions of accomplishment and joy started to flow. You see, Laura had to fight off few side stitches along the way, and it was not easy. But the pride you gain is worth the pain, and so she persevered. She dashed to the finish line, holding off tears as her husband Vinny was calling out her name. The clock read 3:34. Ten seconds later Ernie followed, both proud of the mission accomplished and realizing the vision they shared a year ago. And guess who was the Phoebe Snow division winner? Laura is still waiting for the trophy to arrive. Mitch needed 3:30 for Boston and he stayed focused the entire way, just missing his goal by 80 seconds! It’s only a matter of time, Mitch. Rafi was hoping to get under 3:35 but managed to finish in 3:42. Captain Kathleen Daly ran her PR of a sub-4-hour marathon. Anthony Ferraro and Joe Cymerman were running their first marathons. They executed their plans perfectly by running sub-4 hour marathons. Steve Joseph had a tough day. Anyone can run 20 miles. It’s the next six that counts. And so Steve ran and finished with his heart, scoring valuable points for the team. So did Robert Goldsmith. Brenda McCarville ran with a huge smile on her face from mile 1 to the finish.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, there were some fast times recorded too. Logan Scott, running his second marathon, had mentioned that he would like to run a 3:10 marathon. He lived up to his potential by clocking 3:09. Laura Dimarino, who wanted to slay the dragons that had haunted her at Boston, redeemed herself at Chicago with a solid performance of 3:19. Tim Hodges ran with Laura for a while, but a stomach ailment forced him to slow down a little and he finished in an impressive 3:32. Captain Joann Hodges, JC Santa Teresa, Jerry Quigley, Teresa Kenny, Marie “Grandma” Killeen, Enilda Indyk and Matthew Clement ran the times they were expecting.

Age-graded performance tables were used to offset the age differences among the participants and to determine the winning team. As a result, grandma Killeen and Enilda Indyk scored as high as Danny Cruz, Logan Scott and Laura Dimarino based on this scoring system.

A post marathon breakfast was held at Patti & Sean Daly’s beautiful home on the Hudson River and the Steamtowners were declared the winners by mere half a point. The close result reflected perfectly a year during which they all had trained together and obviously performed at the same level.

Many from both teams decided to wear costumes at the Turkey Trot to reflect the outcome and to celebrate camaraderie and friendship they developed during the year. A quote from Jesse Owens comes to mind – Friendships are born on the field of athletic strife and are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded but friends gather no dust. A fitting conclusion to the team challenge.

Note – From Hopkinton to Copley Square…Ted Pernicano and I along with Taconic Road Runners had trained together and qualified for 2001 Boston. This was my first Boston!

It seems redundant to write about Boston. So much has been written about its rich tradition and history, about Roberta Gibb and the defining moment, about women of Wellesley and The heartbreak hill, about the CITGO sign and……Well, anyone who is a runner sooner or later learn about the history of Boston Marathon. The allure of this race is so great, that the journey from Hopkington to Copley Square is considered a pilgrimage. The distinction to participate as a qualifier is so high that virtually all marathons in USA attest to Boston’s preeminence in sport by quoting “Boston Qualifier” on their application forms.

Earlier forecast predicted chance of shower, but the race day started out as a sparkling, fresh and clean spring day. As the yellow school bus pulled away from Boston and away from those kind volunteers clad with warm smile and bright red jacket, the excitement started to build. Forty-five minutes later, those bright red jackets appeared again in Hopkinton and welcomed us to the Athlete’s village. Johnny “the elder” Kelly was on hand for inspiration. Recently named “Runner of the century” by Runner’s World magazine, Mr. Kelly spoke few words of wisdom; which if summed up in one sentence, it would mean something like what Doc Sheehan used to say: winning is never having to say I quit. Finally, the moment arrived. Runners were asked to fill the corrals at the starting line. This is the moment when one can easily get teary-eyed, an emotion more likely to be displayed at the finish line. But when one realizes how much hard work, sacrifices, disappointments as well as successes has finally led them to this particular starting line, emotions start to overflow. And as if this was not enough to pump the runners up, a fly-by salute from two F-16s during the Star Spangled Banner got the runners really fired up and ready to go.

