Bay Ridge has strong presences for annual NYC Marathon

A seasonably warm day was felt by over 50,000 participants in the 45^th annual TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1.

Millions of spectators from all of the boroughs were on hand along the route to cheer on the brave runners, who included plenty of Ridgeites.

“This was the first full marathon I ever did,” said longtime Bay Ridgeite, Patricia Ednie. “A year ago, I did my first half marathon and it was amazing. I continued doing them until March. I then decided to do this one,” she said. “It’s amazing.”

After winning the lottery to be included in the race, Ednie was ready to take on one of the country’s most popular marathons–and was most excited to run through her hometown.

“Running through Bay Ridge was the best moment of the day. I’ve lived on Colonial Road my whole life,” she said. “I was elated running through the neighborhood to see my parents, my aunt and my neighbors who brought their dogs. It was very motivating to see that.”

Once she finished the race at about five hours and 20 minutes in, Ednie’s emotions showed. “I cried,” she admitted. “It was a sense of accomplishment. It was a relief that I just did that. It proves, ‘Don’t ever say I can’t'”

Another Bay Ridge resident and first-timer, Jennifer Kearns, was happy with the decision to participate in the grueling marathon. “Growing up in New York and being able to experience the race, especially the Bay Ridge part, was awesome,” she said. “I signed up this year to raise money for Sloan Kettering. I had a huge cheering section that made it a lot easier.”

She got support from more than just family. “You can’t even describe the feeling,” Kearns recounted. “Spectators see your name on your shirt and start cheering you on.”

Ridge Runners, the neighborhood’s newest running club, spread positive vibes during the Marathon.

“Watching the runners during the New York City Marathon last weekend was a truly inspiring experience,” said Felix Chen of the Ridge Runners. “I felt the raw, uninhibited energy from all the runners and spectators as we cheered our lungs out in Bay Ridge — there’s no other experience that comes close. They did an amazing job.”

As for final results, 29-year-old Professional Men’s Champion Stanley Biwott was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 2:10:34. It was Biwott’s first New York City Marathon title and first Abbot World Marathon Majors race.

On the female side, 33-year-old Mary Keitany of Kenya successfully defended her Professional Women’s Champion title and became the first woman to do so in New York since Paula Radcliffe in 2008, winning by more than a minute with a time of 2:24:25.