Warning: mkdir(): Read-only file system in /var/www/easywp-plugin/wp-nc-easywp/vendor/wpbones/wpbones/src/Foundation/Log/LogServiceProvider.php on line 118 Blog - Page 3 of 9 - Queens Distance Runners
The following was authored by Coach Marie-Ange Brumelot. Along with Coach Medina, they have built a community of athletes working together towards their goals. It is, therefore, great to see that the encouragement she instills in others is matched by her own inspiring work ethic, attitude, and achievements. Even with so many goals achieved, there are many more right around the corner to work towards.
Through the Queens Distance Team, #FasterTogether family, and the driven NYC runner’s community, I have had the chance to grow as an athlete and always thrive for more. Everyone supports and motivates each other to keep moving forward and chase their own personal goals. This is gold.
Three months ago, at the Chicago Marathon, I achieved my A-goal by running a low 2:36. I was definitely happy with the performance but celebrating it with everyone is what really made it special. Achievements are only truly appreciated when shared with loved ones. It is later on when I realized that this was the second-fastest French marathon performance in 2019 that things started to sink in. With the Half-Marathon World Championships coming up in late March, I now set the chase of making my first National team.
I have had the goal of making a World team for some time, but never expected it to be a realistic possibility by 2020. But here we are. The training cycle towards the Houston Half-Marathon on January 19, 2020, was quite short but I believed it would be sufficient towards at least making the standard set by the Federation at 1:15:00. We took a couple of weeks to get back some lost aerobic fitness after recovering from Chicago and having fun pacing the NYC Marathon, and we focused on learning to run faster and embrace intensity. Everything worked out smoothly. We let the training talk for itself and set the A goal to sub 1:14:15 and A+ goal to sub 1:14:00.
Race day conditions were favorable despite a strong wind that would face us on the second half of the race. Aware of that, Dmytro and I did not worry much about coming out slightly fast through the first 10km. The second 10km was a battle against the unforgiving headwind. The pace had definitely slowed drastically. A quick time-check at the 20km mark, I was 24 seconds behind my split for my A+ Goal. I ran that 1.1km with the mentality that I could totally make up that time, sped up on this portion where the wind was not a factor anymore, and drove all the way through. I ran for every second, as if the clock would show 1:14:00 and I had to squeeze under. Finish Time: 1:14:12. The best I could do on the day and happy with this result. “A” goal achieved.
3+ min PR World Championships Standard met by 48 seconds. Current second-fastest French HM performance towards making the team, as of January 2020. And 100% confident that I can run a lot faster.
I am at a point in my running when I am slightly disappointed about not surpassing expectations. This comes from setting higher goals and having a better sense of my true abilities. I have to adjust my mindset and learn to appreciate more achieving the A goal. In each stage of a journey, things change and that is something to embrace.
I love the process and the community. Thank you for the endless support, warming congratulations messages, and all the love. What’s next? My eyes are set on making that team. Maybe I’ll squeeze in one more race to better my mark and increase my chances of making the team, or maybe not. That is still in the works. The team will be announced March 3rd, let’s see where I stand then!
Dmytro, Marie, and Luciano at the Houston Marathon and Half-Marathon expo
Thank you again, and cheers to fast miles for all of us in 2020!
*Congratulation to my loving husband for a smart and strong race finishing in 2:36:19, a 7-min PR! **Also, thank you to my favorite pacer, Dmytro, for the company, the help, and the blazing fast early miles!
The following was authored by Robert Sanderman, one of the hardest working athletes we’ve had the pleasure to train with since early 2019. Snowy days did not stop Rob from coming to QDR track workouts at Juniper Park in early 2019 and since then, he’s come a long way as an athlete and a teammate. We hope his story resonates with many who have ever felt intimidated to join any running group. You get as much as what you put into your running group. So, come out and surround yourself with other individuals who will push you further!
Rob trains with QDR coaches, Coach Medina and Coach Marie of Coach Medina NYC, who train athletes from any club. For further information regarding their plans, check out their site!
