City Coach | Coach Cane's Blog

The Hustle Lives

Mercifully, disco is dead.  Happily, the Hunts Point Hustle is going strong.  In its third year, the race benefits Sustainable South Bronx.  Save the date - Saturday, June 20.  Details and registrations info will be posted here shortly.

Starkes Strikes Again

Hot off the presses.  Kevin Starkes ran 15:59.99 at the Hunts Point Hustle 5k this morning.  That was good for a PR and an easy victory.  Full results are here.

My Faith In Humanity Has Been Renewed

OK - maybe not humanity, but at least my faith in race directors has been renewed.   The Marin Memorial Day 10k disqualified 15 runners for wearing headphones in defiance of USATF rules.  According to the Marin Independent Journal, "The 10K had 560 official finishers, up from 511 last year, with 32 percent of them cracking 40 minutes. Another 15 finishers were disqualified, per USATF rules, for wearing music listening devices." 

I am of the strong opinion that a runner is best served to "tune in" to their workouts and listen to their body rather than distracting themselves with music in training.  Still, if folks want to go that route in training, I suppose they're entitled.  But in a race, when it's against the rules and when headphones can create a danger to others, that's another story.

Below is a letsrun posting from another RD which sums it up quite well.

Do the Hustle

Fear not my friends, I don't mean to suggest that disco is making a comeback.  What's making its return is the Hunts Point Hustle 5k to benefit Sustainable South Bronx.  The race begins and ends at Hunts Point Riverside Park on June 21.  CCRM is handling the timing, and online registration is open.

Astute readers to our humble blog may recognize that the HPH is the same day as the 3rd Annual No Sleep 'til Brooklyn Century.  Lucky for you, the 5k is bright and early in the morning, and then century isn't until 7pm, so that should leave you ample time for a recovery drink and a disco nap before the ride.  We'll even throw in a free City Coach T-shirt to anyone who does both events. 

Sunday Race Results

7th Annual NYPD Memorial 5k.

• Worku Beyi - 1st Place, 14:55
• Carol Buonanno - 2nd Place, 18:54

Worku now owns the course record, besting the previous mark by over a minute.  Carol beat the previous course record as well.

King of the Hill Off Road Triathlon

• Nathanael Horne - 10th Place overall, 2nd in AG.  Check out Nate's race report.
  

7th Annual NYPD Memorial 5k

Join us for the 7th Annual NYPD Memorial 5k on May 18.  Flat, fast course, good cause, and CCRM's doing the timing.

No Headphones Aloud

At the 2007 Autumn Run, I watched in bemusement as a racer wearing headphones veered off course and ignored the screams of the race official (me) who tried to direct her.  This despite the NO HEADPHONES printed in bold on the race application and the amplified pre-race announcement from the master of ceremonies (me).  No wonder our Race Director (Luis) has developed a facial tic.  So, it was with great joy that I saw the following announcement from the Road Runners Club of America.

As race directors struggle with the RRCA guideline against the use of headphones in RRCA insured events along with the USATF ban on headphones at sanctioned events, the RRCA is encouraging race directors to adopt the new universal NO HEADPHONES symbol on race entry forms and race materials.

"Race officials don't ban headphones to be mean to runners — it's for their own safety and that of everyone else in the race," says Gerweck, a member of the USATF Long Distance Running sub-comittee studying enforcement of the ban. "It's an education effort more than enforcement issues, as events such as Grandma’s and Twin Cities Marathons have successfully proven. This logo is a simple way to send runners the message that headphones aren't permitted in sanctioned events."

Kitchen Sink Results

Thanks to everyone for coming out to the 2nd Annual Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cross Country race.  Race results and photos are posted.  Here are some highlights.

• Emily "Killer" Kindlon - 1st Female
• Beverly Paulis - 2nd Female
• Nate Horne - 3rd Male

Also in attendance were Tom Buffolano, Claude Meliarenne, Alyse Courtines, Diana Casale and lots of other friends.  Special thanks to Danny Artiga and the Brooklyn Tri group of volunteers, including Tony, Jonathan and Emily Johnson generously providing hot cider for the runners, as well as Helene Roth and her students, and all the others who helped out.

That Sinking Feeling

It's time for the 2nd Annual Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cross Country race in Prospect Park.  We're on for Sunday, January 27, and you're sure to encounter grass, dirt, wood chips, asphalt and maybe a few surprises.  Online registration is available, and there's a special prize to the first 75 entrants.

Gobble, Gobble

Here's hoping that everyone had a happy and healthy holiday.  CCRM did the timing for the PPTC Turkey Trot, which was swept by CPTC athletes John Roberts and Sarah Alaei.  City Coachers on hand included:

• Tom Buffolano - 36:52
• Johanna Bjorken - 36:56
• Lauri Young - 37:23 (PR and 3rd in AG)
• Sarah Wenk - 39:26 (PR and 2nd in AG)
• Drew Koncz - 40:19 (before riding to his dinner in Nyack)

We also saw Kwok-Ming Cheng, Diana Casale, Amanda Keylor (with Riley in tow), Elizabeth Konkle, Betty Eng, Jen Clarke, Elijah Sivin, Bridgette Burrowes, Sandra & Natasha Ferrari, and a bunch of happy Jack Rabbits.