Smiles for Miles: Staten Island Half fue la preparación perfecta final para los maratonistas
Veterans—and newcomers—of the NYRR Staten Island Half received a pleasant surprise on Sunday, October 14, as they ran in dry conditions for this year’s edition of the race. Historically, runners have had to brave the elements for the final race of the Five Borough Series, but this year, more than 11,000 runners were greeted with crisp, cool fall weather— with a temperature of 50 degrees.
With just 22 days to the TCS New York City Marathon, many used this race as a final tune-up, testing their race-day fitness, with some getting extra miles in before and after the race.
Firsts to lasts
With ideal racing conditions, it led to a fast and furious pace on course, with a new event record being recorded in the women’s race by New York Athletic Club’s Allie Kieffer, with a time of 1:10:58. Kieffer placed fifth at the 2017 New York City Marathon and is aiming to go one step further on November 4. Bereket Alem Kidanu of West Side Runners was the first man home with a time of 1:03:55.
And it was the first time that runners were introduced to the new-look NYRR Pace Team Presented by Biofreeze. The squad unveiled a cool, fresh design for their singlets, inspired by Biofreeze products. Their next outing—the TCS New York City Marathon!
On the course, runners also got to race past the Verrazzano Bridge—for many the next time they will get that close to the bridge is on marathon day on November 4 when they climb the Verrazzano for the first mile of the race.
As the sun came out toward the end of the race, runners collected their medals and Runner Recovery Bags presented by Hospital for Special Surgery, stopping to pause and enjoy the moment, before turning their thoughts to the marathon in 22 days.
The 13.1 mile race was the culmination of Staten Island week as NYRR showcased ways to get active in the borough, highlighted the local running community in the borough, and held a Rising New York Road Runners event at Silver Lake Park the day before the race, pictures of which can be seen here in the photos tab.
As the last race of the Five Borough Series, there were plenty of smiles after the miles as several runners qualified for entry to the 2019 United Airlines NYC Half.
That’s a wrap on the last race of the Five-Borough Series: the #StatenIslandHalf! From the first to the final finishers, it’s been an amazing series in 2018. Thanks to #TeamNYRR for all the finish-line smiles and high fives!
— New York Road Runners (@nyrr) October 14, 2018
Onward to the #TCSNYCMarathon! pic.twitter.com/48LYG40pUt
NYRR members: Stop by the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the NB Run Hub Sunday until 5:00 p.m. and Monday, October 15, 12:00-7:00 p.m. for free NYRR Staten Island Half medal engraving.
And for those looking ahead to test their half marathon pace, NYRR’s 13.1 mile race is on January 20, the Fred Lebow Half-Marathon.