Queens Distance
Before joining Queens Distance Runners (QDR), I was a very casual runner. I ran to supplement my strength training. My first race was the NYRR UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in 2013 and then the 2013 Brooklyn Half. I did them because a friend encouraged me to run with her and I was also inspired by my coworkers whose offices were decorated with finisher medals. At that time, I did not put a lot of thought and training into running. For the Half, I prepped by running 5 to 8 miles a week or so a few times before the race but that was the extent of my training. I always told myself that I would never hate myself enough to run a full marathon. During the Brooklyn Half, on May 18, 2013, I saw a sign that read “you are only half crazy.” I nodded in agreement as I tried to push through the last few remaining miles.
Then, on one fateful day in the Spring of 2018, my job informed me that they had spots for the 2018 TCS NYC Marathon. For whatever reason, I was like “why not?” This was my first time training, especially with a disciplined schedule (I used the Nike Training App and the NYRR Virtual Trainer). I thought that as long as I followed the plan, I would be fine. During the grueling “hot boy” summer training, I ran into an old college friend—Kevin Montalvo—while I was running in Central Park. He eagerly told me about his running club, Queens Distance Runners (QDR), and prompted me to join. This all happened within the seconds as I continued my stride past him and the QDR cheer station. “Sure”, I responded, but I later asked myself “why would I want to join a running club?” I was close to the end of my training and I didn’t want to do anything new. This would also be my first time joining a club so I was intimidated because I thought it would be an overly competitive environment.
Rob running with Luciano Medina Photo courtesy ofCoach Medina NYC
2018 TCS NYC Marathon
On November 4, 2018, I completed the NYC marathon—my first! To this day, it’s the best course I’ve run. The NYC marathon is a run across all the boroughs and each borough brings its unique energy. It is a thrill to run past the crowds. It’s as if you are a star in the biggest parade in the city. My goal was just to survive, a.k.a. finish, but I learned a lot from the experience.
I ran way too fast in Brooklyn. Therefore, I slowed down significantly after mile 9. By the time I made it to the Bronx, I only had enough in me to twitch a bit to the salsa and merengue emanating through the speakers. I was so happy I survived and finished at 4 hours and 16 minutes. Realizing that I might have improved my time if I started out slower, held a steady pace, timed my hydration, and did less zig-zagging on the course encouraged me to do another marathon and to set on my journey to improve my marathon time.
Spoiler!—I Joined QDR
In January of 2019, I somehow reconnected with Kev and realized that QDR held weekend runs 20 minutes away from my home in Jackson Heights. Therefore, I had no excuse. Upon my arrival to my first meet, we all introduced ourselves and took a group photo and began the run, which already gave me a “this is more than running” vibe. I usually ran by myself but that day I met new people—folks from the community—who enjoyed running. I spoke with people who ran several marathons, completed triathlons, and ran in races across the world. I thought I stumbled upon a group of professional Olympic athletes. It was incredibly encouraging and inspiring to learn of their past accomplishments and future goals.
I also connected in a different way: I had a professional connection with one of the runners. The “speed dating”-esque style of getting to know one another during a long run was pretty awesome. I soon realized that this was a great group of people with running goals ranging from leisure runs to triathlons. The familial feel of this group generated excitement to participate in future runs. Luckily for me, QDR created a training series for the 2019 Queens Marathon. That’s how I found my second marathon.
My goal for the 2019 QDR Queens Marathon was to finish under four hours. I thought this was achievable because through the winter training cycle, I learned a lot about hydration and pacing from my fellow QDR fam. Also, the regular QDR runs and the Strava app kept me honest. I never used Strava before signing up for QDR but I was motivated to see the running community getting it done, whether it’s a 5 a.m. easy run or an ultra-marathon. I eagerly branched out from the weekend long runs to join other groups throughout Queens where I met other great QDR members. Wednesday track workouts were my favorite because it was the first time I seriously incorporated track work into my training regimen (the Nike App had a few but I did those sporadically and in the neighborhood—I literally never ran on a track before). Thankfully, I was able to take advantage of the Queens Marathon training runs, which provided additional opportunities to run with other running clubs such as Woodside Sunnyside Runners (WSR). I learned a lot.
At the QDR Spring Marathon Tune-Up, on March 24, 2019, I surprised myself (and some of the folks in the pacing group) by finishing at an 8:17 pace per mile (ppm). The Queens Marathon was still a month away so I was encouraged by what I thought I could accomplish. On my last long run leading up to the marathon, I did 16 miles at an 8 min ppm. I felt ready!
