marathon sunday

today began with the bleary realization that someone not too far away was performing a terrible rendition of "are you gonna be my girl" by jet. dj and i decided to investigate, so i put on my jogging costume: running shoes, bobo socks, sweatpants, track jacket, and headband, and we took to the streets. it didn't take long to find the source of the noise. there was a band, oso, playing around the corner. sadly, the poster draped behind them, with a stylized image of their name, appeared to say "so so." once we cruised manhattan ave. we found that there was a band playing on every corner. i thought, "marathon day is party day."

as we continued down the street and as the main pack of runners came along i enjoyed a number of sights: italian runners' faces lighting up when a woman waving an italian flag shouts, "italia! italia!" in support; the older couples hanging out of their windows watching the runners pass; a gentleman in a polish soccer shirt running along with a polish runner, offering his support; the response i receive when i shout, "go dave!" to a middle-aged runner with "dave" written on his shirt. surprisingly there were also a number of "joke runners", runners in costume. i saw a man in a cow costume, two as the blues brothers in full, matching suits and hats, and a couple as the cheerleaders from saturday night live.

after the race had wound down, with only a few racers on the empty streets, dj and i walked the route back to our apartment. we passed by the park where i see a group of young hasidic men playing baseball in kippas and wool trousers...i love this city.

marathon day was the brightest, most up-beat, i had ever seen the neighborhood. but this is new york and that classic new york charm wasn't far away. near the end of our trip we passed a group of young women cheering on the straglers in the race. i glance to see who is still patiently watching these last runners. as i turn away one of them casually declares, "we're not cheering for you. you're a poseur." at first i was surprised she would say that, despite her accuracy. then i thought about how glad i was to be the recipient of probably one of the few discouraging remarks on the course all day.