Two races. Two different winners. And a new one on the way. Welcome to the women’s finale of our 2017 Take The Bridge Summer Series.
Let’s get to know our field favorites — Jennie Cohen, Vicky Kornieva and Katie Michno. They’ve won at TTB and the Brooklyn Mile, and placed highly in the Red Hook Crit. They’ve got big goals for this fall; we’re thrilled they’re making a stop at our race. They’re even willing - generously - to give a little insight into their race strategy, over a new and challenging 2.6 mile route. Finally, they’ve got a few tips for anybody running their first TTB. Hint, they all seem to agree that conquering the uphill back from Manhattan is kinda everything!
THE COURSE + SCHEDULE
Tthe women take center stage this race. Men lead off at 8 sharp. Women follow at 8:30PM. Cheer all along the course - on South 5th from Kent to Bedford, or find a spot along the bridge pedestrian path. Follow via IG Live at @takethebridge. And see our complete fan guide at takethebridge.us/williamsburg
THE FAVORITES
PHOTO BY PETE THOMPSON
Jennie Cohen | Dashing Whippets
Jennie’s a TTB veteran who is definitively rounding back into shape from a hip injury. She won back t0 back Take The Bridge races in 2016 by making a patient second half move on the prime winner. Williamsburg — on the Williamsburg (from the familiar Brooklyn side), and over the Manhattan. And then her season ended. This year, she took 4th place in TTB Triboro, and ran a near PR at Percy Sutton 5K.
Count on Jennie to run smart, conserving her energy for a steady push in the second half. We don’t expect her to get tripped up in early-race fireworks. But anybody at the front is going to have her on their minds.
Jennie’s led the deep, talented Whippets team to first place in our Custom Performance Team Series standings, with four unique scorers so far. Teammate Bianca Jackson won our season open on Manhattan; we’re sad to see her sit this one out with an injury..
Vicky Kornieva | Bellmore Striders
Vicky won TTB Brooklyn 2016, in a gutsy front-run that nabbed her the prime en route. We had met her for the first time a race earlier, at Queensboro, where she took third in a loaded field led by Team MHRC’s Meg Ryan.
Vicky’s quite honest about her race mentality. Did we say that second half is what makes or breaks this race? She realized she was going to win Brooklyn last year on her way back from the turnaround point — she “stopped hearing foot steps”. The lead gave her confidence and made her push that much harder to the end.
But at Triboro, she was still early in her season training. Hitting the prime checkpoint in 3rd place, she says she dug deep but could not gain an inch on the leaders (Meg Ryan would win again).
The turnaround on bridge was the reality check - the leaders were too far ahead and no one else right behind me, and thats when I knew my 3rd spot was the best I could do.
Vicky’s coming into great shape - she recently broke 5 minutes at the Farmingdale Main Street Mile, and is looking toward cross-country nationals. She hinted at running for the prime this time, but she’s willing to see who takes the lead and go from there. We agree with her that “the way back will be the hardest part of the bridge, it always is.”
PHOTO BY GEORGE GRULLON
Katie Michno
Katie’s a rising force in the local racing scene, . She ran a strong Crit, and earned her first BQ early this year at the Los Angeles marathon (with another fall marathon on tap). But the summer has been all about speed, capped by an impressive win at the Brooklyn Mile open division, in 5:12.
Katie’’s tested the TTB waters by taking fifth in NYC vs The World last November, an out and back course on the Williamsburg from the Manhattan side. She’s done her homework, and agrees the opening hill is going to put a sting on anybody who goes out too hard:.
My goal is to make sure I run smart on the first incline to be able to have some good power left in my legs when we reach the check point and turn around for the second climb.
CUSTOM PERFORMANCE TEAM SERIES PRIZE
The Whippet ladies hold a narrow lead over November Project for the Custom Performance Series Prize, with Team MHRC in third. They shone bright at Triboro, where Jennie led teammates Emmi Aguillard and Carly Graham to 4-5-6. Emmi was also second at Manhattan, behind Bianca.
We sat down with Jennie to learn a little more this team. Ps - don’t knock their guys’ team either, currently in third place in our men’s standings.
TTB: WHAT SETS THE WHIPPETS APART FROM THE REST?
JC: I love the Whippets! It's my third stab at an NYC running club, so I definitely have some points of comparison. What sets us apart is that we focus on two things: connecting runners and training really hard. Matt Wong, the co-founder, works tirelessly to find new talent and set them up with the right people on the team. People train together and push each other, and in doing so they form really great friendships. The Whippets is like a fun social club with this shared experience.
TTB: YOUR LEADING THE TEAM SERIES THIS YEAR . . . HOW DID YOU GET HERE?
JC: I may have played a small role in the Whippets signing up. I had some Whippet friends who would come out to cheer. Because I know Darcy and Adam have a pulse on the newest things in running -- they connected me to the Red Hook Crit and Joe Dinoto's OSR Races, I'll happily sign on to whatever they are involved in. When I got injured last year, I encouraged Elizabeth Laseter to finish out the summer series. That may have set the stage for more Whippet participation.
TTB: THE AFTERPARTY?
JC: TTB is also a great venue to watch these running relationships play out. You have a bunch of people connected by this non-traditional race. People race hard then everyone celebrates and re-hashes at the same place afterwards, regardless of what team you are on
PHOTO BY DA PING
YOUR FIRST TTB?
Here’s a little more advice from the ladies who know!
"With TTB, it’s always who can finish strongest after the turnaround, because you can really lose steam going up the bridge that last time. It's that last segment of uphill running that really determines who is going to win. Of course, you have to be unafraid to jet on the downhills."
Jennie Cohen | Dashing Whippets
"Scout the course so you know what to expect. And bring your A game!"
Vicky Kornieva | Bellemore Striders
"Be bold. Races this short are over in an instant and you want to know that you put it all out there."
Katie Michno