This years race over the Manhattan Bridge brings some new athletes, as well as some TTB veterans. Below are the athletes that we have our eyes on:
Photo by Ben Ko
LEIGHANNE SHAREK
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HER: Leighanne is a veteran to urban racing. She has run 3 of our past 4 races, placing 1st at Williamsburg and Manhattan last year, and 2nd at Williamsburg this past March. Just recently she took 2nd at OSR’s Women’s 10K with a time of 38:51.
RUNNING BACKGROUND: "I have been running since middle school- where I ran the mile. I ran XC is high school, but took a break from running the first two years of college. I wasn't competitive until recently, probably 2.5 years ago. Since then I've competed in everything from the mile to the marathon."
CREW/CLUB: Brooklyn Navy Track Crew
MILE PR: 5:17
5K PR: 18:34
JENNIE COHEN
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HER: Jennie comes from a traditional NYRR club, and just recently made her way in the urban racing scene. She took 2nd place at the Manhattan Bridge last year, and won 1st at the Williamsburg Bridge. She is a smart racer, letting others take the lead, but watch out for her kick! At the Red Hook Crit, in April, she went from 5th in the 1st lap, to 2nd overall, breaking 18 minutes for the 5K.
RUNNING BACKGROUND: "I started running when I was 12 because I went to an Orthodox Jewish middle school that didn't have organized sports, and my parents weren't going to drive me anywhere for practice."
CREW/CLUB: The Dashing Whippets
MILE PR: 5:22
5K PR: 17:59
Photo by George Grullon
Photo by Graham Macindoe
CARLY GILL
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HER: A newby to the urban running scene, this will be Carly's first time racing Take The Bridge. Recently she placed 2nd at OSR's Midnight Half (1:25.12) and 4th at OSR's Women's 10K (38:59).
RUNNING BACKGROUND: "And even though I've been running for over 20 years, it wasn't until recently that something clicked. Last year, I trained for and ran my first marathon and fell in love with the process and the distance. After that, my PR's in almost every distance have gotten faster. I still have a lot to learn and work on, but I am loving every minute of it. And--surrounding myself with badass and inspirational runners/mentors/friends has definitely helped."
CREW/CLUB: Brooklyn Navy Track Crew
MILE PR: N/A
5K PR: 19:16
JESSICA SNIDER-RODRIGUEZ
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HER: Jessica took 5th place in her first TTB over the Williamsburg Bridge last March. She has a fast mile time, and was top November Project female for last week's NYRR Team Champs. I hear the NP now does weekly hill repeats over the city bridges, which means she knows her bridges!
RUNNING BACKGROUND: "I was never a runner or athletic in any way until my adult life. Once I qualified for Boston, I realized that I was a decent runner and have been on an ongoing quest to find my breaking point, in speed and endurance, ever since."
CREW/CLUB: November Project
MILE PR: 5:39
5K PR: 20:00
Photo by Graham Macindoe
MACON LOWMAN
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HER: Macon has an impressive STRAVA page, and a fast mile PR. This will be her first race with Take The Bridge, and we have high hopes for her!
RUNNING BACKGROUND: "I ran my first race at 6 years old while rocking jorts and keds, all because my older brother dared me to. It's been love ever since - I competed on my high school XC state champs winning team and for a small division I school in college. I took a hiatus from running for awhile and got back into racing recently."
CREW/CLUB: November Project
MILE PR: 5:18
5K PR: 18:57