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My NYC Marathon Race Report
I embarked on a journey to run the New York City Marathon on November 1st with 13 other members of the PowerBar team globally along with close to 50 others from the Nestle running club in Switzerland. The race hosted over 43,000 participants. I feel that I could write a novel on this experience from the long lonely hours of training to the 5 hrs, 5 min and 53 seconds it took me to finish the 42.2KM trek on Sunday. I have been around a lot of marathons in my 17 years in Sports Nutrition but this was my first as a full marathon participant. I wanted to make sure I took in as much as I could as a participant given I am not sure when I will be able to run another marathon. Race day on Sunday was an early start. At 5:30am the team headed for our bus departure to the start line on Staten Island. Just after 6am we arrived at our destination very tired. My wave did not start until 10:20am so along with the rest of the PowerBar team we waited impatiently in a PowerBar tent at the start line for close to 4 hours, thankfully we had a warm place to sit with some coffee, bagels and PowerBar products to keep ourselves fuelled before the race start. It was very cold waiting for the race to start..we managed to have a few good laughs and shared some funny stories which made the wait time bearable. After a long 4 hours it was time for the race to start, we were herded like cattle into the corrals to begin the trek to the start line, I believe it took 6 minutes to get to the start line. The journey began with a climb up the Verrazano Narrows bridge and the conditions were cold and windy. However, the view of the city was awesome and the company was great with the PowerBar US team of Chad Comstock, Drew Stamm, Dave Paterson and Trish Griffin. I was excited and felt a bit nervous as I started to ascend the bridge... I ran with Chad for the first 15km and we enjoyed short conversations with each other up to the point where Chad made a pit stop and I kept going, I would meet him again later in the race. As we reached the crest of the Verrazano Narrows bridge I felt like I was on top of the world. As we descended into Brooklyn… a large Police officer was screaming ``Welcome to Brooklyn!``…It suddenly sunk in, as I heard those words, the day was finally here. From that point it was just sidewalks lined with spectators cheering and shouting words of encouragement, this relentless support continued to drive me forward over the 42.2 km. A truly remarkable experience. At some points in the race I felt like the bike riders in the Tour de France as spectators lined the streets allowing a small stream of runners through the crowd, very very cool. As I shuffled through the streets of Brooklyn it seemed like it was one section after another that displayed the ethnic diversity that makes New York so great. The one highlight in Brooklyn that has left an indelible mark on me was a gospel choir standing on the steps of a church belting out amazing music, I felt like I was at Carnegie Hall, I left this section gob smacked and at one point stopped running to listen. I will never forget the faces of the young, old, rich and poor that lined the streets of NYC on November 1st, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who extended a hand for a high five and the joy on their faces. It was amazing to me to see how a small gesture like the touch of a hand from a stranger could drive me onward through the challenge of the day. From Brooklyn we moved onto the Pulaski Bridge the half way point of the race and into Queens. I looked at my watch and realized this was the slowest half I had done in my training at 2:20 minutes but there was so much to take in ...the clock was not important to me at this point, yes I still wanted to have a decent time but I would not let myself miss the spectacle of the race. I felt good at this point in the race and felt I could have a strong finish. A couple of miles later the Queensboro Bridge appeared, it seemed like it would never end. This part of the race was tough I knew that after we crossed this bridge it was into the Bronx, I am a big baseball fan so all I could think about was that I was in proximity to Yankee Stadium. I scoured the skyline but could not locate the stadium. As we descended the bridge, I could see the crowds cheering and screaming and this revitalized me once more. The bridges were the loneliest part of the race for me as no spectators were allowed on the bridges so they seemed very very long and tedious. It was on to 1st Avenue in Manhattan where you could see the masses of runners for miles ahead, a sea of people. It was along 1st Avenue that as a participant you could find the PowerGel zone at mile 18. I could not wait to see the folks at the Gel Zone as it would be only 8 miles left. It was about 5 km after the Gel Zone that it seemed like someone hit my off switch. Suddenly it became difficult to do anything but walk, I really wanted to stop and stretch but I knew if I stopped I would end up crawling. At about 9 km to go I decided that crawling or stopping was not an option so I focussed on moving forward to the end. I would say I ended up walking 5 of the last 7 km despite the cheers from the crowd to ``Get moving PowerBar dude !`` I tried to run for about 200 meters and I walked for another 400 meters. I am not sure if this was the exact pattern but that is what it seemed like. I was pushing for a 50% walk and 50% run at this point but my body would just not respond. My sole focus at this point was the finish line. I stopped noticing the scenery and the animated spectators and instead focussed on not kissing the pavement, my legs and body were screaming for me to stop but I knew that was not an option at this point. I also knew that my family was anxiously waiting for my arrival at the finish. I was now in Central Park but how much further still to go?... the answer was Mile 24. I had 2 miles left. I walked and ran for about 1 mile then to my great relief I was joined by my old friend Chad Comstock who had been my running partner for the first 15km. Chad was suffering as well but he had a secret weapon with him in the name of Natalie Ferguson another long time PowerBar person who paced him in for the last 8 miles. Natalie`s million dollar smile and her words of encouragement to both Chad and I for the last mile were a welcome end to a gruelling day. I ran with Chad until I noticed my family in the stands with about 100 meters to go… I could see my wife Alison and my two beautiful girls Gabby and Olivia cheering and screaming for me in the stands. I felt like I sprinted to them but I am sure it was more of a slow shuffle... the glow and excitement in their faces made all my pain go away.