Gord Kurenoff: Running wild in the Big Apple before focusing on busy B.C. racing menu – Vancouver Sun

NEW YORK — A scruffy-looking improv dude — working the infamous Broadway Comedy Club stage on West 53rd like a seasoned pro — noticed the Vancouver Canucks’ ball cap resting on my head then “welcomed” this tourist to the overpriced City That Never Sleeps.

“Hey, just what we need in this city — more bloody people! Let’s hope you don’t take the ‘subway souvenir’ home with you that we like to call Ebola! Then again, if you ride our subway you probably won’t make it home!”

Made the “minor” mistake of mentioning the wife and I were in The Big Apple marking a special wedding anniversary, and to tackle two road races in Central Park. The good news is I now have a ton of put-downs and witty sarcasm to add to my own material for future races!

Before recapping the memorable Manhattan races — or offering info on upcoming Lower Mainland events — I now have a better appreciation for the rude attitude and candid outlook in the so-called Capital of the World, where lengthy lineups, honking, hype, hawking and boasting is the norm.

Heavily-armed police, hustlers on every street corner, jaywalkers, cyclists and runners, huge churches, theatres, statues, Jersey-bashing, freaks on subways, shoppers, sirens, beggars — yet it all seems so clean and organized.

Save for Ground Zero and the emotional National September 11 Memorial site — and its gripping slogan In Darkness We Shine Brightest — time flies by here and news of the day anywhere else doesn’t seem to matter, unless it’s about the self-acclaimed King of New York, Donald Trump.

The U.S. president, out of the country on our visit, had a 2020 re-election team working the streets close to one of his towers. A man wearing a Trump mask worked the sidewalks and waved to passersby, while another group held signs saying The Donald was NYC’s biggest rat. One loud person kept yelling: “Elect a clown, expect a circus!”

There were religious parades and protests, boxing promotions and Billy Joel concerts at Madison Square Garden, naked cowboys and semi-naked women posing for photos in Times Square. Why, some wondered, would this congested madness be on my bucket list of places to run!

As the Broadway Comedy Club dude said: “I tried running because there are laws in New York about punching people in the face! But I have to be totally honest, breaking a few laws would be a lot more fun than busting my ass!”

5-Mile Italy Run, Central Park

On the hottest, most humid day of New York’s summer to date, Girma Bekele Gebre of the West Side Runners club burned the 8,000-entry field with a blazing record time of 24:53, beating the Yonkers runner-up by almost two minutes. The top woman was Sasha Whittle of Brooklyn, who clocked a 29:41 — 34 seconds ahead of the female NYC runner-up.

Central Park, which looks flat on TV, is anything but. The scenic park had a couple mist machines set up along the undulating course for this summer scorcher and I looked wetter than the ocean at the finish line. Nobody accepted my request for a group hug.

The host New York Road Runners and main sponsor Nutella Cafe rolled out a superb singer for both the Italy and U.S. anthems and like RUNVAN the execution of the event was flawless. While we started in waves spread out in the huge park, we all finished in a congested area for the awards ceremony. I literally rubbed shoulders with some of the best East Coast athletes!

One mother-daughter team, which started in my gate and quickly left me eating their dust, asked why I decided to enter this particular race. They flashed puzzled looks when I asked if they were related to any NYC comics!

My ultimate dream event, hosted by the NYRR, is the mid-March United Airlines NYC Half, which I really want to attend in 2020. Need to cut out the bagels and eat more salad to qualify for that iconic race!

YAI 4-Mile Central Park Challenge

One lady from Brooklyn in the field of 4,000-plus runners admitted halfway through the Saturday morning event that she liked the “old Challenge” when it was shorter, with fewer hills. My reluctant running wife, surprised this scribe entered her in this event less than 12 hours after landing in The Big Apple for a mini-vacation, instantly found a new friend to shuffle with in the huge park!

The run/walk raised more than US$450,000 to enrich the YAI programs that support people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities in achieving the fullest life possible by creating new opportunities for living, loving, working and learning.

The wife was thrilled to see a number of the areas used for filming The Bachelorette, that rose-filled TV show where a girl looking for commitment and love dates and makes out with two dozen guys on dream dates before picking one she likes.

“This is the fountain … this is the boat club … this is the zoo …,” the wife beamed about the settings as we passed them before blurting out: “I just don’t remember them ever saying running around this place would be romantic.”

Maybe not the best anniversary “surprise,” but it saved me buying roses!

Tap into Global run for water

Their goal is to raise at least $5,000 this weekend when the World Vision Global 6K For Water is held in Maple Ridge.

Brenda Norrie of Thrive Empowerment Solutions, a friendly fixture on the Lower Mainland running circuit and heavily involved with Sole Girls, points out this Saturday’s event — which starts at Maple Ridge Secondary at 10 a.m. — offers free registration and includes Zumba warm-ups, face painting for the kids, old-style picnic races and cool bibs.

Every $50 raised at the 2019 Global 6K For Water provides clean water that lasts for one person — and 100 per cent of the funds raised during this event goes to World Vision’s Water Projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The objective this year is to help nearly 14,000 people in three communities.

For more information about the neat event, and to register, click HERE.

Running for the red and white

Canada Day falls on a Monday this year, meaning a long weekend is only a couple weeks away.

If you’re looking to add some exercise to your flag-waving patriotism, White Rock or UBC Wesbrook Village would be great places to start.

