Though it’s 11 days old, its still fresh as ever in my mind. Did I really get up and watch the entire broadcast on my computer? Did Hall really drop a 4:32 18th mile then proceed to coast away from the field? Did the Today show really miss the start? Maybe it was all a dream or some type of runners’ fairy tale? It wasn’t, and it all happened, but I’m not here to talk about the race, even though it was emotional, unforgettable, inspirational, and whatever other word you enjoy. I’m here to rehash the broadcast. Two plus hours of uninterrupted, commercial free, full coverage. Complete with witty banter, and a never-ending stream of analogies, and potable running quotables to last a lifetime. If you are anything like me, watching it the first time through you were maybe a bit tired, unfocused and more interested in the race then the overlying soundtrack. So, afraid I may have missed something important and having a bit of extra time on my hands last week I watched it again, and just like that time I decided to watch Wizard of OZ with the Dark Side of the Moon simultaneously, it changed my life forever. Lets review the whole race according to the announcing, and kids, grab your pocket dictionary because there’s some exciting new vocabulary words out there that just might show up on the SAT. This is the Nate’s/Cliff’s notes version. Seriously reduced for obvious reasons. BEGIN: The Talent in this years field is tremendous, but only 3 will rep the stars and stripes in Beijing, which 3, we’ll find that out next. This is being called the greatest weekend in marathon running ever. A quixotic quest for these men. Intense. All but 3 will be sad. A trifecta of conditions: Winds, hills, and distance. Tension is enormous. GUN! AIRHORN! A couple of rockettes with run for charity tomorrow. It’s whimsical. A first for Times Square. Pace is very relaxed. Michael Wardian has moved ahead of the field. 10% are the Hanson-Brooks racing team. Group training creates a synergy. Pedestrian pace. 5:21 mile. He’s essentially grandstanding. Lynn can run this pace. Passing our marathon condominium at the finish line. 11:07 at 2 miles, not even a fast time for the women. They need a leader. Get more synergy. Culpepper is a master tactician. It’s a psychological burden to lead a race. It’s like a poker game, after 20 miles we’ll know who the final table is. 16:16 at 3 miles. The Reservoir took 25 years to make in the 1800’s. The pack is engulfing. Most brutal trials course we’ve ever had. Paula Radcliff would be winning right now. Lethargic. Sell glanced at his watch and he was incredulous. 21:17 at 4 miles. Ryan and Meb are talking to one another. Meb is like Danika Patrick, gets in all the commercials. 26:25 at 5 miles. Coming up on the Museum. The workhorse will be the victor today. 15 cameras are covering this race today. Dathan was the great high school phenom. 2nd and 3rd time marathoners have best chance to win. This is the first ever, Olympic team trials for the men’s marathon in NYC history. 13 former Olympians, winners of the past 6 USA marathon championships, 7 current USA record holders, 23 current and formers USA champions, and a pair of twins in the field to boot. Very hard to vacillate back and forth between fast and slow. Wardian, attempted to set a world record while running a marathon and pushing a stroller. Lets give him credit for leading. In every race there’s going to be someone who takes the lead. He’s got ears on either side of his head. People may just pop up on the course. Fasil can speak 5 languages. All the favorites are together now. A symphony of motion. Spectators are grabbing the bottles, excited to have a souvenir. The 10k was at 32:24. Dan Browne is lurking in there. Never seen the NYC marathon take place under green trees. There was a pylon in the course and some guys almost stumbled. I fell in love with a runner this week by the name of Macharia Yout. Abdi’s a homerun hitter. Ritz is a young hungry lion. Josh Cox was on the ABC’s The Bachelor show. Biggest of the big guns are now out front and Sell has not gone. Meb, Abdi, Hall and Ritz are the 4 horsemen. (See photo) 4:56 8th mile. You never really know which Dan Browne will show up. If you call your last 4 miles of a race indescribable that’s not a good thing. Mile 9 4:54. Hall is a prodigious talent, a frustrated miler. Browne can will himself to peak performance. Ambulance is trying to break through the race, typical of New York. 4:43 10th mile. High five buddy your still with me. The model program for all the group distance training is in mammoth lakes. Your quads are shock absorbers on the downhill and lifting agents on the uphill. Brain sell has a daunting task; I would not envy his position. I think I’m going to go out on a limb and say he’s done. I think it might be a little early Al. Big guns, each and every one fully loaded for this race. Mile 11 4:55. Khalid is wearing orthotics; if he’s 90% he’s better than the whole field, 16 hours a day no water no food for 1 month. The wind is a factor. They all look good right now. Dathan just had his first baby and Ryan and Sara just got their first puppy. Ryan Hall's hats off, the instant his hats off, Dathan's hats off. (Instant replay with sound effect) Khalid is a shadow of his former self. It takes massive aggression to be a runner. Like boxing, months of preparation for one fight. Browne is going off the back. Meb has not stuck his nose in the lead at all. 13th mile 4:46. They are in Halls head, he’s getting whiplash. We’re right along the fault line, generationally in American distance running. At the boathouse you can rent