Originally from Jamaica, West Indies, Arthur Vendryes is aiming to do well in the Long Island Half Marathon set for Sunday, May 6. He does not have a time goal but he did say that he would like to break 1:25 in the 13.1-mile race.
Usually Vendryes does most of his training on the track at Roy Wilkins Park in South Jamaica, Queens. He is one of many runners who work out in the evenings after working hours on the track, which is quite busy at times.
He recently used the JFK Rotary Race at the John F. Kennedy Airport as a training run or prep for the Long Island Half Marathon. He was clocked in 19:28 for the 14th annual race on a recent Sunday morning and was satisfied with his performance.
Last Sunday, Vendryes competed in the Alley Pond Five-Mile Challenge in Queens Village. He was timed in 31:41 for the five mile course, which earned him fourth place overall in an annual road race that usually draws a great deal of runners. The race was very hilly, according to Vendryes.
He was also satisfied with his performance in this race.
“This was the first time I ran on the airport runway,” he said. “But I ran this race two years ago when it was contested on the other side of the runway. The weather was windy for the airport race while it was just threatening for the Alley Pond race. Now I am training for the Long Island Half Marathon.”
When he goes into a race he does not have any particular strategy. He tries to do the best that he can possibly do.
Because he was satisfied with both performances, he feels that he is getting better and better with each race as he is doing the best that he can.
Vendryes is planning to compete in the Brooklyn Half Marathon later on in May, another busy month for the running sport.
Another member of the Renegrade Running Club who will be competing in the Long Island Half Marathon is George Brown, a resident of Springfield Gardens. His main objective is to turn in a two-hour performance in the 13.1 mile event that should draw a capacity crowd of people of all ages and from Long Island and the metropolitan New York City area watching it. watching it.
He, too, is coming off competing in the Alley Pond Park Five-Mile Challenge. He was clocked in 53:11 for 129th place.
“This five-mile race is a great challenge,” said Brown, who is 50 years old and started racing when he was 35 years of age. “We ran in a beautiful park and a beautiful atmosphere. The upcoming Long Island Half Marathon is very flat where as the Alley Pond Park race was very hilly.”
Brown expects to be competing in some local races in the community during the year.
Meanwhile, Manuel Plascencia took the lead two miles into the race and went onto capture the Alley Pond Park Five-Mile Challenge in 29:29 last Sunday morning before the cloudy weather turned into rain in a field of 174 finishers.
The threatening weather along with the many different races going on the same weekend kept the number of competitors down. Runners from the metropolitan New York City area and Long Island belonging to clubs and those competitors running unattached took part in these races and are looking ahead to the future.
