The Baja 1000 is a punishing ritual – only 40% of contestants complete the race. The pack succumbs to mechanical failure, scurvy and werewolves. But that is a walk in the park compared to the Erzberg Rodeo. This is hard to believe. It’s a VERY technical 35km course that draws 1,500 entries, but only about 30 riders complete the course. That is only 2% of the entries. I mean god damn my god damn. I found a lot of videos, but this is by far and away the best. Watch the video.
30 Jan
Posted by Birch as Baja 1000, Gadgets, Motorcycle
Wildman Jesse telegraphed this report in last night from somewhere in the Utah desert….
“I am attaching some photos from my ride tonight. Lots of mud and lots of fun. I am also sending some pictures of two pieces of equipment that saved my ass. I took a digger right into a lava rock with my head. My helmet took the brunt of the force, but the Leatt neck brace is what saved my neck. I hit hard enough to have sore spots on my shoulders from the Leatt neck brace which tells me that it did its job. It prevented my neck and spine from being compressed and spread the energy to my shoulders.
I am recommending that you guys all get one before you come out. It will be the best money you will spend. If you can’t tell, I am totally behind the product. It KICKS ASS! I hope you enjoy the photos. You will notice that I ripped my CRF decal in the crash…oh well all part of the fun. I will try to get more photos on the trail next time.”
For anyone who’s isn’t paying attention and hasn’t reviewed his bona fides …..Jesse Kimball loves to ride. God-damn are we stoked to have his crazy ass on the team!
I’ve been holed up in my apartment fighting a cold, and have been watching any Netflix movie that has anything to do with the Baja 1000. If you want to experience the race from your armchair, here are some good selections. Dust to Glory is probably the seminal piece on this subject. It gives a great overview of the race, following a number of teams as they battle to win, or just complete the race. Baja Diaries follows one team so it gives more perspective on an individual effort. The others are historical films – show what the race was like without GPS or corporate sponsors.
Dust To Glory
“This action-packed documentary chronicles the infamously treacherous Tecate SCORE Baja 100 road race across Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. In order to capture the race’s true power and the majestic beauty of the desert, 55 cameras and four helicopters were used during filming. Join famous racing names such as Robby Gordon, Mario Andretti, Jimmy Vasser and Mike “Mouse” McCoy for an unforgettable look at one of racing’s most thrilling events.”
Travis Pastrana: Baja Diaries
“Join 11-time X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana and his crew as they brave harsh conditions and fierce competitors while they race across 1,000 miles of unforgiving desert in this sports video. Pastrana and Team Nitro — motocross legends Rick Johnson, Andy Grider, Neil Grider and Gregg Godfrey, maverick CEO Gabrielle Mazarollo and truck racer Wade Kelson — take on the famous Mexican off-road race, the Baja 1000, by bike, truck and foot.”
Baja 1000 Classic
“Wes Brown (grandson of Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Bruce Brown) and his partner, T.J. Barrack, go to the family vault once again and come back with another winner, capturing the second running of one of the most famous off-road races in the world: the Baja 1000. Covering more than 1,000 miles, a cadre of racers — including Larry Berquist and Parnelli Jones — speed across the grueling, unforgivable terrain of the Baja peninsula.”
On Any Sunday
“Without a doubt the quintessential motorcycle film, acclaimed filmmaker Bruce Brown explores this dizzying and intoxicating world of rugged road riders where cycles hit incredible speeds. Segueing into the grueling excitement of a muddy and murderous motocross race, we then move on to the tortuous mayhem of the Mexican 1000 off-track trial race down the Baja peninsula. It’s an exhilarating experience that puts you in the driver’s seat.”
If you have any other suggestions, please leave a comment…
Firstly, let me say how very grateful I was that it was not as bitter cold this year as it was at last year’s Manhattan Half. Last years experience led me to the conclusion that the runner to NYRR relationship was little more than a masochist/sadist thing. It was about zero with the wind chill and nearly all the hot water in Brooklyn was required to thaw the intrepid Dukesicles that ran. So it was with some trepidation that I rose from a blissfully warm slumber, at the ungodly Sunday hour of 6am, and crept to the window for a peek at the outdoor thermometer. Lo and behold, it was a balmy 32* and nary a breeze in sight – SWEET. Hopped in the DukeMobile and scooped up the two other fellers foolish enough to sign-on and scooted up to Central Park.