Boston course goes through 8 different municipalities, unlike those popular one-city Marathons. Start is in Hopkinton. Here, the runners feel that the triumph is ahead. With a narrow start, it takes few miles before one can really start to move with some freedom. Soon, runners enter Ashland, the original starting point in 1897. At this point, belief is essential. Stick to the plan. Still long way to go. Next is Framingham. As the race now well in to 5 miles, runners have finally started to settle down within their desired pace, checking their watches, which most of them must have started after crossing the starting line. A wise move, since it took several minutes for most of us to reach the starting line. But thank heavens for Champion-Chip. Miles 9 to 11 goes through the town of Natick. As we passed Lake Cochituate, one runner wondered and commented if this was the lake where Tarzan Brown took a quick dive en route to an easy victory.

Next, a sign “Entering Wellesley” greets the runners. Everyone knows now what to expect. As we near the Wellesley College, the hum started to pick up in intensity, and suddenly became deafening sound. Although greeting runners with this high-pitched, non-stop ear-splitting screams is a long tradition, it has not made the official list of traditions published by the college, which include hoop-rolling and stepsinging. But official or not, these were genuine and heartfelt cheers for runners. And wait, there seems to be a new tradition taking roots. Besides cheering the runners on, the second thing on the “must do before graduation” list of Wellesley women is to be kissed by a runner. There were enough “kiss me” signs hoisted, and some runners were happy to oblige too! Runners are now closing on halfway mark of 13.1 miles. However, most of the runners do not find Wellesley too painful. Some even find strength to do few push-ups in front of this delirious crowd. But hey, most bachelor runners would not mind pausing here for a semester or two! California’s Josh Cox, the 14^th overall finisher with looks of Brad Pitt took a temporary lead in the race at this point. Nobody is sure if this was a tactical move or just an adrenaline rush. Later in an interview, he said his buddies would never let him forget about this move for a long time. As runners leave Wellesley, they are reminded that the strength is within.

Next is city of Newton, famous for its hills, including heartbreak hill. At this point, runners must believe that fear is irrelevant. Crowd support here was tremendous, even larger than the previous towns. This really helps. A woman in front had this inscription on back of her T-shirt: “I may have the looks of an angel, but I run like Hell”. She was handling the hills very well. Hell’s Angel, I suppose. As runners crest the heartbreak hill, 20.5 miles are behind and most of the hard work is history. Or is it? After all, this is what runners have trained for. Those hill workouts during long winter months have finally paid off. Now runners enter Brookline and all seems downhill. Hope weakness caused by climbing those hills of Newton is only temporary. CITGO sign is getting larger and larger, but still elusive. Right before the sign, the Mass. Turnpike overpass looms ahead like an intimidating hill. If the previous hill was a heartbreak hill, this one certainly feels like a Heartcrusher hill, as it comes at an inopportune time in the race: mile 25. But now it’s show time for runners. Time to show their mental toughness. In plain English, just suck it up and get over it. Some runners now started to walk. But there was this young runner who caught everyone’s attention. Not because she was wearing this diamond stud on her nose, which was sparkling in the setting sun, but rather what she was accomplishing. She was targeting the walkers and encouraging them to start running. And she was doing darn good job of it too, as all those walkers now started to break into longer running strides. A Robin Hood among runners, I suppose.

Finally, Copley Square and the finish line banner are in sight. Yeah baby, Boston is forever! Upon crossing the finish line, medals are placed around runner’s neck by those kind volunteers in bright red jacket and warm smile. The Unicorn, symbol of B.A.A and Boston marathon adorns the medal. No one is certain why Unicorn was chosen, but in Chinese mythology, it represents that which is to be forever pursued but can never be captured. And I think that is so fitting for this Marathon, which has been in the past and will always in future be pursued by runners of all ages in their relentless pursuit of meeting the qualifying standards.

By Ernest Joseph

This year at Boston, few of us teamed up and participated in team competition. In Women’s open division, Sarah Muhlbradt, Allison Schulman, Carol Guzinski, Jessica Hanley and Laura Dimarino finished in 21^st place and 3^rd as a NY State team. In Women’s masters division, Miriam Kaminer, Lucia Chapman and Olga Carriel were the first NY team to finish in 26^th place overall. In Men’s masters division, Pat Parietti, Gokhan Ozuner, Nick Arcuri and Ernest Joseph were 3^rd NY team to finish in 57th place.

For a lot of runners, the Boston experience is really more about qualifying for it than actually running it. But for us, that was not enough. Our training over the winter was geared towards racing Boston, and not just running it as “last 26.2 miles of our journey.” Those cold winter workouts in single digit temperatures, often in the dark running around the track with head lamp had prepared us well to race the race.

