NEW YORK, November 4, 2011—For the first time since 2007, I’m not running a marathon. It feels a little odd, especially as the ING New York City Marathon approaches on Sunday, Nov. 6. I’ve run the race three times—each to a personal best. When I ran Chicago instead in 2009, I was out on the course cheering for my friends who were running the Big Apple.
Not one to idly let the marathon pass me by, I’ll still be participating in another way this year. New York Road Runners recruited me to be one of their Social Media Reporters. I’m teaming up with NYRR TV’s The Daily Cool Down hosted by Olympian Carrie Tollefson—a daily recap show of all the hustle and bustle surrounding marathon week—on Friday night and Saturday, tweeting as they run around the city capturing the excitement of marathon weekend. Then on race day, I’ll be blogging live from the marathon media center, sharing what’s really going on behind the scenes of the world’s biggest marathon.
With my credentials in hand, I report for duty Friday night at 6 p.m. at the race’s opening ceremony. Not unlike the Olympics opening ceremony—which I attended in Vancouver in 2010 as a reporter—the marathon opening ceremony will feature a parade of nations across the marathon finish line near 67th Street and the West Drive in Central Park, followed by fireworks. New York Road Runners will also be making their inaugural inductions into the NYRR Hall of Fame, honoring nine-time NYC marathon winner Grete Waitz and Fred Lebow, who founded the race in 1970.
A few faces familiar to the New York City Marathon will be on hand for the ceremony: NYRR President and CEO Mary Wittenberg, 2010 champion Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia, 2009 champion Meb Keflezighi of the U.S., and Edison Peña, the Chilean miner who is back in the race for a second time, along with other runners expected to challenge for the win.
I’ll be tweeting what’s going on behind the scenes on Friday night and all day Saturday. Then I’ll be ringside at the marathon itself on Sunday morning blogging.
So follow me on Twitter and right here as I bring you a live behind the scenes look at the ING New York City Marathon.
Karla Bruning is an award-winning journalist and running nerd. She has completed four marathons, trains with the New York Harriers and is a member of New York Road Runners. Follow Karla’s “Notes From a Running Nerd” at RunKarlaRun.com, Facebook and Twitter@KBruning.
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