Category: Monthly Recap

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December 2019 Recap

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
  • Tuesday- 6:00 pm, Astoria Park Track workouts with Edwin
  • Wednesday- 6:30 pm, Queensborough CC Track workout with Nancy
  • 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

NYRR Peter McArdle 15K
9 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
10 – QDR Tuesday Evening Astoria Track

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

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This guy wanted to kill me but I ran from him @vikbase lol QDR Toy Drive 5 @queensdistance @nycmarathon @nyrr @runrocknroll @philly_marathon 👍💪💪💪🙏lets gooo @philly_marathon. 💪🙏👍@runrocknroll @nycruns @brooklynmarathon @rnrvegas 🏅@nycmarathon @nyrr @queensdistance @ineos159challenge @chimarathon @chimarathon @berlinmarathon @berlinmarathon @prospectparktc @5borughs #nycrun #bostonmarathon @bostonmarathon @londonmarathon @tokyo2020 @tokyomarathon @cheereverywhere.jpg @runrocknroll #nycmarathonrunners #nycmarathon #nycmarathontraining @wmmajors @nycmarathonrunners #happyrunning #nycmarathon2019 #tcsnycmarathon #tcsnycmarathontraining #chicago #nyc #statenislandhalf @runrocknroll @kipchogeeliud Island . @themiamimarathon @lamarathon @thesfmarathon @brooklynmarathon @runsra_cim @njmarathon @dallas_marathon @grandmasmarathon @chevronhoustonmarathon @austinmarathon @run_mercedes @afmarathon 👍💪💪 #brooklynhalftraining #brooklynhalf2019 ##statenislandhalf @runrocknroll @kipchogeeliud Island . @themiamimarathon @lamarathon @thesfmarathon @brooklynmarathon @runsra_cim @njmarathon @dallas_marathon @grandmasmarathon @chevronhoustonmarathon @austinmarathon @run_mercedes @afmarathon 👍💪💪 #brooklynhalftraining #brooklynhalf2019 #brooklyn 💪💪 #rnrdenver 💪.#brooklynbridge . #rnrdenver #mondaymotivation #medals #mondaymedal@thesfmarathon @af_marathoner #rnrlasvegas #5k @queensdistance philly_marathon #mondaymeditations #medalmonday @runsra_cim

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16 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
17 – QDR Tuesday Evening Astoria Track
18 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session

19 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run

20 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
21 – Festivity Run with North Brooklyn Runners

22 – Queens Marathon Cuisine Tour #3- Italian: Ft. Gino’s
23 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
24 – QDR Tuesday Evening Astoria Track

25 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session

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

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November 2019 Recap

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!

Pre- & post-TCS NYC Marathon Dinners

  • Portofino
  • Hong Kong Food Court

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.

  • At Austin’s Ale House

Marathons

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3:43:34. I’m not gonna lie, this was tough. I knew going into this race that it was going to be challenging, but my legs (and my mind) both had a hard time overcoming all those tough moments, particularly in the second half. I went out feeling GREAT, the miles were flying by, the pace felt easy, and I could not stop smiling. But after about halfway my legs had lost their spring and I was just trying to aim for the next part of the course. However, I used the inspiration I’ve gained from @deena8050 and tried to meet each negative thought with a positive response. I soaked in the amazing support of all the spectators and felt such gratitude for their glorious sound. I felt so fortunate to have such loving support from Joe and @aliciabennett3096 (it made me smile so big to see that sweet sign!😊) and to spot my dear friend Corinne @reeno9115 . And I of course got such a boost from the @queensdistance scream station and loved seeing teammates as we all encouraged each other out there on the course. (It was also great to share the bus ride with @jenna__marotta , who I haven’t seen in a long time and who was running her first marathon!🙌) While I didn’t get a PR or hit my goal time, my heart is full and I am excited to keep going after my goals and to keep challenging myself. This thing we do definitely isn’t easy, but it sure is beautiful! 🏃🏻‍♀️💛🗽@coachmedinanyc @queensdistance @nycmarathon #nyc #marathoner #nyrr #positivesplitsforpositivepeople

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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.

