On Sunday, Nov. 5, New York City held -what many people consider- the best day of the year. Not the Thanksgiving parade nor the Rockefeller’s Christmas tree —but the TCS New York City Marathon. This year’s edition brought 51,000 people together to run an over 26.2-mile race across the five boroughs (yes, even Staten Island) that would end on the west side of Central Park. The number of attendees could be multiplied when counting the thousands of friends, family and supporters scattered throughout the streets cheering on their loved ones and anyone who stopped by.
Guilherme Nascimento, 31, is a Brazilian creative producer based here in New York City. For the first time, he ran the marathon. At around 7 am, he said bye to his wife, Renata, and their newborn baby and started a four hour journey into the five boroughs. Nascimento has been preparing for the run for more than a year, he and his wife have been present in many half-marathons around the city, but the New York Marathon would be a first. Even such a well-prepared athlete acknowledges the challenge of the run, “I was very good for the most part, I started to feel a little tired when I arrived in Manhattan, right after crossing the Queensboro bridge. But the hardest part was near 21st, in Harlem,” he stated. However, he only thought about one thing, “At no time did I think about giving up, but thinking about hugging my little baby and my wife at the finish line motivated me to continue when I was feeling bad.”
Nascimento’s story serves as a magnifier for most of the participants of the marathon: regular people with regular jobs committed to doing something extraordinary. Most of them hopped on a train followed by the ferry to Staten Island where runners were gathered for the start, just like they would do in a regular commute on a weekday. They are not people who own partnerships or hundred-dollar sneakers. Rather, these are people cherished by their loved ones. Nascimento had a very cheerful team with him along the way, “My wife and some friends went to 3 points of the course, surprised me with posters, confetti and even masks with my face printed!” he said, “Having them there helped me a lot, I was anxious to get to the points we agreed. And being able to stop to give and receive a hug, even if it increased my final time, was essential.”
The highlights on social media were the posters that some supporters did, always depicting something ironic and funny that related to the city. One said “Due to inflation, the marathon is now 30.4 miles” and another read, “No poop till Brooklyn” and “You’re running better than the MTA!” The sense of individualism in the city was left indoors; outside, the atmosphere on the street was more communal than ever.
From Staten Island to Manhattan, last Sunday was no typical one in the city. However, it made it even more clear that any challenge for a New Yorker can be overcome — it was evident in the resilience of each of the 51,000 people crossing the many landmarks of a place known firstly for the flexibility and commitment of its people. For Nascimento and many others, the goal was not just to receive a gold medal, but to remember what a citizen of the Big Apple can accomplish. “Initially, I just thought it would be a new challenge that I would like to face and win,” Nascimento stated, “But today, I think the reason is to remind myself that I can go beyond what I think; that it’s worth making an effort and persevering even in the midst of difficulties and pain. This is a good lesson for life.”
