The best part about recovery is being able to eat pizza and ice cream . . .

A Great Day for the New York City Marathon We're still waiting for the full results to be posted [Update: RESULTS ARE POSTED so it will be a day or two after Sunday before the results will be on the Flyer Website. Congrats on all the PRs today.

Spring fever
Sunday's pounding rainstorms made it a distinctly unpleasant day for a run, and yet 43 Flyers came out for the Poland Spring Marathon Kick-off 5-Miler. Gregory Hawryluk placed first for the Flyer men and fourth in the 30-34 age group in 31:51 (6:23 pace), followed by Stephen Orr, who placed second for the team and second in the 55-59 age group in 32:42 (6:33 pace). Ernesto Giraldo and Jorge Giraldo placed fourth and fifth for the team in 24:57 (7:00 pace) and 37:31 (7:30 pace and fifteenth in the 50-54 age group), and Jakob Olesen placed fifth for the team in 37:44 (7:33 pace).

The Flyer women finished a spectacular second place in their division. Beein Gim captured first for the team and second in the 45-49 age group in 34:54 (6:59 pace), followed by Jillian Hobson, who captured tenth in the 30-34 age group, in 37:57 (7:36 pace). Denise Iannizzotto and Yumi Morishige represented for the Veteran Flyer women, placing fourth and fifth for the team in 39:34 (7:55 pace and second in the 55-59 age group) and 40:06 (8:02 pace and fifth in the 50-54 age group). Yue Xiao finished fifth for the Flyer women in 41:29 (8:18 pace).

It's showtime
We're one week out from the New York City Marathon, and we'll celebrate it on both ends with the Pre-Marathon Pasta Party and the Post-Marathon Celebration. Signup links are below, and while you're at it, please give some thought to the upcoming club elections, the next Central Park Cleanup Volunteer Event, and one not yet posted but near and dear to my shriveled little heart: The return of the Flyer Holiday Food Drive Fundraiser.

In the meantime, I'll be sorry to miss all the runners on Marathon Sunday, but I'll be in Kona, either trying to convince my significant other to wear a shirt with pineapples on it, or busting out my new scuba fins and communing with the mantas. Richard B will be minding the store in the meantime. Aloha, best of luck to all our marathon runners next weekend, and see you on the flip side.

Hanging ten
Marathon Sunday is just around the corner, which means that it was time for the Last 10 Miles run. I was out for a trot around Central Park and saw packs of Flyers, led by Mr. President and his similarly speedy counterparts, all looking strong and in fine form for the marathon. Thank you to the volunteers, some of whom already finished their fall marathon challenges, who made this run possible.

No sleep till Brooklyn
Saturday was a glorious day for the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Marathon and Half Marathon. Ken Auslander broke 4:00 and placed second in the men's 60-64 age group in the marathon, crossing the finish line in 3:57:37 (9:04 pace). In the half, Adolfo Ferrando placed thirteenth for the 45-49 men in 1:37:30 (7:26 pace), followed by Monique Seibert, who took fourth in the women's 55-59 age group in 1:45:31 (8:03 pace). Lillian Altman and Julie Connolly crossed the finish line in 1:53:54 (8:37 pace) and 1:56:54 (8:53 pace), and Francine Alfandary placed twenty-fourth in the women's 55-59 age group in 2:12:12 (10:05 pace).

Wholehearted half
Today was Marathon Sunday for many and Ironman Sunday for a few; congratulations to everyone who went out and gave it their all today in Mohawk-Hudson, Chicago, Kona, and more!

A little bit closer to home, we had a strong turnout today for the Staten Island Half Marathon. The Flyer Open Women captured twenty-fourth in their division, Arlyn Apollo double scored, placing first for the Flyer Open Women and first for the ninth place Flyer 40+ Women, as well as fourteenth in the 45-49 age group in 1:42:11 (7:48 pace). Yumi Morishige triple scored with second place finishes for the Flyer Open and 40+ Women and first for the ninth place Flyer 50+ Women and eleventh in the 50-54 age group in 1:45:51 (8:05 pace). Kristel McKanna placed third for both our Open and 40+ Women's teams in 1:48:41 (8:18 pace), and Melida Barbosa and Eileen O'Farrell placed fourth and fifth for the Flyer Open women in 1:51:10 (8:29 pace) and 1:52:04 (8:33 pace).