We’ll have two longer recaps for the TCS NYC Marathon and the AACR Philadelphia Marathon soon. Stay tuned!

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Didn’t hit my goal of 5 hr (finished in 5:17:46), but considering I ran 26.2 miles in heavy rain, 17 mph wind and even at one point, hail (!!!! For 1.5 miles, but still),I consider this a win! I PRed by 1 hour, 41 minutes, and 16 seconds. Thank you @jdnyiam for staying out there to make sure @honus67 made it back to our hotel safe and sound. Thank you @zeinabod for pacing me for the last brutal mile. Without you, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the time I did. Thank you for everybody who came out to cheer! @vikbase @justsmile_justtri @jonarunsthecity @danny.ocean and to everybody else I may have missed. Thank you @mikyathemad for giving us a ride to Philly because I’m a cheap ass! This was a tough marathon, but you’ll see me again next year for the 50th Anniversary for NYC Marathon and I’ll also attempt the 60k… . . . • • • • • #running #keto #run #ketogenic #lchf #ketosis #ketodiet #lowcarbhighfat #runner #lowcarb #ketogenicdiet #atkins #instarunners #runners #ketolife #ketofam #instarun #ketorunner #bemighty #marathon #highfat #zone2training #runnerscommunity #lowcarblifestyle #queensdistancerunners #lowcarbdiet #qdrjustcause #phillymarathon #philadelphiamarathon @mcmillanrunning

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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.

Group runs and Training

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!

  • Kessel Run, Friday
  • Flushing Group Run, Thursday
  • Central Park Group Run, Monday
  • FunFridayRun Astoria, Friday

Queens Marathon Training

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.

Upcoming training runs in December:

December 1st – Queens Marathon Cuisine Tour #2 – German: Ft. Zum Stammtish
December 8th – Queens Marathon Training Run – Queens Blvd. Expressway
December 22nd – Queens Marathon Cuisine Tour #3 – Italian: Ft. Bruno

Thanksgiving & Turkey Trots

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

17 – Fred Lebow Cross Country Championships 5K
NYRR 60K
Rock’n’Roll Las Vegas, NV Marathon/Half Marathon/10K/5K
Queens Marathon Training Run #1- La Chinantla, Mexican!
QDR Friendsgiving

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

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October 2019 Recap

Alright, here we go! We are two days away from the biggest block party in the world. The TCS NYC Marathon is upon us and we are so excited to welcome every single runner to Queens! Our volunteer water station will be located at Mile 14 and the marathon route in Queens will be lined up with Queens-based running clubs, friends, and family.

What led up to this race? The past few weeks of training! The TCS NYC Marathon is not the only marathon left and we’ll see teammates in more races such as the Philadelphia Marathon, the California International Marathon, and more. It’s going to be a beautiful month!

NYRR Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff 5 Miles with great runners here too Víctor and Kiran. #polandspringkickoff . #run5miles I love it and I enjoyed . It’s fun time with big smile.lets gooo. @nycruns @brooklynmarathon 🏅@nycmarathon @nyrr @queensdistance @ineos159challenge @chimarathon @chimarathon @berlinmarathon @berlinmarathon @prospectparktc @5borughs #nycrun #bostonmarathon @bostonmarathon @londonmarathon @tokyo2020 @tokyomarathon @cheereverywhere.jpg @runrocknroll #nycmarathonrunners #nycmarathon #nycmarathontraining @wmmajors @nycmarathonrunners #happyrunning #nycmarathon2019 #tcsnycmarathon #tcsnycmarathontraining #chicago #nyc #statenislandhalf @runrocknroll @kipchogeeliud Island . @themiamimarathon @lamarathon @thesfmarathon @brooklynmarathon @runsra_cim @njmarathon @dallas_marathon @grandmasmarathon @chevronhoustonmarathon @austinmarathon @run_mercedes @afmarathon 👍💪💪 #brooklynhalftraining #brooklynhalf2019 ##statenislandhalf @runrocknroll @kipchogeeliud Island . @themiamimarathon @lamarathon @thesfmarathon @brooklynmarathon @runsra_cim @njmarathon @dallas_marathon @grandmasmarathon @chevronhoustonmarathon @austinmarathon @run_mercedes @afmarathon 👍💪💪 #brooklynhalftraining #brooklynhalf2019 #brooklyn 💪💪 #rnrdenver 💪.#brooklynbridge . #rnrdenver #mondaymotivation #medals #mondaymedal@thesfmarathon @afmarathon

