Inside Loop

Posted in December
Who ran what finishing times at New York couldn't include the valuable volunteer contribution of PPTC members and friends to the efforts of the United States Anti Doping Agency and its work with doping control for athletes whose finishing positions had been selected at random at this event. Thanks to PPTC's Wayne Bailey, Trey Heard, Sandra and Natacha Ferrari, and Marc McKennis. Up close and personal with PPTC were top finishers Geoffrey Mutai, Emmanuel Mutai, Firehiwo Dado of Ethiopia, and Ana Dulce Felix among others.
January 2012 will see another indoor track meet coming to Madison Square Garden. Not the Millrose Games but reminiscent of the days when there were actually three major indoor meets in the Metropolitan area, Millrose , Vitalis, and Mobil. As they say, back in the day....
Seeing Priscilla Muller starting her run into the wind on PPW and 1st street one Saturday in early November brought back some beautiful memories. We miss you Bob!
Citytri's Brooklyn Prospect Park Duathlon Sunday on November 13th found both Marc Crowther and Tom Byrnes on the awards podium stand taking home age group trophies. Thanks to the young men and women volunteers from the Lefferts Garden Association for helping Directors George and Alexandra Regan make this events a huge success. It almost seemed that the water cups wouldn't hit the ground before a vol would be there to catch it on the fly.
Lots of great suggestions on the open forum site for anyone looking for a spring 2012 marathon. Been there, done that, a marathon in the fall and then another in the spring. Training through the winter to use it before you lose it!
Word from Aunt Susan Tomasi off the beaten tredmill is that PPTCer Pete Tomasi has to hustle to cross the finish line with his son Harry in local races these days. I'm sure that if the clan was still living in Brooklyn, Harry would be a valued member of Sean Rice's Prospect Park Youth Runners!
Mid-November saw Tony Watson's Tuesday and Thursday speed workouts moving in to the YMCA's Park Slope 15th street Armory indoor track! Track is back! With the installation of seating on the upper tier of the facility, can an indoor meet be long off? Marc Crowther's interest in a not so invitational all comers mile seems to be looking good!
Will Abrams running with a group a chatty youth runners at the base of Lookout Hill puts Will back on the radar! Will's sub 3:08 at NYC put the smile on his face and I'm sure is a source of inspiration to the young runners he was training.
Lynda Mules was hooked up with the Prospect Park Alliance via the NYRR volunteering to clean up our park.This seemed to be an ideal option for the 9+1 marathon credit. According to the Prospect Park Alliance, the group got an "astronomical" amount of work done. For Lynda the highlight, though, was working along a stretch on the course duathlon. "I knew the event was taking place but was pleasantly surprised that I was able to cheer for the participants while I raked leaves." Linda seems to be saddling her ability to bike with her prowess on the roads into her thinking about a duathlon in the not so distant future...
Brooklyn Marathon runner Gary Wang ran the first half with Pieter, Tom, Mike, and Peter and they all looked great. Hope the second half went just as well. What a great race....a great atmosphere with lots of people cheering out there. I hope this is the first of many more. The Achilles Marathon in the park last run over 11 years ago evaporated after only two runnings due to logistical reasons so lets hope that this year's version of a Brooklyn Marathon continues in the park and perhaps is taken to the streets!
Meanwhile, in Philly, PPTC's Helen Dole ran a 3:07 and Matt Strawn a 3:15. Helen writes that she received at least twenty "Go Prospect Park!" or "Go Brooklyn!" along the Philly course. As she now has experienced for herself, PPTC is very well known beyond just the five boroughs! This was Matt's third marathon and he sees areas where he can pare down his time even further.
Thanks to PPTC Money Man Doug Olney for reporting in that for the first time ever, the Turkey Trot has sold out.The event reached the 2,500 participant limit the Monday before the race at JackRabbit Sports. I wonder who was the lucky 2500th entrant?
As Bill Rodgers once told me, see you on the roads.
News from Early Fall
PPTC ranting and raving about Chris O'Brien, Clair Dougherty and Stacey Ullman's completing September's Mighty Hamtpons Triathlon out on eastern Long Island's South Fork, a mile swim, 40k on the bike, and a 10k run. Welcome to the ranks of PPTCers who've tried triathloning for the first time Clair and Stacey.
PPTC sympathies go out to the family and friends of Dennis Trott. Dennis was one of PPTC's hard core ultra- marathoners back in the day. Rest in peace Dennis Trott. Let's keep Dennis and all the other deceased members of PPTC in our thoughts and prayers.
Past PPTC President Bobby Fisher's fall 2011 bike events included the

Golden Apple Ride 65miles on 9/4, the Escape New York 66mile ride on 9/24, the Twin Lights Ride 75miles on the next day 9/25, the Pumkin Patch Peddle 62miles on 10/2 and The Tour de Bronx on 10/23. 'Lotsa' rides, 'lotsa' miles, but remember too, it's 'lotsa' fun! From a runner's point of view, cross training at its best. From behind the bar , of a road bike that is, the ride is what it's all about.

Great to see Richard Weaver firing up at NYRRC's Fifth Avenue Mile, one for his grandkids to be proud of! Go grandpa Rich!
There's a lot to be said for racing the smaller out of town marathons, avows Tyrone Sklaren. Venturing to Hartford in October, Tyrone found the event much more to his preference than races with casts of tens of thousands . The smaller field and more room on the road to actually see the route of the course ahead was much more to his liking. PPTC on the move in Hartford Connecticut! One thing about out of town races, if you go and wear the PPTC colors , on a singlet or a tee shirt, guaranteed that someone will step up out of the crowd and start the gab about having lived in Brooklyn, having parents or relatives who lived in Brooklyn, and maybe even having stopped by Prospect Park once.
On her Facebook page she says "I should never stop running, no matter how busy I can get from the move. I am a better version of myself when I run." We miss you CoCo!
Thanks to Bobby Fisher for sharing the news that at October's Brooklyn Triple Crown Award dinner PPTC won three of the four team awards presented, Open women, Masters women, and Masters men. Don't fight boys and girls over who gets to keep the trophy in their house until 2012's Awards dinner.

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UncategorizedMeaghan Horner