Day 1

On a cool, humid morning in Jamaica, New York, seven intrepid runners embarked on a 51 day journey around the famous .5488 of a mile loop. By days end, Andreas Puntigam, who finished third last year, had passed 81 miles to lead second place rookie Stefan Warum by nearly nine miles. Suprabha ran a solid 68 miles as the sun warmed things up in the afternoon. Beckjord is the only six-time finisher of the race. Namitabha Arsic rebounded from an upset stomach and chaffing to record 71.89 miles. The rest of the field ran conservatively, if not wisely.