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QDR 30K Fall Marathon Tune-Up and 10K

First up in October was our first race that feature NYPD protected road closures. We can’t thank them enough for coming out to support us. Yes, it’s there job to be there and close the roads for us, but they cheered us on and were even counting how many times we passed by! One could tell that they were very much into the race.

The 30K featured three-10K loops around Crocheron Park and on the Joe Michaels Mile path in Bayside. It’s was a surprisingly chilly morning for early October but it was great for the runners. This also meant a windy long stretch on Joe Michaels Mile but thankfully runners got into groups to run together.

After running for more than two hours, we were greated by Dan Huang, a sports physician and owner of Level Up Sports Chiropractic. We really appreciate the many hours Dan volunteered in Bayside giving runners post-race massages. For more information, check out Level Up Sports.

Group Runs, and Training Sessions

As always, our weekly schedule has held up well, even when group run leaders are gone! Lillian, who leads the Thursday AM Long Island City group run ran the Berlin Marathon last month and stayed longer to explore Europe. During her stay, Desmond led the morning runs. In the Astoria #FunFridayRun, Jona was also on vacation and Ashley took the lead for the Fridays she was gone. Now that Caroline is teaching and can no longer lead the Monday Evening group runs in Central Park, others have met to continue that tradition. Team work really goes a long way!

Thursday PM Flushing Group Run

Astoria Park Track recently opened to the public and we are already thinking about hosting track sessions there soon after the marathon. Like all our other group runs, everyone is welcomed to attend. From beginners to experienced track runners, we’ll have sessions to work on strength, endurance, and form. More to come later! For now, here’s the current schedule of weekly group runs.

Monday – 2 – Morning Miles in FMP, Even group run in Central Park
Wednesday – 1 – Speed Session at QCC
Thursday – 3 – Morning group run in LIC, Evening group run in Flushing, Evening Tempo run in Forest Park
Friday – 3 – Morning Miles in FMP, FunFridayRun in Astoria, Kessel Run in Forest Hills
Saturday/Sunday – Long group run or races!

This month we also hosted the Last 13.1 of the TCS NYC Marathon long run. We started off in the summer running from the Queens Center Mall to the Rockways and now our series of Destination Runs for this cycle comes to an end. We will have more group runs in the near future!

Almost there! Ran the last 13.1 of the @nycmarathon with my fellow @queensdistance runners today. With two weeks to go, the streets were buzzing with runners trying to get in some final mileage. My training has not been perfect, actually far from it, but my heart is in it- and if my body gives out, I hope my heart will get me across that finish line❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤💖 . . . . . #firstmarathon #trustyourtraining #heartsinit #runner #stressfracturesurvivor #TCSNYCMarathonTraining #queensdistance #CMsub4 #fastertogether #coachmedinanyc #grateful #AMR #marathontraining #fit #instafit #nuunlife #womenwhorun #runnergirl #fitness #runlikeagirl #instarunners #igrunners #teamwr #run #running #nikerun #runnersofinstagram #runnersofig #instarunnerstribe #nikerunning

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Races

From short to long distance races, we covered them all. Early in October, Woodside-Sunnyside Runners and Sunnyside Post hosted the Sunnyside Post Mile. There was the weekend long Runner’s World Half & Festival and Atlantic City challenge held between October 18 through October 20. There was also the Urban Bourbon Half Marathon where Nicholas got a nice bottle of bourbon with “Queens Distance” lettered in the front. There was also a fan-favorite, the Army Ten-Miler.

