I was up at 7am today because of the time change, so I took advantage of it and headed over to my favorite muffin place and read the Times and drank my coffee. What a perfect way to start Marathon Sunday (for a spectator anyway). Around 9:30am we headed over to 4th Avenue in Brooklyn and staked out a spot to watch the NYC Marathon.

We cheered on the wheelchair racers and waited in anticipation for the elite women to speed by. And that they did — Paula Radcliffe and Gete Wami way ahead of the pack, even at Mile 7. Paula won the women’s race in 2:23:09, and Gete was close behind. And need I mention that Paula (33 years old and the women’s world record holder) had a baby only 9 months ago, and trained throughout her pregnancy — you should read the NY Times article about how rare that is. And Gete wasn’t so shabby herself. After winning September’s Berlin Marathon, she put herself in first place for the World Marathon Majors, and her second place finish today secured her the World Marathon Majors title! I think these women are utterly amazing and I am completely inspired by them.

A little while later the elite men ran by (they start the elite women half an hour before the rest of the pack to make sure they have a clear field to run), which was much more tightly packed than the women’s race.

And of course, once you’re there and cheering and clapping, it’s so hard to leave. So I stayed and watched for another hour and a half and enjoyed myself. By the time I came home, Paula had already finished, and so had Martin Lel, the men’s winner in 2:09:04.

This year is the first year I haven’t been someone’s cheerleader, rushing around the city to make sure to catch them at the next cheering spot. Today I enjoyed staying put, cheering close to home, and am now heading off to do my Sunday errands.

Congratulations to everyone who ran in the 2007 NYC Marathon!  And may all of our thoughts be with the family of Ryan Shay.