Amid my woes of not running very well due to injury this year and not posting to my blog, I missed a big milestone. It was 20 years ago this year that I ran in my first race ever, the long defunct You Gotta Have Park 5k, on May 21, 1994.
Such a simpler time in the NY road racing scene. The results page shows a 10am start and only 949 finishers! I still remember the old 5k course, starting in the Central Park loop on the east side around 86th St, uptown then across the 102nd St transverse to a turn-around cone on the west side, and then back to the finish on the East Side at 90th. Could you image an out-and-back race in Central Park today Or at least one run by established organizations like NYRR or NYC Runs.
I finished in 30:25, not bad at all for a first effort! Best as I can tell, to date it was my first of 44 races at the 5k distance, and first of 212 overall races!
While I don’t think of myself as a pack-rat, one of the things I have saved over the years are all of my race bibs. Here it is, my very first!