One thing I think we can all attest to is that we were inspired by Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-2 hour marathon challenge held in Vienna on October 12. Even though it was not an official world record, he showed us that humans really are not limited when they set their minds on a goal. This inspired many on their own races in the second half of October and will keep inspiring us for a long time!

NYRR Staten Island Half! Photo courtesy of Rafael Guzman

Coincidentally, the INEOS 1:59 challenge was held the night before the NYRR Staten Island Half. The inspiring feat spurred some last minute motivation to one more NYRR Club Points race of the year. It may take the longest to get to Staten Island especially early in the morning, but we love attending there. We have car shuttles that take groups of us to the start line, but one of the best part of the race is taking the Staten Island Ferry back to Manhattan. It can definitely be cold and sometimes miserable, but the views make up for it. And, also, we’re all collectively experiencing it and in some ways brings us closer together.

With this last club points race, the Five-Borough challenge is complete! Huge congrats to everyone who participated, who experienced these races for the first time, and who ran the races to get into their first United Airlines NYC Half!

Team work makes the dream work at the NYRR Staten Island Half! Photo courtesy of Rafael Guzman

Chicago Marathon

Check out the blog post we have for the B.O.A. Chicago Marathon! Just one of many highlights in October but one we looked forward to for many months!

Keep an eye out on our site’s calendar 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

2 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
QDR Wednesday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park

3 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
4 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
5 – NYRR Grete’s Great Gallop 10K

Sunnyside Post Mile

6 – QDR 30K Fall Marathon Tune-Up
NYRR Harry Murphey Cross Country 5K
Wineglass Marathon
7 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
9 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session

10 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
13 – B.A.A. Half Marathon
11 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
12 – INEOS 1:59
International Chicago 5K

13 – BOA Chicago Marathon

#chicagomarathon Had our hearts full and I can’t deny it… I am still getting teary eyed!!! It was a day we will NEVER forget. There was no better way to announce that baby girl Betancourt will be coming in April than with both mommy and daddy PRing today!!! 21 mins PR for me, 10 for Joey and so so so much love from the crowd with these bibs from @race2remember !!! So much love from the teammates, friends and family… will be probably gushing indefinitely about this, but now it’s time for shower and nap!!! This #badassmotherrunner is TIREEEEED!!! 😴 👶 ❤️#nohumanislimited – – – @nyrr @queensdistance #pregnancyannouncement #pregnant #tcsnycmarathon #bestoftheday #runners #run #fitmama #marathon #marathontraining #runhappy #runchat #NYRR #runnerscommunity #igrunners #womenrunning #runitfast #runner #runnerspace #fitfluential #runnerslife #runlikeagirl #runtoinspire #runnerspace #fitfam #fitness #fitfamily #runnersofinstagram #runchat #getouttorun

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NYRR Staten Island Half
Army Ten-Miler
14 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
16 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
17 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
18 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria

QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
7 Bridges Marathon, Chattanooga, Tennessee
18-20 – Runner’s World Half & Festival
19-20 – Atlantic City Marathon, Half, 10K, 5K
19 – Urban Bourbon Half Marathon
NYCRuns Brooklyn Marathon & Half Marathon

Baltimore Run Festival
QDR – Last 13.1 of the TCS NYC Marathon
20 – Yonkers Marathon
Amsterdam Marathon
Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Desmond in Toronto!

