New York City has a myriad of opportunities to go running.
Every weekend somewhere in the five boroughs you can find a race or a fun run
to suit your needs.
Being an out-of-shape middle-aged office worker with more aspiration
than perspiration on my calendar, I like these organized events because it
means I’m going to get out the door on time and get a nice bit of exercise as I
am striving to get myself into better shape.
So it was fortuitous that I learned of the Guardians of Flushing Bay 5k this past weekend. It is close to
home and for a good cause, raising money to help the organization work for a
cleaner and more accessible Flushing Bay.
Flushing Bay is a piece of waterfront that needs the cleanup
help and is underutilized. It’s got a paved running path, benches to sit on,
and even a boat launch and a pier, but not that many people use it and it’s not
easily accessible. There is a marina there where people have their boats, but
there is not a thriving waterfront that could be there.
There are a lot of improvements that could be made for
cleanliness and accessibility, so it’s great to see the Guardians of Flushing
Bay group start to organize. They took photos of all the runners gathered there
to show support to local politicians and the run raised money to support their
efforts. There’s no reason Northeast Queens can’t have an excellent waterfront
as well.
My wife is a member of the Flushing C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture), a local farm
share chapter that lets members order food directly from local farms. She set
up an information table and sat our 10-month-old daughter there with her. She
had a good number of people coming over and joining the mailing list. “Babies
and puppies can sell anything,” she explained.
The run was well-attended but not a large gathering like you
would find at one of the large Roadrunners events. It maintained a very helpful
community spirit throughout. A large number of the participants were members of
dragon boat racing teams that
frequently practice in Flushing Bay.
My wife’s cousin, who runs 5k races frequently and has run
the New York City Marathon and other marathons, joined us. She had a later
start time than I did and fell and hurt her thumb, but still breezed past me.
I normally like to listen to music when I go running both to
inspire me and drown out the sounds of my own wheezy breathing. I forgot to
bring it this time. But the sights and sounds of Flushing Bay, of Queens waking
up on a Saturday morning, were inspiration enough. There were also volunteers
along the way offering encouraging words to fast runners and slow-pokes alike.
When I run a 5k, I make it a point to run the whole thing
and not walk part of it. I may be slow but I want to be consistent and until I
get in better shape I need to push myself to keep going.
It was a good day for the race as the weather was sunny but not
too hot. During the run you could smell the briny essence of the Bay and see
the pollution that washes up at high tide. You could also see the great promise
of making better use of the esplanade and marina. The run took us from where
Flushing Creek branches inland from the bay to within a few hundred yards of
LaGuardia Airport’s Delta terminal and back.
When I approached the end of the run, a small crowd of
volunteers and runners cheered me on. As tired as I was, the cheers and the
sight of my two older girls standing just beyond the line encouraged me to pick
up the pace a bit. I wheezed my way over the finish line and scooped up our
three-year-olds and carried them back to my wife’s C.S.A. table.
As more runners finished and took advantage of the water,
oranges, and bagels, some dragon boats appeared in the bay near the run and
began racing one another. It was a pleasant end to a good event. We hope that
the Guardians of Flushing Bay do this every year.
