Give Me MORE

Francine A

The MORE Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon is around the corner!   Once again, the Flyers will play a key role.

THE EARLY DAYS

In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, the NYRRC held the Women’s Half each fall to prepare local women for the NYC Marathon.   Typically 600-800 women ran.  If any men protested, they were directed to the Staten Island Half, a few weeks after the Women’s Half.   

The Women’s Half was a no-frills event.  It was a tough race for tough women.   There were no flowers or jewelry at the finish line.  We got a cup of water and perhaps a banana.   The race shirts were cotton and sized for men.

Flyer men served as the Women’s Half race timers.  The men would wait for the race start in the back of a pick-up truck.  When the horn blew, the Flyer men would start their watches, and the truck would deposit them at the mile markers around the Park.  As the women ran by, Flyer men would yell out the elapsed time and per-mile pace.  In those pre-Garmin days, the only way to calculate your pace was to do the math in your head.  It was a blessing to hear Tim D call out, “Mile 8!  1:07:20!  8:25 pace!”  John W always positioned himself in a beach chair at the top of Harlem Hill, near the Mile 4 / Mile 10 sign.

Tim D and David L keep time at Mile 2/Mile 8

In 1995, the Women’s Half was renamed Grete’s Great Gallop.  The post-race party featured Norwegian smoked salmon and Grete Waitz. 

POPULARITY AND PROTESTS 

As the popularity of the NYC Marathon grew, the NYRRC realized that men, too, should have a chance to run a half-marathon in the Park in October.  Grete’s Great Gallop became a co-ed event.  The Women’s Half fell by the wayside.  For the first time, there was no women’s race anywhere in the U.S. that was longer than a 10-K. 

Flanked by Monika G and Laura L
Sporting Their Protest T-shirts

Flyer women protested.  We sported white T-shirts with a women’s sign and the fraction ½. 

The NYRRC took notice.  In 1999, after a 2-year hiatus, the NYRRC reinstated the Women’s Half.

Some years, there were sponsors: Child Magazine, Allure Magazine.  Other years, it was simply the Women’s Half.

HERE COMES MORE

In 2004, along came MORE Magazine.  MORE’s tag line was, “The best selling magazine for women over 40.”  (The tagline is now “for women of style and substance.”)   MORE created an event just for women masters runners.

The MORE Marathon was the country’s first and only marathon for women over 40.  That first year, the course was four loops of Central Park.  Talk about a tough race for tough women!   The marathon course was later modified to 5+ times around the lower 5-mile loop. Flyer Julie G ran the MORE Marathon 4 years in a row.  Former Flyer Judith Tripp ran it in 3:52 at age 59. 

In addition to the MORE Marathon, MORE offered a Half Marathon for women.  In the beginning, the MORE Half Marathon was a two-woman team challenge.  At least one teammate had to be 40 or older.  Teams earned age group awards based on their combined age.

MORE and the Women’s Half co-existed for several years.    MORE targeted women over 40. The Women’s Half was open to all women.  When MORE teamed with its sister publication, Fitness Magazine, MORE dropped its focus on masters runners.  MORE eliminated the two-person relay and opened registration to the MORE Half to all women.

In 2005, the Flyers earned the award for the highest number of local participants.  I was pregnant with twins that year.  As I walked the loop opposite the runners, I called out, “Looking good!” The runners shouted back, “You too, mama!”   Even today, MORE runners recognize me from the 2005 race and ask after my family.

Flyers played a key volunteer role in MORE.  For several years, Flyers manned a water table on East Drive near the 102^nd Street Traverse.  Needless to say, it was the BEST water table. 

John W and Scott S at the MORE water table

As races around the US added pace leaders, MORE joined the trend.  The Flyer women became the official pace leaders of the MORE Marathon and Half Marathon.  Carrying balloons and pace signs, Flyer women led thousands of runners around the Park.  We were proud to help our fellow women runners achieve their time goals. 

Race day in 2009 turned out to be unseasonably hot. The race organizers cancelled the MORE Marathon, and encouraged women to treat the Half as a fun run.  The MORE Marathon was never revived.  

RUN LIKE GIRLS

In 2012, Flyer women decided to “run like girls” in skirts and lipstick.  Despite our dainty attire, the Flyer women outran every other team but one. Many Flyers set PR’s that day.  One Flyer, Shevaun T, smashed a 17-year PR and topped her age group. 

Speedy Flyer Runners Strike a Pose with Their Medals:
Lisa M, Karen H, Shevaun T and Louise C

Jodie F Paces
9-Minute Milers
at MORE 2011

The Flyers have been integral to the success of the Women’s Half.  Our enthusiasm as runners and volunteers has never flagged.

When the Women’s Half movement threatened to die on the vine, the Flyers kept it alive.  Today, Women’s Half Marathons flourish all over the world.   Go Flyers!

- Francine A  

Blogmaster's Note: At the date of this posting, the April 14, 2013 MORE Half is NOT yet sold out.