11 minutes until the start of the 2013 Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race! For more info on the race, check out my posts from last year's contest, or, better yet, read this beautiful piece by Sam Shaw.
The leaderboard enjoys its last few moments of tranquility before the runners start rapidly accumulating miles.
There are three women in this year's race — the most ever, by a factor of three!
This humble, plant-filled sidewalk crack serves as the start/finish/lap line.
This block, bordering the Self-Transcendence 3100 racecourse to the south, is also hosting a race today: an annual Father's Day marathon that, like the 3100, is organized by the disciples of Sri Chinmoy. From my visit last year:
Unlike its famous branded November counterpart, this New York City marathon is a rather modest affair. The runners show up, quietly lap the block until they hit 26.2 miles, and then head home. There's no self-congratulatory fist-pumping at the finish line; the closest thing I saw was one girl who, after completing her last lap, stopped to pick up a bunch of plastic cups that had been knocked over and scattered on the ground nearby.
In reading about San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Catholic saint from the Philippines, I learned that he was tortured to death in 17th-century Japan, hung upside-down from his feet. Is this bipedal sculpture (here's a closer look) standing outside the San Lorenzo Ruiz and Scalabrini Center a symbol of his martyrdom?
It's a symbol of his modern-day martyrdom, at least. It turns out that this was once a full-body statue of San Lorenzo, but the above-the-ankles portion was cut down and stolen back in 2008. When people offered to help replace the statue, the center's director turned them down, saying:
We are really overwhelmed by the generosity of the public. But we cannot accept the offer unless we see a miracle on what to do . . . The remaining feet will be preserved. We will make a decision later whether to replace it or not. It is not the money but the spirit. There’s a message that remind us that we should no longer complain. San Lorenzo was tortured to death upside down and had been used to suffering.
Some fool just left these sweet specs sitting on the curb. If the label on the side was any indication, said fool was between the ages of 2 and 4.
State Senator Smith, a Queens Democrat, was arrested a few months ago for allegedly attempting to bribe his way onto the Republican primary ballot for the upcoming mayoral election. As an NY Times article from April put it: "The arrest of State Senator Malcolm A. Smith on Tuesday followed a string of corruption cases involving elected officials in New York State that has helped burnish Albany’s reputation as an ethical cesspool."
The sign on the door reads: "State Senator Malcolm A. Smith's Theme of the Week: PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH".
As best I can tell, this former American Legion post is now some sort of event hall.
Serving the Seventh-day Adventists among the Haitian diaspora here in Jamaica
An 1896 Civil War memorial standing in Major Mark Park
That verse is from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. You can read the full text here.
As you may remember from last year's race, Atmavir likes to bounce a ball while he circles the block!
In case you were wondering, the women on the left are tallying laps. And the RV they're sitting beside is one of the vehicles where the runners can go to rest or take a short nap during running hours (6 AM to midnight).
