Sisters man completes New York City Marathon

Far from the familiar trails of Sisters Country, Sean Meissner found himself awestruck and inspired as he took part in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6.

With a goal of averaging six-minute miles, which would translate to about a 2:36 finish time, Meissner, 38, embarked on his quest on the streets of the Big Apple at 9:40 a.m., just after the elite runners departed.

For the most part, the 47,000 runners were separated into three starting waves in order to give faster runners a clearer path on the route. Congestion turned out to be an issue through the first mile as Meissner negotiated a seven-minute mile, but came back with a pair of 5:30s to get back into the overall pace.

"That was a little fast, and I probably paid for that later," said Meissner.

He maintained his goal pace, passing the halfway mark in 1:18, but it was not long before his body began to protest the rigorous cadence.

"I got to about 16 miles and realized I was not going to be able to maintain," he said.

Meissner was buoyed by the crowd along the course, estimated at two million.

"Despite losing hope of running a personal best, I still had a good time out on the course with all of the cheering spectators along the way."

He crossed the line in 2:52:21.

Meissner felt that he was physically prepared for the race and does not regret being aggressive through the first half.

"Sometimes you just have to go for it," he said. "Unfortunately for me that meant blowing up on this one."

Meissner, with a personal best for 26.2 miles of 2:39, felt that running the largest marathon in the world was simply something he had to do.

"I am accustomed to ultra-marathons on the trails and in the mountains, but I think all distance-runners can appreciate the appeal of taking part in New York," he said.

The next race on Meissner's East Coast trip is also a historic race. The John F. Kennedy 50-miler in Maryland, established in 1963, is the oldest 50-mile race contested in the United States.

"This will be a good course for me after the streets of New York because it includes about 15 miles of the Appalachian Trail, a section on the dirt path of the C & O Canal (Chesapeake & Ohio Canal), and finishes on a rolling paved road," he said.