New York City Marathon Debut

This team of marathon runners from Finland asked me to take some pictures the day before the big race.



We met late in the afternoon for some stretching, jogging and sightseeing in Central Park.



One of the sights we came across is the banner that marks the 25th mile. That last mile (actually, 1.2 miles) may be the hardest, but at least the finish line is near!



The runners, a team that is part of an asthma study with AstraZeneca, will be following that thin blue line throughout all five boroughs of New York, starting in Staten Island and finishing at Tavern on the Green in Central Park.



I’m going back tomorrow to meet the runners after the race.



But, for today, we were just hanging out. I have to say, New Yorkers are so cool! Here’s this team from Finland wearing their team uniforms, walking around the park, and just about every where we went, people would wish them luck in the race.



Robert, the team captain is in front. They’ve been training for about a year. This is the first marathon for everyone on the team.



You should all be proud of your accomplishments!

Training for a marathon is difficult and rewarding. The big payoff will come when you make your descent into Manhattan from the Queensboro Bridge. It is exhilirating! Good luck in the race tomorrow! I will be oh-so-excited to see you with your medals!

Check the blog for updates and a slide show coming soon!

In addition to this being the team’s marathon debut, it is also my debut as a marathon photographer. But it’s not my first experience with a marathon. Long ago, in the life of “Julie B.C.” (before children), I trained for a year and ran in the 1993 NYC marathon. It was one of those life-altering days, you know, one of those days, like the day I was married or the days my children were born, or the day I sang in Carnegie Hall, that I’ll never forget — one of my all-time best days! I am so honored to have the opportunity to photograph this team from Finland. It may not be the same as running in the race, but being in New York on marathon day is the BEST!



That’s me (white shirt, white hat) in 1993 crossing the finish line after more than five hours. I looked quite happy to be finishing, no? Not long after this picture, I sat down — and didn’t get up for week.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 3rd, 2007 at 11:40 pm and is filed under Central Park, event, portrait, sports and tagged with Central Park, New York City Marathon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

9 Responses to “New York City Marathon Debut”

1. Ari Ahlfors says:

   August 29, 2008 at 12:46 am

   Hi Julie,

   It was nice to remember our race in N.Y. Good shots in the future too.

   Regars

   Ari

   Reply
2. Tia Martyn says:

   November 27, 2007 at 2:34 am

   Hi Jules, U click real good, keep up the good work

   Regards,
   Tia
   http://www.photostouchup.com

   Reply
3. Carolina Girl says:

   November 8, 2007 at 4:51 pm

   Jules –
   Is there anything you haven’t done?? Girl, you’re amazing!!!
   Love, 305

   Reply
4. City of Nouns: Julie Walton Shaver Photography Blog » They Did It! says:

   November 7, 2007 at 10:47 pm

   [...] I’m so proud of you, and so happy to have met you, and to have witnessed your first marathon!(See my earlier post about the project here.) posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 5:02 pm [...]

   Reply
5. Jeff from Linden says:

   November 7, 2007 at 6:59 pm

   Oops, almost missed the slide show. Great stuff!
   I really need to do NYC to fill in the gap in my credentials!

   Reply
6. Jeff from Linden says:

   November 7, 2007 at 6:09 pm

   Hi Jules,

   I enjoyed seeing your marathon photos. I was a marathoner myself from ‘78-’93 and ran 17 of them, including Boston twice, although I never got around to NYC. When I watch on TV, I say, “hey if they’re doing it, I surely can”. The trouble is reality strikes when I take go out for a 13 mile training run and realize I’d have to be doing 20milers to even consider it. I’ll get back someday though

   BTW, the leaves of the October Glory have red around the edges and several spots, but the tree is still essentially green. At least it’s finally on the way!

   Reply
7. jules says:

   November 7, 2007 at 12:12 pm

   #1: Take pictures of Heidi’s family with Heidi in the pictures.

   

   Reply
8. Heidi says:

   November 7, 2007 at 8:28 am

   I’d like to see the rest of your personal “To Do” list!

   Reply
9. ali says:

   November 5, 2007 at 12:44 am

   julie…. you have so much great experiences and special moments in life. I am so impressed and might get myself motivated and do the NYM next year.
   hope to see you soon..Ali

   Reply