Shelter Islander battles to finish New York City Marathon: Dr. Frank comes through for his 40th race

More than 50,000 athletes took off from the Verrazano Bridge in Staten Island Sunday for the 50th running of the New York City Marathon. Islander Dr. Frank Adipietro was among them, running in his 40th NYC race.

“Yes, 40,” Dr. Adipietro said Monday morning, still a little awed by the accomplishment. “This year was about hitting a milestone.”

Asked about his time, he said, “That’s not really important. I finished. That’s important.”

Like all the athletes who ran the 26.2-mile race through all five boroughs of the city, the record-breaking heat and humidity on Sunday took its toll on Dr. Adipietro. Even one of the elite runners, Brazilian Daniel Do Nascimento, who was leading the race through the first half, collapsed and had to receive medical assistance.

Two Kenyans took top honors for the marathon, with Evans Chebet posting a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 41 seconds to finish first, and Sharon Lokedi won the women’s division with a time of  2:23:23

Dr. Adipietro had an idea of what he was in for when he got to Staten Island and gathered with other runners at the Verrazano Bridge leading to Brooklyn. When the gun went off, “it was in the mid-70s and humidity near 100%,” he said. “Usually, it’s in the mid-40s for the start.”

The temperature stayed in the mid- to upper-70s for the entire 26 miles. Asked how much water he drank during the race, he laughed, and said, “A lot,” estimating that he had about a bottle a mile. Still, he was struggling at the finish. “I started cramping two miles to the finish,” Dr. Adipietro said, noting that it was the first time in his career as a distance runner that he had experienced severe cramps.

“My left hamstring really cramped up,” he added, and even on Monday morning he still felt it a bit. “But I did a lot of stretching and took it easy. I’m O.K.”

The experience was as rewarding as the 39 NYC marathons that preceded Sunday, he said. Nealy half the race is run in Brooklyn. “And you know, I’m from Brooklyn,” he said.

He didn’t run with friends or family on Sunday. But that’s not quite true, because he says he always runs with the memory of his father, who asked him to run with him in 1981, his first marathon. As he told the Reporter, “He was the one who got me involved in this crazy sport.”

A large part of his heart is in Brooklyn, and he was lifted on Sunday running through the streets. “The people are so charismatic, so vocal,  cheering us on,” he said, and noted how “every borough has its own personality,” with Queens and the Bronx much more quiet because the course goes through some non-residential areas.

“And in Manhattan you have a lot of people out, some having brunch, which is a cool scene.”

Dr. Adipietro had a one-word description of the vibe at the finish line in Central Park. “Spectacular.”

“New York is great,” he added. “It’s one of those times when the city puts its best foot forward, when everyone comes together.”