Sarah Muhlbradt was our first finisher in 3:19:31, followed by Allison “Ally-cat” Schulman in 3:34:30. Sarah and Carol are Penn State alumni and they trained together with Allison during the winter. As a 22 year old, Allie had qualified for Boston in her first ever 26.2 mile endeavor in NYC marathon 2004, and the idea of running another race of this magnitude 5 ½ months later seemed like the next logical challenge to tackle. “Some finish lines just mean more than others. It’s What Happens in Boston.”  Was the BAA promoted phrase displayed during the Patriot Day Weekend. In Allie’s own words: “If I had heard this poignant phrase from above prior to my training and race preparation reaching its climax, I may have just shrugged it off as a mere marketing scheme of the BAA to promote its featured event of the 109^th Boston Marathon.  However, as the days got closer to April 18^th, I honestly became astonished at the vast degree of truth that emerged within this catchy phrase.  Regardless of how much pain, exhaustion, and discomfort I felt as the finish line came into sight, an undeniable numbing sensation rushed through my body as I was finally making the long awaited momentous left turn onto Boylston Street.  Despite knowing my legs were shacking, quads were burning, shoulders and back were slugging towards the pavement, and my signature running form of high elbows were so high they probably could have knocked anyone out within five feet, this finish line experience stood its claim as holding the highest magnitude of glory and accomplishment.  Perhaps the actual appearance of my running posture and physical fatigue were not quite the eloquent, swift, cheek to cheek smiling experience I had imagined in my head during months of training on the streets, trails, and track, but nevertheless, for that moment in my life the deafening cheers from the crowd and the plethora of support lining both sides of the streets truly exemplified the Boston Marathon finish line as something like none other!”

Ernest followed in 3:35:51, enjoying the course and the spectator’s response to “Ernie” penned on his arms. Pat ran 3:42:32 and Gokhan finished in 3:49:57. Olga; whose running potential is yet to be determined, ran strong and steady in 3:50:15, best marathon time in her second marathon ever. Lucia who finished in 4:00:14 is our new addition to the team via Taconic Road Runners for this special mission of completing women’s master’s team. Thank you Lucia for being a team member and hope you will enjoy being part of our team as well. Nick was in the race under an invitational entry from Verizon Wireless. Despite not achieving his personal goal, Nick had a great time at Boston. In his own words: “who would turn away a chance to run in the Boston Marathon? I’d like to blame my difficulties on the heat, but who knows it could have also been the hills of Newton or any of a number of reasons that left me about 35 minutes shy of my goal of breaking four hours. The dinner the night before with some of the team members in the North End was wonderful and so were the spectators along the race (despite their obsession with the Red Sox game that was being played that day).  In addition to the orange slices, bananas, wet sponges and paper towels, they provided all the encouragement a runner needs to make it to the finish.”

Miriam Kaminer, our senior-most member at age 64, ran an impressive 4:39:52. We hope to hear from Miriam about her past running experiences in the future.

The marathon is a distance far enough to test the human limits under all conditions. One aspect we did not have control over is how we will feel that morning. Carol Guzinski, who had run 3:02 Disney marathon in January finishing among top 3 females, was nursing injury and decided to just finish this race which she did in 4 hours. Like Miriam, Carol has been an inspiration to us all and we are glad she is part of the team. Laura and Jess had some ailments to deal with in the race but managed to finish side by side in 4:08:16. In Jess and Laura’s words: “We didn’t quite run the time we were hoping for, but we were very glad that we had each other to lean on in the latter stages of the race. The minute or two differences in our times wasn’t worth leaving each other. This marathon ended up being more then a race; it was a sign of friendship.”

Two weeks prior to the spring marathons, the following quote from Rolf Arands was sent to spring marathoners for inspiration: “There will come a point in the race, when you alone will need to decide. You will need to make a choice. Do you really want it? You will need to decide.”

Little did we know how true it would turn out to be during our journey from Hopkinton, MA to the hub in downtown Boston. Some of us who were fortunate to have a good day decided to take advantage and finished strong, while some who were not as fortunate, decided to run with pride, putting friendship ahead of individual times. It truly was a team effort.

By Ernest Joseph

Several club members ran Steamtown Marathon on October 10^th, 2004. Logan Scott, Bill Carpenter and Olga Carriel were making their marathon debut, while Steve Ozer and Tom Gannon were on their annual pilgrimage to Scranton as usual. Also running were Kathy Mahoney, Peggy Marzell, Pat Parietti, Josephine Patten, Lisa Ashford, JC Santa Teresa and Ernest Joseph.

