Welcome To The Bronx: Hitting the 20 Mile Mark of the NYC Marathon

NYC Marathon Course Section: The Bronx, Miles 19.5-21

The Bronx represents just over a mile of the New York City Marathon. Runners enter it on Willis Bridge and exit it using the Madison Avenue Bridge. Between those two points is the 20 mile marker. This is a landmark for many runners because during marathon training that is often the distance of their longest run. There is great fan support in the Bronx including some great musicians and entertainment provided by New York Road Runners. Overall the Bronx doesn’t feel too hilly considering it has two bridges. These bridges are shorter and have much smaller elevations than the Verrazano or the Queensboro Bridges.

Marathoners Rocking New York Song:

Track #13: Welcome To The Bronx

Time: 1:34

Tempo: 180

Treadmill Elevation: 2.0

NYC Marathon Course Section: Miles 19.5-21, The Bronx.

This is the first time Sheena has ever set foot in the Bronx so she’s not sure what to expect. During the late 1970’s it is going through a very tumultuous period with a lot of poverty and a high crime rate. The song “Welcome to the Bronx” is meant as a nod of respect to the cultural movement going on there. The Bronx was the cradle of hip hop at this time and artists were using their limited resources to create a revolutionary new form of music.

Welcome To The Bronx Lyrics:

Welcome to the Bronx – Burning down the Bronx

Welcome to the Bronx – Burning down the Bronx

Sensations ignite the imagination

Sounds coming up gonna rock this nation

Keep’em talking for the generations

Sparked by the rise above a bad situation

Inflation

And frustration

Welcome to the Bronx – Burning down the Bronx

Welcome to the Bronx – Burning down the Bronx

Feet can’t stop, stomping, stepping on this marathon

Moving so fast I can barely keep my shoes on

Do it yourself has become the big phenomenon

It doesn’t take money to be the next paragon

Innovation

A revelation

Welcome to the Bronx – Burning down the Bronx

Welcome to the Bronx – Burning down the Bronx

Now you’ve go to prove it, so get that body moving, keep that body grooving

Feel it in your feet!

Now you’ve go to prove it, so get that body moving, keep that body grooving

Move it to the beat!

Marathoners Rocking New York is the rock’n’roll-fueled journey of a 70’s punk loving young woman named Sheena. She’s on the cusp of turning 30 with nothing to show for it. Her rock star dreams are not coming true. She succeeded at the downtown party lifestyle but not at keeping a band together. After stumbling on the New York City Marathon with friends, Sheena accepts a drunken dare to run it the following year. To her surprise, and everyone else’s she actually does the training (with a little help) and makes it to the start line on time.

Sheena runs the marathon without music, so Marathoners Rocking New York is the guitar-driven soundtrack going on in her mind as she navigates the course. The songs are influenced by the early punk movement in 1970’s New York with bands like the Ramones, Blondie, The Patti Smith Group, and Television. The album is in an excellent tempo for running playlists and a useful tool for marathon training that can be downloaded through iTunes.