Running and Representing with the Flyers

MELIDA BARBOSA

Several years ago I was looking for a group of runners to share in the pain of completing long runs together. During races I spotted many runners wearing NY Flyers gear, and I knew one of my Hunter College classmates had run with the Flyers in the past, so I signed up for my first NY Flyers Three Bridges Run and that’s how it all started. 

Since that day I have gained a family! In all the years that I had been running I had never shared it with more than three friends. Sadly, all three of the women that I have run with consistently have moved out of NYC. The first was a childhood friend who relocated to Seattle, Washington 17 years ago, the second was a mommy friend who helped me survive the first few years of motherhood and who moved about 7 years ago, and lastly my dearest friend who was parenting teenagers at the same time as me moved almost a year ago. Since then the Flyers have helped me mourn the departure of my running buddies while creating new memories. 

RUNNING BUDDIES

QUEENS GIRL

WHY I RUN 

My “why” is simply to stay sane. When I started running two decades ago, my friend Claudia who lived just a couple of blocks away would ring my bell and say “let's go Mel.” I would begrudgingly throw on shorts and slide into my sneakers and run the streets of Woodside, Queens. In my twenties it was more for vanity than anything else but we got it done. 

PURE JOY! 😍

Fast forward to 2009 and I found myself completing 9 races with NYRR and decided I might as well volunteer and get guaranteed entry to the NYC Marathon. I ran my very first NYC Marathon in 2010 and it was magically painful. 

NYC MARATHON 2010

Since then I have run nine more NYC Marathons and I had the fortune of also running the Berlin Marathon in September this year -- where I ran a personal best marathon and achieved a Boston qualifying time for the 2024 Boston Marathon. Six weeks later I ran my 10th NYC Marathon where I finished just 20 seconds behind my Berlin finish time and set a new course record for myself for NYC 😊 An important contributor to these recent racing achievements was my participation in the Flyers Marathon Training Program (MTP) -- doing speedwork alongside Flyers friends including Jennifer Coyne, and receiving the advice and support of MTP Coach Amy Sitar proved integral to my progress and made marathon training extra fun! 🥳 🎉

FUN WITH FLYERS

All these years later I still run to keep sane. As a wife, mom of three and teacher, life pulls me in a million directions every day, and running helps keep me steady. I am now looking ahead to future marathons with the end goal of one day completing the Abbott World Marathon Majors. Next is Chicago in 2023 and Boston in 2024. Then Tokyo and London remain for me to complete all six of the World Marathon Majors!

 

REPRESENTATION MATTERS

What is representation and why does representation matter? As a Colombian woman living in the Borough of Queens here in NYC -- the most diverse place in the world -- diversity has always been a reality. However, as I got older and entered certain institutions I realized there were less people that looked like me than I expected. When I started running more regularly outside of my neighborhood and in organized settings this was definitely more apparent. Then in the wake of incidents including the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbury and Breonna Tayler, the running community began to more fervently discuss representation and its importance in helping build a community that embraces and uplifts diversity. 

This is around the time when some members of the Flyers started talking about starting a Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Committee. In June of 2020, the Flyers Executive Board announced that the club would:

 

• Examine and revise the club's Code of Conduct to express the club's anti-racist commitment, and require all members to sign and adhere to it.

• Form a Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (DIB) Committee to explore a variety of tangible, sustainable ways to be better citizens of the running community, support Black runners and the larger Black community and be more welcoming of everyone.

In my short-lived experience with the Flyers I recognized that although welcoming, the group was in its majority white and male with white women a close second, and with relatively few Asians, Blacks and Latinos. Within the DIB Committee we discussed how we could begin working to make our organization more representative of the rest of the city. 

Based on the results of the 2021 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau, the race and ethnicity makeup of NYC is as follows: White (not Hispanic or Latino) 31.9%, Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 28.9%, Black or African American 23.8%, and Asian 14.3%.  Surveys such as this one highlight that we have lots of work to do -- but we are optimistic that through continued efforts we will be able to reach our goal of having a membership that is truly representative of the great city we live in! 

As a component of the Flyers DIB initiatives, the club conducted a membership survey in 2021. Survey results and analyses are available at the following two links -- click HERE for the survey results and HERE for comments and analyses.

 

Various initiatives have emerged within the Flyers since the formation of the DIB Committee in June 2020 and a Flyers Town Hall Meeting in June 2021. The Flyers:

• Examined and revised the Flyers Code of Conduct. Click HERE to review the new Flyers Code.

• Appointed a BIPOC member to the Flyers Advisory Board. After leading the DIB Committee since its inception in 2020, I was pleased to accept the position.

• Began to seek to Increase the geographic diversity of the Flyers by conducting some runs throughout the five Boroughs, with the intention of increasing awareness of the club and its prominence in other areas of NYC.   

