The Downtown Rundown

So maybe I'll see you there
We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares
So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown - don't wait a minute for
Downtown - everything's waiting for you
-Petula Clark

Central Park is the quintessential New York City running location. On any given day, in any weather condition you will find runners in Central Park. It is the location for the majority of New York Road Runners races, as well as the majority of the Flyers group runs. However, it can be nice to see new places. The Hudson River Waterfront, the location of the Monday night downtown runs, provides that. Starting in Jackson Square Park, the run heads from Greenwich Village, to the West Side Highway, along the Hudson River Park waterfront, through the Financial district, all the way to the tip of Battery Park. After a few twists and turns in downtown Manhattan it turns back up the greenway shared path to the meeting spot.

The downtown run was the first Flyer gathering that I attended last November. I remember being nervous, because it can be hard to go to somewhere where everyone knows everyone else and you are the only new person. What if no one was welcoming? What if they did not think I was cool enough? I still felt very new to running and I also worried I would be completely left in the dust.

I need not have worried. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly and there is such a huge variation of paces that there is always someone to run with. I have met so many great people through the Monday runs. It gets such a great turnout of members and it is nice to see people regularly; something that makes such a large club seem more intimate.

Another nice part of the Monday downtown group is that the first Monday of the month everyone meets afterward at a selected bar for what is naturally referred to as "First Mondays". The turnout for that week is always the largest and some people who cannot make the run will still join everyone else at the bar. It is always nice to catch up with people over tasty food and drinks. Birthdays are also celebrated if you are lucky enough to have your birthday fall on the first Monday of the month. Angela G. and I had the chance to share our twin birthdays this year with ice cream generously brought by Brian H.

So far this reads like a propaganda ad for the Monday downtown runs so in an effort to temper it a little I will say that in addition to the fun times because of the great people, I have also really grown to like the course so much that I even run it on my own. The nice little scenic stretch has a water fountain that is open earlier than any of the other water fountains. Between liking it and the added convenience of the open water fountain earlier in the spring before the others were open, I even did an 18-mile run on just the 3-mile stretch. Feel free to judge. However, let us go back to the propaganda aspect. If you are a new member or have not checked the Monday downtown runs out before, you should! - Celia K.