V.I. Marathoners Are on the Run stcroixsource.com/2007/11/04/vi-marathoners-are-run November 4, 2007 Nov. 3, 2007 – There are two fall marathons that have significance to the marathon runners in the Virgin Islands. The first is the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., which took place last week and takes the runners through the scenic and monument-appointed capital. The other is the New York City Marathon which runs this weekend, starts at the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and takes the runners through all the five boroughs of the city to the finish at The Tavern On the Green in Manhattan's Central Park. Of the runners training for the marathon in the Virgin Islands, none has a record for the N.Y.C. Marathon as impressive as that of Will Franks, an attorney for Legal Services of the Virgin Islands on St. Croix. Franks, who trains in Frederiksted, will run in the N.Y.C. marathon on Sunday, Nov. 4. "I'm looking forward to running my 21st New York City marathon. It is an unique experience to run through all five boroughs of NYC, through all ethnic neighborhoods along with 38,000 other runners from 90 countries, all in front of millions of cheering spectators." He is a little beat-up physically this year with nagging injuries and knows his task won't be easy. He has run consecutive N.Y.C. marathons since 1987. A number of V.I. runners have had success in New York City, including Teddy Seymour, Theresa Harper, Tom Alcon, Allen Bronstein, Elizabeth Armstrong and Collin Charles, among others. Wallace Williams, founder of the Virgin Islands Pace Runners on St. Croix, and Cathy Prince, the first female in VIPR, both ran N.Y.C. in the 80's. Roy Watlington, a founding member of the St. Thomas Association of Road Runners (STAR), Ed Wascoe, Judy Hall, Therese Hodge, James Caroll, Lynn Dohm, Claire Ocha, Chris Baylis, among others, have also done the marathon. Regina Randaza and Jeremy Zuber, St. John have top times in New York. V.I. runners have also had success in the Marine Corps Marathon. Runners who performed well this past weekend are U.S. Marshals Conrad Hoover and James Sullivan, and attorneys Joel Holt, Jon Mahony, Ellen Donovan, Todd and Elizabeth Nurnberger. St. Croix runners Bill and Betsy Gladfelter have had success at Marine Corps as has Billy Bohlke, who finished in the top 30 last year. St. Croix has its own marathon with the running of the Sixth St. Croix International Marathon, which will be run on Jan. 1, in Frederiksted. The race is organized by the VIPR. Wallace Williams is in Athens, Greece at the Classic Athens Marathon where he is promoting 1/2 the St. Croix Marathon and participating in the Association on International Marathons' Symposium on the Marathon. For information, contact: [email protected] 2/2.