On race day, April 21, 2019, I ran with the amazing 3:30 pace group. I felt strong the first 17 miles but then realized it was hard for my body to keep up. My legs felt heavy, I was dehydrated, and I started to feel a sharp pain in my side. My pace slowed significantly to the point where I transitioned from running to jogging to walking and finally standing. I stopped three or four times! This was devastating for me because I only stopped once, to use the restroom, at the NYC Marathon. I was further discouraged because I thought a significant amount of time had passed (my watch died at this point) and that I was not going to beat my 2018 NYC Marathon time, much less my sub 4 hour goal time. Although I am not a huge fan of looped courses, I was so grateful that day because I saw familiar faces (QDR members, loved ones, strangers with hilarious/motivating signs) multiple times as I ran through the loops. It also helped mentally to say to myself, “3 loops down, you are halfway there…2 more loops…1 loop to go…there is the Unisphere!” which pushed me to the finish. The expectation of knowing that your support group is in a specific spot was also comforting, unlike my NYC Marathon where I had no clue where people were (I didn’t see anyone I knew).
As I was struggling to jog it out, finishing the race instantly became plan A, B, and C. And I did just that. To my surprise, I somehow beat my NYC Marathon time by 30 minutes. I finished in 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Training with Coach Medina
Photo courtesy of Coach Medina NYC
I learned about Coach Medina NYC when I signed up for the Queens Marathon but it wasn’t until I was paced by someone who ran with him that I decided to look into it. I noticed at the marathon how Coach Medina and Coach Marie ran around the course cheering on the runners. Dwelling on why I stalled after mile 18 at the Queens Marathon, I figured it would not hurt to reach out to Coach Medina for tips. Although I have learned a lot since my first marathon, I figured I had a lot more to learn (and third time’s the charm). My new goal was to finish the 2019 Philadelphia Marathon under 3 hours and 30 minutes.
After signing up with Coach Medina at the end of May of 2019, a month after the Queens Marathon, I saw some big 5K PRs. This was a big deal for me because I never considered myself fast and although my goal was to improve my pace, I did not expect this type of progress. Unfortunately, after training with Coach Medina for roughly a month, I injured my calf (I rarely stretched and I slacked on my strength training although I ran fairly often). I couldn’t run for 6-7 weeks. This is the moment I realized I loved running. During my recovery break, running was constantly on my mind. I did everything I could to get healthy. Also, since I was new to running and didn’t know how common injuries were, I was concerned that my injury would have lasting negative effects on my ability to run.
However, I was super grateful for the Coach Medina group, QDR folks, and my physical therapist for counseling me through the injury. I started to take better care of my body: stretching before and after runs, foam rolling, and strength training. I try my best to keep this up now. After I was cleared to run, I did the Governor’s Island 10K on August 10, 2019. I planned to do an easy pace but I felt strong and ended up with a 6 minute and 36 second PR. I was ready to start training with the CMSub330 group again.
I greatly benefited from having coaches that worked with me through my injuries. Just like how I see QDR as a second family, I had this additional support group with the CM runners—particularly, the CMSub330 group (the group’s goal is to complete a marathon under 3 hours and 30 minutes). We pushed each other to be better, supported each other when we raced. I learned in a very short time that it was more than just running fast or hitting that target pace because training through the elements and witnessing all the hard work my teammates put into their training, I started to realize that we are making each other better—period! That means a lot.
Closer to my marathon date, I reinjured my left calf a few times but I was just grateful that I could still run and give my best effort. Towards the end of the training cycle, my runs were trending faster but I was concerned because my prior two marathons did not end as I hoped, although I was grateful for the PRs. I understood that I could not control everything that may happen on race day but I was less concerned because I knew I was going to sign up with Coach Medina again for the winter training cycle and that there would be more opportunities to hit my goal pace.
2019 Philadelphia Marathon
On race day, November 24, 2019, I was super excited because it was my first race in Philly and I heard great things about the course. I sweat easily and my body warms up super quick so I had to figure out what to wear during that cold and rainy day. I started off with the 3:20 pacer which felt like a very comfortable pace. I broke off at about mile 14 and still felt strong. I started to feel tired around mile 21 but I pushed since I was just trying to convince myself that 5 miles were nothing. My watch died (it’s a recurring marathon theme but I did not have one during the 2018 NYC Marathon) so I didn’t have the playlist that I spent weeks putting together and I was ignorant to my pace. I only knew that the 3:20 pace group didn’t pass me and that I was passing others on the course.
