If you can’t make it in person, you can still catch all the action of the 2008 ING New York City Marathon live on TV and via the web on Sunday morning, November 2nd. Get complete race day coverage using these resources below:
For a select few of America's top distance runners, the road to the Beijing Games next year will run through New York this weekend. On November 3, New York Road Runners (NYRR) will play host to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon where these elite athletes will vie for their chance at a spot on the prestigious summer olympic team. The Olympic trials race is turning heads across the nation and around the world, and the mantra for this week is "Americans can run." Lest anyone believe they couldn't??
With phenominal final-mile surges, Martin Lel of Kenya (2:09:04) and Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain (2:23:09) led the way to two very close races in both the men's and women's categories of the 2007 ING New York City Marathon this morning. Especially inspiring was Radcliffe's performance, in her first marathon since becoming a mother earlier this year. This race will mark her seventh win out of eight marathons she has competed in. Just incredible!
So, did you hear the news yesterday? Lance is going to run Boston. No, I'm not kidding.
Acting on feedback from runners, the NYRR will be implementing several changes to the start process of the NYC Marathon this year. Chief among them are the wave start and the baggage handling. With these enhancements to the system, NYRR hope that runners can look forward to the following benefits:
friends, family, and new running acquaintances, while also allowing me to provide some plausibly interesting and individualistic commentary on life's adventures...primarily through the focus of running and faith. And although I've occasionally found myself stumbling here and there (I'll plainly admit, my writing skills lack), I've come to realize now the outreach and influence that blogging is capable of. And I am ultimately thankful for the ability to have this freedom, not to mention the relationships it has generated.
Marathon and will be racing the men's marathon event at the Bejing Olympics this summer. He also happens to be a man of deep faith and a firm believer of using the gifts God has given us to make a difference. Recently, Ryan and his wife teamed up with World Vision as a way to generate attention and raise funds to help support children and families in AIDS impacted communities in Africa. World Vision happens to be a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to provide things like: clean water, health care, nutritious food, education, and economic opportunities. Their Team World Vision organization has provided a simple way of giving everyday athletes the ability to reach beyond their own goals to where help is needed most.
If you have EVER in your heart wanted to donate to a worthwhile cause such as this, but just couldn't decide the best way to do it, why not use "such a time as this" to support my efforts through Team World Vision by making a one-time donation?
In summary, I simply feel God has given me the ability to do what I enjoy the most. Now I want to do my best to honor Him by using that ability to help others. And hopefully, by teaming with World Vision, maybe I can somehow use this gift to help bring a little hope to children and families in areas directly impacted by poverty, disease, natural disaster and war, who need it most right now.
Well, we're back from New York City! Though we had an incredible time siteseeing in the city that obviously never sleeps, we are happy to be home with the kids, our slower Midwestern traffic, and less noise. Yeah, I know a person becomes accustomed to the noise levels from the persistent street and pedestrian traffic, but we like our quiet here at home. Sure makes sleeping a whole lot easier. {grin}
We quickly checked our baggage and found the local charter bus that would transport us to the Javits Center for the ING New York City Marathon expo, where I was supposed to pick up my race packet. The actual check-in process was rather speedy, all of 10-15 minutes total I suppose, but the walk through the official marathon merchandise and vendor sections was clogged beyond imagination. Fortunately, I was able to snag a few articles of apparel (a LS half-zip running shirt, a running vest, etc.) that could remind me of the trip later and located a fast moving checkout lane. Additionally, I was able to have an Asics poster signed by Brian Sell (who took 3rd at the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials), which was a pleasant surprise.
Saturday was filled with basic NYC siteseeing...a trip to the top of the Empire State Building, views of Wall Street and the WTC site, Times Square, Central Park, and most everything inbetween. Though I had visited earlier in the year for a work-related conference, it was still exciting to re-experience many of these again, especially with Laura. In fact, she fulfilled one of her lifelong wishes of riding the Central Park Carousel...that was fun.
Ryan and Sara Hall, our charity team captains. Ryan happens to be the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials champion at NYC last fall, surprising most everyone with a very consistent and even effort. What is exciting for me is his outspoken faith in the sport of running. They both greeted each of us and made small talk, before also sitting down to share in our meal. What an incredible night!
I also put together a few things that I would be taking with me for the long, pre-race wait the next morning, including extra clothing, my camera, food stuffs, and a newspaper for reading material. Carefully setting everything near the door where I could easily find it without waking everyone, and checking to be sure my alarms were set, I got ready for bed and turned off the light. It was about 10:30 p.m - only six hours until my race day would begin!
