It takes more than an unseasonably cold day to discourage us! The Flyers were out in force Sunday morning for one of the most scenic races on the NYC calendar. Included in this show of force was our intrepid group of freezing Flyers volunteers at the Times Square hydration station, organized by Flyers Rachel Allen Duncan and Andrea Mihalko.
130 teammates finished the run, which is more than in any other race since the end of the pandemic, except for the 2021 and 2022 NYC Marathons, and testifies to the increasing popularity of a relatively new kid on the block! We brought home 2 second-place awards (Denise Iannizzotto and Francesco Presutti) and lots of PRs!
The fastest Flyer this weekend was Nicole Theodore! 🏆
Nicole told us how she joined the Flyers when we interviewed her last December to honor her first place in the women’s team at the Ted Corbitt 15K. This time Nicole led the entire Flyers’ team, not just the women’s team, with an impressive 1:27:51 (pace 6:43, AGP 74.43%). Huge congrats to Nicole!
The second fastest Flyer on the women’s side was Anne Meyer, who finished in 1:35:21 (pace 7:17), hit a solid AGP of 78.32%, and gained a 7th AG place.
The third superstar in the team was the legendary Denise Iannizzotto, who finished her run in 1:40:08 (pace 7:39), thus scoring a stunning AGP of 83.54%, and winning the second place in her age group.
The fourth and fifth women in the team finished neck and neck: Amanda Schachter ran her half-marathon in 1:42:44 (pace 7:51, AGP 72.69%). Monique Seibert did hers in 1:42:48 (pace 7:51, AGP 80.56%, 4th AG place).
The lead runner on the men’s side was Zac Charlton, who ran in 1:28:55 (pace 6:47), followed by Deniz Saat, who finished in 1:29:12 (pace 6:49).
Jeff Gerbert came third for the men’s team with 1:30:16 (pace 6:54, AGP 76.49%). Jeff was followed by Francesco Presutti, who won a second-place award in his age group with a time of 1:31:14 (pace 6:58, AGP 78.59%), and by Edvard Major, who finished in 1:31:45 (pace 7:00).
I talked to Jeff after the run. This was his second race with the Flyers after the NYC Marathon last year – also a very strong race. Looking at the vintage singlet with the diamond logo he was wearing over his long-sleeve shirt, you might have taken Jeff for a veteran Flyer. In fact, Jeff got his singlet from a Stamford, CT neighbor and good friend, who happens to be a long-time Flyer. “While I was looking for a group in the city,” he told me, “I met some good friends in Connecticut and that brought me to the Flyers.” Jeff’s first run with the Flyers was the run to the Little Red Lighthouse back in 2021, where I had the pleasure to meet him (I ran with him also in last year’s 3 Bridges Run).
Jeff told me his half-marathon Sunday was not a PR, but was a good run for him. He had a lot of fun and was a little cold too! 🥶 “I believe this was the first time I had ice water at the water stations”, he told me. “Going over the bridge was definitely a very cool experience”, he said. He also had a great time running on the FDR Drive. Jeff has recently committed to marathon running, and he is getting ready for his second Boston. Good luck, Jeff!
Congrats also to the following additional runners who scored an AGP of 70% or above or finished in the top 10 of their age groups:
Sebastien Lieng (1:33:58, pace 7:11, AGP 70.25%)
JĂ©rĂ´me BĂ©rard (1:35:25, pace 7:17, AGP 75.14%, 10th AG)
Marc Bochner (1:36:47, pace 7:23, AGP 72%)
Stephen Orr (1:38:43, pace 7:32, AGP 71.26%)
Hiromi Nobata (1:43:37, pace 7:55, AGP 78.63%)
Arlyn Apollo (1:46:17, pace 8:07, AGP 70.26%)
Jeanhie Hahn (1:49:00, pace 8:19, AGP 71.05%)
Dee Vogt (1:58:07, pace 9:01, AGP 73.77%)
Nina Zoe Parks-Taylor (1:03:12, pace 9:24, AGP 71.72%)
Deb Saat (2:04:15, pace 9:29, AGP 71.12%)
Mindy Statter (2:05:30, pace 9:35, AGP 71.41%)
Delton Mace (2:19:20, pace 10:38, 4th AG)
The team’s full results can be found here: https://results.nyrr.org/event/H2023/teams/NYF
Well done, Flyers! 🎉
-Francesco P, NY Flyers Blog Race Reporter, #NYRRstaff