Mile 24 is when it got real. For some reason, I tried to convince myself that I did enough and could jog the last two miles to the finish line since I was on pace to finish under 3 hours and 30 minutes. Luckily for me, seeing QDR and WSR members, either cheering or running the course, gave me life. A little past mile 24, there was a large group of spectators cheering us on, and that gave me the energy I needed to push through. As I got closer to the finish line, when my energy was beginning to fade out again, I saw a WSR member, one of the first athletes I met at my first QDR run. Him yelling out my name and giving me a hi-five resulted in the push I needed to muster all that I had left to cross the finish line at 3:19:08–a 26 minute PR!
I would never have thought that my pace would have improved almost 57 minutes within a year. Qualifying for Boston was not a thought last year or earlier this year but now it seems more feasible. I’m surrounded by friends who inspire me to be better and people who have already accomplished the goals I am now setting for myself. QDR, the Coach Medina crew, WSR, and others have been essential to my growth and progress.
Cheers to having fun, building community, and chasing future PRs!
What a year it’s been! Thank you all for following the monthly recap series. We’ll keep it up through 2020 and beyond. It’s just been great to reflect back on a monthly basis to remember all that we’ve done. And now, we can reflect back on the whole year!
Group run in Flushing
Our goal is to provide opportunities for more runners to experience Queens through group runs, races, and cuisine tours. When new members join, we are all so welcoming to the team and experiences.
We enter 2020 and hope for many more PRs, healthy miles, and strong friendships along the way to our personal goals.
Toy Drive 5 Miler: The Run of Skywalker
In mid-December, we held the last of the 2019 QDR-hosted race events. Every year we host the Forest Park 5 & 10 Miler Toy Drive and this year was no exception. It’s one of our most popular races that many people enjoy coming to. This year, we finished off our Star Wars theme series with the Run of Skywalker. For the new Star Wars trilogy, we’ve held a race every time a new movie came out. First was the Course Awakens (The Force Awakens), The Fast Jedi (The Last Jedi), and finally the Run of Skywalker (The Rise of Skywalker).
BB8 with toys for children! Photo courtesy of Horse and Duck Studio
Thanks to everyone who has attended a Toy Drive race, who dressed up as a Star Wars character, and who have brought toys. It sure made many children very happy! Find race day photos on Horse and Duck Studio.
Marathons
Marathon season wasn’t completely over yet as we went out to California for the California International marathon. Our teammates went to race what turned out to be a humid morning but still managed to give their best. Our friend Charles Remillars, who won the inaugural queens marathon, walked away with a new PR and an Olympic Trials qualifying time!
Congrats to everyone this marathon season!
Cathy, Vikram, and Zein post-CIM
NYRR Club Point Races
We finished off the 2019 NYRR Club Point races with Ted Corbitt 15K. Come back later for a blog post that recaps all the club point races of 2019! For now, let’s go into the NYRR Club Point races of 2020.
QDR at Ted Corbitt 15K
In 2020 there will be 11 Club Point races – that is two more than in 2019. These will be the same nine races (but UAE 10K is at the end of March instead of the end of April) and now including the NB 5th Ave Mile and the Run as One 4M.
Except for Team Champs (top 10 score) and the TCS NYC Marathon (top 3 score), the top 5 from every race in the Women’s and Men’s team score points, including age groups!
There are no negatives! “I am slow and will bring the team down” DOES NOT EXIST. We want everyone to come out to all the races because it’s the support from one another that helps the team as a whole. Hope to see you at all these races!
