September 2012 THE INSIDE LOOP

TOM BYRNES and FRIENDS

Congrats to Irene and Gil Torres on their son Keith's recent marriage to Cairyn Holmes in early July. Gil has been seen back on the roads logging some miles fast and slow so who knows.
 
And yes, in case you were losing sleep wondering,  , it was PPTC's Keith Williams who was the very first club member to ask if there would be a PPTC bus to the start of the NYC marathon this November.
 
Bobby Fisher getting back in to the bike mode participating in  the very hilly 75 mile Hudson Valley Rail ride on July 22.
 
Tom Byrnes' grandson Jake celebrated his six  month birthday with family and friends on July   25th,  he'll now be entering a new age category,  little boys  six months to a year, who can't really crawl or walk yet but he's gotta be thinking of it ....
 
Dennis Sivack not letting the tides change too often without getting into the wet with Brooklyn's Sebago Canoe and Kayak club
 
Congrats to Clair Dougherty on her recent Brooklyn Bridge Swim , from the Dumbo area near the base of the bridge on the Brooklyn side across to Manhattan . No MTA card needed.
 

From PPTC's Carolyn Kubitchek we learn that four runners at the Central Park Track Club have qualified for the Olympics. Their coach, Devon Martin (who happens to be Dave and Carolyn's   daughter-in-law) is going to the Games in London to work with them. If you watched any of the Games on television, hope you kept an  eye out for Jeremy Bascom, Erison Hurtault, Julius Mutekanga and Moussa Dembele.   Perhaps you even got  a glimpse of Devon herself trackside .

 

PPTC's sympathies and prayers go out for Lou Vazquez Sr. who died on July 25th . Often along with his sidekicks Warren Ring and Jake Korn , Lou had officiated at  PPTC's  Summer Speed Series for over 20 years, He was also a race official for the NYS Empire games for over 20yrs as well as  a race official for NYRR at their events/ Two of his  two sons and daugfhter in law  excelled in road racing , Lou and Phil  and Anne Dolan Vazquez  , his grandchildren Lou and PattiAnn seem to be  intent on following in their parents footsteps. His son Edward  and his wife were  a  force behind the volunteer scene at Bishop Ford  at the Kenny Dolan 5k every year . There was  a moment of silence for him at the Summer Speed Series Wednesday July 25th coupled with  a loud round of applause to honor the celebration of his life and commitment to running. As was Mr. Vazquez's wish, PPTC made a donation in his name to Sean Rice's Prospect Park Youth Runners program

 A mid August posting of Facebook captured Pete Tomasi up high and personal manning the hose on one of the Port Jervis fire apparatus at a conflagration  up there . And to think, we knew him when he was "Pistol Pete".

Thanks to Tom Tobin for passing along some vintage pics from back in the day of current USA Olympian Matt Centrowitz competing in one of the Rockaway Running series races on the boardwalk . From a Rockaway 5k to a 1500 on London's Olympic stage. In how many years?

 

PPTC is once again on  the Ironman map with Mark Crowthers' competing in Saturday August 11th's  NYC event.   Don't know how many PPTCers knew Cecil Bakaalor when he was crunching the ironman distance some years ago , he's been off PPTC radar for a while.  Cecil had placed in his age at Hawaii.

 

Thanks to PPTC past president Bobby Fisher for  news on the latest plans for updates to the Prospect Park YMCA's facility  on 9th street and 15th street as well as reports on the progress of the pool. Unfortunately Bobby was hit from behind while on one of his bike tours in August and had to be hospitalized with a broken clavicle. At first there was the suspicion of broken ankles and possibly a broken leg or two but  subsequent xrays brought good news and no breaks ( except for the clavicle)He left the hospital and recovered at home with the help of family and friends and is now back at work at the 9th Street Y. He was thinking of giving up the sport but now theres some enthusiasm back in his voice and I'm told a glimmer in his eye when the talk turns to getting back in the saddle and  biking tours.

 

Tom Tobin mentions his recent conversations with  Marvlyn Jno-Batiste, at the Grand Finale Triple Crown race in Coney Island Sunday September 9th. Marvlyn just earned her masters degree from Columbia which had been taking up most of her time the last few years. She said she’s now ready to return to some serious training and running. Watch for her at races , welcome back Marvlyn!

 

Tom Tobin also mentions PPTC's  members'  good performances in the Brooklyn Triple Crown. No final  final results yet but Tom believes Tony Watson, Danielle Hansen, Tom Tobin himself  and new member Brian Culley all placed in age groups.

 

From Lou Vazquez we learn that the outdoor track at Icahn Stadium on Randall's island  is being torn up and then another will be reinstalled . The track at Icahn has produced some produce world class performances so the best is yet to come !

 

PPTC sympathies to Carolyn Kubitschek and family on the death of her brother Craig in early September.

 

Tom Byrnes out there on the roads in the NYC Century on Sunday September 9th. Marc and Joann Guralnick also rode but they had entered  at the Prospect Park start whereas Tom had ridden to the 110th street start in northern Central Park. At 6am Sunday September 9th, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse, at least along the PPW bike lane and then down 9th Street and then....

 

Fall's coming as if i needed to remind you.

 

See you on the roads.