Freehold woman enjoys her first NYC Marathon
BY INAE OH
Correspondent

Hours have passed since Alexandra Caro crossed the finish line. Her legs are, of course, worn and her body is expectedly tired. Her husband answers the telephone calls, many of them wanting to wish Caro congratulations and to hear stories about her day.

But Caro is unavailable, as the prospect of long awaited rest is too sweet for conversation. It is only 9 p.m. on a Sunday night, a rather unusually early time to call it a night.

But then again, Alexandra Caro did not have the typical lazy Sunday afternoon. She did not sleep in, have a nice late lunch, or lounge around the house. Instead, her day began at dusk. Her diet today consisted of many water bottles to keep from dehydrating as she did everything but lounge. On this day, unlike the average individual, Caro participated in one of the most premier sporting events known throughout the world - the New York City Marathon.

With a staggering 26 miles across New York City's five boroughs, the New York City Marathon is known for the endurance and determination that it demands from its runners. Why participate in such an event? Is it the fame? The chance to run along world renowned athletes?

For Caro, a 37-year-old mother of two from a suburb in New Jersey, the decision to run was rather simple.

"When it comes down to it, I was just in need of a challenge. I just wanted to challenge myself to keep running, and to have a goal. I'm not here to compete with anyone, but myself, to improve my performance for a challenge," said Caro.

A challenge for the ordinary person would be to lose a few pounds before the summer. The ordinary person does not wake up and decide to run 26 miles.

Even so, Caro insists that she is nothing special and that her life is in fact rather ordinary. She lives in the suburban town of Freehold, about an hour away from New York City. She loves sweets and often heads to the local ice cream parlor Applegate for a dessert to fulfill her cravings. She works at home in sales and is the mother of two young children. She repeatedly mentions how plain her life is and even suggests maybe searching for another runner to focus on due to the lack of "spunk" she possesses.

Isabel Keeley, president of the Freehold Area Running Club, explains that Caro's modesty is a quality often found in the running community.

"Runners are probably the most unassuming, humble group of people," Keeley said. "They are supportive of each other and are extremely down to earth. One runner may be the hot shot CEO of a major corporation, but he won't mention it. He'll instead run along his fellow partners with a sense of unity and that everyone is the same. I've ran the marathon 10 times and I have decided this year to finally give back to the program by being a volunteer. That is the spirit of running. It's not about celebrity, because the celebrity factor is a small contingent. It's the fire fighters, the average Joe, the people who walk in memory of September 11th. It's about people like Alexandra Caro, the ordinary people."

And for the millions of viewers around the world who cheer on the marathon, it is people like Alexandra Caro that people come out to see, to cheer on their fellow average Joe.

"It's exciting to see the elite athletes who are able to finish with outstanding times, but I think that most of us here are here to support the typical runner who has a normal job with a normal family. That is what I find rewarding," said Phil Hinck, the operation manager of the Jersey Shore Running Club.

But the two people who are unable to appreciate Caro's accomplishments are perhaps the most important, her children.

"Alexandra and I perform our daily exercises very early in the morning, while the kids are asleep, in order to get the most out of our exercise," Caro's husband, Eric, said. "At the same time, it's a shame we do it so early because our kids are unable to see their mom in action. She works a full-time job during the day while they are in school and above all she is training to a marathon. The real appreciation is not going to hit them till they are older when we are showing them pictures and medals."

The appreciation from her children may not be felt today but the personal satisfaction for Caro surely is.

"Anybody can do anything they put their minds to. They just need to appropriate the right time. I know for me, my kids were no excuse, nor was my job. You can always do it. You just need to straighten out your priorities," said Caro.

As she rests at her home in Freehold, she is also preparing to venture on yet another day, taking care of the kids and working a career. She is, after all, the ordinary suburban woman she insists on being. But unlike most people, on Sunday, she was also the 8,920 runner to walk across the most prestigious finish line in the world.