Asics Sponsors Pre-Marathon Pep Talk

As New York City prepared to host runners from all over the world last weekend, Asics hosted a pre-marathon run through Central Park on Friday, led by Olympian marathoner and U.S. record-holder Deena Kastor and her coach Terrence Mahon. After a light three-mile loop around the park, runners were treated to a breakfast pep talk with Mahon and Kastor, along with fellow Olympian Ryan Hall, who opted to stay off his feet that morning to rest up for Sunday’s 26.2 miles. The three offered up last-minute pointers to those running this year’s ING marathon, with Mahon noting that the training and then making it to the starting line are the hardest parts, and it helps to consider 26.2 as a celebration of the hard work put into achieving such an accomplishment. “It’s a long way to the finish from the starting line in Staten Island,” he added. “My best advice would be to go in those first few miles as though you’re asleep and then ‘wake up’ and just roll with it.”
Kastor, the fastest American female runner, recently finished sixth in the Chicago marathon and took the year off from running in New York as she trains for an upcoming 15K in Melbourne, Australia. She advised runners to be mindful of staying either in the center of the street throughout the race or to frequently alternate from left to right to avoid favoring and possibly straining one side of the body.
While I did not run last weekend’s marathon either, the athlete’s tips have been officially filed away for use during my first marathon in Nashville, TN, next spring, as well as the New York Road Runners’ nine race training program, through which I’m hoping to qualify for the 2010 ING New York City Marathon. And thanks to the Asics team, it was impossible to not get marathon fever as we watched the race crews set up camp and gear up for Sunday’s big event. Friday’s Asics run ended appropriately with a sprint through the finish line, followed by a gigantic breakfast—pretty much exactly how I envision the events to follow my first 26.2!