PPTC MARATHON CELEBRITIES

It is almost time for the cannon in the harbor to announce the start of the NYC marathon. Actually, there will be a number of starts and each one will have its own cannon burst.

PPTC has much of which to be proud. Danielle Hansen is representing the entire borough of Brooklyn in the 5-boro race-within-a-race. Keep your eye out for her and cheer, cheer, cheer!!! We have three runners whose times have qualified them for the local elite start: Helen Dole, Frank DeLeo and Maggie Deschamps. Another celebrity is one of PPTC icons, Jack Stetch, who has run more than 30 NYC marathons and will be running again on November 2nd.

There are 42 runners registered as PPTC runners in the marathon. Some will be cancelling due to injuries before the big day. However, PPTC will be well represented on the course, both running and cheering. Here's to all our marathoners, the pride of PPTC.

The Last 10 Miles

LAST 10 MILES
This was a scene from the first PPTC aid stop just before the Willis Avenue Bridge connecting Manhattan to the Bronx. We had about 20 runners in our group. The day was crystal clear and crisp - a great day to run. There were two PPTC cars so that one could scoot to the finish at Tavern on the Green after helping to set up at the second stop, Engineers Gate. Juan Rivera again rode "shotgun" on his bike and Richard Weaver, Diana Ortiz and Julio Zavala made sure that our runners had fuel to finish. At the finish line, there was hot chocolate and bagels (bought in Brooklyn as a touch of home).

There were lots of runners out on this Saturday, from a number of different groups. One group even had numbers! ????

This "last 10M run" is in its 16th year, as near as I can figure. It started as an informal group of us from one of Bob Glover's classes in 1993. We were the only group doing it and we kept getting questions from bystanders - "Is this the marathon?." The next year a runner who had planned on running the last 10 was injured but intended to run the marathon eight days later. She had promised her doctor she would not do anything before that, so she brought her car into Manhattan and the rolling aid station was born. Word of mouth brought PPTC members to 59th Street and 1st Avenue soon afterwards. Not surprising, given the strong PPTC marathon tradition, and the PPTC Last 10 Miles was born.

PPTC Women Rock the Staten Island Half

What an outstanding performance! PPTC women took the FIRST PLACE TEAM AWARD in the Staten Island Half on Sunday, October 12th, finishing a full 10 minutes faster than the second place New York Flyers team. Congratulations to Emily Sanderson (1:30:44), Helen Dole (1:31:13), Sarah Scott (1:31:17), Corre Kombol (1:41:40), Danielle Hansen (1:43:21). Emily and Helen were award winners in their respective age categories. Will Abrams carried the banner for the PPTC men, first PPTC finisher and taking second in his age group in 1:26:03.

Our collective PPTC hats are off to all our finishers and our buttons are popping with pride over our award winners.

Marathon Countdown

RUN THE LAST 10 MILES OF THE MARATHON – OCTOBER 18TH
PPTC will be running the last 10 miles of the marathon on October 18th. If this is your first NYC Marathon or your tenth or even if you are only thinking of doing it “someday,” this is the run for you. The group will leave 59th Street and 1st Avenue at 8 a.m. SHARP! Unlike the day of the marathon, the streets will not be closed so we want to avoid as much traffic as possible. We will have a rolling aid station and can carry a small bag for you from the start to the finish at Tavern on the Green where you will be able to change into your clean clothes.

If you are driving, you have a choice – park on the west side and grab a cab to the starting point on the east side –or- park on the east side and cab it back after finishing. The best plan is to take public transportation. The 4 or 5 train stops at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue, a short walk to 1st Avenue.

This is a free event, open to all runners as in support of the running community. We would appreciate a call or an email if you are planning to come. That way, we’ll know how many bagels to buy!


DANIELLE HANSEN: ING NYC MARATHON’S BROOKLYN MOM
From Gil Torres:
What a way to kick off the winter speed workouts!!
Danielle shared with her PPTC teammates at the coached workouts on Tuesday night one of the proudest moments of her running life - she has been selected as this year's Brooklyn representative for the NYC marathon. Every year, NYRR selects a runner to represent each borough in the NYC marathon. The theme for this year's selection was "running moms."

Encouraged by the support of her Tuesday night speed group, and Amy Duquette's recent article in "Meet the Members," Danielle was thrilled beyond her dreams to win the berth. A vital part of PPTC’s fearsome 40+ women's team, and an avid participant in our club functions, no one is more deserving of this honor. Let's also recognize her children, Dalilah, Jeremiah and Antonio and husband, Jimmy, who played a big role in qualifying her for the nomination.