21 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park

23 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
24 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
QDR Thursday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park

25 – QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
26 – People for the Pavillion 5K
27 – Marine Corps Marathon

Poland Spring 5M

28 – QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
NYRR Marathon Monday Course guide at the NYC Marathon Pavilion

30 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
31 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run
QDR Pre-Marathon Dinner – Sac’s Place

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September 2019 Recap

Goodbye hot Summer days and hello crisp and cool Fall days! Just kidding—we still experienced some humid and warm days! Yet, that didn’t stop us from getting so many training runs done and PRs achieved. September was a great month for many of us and the start of the much-anticipated Fall marathon season.

We had great team results at races as well as individual results, such as Marie Ange-Brumelot’s TCS NYC Marathon 18 Mile overall win which included beating her husband Luciano Medina! We can’t wait to see how she does in the Chicago Marathon.

The rest of September saw many more long runs and the first of the Fall World Marathon Major: the Berlin Marathon! We also saw Corey Hanson PR with a sub-3 hour at the Erie Marathon and Frank Poline with a sub-3 hour at the Last Chance Marathon.

Two more World Marathon Majors and many, many more marathons left to go this year!

Forest Park 10, 5 & 1 Mile Race

Photo courtesy of Horse and Duck Studio

We started off September with our very own Forest Park 10, 5, & 1 Mile race at the beloved and hilly Forest Park. If you’ve been to any of our Forest Park race before, you know that it’s quite a hard course! It’s loops of the course, however, makes for an encouraging time as you pass spectating areas multiple times. We’d like to congratulate the winners: Adrian Gutierrez and Leigh Gerson in the 5-mile race, and Corey Hanson and Alanna Hollborn in the 10-mile race!

This year we decided to throw in a 1-mile race around Victory Field track for those who wanted a last tune-up before the NB 5th Avenue Mile. Congrats to Weiheng Sun (5:15) and Sabrina Cohen (6:58) for winning the male and female division, respectively.

  • Photo courtesy of Horse and Duck Studio
  • Photo courtesy of Horse and Duck Studio

Take The Bridge: Triboro

The following weekend we got our night racing mood on as we hosted Take The Bridge on the Triboro Bridge. It was an exciting night that involved great coordination from volunteers on the streets to safely get runners on the bridge to and from Astoria Park. The race started at the foot of the Hellgate bridge and the checkpoint was on the 103rd bridge. Whichever route the runners took to the checkpoint and back to the foot of the Hellgate bridge was up to them!

Make sure to also check out the Take The Bridge podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts, and listen to the co-founders before the race, and then post-race.

Best of all during the night, we even had a Spider-Man sighting on the bridge and in the park!

TCS NYC Marathon 18 Mile

As mentioned before, Marie outright won the TCS NYC Marathon 18 Mile training run. Team Captain Kevin was there to capture the moment and Runner’s World even wrote about it! Huge congratulations to Marie who will be running the Chicago Marathon in October and aiming to beat her previous best time of 2:40.

Destination Runs, Group Runs, and Training Sessions

  • Before the start of the
    Destination Run: Hoboken.
  • FMP long run
  • FMP long run

As usual, we have a consistent weekly schedule. Although Caroline is unable to lead the Monday Evening Central Park runs, teammates still meet and run and we absolutely love it. Here is the schedule and group runs per day:
Monday – 2 – Morning Miles in FMP, Evening group run in Central Park
Wednesday – 2 – Speed Session at QCC, Tempo run in Forest Park
Thursday – 2 – Morning group run in LIC, Evening group run in Flushing
Friday – 3 – Morning Miles in FMP, FunFridayRun in Astoria, Kessel Run in Forest Hills
Saturday/Sunday – multiple long group run or races!
* Check our Strava club page for group runs!

As we’re getting closer to our goal marathon races, our runs have become longer. This past month we’ve had many long group runs, such as the three runs in one weekend: Destination Run #7 Hoboken, long run in Bayside, and a long run in Flushing Meadow Park. All were supported with a water station and the Hoboken group run was another joint group run with the Hoboken Harriers.