Unfortunately there were still unforeseen hurdles between our hearty team and racing success. Namely, queues for the porta-johns that stretched a hundred people long…per unit! To understand the absurdity of the situation you really have to put yourself there. Imagine standing out in the crisp cold at 8:00am, just you and 6,000 other idiots. Seemingly half of them lined up waiting to gain admittance to what must surely be 10 of the most revolting thunder-shacks this side of Lalapalooza on a 100* day. I kid you not, there were plooms of rancid steam pouring out the eves of these things.
And then, as the camera pans back, you grasp the location; just outside of the glass walls of the Temple of Dendur exhibit at the Metropolitan. Any of you who’ve been there have experienced the quiet majesty of the place, the eerie whisper of history. No small irony to have that on one side of the glass and this cacophonous, cold, hopping, grimacing, insistent throng of “modern” humans on the other. Not so much has changed perhaps? Thousands of years of beautiful history, from Isis’s Nile to Central Park, only to witness this view from the front porch? I’m guessing the Temple’s view was rather more civilized back in Egypt.
Anyhow, needless to say, did not brave the bathroom lines and opted to try my luck on the course. Like my esteemed colleague, I too spent the first mile or so
thinking of little more than the dire need of a pre-run constitutional. Yeah, I know, not classy talk, but once you’ve been running long enough, you become inured to such stuff. Just the way it is, and I’ll do extreme deeds to avoid pulling a Gretta Weiss.
So when I rounded the turn at mile one (Also the finish line at Mile 13 as this course was a double loop) and saw the shimmering gleam of two pristine Banos set back in the woods behind a tent, there was no stopping me. I hopped two fences, one a white picket plastic jobby that should have been an indicator that this john was like no other, and found both of the units occupied. I positioned myself behind a large oak and hoped none of the race minders mulling around would notice me pining for what had to be the coordinator’s private bathrooms. Finally one of the occupants started to make the rustling sounds of impending exit and, at that exact moment, an angry looking woman with a bullhorn grasped my intention and started goose-stepping in my direction. It was only by sheer luck that I managed to duck inside, just as the current tenant evacuated, and fling the lock as she reached to bar my destiny.
Not the most relaxing, having a big angry woman banging on the plastic door of the shack and hollering about “VIP Only”, but I managed to git’er’done, escape the honey-closet, and, um, thank the kind lady for her hospitality.
I rejoined the race a newly invigorated runner with only a light wind and her loud opinions at my back. The rest of the race was without incident; it’s was a brisk morning lope around Central Park and the city, racers and weather all seemed in good spirits.
Race time was a 1:42, pretty respectable for being woefully out of shape. Especially in light of the couple minute sideshow.
Holy sheet – the riding portion of the team is locked! Please excuse this lengthly post as we introduce the boneheads involved in actually manning the motorcycle in our bid. Ladies and Gents, without further ado, we introduce the Dukes of Flatbush riders who’ll do battle with the desert as DOFB Racing’s entry in the 2008 Baja 1000:
Graham “The Ram” Johnson:
Co-founder of the Dukes of Flatbush, GJ was born in 1971 in Birmingham, AL. He later moved to San Francisco and Los Angeles, before attending College in Connecticut and France. He went on to earn his MBA at NYU and has lived in New York ever since.
Graham has competed in over 20 New York Road Runner (NYRR) races including the 2004 and 2005 New York Marathon, and the 2005 New York Road Runners Half-Marathon Grand Prix. To get ready for the 2008 Baja 1000, Graham will continue to run, with plans to complete the 2008 Half-Marathon Grand Prix as well as the 2008 Montauk Lighthouse Triathlon & Relay.
