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TOP TEN Observations from my first NYC marathon:
10) 30 thousand runners on the course, 60 thousand muggers
9) Sunny weather on the upper decks of all the bridges, “rainy” weather below.
8) Squeegee guys at every water stop (“Clean your glasses for you, sir!”).
7) All the damn false starts with everyone’s cell phones going off.
6) We’re featured this week on Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks.
5) Compared to sweaty runners, the NYC subway doesn’t smell so bad.
4) Even the rats were cheering us on.
3) Saw more people puking their guts than St. Patty’s, New Years & Mardi Gras combined.
2) Of all the nerve: there’s not a single OTB parlor along the course. I missed the early daily double at Belmont (and I would’ve had it, too!).
and the #1 Observation from my first NYC marathon:
1) New Yorkers sure have a funny way of showing me that I’m #1.
TOP TEN Observations from my first Marine Corps marathon (Washington, D.C.):
10) Saw John Kerry running the race in flip-flops.
9) VP Dick Cheney (guest speaker) still needs to be on a 5 second delay over the PA system (tsk! tsk! tsk!).
8) President Bush had #1 on his racing bib with “4 More Years" scribbled in next to it.
7) Winners of the race get automatic roster spots for the new Washington baseball team.
6) “Ready!…Set!…Go!…and I approve this message”.
5) A runner complained that she couldn’t finish the race because the band played the wrong song…oh, wait! It’s because of a computer glitch…oh, wait! It’s because of acid reflux…
4) Mile #16 rest stop: Abe Lincoln’s lap.
3) All the Kerry supporters ran on the left side of the course while the Bush supporters ran on the right side. Coincidence? Hmmm…..
2) It would’ve been a faster race had the course not run through the Smithsonian museums (although checking out the Hope Diamond was pretty neat).
and the #1 Observation from my first Marine Corps marathon:
1) Famous last words: “I’ll run this marathon when those damn Red Sox win a World Series!”
