Kate Ahlers Completes Grueling 26-Mile Trek Through City
Many people recoil in horror when considering running 26.219 miles, but Kate Ahlers, who performed a majority of her training throughout Hicksville, took to the challenge in stride.
On Nov. 7, Ahlers, in her 25th marathon, ran alongside over 40,000 competitors in the ING New York City Marathon, one of the largest races in the world. Her boyfriend, Patrick Pendas, of Hicksville, helped her train locally and ran with her during miles 22 to 24 of the race.
“Afterwards you’re excited and bubbly and all that, but what’s funny is you really need to walk after the race or you really stiffen up.
“My buddy has this party near the finish and I can go there with my family and shower and we have cake and do a little high five and all that but then around 9 o’clock you get really tired.”
Ahlers went on to explain that in the two days following the race, if you were to bump into her, say, on the subway, “I’d fall right over,” she said.
“The hardest thing is going down stairs. Getting out of chairs is really hard; you kind of have to get people to pull you out of chairs. Particularly going down stairs is a horror show. I’ve got to do one stair at a time,” added Ahlers.
From one step at a time during the race to one stair at a time after, it’s only a matter of time before training begins for number 26.
