Central Park Race. In May 2004

[John Gilmour]

I would like to hold a race in Central Park. NYC has the largest pedestrian population in America, it would seem fitting to have a slalom race where people need alternatives to cars more than anywhere else in the US.

Besides, I grew up there and started my first slalom course there.

My thoughts. (I'll give you guys all the criteria in hopes that someone has a great idea I missed)

Central park is closed Weekdays to motor vechile traffic from 10am to 3pm and then from 7pm to 10pm.

On weekends Central Park is closed to cars from 7pm friday until 6 am monday.

Holidays from 7pm the night before to 6am the day afterwards.

Some thoughts from experience. As I used to set up slalom courses in the Park.

Pedestrian traffic (which I will refer to hereafter as "traffic") consisting of rollerbladers, and runners, walkers, strollers, cyclists etc is greatest on the weekends.

This traffic seems to change with the temperature. If it is really cold out- there is no traffic other than runners and a few cyclists. If it is super hot out traffic is just walkers and rollerbladers and bikes.

Traffic is least on weekdays from 10-3pm (virtually non existant)

Traffic on weekdays is much heavier from 7pm until 8:30 pm and then tapers off sharply. However Friday night never seems to have much traffic.

On the weekends Pedestrian traffic is very high. Sunday it is the highest with the greatest number of walkers. Cyclists come out early on the weekends to try and get laps in before the park gets too crowded.

To think of doing a race in Mid to late June would be suicide. Lines and lines of zombie rollerbladers not paying attention that can not stop or turn.

My reasons behind doing a race in May are-

1. Closest to the summer soltice (longest day of the year)we could run a race until 10pm if needed. The park is also lit.
2. Perfect temperature around 63-72 degrees.
3. April showers are over. Also little chance for late afternoon thunderstorms like in July and August.
4. New Yorkers have not all started their summer exercise kicks yet.
5. Central park concert series has not begun yet.
6. The Puerto Rican Day Parade is the second sunday in June- June 8th. It would be impossible to slalom during this parade.
7. Sunday May 4th is the Cuban day parade. It would be impossible to slalom during this parade.
8. Aids walk in Central Park is Sunday the 18th of May. As are the MLK parade and Hatian day Parade. In Brooklyn there is the Scandanavian and Norweigan parade...but we won't be skating there .....sigh.
9. The 23,24,25 is Memorial day Weekend. There is a Mardi Gras day parade from 45-57th street (central park south) some floats might spill over. Typically the city clears out over Memorial Day weekend so this strangely enough this is a pretty good candidate.
10, Saturday May 31 is another Puerto Rican day parade- but not in central Park- though afterwards many people flow into the park.
11. Sunday June 14 is Hare Krishna day Sunday is fathers day- so that weekend is likely out as well.

After that it is just too hot to slalom. Temps can be as low as 78 degrees and as high as 102.

So after all the dust settles May 11th is mothers day so that is also out.

So the best days are Friday May 16th and Saturday May 17th. Sunday is out for Aids walk which will comepletely overwhelm Central Park.

Memorial Day weekend is also a possibility but I would like to hear from the racers if they would prefer to keep that weekend for other use.

My thoughts are to run a GS in the Morning on either day as GS speeds are the highest and pedestrian traffic will be the lowest. It would be a true GS with speeds around 25mph. Best of three runs.

Then when it gets a little more crowded and we have to work within a more limited space we have an extremely high speed TechSl. The TechSL would be limited to 8 entrants. If there is time remaining the bottom half of the techsl which would not be as fast or as tech could be used by any racer that wants to race it.

Surface is Avalon friendly- you could also use Cambrias.

[John Gilmour]

My favorite hill....

The 79th street hill going down to the boat house...also known as Cat hill for the large puncing cat statue.

In Standup this is a high 30's mph hill.

It flows against traffic. Bathrooms are in the Loeb Boathouse owned by Peter Loeb's family- he went to my school- we could arrange a party there. There is a full restaurant there.