I was very excited to run the 2023 New York City Marathon, my 11th NYCM (albeit my FIRST since 1987!), made even more special by the fact that Rod personally invited me to help him celebrate the 40th anniversary of his breathtaking, come from behind victory in 1983, while also running to support his Rod Dixon’s KiDSMARATHON Foundation, and celebrate Saucony’s 125th anniversary. What was extra cool was that my best friend since high school, Jim Stephenson, was on our team, and also ran it, for his first time. 

So where shall I begin?

Let’s take a ride in the time machine way back to Saturday, 29 October 2022. I’m out for a paced 3 mile run with May and Carolyn on her bicycle. 

For some reason that neither of us can recall, Carolyn asks me if I think I’ll ever run the New York City Marathon again. I reply that I highly doubt it. After 10 consecutive from 1978 through 1987, I’d had my fill.

“Nevertheless, she persisted” by asking me what would make me consider doing so. I reply that I have no idea what special circumstances would make me entertain the idea. The conversation ends. The run ends. And we move on with our day.

The very next day, at approximately 10 PM local time, I receive a telephone call from none other than Rod Dixon. Rod asks me if I remember how he came to Falmouth in 2018 to celebrate my 40th consecutive Falmouth Road Race.

After responding in the affirmative (since something like that isn’t too difficult to remember), Rod proceeds to remind me how when November 2023 rolls around, it will be the 40th anniversary of his incomparable 1983 New York City Marathon victory.

After a bit of reminiscing, he springs THE QUESTION on me. “Would you run the 2023 New York City Marathon for me? We can celebrate my 40th anniversary, Saucony’s 125th anniversary, and help raise money for the Rod Dixon’s KiDSMARATHON Foundation.”

The first thing that we all need to collectively figure out is how Rod was able to listen in on Carolyn’s and my conversation during my run on the previous day. Once we answer that question, we can all move on to ponder my foolhardiness in accepting his invitation. And, either way, we all just figured out what special circumstances were necessary to get me to embark on this crazy endeavor.  Training for the marathon was smooth and uneventful. I did my workouts and long runs with my many training partners. In addition to my wife, Carolyn, usually accompanying me on her bicycle, I have a rotating cast of about 18 people who may join me for my runs, but my most consistent training partner is my canine companion, an Australian Cattle Dog, named May.

As were a few of my other daily runs. The final week before the marathon had wildly fluctuating temperatures. As you can see from these photographs, our mode of dress went from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Jim and I had scheduled our number bib pick up for Friday afternoon between 4:00 and 7:30. As that time approached, I telephoned Rod to see if he wanted to go over to the expo with us. He replied in the affirmative, explaining that his daughter, Emma Main, her husband, Willy, Willy’s cousin, Matt, and Matt’s wife, Stacy, were all going to be there. 

We ventured over to the Javits Convention Center, where we soon met up with all of the aforementioned relatives.

After the big meet and greet, Jim and I went to get our numbers, our shirts, and find our names on the wall. 

Meanwhile, Rod and Company departed to get ready for their big, $500 per ticket, black tie dinner at Tavern on the Green. 

Jim and I decided on dinner at Tavola, another personal 5 star recommendation. Just as we were finishing up, and getting ready to head back to the hotel, my phone rang. It was that pesky Dixon fellow. 

“Hey, what are you guys doing?”

“Just finished dinner, heading back to the hotel.”

“My family got tired and left. I’m here alone, and nothing for nothing, but I think I can get you guys in. Are you interested?”

“Sure.”

Jim and I get ourselves a taxi, and head down to Central Park, exit the taxi, go to the door, as I call Rod to tell him, “We’re here.”

Rod comes to the door, and lets us in.

Needless to say, ALL of the rock stars were there. We watched as Deena Kastor was getting inducted into the Hall of Fame by Desi Linden. 

Afterwards, there was a charity auction. Suffice it to say that for reasons of national security, I’m unable to go down that rabbit hole. 

Just as we thought our evening couldn’t get any crazier, Jeff Benjamin asks us if we want to go to a NYCM party. Jim, Rod, and I contemplate our evening and decide that since it’s Friday night, and we’re three (temporarily) single guys in New York City, why not?

Our taxi took us to our destination, an apartment building on Park Avenue! 

Upon arrival at the penthouse, we were graciously greeted by the hostess, as well as the many guests. Rod gave a speech detailing his 1983 come-from-behind-victory, before introducing me and Jim to the adoring guests. 

After the speech, and lots of conversation, we went out onto the balcony, where I found Tracy Sundlun. We were marveling at the view, as well as taking selfies, when Ted Metellus, the NYCM Race Director, handed each of us a beautiful, golden New York City Marathon coin/medallion.

After much conversation, and bidding adieus to our wonderful hostess and the other guests, we proceeded down the elevator, through the narrow hallway, and out onto the sidewalk where we began our walk back to our hotel. Upon arrival, we were texting the story of our absolutely incredible and unbelievable evening with all of our friends and families.

Saturday started out almost identically to Friday. Jim and I did a short shakeout run before heading back to the hotel, getting cleaned up, and heading out to breakfast with Rod. 

Afterwards, I returned to the hotel room to, once again, try to get caught up on text messages and Facebook. That was no easy task!

Carolyn and Ainsley came down to go to the expo with us. The vendors were sold out of so much merchandise that had been overflowing the day before. Chief among these items was the official jacket, which I hadn’t gotten on Friday because we were so busy. I knew I’d be coming back on Saturday, so I’d figured I’d pick one up then. BIG MISTAKE. Sold out! (I am happy to report that I had since found and purchased one, new with tags, and still in the bag, on eBay.)

