Looking at 92nd Street Y running team’s race results from Sunday’s NYC Half Marathon makes us equally thankful for their fundraising efforts to benefit the 92Y Youth Scholarship fund, as well as impressed with their race times. Almost all the runners who received complimentary pre-race coaching from 92Y May Center trainers ranked above the 50 percent mark for world-class speed when adjusted for their ages. We consider their performances strong testimony showing people across all age groups can make remarkable physical achievements.

An example of taking personal performance to the next level is Joseph Vento, whose maximum running distance prior to training for the Half Marathon was three miles on a treadmill. Nine weeks later, Vento not only completed the 13.1-mile urban race course, he turned in a respectable 2:06:34 race time. Garth Johnson, a 92Y May Center trainer who worked with the running team, beamed with pride: “It’s a great feeling to help others achieve their goals. Their bodies are at a level of fitness where they can achieve new and more ambitious fitness goals, if they choose to do so.”

Experiencing dramatic gains in physical performance takes time. Cliff Turner, another May Center trainer who worked with the 92Y running team, advises anyone who would like to follow Vento’s example to start small and gradually add distance over an extended time period. “Adding a mile every one or two weeks will yield positive results,” says Turner. “However, adding more than two miles per week can be counter-productive.”

Once again, many thanks and congratulations to our runners! See the race results for each 92Y race team member, and visit this page to learn how to interpret the results.

[92Y May Center Personal Training & Sports Instruction]

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