From Alumni Arena to Central Park

NEW YORK, N.Y.—As a UB sophomore, Colleen Kirk applied for a job as an aerobic instructor at Alumni Area. That position was filled, but there was a slot for a "spinning" instructor. Kirk had never been in a spinning class, let alone taught one, yet she talked her way into the job and taught classes for five years, including two after she graduated in 2007.

Although the 27-year-old now has a full-time job as a copywriter for Fisher Price in East Aurora, she continues to teach spinning classes because it helps make her stronger and build endurance for what has now become her passion: running.

This past Sunday, she took that passion to New York City to run the 26.2 miles of the ING New York City Marathon, finishing in 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 35 seconds. Her husband and family joined the 2 million cheering spectators who lined the streets through all five boroughs to watch the 45,000 runners.

The marathon was a "26-mile block party" for Kirk, who was disappointed that she never wrote her name on her shirt because people could only cheer for "the girl in the orange."

"It was all so different – every borough felt so different," Kirk said. "The Bronx was really fast and had a lot of hip hop DJs out. In Brooklyn, it had the most diverse of the music. In Manhattan, there was an African band playing, a choir outside of a church – I felt like I saw every ethnicity."

She also had her iPod mini in tow – a gift from her sister before the marathon, packed with playlist after playlist. She likes "angry music" when she's running – Eminem, Linkin Park, all the "nasty, horrible songs" to keep her going.

"Sometimes [the cheering] got monotonous," Kirk said. "I wanted to be in my own head and listen to the music."

Marathon in the making

For 22 weeks, Kirk, a Rochester native, trained with daily runs within Buffalo's city limits, from her Elmwood Village apartment, up Elmwood Avenue, to Delaware Avenue, and into Delaware Park.

While at work, she ran during her lunch breaks.

She did take two weeks off when she married her high school sweetheart, Spencer, in late July to spend their honeymoon in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

"We ran a mile one morning on the beach and that was it," Kirk said. "We weren't concerned. You have to find the right balance between your life and your relationships and your relationship with running."

Kirk still teaches fitness classes three days a week at the Jewish Community Center of Buffalo on Delaware Avenue, where she runs two spinning classes and an hour-long barbell strength training class called Body Pump. Kirk's Body Pump classes bring in an array of people – from body builders, to elderly persons, to young college females.

"I think you bring people together by how much they loathe you," her husband Spencer said.

"It's a love-hate that they have for me," Kirk added.

Teaching group fitness "holds her accountable" on days when she doesn't want to work out, and it does the same for those who attend her classes.

"If they don't come, they're missing out on the camaraderie of the class and seeing their buddies," Kirk said.

Just as Kirk motivates her fitness classes, she brought a team of her own cheerleaders with her to New York for the marathon weekend, including her parents, Dave and Jean; her husband; and her sister, Laura.

"They are going to be battling crowds, maybe fighting elements and staying in super tiny hotel rooms for the opportunity to cheer me on," Kirk said before the marathon. "The least I can do is make it worth their time."

She saw her cheerleaders at Mile 4 in Brooklyn, and then again at Mile 16 in Manhattan, and finally at Mile 25 in Central Park.

Kirk said she felt prepared physically in terms of training, and was happy overall with the crowds and the momentum of the marathon.

"I don't know if it's a once in a lifetime memory or you just keep doing it because it's so great," Kirk said. "Maybe I'll try Chicago next year or stick to the big city marathons, but I'm afraid [the ING] will ruin other marathons to come."

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