About 1,500 runners embarked on Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday morning, Nov. 19, to test their endurance in the NYCRuns “Go Nuts for Donuts” half marathon and 5K run. The chilly temperatures didn’t dampen the spirit of the runners, whose efforts were awarded with a medal and doughnuts once they passed the finish line.
Half-marathoners ran three loops for a total of 13.1094 miles, and 5K runners raced one loop through the site of two World Fairs taking them passed the iconic Unisphere.
Corey Finley, who resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, started running in September because he wanted to get back in shape and decided to sign up for the race so he had something to “aim for.”
“So this was the first race that I thought I could do and wanted to set a target time, and that’s why I’m here,” Corey said. His target time was 30 minutes, and he finished in 28 minutes and 30 seconds. His next goal is a 10K, and eventually, the New York City Marathon.
“Maybe about two years from now,” Cory said. “I think that’s probably the nearest I could get to it. But I’d love to one day.”
Neighbors Jacqui Levine and Nicole Abrams came from Manhattan for the doughnuts and the medal.
“I do the half Iron Man and marathons and all that,” said Levine, who has 11 Iron Man 70.3 competitions under her belt. “So 5K is just fun. It’s off-season, so I’m not training now. It’s a nice course. It’s a flat course, and we get doughnuts.”
Abrams added, “My neighbor Jackie over here has inspired me to do a lot of these races and get out and have fun.”
The Myer siblings clearly enjoyed their doughnut reward. They had dubbed their race the “sibling run.” Regina, Amy and Julius shared that Regina’s son, who ran the half marathon with his wife, coaxed them into running the 5K.
It was the first 5K for Regina and Julius, while Amy had already run a 5K in the past. They prepared for the race with the help of “Couch to 5K,” a running app that prepares novice runners for their first race.
“It’s an eight-week training program,” said Regina, who lives in Brooklyn. “I’ve never run a day in my life. My next goal is another 5K.”
Julius, from Great Neck, had a completely different plan in mind when he chimed in, “My next goal is some dim sum.”
Amelia Bryant, a Michigan implant who now resides in Murray Hill in Manhattan, said she wanted to run a half-marathon since high school. She has two 5Ks under her belt and used a training app to prepare for the race.
“I ran every weekend. A long run every weekday, a few miles, and you know, for about two and a half months. I dedicated a lot of time to it,” Bryant said.
The “Go Nuts for Donuts” half-marathon was Rachel Warren’s third. She prepared for the endurance test by running three short runs and one long run every week. When asked if the New York City Marathon was on her radar, Warren responded, “I think I’m just gonna stick to halves. I would do more halves.”
Founder and CEO of NYCRuns Steve Lastoe shared that the “donut” run is one of the last fun races of the year.
“We’ve been doing the ‘donuts’ run for a few years in different venues,” Lastoe said. “People like doughnuts, right?”
