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Row New York was at the ING New York City Marathon last Saturday to cheer on two of our own!  Both Charlotte Rendon and Ali Simeone ran in the famous race through all five boroughs of New York City.  Although both participated in the same event, the two girls had very different race preparations and experiences.

Charlotte, a former Row New York rower and now the organization’s Alumni Network Coordinator did not specifically prepare for the race.  In fact, the furthest she had ever run before Sunday was 12 miles!  Ali, our Development Assistant, took a different route.  She stuck to a steady four month training plan of 45-60 miles a week with speed workouts, tempo training and long runs to prepare for the race.

The girls both took the 6:30 a.m. ferry to Staten Island but had to wait until 11:00am to start the race.  Although waiting in only race clothing for an hour is enough to shake the nerves of a lot of people, Ali remembers feeling determined at the start line.

“At the start of the race, I felt nervous and tense.  But at the same time, I felt up to the challenge. The sun was shining and it felt like a great day to run. There was a lot of good energy and tons of people, it was just like a sea of moving bodies – it was really surreal.”

Charlotte echoed this sentiment and described the race as “flying by from the beginning.”

Both girls started the race extremely well with mile paces of around 8 minutes and only started to feel the pain around mile 17.  Although Charlotte was able to push through the pain in her left knee and feet, Ali’s legs started to cramp and despite her best efforts she was forced to slow to a walk.  She eventually sought medical attention around mile 19 and was treated for low sodium levels and hypothermia.  The condition unfortunately brought her race to a close but she didn’t go down without a valiant effort!

After finishing with an amazing time of 4 hours and 17 minutes, Charlotte remembers feeling relieved and exhausted at the finish line.

“It was amazing to be able to finish the race.  It was so great to be able to see so much of New York in one day.  Completing it was such an accomplishment for me.”

When asked about the possibility of competing next year, both girls remained mum.  They pointed out that they are more concentrated on being able to walk around without stiff legs first!

We at Row New York are so proud of our girls and are excited to see them recover and get back on their feet to accomplish more great things!  Thanks to all of those who supported them towards their goal of raising $4,500 for Row New York’s programs.

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