Although Graham enjoys endurance sports, his first love is motorcycles since he got his first one back in 1993 – a 1982 Yamaha Seca. Today he owns a range of bikes and has ridden extensively across the Unites States and Canada. His favorite ride is the Blue Ride Parkway a week or two before the season starts. A winding road with no lights or stop signs, following the crest of a mountain range for 600 miles.
Graham is freaking out about the Baja 1000 as it combines his love of endurance sports with motorcycles. He is also an expert at multi-media production, recently serving as Executive Producer at MTV for all digital properties (mtv.com, etc). He is excited about using those skills to document the race and its preparation – a once in a lifetime experience!
Birch Shambaugh:
Born off the grid in New Hampshire sometime in the early seventies, outdoor pursuits have always been this guy’s first love. Distance running, motorcycles, back country trekking, skiing and surfing are all guiding passions. As a founding member of the Dukes of Flatbush, it’s also safe to say that racing is in his blood. With a grandfather who was a successful early open-wheeled formula car competitor, ice bike racer and engineer, speed and racing have always been a fascination. In his own life he’s generally been drawn to solo pursuits; formative years spent downhill racing, back-country MX, sailing, rock climbing and mountaineering have given way to more motorcycles, surfing, marathoning and the survival race of small business growth.
A partner in a fast-growing NYC IT company, Birch still carves time out of a hectic schedule to train, rebuild & ride
motorcycles and travel to remote destinations in pursuit of waves, beautiful riding and new experience. He regularly competes in NY Road Runner events here in the NY Metro area and has been known to travel for races in the North East. Birch’s first motorcycle was his grandmother’s abused 1958 BSA Goldstar Scrambler; his favorite ride is still the Kancamangus Highway in NH. He currently counts a mildly tricked out 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 the star of his stable of basket-cases.
While past years have seen him spearheading training & fund raising efforts for DOFB member charity runs in the ING NY Marathon, 2008 opens with all energies directed at DOFB Racing’s push towards the Baja 1000. He’s singularly committed to this lifelong goal and, with the aid & support of friends, professional contacts & partners, wife and company, Birch is convinced that the Dukes of Flatbush bid will be successful, interesting and worthwhile for all involved.
From their purpose-built NY Network Operations Center (NOC), Birch’s company [SpecialAI] will be architecting and supporting the multi-platform communications infrastructure that DOFB Racing’s Baja effort will rely upon.
Jesse Kimball:
Easily the most experienced MX rider on the team, and likely the fittest person to ever don a DOFB T-Shirt, Jesse was born in the fine year of 1976 in Orange County, California where he spent the first few years of his life. He then moved to Park city, Utah where he spent his elementary years skiing. At age 9 he moved back to California and by age 11 was racing with his father in triathlons and mountain bike races. Jesse ran cross country and track and field at Temecula Valley High School and continued for 5 more years of cross country at the University of California, Irvine.
Running always served as a great base, however it was never his passion. Jesse’s true passion had two wheels. Whether on the rode or in the dirt, Jesse loved riding and racing bikes…peddle bikes. Then in the summer of 2000 Jesse’s father bought him his first dirt bike. It was “Love at First Ride.” With years of bicycle experience under his belt, Jesse felt very natural on the motorcycle.
He kept his riding at a very recreational pace from 2000 to 2006, until one of his best friends invited him on a 3 day ride through the Colorado Rockies. It was an amazing experience that introduced Jesse to a whole new level of rider and made him realize how much he really didn’t now about the sport of motocross. From that point to present Jesse has been dedicated to improving his motocross skills and stepping up all levels of his riding, pushing himself ever harder to acquire and hone the skills needed to race motocross.
