Did You Know? (NYC Marathon Edition)

[In anticipation of the marathon on Sunday, I'll be writing a few posts this week that are inspired by the race.]

This is the 41st running of the NYCM. It began in 1970, the 127 runners each paid a $1 entry fee, there were no volunteers and no water stations as they raced through Central Park. Fred Lebow was the driving force.

The race hit the 5 boroughs for the first time in 1976 with the backing of politician Percy Sutton and businessmen including brothers Jack & Lew Rudin, Charlie McCabe, and George Hirsch. The next year, 5,000 people ran the NYCM.

In 40 years of the running of the NYCM, 831,587 people have crossed the finish line.

This will be the 11th year for the wheelchair division (the fastest male time, set in 2006 by Kurt Fearnley was 1:29:22 and the fastest female time was 1:52:38, set by Edith Hunkeler in 2007)

191 charities have a combined fundraising goal this year of $26.2million. Some of this year's charities include: Team for Kids, Fred's Team, American Cancer Society, UNICEF, Amigos de Proniño and Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation among others.

There are a few races within the race. One is the Mayor's Cup, which pits members of the FDNY against the NYPD. The top 10 finishers for each team compete for points and bragging rights for the year. In 2001, the two teams shared the cup in honor of their fallen colleagues. Another is the Foot Locker 5 Borough Challenge that features one resident of each borough. They run the first 13 miles together and then battle it out the rest of the way. This year, each runner is also a teacher in the borough they're representing.

There are over 6,000 volunteers and over 2 million spectators.

First Avenue in Manhattan is one big party!

Edison “The Runner” Peña, one of the rescued Chilean miners, will be a special guest of honor at this year's marathon. Apparently, while trapped, he ran 3-6 miles each day through the tunnels to keep in shape. Now, that's dedication and perseverence!

New York Road Runners has gotten into the app business by releasing an iPhone App that will feature live race day videos of the pros, news alerts, the NBC4 telecast, and supposedly, much more.

There are 51 bridge and road closures throughout the city.

Marathon day is the most inspiring day of the year in New York City.

The application for the 2011 ING NYC Marathon will be available on Monday Nov 8 at Noon!

I ran four miles on the treadmill this morning. I am not a fan of running on the treadmill, but I have to get used to it if I'm going to aim for the Broadstreet Run on May 1st. I woke up this morning, saw the cold temperatures and just couldn't get myself to bundle up for a run outside. I know, lame! I just have to do it once and then it'll be fine. I still wanted to get the run in though, so I hit the gym and went to the treadmill. It is quite boring (even watching TV) and I hate the feeling of a machine pushing my pace, even when it's one I can easily handle. Oh well. I got in a good sweat and aside from the boredom factor, had a good run.

Don't forget to vote today!!!

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today's workout -

4mile run

1x40sec plank

stretching