On November 9th I participated in the Trenton 10K. I have to say this race is probably in my top 3 for 2013. Possibly because it was a major Black Girls Run takeover with 700+ BGR members in attendance, but also because races that require a bit of travel are always a little more fun. The race was very organized, the water stations were plentiful AND had gatorade (there is rarely gatorade), and it was a nice flat course with only 2 hills. The medal was gorgeous, and if you were a BGR member we got a little xtra hardware for participating. I think I’ll be back next year.
This was my first time actually recording during a race, and this is no easy feat, but I had a ton of fun doing it, and this is the fruit of my labor….enjoy!!
Last week I had the honor and pleasure of volunteering at the 2014 ING NYC Marathon. New York Road Runners was gracious enough to offer Black Girls Run NYC & LI our very on water station at mile 16. Fortunately and unfortunately a NYC Marathon water station is huge, so we were unable to fill the entire station and it was opened up to the public as well. Needless to say there were still at least 50 of us there manning the station, and we had a great time doing it. That’s me on the left with my ING poncho and cow bell, with my BGR headband on.
The day started off bright and early at 4:30am. We were on the LIRR by 5:30 and headed to the city to the water station which was located at 61st and 1st avenue. I ran NYRR races practically every weekend this summer to complete my 9+1 and qualify for next years marathon, and I have never saw such a major set up as the one I encountered on 61st and 1st.
We basically had to set up the cups, and fill them with water, then wait for the arrival of the runners. That’s me doing my filler upper duties.
You can get an idea of the magnitude of the water station with this pic, and this is only the left side of the street. Imagine this on both sides of the street. Super D photo bombed me here!! The bridge that the runners came off of you can see in the background, along with the tram going by.
Once the race began we had quite a bit of waiting; remember we were at mile 16 so it was a while until we saw some action. The cyclists came through first, then the elite runners who flew by us. If you blinked you may have missed them. I’d say about a half hour after the elite runner past the everyday people just like you and me came through. What was once a clean 1st Avenue had cups and water everywhere!! I actually think it got a bit worse that this pic.
There were a few celebrities in the race. The one I knew about and was waiting for was Bill Rancic. Unfortunately Bill ran down the middle of the street, and didn’t come over to our side although we were calling out to him, but oh well. Before Bill came through, I was pleasantly surprised to see his Apprentice buddy Kwame Jackson!!! Kwame was nice enough to slow down and let me take a selfie with him. I’m cut off because everything was happening so quickly, but it was nice of him to look at my phone and smile for my pic….thanks Kwame!!
All in all this was a wonderful experience. Next year I will god willing be running the 2014 NYC Marathon, and I cannot wait!!!
Here is the entire BGR crew before the mayhem started.
and here is the up close and personal video that I made of the entire experience. Towards the end of the video you will see our BGR Long Island and BGR New York City ladies who were running the marathon that day….enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkOc–T1oMs&w=560&h=315]
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On November 9th I participated in the Trenton 10K. I have to say this race is probably in my top 3 for 2013. Possibly because it was a major Black Girls Run takeover with 700+ BGR members in attendance, but also because races that require a bit of travel are always a little more fun. The race was very organized, the water stations were plentiful AND had gatorade (there is rarely gatorade), and it was a nice flat course with only 2 hills. The medal was gorgeous, and if you were a BGR member we got a little xtra hardware for participating. I think I’ll be back next year.
