The PPTC Cat Retires
Murray and Melissa with PPTCat at the Philadelphia Marathon circa 2018, photo by Marek Stępniowski
If you’ve ever been to or run by the PPTC cheer zone at the NYC Marathon, NYC Half, or any number of other races, you’ve probably seen the PPTC cat (PPTCat) often being held high by its steward, Murray Rosenblith (he/him). PPTCat is one of the things that caught my eye when I was a new member. Why a cat? Whose cat is this? For answers to this, I turned to Murray to recount the origins of PPTCat. Read on because it’s not Murray’s cat.
PPTCat's Provenance as told by Murray:
In 2015, club member Mike Lee was preparing to run the NYC Marathon. As many of you know, it’s not always easy for a runner to spot a family member or supporter among the throngs hugging the sidelines of the race. Mike’s partner (now wife) Andrea made an oversized photo of their cat mounted on a foam board cut out. She fixed it to a long pole so that the image would be visible from a distance by an approaching runner. Happily, Mike easily spotted Andrea along the way thanks to the oversized image of their pet showing the way. The oversized cat face also drew lots of attention from other cat lovers during the race.
That year, NYC Runs was putting on their Brooklyn Marathon in Prospect Park about 3 weeks afterwards. Seeing how well Mike’s cat worked for locating supporters along the course, some other PPTC runners borrowed it for the Brooklyn race. After that race, it got stashed away in some member’s apartment and never made its way back to Mike and Andrea. They didn’t mind because, after all, they had the actual cat! People kept talking about the cat and I tracked it down and brought it out for the NYRR Club Championship races the following July. The rest, as they say, is history. Now christened “PPTCat”, this icon has made an appearance at most major races in New York City, the Boston Marathon at least once and several times at the Philadelphia Marathon to cheer on the large number of PPTC members who run that race. PPTCat has taken something of a beating over the years and almost met its end at the 2019 Philly Marathon where it got caught in a sleet and freezing rain storm that moved in towards the later hours of the race. At this point, it is held together with generous amounts of tape, glue and staples. We might squeak one or two more appearances out of it (weather permitting in the upcoming Boston Marathon!).
Since Mike Lee’s running of the NYC marathon in 2015, the PPTCat has cheered us on at countless races. Alas Mike’s cat has crossed the rainbow bridge and PPTCat is on its last leg. With this, we are calling for nominations for a new PPTC mascot. Send in your nomination for PPTC’s new mascot. It can be your pet (another cat, a dog, or a ferret), some other beloved animal, or even a fictional character of your creation. Fill out the nomination form and submit a photo or drawing of your nominated mascot. You should own the rights to the photos or drawing (no celebrities or photos from the internet, please). After we’ve gathered nominations, we’ll send out a ballot for members to vote for the new mascot. The winning mascot will be announced at Awards Night. Nominations are open only through April 22, so get your nomination in ASAP!
PPTCat at the 2018 Team Championships, photo by PaFoua Hang
Text by: Linda S. Chan (she/her) and Murray Rosenblith
Photos by: Marek Stępniewski and PaFoua Hang, as noted
Produced by: Linda S. Chan
PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.