Rhodes runs NYC Marathon
Clint Rhodes’ bucket list just got shorter. The Belle Vernon man and Herald-Standard employee was able to cross off “running the New York City Marathon” after completing the 26.2-mile trek through the world’s greatest city last Sunday.
Rhodes finished the event in 4:38:53 to place 28,601st among over 45,000 runners. He finished 20,571st among males and placed 3,129 in his age group in the 40th running of the New York City Marathon.
But those numbers don’t begin to tell Rhodes’ story. It began about a decade ago as a healthy hobby, blossomed into a lifestyle and melded with a trip to his favorite city to become one of that city’s favorite sons, if only for a day or two.
“I’ve been a recreational runner for about 10 years,” Rhodes said. “I wanted to keep the weight off and stay healthy. Last November, I ran the Harrisburg Marathon, along with co-worker Jeff King. Before I entered that race, though, I entered the lottery to get a spot in the New York City Marathon. When I didn’t get in, I decided to run in Harrisburg.”
Rhodes said he and his wife, Carol, travel to New York City four to five times a year. It was at his wife’s urging that Rhodes decided to keep applying for the lottery.
“She said, ‘If you’re going to go through all of that (marathon preparation), then do it in New York City.’ It’s our favorite place in the world,” Rhodes said. “So I applied and won the lottery in my second try.”
Rhodes name was picked from over 100,000 applications for the 42,000 openings in the marathon. The marathon runs through the five NYC boroughs and ends in Central Park. To Rhodes, though, it was the people who made it special.
“The crowd was just unbelievable,” he said. “They were lined up on both sides of every street we ran and they were enthusiastic, kids and adults. There were musical bands playing. It was truly amazing how they encouraged every runner along the way. The people keep you going.
“I know now what a professional athlete feels like. Here we were in the greatest city in the world, the Yankees played a World Series game that night and the Giants played a football game that day in Philadelphia, but the people made you feel like the most important athlete in the city for a few hours.”
Carol Rhodes also counseled her husband about the importance of wearing the medal he was awarded for finishing the marathon.
“At first, I didn’t want to wear it because I thought it was showing off,” Clint Rhodes said. “But my wife told me everyone wears it everywhere they go. It was amazing how many people not only recognized the medal, but also congratulated me for finishing their race. It was like being king of the city. Once you left, it was gone.”
Back in the real world, Rhodes takes pride in what he accomplished.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve done,” he said. “I had this on my life’s ‘to do’ list, so I can scratch it off now.”