As Jeff Atkinson (winner of the 1984 U.S. Olympic 1500m trial)
cheerfully proclaimed while waiting for the 1999 Revlon 5K to start, "This
is not a road race; this is a fundraiser." Nevertheless, one suspects that
when people think back on this "fundraiser," it will be remembered not for
the $3.5 million raised for cancer research, but for the thirty-minute
delay that kept 50,000 runners and walkers penned up at the start line.
Nevertheless, after speeches from doctors, celebrities, and one courageous
emcee who managed to keep smiling in the face of boos and hisses, the race
finally did start. Precisely when the race started, however, is beyond
determination. The "VIP's," who were placed about twenty yards ahead of
the start line, started running when the countdown reached fifteen seconds.
The rest of the crowd started running when the Marines cleared the course
with about ten seconds remaining, and the gun went off with about five
seconds left in the countdown. Times reported below, however, are clock
times (all that standing around had to have been worth a few seconds).
Terence ran sub-six-minute pace for an 18:26. Having raced for over five
hours the previous weekend, he must have been relieved at the distance of
this competition, and his complaints about having to chase another TCLA'er
who finished in 17:20 will be disregarded. Following in a nice cluster
behind him were Jacinda, in 18:33, and Brian, in 18:40. Brian's performance
is particularly impressive given that he had run a hard 17 miles the previous
weekend, and had done a lot of track and weight work during the week. A p.r.
was had by Kim, who ran 20:56, twenty seconds ahead of Peggy. If Kim had
any sense, she treated Peggy a little more kindly the following day (that
being Mother's Day). Sneaking in between the two was Deanna with a 21:05.
Finally, Paul ran 19:36, slower than he wanted, but understandable given his
distraction over barely surviving the ride on King St. in search of a
parking place.