Some of Jesse’s Significant Races (Triathlon, Adventure Race, Mountain Bike):
2007 World Team Challenge Nice, France
2007 BG US Challenge Pocono Mountains
2007 Wulong Mountain Quest, China
2007 Saint George Triathlon
2007 Temecula Triathlon
2005 Desert Rampage MTB Race
2005 Cholla Challenge MTB Race
2004 MSOQ Borneo, Malaysia
2002 Hi-Tec Adventure Race Series National Champ (8 Races)
2001 Hi-Tec Adventure Race (2 Races)
2001 Desert Dash, Las Vegas
2000 Catalina Triathlon
2000 Ironman California
2000 Walk About Adventure Race #2
1999 XTERRA Bonelli Park
1999 Walk About Adventure Race #1
1999 Hi-Tec Adventure Race, Sacramento
1999 Catalina Adventure Race
1988-1998 Countless Number of Triathlons and Mountain Bike Races
Jon “9″ Goodrich:
Born and raised in New York, Jon is a true a true motor-head. The son of a car dealer, Jon was always fascinated with cars, motorcycles and boats. Growing up, he spent most of his free-time playing in junkyards, shops and showrooms. Before he could see over the wheel, he was already crashing cars at a local junkyard, where he pretty much had run of the place. At age 15, he got his first car, a 72′ Chevy Nova short block. He has since owned more than 50 different cars, including a VW Vanagon, BMW 2002, BMW 328, Mercedes 300SD, Jaguar XK-8, Fiat 2000 spider and his prized 1989 Porsche 911 Targa.
Growing up, Jon was also no stranger to motorcycles. Even before he could drive, he had a bike. His first motorcycle was a red. Clearly his persuasive nature and “go-to-dad-first” approach worked well, as he later progressed to a Kawasaki KX80 and before long a Suzuki LT-250R Quad Racer. His love of motocross has taken him to some great east coast riding locations including the Pine Barons in New Jersey and Stewart Air-force Base in upstate New York. Jon also has owned a Honda Hurricane 1000 and a Ducati 916.
Jon is an avid club racer, participating in local club and SCCA events throughout the country. He has raced on Sebring, Moroso, Homestead and Limerock, both in his Porsche 911 and in race-preppared cars generously provided by friends and colleagues. Jon has also attended Skip Barber Racing School and Justin Bell Racing School and is a die-hard Formula 1 fan.
In 2005, Jon participated in the world-famous Gumball 3000 Rally in the now infamous Polizei BMW M5. That year, known to be one of the rally’s best, took him from London to Monaco, through 12 countries in Europe in 8 days, including an overnight ferry from Croatia to Sicily and along the world-famous Mille Miglia route up the boot to Monaco.
This past September, Jon also participated in Player’s Run, another celebrity rally, dubbed the worlds most glamor poker run. Armed with an Aston Martin Vantage V8, and a supermodel co-pilot, Jon was consistently fastest and among the top three to every checkpoint from Calgary to San Diego. All without a single traffic infraction.
His love for all thing motorized led him to join the Dukes of Flatbush Racing Team in preparation for the 2008 Baja 1000. The Baja represents the culmination of a life spent loving and living racing.
In his civilian life, Jon lives and works in New York as a commercial photo agent for a well known agency
Registration for the 13th Annual Montauk Point Lighthouse Sprint Triathlon & Relay is now open. I’m going to do this race as part of my training regimen for the 2008 Baja 1000. I’ve never competed in a Triathlon before, but as far as they go, this one sounds pretty mellow. It consists of a 1/2 mile swim, 14 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile (5k) run. All set against the backdrop of Montauk, one of my favorite places in the world. That’s What I’m Montaukin About!
Since I am surprisingly still awake this afternoon, your energized Admin, I thought I may as well put up the first race report from today’s NYRR Manhattan Half Marathon. I expect the other members to follow up with their personal reflections at a later time and date.
6:45am – alarm goes off and it is still dark outside. The feeling of what the hell am I doing comes over me like a ton of bricks. Hit snooze a couple of times and finally wake up, get dressed and begin chugging an XL can of sugar free Red Bull. Remember do not look for me for diet advice.
7:10am – the boys from Brooklyn are on time and scoop me up in the East Village on the way to NYRR headquarters on E.89th street. Dukes are on the way.
8:30am – start line is freezing and the gun goes off. I start the normal trot at the packed start and realize I really should have used the potties before the race.
8:30 – 9:02am – Running the first 4 miles and cannot stop thinking about bathroom. Lines at potties are too long so I press on.
