New Jersey Marathon Tape 2

Tomorrow's New Jersey Waterfront Marathon will be oldI the fourth. But this one is loaded with first for the first time be Olympics will play a part in the day's activities as the United States men's Olympic marathon trials will be run against the shocked a lot of people in the running helped us too because initially Tim and I wanted to have the women's trials. I had worked in the women's trials in 1984 the first ever in Olympia Washington. So I always had a thing about you know women's running that women's running still hadn't gotten where it was or want to be at the exact moment. I mean you don't want to gloat. You know we were there with the people representing Boston and Pittsburgh and New York and the deputy commissioner Larry whites or myself were the only ones from New Jersey out in Denver Colorado at the final preparation and everybody else brought in entourages. And when they said we're going to give it to New Jersey we just hit them on the leg. I think I was really good as we try to stay very short. Thank you very much. We really appreciate the honor. But when we got outside the room we did some yelling. The top finishers should be doing some yelling to the top three will automatically represent Team USA and sold it this summer. And the top five will collect five figure cash

prizes. It's the first time money will be awarded in an Olympic trials event with a total of one hundred fifty thousand dollars going into the top 20 Olympians. And I don't think that in our capitalistic system that putting money into amateur athletics means that it's something either. The problem is is that we're doing it right now and whenever you're actually making that change it rubs a lot of people the wrong way. But I think when they sit back and look in an era in which Don Mattingly or whomever can make two million dollars a year for these guys to make $50000 in this race is not outrageous. So it's the shape of things to come. And I think so. I don't think there's any going back and I think we'll be happy about it if you start planning this marathon right after the last year of Mad Men bring it up because the that they charge the batteries and take some time off and many times then it's nice and let's get ready for the length we need to go. And here we start out with seven different communities and then take those seven different communities into probably 25 different components within the community. And it just gets to be you know real cumbersome number

of details that communities are great to work with. But the just the interaction between the different components gets to be a real thought process. The main thing is I was thinking this would happen we couldn't do it. That's for sure. I mean there's there's bodies around to put it together but without the money it just wouldn't happen and it all happens tomorrow in front of a live national television audience as the running world turns its attention to New Jersey and what they'll see is this portion of Liberty State Park. Of course right now it's empty. But tomorrow it will be a sea of humanity grandstands loaded with spectators and for the thousands of runners. All that's ahead of them is a mere 26 miles and three hundred eighty five yards out of the park they'll go along Johnston and Montgomery Street and Newark Avenue in Jersey City by mile number five there in Hoboken winding their way back to the hotsync mile 9 is Frank Sinatra Drive and maybe time for a quick look at Manhattan. Oh there will be other chances. Northville go Union City in Weehawken mile 12 West New York is home though temporarily. I'm on Kennedy Boulevard. They'll push me past the

halfway point in the race above Guttenberg it's north Hughson park then south down Burgin Line Avenue. All of the cars trucks and buses will be replaced with runners at my old going team. They're back on Central Avenue. In fact the final six miles will be the same as the first six. It all begins and ends at Liberty State Park. Of course all along the route waiting in the wings so to speak will be first day personnel. Just in case any medical team has the right to use any of it to the states do we still in effect get to withdraw any runner against his will from the race course if he appears to have his or her life in danger. So that rule is in effect this year and it's in effect not only for the regular marathon runners but also for the Olympic trials. The trials are one of five events that will take place within a span of 90 minutes. Waterfront Marathon officials say recent research indicates a runner's performance may be improved when the event is held in the afternoon. But too many when is not as important as

just finishing. No matter what the event that's going out of Trenton is not a marathoner. She just likes to run. When I got the brochure in the mail this little ice I was looking for the five mile an hour winds. So I. Know that I salute 10 12 6.0. And I just said No way down I put it away for about a week. I thought about it and then said. Well if I can run five miles. Long I can run six miles and if I can run six miles maybe I can run points to the point is that is a theory. It. Is fun. You know it's exciting. It's a loss of nerve nerve wracking a little scary. I'm basically off to the finish and I'm not out there to win medals for breaking records and I just want to fall once the gun goes off. That's it. You know there is no control over what can happen anywhere but I have that good feeling that the event that you find the only thing marathon officials admitted they could use

more of the spectators. When you look at the Boston Marathon it's going on 90 plus years or in New York it's well into its second decade. Of course these people are spectators are used to seeing it come by. They know what the date is and they've seen a lot of P.R. in advance of the news because we haven't had those advantages so we still take some of the citizens of IEDs encountered by surprise. But that's definitely changed this year. So my suspicion is that between the radio and television and print coverage they're going to be receiving that will probably have well in excess of a quarter of a million people watching the race out on the course itself at the site. We expect upwards of 50000. And of course there'll be 10000 people participating in the races themselves saying I think New Jersey is well on its way. Yeah I mean in three short years it's made tremendous strides. And in fact in the in the cadre of folks that I really deal with and the only race that it's honestly mentioned in the same breath it's made the same kind of strides with the angels marathon which really has come out of the gate in three short years. To. The same degree that New Jersey has. Organized and. Exceptional.

And have. Great support from. Trenton and the governor's office and can do better know. The