Deborah McDuffie-Saat, who just came off the Twin Cities Marathon, double scored with a second place finish for the Flyer 50+ Women and first for the second place Flyer 60+ Women as well as sixth in the 60-64 age group in 1:57:14 (8:57 pace), and Marita Schardt placed third for the Flyer 50+ Women in 1:57:41 (8:59 pace). Andrea Kent placed second for the Flyer 60+ Women and ninth in the 60-64 age group in 1:58:50 (9:04 pace), and Nina Parks-Taylor placed third for the 60+ Women and fifteenth in the 60-64 age group in 2:04:18 (9:29 pace).

In the men's race, Mr. President double scored by placing first for the twenty-fifth place Flyer Men's Open team and for the sixteenth place 40+ team in 1:36:37 (6:37 pace). Gregory Hawryluk placed second for the Flyer Open Men in 1:28:14 (6:44 pace), and James Dunham and Michel Werthenschlag both double scored with third and fourth places for the Flyer Open Men and second and third places for the Flyer 40+ Men in 1:32:00 (7:02 pace) and 1:33:02 (7:06 pace). Sebastian Lieng finished fifth for the Flyer Open Men in 1:36:10 (7:21 pace).

Tim Decker led the 50+ Flyer Men to an eleventh place finish in 1:36:10 (7:21 pace), followed by Jon Riecke in 1:37:37 (7:27 pace and twenty-fifth in the 55-59 age group) and Eduardo Fajardo in 1:41:29 (7:45 pace). Guy Simoneau brought the 60+ Flyer Men in for a third place finish in 1:42:58 (7:52 pace and twentieth in the 60-64 age group). David Dempsey went for a double score, placing second for the Flyer 60+ Men and first for the second place Flyer 70+ Men as well as fourth in the 70-74 age group in 1:51:22 (8:30 pace). Neal Tipograph placed third for the 60+ Flyer Men in 1:51:28 (8:31 pace). Delton Mace finished in second place for the Flyer 70+ Men and ninth in the 70-74 age group in 2:03:21 (9:25 pace), and Felix Alicea placed third for the team and twelfth in the 70-74 age group in 2:14:28 (10:16 pace).

Time to get our celebration on
Signups are now live for the annual Pre-Marathon Pasta Party and the Post-Marathon Celebration before and after the New York City Marathon. You don't have to run a marathon to join in the fun! Check the Announcements for details and signup links.

Over the bridges, and then over some more bridges
Weird weather notwithstanding, there was a huge turnout for Sunday's Three Bridges Run #2. As always, this well-orchestrated event depends on volunteer support, and we thank everyone who came out to volunteer as pacers, at check-in and check-out, and at the fluid stations. Fall marathons are already kicking off, so for some people who ran the distance, this is the last long training run before showtime. If you need a little more oomph to get into the spirit of the season, check out the Last 10 Miles Run on October 20. If volunteering is more your style, there are opportunities to pace and work the fluid stations, too!

Grete's greatness
Legendary marathon champion Grete Waitz was honored on Saturday with Grete's Great Gallop 10K. The Flyer women finished eighth, led by the amazing Heather Tolford. What Heather considered a tough day resulted in a first place team finish, first in the 60-64 age group, and an 89.93% age graded finish, which is just a hair shy of world-class, all in 43:53 (7:04 pace). Heather credited teammate Dev Baid for getting her to the finish line, and that's team spirit for both Dev and Heather that is nothing short of outstanding. Michelle Yuen placed second for the Flyer women in 48:10 (7:46 pace), followed by Jeanhie Hahn in 50:25 (8:06 pace and ninth in the 50-54 age group). Shantelle Leonard (I initially typed her name as Leopard, which is almost as cool) placed fourth for the Flyer women in 51:09 (8:14 pace), and Elizabeth Caldwell brought it home for the top five scorers in 51:48 (8:21 pace).

In the men's race, James Dunham placed first for the team and sixth in the 45-49 age group in 39:30 (6:22 pace). Ernesto Giraldo came in second in 43:33 (7:01 pace), followed by Gary Kane in 44:14 (7:07 pace). Jeremy Cicurel placed third for the team in 46:40 (7:31 pace). Robert LaSalle and Keir Buckhurst captured fourth and fifth in 48:03 (7:44 pace) and 48:11 (7:46 pace). Age group honors also went to Suzanne Turner (eighth in the women's 60-64 age group); Delton Mace, third in the men's 70-74 age group; Sally Longford, tenth in the women's 60-64 age group; and Fran Breslauer first in the women's 75-79 age group, and with an age-graded finish of 82.93%, which is national class level.

