The Marcum Workplace Challenge is essentially the same event it replaced in 2006, The JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. This race is somewhat different from the other races around a number of ways.
First, it has a big event feel. The turnout, to the best of my memory, is around 5,000-6,000 runners. Terry Bisogno, often referred to as the “Voice of Long Island Racing” handles the announcing. The pre-race ceremony includes a warm-up aerobics routine, the singing of the national anthem by a local celebrity, and usually a special guest in the form of a local politician. Despite the corporate-sounding name, it does raise money for local charities, so it’s another win-win proposition for everyone involved.
The biggest difference is in the race itself. They do recognize the top overall finishers, but the race is self-timed, so there is no formal list of finishers or age group awards. Also, despite the sheer number of participants, there is no staged or staggered start. This gives the race more of a “fun and camaraderie” feel than a competitive feel.
Also, it is not open to just anyone; you have to work for a company or organization taking part in it.
For me, this is a special race. In 2005, this was the first race I ever ran. I found out about it at work about 5 weeks beforehand, was already fed up with being out-of-shape and decided to do my best to get in shape for it. Also, until recently, this was the only race I would do throughout the year.
This year’s event took place on July 26, 2011. I started very close to the starting line because I know from experience that you can have a very troublesome and slow start if you start in the middle of the crowd. I figured a good, realistic goal was 26 minutes.
Here is the Garmin workout:
On the westbound leg, we were running into a nice breeze, so even though it was sunny and hot, it was manageable, when we turned back east, it was a very different story. Running with the breeze felt made it feel like the hot, humid air was still. To make matters worse, I had decided to wear the company shirt, which was cotton. It’s been a long time since I ran in cotton and it got soggy and hot. I actually grabbed some water at one of the stops just to throw on myself, but the water was pretty hot too.
So with the heat, I really slowed down about halfway through. As I got closer to the finish, I was able to pick it up a bit.
So, I fell short of my attainable 26 minute goal with a 26:32. Still my best time at a Marcum Run.
They provide plenty of water, sport drinks and fruit at the finish line, but the real good stuff is back in the tents. Pretty much every company there delivers a good meal to their employees and mine is no exception. This is an absolute fixture on my annual race calendar.