9:10am – Mile 5, stop at pottie and wait close to 5 minutes for the bathroom. I guess a PR is out of the question for today.
10:16am – Finish the race in 1:46:00 a pace of 8:05/mile. This was a pretty good time and pace considering I have run about 6 times in the past 30 days and waited about 5 minutes in a bathroom queue.
Overall impressions are that for a race I should not have run, I ended up having a great race and good time. Slowing down once in awhile and not racing can be a smart move. I think that I am ready to get back into training and the Dukes overall look very strong coming into the 2008 season. Once we have full matching gear I believe we will be a force to be reckoned with.
Oh yeah for those members that missed today – We had a pact!!
As I mentioned in an earlier post on running in the cold, sometimes you just need to head out of town to where the weather is warm and break out of your funk. Granted it had only been a few weeks since we returned from Panama, but I needed to get above the freezing line.
Heeding my own advice, I went out to Santa Monica, CA for a little business and pleasure, and tried to squeeze in a nice run in between. Setting out on Saturday afternoon, I walked down to the Santa Monica Pier and just started heading north. Even through there are crowds and rollerbladers, it is still a great place for a run.
Running along the beach towards Pacific Palisades and Will Rogers Park, in the late afternoon is just something amazing. The crowds thin out, the sun starts setting over the Pacific and you can just flat out run till you drop. It is so nice out there, you do not care about mileage or time, you just want to be out there. This is actually my favorite time of running, just going out and doing runs for the hell of it. Not caring about what mileage Pete Pfitzinger says I need to do that day (still love his book and training) or if I need to stay under a certain heartrate, just going out there.
On that sappy note, I went out for too long (12 miles), did not have enough water and was sore for the next two days. Still worth it.
Some California Dreamin for you
I have to have at least one sunset photo in the mix, it is only fair
26 Jan
Posted by Graham as Baja 1000, Electronics, Gadgets, Motorcycle
A sound communication strategy is an important component of our bid for the 2008 Baja 1000. Communication systems can be broken down into two groups: ones for riders and ones for support.
Rider Communication
We’ll be riding a modified Honda CRF 450X motorcycle so we need to use a portable radio that can be handed off at driver changes.
We’ll then adapt the radio to the particular demands of off-road racing. Since it’s a race, the driver must be able to ride and talk at the same time. This requires a ‘push to talk’ button that can be mounted on a motorcycle handlebar, and a helmet wiring kit with mouthpiece and headphones:
The primary function of this set-up is to allow communication with the pits. A lot can go wrong out on the course and if you need anything other that fuel at your next pit stop, it’s best to let them know in advance. That way a new wheel, light, air filter, etc. can be waiting for you when you pull-in – keeping pit time to a minimum. This radio will be set to JCR Pit frequency, the outfit providing the Dukes pit service during the 2008 Baja 1000.
The second function of the radio is preparedness for an emergency situation. In case of a medical emergency, the driver will primarily rely upon a SPOT Satellite Messenger, a device that can send an emergency message along with exact GPS coordinates to your support crew. The support crew would then head to your location while contacting Weatherman, BFG relay, SCORE Ops (Operations) and onto SCORE Medical (Emergency Medical Services). If for some reason SPOT failed, a driver would turn to his portable radio. The radios aren’t that powerful so he’d try to contact the Weatherman, then BFG Relay – if both failed, he’d try and find a passing rider. There is a good article on this chain of command.
For those of you who don’t know about the Weatherman, he’s a legendary figure in the Baja 1000. He volunteers each year, setting up a radio outpost on top of a windy mountaintop. He becomes the central relay point for all communications during the race. Everyone involved in the Baja 1000 should know the proper way to relay communication to the Weatherman.
Support Communication
At this point, it’s unclear how many chase vehicles we’ll need for the race, but each one will require a radio. The primary chase vehicle will be a Toyota FJ Cruiser equipped with a Kenwood TM-D710A, or something similar:
The advantages of this radio are sheer power and the ability to monitor two separate frequencies.This allows support to simultaneously monitor the JCR Pit and Weatherman channels, allowing support to keep abreast of their team as well as the race.