Bronx bravado
With 132 finishers, the Bronx 10-Miler was a huge draw for the Flyers on Sunday. Ten Flyer teams scored points in the September NYRR points race, so settle down with a cup of joe while we go through how the points shook out. The Flyers finished thirteenth in the Open Women's division, and Senior Veteran running phenomenon Heather Tolford triple scored, placing first for the Flyer Open Women, first for the fifth place Flyer 40+ Women, and first for the first place Flyer 60+ Women, as well as scoring first place in the 60-64 age group in 1:10:33 (7:04 pace). Elena Riecke placed second for the Flyer Open Women in 1:11:22 (7:09 pace), followed by the Kona-bound Frieda Edelman, who double scored for the Flyer Open and 40+ Women and placed ninth in the 45-49 age group in 1:14:23 (7:27 pace). Amanda Schachter also double scored, placing fourth for the Flyer Open Women and third for the Flyer 40+ Women, also capturing eleventh in the 45-49 age group in 1:15:27 (7:33 pace). Denise Iannizzotto double scored as well, finishing fifth for the Flyer Open Women and second for the Flyer 50+ Women in 1:17:39 (7:46 pace and seventh in the 55-59 age group). Yumi Morishige placed third for the Flyer 50+ Women and fifteenth in the 50-54 age group in 1:19:31 (7:58 pace).

Deborah McDuffie-Saat and Andrea Kent joined Heather in winning the 60+ Women's division, placing second and third for the team in 1:26:56 (8:42 pace and tenth in the 60-64 age group) and 1:27:28 (8:45 pace and eleventh in the 60-64 age group). Barbara Fratta led the first place Flyer 70+ Women across the finish line in 2:18:30 (13:51 pace), also capturing ninth place in the 70-74 age group. Mindi Adler placed second for the team and tenth for the 70-74 age group in 2:19:28 (13:57 pace), and Karen Kenney placed third for the team and twelfth in the 70-74 age group in 2:32:38 (15:16 pace).

In the men's race, the Flyers captured twenty-third in the Open Men's division, and it was a mostly Masters kind of scoresheet.Tim Decker placed first for the team with a triple score, also scoring first for the eleventh place Flyer 40+ Men and the sixth place Flyer 50+ Men in 1:04:38 (6:28 pace and sixth in the 50-54 age group). Dan Lam double scored, capturing second place for the Open and 40+ Men in 1:06:43 (6:41 pace), followed by Mr. President, who also double scored with third place finishes for the Open and 40+ Flyer Men in 1:07:22 (6:45 pace). Secretary David Ezra placed fourth for the Flyer Open Men in 1:08:55 (6:54 pace), and Gregory Hawryluk placed fifth in 1:10:09 (7:01 pace).

Jon Riecke and Dave Kleckner finished almost neck and neck for second and third place in for the Flyer 50+ Men and also placed twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth in the 55-59 age group in 1:13:54 (7:24 pace) and 1:13:55 (7:24 pace). Ken Auslander brought the Flyer 60+ Men in for a sixth place finish in 1:20:15 (8:02 pace and twenty-sixth in the 60-64 age group), folled by Neil Tipograph in 1:21:56 (8:12 pace) and Howard Tanz in 1:22:21 (8:15 pace and twelfth in the 65-69 age group). David Dempsey brought the Flyer 70+ Men in for a fourth place team finish in 1:24:57 (8:30 pace), also scoring fifth place in the 70-74 age group. Delton Mace placed second for the team and sixteenth in the 70-74 age group in 1:35:07 (9:31 pace), and Felix Alicea finished up the team points in third place for the team and twenty-fourth in the 70-74 age group in 1:46:50 (10:41 pace).

Aside from being a stunning sweep across age groups in its own right, Heather's performance deserves special mention in that her age-graded percentage was 91.6%. That puts her at world class athlete level in her age group, and she just keeps getting better and better.

Flyer Hall of Fame keeper and archivist Papa Bear sent out the following update as well:

Congratulations to Heather Tolford and David Dempsey for setting new Hall of Fame records for a 10 Mile Race in the Bronx 10 Miler.

Heather, in the women's 60+ age group, ran a 1:10:33 (7:04 pace) and an astonishing 91.60% performance ratio. She broke Muriel Merl's record of 1:23:07 set over 18 years ago in the 1991 Trevira Twosome (who but me remembers that race?)

David, in the men's 70+ age group, ran a 1:24:07 (8:30 pace) demolished Richard Garland's 1:34:31 set in the 2014 PPTC Cherry Tree 10 Miler a mere 5 years ago/

Congratulations to both of you.