Un cuarto de milla con Midnight Runners

Each week, A Quarter-Mile With will feature a club captain/runner as NYRR spotlights our club runners. This week, we focus on Anthony Vanky of the Midnight Runners.

Name: Anthony Vanky

Club: Midnight Runners

Fartlek or tempo? Fartlek, as it’s an easy way to make a regular course more fun.

Favorite NYRR race? The Popular Brooklyn Half. The after-party is a great place to celebrate your friends’ and teammates’ accomplishments… And once you’ve recovered, you can explore the oddities and follies of Coney Island together.

Favorite race distance? 13.1.

Favorite distance to run? 10K. It’s the standard Midnight Runners distance for our weekly bootcamp runs and just about the distance of the outer loop of Central Park.

Running hero? Kathrine Switzer.

Post-race meal? A fresh, glazed, yeast donut.

Cold-weather or warm-weather running? Cold-weather. I tend to be a warmer runner, so I’m perfectly comfortable with a chill in the air.

Treadmills: yay or nay? There are so many fun treadmill classes now, like at Mile High, Precision Run, or Peloton Tread. But without the music and group setting, nay.

Most exotic place you’ve run? Around the temples of Bagan, Myanmar.

Race-day inspiration quote? “Be smart, unless you’re ready go stupid.” Wise words from my friend (and inner coach voice) Lorenzo.

Toughest race course, in your opinion? TCS New York City Marathon, as those bridge engineers certainly didn’t plan those structures for marathon runners. Or the Boston Marathon, because you could be running in freezing rain or sweltering heat.

Song that makes you want to go faster? “Stronger” by Britney Spears. The last key change always pumps me up.

You can run alongside any three people in the world: Who are they? Author Haruki Murakami, who wrote about running in my old home of Cambridge, MA, and two of my friends.

Best non-running account you follow on Instagram? @mappingmanhattan, as there are so many creative and compelling representations of NYC.

Your club, in five words or less? 10K. Bootcamp. Run. With. Music!