The marathon starts in Forest City, PA and ends in downtown Scranton, with a total elevation drop of 900 feet. There were about 1700 starters and they were treated with an excellent race organization and spectacular foliage along the course. RRR was well represented as you can see, and all of us ran sub 4-hour marathon! We even had our own RRR cheering squad all along the course: Jerry and Myrna at mile 6 or so and then again at mile 20, Teresa Kenny and Grandma Killeen at mile 10 or so and Kathy Daley at mile 16 or so. Here are some comments from the very elated RRR finishers:

Lisa Ashford: “I was glad to be running with Bill Carpenter, because around mile 23, my quads were screaming and burning, but running with Bill helped and we both finish in 3:53”.

Olga Carriel: “Dear Ernest & JC, Congratulation for such a great times in Steamtown Marathon, you did fabulous guys & thanks for a good training. I did have a good time at Steamtown”. Note – Olga, being modest, actually had a great time, considering this was her first and in 3:52. Her next goal is to qualify for Boston.

Ernest Joseph: “JC and I had planned this run a year ago, deciding to run together, which was a first for me but as you may know, a common gesture for JC. Our goal was to run 3:30 or better, and the pact before the race was that I would not leave his side, but JC can do so after mile 20. Well, JC took me upon that and finished strongly in 3:27 and I followed in 3:31, very satisfied with our results. I think this effort was more satisfying for JC, considering that he had to remove his right sock at mile 11, because it was bothering him and restricting his strides and run rest of the race without a sock!”

Logan Scott: “My first attempt at doing a marathon in 2003 ended with a training injury.  As many people can relate to, it was a frustrating experience.  With the help of my fellow RRR’s, I was able to train smarter this year and get to race day feeling healthy.

After a restless night in the hotel, I was eager to jump on that bus and get to the start. It was comforting to see fellow RRR members soon after arriving.  Being around so many experienced marathoners helped to calm my first-timer jitters, and I was very relaxed as the cannon boomed to kick off the race.

I ran the first three miles under the confident tutelage of Ernest Joseph and JC Santa Teresa. They were exactly on pace.  Of course, I had too much adrenaline coursing through my system to be that sensible for long.  I ended up surging ahead on a steep downhill stretch.  I then ran an erratic pace for the remainder of the first half (serves me right).

I went through the half marathon checkpoint in about 1:42:30, and then settled into a much more even pace.

The miles clipped by and I continued to feel strong. Those crazy runs we did up in Harriman Park and all those track workouts with Bernie Casserly and Bill Fortune were really paying dividends.

I finished 20 miles in 2:35. I realized I was on pace for a negative split, but my quads were starting to tell me otherwise. When I passed the 22-mile mark, every step was a new personal distance record.  My quads held up though, and I was able to maintain my pace through the hills in the upcoming miles.

The cheers I heard from the RRR supporters throughout the race were really fantastic. I heard Myrna Rivera screaming words of encouragement at about the moment I realized that I would definitely finish.  I was able to harness the energy and pick it up for the last miles.  I sprinted like a lunatic on the downhill finishing stretch spurred on by the cheers from my wife Teresa.

The finishing photo shows me nipping someone at the line. He is looking at me like “who is this jerk sprinting for two hundred and seventy something place”.  It was not the place or the time I cared about.  I was just thrilled to end the long journey of accomplishing my first marathon”.

Bill Carpenter: “For me, the start of the Steamtown marathon was more the end of a journey than the beginning of a race. I had been a pretty serious runner in the late 80’s, completing several 10K’s and a half marathon in Iowa City. I ran a few races after moving to New York, but gradually my running lifestyle had slipped away. Perhaps that one half marathon would be my high-water mark?

The fires of my marathon ambition started to be rekindled on New Year’s Eve, 2003, when I resolved to lose some weight. Eventually, by the time I toed the line in Forest City, I would be a lesser man by some 60 pounds (South Beach diet – but that’s another story). In March, as winter loosened its grip, I hit the roads with a low-key group of running friends in Stony Point. Lisa, who was to become my Steamtown training and running partner probably remembers me wheezing my way up the 1-mile hill on Suffern Lane. After a few weeks the wheezing improved to panting and finally to cruising, but the thought of running a marathon this year was still little more than a flicker of an idea. By May, however, I had fallen in with bad company – the 6:00 group at Rockland Lake – whose war stories of marathons past fueled a growing desire. A few days before the deadline, I applied for New York. Then …… disappointment. Not accepted. Oh well, there’s always next year. But, what about this Steamtown marathon that my work buddy Ernest rates so highly? It’s not as prestigious, and its 4 weeks earlier, so even less time to train, but the more I heard, the more intrigued I became.

