Anthony Watson will compete in the New York City Marathon to be staged on Sunday, Nov. 7. Watson, primarily a distance runner, is a veteran in the sport and is known here in Brooklyn. He will be appearing in his second ever New York City Marathon.
Not only is he a marathoner, but also he is a coach. No, not for a high school or college team, for he has been coaching the Prospect Park Track Club for five years.
“A lot of my teammates and those I coach are also running in the marathon,” he said. “I got the motivation to do the same from them to jump in there and see what it’s all about. Because of my students and teammates I decided to try it again.”
He practiced for the 27-mile grind and for other races at different distances near his Brooklyn residence in Prospect Park Mondays through Saturdays unless he is entered into a competitive race. He worked out an average of 54 to 56 miles a week mostly in this Park and at other times on the roads from Bay Ridge to Prospect Park in preparation for the City Marathon, conducted by the New York Road Runners Cub.
“My strategy in the marathon is to go out very slow….and finish strong, he said. “I’m not going for a super time. I just want to finish. This is my second marathon. Time is not important.”
His first and only marathon came back in 2004 when he was clocked in 3 hours 38 minutes. During this race he had a rough time as he had hip problems and his muscles hurt him. He ran with a lot of pain, but he finished. After this first time in such a long distance race, he stopped for a while before resuming to try the marathon again.
Originally, from Jamaica, West Indies, Watson is tuning up for such a race and in the process is coming off a 37:36 performance for eighth place in the 29th 10K Community Run conducted by he Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza Corporation.
“Surprisingly, I ran faster than I did four years ago,” he said after the race on a recent Sunday morning. “My best time in this (Bed-Stuy) race was 36:17 a couple of years back.”
In last year’s race, his 15th time that he competed in it, the course was horrendous. The directors slightly changed the course this time around.
“Last year I almost got killed,” Watson said. “I almost ran into traffic. There weren’t any mile markers. This course is better and more organized than it was last year.”
Watson thinks that running is a tremendous sport.
“It’s incomparable to any other sport,” the 52-year-old Watson added. “It keeps you fit and keeps you focused and it’s good for fitness if you had problems.”
Watson began his running career in Jamaica when he was about eight years of age. He has been at it for about 36 years.
When he came to the United States, he attended Miami Dade High School and then Miami Dade Community College in Florida, and ran the mile up to the 3,000 and 5,000 meters.
“And I ran the half marathon like 20 years ago,” he added.
During the day, Watson works for a Rent-A-Car company in downtown Brooklyn, but he still manages to train for races. Last September, he ran the New York City Met Mile and was clocked in 5:10. He holds many records and won many races in his age group.
Running and coaching those members of the Prospect Park Track Club keeps Watson going.
