Boyd Carrington is not entering into the New York City Marathon next week. However, he hopes to do so in 2012. Anyway, that’s what he is gearing up for after such a successful showing during a recent road race.
And what a success it was!
In a huge field of more than 1100 entries, the native of Jamaica, West Indies, where he was born, Carrington had a battle with Robis Degirmenci of Port Washington before finally pulling it out by about eight seconds. The four-miler started on the south side of Long Island Expressway or its service road and ended on the track belonging to Great Neck South High School.
The 39-year-old Carrington, who went into first place with about one mile left, clocked in at 22:40 while runner-up Degrimenci recorded a time of 22:48. Carrington went out at a 5:40 pace, almost broke the course record of 22:21, and was satisfied with his performance.
A member of the Bellmore Striders Running Club, one of many clubs on Long Island, who entered the race, the winner Carrington did not qualify for the New York City Marathon on a previous occasion.
“I’m a short distance guy competing in runs of 800 meters and miles,” he said. “Anything over five miles is a challenge (right now).”
He was extremely satisfied with the whole setup and took the course to his liking.
A former four-year runner at Drexel College, where he stopped running after graduation, the native of Jamaica decided to resume his running career once again.
“I came back in 2007 and because of my running I lost some 50 pounds,” he said. “Then I kept on running.”
He put in about 50 miles a week of training in preparation for the Great Neck race. And it all paid off in the long run.
Carrington, a former left wing soccer player in the West Indies where he was an all-around athlete, has one daughter Veronica, who at 15 years of age, is a runner at Copiague High School. The family resides in Amityville, Suffolk County, Long Island. Boyd used to train his daughter to be a faster runner.
After suffering an injury last year, he did not enter into many races in 2011. Carrington has only competed six times this season.
Now he is back and tries to demonstrate his skill in road races.
He is set for the Long Island Cross Country Championships over an 8K course at Eisenhower Park on Sunday.
