Last year I made it back to watch the marathon after a couple of years off. Elisa got into it and I fell back in love with the race I'll never run. It's such a rush to watch people running through this great city--some for the very first (and perhaps last) time--and to be a part of the tremendous energy they will feel. You just hope to help propel them further down the road. And so on Sunday we bundled up the whole family and made our way over to Queensboro Plaza to meet up with Irene and Jose and family for a little marathon viewing. It was another blustery cold day and the winds made it almost impossible to imagine running in short sleeves and shorts. I was a little slow to jump in with my camera at first thinking that I couldn't possibly get really good shots of all these people shuttling past me. But within a few minutes, I had found a good spot near the police tape keeping us back and was starting to see some great images amidst the blur of runners. I happened to know two people running the marathon this year, but we were too slow to catch the first one and I was afraid we might not stick around long enough in the frigid air to see the second. But no matter, we shouted and waved, hooped and hollered for all who passed by.
And in the end, we decided to head out for lunch just after 1:30 p.m. which meant I would miss seeing a friend by about 20 minutes. As we neared the 14th mile, I thought perhaps I should stick around just a little longer. How could I miss a photo op for someone I actually know and like after taking all these pics of strangers? But of course, staying there another 15 minutes didn't guarantee me the perfect pic. In fact, I missed seeing her all together. How I'm not sure. But there were so many clusters of runners around the time I was expecting her so maybe that's what happened. All I know is that the wind gusts near Court House Square were almost knocking me over occasionally. And it was C-O-L-D. My hands were frozen and immobile as I tried to maneuver my camera. It was nothing compared to what the runners must have been feeling, but still, I was done. I scanned my friend's progress only to see that she had already passed. Well, thank goodness for technology. But really? Again I missed someone I was hoping to see. I suppose the marathon isn't the best time to catch up, and my consolation was being able to play photographer for so many friends and families that were there for their runners. These pics make me happy. That's all I needed.
Congrats again to all the runners and for more pics of this year's race check out:
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