``You did it!`` They yelled. ``you did it!``. After I had my hugs and kisses with them, I turned around to see my friend Chad waiting for me to cross the finish line. We crossed the line at the exact same time which speaks volumes for the type of person Chad is. This is why I love this business so much…. the people on PowerBar share an unwavering spirit and a strong sense of team. I know this well from my 12 years on this business and this was once again reinforced on this unforgettable day. I have so many people to thank for my marathon experience. First my wife Alison for her unwavering support and patience that enabled me to spend many hours training especially on the weekends, her sacrifices were many for me to do this. I would also like to thank my kids (Gabby and Olivia) who always enjoy new experiences and provide great humour and encouragement to me when I pursue these crazy sport interests. My many friends who issued pearls of wisdom and support over this period including this excerpt from Lisa Bentley `` you get to be Brian the athlete for 42 km – and when you are done, you get to be Brian the father and husband again – but for a few hours, you get to be the full time athlete – enjoy every single minute – it is a privilege and a joy!`` A big thanks to Phil Annett for suggesting this event for the Performance Nutrition team and making it happen. A huge thanks to the PowerBar USA team for hosting this great event, Chad, Drew, Dave and Natalie who worked so hard to make the day possible. A big thanks to the Canadian Nestle Nutrition team for the great send off they gave me and finally, a big thanks to the PowerBar Canada team, Sarah, Willie, Frank and Adrian for your support in my training journey along with the great messages post race. Last and certainly not least was my coach Lance Watson for a great training program. Lance you prepared me well to tackle this beast called Marathon. This note would not be complete without my race day nutrition plan that included 1.5 Sport Bars pre race along with a plain bagel and 16oz of PowerBar endurance beverage along with a 12oz coffee. During the race I had 16 oz of PowerBar endurance beverage along with 48oz of water and 6 PowerGels. Post race I had a Recovery bar along with 750 ml sports drink followed by an 8oz Protein Plus Powder shake. Brian BakerCountry Business Manager - Performance Nutrition (Canada)
Run, Meb, Run!
Meb Keflezighi began his journey in the small village of Asmara, in a country fighting for its independence from Ethiopia. During this time, Meb’s parents were in search of their own freedom, freedom from a wartorn country, freedom from persecution, freedom from harm to their family. With this goal, Russom, Meb’s father, ventured by foot, traveling only under night’s sky, over 600 miles to Sudan. His family joined him 5 years later in Milan, Italy. Russom then brought his family to San Diego, Ca…. free. Meb was 12. Here, Meb won his first formal race, albeit only a mile long, but it took only 5 minutes and 20 seconds to travel that mile. This was not the last race Meb won. Keflezighi ran at UCLA on a full scholarship and brought home championships as if they were parting gifts. Meb’s success in college followed him into a professional running career and to where he is today, the winner of the 2009 ING New York City Marathon. A feat that took him 2 hours and 9 minutes; I doubt there was one mile over 5 minutes and 20 seconds. On a day that began with 42,000-plus people taking to the streets of New York in hopes of crossing a finish line 26.2 miles later, myself included, there was only one man leading us home. Thank you Meb, we’re proud to have you as part of our team. You know what… we’re just flat out proud of you. –dp
Running and Winning: NYC Recap
RUN NYC! The day began in the darkness of the early morning, under a light and chilly rain, but the mood was jovial and positive. The group of 60 runners were split up in different starting locations and times, but many still ran as a group. We all met up later in the evening at the PowerBar Recovery Party where it was refreshing to see so many still-smiling faces. We had an amazing representation from 15 different countries with a common goal — help raise money for youth running programs, and have some fun along the way… and that we did! Run 26.2 miles, (40 km) and dance all night! Certain individuals were awarded for their amazing accomplishments, including: Completion of the most Marathons: Male Winner: Malcolm Hunter, CFO of Nestlé Nutrition — 66th marathon, including 11 Ultra Marathons. Female winner: Anilda Dewarrat — 44th Marathon, including 8 continents and 18 countries Fastest Male: Patrick Clement (Switzerland) 2:46:30 Fastest Female: Andrea Maier (Switzerland) 3:28:01 Phil Annett and Eric Zaltas recently completed the ultimate triple challenge: Ironman Switzerland, Tour de France Mont Ventoux road race, and the New York City Marathon! Congratulations to Meb Keflezighi and the entire group. It was my great privilege to be part of this, and I can confidently speak for the group in saying our goal was accomplished!
PowerBar’s ING NYC Marathon Partnership
This year, we made PowerBar’s ING NYC Marathon partnership even bigger as we gave back to the community. PowerBar product was on course at the starting line and at the Gel Zone at mile 18. We also raised money for inner city youth. Fifteen PowerBar employees and 45 runners from the Nestlé Worldwide Running Club took part. The team raised funds for the New York Road Runners Foundation, which provides community-based running programs to underserved youth throughout New York City. PowerBar, a proud sponsor of the ING New York City Marathon, is dedicated to providing the sports nutrition needed to reach your goals. PowerBar congratulates Meb Keflizighi and all of our PowerBar athletes who participated in the ING NYC Marathon.
Go Team PowerBar!
Even more excitement surrounding the upcoming NYC Marathon - a videographer/still photographer will be on the bus with all the participants and also placed in the Gel Zone on the right and at the finish line capturing the experience - please take some time with him if you can to help document this experience for us - his name is Peter Bucknell and he is looking forward to meeting and capturing all of you in your moment(s) of glory! Look for the photos & videos next week on PowerBar.com. Have a great run!
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