Riverside Park

The Daily Plant : Friday, June 27, 2003

RUN, PARKIES, RUN!

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

Over the past month and a half, many Parkies have been seen running through Central Park at breakneck speeds. The reason for this behavior can hardly be explained by the weather, which has seemed to be either extremely wet or oppressively hot. In fact, Parks & Recreation runners have been training for the three JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge races. The last of the races was held Wednesday night as the temperature hovered in the 90s. In spite of various meteorological obstacles the Parks & Recreation Corporate Challenge Team—under the deft stewardship of Riverside Park Administrator KC Sahl—proved itself to be a team not to be reckoned with.

The first race was held on May 14 and marked the first-place victory of Parks’ female team. The women’s team—which included Meredith Freimer and Evelyn Fetridge of NRG, Adriana Jacykewycz from the New York Tree Trust, and the Press Office’s very own Hannah Gersen—led the pack, finishing first out of the 119 female teams that participated. Freimer herself finished second in the female division, and the Parks men’s team placed 106th of 236 teams.

“What a team!” said Team Captain Sahl. “This is the best finish a Parks & Recreation team has ever had. We couldn't have done it without Meredith. She's a great athlete.”

“It helped that we had a really fast runner that brought our total time down,” said Jacykewycz, who recently became a Parkie after a stint at Interview magazine. “The races were really inspiring.”

The second of the races, held June 3, marked the highest Parkie attendance. In spite of the rain, 41 participants from all five boroughs, including the divisions of Forestry, NRG, Olmsted and 5-Boro came out. Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe also participated, and ran the second fastest time on the team. To celebrate the race, the Arsenal hosted a BBQ party.

The corporate race trilogy came to a close on Wednesday, June 25 when eight participants, including the Arsenal’s unstoppable Chris Osgood, represented Parks & Recreation.

Special thanks to the team support volunteers Sylvia Weeks and Sony Onishi. Everyone is encouraged to participate next year.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“Mad, bad, and dangerous to know.”

Lady Caroline Lamb
(1785-1828)

Know Before You Go

Riverside Park

West 79th Street Boat Basin

Riverside Park (79th Street)