Full list of 2020 Club Point races as well as tentative dates: Washington Heights 5K – 3/1 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K – 3/28 Run as One 4M – 4/26 Brooklyn Half – 5/16 Queens 10K – 6/21 Team Champs – 8/1 5th Ave Mile – 9/13 Bronx 10M – 9/27 Staten Island Half – 10/11 TCS NYC Marathon – 11/1 Ted Corbitt 15K – 12/13
Group Runs
This past year we’ve held many weekly group runs. This meant more opportunities to meet, hang out, and run with others. We really want to thank all the leaders who went above and beyond to lead runs this past year, including leaders who lead in other absences: Caroline Nester, Brian Wysocki, Jonela Molla, Ashey Dean, Lillian Kim, Desmond Foo, Mike Bocchinfuso, Anne-Marie Goldsman, Jenna Marotta, Linda Brennan, Lisette Silva, Dave McCutcheon, Edwin Guzman.
Kessel Run on Fridays in Forest Hills
Our current lineup is the same but keep an eye on the Strava events for any updates. This past holiday season some events had slight changes to be able to spend more time with family.
Monday- 6:00 pm, Central Park, meet at the NYRR Run Center with Ashley
Thursday- 6:30 am, LIC group run, meet at Sweetleaf on Vernon Blvd with Lillian
Thursday- 6:00 pm, Flushing, meet at Starbucks on Utopia Pkwy with Linda and Jenna
Friday- 6:15 am, Astoria Park Track, meet at the track with Jona
Friday- 6:30 pm, “Kessel Run”, (Kessel St in Forest Hills), meet at Shake Shack on Austin St. with Mike and Ann-Marie
LIC group run on Thursdays
Queens Marathon Cuisine Tour
This past month we held three cuisine tours in coordination with long run training building up to the Queens Marathon. What better way to experience the diversity and beauty of queens than through different cultural foods after a long run?
In November the first event took us to a Mexican restaurant in Corona. This month, we ate German, Italian, and Jamaican cuisine. For more cuisine tour long runs, check out the Queens Marathon Strava, and remember, the Queens Marathon and QDR Half Marathon are still open and we’ve recently hit 500 registered runners!
Italian at Gino’s
German at Zum Stammtisch
Running before German food
Keep an eye out on our site’s meetups page as well as on Strava for more group runs and training sessions. Make sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates and news!
Queens Distance
1 – Queens Marathon Cuisine Tour #2- German: Ft. Zum Stammtisch 2 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
3 – Radiological Society of North America Conference 5K (Chicago) QDR Tuesday Evening Astoria Track 4 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
2020 NYRR Club Points Races announced 5 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run 6 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel 8 – California International Marathon NYCRuns Big Apple Half
11 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session 12 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run 13 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
14 – NYRR Jingle Bell Jog (5K) Urban Athletics Winter Classic (4M/10K) 15 – Toy Drive 5 Miler: The Run of Skywalker
26 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run 27 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel 29 – Queens Marathon Cuisine Tour #4- Jamaican in Jamaica Ft. The Door! 29 – First time getting 500 registrants at a QDR race! 30 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park 31 – NYRR Midnight Run
Early November is synonymous with the TCS NYC Marathon and we absolutely love it. Everyone, whether they ran it or not, was involved in some part of that amazing day. This year we once again went big at Mile 14 in Long Island City, Queens. There was no doubt that we had to be there to support other running clubs, spectators, and, of course, every single runner passing through Queens.
Apparently, it’s been said that Queens is a boring part of the NYC Marathon. It’s not. Runners only step foot in Queens for a few miles, but we made sure they enjoyed every single step. The TCS NYC Marathon may be the biggest marathon we participated in this month, but there were still others. Just ask Zein who ran the TCS NYC Marathon, Rock’n’Roll Las Vegas Marathon, and then the AACR Philadelphia Marathon!
Big congrats to everyone who raced this past month. Let’s not forget that there are still marathons coming up like the California International Marathon. We also have the last club points race of the year, Ted Corbitt 15K, approaching fast. See you out there!
This year we hard three pre-race team dinners! The first one was at the end of October but we hosted two more dinners in Forest Hills at Portofino and in Flushing at Hong Kong Food Court. Just more options for teammates to meet and talk before the TCS NYC Marathon!
After the race we had one huge post-race dinner at our usual post – Austin’s Ale House. Thanks to everyone who came to the dinner and showed off their medals! It was a lot of fun recapping all the different stories from runners, spectators on the course, and volunteers.
