"Tramps like us, baby we were Born to Run"
NYC Marathon, November 3, 2013

It's Friday afternoon driving around Manhattan and via the Westside highway to the Jacob J. Javitts center getting the race number, say high at the folks from Fred's Team, receive some goodies, buy a few commemorative NY Marathon gear and just look around.This is the real beginning of the NY Marathon. Jorrit was done in 15 minutes; I could have stayed there for hours. Finally we stayed for 59 minutes and good for a few Larry David / Jerry Seinfeld moments when picking up my car. We went later to an Italian bar in Grand Central later joined by Wanda and Sandra. A few drinks, good chats about Rio and New York and we ended in an Italian restaurant, eating pasta of course!

Saturday morning, last minute shopping, coffee and lunch at the VDK's and checking in at our hotels respectively the Marriott Battery Park and Crown Plaza Time Square. Getting my gear out so I don't need to worry about it when my alarm rings at 4:20AM, breakfast with Fred's Team at 4:45AM in the Grand Ball room on the 4 th floor. “Born to Run” through the speakers and the coaches gave their final instructions, MSK Specialist Dr. Lee explains why we are all doing this and then to Time Square for the official picture. The photographer was highly dependent on the neon advertising lights at Time Square so that causes some laughs, as the guy was clueless about the sequence of the ads!

In police escorted busses to Staten Island and about 1 hour later we checked in the VIP tent of Fred's Team where Karel was comfortably waiting for us. I had coffee, bagels hang out, stretched a bit and getting ready for the race. It was cold and windy outside, also Wanda came into the tent to warm up a bit. Then lining up in the corrals, the stars spangled banner, the tunes of New York, New York, a loud canon shot and we start the climb of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, with it's spectacular view of Manhattan. It was cold and the wind was brutal, I was getting a bit concerned about the rest of the race because with these kind of winds it will be a hell of a marathon.

 The course of this marathon is considered by me and some real specialist as heavy and difficult, NY never had a world record, or even got close to it, not because of a lack funds to adopt some elite top runners but simple the course is to complex and difficult to achieve that. I don't believe a world record will ever be achieved here, and that’s fine with me!

Like in previous years the audience came out in big numbers and with a spirit like only New Yorkers can give, warm, cheerful, shouting names, great banners such as "You run better than the government" and ready with bananas, drinks, tissues and a positive word accompanied by a large smile. I experienced this all the way from Brooklyn through Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, Harlem on Fifth and in the Park. Over one hundred bands/dj's were spread around the course, playing at their best for an appreciative audience of 50.000 runners It's the amazing spirit that keeps a modest runner like me afloat and I applaud for the bands also when running a marathon.

With Fred's Team we ran with 840 people and raised $4,2 Million, a good result but slightly less than years before. Jorrit and I rose combined an amount of $15,000, not bad I would say. It gave me great pride that now my oldest son is impressed and enthusiastic about the spirit in Fred's Team and what we collectively can do to support the essential research to cure cancer. That's why also Saturday night’s event at the BB King Club on 42nd Street was again such a remarkable event. A pasta dinner with “Born to Run” as the anthem for Fred's Team and with words from our coaches Jeff and Ann, Dr. Marcel van den Brink, Head of Hematologic Oncology and Dr. Richard J. O' Reilly, the Chair of the Pediatrics section of Memorial Sloan Kettering and from a cancer survivor and runner. It was a moving event.

In 1992 Klaas and I ran the New York Marathon (I was 35 and ran 3:56 gross time, there were no chips and we waited in general at least 10 minutes to pass the starting line), now 21 years later our sons Jorrit and Karel made their debut in the big race. They did very well resp 3:54 and 3:55, enjoyed it tremendously and will most probably return in the years to come. Klaas and I ran between 1991 and 1995 the race together, at least the start! One year we positioned ourselves in such a way that we started right after the elite/top runners, it was quite an experience, half way the Verrazano Bridge we said goodbye to these guys who are running at a pace which is even for cyclist hard to follow and our heartbeats were moving in the dangerous zone, by doing this our end time was of course much more accurate ! In 1992 there were 25.000 runners, in 2013 it was double, incredible growth and the NYC Marathon became a true institution and benchmark for any other Marathon in the world. The ratio male / female runners in 1992 was 80/20, today it's 60/40. That's also called progress!

After mile 20 it was very hard for me to continue with my pace and body rhythm, up till that point I had a great run and was headed for a 4:30 or so. Slowing down a bit was the only option I had. Fifth Ave was very nice, even with a bit of sunshine and at 91st we made a right turn into Central Park, also lots of supporters cheering for the runners. Entering the Park is one of the great moments of the NY Marathon. To me the greatest goosebumps moments are the descend of the 59th Street Bridge and entering First Ave, simply fantastic, than entering the Park and of course re-entering the Park again with the stretch to the finish line. Those are just some of the many highlights in this amazing race. what I really don't like is First Ave from 90 th Street onwards.

Talking about the finish line the winners this year were both from Kenya, Geoffrey Mutai at 2:08 and Priscah Jeptoo with 2:25. The results for team Dubois: Jorrit at 3:54, Wanda at 4:18 and Cor at 5:10. All with a great feeling about this year’s race and maybe some of us will be back in the future. Marathon running can become some kind of a drug and running the NYC Marathon can make some of us real addicts, that’s why we were Born to Run!

Cor Dubois, Rio de Janeiro, Nov-2013.



Practical details and condition:
Suffered late June a bruised bone under the patella, 3 months of physical therapy by Gisele Larini in Barra Da Tijuca/Rio de Janeiro and missed 6 weeks of intense training. I arrived in New York, after a flight Rio to AMS and a few days later AMS to NY/JFK all in 10 days. Strong winds and an average temperature of 9 C. During the race consumed:  2 GU gel packs, 1 GU gums/lime, rotating water and Gatorade at every stop and 2 half bananas during the last 5 miles.