• Commemorated Juneteenth 2021 in partnership with Harlem Run by supporting the group's 5K run/walk BBQ where Flyers served as volunteers on the course to help keep the route safe and runners hydrated.

• Sponsored its first Queens Run on August 8, 2021, and a Staten Island Run in 2022 -- a 17-mile run spearheaded and led by Bradford Goz on Sept 3, 2022, and that included participating in a nested SITRAC-sponsored 5K race!

• Promoted in December 2021, with the help of the DIB Committee, the Extend Your Run Fam event in the Bronx with other running clubs.  Special thanks to the co-leaders -- Tim Decker and Bradford Goz who co-led this initiative with me.😊

• Promoted in April 2022 an annual Bronx Community College event that included a 10K, 5K run and a two mile walk to help raise money and promote health and fitness in the community. A great family event!

DIB Extend Your Run Fam Event

The DIB Committee has held monthly meetings for the past two years. We usually take a hiatus for the Summer months and return in the Fall. We meet monthly via Zoom, so if you would like to get involved -- OUR NEXT EVENT IS THE HARLEM HEROES RUN ON DECEMBER 11TH, COME JOIN US! -- you can email me directly at melida.barbosa@yahoo.com

 

-Melida Barbosa

Read more...

Cathy’s NYC Marathon Mania: From Spectator to Streaks, Peaks … and More!

Cathy C.

A Note from Co-Blogkeeper Melissa:

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Flyer Cathy Caulfield, a retired NYC Department of Education school teacher who now teaches pre-school and religion for her own enjoyment.  Cathy says that running the NYC Marathon is the second best thing she’s done in life, after marrying her husband (which takes first place). 😍

Cathy will tell you that her favorite holiday is Marathon Sunday. Is it mere coincidence that her birthday, November 5th, often falls on this cherished day? Maybe her love for this “national holiday” is innate. See what you think when you read what Cathy has to say about her love of running, the NY Flyers, and her marathon mania!

 

Melissa: Hi Cathy! Tell us about your NYC Marathon journey … from the beginning!

 

Cathy: Sure! In 1976, my parents drove my brothers and me into the city from Long Island to watch the first time that the NYC Marathon left Central Park to run through all five boroughs. At the time, there were so few runners compared to today, and they didn’t even close off the streets to traffic. While crossing the 59th Street Bridge in our station wagon, we picked up a runner who needed assistance, and I remember thinking how fascinating it was to have a “real marathon runner” in our own car! 

Over the years, I lived in three different apartments along First Avenue just to be on the marathon course. I became obsessed with the NYC Marathon, and every year I would host a “watch party” where we would cheer on the runners as they passed by.

 

Melissa: Wow! I love that. And what led you to start running marathons?

 

Cathy: I was always a big cyclist. In 1997, I rode my bike across the country. I raised money for my friend, Dennis, who is a quadriplegic. When I thought about his situation, I felt tremendous gratitude and appreciation for God and for everything I was able to do. So, despite being known as someone who hated running, I put my name in the lottery in 1998 and won an entry to my first NYC Marathon!

As soon as I found out that I was “in” for the marathon, I started running and training with Bob Glover of NY Road Runners (NYRR) for 16 consecutive weeks before the big day. 

 

 

Melissa: Rumor has it that you’ve got quite a marathon streak. How many NYC Marathons have you run in a row?

 

Cathy: Well, I did take some breaks throughout the years. Initially, I ran seven in a row, but then I took off while I was trying to start a family. It turned out that we were fortunate to adopt two children from Guatemala. My husband and I chose Guatemala since we both speak Spanish and we wanted the children to share our religion, which is Catholic. 

Then I took a break, and I didn’t run while our children were young. Eventually, my husband encouraged me to return to marathon running on my birthday, November 5, 2006.

 

Melissa: How was your first marathon back after your long break? And did you start a new streak?

 

Cathy: I had a great new experience. I ran with Team for Kids, the charity running team of NYRR, which was the first time I ever ran with a group of other runners. I used to train by myself, and joining Team for Kids made me open my eyes to the joy of group training runs. I used to think group runs were only for the pros.

And to answer your question, yes! I started a new streak. This year will mark my 18th consecutive NYC Marathon!! 🎉

 

Melissa: How long have you been with the NY Flyers?

 

Cathy: I have been a NY Flyer for approximately three years. I wasn’t very active at first, but once I joined the SpeedPass and Marathon Training Programs (MTP), I became more involved within the club. I loved MTP so much that I trained for the Providence, Rhode Island Marathon last spring. I will join this winter’s MTP group while training for Nashville for the spring of 2023. MTP has really inspired me to train for marathons throughout the cold winter months.

Sometimes, I join the FlyersThursday Night Fun (TNF) gang for a loop with the Run-Walk group.

Oh, and here’s a fun fact. I am a Double-Flyer — A NY Flyer and a Dayton Flyer from my college days, both sharing red as their main color. 