I mentioned earlier on that I have this stretch goal in mind for 2008. It involves a roundtrip ticket to the east coast, a little claustophobia in an insane starting field, and that famous little snippet from Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" ... so cue the inspirational video and let's feel those goose bumps folks.
When - Sunday, November 2nd
Did I mention a while back that had I registered for Grandma's Marathon? Well I did, and stayed up well past midnight to make sure my online registration was properly accepted. No bother, because I'm now all set to race in what I feel to be one of the most beautiful marathons the U.S. has to offer a runner. It will be held in Duluth, MN on June 21st. If you're a marathoner, this is a great race. I get excited about this race each and every time I race it. Of course, I get that way with every marathon I run.
As you can see, my marathon bags are nearly packed and ready to go. I have yet to throw in a couple of items before they are complete, primarily our flight & hotel itinerary and my shaving kit, though I will likely perform a hasty, last-minute final check before heading out to the airport early tomorrow morning. And I do mean, early...as in our flight to NYC leaves at 5:00am? Big ole yawn.
So, the question is...am I ready? Ready to run with this insane amount of runners? Oh man, you bet! 
With the first wave of runners now underway at 9:40, we were quickly moved down our corral system and into the general runner queue on top of the waiting bridge. Helicopters kept criss-crossing the sky, all vying for the best angle on the starting line action. I silently readied the chronograph feature on my watch and lifted my camera into the air, hoping to catch a snippet of the actual start on video. Not a moment later, the cannon sounded and Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" filled the air. We were off!
Giddy like a schoolchild, I pulled out my camera and commenced snapping photos left and right, hoping to catch every nuance of the start as I could. I even stepped up onto the center median of the bridge to capture the site of Manhattan in the distance, and was pleasantly surprised to learn a news photographer had also captured me doing so. We found out on Monday that this photo made the front page of the NYC Times. I'm officially a celebrity. (I actually wouldn't have noticed its inclusion in the paper had it not been for my wife. As I scanned the page while standing in Times Square the next day, I exclaimed to her, "that's exactly what it looked like, and I was out there taking photos just like that guy there." To which she excited responded, "umm, hon, that's your blue sweatshirt—that IS you!!" A few tourists nearby perked up their heads at the mention…I wonder if I should have offered to autograph THEIR paper?)
Coming down the other side of the bridge, we quickly entered the southern region of Brooklyn. Exiting the main bridge highway, we zipped past the Mile 2 marker and were shuffled west onto 4th Avenue which roughly spanned miles 2-8 of the course. Laura and our friends had mentioned to me the night before, as they pored over subway and course maps, they would attempt to see me near the beginning and end of this section of the race. So I sidestepped a few runners and moved left to keep an eye open for my cheering crew. Now, finding only three people in a crowd of thousands is not easy. Fortunate for us, we took it upon ourselves to pick up a few kids blow-up toys: a blue Yankees baseball bat and a large pink butterfly. It it had not been for these, I know I would have surely missed them in the throng of spectators. Sure enough, they had successfully navigated the R Line and were patiently waiting for me as I blazed them by. Their screams of encouragement were loud and clear: keep going! I wasn't about to let them down, so onward I pressed.
Miles 3-8 were largely uneventful, other than the guy I noticed in front of me who had a bib pinned to his back which simply read "STREAKER". Come to find out later, this was one of only a handful of runners who had successfully completed NYCM for more than 20-some odd years in a row. What an accomplishment! Okay, I originally thought the guy was waiting for his most opportune moment to shed his running apparel and make a name for himself before course police yanked him down. No such luck. But I am glad.
Mile 9 saw us entering an interesting section of Brooklyn named Clinton Hill. Here, the streets narrowed a bit and the business fronts were replaced by actual neighborhoods filled with old and curious facades. I was feeling fairly well still by this time and hadn't yet decided to walk, even for the water stations that passed by every mile or so. My plan was to run as far as possible, likely until the 15-16 mile mark, before taking a quick breather. This is a mental-thing for me. I use it to continually push myself throughout a race, extending it where necessary to continally give myself goals throughout a course.
Miles 10-12 brought us through a variety of interesting neighborhoods, all rich with their own diversity. One that stood out for me was the Polish, or Polska, neighborhood. I am a quarter Polish myself, so this was truly a unique experience for me to see a little of my own heritage. So many little foods shops and restaurants dotted this area of the course, with little Polish children playing and plumb grandmothers walking to market everywhere. Such a wonderful area to see.
