The New York City Marathon

My countrywoman, Paula Radcliffe, won the New York City Marathon today, in a time of 2:23:56. I hoped this was a good omen for my long run, and, given how it went, it was. Marilson Gomes dos Santos won the men's race in 2:08:43

Arizona works out for me as a first marathon because of the timing, but there's no question that of all the marathons, New York is the one with the most mystique about it, at least to the regular slow-mo like me. Boston has more prestige, Chicago sets more records, London is what I remember as a kid, and Kansas City is where I live, but there's something about New York's 5 borough trot, it's historic bridges, frenetic crowd atmosphere, remarkable scope and all-star cast that is singular.

I recently watched "Run For Your Life", a documentary about Fred Lebow, the architect of the New York marathon. A Jewish immigrant, Lebow was a slow, but passionate runner when the sport had nowhere near the mass appeal it does today. From humble beginnings, what started as four six-plus mile loops around Central Park expanded, thanks to Lebow's tenacity and the city's need for something to uplift spirits given the economic gloom of the era, to all five boroughs in 1976. 32 years on, 39,000 runners would line up in front of the Verrazzano Narrows bridge with the same goal, and the vast majority of them would cross the line in Central Park several hours later.

Lebow would wait at the end of every marathon, shepherding people to the correct finish area, urging them on with words of encouragement, as enthusiastic with the average joes as he was with the Alberto Salazars and Grete Waitzes of the world. After he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1990, he was given only a few months to live, but survived long enough to run the New York marathon himself in 1992, for the very first time, with Waitz, the 9-time champion, by his side the whole way.

He died in 1994, but a statue of him checking his watch stands near the finish line in the park, still with his eye on the race, still invested in every runner, still providing inspiration to everyone who competes.