 

Melissa: Do you belong to any other clubs?

 

Cathy: I’m a member of the Kidney Donors Athletes (KDS). I donated a kidney to a woman in Georgia in 2019. I don’t know her name, so I gave her the nickname “Peaches!” 🍑

After I donated a kidney, I did not want to break my marathon streak again! So, getting back to running after my surgery made for a good recovery goal.

 

Melissa: One last question: Do you have any other goals that you would like to share?

 

Cathy: Yes! My long-term running goal is to stay healthy so I can qualify and run Boston at age 90! 🦄

Melissa: You are very inspiring, Cathy!  It was a pleasure chatting with you.  Wishing you a fantastic 2022 NYC Marathon, and many more to come!!

-Cathy Caulfied with Melissa Slobin

Read more...

Lis' Journey: MTP to a Marathon PR!

Lis S.

In 2018, I moved back to NYC after 30 years away, where I'm so happy I found the New York Flyers. Prior to my return, I lived in Simsbury, a suburb of Hartford, CT and had found a wonderful group in West Hartford out of the local Fleet Feet store. I had felt at home, welcomed and challenged by the group and community runs based out of the West Hartford Fleet Feet store. 

I often remarked at how negative my work place could be sometimes, but when I would come to Fleet Feet in West Hartford for their Wednesday evening Community Run (free), all faces were bright, perky and ready to roll. I was inspired by the great sense of community and sharing I found there. 

I love the energy and bustle of New York City, but I missed my Fleet Feet running group. I asked a coworker (also a marathoner) for recommendations for a group. She had been running for years with NY Flyers Coaches Amy Sitar and Jim Purvis, and recommended I try the Flyers. So I signed up in December 2021 for the New York Flyers first Marathon Training Program (MTP) season after the COVID hiatus.

My first MTP was early 2022 as everyone was emerging from the COVID pandemic. Masks were still mandatory in NYC everywhere and the group was smaller than in prior seasons. Coach Amy was my coach! We had one weekly practice and 3-4 assigned runs throughout the week. Paces were determined individually based on recent performances including to help us avoid injury. 

I had run a few half marathons before but never more than 13 miles so this was all new territory for me. I was assigned ‘bunched runs’ to add to my endurance. Bunched runs acclimate the body to longer distances and involve breaking the long run into two shorter runs within less than 24 hours to gain the endurance benefits of a single long run while reducing the associated injury risk and allowing for quicker recovery to avoid undermining the speedwork that follows later in the week.   

In April 2022, at 60 years old, I ran my first marathon ever, the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Marathon!! Coach Amy was hanging out at Grand Army Plaza to run with me and take some of my unneeded layers. She was also at my finish to cheer me on when my energy level was less than ideal. I did it!! Wahoo 😄

I signed up again for MTP in the fall of 2022. This group was bigger (80) and we were divided by running pace into 4 groups of 20. My coach is Brian Rossetti. 

I honestly love my team. There are so many interesting and lovely people in my group. The ages range from 20’s to 60’s. Everyone is happy to be there and works hard. It’s an inspiring group. We learn from our coaches but we also learn from each other. It is one of the most positive groups I have ever gotten to experience! 

My goal race for my second MTP was the Hartford Marathon (my old backyard) as I did not qualify or get picked in the lottery for NYC Marathon.

Hartford hosts the marathon the same day that they host a 5k, half marathon, and marathon relay. I have run the 5k many times and even the relay once. Running anything over a 10k is new for me in the last several years. 

The 2022 Hartford Marathon was perfect weather. The whole race -- all 4 components -- totals about 8,000 people. Parking is easy and getting to the race simple. It’s a Boston qualifier as well. The race starts in front of the Connecticut State Capitol building, and Governor Ned Lamont did the intros. The marathon, half marathon, and marathon relay all start together. 

The half marathon splits and heads west to the suburbs of West Hartford, while the marathon wraps through Hartford's Riverside Park and heads north thru East Hartford and Windsor. It’s an ‘out and back’ course; in the northern extreme of the course, there are horses, goats and sheep, amongst many 200 year old houses. There was even a prize goat 🐐 being displayed for photos and pats on the head! There was music every mile or so: DJs, bands and talented solo musicians. Technically the course was PDF (pretty darn flat). 

After the race there’s a party and beer garden. The course is well laid out: hydration stations were almost every mile with Nuun and water, three GU gel stations and a candy station at the end. There was lots of spectator and community support. Thanks to coach Brian, MTP and my team mates advice, I PR’d by 8 minutes and placed in the middle of my age group.

Hartford Marathon 2022

I can’t say enough about how wonderful the New York Flyers are. They are an inspiring group. They put on well organized events. I am proud to say I’m a New York Flyer. 💖

-Lis Shlansky 

Read more...