By Mile 13, I would have thought the crowd of marathon runners would have thinned some. But as I approached the halfway point, I was still literally elbow-to-elbow with my running comrades. And the crowds of well-wishing spectators were still as strong as ever. Truly amazing to be in a race where crowd support is so intense! Approaching the Pulaski Bridge, we prepared for our departure from Brooklyn and our grand entrance into Queens. Considered the largest in area and the second most populous of the five boroughs of New York City, Queens also happens to be the city's most diverse borough. Of course, experiencing it all would have to be for another day, as Miles 14-15 quickly passed by. Shortly after passing through the Queensboro Plaza and Mile 15, up ahead lay the infamous Queensboro Bridge.
Hi from...see the picture to the left...New York City!
After a quick learning session of dodging the fast-paced traffic up along Broadway, I located the park entrance and immediately set off to tackle the infamous 6-mile training loop I'd learned about from a friend weeks before. Winding my way counterclockwise around the park, I was amazed at how hilly the terrain really was. I guess I'd thought it would be much more flat, as the surrounding streets had led me to initially believe, but it was a good surprise as I made the most of each one I encountered, including the long and winding set near the north end. I thought it amazing at how so many people could end up sharing the roadway there, as there were hundreds of other runners along the course (as well as walkers, bikers, rollerbladers, skateboarders, and a plethora of strollers), and yet the park still felt so intimate to each person. 
The best part of the entire run happened just as I was nearing the end of my 6-mile lap. There I found the official finish line for the ING New York Marathon! Yep, the exact spot where Lance Armstrong looked so dogged last fall. Of course, I couldn't locate this myself and had to ask an NYRR staff member, who just so happened to be in the park for a race that had finished earlier this afternoon. He led me to the official curb marking (a small painted indicator - they removed the actual line and will replace it again as the marathon nears later this fall) a few feet away. At that moment, the full reality of it stepped in. This marked the end of a long journey I would soon be undertaking. Flashing the guy a huge smile, I explained, "This is where you'll see me come November 2nd!" and ran off.
For those of you NYC runners out there, a much-anticipated documentary film Run For Your Life will be premiering at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York this Sunday, April 27th at 3:30pm EST.
Event: The ING New York City Marathon
Runner: Mike Eilers
Latest Results at 02:24:09 PM, 11/02/2008
Location Time Pace/mile
5km 0:28:08 9:03
10km 0:54:55 8:50
15km 1:22:56 8:53
20km 1:51:49 8:59
Mile 13.1 1:59:19 9:06
25km 2:23:27 9:14
Mile 16 2:29:29 9:20
Mile 17 2:38:42 9:20
Mile 18 2:48:59 9:23
30km 2:56:40 9:28
Mile 19 3:00:06 9:28
Mile 20 3:12:14 9:36
Mile 21 3:23:58 9:42
35km 3:32:12 9:45
Mile 22 3:34:38 9:45
Mile 23 3:46:22 9:50
Mile 24 3:57:50 9:54
40km 4:07:41 9:57
Mile 25 4:09:09 9:57
Mile 26.2 4:21:57 9:59
All times are unofficial. Times may vary in post race official results.
Please note: This e-mail was sent from the NYRR Automated E-mail Notification System. Please do not reply.
Sincerely,
New York Road Runners
After the culmination of months of training and preparation, tomorrow begins the long journey for thousands of runners as they tackle the ING New York Marathon. From what we hear, the weather should be near optimal for settings some new PRs ... just don't forget to set those clocks back an hour for daylight savings! If you would like to check out the action:
I also want to send a shout out to a few of my adventure racing friends as they begin the 2007 USARA National Championships in Potosi, Missouri today. Here, co-ed teams of three are required to navigate a series of checkpoints using only a map and compass to guide them while transitioning between several disciplines (trail running/trekking, mountain biking, paddling and orienteering) as they battle it out for the title of USARA Adventure Race National Champion. It's a grueling course which will require racers to push themselves non-stop for over 40+ hours. I've also heard the winners receive guarranteed entry into the 2008 Primal Quest ... that is some serious incentive for these guys and gals. Go Team WEDALI and Team Bike Iowa!
We're finally back from a very relaxing vacation in the northwoods...a much needed respite from all the rain and flooding concerns we've been accustomed to over the past few weeks. Fortunate for me, my basement remained dry during my absence and I was able to spend my focus on camping with the family, as well as a little running. 