So, I kind of backed into Steamtown, but after the decision was made, everything clicked. My favorite running quote is the one from Juma Ikangaa, winner of the 1989 NYC Marathon: “The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare”. So prepare I did, with the help of just about every running buddy, acquaintance or complete stranger in Rockland County. The recollections of the marathon itself will always be golden in my memory, but they are crowded on all sides by flashbacks from that long summer of training, when all my running was fresh and new again. The 6:00 group at Rockland lake, new friends now as comfortable as an old slipper. Coffee at Sparky’s after Saturday morning runs in Stony Point. The shared pain of the track workouts in Pearl River. Running “Golf Course Hills” on Fridays. The Haverstraw trail, reopened just in time.  The South Nyack 10-miler, just at the right time for a pre-marathon tune-up, and a confidence builder (according to some arcane prediction formula) that I could break 4 hours on the day.

I only made it to one of the “Bear the Mountain” runs, but it was a transcendent experience. Runners from Rockland and Westchester, old friends and new, disembarking from their cars in the early morning stillness of the Silvermine parking lot. A light drizzle sifting softly through the trees. Mist rising like smoke from the lakes bordering the road that unwinds ahead of us. Congenial companions talking about what runners talk about – the nagging injuries they carry with them and the races they should have done better in. Fourteen miles slips by like a dream, a new distance milestone for me, but there’s much more to come. Long runs of 18 and 20 miles come and go, stored away for the future like winter firewood. My last long run is scheduled for September 18^th, the day Hurricane Ivan finally gets here and the planned Bear Mountain run is washed out. Some last minute e-mailing secures 5 or 6 runners who will run at least part of the way, and Lisa and I splash our way round Rockland Lake for a final 20-miler. It’s done. The hay is in the barn, as someone is fond of reminding us. Time to taper.

The day of the race dawns colder than any day that I’ve run in training. That’s good, actually, but it just adds to the first marathon nerves. Will my singlet be too cold? What should I eat? How much should I drink before the start? I settle on my “Bear the Mountain” shirt – a good choice because the bright yellow stands out in the crowd. I breakfast on waffles, and I drink too much for a cold day, requiring two pit stops in the first 14 miles! After a seemingly interminable bus trip from downtown Scranton (are we really going to run all the way back?), we unload at Forest City high school, where we are treated like royalty. Only after hearing the horror stories from New York do I realize how lucky I am to have chosen Steamtown for my first marathon. There’s plenty of familiar faces inside, if not always familiar names. Quicker than I expected, it’s time to line up outside, and we’re off! “Don’t go out too fast” is the mantra that has been drummed into my head whenever I’ve asked for advice in the preceding months. So I don’t. Ever the scientist, I have the intended splits for every mile taped to my wrist, and Lisa and I pretty much stick to them, showing up at the 7.7 mile viewpoint within seconds of the time we told our families to be there. We’re running a relaxed pace of 9 minute miles, giving us plenty of opportunity to enjoy the Pennsylvania countryside, the fall colors luminous in the early morning sun, and the small towns we pass through, main streets lined with spectators and well-wishers. The halfway point passes easily enough, and we hit an 8:35 pace before we stop briefly at the mile 16 viewpoint to gel up and exchange a few words with our families. It’s a bit of a grind through mile 20, but we keep the pace and we are on target to break 4 hours. It’s what lies beyond that worries me, it’s all uncharted territory from here. Still, there’s only 6 miles to go, we can almost taste it, and we are both running strong.

At mile 23, Lisa’s quads begin to cramp up. Here’s a dilemma. We’ve trained together, and run this far together, but what if we fall off the sub 4-hour pace? Will I leave her behind, or stick with her? But Lisa’s a tough competitor and I don’t have to make that choice. Grimacing and groaning softly, she’s still holding a 9:02 pace, and we’re passing people going up the hills. Two hundred yards shy of the finish, we spot our spouses and my daughter for the last time, then we are across the line, the time on the clock is 3:54 and change, and we made it!

Some people cross the finish line of their first marathon and say “never again”. My first thought was “this is great, when can I do it again”. So perhaps this Steamtown marathon was the beginning of a journey after all. A longer journey than I ever imagined at the beginning of the year, and one that has no final destination. In the words of a song: “The road goes on forever and the party never ends”.

