This year’s NYC Half was chilly (30F at both the
start and the finish!) but I was faster than either of the halfs (halves?) I
ran last year.This was my 6th in-person
NYC Half, but because of pandemic cancelations, I hadn’t run this race since
2019.I had forgotten how special it is!
So many iconic New York City streets are
closed to everyone but the runners—we run over the Manhattan Bridge with views
of the Statue of Liberty, up FDR Drive looking out across the East River,
across Manhattan on 42nd Street, through Times Square itself and into Central
Park.It is a unique and thrilling
experience.
Here's an overview of the course:
At the Expo collecting my bib
Every year they the names of all the participants on one wall
Obligatory pre-race gear shot. This year I had to add layers after this photo because of the cold!
Our CTF NF Endurance Team Captain, Lydia, was cheering for us and snapping photos at mile 10.
42nd Street
And, in one of my stranger race experiences, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was standing in the middle of the finish line giving high-fives! Not something I expected.
Finished!
It didn't warm up at all between the start and finish
Next up—the
Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in May!
Thank you to everyone who has already donated to our campaign for the Children’s Tumor Foundation this year!
Just a
little over two weeks to our first race of the year, the NYC Half
Marathon!This is the race I had to
defer from last year because I had COVID.It will be the seventh time I’m running this event.
NF Update: Yesterday
was Rare Disease Day (www.rarediseaseday.org)!
First established in in 2008 by the European Organisation of Rare
Diseases, Rare Disease Day is the globally-coordinated movement to raise
awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment and medical
representation for individuals with rare diseases and their families. Rare Disease Day is observed every year on 28
February (or 29 in leap years)—the rarest day of the year. This year I
was asked to participate in a Rare Disease Day online symposium at the
University of Buffalo School of Medicine!I was among a dozen or so speakers giving short presentations, each on a
different rare disease.The audience was
mostly medical students, but members of the public were invited to join as
well.The meeting itself wasn't recorded, for privacy reasons,
because some of the presenters interviewed patients in real time; but I was able
to record my talk so that it could be shared.I hope you enjoy it!
