NBR Profile No. 10
Rodrigo Toscano talks with Kate Maxwell
Kate Maxwell technically joined NBR just before the Marathon in late October 2010 after seeing a flyer at the Turkey’s Nest. Lurking the NBR googlegroups for eight months (fascinated by posts from the likes of “The Boisterous One,” “The Smartalec,” “The Sarcastic One,” “The Wise One,” “The Arguer,” and “The Encourager”) she finally pulled the trigger and was soon sporting a crisp, new white NBR singlet. She discovered she had been missing the thrill of occasional competition (“it’s a fire inside me that I can’t suppress for too long”). As a winning 400 meter hurdler for Central Michigan University (running a 62 second 400 meter hurdles!) she was just beginning to explore longer distances.
After an initial setback (ITB / knife-to-the-knee jobber), she went out on her first run—the Bridge and Coffee run. That’s where she met Linda Daniels, Allison Malecki, Misha Bittleston and Mike Finelli, later mixing up at El Beit. In the summer, she was a regular at the “HellKats” Thursday morning track run; since then, she’s shifted towards the Thursday evening track workout. Her favorite regular run, however, is the monthly “Salmon Run” (led by Charlie Radin). Kate has also been toying around with the idea of starting either a Monday 8 a.m. run or a Friday pre-happy hour run (someone lend her a hand!)
It’s hard to believe but, before starting to race this past summer (2011), the only distance she had ever competed in longer than 800 meters was the 5k, which she did in high school cross country. Since then she’s run nearly the whole spectrum of NYRR races: Fifth Avenue Mile – 10th in age group, 5:25; Join the Voices 5M – 9th in age group, 32:35; Joe Kleinerman 10k – 3rd in age group, 41:00; NYC Triathlon – 6th in age group, 2:41:52; Coogan’s 5k, 18:54; NYC Half Marathon, 1:26:10. Her first marathon will be in Berlin in September. Into this mix she adds weight circuits twice a week, bikram yoga once a week, plus cycling, as well as hiking or rock climbing whenever possible. Gymnastics was her first love / sport obsession (“vaulting—I can’t think of anything much more fun than sprinting up to a giant platform and flipping around in the air before landing back on your feet”).
Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, raised in a suburb between Detroit and Ann Arbor, Kate now lives in Williamsburg, some four blocks from the track. If at some point she takes a Polaroid of you it’s because at some point she’s just taken a Polaroid of you.
NBR Profile No. 9
Rodrigo Toscano talks with IMAN WILKERSON
Iman Wilkerson had an NBR encounter of the close kind sometime in June 2010 (at around the time of the going away party for Matt Decker and Owen Kendall), but she didn’t actually morph into the alien blob until December of that year. The running club she belonged to at the time was Urban Feet (“a club that used the excuse of running to get together and drink”). Todd Zino, it turns out, had blobbed into the goo some months before, a joyous liquefaction that would soon juice both Kurt Cavanaugh and Iman into the sacred soup.
Iman hails from a small town in North Carolina. She went to college in Raleigh, transferring to NYC about nine years ago. From her elementary school until her sophomore year in High School, she played basketball. She placed 1st in several high school 400-meter meets. Since running with NBR, she’s PR’d no less than five times (in the 4 mile, 10k, 10 mile, half marathon, and full marathon). She placed 1st in the PPTC 5k (earning her not a Van Cortland Park 5k tasty carrot cake, but a PPTC brushed aluminum medal) and got a 2nd place (6th overall female) in the Queens Half Marathon. She also had it seriously out for the 5th Avenue Mile – and dropped a 5:21 PR!
Iman usually tries to attend the Thursday night speed workouts (“hurdling over tots, dodging soccer balls falling from the sky”), but, for the moment, she’s chosen to forego other North Brooklyn runs that require gliding over underground oil spill plumes while inhaling polyurethane off-gassing breezes; instead, she runs with the JSONB (“Just South of North Brooklyn”) crew in Prospect Park, delectating in the oxygen-rich fog of the last remaining primeval forest on Long Island.