a boat, go out and have lunch. (On Ritz) That’s his big bugaboo, can he get over that fuel issue. He’s exceedingly coachable. He’s got a huge talent and a passion to match it. I wonder who it is that’s going to go into the woods and get all those bottles. Hall is like an ambassador out there. Its like a golf tournament, its not the score you have to make, but how many guys you have to go through in order to get up on the podium. Mile 15 4:53. Brian Sell can’t see this group and that’s going to make him discouraged. Somebody who’s great is not going to make this Olympic team. Hall is as close to a Kenyan as America’s ever produced. Dan Browne is leading at 1:18. Khalid is cutting into the lead. He’s the hunter; they're being hunted and they don’t know it. If he shows up on their back the fear of god will go through them. Culpepper has dropped out of this race. There’s no better guy in the sport. Worst 3 letters for an athlete, DNF. 17th mile, each passing mile the pressure just millibar by millibar builds and presses down. Hall has decided ok boys lets see what you got here. Big time move by hall, kind of a macho move. An intentional move. He’s out of Stanford so you know he’s smart. Higher highs lower lows. The first of the defining moments of this race. The marathon is a humbling event. It’s Non-Olympian followed by 4 Olympians. Abdi is out of the picture. Meb is the whole package. He has an indomitable desire. Mile 18, 4:32. Dathan has a fan on the side of the road. Why on earth would Ryan hall be looking at his watch? Look at this, Dan Browne responds again. Hall is like a general out there, elegant stride, he's an oxygen-delivering machine. Did Ritz drop off the course? Hall doesn’t elevate his hips and kick very well. Dathan is not getting his sleep interrupted at all. His legs remind me of Jim Ryun. Abdi drops out at 1:36. The course will exploit any weaknesses. Ryan Hall is all in. It doesn’t have to be this way. We're getting great ratings in mammoth lakes California. Create courses at home that undulate. What is the Kenyan line…Training hard, racing easy. Look for corruptions in form. 20th mile, 4:34, he’s just stroking it. He’s on the team right now, why press it. 1:42, Dan Browne, Dan Browne, Dan Browne, he’s got a cramp, what can you do. The marathon is a brutal cruel game. Sell is now in 4th place. Where is Meb? Sell has that great work ethic. Sell said if I don’t make the team I’m going to dental school. Resilient like a madman. Sell may be the one who played this game right. He’s got 40 family members here. Mile 21 4:40. If Palo Alto your big town, you’re a small town guy. So much of the marathon is just getting to the starting line healthy. This is the moment Brian Sell will remember the rest of his life. He personifies tenaciousness. Heart of a lion, the bit in his teeth, running full of steam. Group training made America great in the 70’s. A testament to unbelievable grit he has that Rodger Banister grimace. Pass is made at 1:51. Hall looks silky. The marathon is the great equalizer. Mile 23 4:42. There is a spiritual element to it. If you get too cocky the marathon will get you. He’s supple. We’re looking at a Beijing medal contender. Mile 24 4:52 Hall is not a mere mortal today. Mile 25 4:47. Hall and sell are the bookends of the Olympic story. He could go 30 miles. He behaved like a New Yorker today and took this field and smacked it around a bit. Are you kidding me? Can you believe it? Ryan Hall book it, you're on your way to Beijing. 2:09:02. It’s a beautiful moment. 2:11:07 Dathan Ritzenhein. 2:11:40. Brian Sell. Wearing that flag is one of the emotional highs of ones life. One of the most graceful marathons, run in NYC, few have come to the line as gloriously. It happened in the shadows of St Patrick’s cathedral. The United States federation wanted to put these men in this setting on the big stage with the big audience to bring out these kinds of performances. END This is all such poetry in streaming online motion. Who knew running could be so lyrically entertaining and educational? Who knew it was just like golf, baseball, boxing or even poker? I sometimes think the broadcasters forget whom they are talking to. They forget that the only people crazy enough to actually sit through over 2 hours of grown men jogging in circles through a park in the wee hours of a weekend morning are knowledgeable running fans. When you choose to broadcast this race in its entirety, you had me at hello, no need for the fluff. Although when the Today Show missed the start because they were showing us how to make holiday quilts or what ever they were doing, that was a bit embarrassing. Either way, within all that talk are some truly catchy lines, and I had a great time seeing it all again. I’m already looking forward to the 2012 trials when FloTrack after having secured the rights to broadcast the race, will assign each runner their own High Definition cameraman turning it into the greatest running documentary ever told! Nevertheless I am thankful for November 3rd’s broadcast and all the hype that it received, thanks to NBC. The best image of the day was subtle. After all was said and done we were given the camera view from the helicopter slowly cruising over Central Park. No voices, no noise except for the hum of the blades for about 15 seconds. In the bottom left corner, 3 names: Ryan Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Brian Sell. No one feeding me info or telling me what to feel, I was simply reminded that day and that moment why I love this sport. Congratulations, best wishes, and prayers to all involved. -Nate