Poetry

Over the past few years I've written a series of poems about running in general, marathon running, and about the New York City Marathon.  Some come to me while running and some are triggered by a post or comment on the many running groups I belong to on Facebook. I’ve received many nice comments and lots of likes and shares.

Here is the first one that I wrote. It's been the most popular. Some readers have told me that they enlarged and printed it and hung it on their wall. It speaks to that inner voice of doubt, the voice that tells us we can't.

Why run a marathon? It's a difficult question to answer or describe. I wrote this one to try to answer the question. Everyone has their own reason. For some it's the competition against others or for a PR. For me it's the competition against that voice of doubt.

Here is something that came to me after reading about the elite runners who start in the early waves. Every marathon has it's group of elite runners. They are the first to start and those that finish at the top take home some nice prize money. But what about us in the last wave, the back of the packers. Who are we? This one is for us. This is who we are.

Here is some inspiration. This is Kamal Julka. I think her cape says it all.

And how about some inspiration but in the other direction? You never know who is inspired by you!

This one is for the thousands of individuals who make the marathon happen. The volunteers. Without them there would be no marathon. They are as much a part of the race as the runners. Maybe they should also get medals. From the start village all the way to the Finish Line they are there for us all day and into the night. So, when you see them at a water station or anywhere else along the course make sure to thank them. 

This one is about that very special place called the finish line.  The picture is from New York but it's really about finish lines every where whether you are running 5K, 10K, a half, full, or anything in between. Crossing it is an experience like no other and very hard to describe. 

Poems about the New York City Marathon

Starting in 2022 I posted a series of poems about running and about the NYC Marathon. 

This one came to me while running one morning. It’s for each of us who hope to cross that finish line and become a winner. The NYC Marathon was established by Fred Lebow (Fishel Lebowitz) in 1970. I read somewhere that he instituted the practice of giving every finisher a medal because we are all winners. Prior to that only the top finishers received medals. 

Let’s talk about power of the crowd. We’ve all experienced the incredible energy that the spectators give us as we run the streets of NY. Who can forget the wall of people in Williamsburg North where we can high five on both sides at the same time. And the sound as we come to the end of the Queensboro. This one is for each and every spectator who stands there for hours cheering us on. One of my most memorable experiences was in Central Park with an injured ankle, no gas, and no fumes I was prepared to crawl to the finish line. When I exited the park on 59’th and heard the crowd I somehow managed to sprint past them. To this day I don’t know how I did that. 

Shalane. I’ve watched her 2017 finish countless times. I get goose bumps each time. Especially when the announcer says, “Shalane Flanagan will be the NYC Marathon champion for this year, for next year, forever”. She’s our champion and we all hope to have our Shalane moment. Live the dream!

I wrote these two after the NYC Marathon in November 2022