A Quarter-Mile With NY Harriers

On Sunday, many marathoners-in-training will run the TCS New York City Marathon Training Series 18M. And no doubt many members of New York Harriers will be out on course. The Harriers are our featured team for this week’s edition of A Quarter Mile With.

Name: Scott Bartucca

Club: New York Harriers

Fartlek or tempo? Tempo. I hate them, but they're so good for you and involve less thinking than Fartleks.

Favorite NYRR race? Toss up between the TCS New York City Marathon and the Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run 5M. Two of the most joyful races on the NYRR calendar.

Favorite race distance? 10 miles. It's the Goldilocks of race distances—not too short, not too long. A half-marathon without those pesky last 3.1 miles.

Favorite distance to run? Any. It just depends on the circumstances, but an easy 12 miles on a crisp fall day sounds heavenly.

Running hero? There are so many. Meb Keflezighi and Kara Goucher are shining lights in the running world. But anyone who's lacing up shoes and putting one foot in front of the other, all while lifting those around them, is a running hero.

Post-race meal? Give me all the food. And coffee. And a beer.

Cold-weather or warm-weather running? Cold, but not too cold. I'll take running on a 20-degree day over a 90-degree one.

Treadmills: yay or nay? Nay! But I admit they're sometimes a necessary evil. A run on a treadmill is better than no run at all.

Most exotic place you’ve run? Being chased by wild dogs in Anguilla is something I won’t soon forget.

Race-day inspiration quote? Trust your training and stick to your race plan.

Toughest race course, in your opinion? I still have nightmares about the hills I ran during the third leg of the Golden Gate Relay out in California.

Song that makes you want to go faster? Right now, anything by Years and Years really gets me going.

You can run alongside any three people in the world: Who are they? I already run alongside my favorite people. But, if I had to choose more, maybe Lady Gaga, Meb, and Barack Obama. That's quite the trio.

Best non-running account you follow on Instagram? SubwayCreatures. Makes me cackle every time.

Your club, in five words or less? The very best.