The 2nd Annual JRunners S.I Minyan - Oh, and Half Marathon Too

The 2nd Annual JRunners S.I Minyan - Oh, and Half Marathon Too
by
Martin Bodek

It promised to be a hot, hot challenging race. While other runners prepared with several heat-acclimation techniques, the JRunners tried an alternative tactic: fasting for 25 hours the day before the race. It seems to have paid off, as several of the 24-strong field set PRs and some 1/2-marathon virgins put in some excellent times.

It was still rather cool as the minyan got underway, but as the day rose, the winds died, the sun got hotter, the ezras nashim got more chatty, and at race time it was already somewhere around balmy. It was going to be tough going.

What's a JRunner if not tough? All of us came back in one piece in the following order:

Gamss Moishie M26 BROOKLYN NY 1:31:01 6:57 PR by 5:47
Mittel Yitzchok M34 PASSAIC NJ 1:31:14 6:58
Pancer Joseph M41 BROOKLYN NY 1:31:23 6:59
Ovits Mordechai M34 BROOKLYN NY 1:31:39 7:00 PR by 7:56
Bressler Yaakov M18 BROOKLYN NY 1:33:08 7:07
Friedman Israel M42 BROOKLYN NY 1:39:01 7:34
Goldberg Miri F30 HIGHLAND PARK NJ 1:39:49 7:38
Bodek Martin M36 PASSAIC NJ 1:43:15 7:53 PR by 4:11
Maltz Martin M37 BROOKLYN NY 1:44:20 7:58
Katz Matt M33 BROOKLYN NY 1:44:55 8:01
Pupko Sruli M28 BROOKLYN NY 1:47:23 8:12 PR
Kohane Ariel M40 NEW YORK NY 1:47:38 8:13
Wilhelm Michael M30 BROOKLYN NY 1:47:49 8:14 PR
Nath Howard M30 BROOKLYN NY 1:50:39 8:27 PR by 7:41
Wulliger Abe M27 BROOKLYN NY 1:53:47 8:42 1st 1/2
Itzkowitz Shia M20 BROOKLYN NY 1:58:46 9:04 1st 1/2
Silver Shelly M46 PASSAIC NJ 1:59:00 9:05 1st 1/2
Saperstein Avi M34 BROOKLYN NY 2:00:04 9:10 PR
Rosenblum Chesky M49 BROOKLYN NY 2:03:03 9:24
Rand Charles M34 BROOKLYN NY 2:19:07 10:38
Pittinsky Jonathan M42 PASSAIC NJ 2:26:18 11:11
Balas Dave M41 BROOKLYN NY 2:27:26 11:16 1st 1/2
Feldman Chanan M39 BROOKLYN NY 2:28:54 11:22
Lebovits Abraham M30 BROOKLYN NY 2:29:24 11:25 1st 1/2

Notice the times of the top (core) four runners? They traded places regularly over the last three miles. It was intense and positively frantic! They all finished within 38 seconds of each other! Wow!

Virtual pretend make believe awards (that will be real one day!) were handed out to the following during our breakfast sponsored by Mordy Ovits and family:

The OK GO There He Goes Again Award - Moishie Gamss: Moishie repeated his accomplishment of the 2011 JRunners Relay Race: he started way behind (this time, a corral behind where he was supposed to be), fell behind for a bit past the midpoint, and then powered strong to sneak ahead of an unsuspecting lead runner even as it got hotter. Gamss did all the scorching though. Helluva performance, especially considering the drag from those funky glasses.

The BTO You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet Award - Yaakov Bressler: Yaakov, all of 18 years old with no fat that can be detected (hence he was shivering mightily before the race), placed 2nd in the 12-19 age group for the entire race!!! The sky's the limit for this guy!

The Isley Brothers Who's That Lady? Award - Miri Goldberg: Ms. Goldberg showed up like a ghost, said a quick hi, beat the pants off of most of the JRunners field, and disappeared after the race. She's listed as one of us because she's Jewish and she runs, and we're not that picky about who joins our little club. Miri, y'all come back now, y'hear? This time, stay.

The Frank Sinatra It Was a Very Good Year Award - Martin Bodek: He lost 20 pounds, strapped on Vibrams and, finally after 14 attempts, broke his 12 year old Half Marathon PR. It was the last standing PR at any available distance that was left to fall over the past year. Now he wants to break each and every one of them again. Little does he realize he'd have to lose another 20 pounds and go barefoot. Uh oh...

The Hall & Oates He's a (Marathon) Maniac Award - Sruli Pupko: Proudly wearing his Marathon Maniac t-shirt - earned by running two marathons in fourteen days - Sruli got tons of recognition from fellow runners who know what it takes to earn club membership. But we really know why he got his props. It was that bloody nipple. It was um, hard earned.

The Charles Dickens Great Expectations Award - Abe Wulliger, Shia Itzkowitz, Shelly Morris, David Balas and Abraham Lebovits: Each of these men ran a half marathon for the first time ever, and each of them did very well. Shia actually set 2:10:00 as his goal going in, and demolished that by twelve minutes! David says he couldn't run 13 feet a year and a half ago, and now he did 13 miles, pushing hard all the way. We now expect all of you to continue moving up the ladder. JRunners only ascend in accomplishment.

The Veeoohaftoo Liryeachoo Koomoychoo Voos Iz Mantz Doos Iz Dantz Award - A half dozen JRunners: A keen eye might note some incorrect biographical information in the runners results chart above. This is because several runners ran with bibs of other runners, and some ran with multiple chips. All this so that nobody would be oiver ba'al taschis. Yet another reason we were zoyche to just a fantastic showing.

Martin Bodek is the beat reporter for JRunners.org. Buy his books though (http://tinyurl.com/3nvusoz, http://tinyurl.com/3ky5u7y) because this gig pays him squat.