After we were all done exploring, it was time to head to dinner. Trying to find seating at a restaurant in Manhattan the night before the marathon is like… Well, you fill in the blank. It’s pretty much impossible.

Thankfully, Jim had been able to secure us a rather sketchy sounding reservation at Trattoria Casa Di Isacco, whose interior accommodations were very narrow, but with the food, once again, earning a five star rating from yours truly.

After their departure, it was time to head back to the hotel room, prepare our kits for the morning, and try to get some sleep before the 4:30 alarm. 

Race morning, Jim and I got up, as scheduled, did all of our last minute preparations, and put on our kits. 

We brought all of our belongings up to Rod’s room so that we could check out of ours. Then the three of us went down to the lobby to meet up with an Australian tour group that Rod partners with. 

From there, Rod walked us all over towards the library to board our buses to the start. 

I don’t know what they’ve been doing for the last 35 or 36 years, but man… All of the bridges were so much steeper than they used to be. All of the concrete was so much harder than it used to be. And the November weather was so much warmer than it used to be. 

Now, I know that I don’t have a right to complain after what all of my friends went through here in 2022, but we still topped out at 66°. When marathoning, I’m looking for 45° to 50°. Knowing that it was this warm, I made certain that I took water at every single water stop. Except for mile 10. It was extremely crowded, and by the time I got over to the right hand side, my only hope was the last lady at the last table, and unfortunately, she dropped the cup as she was handing it to me.

The last time I did this race, they had approximately 15,000 runners compared to the almost 52,000 that we had on this day. Even with the benefit of starting relatively early in a reasonable corral, the crowding out on the course became a hindrance. There were many times where I had to stop short or zigzag around the slower runners in front of me.

My single most frustrating experience during the entire race came at mile 11 when a woman, who was standing on the right-hand sidewalk, decided that she wanted to cross the road to get to the left-hand sidewalk. When she made the unfortunate decision to do so, it was perfectly timed so that she and I collided, with each of us literally and laterally bouncing off of the other.

Thankfully, I didn’t go down, but I had been jolted from my mental zone for racing into another one whose main goal was not to fall. After regaining my balance, I turned towards her, and hurled her a huge ‘F bomb’, something that I never do. The adrenaline of the moment had me in some kind of a heightened, hyper-awareness, and I was pissed. 

After regaining my composure, and continuing with my race, I was vaguely recalling some of the sites from the decade that I’d done this race so long ago. Much of the course I did not recall, but the bridges, 1st Avenue, Williamsburg, etc., all had a strange and distant familiarity to me.

Coming into Manhattan on fifth Avenue was fun with all of its sights and sounds, but it wasn’t without a little bit of foreboding on my part, knowing that the hills of Central Park awaited me. With almost 100 feet of climbing, my 23rd mile was the slowest of them all.

During the 24th mile I saw a large family of my training partners, all heartily cheering me on.

Thankfully, I was able to get back on pace during the 25th and 26th miles. There’s a very special feeling that you get when you exit the park, and start heading towards Columbus Circle on Central Park South.

The turn into the park at the circle was much nicer than it was way back in the olden days, when we had to run a couple hundred meters on beaten up grass/dirt/mud to get back onto the road to the finish line. Having the whole way paved made a huge difference. 

After crossing the finish line in 3:29:05, with a major case of marathon quads from the heat, and my subsequent dehydration, I began the long trek back to Tavern on the Green by getting my finisher poncho, and goodie bag.

As I was walking down Central Park West, I was able to find Carolyn and Ainsley at the most perfect time; right at the 66th Street entrance to Central Park for Tavern on the Green.

There, we were able to meet up with Rod, Emma Main, Matt, Stacy, and Michelle & Frank Shorter. 

It’s really not my story to tell, but Jim had a rough day, and it was while he was rounding Marcus Garvey Park that he decided to call me to tell me that he was okay, but that it was going to be a while before I saw him. It was at that moment that Dave spotted Jim, whom he had only met twice before, at my two most recent birthday parties. Major kudos to Dave for not only spotting me, but also spotting Jim, amongst the tens of thousands of runners that day. I don’t know how he did it, but it was the funniest thing to be talking to him during Jim‘s telephone conversation!

I’ll let Jim tell the full story, but it does involve him taking a 55 minute nap in the medical tent before resuming his journey to the finish line.

It was at this point that Carolyn had to leave with Ainsley, so Rod and I went inside while we waited for the others to finish. The food and drink were top notch, and they even had a wonderful selection for vegans like myself. Yay!

Rod and I had some nice conversation with a couple of women at our table who seemed rather smitten with us.

By the time Jim had arrived, the security guards were no longer letting people in. Thankfully, Rod was able to throw his weight around and get Jim in, where he enjoyed some last-minute food and drink before it was all shut down.

Afterwards, Rod forced me and Jim to walk the entire 3 miles back to our hotel, as if racing the 26.2 miles of the NYCM wasn’t enough!

Once we got back to the hotel, we changed, enjoyed some last-minute conversation, and packed all of our belongings back into my Odyssey. 

On the sidewalk, outside of the Hilton Garden Inn, we bid our final adieus to Rod, before driving home.

And that, my friends, ends my Magnificent New York City Marathon Saga. It only took me a month to write about what transpired during the course of a few days in November 2023; a week that will live forever in our collective memories. My sincere thanks for reading my endless drivel, and allowing me to bring you along on this journey.