SUNSET PARK — As a reporter for Currents News, Katie Vasquez can usually be found running after a breaking news story, her camera at the ready and a microphone in her hand. But on Nov. 2, the intrepid reporter was running for an entirely different reason.
Vasquez was one of an estimated 55,000 runners who participated in the New York City Marathon, the grueling 26.2-mile run through the city’s streets.
The course covers all five boroughs, starting on Staten Island and concluding in Central Park. Brooklyn and Queens, the two boroughs that comprise the Diocese of Brooklyn, include a large portion of the route.
It was Vasquez’s first marathon, and she completed it in 7 hours, 32 minutes, and 31 seconds. When she crossed the finish line in Central Park, she felt an enormous sense of accomplishment.
“I thought, ‘I’m finally here. I did it,’ ” she said. “And then it was nice when they put the medal around your neck” for completing the marathon.
Since it was her first marathon, Vasquez wanted to soak up the excitement — the sights, sounds, and the uniqueness of the experience. Seeing the cheering crowds of spectators lining the streets along the route was especially memorable, she said.
“I remember I was on Lafayette Avenue and there were all these people basically in the street, and they were high-fiving and cheering you on,” Vasquez recalled. “And because I had my name on my bib, people were shouting, ‘Katie, good job!’ And I would turn to them thinking, ‘Do I know them?’ Then I realized they just knew my name because of my bib.
“But it was great.”
Another highlight: getting the opportunity to run in the middle of the street.
“You don’t usually get to walk in the middle of the street, and to be able to go through all the five boroughs,” she said.
However, she noted that the marathon did have its moments.
“Some of the challenges, I’ll say, were the hills and the inclines,” she said.
One incline comes at the very start of the race when the runners are crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
“The Verrazzano Bridge is actually the highest point in the course. I was walking up to save my energy. But as I was walking, I could feel my legs burning, and I thought, ‘Oh, how am I going to do 26 miles?’ But then I realized I was burning because it was an incline,” she explained. “Then, as soon as I got over that incline, it was a lot better.”
There were points — especially in the later parts of her run — that Vasquez said were tough. But she kept going, determined to finish the race.
“I think my mental wall was probably around mile 22 or 23, although, physically, there were a couple of moments right before mile 20 where I thought my legs were going to give out,” she admitted.
Vasquez, an experienced runner who has participated in numerous races, including a half-marathon, spent several months training to prepare for the New York City race. She said she ran varying lengths about three days a week. Fridays, she explained, were easier runs of two to five miles, while Saturdays were for long runs. She also said she did weight training to increase her upper body strength.
Now that she has her first marathon under her belt, does she plan to run in another one?
“I think I definitely do,” Vasquez said. “I think I want to do New York City again, but maybe not right away.
“This was a good marker for me to be able to tell myself, ‘I can do it.’ ”