Races

The previous week us many of us race a much shorter distance: the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile. As is tradition, we cheered at the ¾ mile mark for all the speedy runners.

Finally, we ended the month with the New Balance Bronx 10 Mile, a competitive Club Points race. For the competitive A division, the Men’s Team came in 9th and the Women’s Team came in 4th! We’ll have more details about the past few club point races soon.

It was also a very special month because registration opened for the 2020 Boston Marathon and we saw so many teammates register for that amazing race!

Berlin Marathon

The Berlin Marathon was amazing! We’ll have a longer post specifically about that race but until then know that there were many PRs achieved that day, like Anibal who ran his first sub-3!

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Marathon number 5 on the books. Berlin marathon. . Final time: 2:53:41. Very happy for breaking the three hour mark after doing 3:00:49 in Boston. But also feeling I could have been closer to 2:52:00. . I really like starting slow, but maybe my first half was a bit too slow. However, it was hard to keep a constant pace due to the crowds. I wonder if I should have requested moving corrals. . After the half marathon mark I sped up and focused on the current mile. It felt like a training workout and it worked pretty well, ending up with a more than 3 min negative split (HM1: 1:28:23, HM2: 1:25:19). . Miles went by fast on the second half. I felt good and I was busy focusing on the pace, my body, plastic cups, and potholes along the road. I could have been in a different city and I wouldn’t have noticed. . Given that there are lots of things that could have gone wrong (jet lag, stomach issues, etc.) and given the way I finished (doing my “Anibal thing” according to coach Marie) I am very satisfied with the overall result. . THANKS to my family and to @moreofsusan for always being there. Thanks to the best coaches in the world @coachmedinanyc and @marie11201, and to the #CMSub3 for all those workouts together, supporting, pushing and helping each other. And to @queensdistance for being more than a running club. To Alejandro 😘 . #run #running #runforlife #runforyourlife #marathon #berlinmarathon #coachmedinanyc #CMSub3 #fastertogether #berlinmarathon #berlin42 #26point2 #correr #maraton #queensdistance

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Keep an eye out on our site’s calendar 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 – Labor Day Pain 12 Hour Endurance Trail Run

QDR Forest Park 10 & 5 Miler
Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon

2 – QDR Monday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
4 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session

QDR Wednesday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park
5- QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run

6 – Take The Bridge: Triboro
QDR Friday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park

QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
8 – NYRR 5th Avenue Mile
Erie Marathon
9 – First day to register for the Boston Marathon!
QDR Monday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
11 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
QDR Wednesday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park

12 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run

QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run
13 – QDR Friday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
    QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria

    QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel


14 – Unsanctioned Long Run with QDR FMP

Last Chance Marathon

15 – Newport Half

Saratoga Palio Half Marathon
NYRR Kurt Steiner Cross Country
Rock’n’Roll Philadelphia Half
NYRR TCS NYC Marathon Training Long Run 18 Mile Training Series
16 – QDR Monday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park

18 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session

QDR Wednesday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park

19 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run

QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run

20 – QDR Friday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
21 – Mothman 5K (WV)
Great Cow Harbor 10K
QDR Long Training Run- Shovel+Meadow Lake Loops @FMP
22 – Destination Run #7 – Hoboken

QDR Long Training Run: Bayside Waterfront Loops (QDR 30K Course Preview)
Sri Chinmoy 5k and 10k at Alley Pond Park

23 – QDR Monday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park

25 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session

QDR Wednesday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park
26 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run

QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run
27 – QDR Friday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
    QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
    QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel
29 – NYRR NB Bronx 10 Mile
Berlin Marathon
Chicago Half Marathon
30 – QDR Monday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park – Caroline’s Birthday 

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August 2019 Recap

Ahhh the heat and humidity this past August was intense. Yet, there we go training and racing in this heat because it’ll bring gains for our fall goal races, many of which are marathons.

