First NYC 1/2 Marathon of 2010

Posted by Beau

(Photo of author, courtesy of Official Race Photographer, Brightroom)

The first 1/2 marathon of the NYC racing season is set for January 24th, 2010.  It is not too late to register and run if anyone is interested.  The 2010 racing season is packed with tons of different runs of varying distances, all over the five boroughs, with fantastic people.  There is room for runners of all levels of experiences and interest.  

As a new runner myself, I had a great time last year learning to train and run in a few 5- and 10K's and when I did not make the lottery pick for the NYC marathon, I  continued training all summer for the 1/2 marathon instead.  When race day dawned on a brutal, humid Sunday August morning, I was exhilarated to start it and blown away to run through a gauntlet of cheering crowds down 7th Avenue, through Times Square.  The picture above is from that exact moment of awe; the smile was irrepressible.  Then we turned onto 42nd street toward the West Side Highway for the final four miles and holy crap but those were the longest miles of my life.

But undeterred, I'm running in January for this next 1/2 marathon.  I'm hoping to trade the brutal humidity of August for the crisp, clear blue skies of a sunny, January morning to make two quick laps around Central Park. Company and friendly faces would be appreciated.

The entire 2010 NYC running event schedule is available through the New York Road Runner's site.  NYC has its own gay running group, Frontrunners, who host their own 10K in June during Pride Week which is spectacular not only because of the perfect weather but also, there is some serious hotness running around all over the place.