The New York Road Runner’s have chosen Team IOH to be a part of the 2012 ING NYC Marathon charity program. With the 5 spots awarded, the Team IOH goal is to raise at least $50,000 (each team member with a goal of $10,000), which will send 10 families on the NYC Legacy Retreat this November. One spot on the team is still available.
Contact Lisa Duscio, lisa@inheritanceofhope.org, if you are interested in joining this inaugural Team IOH NYC Marathon team. If you are a runner, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to run this prestigious marathon on November 4th and support IOH families. With just one spot left, you need to act fast.
“What’s it like to run the NYC Full?”…
Let me tell you my experience. 🙂 In July of 2007, I had decided I wanted to run the ING NYC Marathon, my first marathon, so I contacted the NYRRs to register. At that time, little did I know that it was one of the most popular races in the world, and it was extremely difficult to secure a spot. They told me my only chance to run would be to contact a charity to see if they had any spots available. And so I did, and here I am still charity running to this day – and loving it!
The race runs through the 5 boroughs of NY, starting on Staten Island. I arrived at the starting corrals about 6 a.m. It was cold and people were everywhere – layered in parkas and sweat pants, ready to discard these when the race began. There was camaraderie between runners, religious services, food, music and other festivities. Something for everyone. The official start time was 10:10, with the elite females starting a half hour earlier in the front, followed by the wheelchairs and then males – and, of course, then the ‘rest’ of us.
It took me about 30 minutes to cross the start line once the race began. As I neared the line, Frank Sinatra was singing through the load speakers, “if I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere … New York, New York!” What a way to start this race! We headed over the Staten Island Bridge, helicopters hovered over us, fire boats spouted water below, and the beautiful Manhattan skyline was off to the left. We entered Brooklyn and there were nonstop people through the entire borough. Cheering, clapping, shouting, banging drums, eating, drinking – all of us runners felt like we were the life of the party!
We then entered Queens and headed over a red carpeted bridge towards Manhattan. Near the end of the bridge was a sign, “If you think 10 is easy, welcome to easy!” Of course, that was mile 16.2 in the race. Entering Manhattan, we ran up 1st Avenue with wall to wall people again. The spectators are great at this race! I continued to run north through Manhattan and touched the southern tip of the Bronx. Then I reentered Manhattan and ran through Central Park for the final miles. Again, people were everywhere cheering us on.
I crossed the finish line in Central Park where eager volunteers placed a finisher medal over my head and handed me a bag of food. I was starving at this point! It had been a long day because of the early morning. The last few miles, I could think of nothing but eating! I cleaned up and then hopped on a rickshaw with my friend and was driven through Times Square to Grand Central Station. I couldn’t get a taxi – the rickshaw was a great alternative. I had the biggest smile you can imagine on my face!
I will always remember my journey before and during the 2007 ING NYC Marathon. The run was especially significant because it marked a milestone in my journey of battling life-threatening cancer. After a year of treatments between 2001 and 2002, I had worked hard to rehabilitate my body through nutrition and exercise, and this was my opportunity to push my body harder than I had ever chosen to. Chemo, surgery, and radiation were administered out of protocol and necessity, this marathon was a choice – my choice. A choice that I will always cherish and thank God that I had the opportunity to make.
