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Greetings Myriam and Kathleen
Thank you so much for the amazing hospitality you and everyone else offered Rachael and I. This will probably rate as one of my favourite races of all time and I have done some amazing races(comrades, two oceans, to name a couple). The atmosphere was FANTASTIC and leaving when we did was hard and I drove off wishing I had kept the hire car for another few hours so I could talk to more and more people. Please pass on my regards and thank you to all the marshalls and organisers of your race. We hope to come back again and put in an even better performance and spend even more time chatting to people. My regards Mark Shepherd Ps. We finished our trip by joining the Central Park Track Team for intervals at the Armoury on the Tuesday evening. Another amazing evening in a great trip to the New York area. |
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We want to thank you for participating in
the 4th annual Celebrate Life Half Marathon. Although
the
day was brutally cold, 295 of you registered to run it or walk it!!! We
thank each and every one of you and we hope that you will mark
your calendar and save the date to participate in 2008.Take a look at
our website www.celebratelifehalfmarathon.com for results and
pictures There are great shots of runners on mile 4
and at the finish line courtesy of Ken Shelton. If you find a picture
you like, please support Ken by buying it.On behalf of Celebrate
Life, we thank you
for making our race special.
Regards,
Myriam Loor and Kathleen Rifkin
Race Directors.
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Myriam,
Mark and I would just like to say
thank you so much for organising such a fantastic race today. We had a
great time and I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable event I've
ever participated in! (even though it was the hardest half marathon
I've ever run! Us soft brits aren't used to such snow and hills!)
The prizes were also extremely
generous, so thank you very much for those. Hopefully we will try and
make it back!
Thanks again,
Rachael
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Thanks for all your effort to
pull off a great run. Its good when a plan comes together and you did
such a good job with the weather you ordered !! (hahaha) It
really was a job well done,you hard work didn't go without notice.
Thanks Ed O'Connell
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Hi Myriam,
I thought the race
went very well.....at least it did from my spot on the road. See you soon........Doris Motl
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| Hi Myriam and Kathleen, Thanks for all your hard work and putting on a great race! - Andrea Phelen |
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Kathleen and Myriam
GREAT job again!! Thank you both for all your time and effort put into prep for this race. It seems to be growing in popularity with runners each year and that says much for you both. I'm glad to be a part of it as a volunteer and the other volunteers feel the same. They are always so happy to help and do what they can. Stay well. Sue Miller, CROC
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Congratulations
on a well organized race!
I was
very impressed with the volunteers on the course and the enthusiasm
they showed, especially since it was cold and windy on the
course. Seeing their enthusiasm helped me. As runners we're
constantly moving, for the volunteers that's not the case.
All other
details of the race seemed to go flawless.
Thanks for
a great race!
Kevin Pasterchik |
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Thanks. You guys put on another great
race - you must be really pleased!! Do something about that
wind next year, would ya!
- Marie DuSalt
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Myriam,
I wanted to let you know again what a great job I thought
both you and Kathleen did on the race today. As usual the race
was very well done, so organized! The course was great, the
t-shirts, awards, post race food, the company, everything was
excellent. I am not suprised that you had the best turnout for
the race yet, when people hear about a good race, they want to try it,
and once they discover for themselves they keep coming back. The
runners in the Orange/Sullivan area really appreciate all that the both
of you do in putting on such a tremendous race for us!!
Looking forward to next years race.
Andy Latinsics
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Hello Race Directors,
I just wanted to take this time to congratulate you two on a
great race and honorable endeavour. It almost brought me to tears
when I saw the people that were actively fighting cancer, or survivors
as in Myriams case. Keep up the good work and know that I am
always at your disposal for anything you may need. God bless.
Dennis Toscano
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| Kathleen- I had a GREAT time this morning at the 1/2 marathon and I would like to volunteer again for next year. Would you be able to place me in the same spots again? It was inspiring seeing all those people out there running. I went home and did 7.3 miles as a result. Keep up the good work. Bill Gaa, Mile Timer (2 & 8) |
| What a great race this
year! I know that you both are tired, and have wrap up work to do, but hope you still feel the joy of success. Thank you for all your time and efforts to keep such a high-quality race so warm and welcoming for participants and volunteers! I had the 'luxury' of sitting back a little at the restaurant to just observe everyone. Could you feel the ENERGY? -- the cold weather, good hot food, great prizes and recognition all contribute to this special feeling, I know -- but I just think there is a "special unity" with this race vs. others. What a great tradition you all have started! BRAVO! luv ya! Carrie Lindsay, CROC |
| Hi Myriam, The day was great, you guys did an amazng job..I was reviewing those photos, a lot of hammy runners, smiling for the camera! Everyone seemed to have a really good time.. I wish someone got a photo at mile 10 of this herd of deer sprinting past the runners, it was hysterical.. Thanks. Good luck today - Tamar |
