Originally from Jamaica, West Indies, Derrie Davis is gearing up for his first ever New York City Marathon. He probably won’t be a contender to come out victorious in the 26.2 mile grind.
Competing unattached, Davis is coming off competing in the Queens Half Marathon on a recent Saturday morning in Flushing Meadow-Corona Parrk. His next race will be the Bronx Half Marathon, and then the Staten Island Half. His best half marathon time is 1:19, coming earlier this year during the Manhattan Half in Central Park.
The resident of Brooklyn recorded a 1:22.03 time for 15th place in the Queens Half Marathon, and looked like a top athlete in the race.
In his last race, the Queens 13.1 mile event, the second time ever at its present location, , he found the course to have a lot of turns, which was not to his liking.
“The route was very confusing,” he said after the race. “Shortly after I missed my turn, I turned around and did it.”
He wants to be in good shape for the longer event, the marathon, to be held on the first Sunday of November. His goal is to run between a 2:30 and 2:40 in the New York City Marathon.
Davis spent his schoolboy days in Jamaica, where he attended Veretechnical High School, and played cricket.
“I was more interested in cricket than in soccer,” the 42-year-old Davis recalled. “I did fairly good in running (the sport that he eventually stuck with).
“When I came here to (the United States) I gave up cricket. And I (also) gave up running for 25 years. I resumed again with running a year ago.”
That Manhattan Half held in Central Park marked his first competitive race he did it in many years.
“I went back to running because I liked to run and was putting on some weight,” added Davis, who at that time wanted to lose weight. And I realized running was getting easier for me. And my time was getting better and better.”
After moving from Jamaica, West Indies he settled first in Providence and then moved to New York. He started to run again a year ago.
Now he’s ready for the New York City Marathon.
Meanwhile, the Queens Half Marathon, that had many turns in Flushing Meadow Park, was won by Chris Carrier, a 28-year-old New Yorker, who was timed in 1:13.29.
About 7,000 entrants jammed the park for its start at 7:00 a.m. on the last Saturday of July.