The annual Semiahmoo First Nation Canada Day Rock Races, with 5K, 10K and a kids’ run, will be held in White Rock. The July 1 races, hosted by Try Events, have medals and souvenir shirts for all finishers, plus Canada Day entertainment.

For more information, or to enter, click HERE.

Run Canada Day at Wesbrook Village offers 10K, 5K and kids’ races as well, plus cool shirts and prizes for top finishers.

I’ll be lacing up for the UBC 10K, which gets underway at 9:45 a.m. with warm-ups, then a trek through the beautiful (and cool, shady) Pacific Spirit Park. The post-race snacks include cake and hotdogs, things that caught my immediate attention!

For more information on that event, or to register, click HERE.

Longest Day, Scotia Half set to roll

If you hear people talking about the long Scotia or the longest day, don’t worry, they’re runners, not people with banking problems!

This Friday night the Blue ShoreFinancialLongest Day Road Race will be held at UBC Thunderbird Stadium, featuring a Kids’ Mile (6:30 p.m.), 5K (6:45 p.m.) and 10K (7 p.m.) and post-race party, pub and barbecue with live music by the Copper Crow Blues Band. For information on that popular fundraising event, click HERE.

The annual Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5K is set for Sunday, June 23.

Part of the popular Canada Running Series, the Vancouver half gets underway at 7:30 a.m. at UBC Thunderbird Arena and finishes in Stanley Park. The 5K event, run in Stanley Park, gets rolling at 9:15 a.m. The event features some of the best long-distance runners in the country, including many of Vancouver’s top guns.

For more info about the event, or to register, click HERE.

Big appetite for Summerfast 10K

Rick Horne’s email to this scribe was simple: “Gord, are you hungry?”

The Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club official knew the right button to push to get a quick response from me: “For running or food?”

“Both if you take part in our Summerfast 10K,” said Horne, who serves as treasurer and registrar for the Saturday, July 20 event in Stanley Park.

Last year I was “recruited” by the then-desperate WestVanRun team to try and upset the favoured Mile2Marathon squad in the Donnelly Group Run Crew Team Challenge. The Mile2Marathon crew not only won the team challenge, but also owned the men’s podium with brilliant performances by Dylan Wykes, Rob Watson and Anthony Tomsich. WestVanRun traded me in the off-season for socks and tape, so I’ll be a (not bitter) free agent this time around!

For ore information about this great event, with great food, and to register click HERE.

Set to storm The Fort next month

The 16th annual PEN RUN Fort Langley Half Marathon and 5K is set for Sunday, July 14 in the awesome Fraser Valley community.

Last year Drew Nicholson jumped out to an early lead and cruised to an easy victory in the half. Nicholson would later win the Squamish Days 8K and several other local races in what was a great year for the Surrey athlete.

The growing event, the brainchild of former Vancouver Sun Run winner Phil Ellis, offers souvenir shirts and medals for top finishers.

Said Ellis: “We have designed the course to be the most scenic half marathon in the country! The course starts and finishes at the historic Fort in Fort Langley, does a short tour through the town site before heading out into the surrounding countryside and rolling hills.”

The 5K race runs on streets in Fort Langley. It is a two-loop race on a relatively flat, scenic course that starts and finishes at Fort Langley.

For more information or to register click HERE.

Going bananas over new bar

Just in time for Father’s Day, CLIF has launched an all-new organic CLIF Bar flavour in Canada — peanut butter banana with dark chocolate.

Bananas and creamy organic peanut butter are blended with rich dark chocolate and crunchy peanut pieces to create a delicious flavour profile. Trust me, it’s good, even if you don’t run after!

Also new to Canada is the new low-sugar CLIF Whey Protein Bar.

The peanut butter banana with chocolate bar is made with Canadian organic rolled oats and packed with 23 vitamins and minerals. The Whey bar is low in sugar and has 14g of protein.

Panda-monium at Garry Point Park

MEC Vancouver attracted more than 800 participants last Sunday in Richmond for the fourth stop in its 2019 Road Race Series.

Held at Garry Point Park, where parking spots were tougher to get than a PB, the event featured three events — half, 10K and 5K.

It also featured a panda, Teddy bear and cow in the half marathon! And a sloth if you count me in the 5K!

The fifth and final stop in the series is back at Garry Point Park on Sunday, Sept. 29, with a marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K on the menu. MEC’s next trail race is July 27 (5K and 10K) at Rose Park.

For results of Sunday’s races in Richmond, click HERE.

Wine all you want, this is a fun mix

Finally, registration for the seventh annual Campbell Valley Wine Run/Walk is now open and there are some exciting changes.

The popular event, to be held Sunday, Sept. 22 starting at 9 a.m., will have the traditional 15K race, 5K race and a new 11K run/walk route for those inbetweeners. And all participating Campbell Valley Wine Route wineries will be available for tastings and wine purchases along each of the three different routes.

Did the 15K race last year and loved it. The costumes, scenery and post-race barbecue were excellent. And helping the Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities is a great cause, too.

For more info, or to register, click HERE. See you there for sure!

FINISH LINES: The annual Paavo Nurmi Run is set for Saturday, June 22 at 9 a.m. The growing event is named after the nine-time Olympic gold runner, the Flying Finn considered one of the greatest of all time. New race director Cathy Stenfors is hoping to boost this year’s number of entries. The 3K, 5K and 10K races, hosted by the Vancouver Finlandia Club, will be held on the Burnaby Lake Park trails. The entry fee for the run includes a souvenir T-shirt and free entry to the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival. For more info on this fun run, or to sign up click HERE.

Gotta run ….

gkurenoff@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Ohgord