City Coach | Coach Cane's Blog

5k at Yankee Stadium

Not only is Yankee Stadium the home of the 27-time World Series Champion New York Yankees, but now it's also going to be the host of what promises to be a unique 5k for charity.  On Sunday, November 15, participants will run the stadium's concourses, ramps, and stairs and then finish with a lap around the warning track.  Spectators can watch from the bleachers.  The event benefits the Damon Runyon Foundation, and 100% of all donations are used to support their cutting edge cancer research.  (Low administrative and fundraising costs are paid by Damon Runyon Broadway Tickets and from their endowment.) 

For more info or to register, check out their website.

Here's a little more about the charity and why I like them so much. 

We support the rising stars of science, emerging leaders who have great potential to achieve breakthroughs in how we diagnose, treat and prevent cancer. The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation selects the most brilliant early career scientists and provides them with

Damon Runyon's goals as a cancer research fund are to:

-Identify the best and brightest early career scientists into cancer research
-Accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into new diagnostic tools and treatments
-Enable risk-taking on bold new ideas

Win Finman's Fins

Most of you probably know the tale of Finman.  For those who don't (or who haven't seen the latest details) here's the scoop.

1. At IM Florida, a racer is seen with a pair of large fins in his hands entering the water for lap 2 of the swim.
2. Said racer is identified and publicly ridiculed on Slowtwitch, this humble blog and just about everywhere else there's a triathlete who doesn't appreciate cheating.
3. Said racer has e-mails sent to those blogs that ridiculed him. The mail is purportedly from an attorney threatening legal action. No such attorney exists, but many (including this blog) remove the name of the offender.
4. Said racer is disqualified from the race and suspended for a year. Said racer is then definitively identified as Frank Cardia.
5. Frank Cardia goes public with an implausible story claiming to have found the fins in the water. Mr. Cardia says that he was trying to bring them to the attention of officials when he was seen with them. Mr. Cardia then challenges his detractors to the "Finman Challenge" - run a marathon, do IMAZ the next day, run another marathon the day after that. Of course Mr. Cardia's ability to complete his own challenge has nothing to do with whether he cheated
6. Slowtwitch explodes with comments slamming Mr. Cardia. Mr. Cardia himself turns up, using the screen name TheRealFinman.
7. Finally, something good comes of this all. Finmans fins are donated by the lifeguard who confiscated them, and are put up for auction, with the proceeds going to the Blazeman Foundation for ALS. Details from the auction are below.

Im not sure what to say about these fins! The facts: they are TYR and a very large size (43-44
~; 10 to 11; or X-L). Also made in Italy and not worn all that much. But the story behind them is a bit shady: apparently they were worn by a guy known as "Finman" in IM Florida 2008. Despite a lot of evidence (including photos) he has denied it. Its a very hot topic on the Slowtwitch Forum, where you can read some very amusing comments!  But besides all the BS, these are a very good pair of fins for anyone with feet big enough.

Comedian Eddie Izzard Runs For Charity

I often grumble about people going for a leisurely walk in the name of charity and asking me for money.  Many of these ventures are done for fine organizations and I usually make a modest donation because it's a worthy cause.  The fact that someone is taking a walk or riding their bike for a few miles does not move me in the least, nor does it impact my donation.  And of course I have a particularly big burr in my saddle when folks ask for money when part of my donation is going to pay for their wetsuit or travel expenses to a marathon or tri (and they conveniently forget to mention that).  Well, here's a charity endeavour that's grumble proof even by my standards.

Eddie Izzard is my favorite cross-dressing comedian.  In fact, he may be my favorite comedian, period. Mr. Izzard, who is raising money for Comic Relief just finished his 43rd marathon in 51 days.  Izzard is not athletic, but he is dedicated.  What he did is truly inspirational and shows just how much someone can do if they put their mind to it.  Many of the marathons were done at a walking pace, but he has been getting faster as he has progressed.  And there's certainly no questioning his dedication to the cause.

Golden Girls Challenge/Vassar Tri Race Results

Forget all the other races this weekend.  Even if they were bigger, more competitive, and more prestigious.  Obviously all anyone cares about is the eagerly anticipated Golden Girls Challenge, which was contested at the Vassar Medical Center Duathlon.  City Coachers Shane Neil, Paul Santini, Danny Artiga, Helene Roth and I fought it out in a small field.  When the dust settled, all of us finished in the top 12 and all came home with hardware.  The order of finish was:

• Jonathan Cane - 5th place male, 1st place 40-49 AG
• Shane Neil - 8th place male, 3rd place 30-39 AG
• Danny Artiga - 9th place male, 2nd place 40-49 AG
• Paul Santini - 10th place male, 1st place 18-29 AG
• Helene Roth - 2nd place female

Photos are still being added to the gallery .

As for the wagering, I managed to come closest with my bet.  Rather than having my morals called into question, I will donate the entire sum collected to the National Brain Tumor Society in memory of Kathleen Lewis. 

After the race, the group made the all-important stop at IHOP where we scared the women and children by consuming mass quantities.  All in all it was a good time with good friends.  Congrats and thanks to all.

Place Your Bets

Don't forget to place your wagers for the Golden Girls Challenge as Shane, Danny, Paul, Helene and I slug it out at the Vassar Duathlon on Saturday.  You can win cold, hard cash and be charitable at the same time. 

