Marathon Day

Yesterday we ventured down to LIC to converge on the area around Queensboro Plaza to watch the NYC marathon in the hopes of catching our friend Jessie run by. It had been two years since we've watched and cheered the runners and I have to say I always enjoy this chance to see the city coming together around such a special event.  Since I was coming from a photo shoot over at Hunters Point South, I joined up with Carmen to take the train back and we found Nacho within minutes of exiting the station. Irene and Jose were also coming off the subway at the exact same time, so we all made it to the street and texted Amanda and Gina to find out where they were. A few blocks down and over we caught up with them and staked out our spot for the race. It's sometimes hard for the kids to get a good view, but thankfully a nice police officer didn't seem to mind that they congregated inside the tape lines. The kids danced and sat, played and cheered as the runners zoomed by. And with warmer weather, it wasn't too hard to hang out for a while waiting to see Jessie. The TCS NY Marathon app on our phones also made it possible to know exactly where she was on the course, so most of the guess work was taken out and we only had to bide our time. As we did so, I of course couldn't resist snapping a few pics of fellow race watchers as they greeted their friends and loved ones. The marathon is such an emotional event for runners and spectators alike and it always makes me so happy to capture a few of those moments and send them along in photos. One moment I remember from this year is seeing a family member shouting, blowing a whistle and doing everything she could to get her friend's attention and yet, she couldn't reach her. She was running too far to the other side and seemed to have her earphones in and her eyes on the road ahead. I wanted to jump in there and tap her on the shoulder myself. Ugh. What a missed chance to perk up in the long run...oh well. Fortunately we had more success catching Jessie and the look on her face as she recognized us was priceless. It wasn't a long rest for her, but she gave us some high fives, squeezed the girls and kept on running. I was shooting it from further down to get a better angle and by the time she looked up as she passed, there was a moment of oh-you're-here-too! Ha, too much. I was elated to see the bounce in her step and she seemed like she was in good shape for the next few miles. Luke and the boys were waiting just a little further up closer to the Queensboro Bridge and though I missed photographing that encounter, I was glad we spread out all our love. Jessie really inspired all of us yesterday with her determination, her stamina and her joy.  I hope she knows how much. 

Headwinds

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:

http://www.annpricephoto.com/tcsnycmarathon2014

Marathon weekend in NYC

This Sunday was the 40th annual NYC Marathon throughout the 5 boroughs. And in a way, it was also a marathon weekend for Elisa and I. We were traveling last week to deal with some estate matters for my late Nana and flew home on Halloween. We'd spent a very restless night before the travel day (Elisa actually joined me in my bed, if that tells you anything) and when she woke at 5:30am for no apparent reason, I knew I was in trouble. Despite that, I dressed her in her pumpkin smiley face jumpsuit and hoped for the best. Dumb. It was probably the worst flight for Elisa to date. Just when you think she's getting the hang of something, you get a "oh, HELL no" and realize that yes, you have a long way to go before our mother-daughter communication is understandable. I was tired, out of games, and just plain sorry to have put her and our fellow passengers through the ordeal. But what can you do? She (finally!) fell asleep on the landing at JFK and I sat holding a snoozing, peaceful baby as the passengers deplaned and probably wondered if I'd strangled her after all that fuss. Good timing, kid.

But luckily, we were home and resting by 7pm on Halloween. No trick or treating. No fun parties (we had two invites!!). But the beauty of seeing Elisa wake up refreshed on Sunday was well worth it and we headed out to watch the runners whiz through Queens on their way into Manhattan. The area around where we live is the half way point for the marathon which I think is kind of cool. Since Nacho's best friend Felipe flew all the way from Madrid to compete this year, we had another reason to go and cheer the runners on.
Elisa loves a crowd and she was screaming along to make some noise for the runners!
Afterwards, we met up with Felipe and the whole Spanish crew on the Upper West Side near the park. I think Elisa was impressed with his medal.
Here are the lovely ladies celebrating the end of the race.
Finally, on the way home, we hopped on a bus and Elisa got to dig into her snack--a whole apple. The girl goes NUTS for apples. She gets the silliest grin and smiles with her eyes. Who knew happiness could be bought with so little? Now, if that only worked on airplanes...