On your mark, get set, go! Alumni Abby Ulmer heads to New York for the annual Marathon on Sunday Nov. 5th 2023. The marathon is a total 26.2 miles that runs all through New York. Ulmer started the race in the last wave around 11: 30 am, and finished with a time of 5 hour 5 min and 8 seconds.
The marathon begins in Staten Island, and then turns north through Brooklyn and Queens. Runners head west across the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan, north into the Bronx and back to Manhattan. Finally, the finish line is in Central Park near the West 60s.
Ulmer started training in July through a training program for the marathon. She stated,”So every week they would give me a new training schedule. I was doing about four to five runs a week and increased my mileage every week until the actual marathon.”
She continued, “So during peak training like two months before the marathon I was running 40 miles a week. I had a long run which was closer to the marathon which was about 20 miles. A speed workout and two easier workouts.”
Previously Ulmer has ran a few half runs. She has run a couple DC half runs and a few in Connecticut as well.
Ulmer stated, “The first 20 miles of the marathon were so fun. In Brookelyn people would line the streets. They would be drinking, having brunch and even tailgating the whole race. They basically call the New York marathon the biggest block party in the world.”
Ulmer continued, “I put my name on my shirt so my family and friends could find me. While I was running through Brookelyn though I could hear people chanting my name. It felt like I was a celebrity running through.”
As for getting into the marathon there are many ways to qualify. Ulmer qualified through the lottery in which only about five percent of people you enter qualify.
The NH graduate stated, “I just felt so lucky the whole time being able to run this marathon because it is so popular. I overall just felt so fortunate to run and be able to train and not get injured and to have so many people supporting me.”
She continued, “It got to the point that I cried a couple times within the race because I was so happy. But I had to stop crying so I didn’t get the glitter in my eyes.
Ulmer stated, “Thank you to my dad who always encouraged me to run, my sisters who would set stuff up for me after my run, my roomates who cheered me on every single day, my friends who would let me stop by there house during runs to use the bathroom, and to my cousin who showed my parents around New York the day of.