This month we hosted two races and destination runs, along with weekly group runs and track sessions. Co-founders Kevin and Edwin participated in Take The Bridge: Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge hosted by Distance Project NYC and we’re excited to be able to host the last TTB event on the Triboro Bridge!

So much went on this past month. Make sure to check out the list of events QDR participated in this past month at the end of this post!

Note: this is coming out a few days late into September but we had a long Labor Day Weekend!

Corona Mile & Rockaway Beach 5K & 10K

We held another amazing Corona Mile this year including a very competitive heat which was jaw-dropping; seeing such fast times can really motivate someone to improve their own mile time. This year’s Corona Mile champions and belt winners go to Birhanu Kemaal winning the Elite Male heat in 4:34 and Nuhamin Bogale winning the Elite Female hear in 5:03!

A clear day meant no rain for the multiple heats on race morning, August 3rd. If you were there last year, it was pouring all morning. This year, everyone from toddlers to NY State Senator Jessica Ramos had fun running around the Unisphere, past the Queens Zoo on the semi-circle path, and finishing past the Queens Theater.

Then, on August 17th, we went to the beautiful boardwalk at Rockaway Beach. This out-and-back looped course allowed runners to get the best out of volunteers and spectators along the course. This was also another competitive race with first place in the 10K going to Jack Mulvaney in 34:06 and Alanna Hollborn in 44:16, and first place in the 5K going to Luke McCambrey in 17:22 and Leigh Gerson in 19:12 (also second overall for the 5k!).

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Have a sense of humor through the process. 😅 • Biggest lesson a runner can learn: run within yourself that day. This means assessing how you feel, assessing the mileage and terrain in front of you, assessing the weather, and making smart choices. This skill takes practice – especially if we underestimate things like the weather or our fitness that day. For endurance athletes, especially marathoners and half marathoners, this skill can make (or break) that goal race day. Practice sometimes means hard lessons. If you learn from them, they are ALWAYS worth having. 🏃‍♀️ • • #sundayrunday #marathon #marathontraining #halfmarathon #athlete #runningcoach #runningtips #thesweatlife #igrunners #runstagram #runningmotivation #fitness #runforlife #girlswholift #beachplease #itsnotfitnessitslife #itsinqueens #queensdistance #qdr #runforlife #runhappy 📸 credit: @christopherkeelty

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Destination Runs

There was only one Destination Run in August but it’s a spectacular one that goes to a different state! The Connecticut Odyssey on US Route 1 is an 18 miler, but there were Metro-North stations along the route for those who did not want to run the full distance. With bike volunteers on this course, it was one of the longer runs with great views and a “Welcome to Connecticut” sign near the end!

Interclub Run

We had a unique group run co-organized by Prospect Park Track Club and Queens Distance Runners: the Brooklyn-Queens Long Run! Starting at 6AM from Grand Army Plaza, both teams met to either run a 12- or 15-mile route that went north through Brooklyn, over the Pulaski Bridge, through different neighborhoods in Queens, and then finishing at the Unisphere at Flushing Meadow Park.

We’ll have more of these club and borough group runs because it’s all about growing the running community in NYC!

Group Runs

As always, we host weekly group runs. Make sure to follow QDR on Strava and RSVP to events, as well as our calendar on qdrunners.org. This past month we had a new group run in Flushing on Thursday evenings led by Jenna Marotta and Linda Brennan.

On Monday, August 26th, Caroline Nester led her last Monday evening group run in Central Park from the NYRR Run Center. She will be teaching but will be back later on!

Here’s what a typical week looks like:
Monday – 1 – Morning Miles in FMP
Wednesday – 2 – Speed Session at QCC, Tempo run in Forest Park
Thursday – 2 – Morning group run in LIC, Evening group run in Flushing
Friday – 3 – Morning Miles in FMP, FunFridayRun in Astoria, Kessel Run in Forest Hills
Saturday/Sunday – Long group run or races!