We hit peak Marathon time! Every weekeend there was a big marathon that our teammates took part of. If not a full marathon then a race at a different distance, but impressive nonetheless. At the TCS NYC Marathon there were 101 Queens Distance members! At the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Derek Hanson, who has been with the team sine 2014, ran a very fast 2:38:08 time! Zein Aly ran his second marathon in November at Las Vegas. And finally, a large team went to Philadelphia for the 8K, half marathon, and full marathon races.
Let’s also not forget the only ultra-marathon in the NYRR race schedule, the NYRR 60K! Congrats to everyone especially those who ventured out on a new and very long distance.
Peep the meetups QDR has throughout the week! We now have Edwin leading track workout at the newly opened track in Astoria Park! Join him on Tuesdays at 6PM for speed sessions geared toward 10k and half training – workouts that will lead up to the NYC Half and the Queens Half.
With the holidays approaching, some runs have been postponed so keep an eye out on the strava events. Find the events on our club page.
Monday – 1 – Evening group run in Central Park Tuesday – 1 – Speed Session at Astoria Track Wednesday – 1 – Speed Session at QCC Thursday – 2 – Morning group run in LIC, Evening group run in Flushing Friday – 2 – FunFridayRun in Astoria, Kessel Run in Forest Hills Saturday/Sunday – Long group run or races!
Training for the 2020 Queens Marathon and Half has begun! Join us as we do cuisine tours and long runs in Queens that will lead up to March 22nd. The first training run was a 10 mile run in Flushing Meadow Park that started and finished at the Mexican restaurant The Little Chinantla in Corona.
We are so, so thankful for another year that we were able to share with everyone. We’ve seen so many beautiful personal stories that makes us proud to be a team and happy that everyone has form strong bonds with each other. We’ve been told many times by different members how grateful they are to be running and representing us and we couldn’t be happier.
QDR Friendsgiving
Running is more than just chasing fast times; running is about learning about oneself. Through running we can learn what we are capable of. It changes you once you are determined to wake up early and run, or lace up your shoes after a long day of work.
This year Queens Distance participated in many Turkey Trots in NYC and abroad. We also had a Friendsgiving in Astoria. With all these events, we want more and more runners come to share stories with each other. It makes race morning easier when you see a friendly face and know you’re not alone going into any race.
At Sri Chinmoy Thanksgiving Day 5K & 10K
Keep an eye out on our site’s meetups page as well as on Strava for more group runs and training sessions. Make sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates and news!
Queens Distance
1 – TCS NYC Marathon Expo Pre-Marathon Team dinner at Portofino QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel 2 – Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K and USATF 5K Championships Pre-Marathon Team dinner at Hong Kong Food Court 3 – TCS NYC Marathon
David Corona at the TCS NYC Marathon
4 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
Meeting and running the day after the TCS NYC Marathon in Central Park!
6 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session 7 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run QDR Thursday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park 8 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
9 – CNO Financial Indian apolis Monumental Marathon QDR Post-NYC Marathon Dinner at Austin’s Ale House 11 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
13 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
14 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run
QDR Thursday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park 15 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel 16 – NYCRuns Falling Leaves Half Marathon and 5K
18 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park 20 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session 21 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run 22 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel 23 – Spartan Sprint Long Island 24 – NYRR Race to Deliver 4M
Hot Chocolate 15K St Louis Philadephia Marathon/Half
Photo by Michael Remanche
25 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park 26 – QDR Tuesday Evening Astoria Track 27 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
28 – Garden City Turkey Trot 5M (Brian Wysocki will make an apple pie for each QDR participant) Sri Chimnoy Thanksgiving Day 5K & 10K
QDR 5K and 10K Time Trial at Victory Field Track, Forest Park 29 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel 30 – New York City Turkey Trot Half Marathon & 5K
From Berlin we made our way to Chicago for the second World Marathon Major of the 2019 Fall season! What an exciting weekend it was for all of us. With over 30 runners, and even more friends and family members, Queens Distance was well represented in the Windy City. This year’s weather fared so well for the runners that many achieved big PRs, one more star closer to completing the six World Marathon Majors, and one more city to tick of the marathon bucket list.
Thanks to everyone who joined us in Chicago! From meeting up at the expo, to eating together, there were plenty of events to meet up. Since everyone flies into the city at different dates, with different time schedules, it is hard to coordinate. We’ve been told “sorry” before when teammates go to a race but cannot meet for events. Remember that there are no obligations to meet up. Doing the best to your ability is all we ask!