| Positives: 1) The contributions from the race would go to people that suffer from the disease of cancer. My mother in law passed away from breast cancer. I never had someone pass away that I was very close with. She was my inspiration for me to start doing half and full marathons. I felt good that I was helping people 2) This was the first race that I ran with a family member. We stayed together the whole race and it was great. 3) I never been up to that part of New York and the scenery was great.It was a great training. Negatives: 1) I have been part of alot races, I can honestly say that this is one of the most disorganized races I have ever took part in. The one thing I am looking for when I finish a race especially after a half marathon is a bottle water. I know it took my cousin and I a little longer to finish the race, but there should of been water waiting at the finish line. The water was all gone and I had to head to the bar area to get a cup of water. I never came across this issue since I started doing road races. 2) The water was a big complaint due to hydration, but the there was no food left either. The only food that was left was rolls and peanut-butter. I don't know who did the planning to order the food, but it wasn't enough. Instead of doing all the door prizes, you should of directed that money for more water and food. A door prize can not hydrate and feed you when you just finish a race. I noticed on the back of the T-shirt that there were alot of sponsors. There should of been enough of water and food. 3) Port a Johns were a big issue because there was none. I don't know how u expect 300 runners to use 2 bathrooms. The men's room toilet was all clogged up. It was very disgusting. There were probably people that really could of used those porta johns, but had to hold back the urge for 13.1 miles. 4) When we are trying to run and cars are zooming by you, it really hard to feel safe. There were several occasions during the races that cars came awfully close and they weren't going slow. I guess no one told the town that the race was being conducted. It was very unsafe running out there. 5) I traveled 2 1/2 hours to be part of the race and the only upside of the race was running with my cousin and helping cancer patients out. The rest of the race aspect was totally disorganized and at times very unsafe. This insight from one of the runners will help you and your other race directors figure out what areas need more attention and to make sure that the runners have a great experience running for a cause. Dolphuss Addison Race Director's response: Thank you for your comments and I am sorry your experience was so negative. I am surprised you didn't see the porta johns, there were 4 outside plus the two bathrooms inside. There was enough chili, as the restaurant owner said, to feed the country of Mexico. When the race was over, trays of chili were given away....the pizzas were probably gone when you finished but I do remember that runners who finished in 2:28 still got a chance at it. There were 300 individual bottles of water at the finish line. Next year we'll make a point of having gallons in addition to the individual bottles so that we dont miss anyone. Again, very sorry that your experience was negative. Regards, Myriam In regards to the Porta John's - Dolphuss was referring to along the course of the race. This was actually a problem for me - as before mile 4 I finally needed to go and there was nothing I could do but hold it until the end of the race.... I am not as experienced as my cousin with these races, but I did do the one in Hartford in October last year and there were a number of Porta John's along the race course - instead of putting 4 outside the restaurant/start/finish line maybe put 2 there and then one @ mile 4 & mile 8. Just a suggestion. Thanks, Maureen Hanrahan Race Director's response: We will consider your suggestion. Did you do the marathon in Hartford? Being twice the distance, porta potties on a marathon course are a must, of course. In a largely populated half (or a half combined with a marathon), I could also see the demand. We have a small race but would consider adding some on the course if we grow. We do have a few spots on the course where the runners pass 2 or more times, perhaps a porta potty could be added at one of those. The ideal spot would be mile 1.5, 8.25 and 11.5 (approximate) where the runners pass 3 times. There is also the entrance to Wolf Lake which is mile 3 and 7 (approximate) where the runners pass by twice. Most of the items we get for our race are donated because of the great cause, including all food and door prizes. Unfortunately, of course, we do have some expenses, and porta potties are one of them. We do feel that 4 are needed at the start area so adding one or 2 is an additional expense. So we need to consider the expense as well as taking your suggestion to make a better race for the runners. Thanks for your suggestions and comments. Kathleen |
| You don't have to thank us. I think all the runners THANK YOU, you really did a very good job, as always. Everything was in place, the food delicious, the awards great. And thank you all the volunteers because with the brutally cold weather, as you said, they were there, giving us water and cheering us all the way. JOB WELL DONE! Gladys Nieves |
| I enjoyed your
run very much. Runners always appreciate a well-marked, scenic course
with splits at every mile and plenty of water. Very well done. Some
tough hills for sure, especially that devilish 11th mile. Thanks again. Gove Effinger |
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Hi
ladies, I just wanted to congratulate the two of you on another successful Celebrate Life Half-Marathon. You and I know it takes many people to pull it off, but the two of you are the heart and soul of the event. I was so glad to see that there was a record number of participants. BRAVO!!! The both of you do so much for the running community and I want to thank you personally. Merci beaucoup. Appreciatively,
Walter Johnston |
| DEAR RACE
DIRECTORS: THANK YOU FOR A GREAT, WELL-ORGANIZED RACE!! I PLAN TO
BE BACK NEXT YEAR FOR THIS GREAT EVENT (EVEN WITH ALL THOSE HILLS)!!
ANTHONY LOTEMPIO, BINGHAMTON, NY |
| Hi and thank you
to you also you have a great race for a great cause I had a lot of fun!
- Doug |
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Hi Myriam,
I have viewed your race site as I had friends who
did this race this past weekend. Everyone had a great time.
I am writing over something that may seem silly and not necessary, but
if I don’t write to you about it, how can I ever hope to see a
change? I and many of my female running partners are constantly
disheartened by the race coverage and photos that typically follow such
an event as yours. Typically what we see is a picture of the male
marathon winner with the caption “Overall marathon winner.” As I
understand it, there are actually two races going on race
day. I believe there was also a female “overall” marathon
winner as well? Why then, is there not two photos of the overall
marathon winners? The fellow pictured did win the overall
marathon… for the men. Where is the overall marathon photo of the
talented woman? I am not trying to be combative, as I realize
when an e-mail is sent that sometimes the feeling get mis-constued and
that is not my intent. I do hope you understand my/our feelings
concerning this issue. And I do hope to see a change in the
future of sports coverage. Thank you for your time, I greatly
appreciate it.
~Lauren
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