Of course, having family and friends along for the ride is an additional pleasure, enjoying s'mores around a late night campfire and experiencing the outdoor splendor together. And, also fortunate for me, they happen to be the best chase group a runner could ever hope to have.
We arrived around mid-afternoon on Thursday at our designated camping spot in Jay Cooke State Park, a few scant miles outside of Carlton, MN, where we set up our campers. This area just 20 miles southwest of Duluth happens to be one of the most beautiful parks in the region, with miles of hiking trails and the St. Louis River running through it all. It also happens to be where I graduated from many long years ago, so I was already familiar with the area and able to take the family on a few adventurous excursions off the beaten path. One of these being a trip to the secret beach just past the old trail-trestle bridge bikepath crossing, where you can find ample amounts of agates and loads of flat stones. I'm guessing we spent nearly an hour just skipping rocks over the river with the kids one morning. (Shhhhh...don't tell anyone I told you.)
However, upon arriving I happened to do one of the dumbest things ever while vacationing...that is, locking your keys in the car. I really don't know yet how I did it, except that I was removing unnecessary keys to lessen the clutter in my pockets and accidentally switched the sets in my hand. The set I threw into the console happened to be minivan key. I think I realized it the moment I shut the door, to which I let out a gigantic sigh in disbelief. A blessing for us, some wonderful volunteers at the expo info booth knew of a local locksmith, and within 20 minutes the key was back in my hands and we were inside cruising the crowds…$40 dollars less to spend. Unbelievable.
And race morning came early indeed. My wife and I quickly set about busily packing the van with our race support materials (which consisted of bananas, orange slices, gatorades, sunscreen and Endurolytes) and sleepy-eyed children. After dropping off an extra family vehicle at the DECC center where the race would eventually end at, we combined forces for the remaining drive up the Hwy 61 bypass to the North Shore Road starting area just south of Two Harbors where a huge mass of racers and spectators waited. After taking my time stretching out with the kids and getting a round of good luck hugs from all, I trotted off to squeeze myself into the starting chute just minutes before the race was to commence. Packed together like sardines with thousands of other runners, we spent a brief moment of silence to honor last year's champion, Wesly Ngetich, who recently had been fatally shot due to ethnic disputes in his native African homeland. After the tribute, we pressed forward in anticipation like waddling penguins as we listened to the all-too-familiar strains of "Chariots of Fire" float across the loudspeakers, signaling the countdown to the start of the race. Moments later, the gun sounded and we were off.
By the time we ran through Knife River Harbor past the five-mile mark, where my posse greeted me with my prescribed dose of Endurolytes, the effects of the heat were already beginning to show. Though I still held a smile, my normally sufficient pace of ~9:00 per mile was slowly beginning to erode away. Though the starting temp had to be in the higher 60's, much of the initial course is far from the shores of the lake with no winds to speak of. Rather, the trees on either side of the roadway act more like a barrier and trap much of the rising morning heat. Add to that the rains we had experienced the past couple of days leading up to the race, it was starting to feel like a pressure cooker. And I could tell a majority of the runners were beginning to feel it as well, as racers began hugging the left portion of the roadway where shade from the trees was still available. I decided to slow it down a couple of notches, to lessen the chance of hydration and possible cramping later.
Around mile 18, we emerged from the scenic North Shore Drive near Lester Park and transitioned onto London Road. My crew met me shortly after with a ziplock full of the most tasty orange slices this side of heaven, definitely one of those must-haves in the later stages of any marathon...man, those guys are great! Then, tanking up on water and Ultima drink, I headed off towards the finish line only a 10K away.
Following London Road up onto Superior Street, we began the final leg through the downtown streets of Duluth. Here, the crowds lined the streets for blocks, and the cheering from the crowds of onlookers was close to deafening. It's one of the best reasons while I love Grandmas Marathon so much. Passing the 25 mile mark, we turned left for a short downhill trip around the DECC center and along the harbor edge. Summoning the last of my reserves, I changed from the shuffle-run I'd been using to keep my stiff and sore muscles from barking too loudly to a semi-respectable stride rate for the final few hundred meters...and came across the finish line at 4:54:06.
While I didn’t beat my goal time, I am pleased with the overall result. Finishing has always my key goal. Knowing when to back off and refocus your efforts just to save your race is something I learned many a race ago. And while a sub 4:15 would have been nice (heck, I would have loved a sub 4:00), the course conditions eventually took their toll on a majority of us runners that day. But it was still a beautiful day, even if I hobbled a little back to the car.
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