Race Day is Sacred.
THE STRATA COLLECTION
Marathon
The start pen is full of nervous energy and everyone is studiously avoiding eye contact. As the seconds count down they seem to stretch out, and the hours of effort in front of you contract. Ignore the guy next to you hopping from foot to foot like he forgot to go to the bathroom, and just visualize your race. You can almost hear the crowds cheering on Heartbreak Hill . . .
THE VAN CORTLANDT COLLECTION
Track
The oval is elemental, bare, subjecting every aspect of your race to implacable scrutiny. How many times can you do the same thing and yet it always be different? Countless hours in the gym and in practice can now be put into play. This time, it might all come together . . .
THE TWILIGHT COLLECTION
Summer Roads
There is so much joy in the warm summer air at a local road race. Seniors stand on corners, jawing about the great battle of ‘88, and the whole spectrum of the running world is represented, from costumes and fun runners to the state’s elite, with a dangerous glint in their eye. Which one of those kids running on the town green will be the star of tomorrow?
THE VAN CORTLANDT COLLECTION
Cross Country
Hiding behind your car door in a muddy parking lot to take your pants off, while gulping scalding coffee from a flask, is not the most glamorous start to the day. But it was never about that, was it? Thankfully, the merino base layer still feels like a hug, and, once changed, it’s time to seek out your team-mates and get the skinny on the conditions.