It will be critical to program all race radios with important channels. Here’s a list from a Baja 1000 a few years back:
A funny thing happened in the mid-80′s. Both Ferrari and Porsche designed and built models to compete in a new race series, but the cars never really saw track time:
“The Ferrari GTO was built to compete in the new Group B Race series and a minimum of 200 cars were required for homologation. However as only Ferrari and Porsche, with their 959, entered, the series was soon abandoned leaving just the Group B Rally championship. The Porsche 959 {961} only raced three times in Group B, but the 288 GTO never raced and all 272 cars built remained purely road cars.”
The end result were the first “supercars” from both manufacturers, a trend continued by Ferrari with the subsequent release of the F40, F50, etc.
My father’s business partner was a huge car aficionado and was lucky enough to own both of these cars. I spent time with them and wanted to share my recollections:
The Ferrari 288 GTO didn’t even pretend to be a street car. No radio. No climate control. It didn’t even have door panels inside the cabin – just raw metal. I don’t even remember a keyed ignition system although it could have had one. The road racing gear box was impossible to from 1st into 2nd until the car had thoroughly heated up. Once it was up to temp, it was capable of acceleration that is difficult to describe. I can tell you the noise was deafening, you could hear it accelerating from miles away.
I remember I took a girl I was interested in to take a ride in the GTO. Her father was a huge car nut and when he found out I had invited her, instead of him, he was absolutely furious.
The Porsche 959 was very different from a 288 GTO. It was capable of the same speed – 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds with a top end of 198mph. However, it looked and felt like an everyday car. It had door locks, A/C, radio, carpeting. It looked like a souped up 911 Turbo until you took a gander under the hood. Although it shared a few parts with a Turbo, it was a very different animal.
We were driving the 959 around an Interstate in Alabama when the gas light came on. I checked the owner’s manual and it called for something like 105 Octane, only available at the airport. We pulled into a Shell station and made due with 93 Octane fuel. A guy at the next pump driving an Audi Sport Quattro threw out the obligatory “nice car”. We ended up pulling out of the gas station at the same time and were lined up next to him at a red light. He revved his engine and gave us a serious look. Did he really want to race? Did he know what kind of car it was? This was going to be fun…
When the light went green, the car came off the line with tremendous acceleration. The car has staged turbo-chargers and the 2nd one kicks in around 5500 RPM, announcing itself by slamming your head into the head rest. A not-so-subtle indication that it’s time to shift into the next higher gear. We ended up taking the car up to 185mph before slowing to a more reasonable 120mph. It took a few minutes, but we eventually heard a high-pitched whine and the Audi came up alongside us. The driver’s expression was priceless. “What the hell is that thing and where can I get one”?
I’ve been submitting tons of Motorcycle and Baja 1000 posts lately, but have neglected the delicious food that fuels my days. That changes today. I thought I’d share a recipe for ‘Chicken under a Brick’ that I made last night. This recipe is very easy to prepare, is delicious and definitely has a bit of wow factor…
Grab a 3-4 pound chicken from your local market, preferably an organic one. The first thing you need to do is remove the backbone. This is much easier than it sounds. Find the back of the chicken and cut it from top to bottom, 2″ to the left and right of dead center. You’ll need to use a sturdy knife to get through some bone. Once the backbone is out, you can flatten the chicken by pressing down on it with both hands.
Now you need to focus on seasoning your bird. I went the traditional route using garlic, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil, but this is an incredibly versatile recipe. You can use any combination of spices – thyme, oregano, sage, lavender, etc. Or you could go a strictly Asian route – garlic, ginger, green onions and sesame oil. The idea is that you mix these ingredients together in a bowl to make a marinade that is then rubbed all over the chicken. If you’re feeling sassy (and we hope you are), also tuck your mix under the skin.
Cover the chicken and place in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, but it can be left for up to a day.
