New York City was back at it again with the famed 5th Avenue Mile race this weekend, attracting the best of the best to compete on a beautiful, tree lined stretch of 5th Ave along Central Park. It's quite the event, with 22 heats of runners zooming through from about 8AM to 2PM . This race, more than other NYRR ones, truly shows the amazing spectrum of speed and ability out there, and should serve as evidence to any new runner that all you need to do is lace up--there's definitely a place for you!
The heats went from impressive to incredible. The whippersnappers led the morning off, and made way for a more experienced crowd that could have competed with the best of them. The field included a 71-year-old man hitting a 5:31 and a 70-year-old woman hitting 6:53. That's a 97% age-graded percentage score, putting my own 4:47 time as a 29-year-old male, which is an age-graded score of 78%, in perspective.
For those out there needing a boost or inspiration, don't just look at the fastest times. Nick Willis's 3:51.3 and Jenny Simpson's 4:16.6 were downright exhilarating to see, yes, but if you're struggling to find your starting line, look at those everyday runners who went the distance. Look at all the runners driven by their devotion to the sport to leave their mark on 5th Ave. After all, #ThereIsNoTimeLimit. We stand behind that.
Feel free to post any of the photos you see. We only ask that you tag @baklinerunning. And ya know, give us a follow if you haven't already! If you missed our post on Brooklyn Mile hosted by Brooklyn Running Co last month, check it out! Registration is already open for next year!
(Note: The ~65 photos may take a few seconds to load. Here is a direct link to Flickr album in case you're having trouble.)
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