Ernest Joseph – July 2004

The relentless pursuit for a marathoner is to improve upon their PR, and even try to qualify for the Boston marathon in the process. And to achieve that, a marathoner usually follows 18-week or 12-week training programs that are out there designed by some prominent physiologists and marathoners of our time. One common aspect of these programs is the requirement of long runs leading up to the marathon. Such a requirement makes marathoners design their runs in preparation for the big day.

In 1983 while training for the Philadelphia marathon, John O’Leary of Beacon- NY, Pat Cusack and Rusty Gillis of Cornwall – NY suggested approx. 18 miles run in the Harriman / Bear Mountain State Parks. John had this idea that to run a really successful marathon you had to control the time and effort on the second half of the race. John was training to qualify for Olympic trials, while my friends Patrick Cusack and Rusty Gillis were training to improve their marathon times under 3 hours. Like every other marathoner, their focus was on the second half of the marathon, where without proper training one can wind up running significantly slower second half, resulting in a disappointing performance.

Keeping this in mind, the following route was designed. The run started at Bear Mountain Bridge on the Westchester side and went up to Lake Tiorati Circle and back, totaling 18 miles. The first 9 miles are all uphill except one steep down hill. But coming back, it’s all-downhill except one steep uphill. This would allow the runners to run the second half faster. To make the runs more challenging and longer than 18 miles, they would change the route once in a while by adding brutal Perkins drive or couple of loops of Hessian Lake in the mix. Obviously, this type of training prepares you both mentally and physically going in to a marathon. I find these runs humbling. Compared to these runs, an urban marathon does seem like a long run on a relatively flat terrain. Needless to say, their efforts were visible in their performances. During that year several people who trained with this group came and went during the 12 weeks of training. But for Pat, John and Rusty who stayed through the entire cycle, it was PR-time in Philly. John ran 2:18 (but later qualified for the trials at Washington Marathon) and Pat and Rusty ran in 2:40’s.

In 1997, with Pat Cusack as a remaining link, Taconic Road Runners Bronek Czech and Ted Pernicano also started joining these runs. I was the Rockland Road Runners link. The common bond between us besides being runners and friends is that we all work at Bayer HealthCare. Together, we continued to run this route until 9/11/01. After that, because of the elevated terror alert, we were not allowed to cross the bridge on foot. At this point, Bronek and I still wanted to keep up these very useful runs year round. So we now started running from the Bear Mountain inn to Lake Tiorati, but go beyond on the Arden Valley Road to make up for the lost distance form the Bridge. We also started calling the original run “Pat Cusack Memorial run” in part to tease Pat.

And yes, we also added a tradition of “new year’s run” which is usually run on last week-end of December and after that everyone goes out for a breakfast in the nearby town of Highland Falls. And our link to the past continues when Pat and Rusty try to make sure to join in this annual run.

Meantime, I also started running weekend runs with Rockland Road Runners in 2002 and in no time we were growing in numbers for these year-round-once-a-month excursions as my buddies from RRR started to join. JC Santa Teresa, Jeff Pfeffer and Steve Joseph even kept up with us during the 2002-2003 winter runs.

On one such run, as 15 or so of us were crossing the traffic circle on Route 6, the State Trooper reminded us that we should not be on the State Highway. In addition, our own trooper and moral majority of the group, Mrs. Debbie Frederick emphasized it again during the run. The message sunk in, and to avoid being finger printed, we decided to develop as challenging a run as this, but within the park roads. Fortunately, to find a challenge in these parks is not an issue. Shawn Fredrick, one of very few men I know who can actually read and follow a map (topographic and all) was quick to respond with Silver mine to Elk Pen route (15.2 miles) which covers “quad tester” Arden Valley Road. Soon, we scouted the area for long challenging runs and now we have at least 3 routes within the Harriman State Park and one in Bear Mountain State Park.

During one run in the Bear Mountain, Laura DiMarino commented that we should really call these runs “Bear the Mountain” Runs for its difficult terrain. Next thing we knew, last week the shirts were printed with the help of Debbie and Marilyn of Orange Road Runners.

As you can see, the legacy of something that was started in 1983 is still going strong. As in the past, we hope that the baton will be passed to the future marathoners and I can assure you that there will always be someone who will realize that how fortunate we are to have such a perfect training grounds in our own backyard and take advantage.

Picture – L to R: Steve Joseph, Jeff Pfeffer, Olga Carriel, Jessica Hanley, Ernest Joseph, Debbie Fredrick, David Read, Herb Conrad and Dave Badolato.