Once you are ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees and grab a decent size, oven-safe skillet. I used a 12″ copper All-Clad saute pan, but a non-stick pan is a safer route. Throw any left-over herbs along with a tablespoon of oil into your skillet over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, put the chicken in the pan, skin side down. You’ll need to place a weight across the top to press the chicken down while it cooks. I used a oven-safe Le Creusset pot with some foil across the bottom. You can use anything that is safe to put in an oven – the most common route is a brick or two wrapped in foil, giving the recipe its’ title.
Let this cook for 5 minutes, then place in oven for exactly 15 minutes. Pull the pan out of the oven and flip the bird. Hopefully, you won’t pull off any skin and you’ll see something like this…
Place your weight back on the top and put everything back in the oven for another 10 minutes. My oven is older so the time ended up being closer to 20 more minutes. To be safe, I’d use an instant read thermometer and make sure all parts are at least 165 degrees before pulling it out.
Once it’s out, let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Then cut to serve, garnish with lemon wedges. This is a sizable meal for 2 people, could feed 4 if you had decent sides.
Try this recipe for yourself – you won’t be disappointed!
The greatest run in New York is the New York Marathon. However, running the New York Half-Marathon Grand Prix is a blast, and an impressive achievement in its own right. The Grand Prix is a Half-Marathon in each of the 5 boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) spread out over the course of a year. A few years back, these races were spaced a month apart, occurring roughly from May – October. They were great training for the Marathon and occurred when New York weather was at its’ best. Things have changed in recent years though…
New York Road Runners have spaced the races further out and dramatically changed the dates. The Manhattan Half-Marathon used to occur in August, but this year it’s on January 27th. It’s fairly easy to ascertain the reason for the change: these races are wildly popular so why not have them at an off-time? They can count on a high turnout and it frees up space for other races in the Summer that are more likely to attract a recreational runner.
What I find troubling is that the next race in the series (Bronx Half-Marathon) is only 2 weeks later! What the f*ck? A lot of runners are coming off the New York Marathon and take a bit of a breather in the Winter. Scheduling these races in the Winter is a bit of a stretch, but having them so close to one another is a disservice to the running community. I plan to run the Manhattan Half-Marathon, but I honestly don’t known if I can physically turn around another Half-Marathon two weeks later. I wish the NYRR would rethink it’s schedule. What do you think?
I went to Honda of Riverhead, NY this morning and put down a deposit to hold (2) 2008 Honda CRF450X‘s. The Dukes of Flatbush will pick them up in mid-March and take them to a garage on Shelter Island to complete the necessary race modifications. By the end of April, the bikes will be in fighting shape and our training for the 2008 Baja 1000 will get a serious kick in the ass.
Honda of Riverhead, NY
Honda CRF45O – All Dressed Up and Nowhere To Go
Sad news to report: one our steadfast runners has come down with some rather serious back issues that are likely to sideline her for a long while to come. Early diagnosis is spondylolysis and, potentially, some form of disc herniation. Hopefully six to eight weeks of rest, anti-inflammatories and physical therapy will show that to have been an overly pessimistic prognosis and have our lady of running destruction back on the roads and preparing for her 2008 ING NY Marathon bid.
If she heals anywhere near as fast as she runs, she’ll be back in form in no time. Rest and work that PT lady; we’re pulling for you!
I live in New York which has hot Summers and cold Winters. Every Thanksgiving, I change the oil and oil filters on my bikes, take out the batteries and add fuel stabilizer. They hibernate until April when the Spring begins to show. It’s not so bad the first few weeks, but in the middle of January, I really start to miss riding. One of these days I’ll move to a milder climate. Until then, I think about long road trips I’ve taken. I ran across these photos last night. The first is from a trip I took across Montana and into Alberta and British Columbia. If you have never ridden the Going-to-the-Sun Road, do yourself a favor and add it to your list. The second photo is from a trip across Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. My favorite National Park in the States is Zion in Utah. Driving through Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches – that is really good stuff. Spring can’t come soon enough…
Harley Davidson Dyna-Wide Glide on Going-to-the-Sun Road
Yamaha FJR1300 somewhere in Utah
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