But All Agree: There’s No Place Like Home
There were no tricks for many local runners who ran the Marine Corps Marathon in our nation’s capitol on Halloween. Indeed, they ran every step of the 26.2 mile course. There were, however, treats—the biggest of which was a finisher’s medal for the 35th annual Marine Corps Marathon.
For Floral Park resident Katie DiPietro-Rees, this was her eighth marathon. She already has five New York City Marathons and two Boston Marathons under her belt. “This was my first time doing Marine Corps, and I ran my best time.” She finished in 3:05:06, despite having tripped on debris in the road and falling to the ground around the 4-mile mark. In a field of 21,944 overall finishers, 8,698 of whom were women, DiPietro-Rees placed 251st overall and was the 19th woman to cross the finish line.
DiPietro-Rees started running in fourth grade. She ran track for New Hyde Park Memorial High School and went on to run for Adelphi University. From there, she carved a career out of her passion for running. DiPietro-Rees was the assistant coach for Adelphi’s men’s and women’s Cross Country teams for four years. She is now the head coach for both teams, in addition to acting as the assistant track coach for the university.
When not coaching, DiPietro-Rees fills many roles at the Aquatic Center in Eisenhower Park. She is the assistant facility manager. As such, she leads a healthy back class, spin classes, personal training sessions and even a beginning running class. On a personal level, DiPietro-Rees runs for the Sayville Running Company, one of many running clubs on Long Island.
Another local marathon veteran, Stewart Manor resident Greg Nold, also made the pilgrimage down to D.C. For Nold, this was his ninth marathon. He ran his first New York City race in 2001 and has since completed two more New Yorks, two Marine Corps Marathons, three Steamtown (Pennsylvania) Marathons, and the Mystic Places Marathon in Connecticut. While not his fastest marathon to date—Nold crossed the finish line of the 2008 Steamtown Marathon in 3:48—he finished this year’s Marine Corps Marathon in a very respectable 4:17:24, finishing in the top third.
Nold runs with the New Hyde Park Runners’ Club, a group that evolved from a “kids track club” in the early 1970s—a period that marks the first running boom. As parents stood on the sidelines watching their children compete, they decided to form their own group. Not only did they run, they also organized a New Hyde Park road race as a fundraiser to subsidize their children’s track team. Many of the children went on to run for their high school track teams, and the kids track club eventually dissipated. The parents’ group, however, continued to grow. Today, the club still sponsors an 8-kilometer race through the streets of New Hyde Park in early June.
Membership in the club is far-reaching; members hail from as far west as Astoria and as far east as Huntington and beyond. The group operates under the guidance of a Board of Directors, but Nold has become the heart and “sole” of the club. He joined in 2002 and took on the role of Corresponding Secretary in 2004. As such, he writes and distributes an e-newsletter twice a week. His newsletters, which go out to 400 runners, are chockfull of training schedules, upcoming events, race results and much more.
Complementing Nold is Mineola resident Scott Fairgrieve. One might consider Fairgrieve the lifeline of the club. His persistence keeps members running as well as helps to boost membership, although you don’t have to join the club to enjoy training with the group. Fairgrieve can be found most weekday mornings leaving his home at 5:30 a.m. with a group of runners and his two leashed dogs in tow. If you happen to cross paths with Fairgrieve and his entourage, more than likely he’ll lasso you in and before long you’ll be training with the group … and loving every step along the way.
Fairgrieve also ran this year’s Marine Corps Marathon and finished in 4:00:44, qualifying him for the Boston Marathon—a major coup for marathon runners.
In the essence of full disclosure, I, too, ran the Marine Corps Marathon this year. This was my eighth marathon, having run my first New York City Marathon in 1992, four subsequent New Yorks, the Disney Marathon and the Chicago Marathon. For me, this marathon took on a different flavor. As a resident of Stewart Manor, I started training with the New Hyde Park Runners a couple of years ago, so it was fun to share the experience with a group. I packed up my family, and we headed down to D.C. to join the 90 or so runners and family members from the club who also made the trip. The days leading up to the race, we toured D.C. and Arlington, VA, together.
Was this my favorite marathon? The experience as a whole definitely ranked among the top, but the race itself paled in comparison to the New York City Marathon. For me, my first New York is still inspires chills. Spilling off of the 59th Street Bridge to hear the roar of spectators who line First Avenue 10 deep was an experience like none other.
And while Nold ran his fastest time in Steamtown and appreciates the “hometown” feel of that race, he still recalls his first New York City Marathon in 2001. “I’ll never forget that. The experience of coming off the bridge onto First Avenue is just unbelievable. You never forget it because it gets so quiet when you’re up on the 59th Street Bridge, all you hear are people running. As you come down the bridge toward First Avenue, you hear this kind of roar. At first I thought it was a subway train crossing the bridge, but as you come down the exit ramp, it gets louder and louder and then you see all of the people,” Nold said.
DiPietro-Rees is partial to New York, as well. “I think I like the New York Marathon better than Marine Corps because I have a ton of friends who come and watch. I had a couple of friends and my parents come to Marine Corps … [but] when I do the New York Marathon, all of my friends take the train in and they go subway hopping to all different stops. … It helps make those miles easier [knowing that I’ll see friends at various mile markers],” DiPietro-Rees said.
It’s unanimous: There’s no place like home.
