Middlebury Elementary School Principal, Jack Zamary
Completes The ING 2006 New York City Marathon

 It is well known throughout Region 15, that Middlebury Elementary School (MES), Principal, Jack Zamary can run an elementary school, but few know he can also run a marathon.

On Sunday, November 5^th, Mr. Zamary joined 38,000 participants from around the world to run The ING 2006 New York City Marathon.  Region 15’s Marathon Man completed the 26.5 mile run in 4.09 hours, in 14,851^st place overall all and in 11,818^th place for gender.  

 “The day was incredible.  It was unlike anything else I have ever experienced,” Mr. Zamary recalls.  “To see over two million people all vested in human achievement is an educator's dream. I am proud and humbled to have been part of this amazing experience.”

 Although, having run a little while in high school and consistently for the past nine years, this was Mr. Zamary’s first marathon. 

In the months leading up to the race, he used suggested training schedules found on the NYC Marathon web site to prepare his body.  But the invaluable support he received from family and friends prepared his mind.

Mr. Zamary credits his achievement to Region 15, Math and Science Department Chairman, Jose Martinez, avid runner James Arnone, son of MES Secretary, Maureen Arnone and his wife, Janet, a PE teacher, who encouraged him along the way. 

Along with 90,000 other applicants, Mr. Arnone and Mrs. Zamary also entered their names in the 2006 NYC Marathon Lottery, but only Mr. Zamary’s name was chosen to participate.

At MES, during morning announcements in the last week before the marathon, staff and students counted down the days to the big event and provided Mr. Zamary with words of support and encouragement.

Kathy Miller, MES art teacher, cyclist and former runner, organized an effort to create a banner featuring a drawing of Mr. Zamary at its core, running within the outline of an apple.  It was signed by the entire student body along with their best wishes.

“The students, especially the younger ones, would tell me that they hoped I would win,” Zamary recalls with pleasure.  “It was heart warming and humbling.”

On the day of the race, with the marathon underway, Mr. Zamary’s thoughts ran toward family and friends.  “My dad was hospitalized on the Monday before the race and we were lucky that he made a full recovery in the days before the marathon,” he explained.  “I thought about him, my wife, my daughters and the staff and students at MES.  Their spirit ran through my body and carried me past the most difficult and painful moments like the last 6 miles,” he recalls.

Back at school on Monday morning, Mr. Zamary brought his marathon medal in for show and tell.  Students, staff, parents and colleagues stopped in or phoned to offer their heartfelt congratulations. 

“Rumor has it, he’s hoping to run again next year,” reports Mrs. Arnone. “We’re behind you all the way Mr. Z.  You run, we’ll cheer!”

            For a first hand account of what it is like to run the NYC Marathon, Mr. Zamary’s post race journal tells the story best:

The night before – I lay awake all night and worry about completing 26.2 miles!

4:30 a.m. - I get out of bed, get dressed and head to the subway.

4:45 a.m. - I step onto a very quiet and lonely subway platform. 

4:50 a.m. - One by one, runners appear on the platform. I strike up a conversation with two marathoners, brothers from Virginia, and we spend our journey to the start together.

5:00 a.m. - The PATH Train arrives and five minutes later, I'm at the site of the World Trade Center. I walk with my newfound friends, Don and Dan, to Battery Place to pickup our official bus to the start of the marathon

 5:20 a.m. - I arrive on Staten Island and must part company with Dan and Don because they are in the "blue" corral and I'm in the "green" corral. I take the plastic and blankets that I brought and wrap myself in them to get a few hours sleep before the 10:00 a.m. start. I sleep for short periods until the sun comes up at 7:00 a.m. My sleep is interrupted periodically by live bands and announcements about various goings on in the "marathon village" of almost 40,000 people.

 7:00 a.m. - The sun comes up and the temperature gradually becomes more pleasant, climbing from the upper 30s and into the 40s.

 8:00 a.m. – I talk with marathoners from Miami and Holland and find out that 40% of the runners are first time marathoners. I'm one of the 40%!

 9:00 a.m. - I take the one bag that I'm permitted to carry and bring it over to the UPS trucks that are arranged in alphabetical order. "Z" is truck 72. This IS a marathon!

 9:20 a.m. - I go to the area 21,000-21,999 for bib numbers. My bib is 21,748. As time ticks closer to 10:00 a.m., marathoners begin to shed the additional clothes they have on. Large piles accumulate along side the road. All of these clothes are given to charitable organizations.

10:00 a.m. - We finally move toward the start line. Once we get there, I still have 20,000 people between me and the start! Yikes! 

10:05 a.m. - The National Anthem plays.

10:08 a.m. - Military fly-over!

10:10 a.m. - BOOM! The start canon! We don't move! I can see the lead runners in the distance beginning their race. About 5 minutes pass - it seems like an eternity - we begin to walk. Little by little the pace picks up until we cross the start line and begin to jog.

10:25 a.m. - I'm on the lower deck of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, shoulder to shoulder with runners as far as the eye can see. The bridge bounces so much that I find I have to align my steps with the upward and downward motions. I was told about this before the race, but I half believed it. The bridge moves A LOT when 38,000 runners are pounding on it together.

 11:00 a.m. - I'm running

 12:00 p.m. - I'm running

 1:00 p.m. - I'm still running!

 1:30 p.m. - I'm really hurting!

 1:45 p.m. - Why did I do this?!?!?!

 2:10 p.m. approximately - The finish is near! The atmosphere along the route is electric. Young children reach their hand out to give as many high fives as they can. I try to do this as often as possible but in the latter portion of the race I need to focus what little energy I have left on my running. My wife runs along side me at mile 17 - this is a great moment! She reaches into her bag and gives me an orange and a banana. WOW DOES THIS HIT THE SPOT! I see her again in Central Park when I'm in my final two miles.

Crossing the Finish Line – I felt completely drained and pretty stiff. A friend of mine had described the finish as the "land of the walking dead”. It was a very accurate description. All of the marathoners had their foil capes on and the crinkling capes drowned out any other noise. All of the runners had very unnatural gates at this point. I made the LONG walk to UPS truck 72 to pick up my bag.  I was then reunited with my wife and began to feel good about my accomplishment.