Race Recap: NYRR Run As One 4-Miler

More than just a 4-mile race, New York Road Runners' annual 'Run As One' yesterday was a homecoming of sorts. A legend was returning to the world of running. As the sun was beginning to make its way to the top o' the Earth and the more than 7,500 runners made their way to the start line of the event, there was a palpable sense of anticipation. With eyes focused in every direction, it seemed that the real competition wasn't the race at all but rather who could spot the triumphant return first. Having retired from racing two years ago after conquering the Brooklyn Half Marathon, she decided to make the Run As One her celebratory return to the world of running. And so it was, dear readers, that I made my way to the starting area with my stupid Apple iPod in my left hand and and, in my right, I held the hand of my dopeness wife CVSW!! Not only agreeing to run the race with me but also to wear a matching Runners Write tshirt (to increase its visibility), CVSW was ready to run back (pun intended) into the hearts and minds of all her fans across the country (I live in New York, her parents live in Florida and I think she knows a couple of people in California).

Amid the fanfare and the onslaught of the press hounding CVSW with questions as to her whereabouts during the last two years and why she chose this race as her comeback, we made our way to the starting corrals where we were to meet up with T,H,E K,I,D who was also entered in the race. Midway through the singing of the Star-Bangled Banner, we finally found T,H,E K,I,D, exchanged pleasantries and went to our proper starting corrals to begin the 4-mile run.

The race itself was nothing out-of-the-ordinary. The weather was ideal for a race and all competitors were thankful that the cold season had finally passed. The course began on 68th street on the east side, continued north to 102nd, cut over to the west side and ended on the 72nd street transverse. I sensed that NYRR was finally cracking down on the False-Sense-Of-Fast-Pace Runners as there was little traffic in front of me and I was able to hit my stride pretty much from the get-go.

True to form, NYRR thought it necessary to have four watering stations throughout the 4-mile course which forced me to veer to the opposite side of the stations so as to avoid all the runners who likewise felt it necessary to replenish four times in four miles. Nevertheless, I finished the race right on the heels of T,H,E K,I,D and we both waited for the impending arrival of CVSW. When my gaze finally fell on her as she crossed the finish line, my smile grew large and I began cheering for her having made an incredibly smooth transition back into the world of running. All-in-all, the weather was excellent, the race was enjoyable and the number of my family members now doing races had gone up by one!

Final Race Statistics:

Name	Bib	Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Pace/Mile	AG %
T,H,E K,I,D	545	396	367	80	26:57	6:44	62.4%
Mr. Petes	1543	1251	1069	215	30:17	7:34	55.6%
CVSW	7696	6181	2792	887	42:38	10:39	45.1%