OCTOBER 2010 THE INSIDE LOOP Tom Byrnes and friends.

OCTOBER 2010

THE INSIDE LOOP

Tom Byrnes and friends.

A sign of the times! Sean Rice’s youth group, the Prospect Park  Young Runners, has started their cross- country season. They meet every Tuesday and Thursday inside the park near the 9th street entrance. PPTC’s Maggie Deschamps is volunteering and  looks forward to working with the kids.  The payback for her time, energy, and expertise must be that she’s having fun and is being inspired by the young runners. Last year Mike Ring also helped out, as both his kids were on the team and they are both on their way to becoming strong accomplished youth runners.

Bobby Fisher rode the Golden Apple Bike tour sponsored b y the Westchester Track Club Sunday September 6^th.

PPTC’s close friend Kristen Marino of Slope Sports  made a decision to close down her shop in case you haven’t heard already. Slope Sports has been one of PPTC's consistent partners and the store has been the primary sponsor of the Cherry Tree for many years. PPTC wishes for all the success on the roads to come for Kristen Marino and family.

For anyone interested in joining the Y, now is a good time as they are waiving the initiation fee (a $121.00 savings) until October 11th. In addition, the Prospect Park Y, 9th street between 5^th and 6^th avenues, is also offering 4 free one- on- one training sessions with a personal trainer to new members. For more info check their website: http://www.ymcanyc.org/ymca-of-greater-new-york/membership/fall-membership-special/

Claire Murphy Dougherty completed  The Brooklyn Bridge swim on a Saturday in September. At the water‘s edge before the race Clair admitted to being a little scared and a little excited! When she was out of the water and toweling off, she was already psyched for next year’s event!

Thanks to Darby Brooks for his mention of Rosa Nales’s third place age group finish at the Fitness Mind Body Spirit Games 4 mile race NYRRC Health and Fitness 4 mile.  

Bobby Fisher,  Tom Byrnes, and PPTC’s friends and former members Mark and Joann  Guralanick all were at  the Transportation Alternatives’ NYC Century Sunday September 12 . Bikers, bikers, and more bikers, some rain, and lots of miles.

At Sunday September 19^th‘s Chris Hoban Run in Bay Ridge Maggie Dee , Danielle Hansen, Gil Torres, Coach Watson, and Mickey Newman all took age group awards.

There was an unusually strong field of 50-59 men. Tom Tobin was 68th overall but only finished 13th age his age group. Tom Totally claims he was dusted by Brooklyn 50's Jose Santiago, Tony Watson, Ed Cosme, James McFarlane, Hari Rohl.

PPTC’s Gil Torres garnered a well- earned second place age group award in Brooklyn’s Triple Crown Race series at the Hoban Run.   

Thanks to Pete Tomasi, PPTC learns that a certain age grouper in Dublin Ireland just entered the 100+ category and was celebrated in the Irish press by receiving the Great Grandparent of the Year award. The 100-year-old great-grandfather said in the press interview that his family is worth all the money in the world. Oh, did I forget to mention that Mr. O'Brian is Noeleen's maternal grandfather and sons’ Harry, Liam, and Andrew’s great grandpa. Let’s raise a Guinness to that!

On Monday,Sep 27, 2010 on Facebook ,PPTC’s Corre Kombol spilled the beans. She had hooked up with  Sarah Scott as Sarah ran a half marathon in Bellingham, Washington--an amazing seaside town on the NW corner of Washington state, just a few hours away from where Corre  now calls home. Not only did Sarah run a 1:31 half, she proved PPTC proud by coming in 6th place in the overall female division. ‘’A very tough feat to accomplish in this outdoorsy state’’, mentions Corre. Corre had even posted a pic of the happy finisher halfway through her first post-race beer but this guy can’t seem to get the photograph into this article.  Make sure to give Sarah a big congrats next time you see her running by.  

Just wish that some of those North West salmon Corre and family manage   to photograph and post on Facebook would end up on my plate.

·                                 Patricia Perlo mentions her  THANK YOU!!! to the Cherokee Hotshots, an elite forestry crew  based in Tennessee,  for coming to Prospect Park and helping clean up after September’s  tornado ravaged so many of the trees in Prospect Park .

Kudos to PPTC’s past president and present road and track warrior-ette Regina Cahill on her recent award from the Brooklyn Community. Congrats to Regina! 

Junior Passee, Veronica Antoine, and Lynette Gonis’s time and energy were very much appreciated by NYRRC and USADA for volunteering with the drug testing of athletes, male and female, whose finishing positions had been selected for drug testing at the Fifth Avenue Mile on Sunday September 26^th in Manhattan. Hey, you ever want to hook up with PPTC members as we volunteer with USADA, send me an email!

Bobby Fisher got up before dawn and rode the NY Cycle Club’s Escape from New York’s    67 miler on September 25^th, returned back to Brooklyn that night, and then the following  day got up before dawn again and  rode   Bike New York’s T win Lights 75 miler in New Jersey. Lots of miles on not much rest nor sleep.

 And speaking of biking on not much sleep, Tom Byrnes rode the North Fork Midnight Ride starting at 11:59 pm Saturday night September 25^th and ending early on Sunday morning the 26^th at Orient Point State Park, Long Island, a 50 miler that ended with a sumptuous breakfast on the beach at dawn. Power to the pancakes!

PPTC’s Last Ten Miles of the NYC Marathon run the weekend before the marathon, Joe Leahy and the Brooklyn Shamrock’s  pasta dinner on Thursday November 4^th, PPTC’s  bus to the start of the marathon, the PPTC post marathon reception and “” I did it ‘’ get-

together the afternoon of the marathon are all not to be missed. Need more info, get thee to the PPTC Open Forum website and give a shout on what you need to know.

See you on the roads!