Run, Pegleg, RUN!

Good God, what brave fellows I must this day lose! – General George Washington, August 27, 1776, Brooklyn

Today, 234 years to the day, the enemy – those limey Redcoats – crossed the Narrows from Staten Island and invaded our dear Brooklyn.  The weather during the Battle of Brooklyn, that fateful week, was very similar to that of today – HUMID and grey [sic] misty rain, heavy at times with floods and fog. An excellent day to run 10 miles!

The race began near the time the 4,000th British soldier, the last of the advance guard, reached our shore. Today, a Hessian gun for hire shot his musket to start us off. The run began from our side, the northern and western edges of today’s park. We left the high ground we held and descended towards enemy lines. The first mile was all downhill so I relaxed and put some time in the bank for later. I knew the 2nd to last mile was back up to the top of the hill – following the path through Battle Pass our soldiers took those short years ago.

Historic Battle Pass as seen in 1792, site of MIle 8 today.

Getting up that hill for the 3rd time, mile 8, and not losing pace took all the energy I could gather from those brave soldiers. I thought how they retreated in the same direction, chased by the masses of more skilled British and especially fierce Scottish soldiers. My suffering paled in comparison.

Like the lucky ones, I made it to the top of the hill to safety. Mile 9 began at the crest of the hill. I ran with all I had left for that final mile to the finish. Thankfully I ran that mile in around 6:45.

In the end, the official numbers show my time to be 1:09:43 for an average of 6:59 minute miles. Doing the math, the average is actually 6:57 and those 2 seconds matter to me. Goal achieved! A Run today in honor of my fallen brothers of the 18th century who perished so I could happily drink beer at the Gate – a grand tradition enjoyed with our now good friends those limey British Redcoats, ahem, I mean family.

The official results are posted here. I have no visions of actually racing but my standings with my peers was rather surprising – 22nd out 688 runners to finish, 10th in my age group (30-39). I had no idea.

For my own numbers with split times and all (forgetting mile 11) see Battle of Brooklyn 10 Mile Race! – Details.