As an ultra runner from New Jersey wanting a challenge after completing the Manhattan perimeter run I’ve seen that a group of runners ran the perimeter of Staten Island. I decided to take on the challenge supported Wednesday April 15th, the weather forecast was calling for 97 degrees that day but it didn’t change my mind. I took a bus to drop me off at port authority bus terminal in New York City, then boarded the train to get to the Whitehall ferry terminal.
Arrived at Staten Island at the St. George’s ferry terminal and loaded the course map on my Garmin watch and started the run. I ran counter clockwise and for the first 10 miles everything went great, I used my gels and water when needed running along the road near piers and docks. By mile 15 I found a shopping center and used the rest room at a planet fitness, buying a water and protein shake to replenish. Then continued the route towards the saw mill creek marsh which was just a massive swamp section with little to no sidewalk, ran through some trails/parks for a little while and then approached the marathon distance mile 26, I was holding up pretty good surprisingly considering the fact that there wasn’t any corner stores or eateries after that point on but I still was rationing my water turning hotter as the hours passed.
At mile 31 it started to get real bad, I entered a town called Tottenville which was mostly castle size houses and gated communities, no stores or eateries in sight, except I found a physical therapy place and asked the woman inside if she can fill my water bottle and she was kind enough to do so, after that I headed back out on my journey, there were road closures and construction in most of the area which deducted some mileage off the route due to the re routing. I kept going at a slow pace to not completely burn an excessive amount of calories I can’t replenish, by mile 33 I saw an Italian restaurant and figured if I pass this by I might just DNF. So I went inside and ordered a sirloin burger and fries and stayed a total of 45 minutes inside to rejuvenate myself.
I was then heading towards great kills park which was this massive out and back loop near great kills harbor but the peak of the 97 degrees was in full effect at this point I was run/walking the whole segment. By this point it’s been 2+ hours after the restaurant and I had no water on me but what I drank at the restaurant and with 15 miles to go I was in desperate need of water. It was zigzags to the beach and back up to Hylan Blvd multiple times and I ended up back in a neighborhood which I saw construction workers working on a house and in a plea for assistance I asked them if they had any water or drinks and they took me around the house to a cooler set filled with waters and sodas on ice and I grabbed 3 bottles of water and thanked them for saving my life and run.
Now I finally reached mile 40 and am at the tail end of my run. I went through another trail section that came out near the beach and I saw the Verrazano bridge and boardwalk in the distance. Knowing the end was near I suddenly got a second wind and fired up the earbuds for motivation to get me to the end and I ran along the water of the shoreline to the boardwalk and passed the Verrazano bridge. I kept moving forward slowly but surely towards the same exact place I started my run and was about to complete something that I had so many doubts of completing along the way. I got to the St. George’s ferry terminal and screamed with joy! I had just finished this grueling 50+ mile run around the entire Island.
In the end if anyone is thinking of attempting this run, all I have to say is that you need to be throughly prepared with fuel and water, there are some places your gonna love and some you will hate along the way.