Help Greg Fight Cancer 5K Race Report

I still owe a few other race reports, but I'm letting this one jump to the head of the line.  Tonight Jack Rabbit presented the Help Greg Fight Cancer 5k in Prospect Park.  Nearly 1,000 runners showed up to support the cause.  It's a great testament to the running community in NYC that so many people rallied around one of our own.  And Jack Rabbit deserves a lot of credit for organizing the event, shutting all three of their stores for the evening, and putting on a great show.  Even Borough President Marty Markowitz was there.

To give you an idea of the folks who came out in support of the cause, in addition to the Jack Rabbit crew, we saw Gary Berard, Terry Moore, Geoff Badner, Nicole Sin Quee with current student Tolu Edionwe and former student Matt Broach, Jeannine Bardo, Sarah Wenk, Hanna Jones, Scott Towle, Sarah Harrison, Francis Laros, Regina Cahill, Shane Neil, Nannette Vieth, Tom Buffolano, Danny Artiga, Dan Gallagher (and his adorable son Ian), Paul Leone, India Branch, Bridget McKenna, Anne, Perzesty, Beth St. John, Jene Shaw, Miriam Weiskind, Sarah Conway, Helene Roth, Bridget McMahon, Jesse Lansner, our Jack Rabbit Beginner and marathon classes and many more.

For those of you looking for results, they are available from our friends at City Tri.  And for those of you who skipped ahead to see the pictures, here they are.

NYRR$$

In the past I've complained about NYRR's inclusion of an $11 processing fee for the privilege of applying for the New York City Marathon lottery.  (For the math impaired, that means they collect over $500,000 from people who don't get to run the race.)

Still, when it comes to money grabs, NYRR has outdone themselves.  Instead of the already hefty $138 paid by NYRR members or $171 from non-members to enter the marathon, apparently charitable organizations that secure entries for fund raising runners pay over $500 for each runner.  (Though NYRR has not confirmed or denied this figure, I have confirmed it with multiple sources who work for non-profits who deal with NYRR.)  Considering that these runners do not create any greater strain on NYRR's resources on race day or in advance, it seems unreasonable that they charge extra to charities. 

Most charity runners are required to collect $2500 in exchange for their guaranteed spot from the charity. That means that if you donate to a charity runner who collects the minimum,  20% of your donation is going to the NYRR.  (In other cases, your contributions are paying a significant percentage toward a charity athlete's airfare, hotel, wetsuit, etc. but we'll save that for another rant.)   This year, presumably due to the recession and the fact that the market is saturated with charity runners, many participants are struggling to make their minimums.  Additionally, many charities overbought and are currently sitting on unused entries that are paid in full and non-refundable.  Presumably, the NYRR would be quick to point out that without their guaranteed entries, the charities couldn't generate as much in donations and that 75% of something is better than 100% of nothing.  Still, considering that the NYRR made a $6 million profit on the 2007 marathon, I wonder how those who support the charities feel about this..

City Coach at Help Greg Fight Cancer 5k

As we mentioned noted, Jack Rabbit is supporting one of their own with the Help Greg Fight Cancer 5k. To provide a little extra incentive to our athletes, City Coach will reimburse the entry fee for the first three City Coach athletes who register for the race, and run it in their City Coach uniform.  Please contact me to be included in the first three.

The Golden Girls Challenge

Saturday, September 12 will mark the long-awaited return of the Golden Girls Challenge.  An illustrious group of has-beens and never-weres will race at the Vassar Medical Center Biathlon in the name of competition and charity. The race is a 1 mile run, 14 mile ride, 3 mile run.  Here's the deal.

You can place your bets by writing to the Golden Girls Hotline.  Select your predicted order of placing among the five "athletes", along with your predicted time for the first finisher.  (The latter will be used as a tiebreaker.)  Each bet will cost you $10.  The winning bettor will receive half of the proceeds, with the other half going to the charity of choice of the winning racer.  Enter as often as you like.  

Here's a quick rundown of the competitors.

1. Jonathan Cane.  At his best, he was mediocre.  Now, his best is so far in his rear view mirror that he can no longer recognize it.  Jonathan will be racing for the National Brain Tumor Society.
2. Shane Neil.  Much to his chagrin, this event is longer than 200 meters and the competitors will not be in 3" heels, making his chance of victory much more remote.  Shane's charity of choice is Samaritan's Feet.
3. Danny Artiga.  Was once a professional soccer player.  Sadly this race does not require the racers to kick a ball.  Danny is racing to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
4. Paul Santini.  Chronologically, the youngest Golden Girl.  Chronologically.  Paul is racing for the MS Society.
5. Helene Roth.  She is only one year separated from her racing glory, making her the early favorite, and making her the most intimidating of the bunch.  However, she will be racing on a pink bike. Helene is racing to benefit the Young Survival Coalition.

Fine print.  In the event of a DNF, the racer will be placed behind all finishers.  In the event of multiple DNF's, the first racer to drop out will be placed last.  If a competitor does not start, he/she is placed behind any and all DNF's.  Predicted time of finish is the tiebreaker.  Price is Right scoring will NOT be used.

Follow RATW on Facebook and Twitter

The official Race Across the Window Facebook and Twitter pages are up and running.  Please follow our progress over the last ten days of preparation and then as we ride our 3,000 miles in the window of Jack Rabbit Sports.  We're riding to support the Young Survival Coalition.