NBR Profile No. 8
Rodrigo Toscano talks with JAMES CHU
After 9 years completely off from running and a 17% weight gain (going from 145 lbs to 170 lbs), James Chu (a former Princeton University track runner—1:58 min / 800 meter brawler), decided he “was sick of being a meatball” and resolved to give running another shot (not of Jameson Whiskey—though Linda Daniels is dedicated to overseeing that part of his training regimen). After seeing the NBR men’s squad run a very respectable top 5 in the Scotland 10k, he contacted NBR founding member, Matt Decker, and joined in May of 2010. Since then, James has competed in all middle distances, up to the half marathon.
He placed 2nd in the Greenpoint 5k, reeling in a dozen or so rabbits in the last kilometer. Since joining the team, his mile PR is 4:39 (4:27 is his lifetime PR). He was 5th overall in the Norway 1.7 mile—at 5:05 pace. In the Ted Corbitt 15k, his splits averaged 5:46, earning him 2nd in his age group. For the Manhattan Half Marathon, James dialed his 15k pace back by only 9 seconds, ending up at 1:17:43 (average sub 6 min. pace). In the Coogan’s 5k in 2011 (a northeast regional PR-blocking race, featuring pyramid-like hills), he ran a 16:40 (5:22 pace), 7th in his age group.
James’s favorite group run is the Saturday morning coffee Bridge Run. Anyone can easily approach him there to talk about his favorite sport. Whether it’s NCAA track & field, or global elite standings, or the local sub-elite scene, James is your hard-info + throw-down opinion central! He is also (and this from someone who’s been known to “dead dog” (going on all fours dry heaving after a race effort)) legendary for his cautionary approach to training, advising team members against the perils of hyper-training.
Born in Arlington, Texas, but re-routed to Midland, Michigan at age two (to nine), James suddenly found himself in central Connecticut. You can spot him now on “controlled” runs along Kent Avenue.
NBR Profile No. 7
Rodrigo Toscano talks with RANDY LOCKLAIR
Randy Locklair joined NBR in February of 2009. On his way home from a run on a particularly warm February day (60 degrees!), he stumbled on an NBR sign on his block. He e-mailed Aja Marsh that very day offering to help out. When they met for the first time, he suggested starting a beginner’s run, which he’s been leading to this day. He also organized the very first NBR social at the Gibson. He’s completed three New York ING Marathons, and has won his age group in a few out of town races back in the day (“but never in this crazy town!”).
As a kid, Randy played in the “deck hockey” league, meaning he’d play on foot – running his tail off. (He still plays to this day, for almost all of NYC’s Black Top Street Hockey League’s 10-year existence!) After busting up his ankles a bunch of times (and “growing up”), he decided to take up running – to avoid injury 
He’s been living in “North Brooklyn” for about five years. He’s originally from New Rochelle, and lives right on the Greenpoint / Williamsburg border near Graham Ave. In his spare time, Randy snowboards and flies airplanes.
NBR Profile No. 6
Rodrigo Toscano talks with MISHKA VERTIN
Mishka Vertin did her first NBR Saturday bridge run in January of 2010, but didn’t become an official runner for the team until the Healthy Kidney 10k in May. Prior to NBR, she had been a member of the NY Harriers for six years. A year prior to that 10k, she moved to Brooklyn – Clinton Hill. By that point, she wasn’t working out with her old team anymore in Central Park, so she started checking out the NBR website, captivated by the overall feel of the team. Somewhat unnerved by her former team’s excessive run time ledgers and trophy counts, she finally made the switch. Mishka originally hails from rural Minnesota (near Fargo, ND, where “near” means within 100 miles.) She has run three marathons, but ardently prefers half marathons and 10 milers. She is currently the social activities co-director for the team. Known for her love of running in costume (“nun” “cheerleader” “German beer girl” “Hawaiian (in coconut bra)” “reindeer in front of Santa” “sperm – chasing an egg”) NBR 2011 is sure to get really interesting. She also co-leads a (semi-renegade) NBR running group called “The Monday Morning After,” which runs in Prospect Park. In college, she competed in long, triple and high jumping events. She enjoys FBD (full-body dancing), and recently scooped up some roller skates in hopes of joining a roller derby team. Given that she used to be a competitive figure skater, she figured the skills would translate. That is to say, Mishka aims to transpose her former lives onto the present – come what may. Very NBR.