There were many, many big PRs this year in Chicago. Yes, the 30+ runners who participated in the 5K and the Marathon put in all the work but let’s not forget the supportive friends and family who came to Chicago! Running a marathon is an amazing accomplishment and that feeling is better when shared with everyone who has supported you through the training, through the bad races, through the PRs, through trying new nutrition or new workouts, they know everything you’ve gone through to make it this far.
This year’s QDR cheer stations were held at the same spots as last year but many went to their own spots to cheer for their loved one. This is fine and encouraged because it helped the runners; there were more chances to hear all the “Go Queens Distance!” shouts on the course. Sometimes, however, it may be hard to spot and take pictures of everyone. Take it from Mike Bocchinfuso who said
1. Cheering and supporting our FAM (and all runners) is a lot of fun and the smiles, seeing your crew cheese for photos, etc, are totally worth it. It’s definitely worth coming out if you can. 2. Tracking multiple runners AND handling photography is TOUGH. I have a new level of respect for the work that Albert and Jose put into their race photos that we get. Not that I got photos anywhere near their quality, nor did I put in the work they do, but I appreciate even more what they do even more now as Horse and Duck.
As hard as it may be, we will be there cheering for you! Not only is it fun, but it’s one of the most inspiring things you can do.
International Chicago 5K
First up for the weekend was the International Chicago 5K. This 5K is similar to the NYRR Abbott Dash to the Finish 5K as it celebrates all the countries who have participants in the Marathon. It’s one of those events where you see a lovely mix of culture in an athlete’s attire; one runner from Australia had an inflatable kangaroo on her back, a group of Japanese runners had cute anthropomorphic pineapples on their heads, and many had flags of their countries as capes.
For our teammates, many ran it as a shakeout for the Marathon. That means two medals for the weekend and a gorgeous beanie souvenier. Others raced it, like Edwin who cracked the top 10 overall in 17:10 and coming very close to a PR.
Get this, we had 30+ Queens Distance members run the Chicago Marathon! For a race outside of NYC, that’s incredible. Many teammates we spoke to were inspired by last year’s Chicago Marathon and wanted to have a go at it. For others, it was another chance at running it from deferring it last year. And for some it was their first marathon in a long time. We can only imagine the nerves everyone had leading up to the race!
Last year, the Chicago Marathon was a humid and rainy race. We know very well how those conditions can affect a race, just ask the three QDR co-founders who ran the race together (both Edwin and Kevin helping pace Maria). But this year, the weather was in everyone’s favored as it was a chilly and clear morning.
Marie-Ange Brumelot led the team coming in 20th place overall female with a time of 2:36:23! This is the fastest Marathon in QDR Women’s history and also the second fastest overall QDR Marathon time! It was a spectacular performance we will not forget and we know there’s more in the horizon from Marie and her husband, Coach Luciano Medina.
Just as amazing were all the other races. There were so many PRs that day; some by a few minutes and some by more than 30 minutes! Not everyone runs for a specific time goal, however, as a few were unfortunately pestered with injuries in the past months. We’re very glad to see that they are now healthier to complete the marathon without further hurting themselves. And, of course, some ran this race as a long run for other upcoming races!
Laura Pisani even ran for two as she announced to everyone that she and Joseph are expecting a baby! What a wonderful way toannounce such a joyful life event.
We really love seeing everyone’s achievement and send everyone a huge congratulations on such a phenomenal day!
Full B.O.A. Chicago Marathon Roster:
Ana Soto Brian Wysocki Cannigia Laluw Chinedu Ogueri Christine Nasol Cinthya Sandoval Daryl Valerio David Dominguez Deki Yangzom Denny Moran Diana Wong Ellen Hoo Gloria Morales James Liu Jeff Munoz Jenny Hwang John Pierre Johnathan Tom Jonela Mola Jordan Lee Josep Betancourt Katrine Stroyberg Kieran Garvey Laura Pisani Marie-Ange Brumelot Michale McCaffery Nancy Silva Ray Valderrama Roy Menendez Sara Lee Victor Kyi Wiliam Wong