Blog Anniversary

On August 21st we celebrated one year of the QDR Blog. We’ve had so many stories from different QDR athletes that have inspired us. The first blog post was from Marie-Ange Brumelot on her Olympic Trials qualifier marathon race and the latest is from co-founder Maria Wong on her Tokyo Marathon this past year. We encourage you to also read the other posts from others who aren’t just running; there are posts on first triathlon races, coming back from injury, and race recaps.

Races

From the humid Manhattan 7 Miler to the hilly Percy Sutton 5K, there were many NYRR races that QDR members participated in. There was also the TCS NYRR 12 Mile training race which is a great tune-up for anyone who is running a fall marathon. In mid-September, there is the NYRR 18 Miler and then we’ll go in the next points race!
The last big race in September was run by Vikram Singh in Europ at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB)! This 106-mile race is a spectacular ultra but a very tough one. Read about Vikram’s journey to UTMB!

  • Percy Sutton 5K
  • QDR members at the Manhattan 7 Miler

Keep an eye out on our site’s calendar 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 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
2 – QDR Friday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
    QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
    QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel Run
3 – Summer Streets
QDR Corona Mile
4 – NYRR Manhattan 7 Mile with

Photo courtesy of NYRR

QDR Wednesday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park
8 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run

On the 8th it was announced that volunteers at QDR races get 9+1 volunteer credit from NYRR! Send us a message for more details.
9 – QDR Friday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
    QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
    QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel Run

QDR abroad in Colombia!

12 – QDR Monday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park

QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
14 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
QDR Wednesday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park
15 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run

FIRST QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run
16 – QDR Friday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria

    QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel Run
Take The Bridge: Brooklyn and Manhattan

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Two weeks ago QDR had a team of three participate in @takethebridge ’s second event of the summer, Take The Bridge Brooklyn and Manhattan bridge, hosted by @distanceprojectnyc. For the two co-founders, it was a new experience, but for Vicky, she was defending her title from the first TTB event and came in a very close second this time around! The pre-race nerves were high and the excitement much higher. Once the gun went off, they all strategically swerved traffic and tourists and took either or both the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Join us next week on Friday, September 6, at Astoria Park at 8:30PM as we host the third TTB event on the Triboro Bridge. And remember, if you aren’t running or volunteering, you are cheering! 📷: 1) @dianashoots 2) @edbrookline 3) @grahammacindoe #queensdistance #takethebridge #triboro #nightracing #astoriapark #tbt

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17 –  Summer Streets
QDR Rockaway Beach 5K & 10K

18 – QDR Destination Run #6- Connecticut Odyssey
NYRR 5M
19 –  QDR Monday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park
21 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session
QDR Wednesday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park
22 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run

QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run
23 – QDR Friday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
    QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria

    QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel Run

Sri Chimnoy Marathon
24 – Reykjavík Marathon

Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run, Walk

End of Summer Half Marathon (Rockaway Beach)
NYCRuns Brookyln Ice Cream Social 5k & 10K
25 – Brooklyn Queens Long Run- Ft. Prospect Park Track Club!
Tobay Sprint Triathlon
NYRR Henry Isola Cross Country (4M)
26 – QDR Monday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Monday Evening Group Run: Central Park – Last one with Caroline before she goes to teach.
28 – QDR Queensborough Community College Wednesday PM Track Session

QDR Wednesday Evening Tempo and Track Session: Forest Park
Kosciuszko Bridge pedestrian path opened and Brian was the first QDR athlete to run across it!

29 – QDR Thursday AM Long Island City Group Run
QDR Thursday PM Flushing Group Run

30 – Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc
QDR Friday Morning Miles: Flushing Meadow Park
QDR Friday Morning Group Run: FunFridayRun Astoria
QDR Friday Evening Forest Hills: The Kessel Run

31 – East River Long Run- Start and Finish at the Triboro Bridge