Emerald Nuts Midnight Run
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The Christmas blizzard of 2010 didn't blanket the enthusiasm of 4,759 revelers when fireworks announced the start of both 2011 and the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run. At the stroke of 2011, the runners set off on a lighthearted four-mile tour of the park, cheered on by crowds of celebrants lining the course, and made Central Park a worthy rival to Times Square's excitement and fun. Confetti was thrown, noisemakers were honked, and thousands of hands were high-fived as the running pageant threaded through the snowbanks, enjoyed the faux-Champagne aid station at two miles, and flooded down the West Side, while the fireworks boomed and flashed for 17 minutes.

At the front, a field of professional runners made the event a high-quality race: Stephen Furst of Raleigh, NC, lived up to his surname by winning in a course-record 18:11--and needed every second of it to hold off David Jankowski of Blowing Rock, NC, and Bobby Curtis of Ardmore, PA, who finished second and third, respectively, both in 18:12. Desiree Davila of Rochester Hills, MI, America's fastest marathoner of 2010, also set a course record, running 20:51 to defeat Canadian Olympian Carmen Douma-Hussar of Ardmore, PA, who ran 20:55; Allison Kieffer of Tempe, AZ, was third in 21:37.

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