NBR Profile No. 5
Rodrigo Toscano talks with OWEN KENDALL
Owen Kendall joined NBR in July of 2009 and trained with the team for nearly a year. He’s run 10 NYRR races for the team and has placed in the top fifty in all but the 2010 NYC Marathon. He runs everything from the 800 to the marathon, though he prefers the 100 meter dash up to 8 km. To most people’s surprise, Owen never ran competitively in college. He is largely self-taught in the sport. In 2008, placed 2nd overall and 1st in age group in 5th Ave Mile, running a 4:23 in that race. And in 2010 he was knocking out 5:15’s in the Salsa, Blues & Shamrocks 5K, arguably one of most difficult 5k’s on the eastern sea board. Before relocating to Jamaica Plain, MA, Owen was a fixture at the Tuesday night and Thursday night runs (as well as at the Turkey’s Nest, where he could be seen toting runners under his arms like bread loaves). He continues to race for NBR.
NBR Profile No. 4
Rodrigo Toscano talks with ANNA McCUSKER
Anna McCusker joined NBR in March of 2009 after making a resolution (over a pint Guinness while smoking a Marlboro) on St. Patrick’s Day that she would start running again (in college, she was a division 2 track runner). In the past 1.5 years she has run more than 45 races under NBR. Her big race this year is the NYC Marathon. Her favorite races are the 4 miler and half-marathon. She leads the Monday night Advanced Beginners run. She won the Sands Point 5k, the Babylon Dirty Sock Run 10k, and the Pulaski 10k. She’s also been busy collecting NYRR age group awards: Staten Island Half Marathon: 1st, ING NYC Marathon Tune-Up – 2nd, Fitness 4 miler- 1st, Queens Half Marathon – 3rd, Run for Central Park – 3rd, Dash & Splash – 2nd, Fathers Day 5M – 1st, and Japan Day 4-miler – 1st. She lived in Greenpoint for the past year after living in Williamsburg for three years. Anna grew up in what is officially the most culturally diverse county in the entire U.S. – Queens.
NBR Profile No. 3
Rodrigo Toscano talks with MICHAEL ESSIG
Michael Essig first saw flyers posted by NBR in the icy winter of 2009, but he didn’t feel like running outside just yet. He first met up with the Thursday night speed work group that April, and started running with the group in June. To this day, you can catch up with Mike at the Turkey’s Nest (NBR’s go-to dive bar) on Thursday nights. His first NBR affiliated race was the NYYR Team Championships that August. For Mike, the shorter (faster) run, the better. His best Age Graded performances are in the 400 to Mile range. This year, he’s run 1 1M (4.52!), 2 5Ks, 5 4M, 1 5M, and 1 10K. He’s been placing between 5th and 15th in his age group this year for 8 of the 9 NYRR runs he’s done. He’s also placed 1st in his age group in the Greenpoint 5K. Mike has lived in North Williamsburg (right next to the McCarren Park track) for the last 3 years.
NBR Profile No. 2
Rodrigo Toscano talks with JENNIFER DANIELS
Jennifer Daniels first received an NBR email on January 19th, 2009. She has since co-lead the Thursday night speed work with Linda Daniels (her twin sister). Jen competitively runs anything from the one miler to marathons. She prefers to run in the deep cold of winter. She lived in North Williamsburg for a couple years, and has now caught a tailwind and softly and deftly landed in East Williamsburg. Jen has placed 8 times in the top ten of her age group, three of those races in the top three. She was also the 2010 Greenpoint 5k women’s 1st place runner.
NBR Profile No. 1
Rodrigo Toscano talks with AJA MARSH
Aja Tahari Marsh is the founder of the North Brooklyn Runners. Aja also conceptualized and co-founded Work It Brooklyn. She has actively worked with Open Space Alliance, Williamsburg Walks, Neighbors for Allied Growth, North Brooklyn Compost Project, and the Greenpoint Food Market (as Sandwich Friend). Aja has placed twice in the top three in her age group in the Greenpoint 5k. She has lived both in Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
