The Run of a Lifetime: Stories from the New York Marathon

"Nursing my wounds," said Dick Arra with a laugh when asked what he was doing the morning after the 2010 ING New York Marathon. Arra, a semi-retired technical consultant, ran the marathon for the second time on Nov. 7, along with more than 40,000 other competitors.

"The New York Marathon is unique," he said. "It's exhilarating. You're engulfed in a sea of humanity." Arra described how people in every neighborhood were on the streets to encourage the runners. "There are choirs singing for you, private bands playing. Once you do it, you're hooked. It's so much fun."

Training can be grueling

Training began for Arra about 5 months ago. "You start at maybe 25 miles a week and you build that up." A few weeks ago, he was up to 60 miles. "The last 2 weeks, you taper down so that you go in with legs that are fresh," he said. Arra ran only 10 miles in the week before the marathon.

Running for a cause

This year, Arra ran for a charity called "Hope for the Warriors," which helps wounded veterans to transition to life at home. "It focuses on the ones who have significant injuries and need to remodel their homes to fit wheelchairs or make their bathrooms accessible," he said, adding that people he approached for donations were "very generous." In 2008, he ran to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

First-timer succeeds

Eileen Honicky of Morris Plains competed in the marathon for the first time. "My best friend from grade school and I have been doing half-marathons and toying with the idea of doing a full one. We put our names in the lottery two years in a row but didn't get in. There are something like 120,000 applicants."

This year, the women joined a charity group, Team for Kids, which has a large presence at the race each year. "They service youth education programs in New York City and Capetown, South Africa. It was a great motivation."

For a first-time marathoner, Honicky said, being part of a large, organized group is very helpful. "They have training schedules, daily updates. They tell you what to bring for pre-race and post-race."

A coach from Team Kids was available by phone and email for runners who needed help or advice. Honicky said she called him when she came down with a cold shortly before the race and "freaked out a little bit."

"I really give credit to any first time marathoner who does it alone. It's very daunting," she said.

Asked if she, like Dick Arra, was wowed by the massive crowds, Honicky replied, "It's quite an experience. When you're used to training in the hills of Morris  County, where it's quiet, and then you're running through this canyon of people, and they're cheering for you all the way, it's like nothing I've ever experiencd.

"It was harder than I thought," Honicky admitted. "It's not just a physical game, it's a mental game. I started cramping and ended up in the medic's tent at 20 miles. But I finished the race – I did what I set out to do.

The New York Marathon has been run since 1970. It passes through all five boroughs, after a magnificent start at the Verranzano Narrows Bridge. The first year the race was run, it's said that about 100 people watched the race. Today, it's estimated that over some 2 million people see the spectacle in person.

The list of runners from Morris Township and Morris Plains who completed the 2010 marathon include:

Morris Township:

Eric Altier

Thomas Hand

Morris Plains:

Dick Arra

Anthony Galdi

Eileen Honicky

Kenneth Kim

Jon McClain

Eugene Napolitano

Edward Obermueller