Kaity Runs the NYC Marathon!

The New York City marathon coming up! Mr G is running something like his 28th consecutive one. Okay, he did skip last year, and maybe one other year but my point is he’s run a hell of a lot of marathons. And he’s always among the first…..oh, 20,000 or so to cross the finish line. Just kidding G. Jeesh, he’s so sensitive.

I’ve been to a few marathons myself. Reporting on them. Live, from the comfort of a director’s chair.

The first year PIX asked me to be part of the coverage team, I really tried to beg off, saying I know nothing about marathons or running, I don’t run, and I just wasn’t a good fit. They didn’t care, and that’s why I found myself, several years in a row, freezing my tushy off at 4 in the morning as we set up for the start of the race. But I have to admit, once that race begins, it is quite spectacular. It truly IS one of the great New York events.

Back in the day when PIX was the station that carried the marathon live, G not only ran the race, he did reports along the way. What a guy! He’s had groin injuries, knee problems, you name it, he’s had it, but run he MUST! He’s addicted to it! I do admire that. I simply don’t wish to emulate it. And I doubt that I could emulate it, even if I tried. This man runs every day. Just this weekend, he ran 18 miles in the park, training for the marathon. I thought he said he'd run 18 BLOCKS, and THAT was enough to impress me. No, he says patiently, not blocks. Miles. You go, G.

And this year, a young woman named Kaity …..yes, Kaity….wrote me an email saying she is running the marathon for the very first time. Her mother is a big fan, and when her baby girl was born some 20 years ago, she named her Kaity. This particular Kaity is Asian, but there’s at least one Italian girl and a Latino girl out there….I’ve gotten letters from them…named Kaity.

And there’s a dog on Long Island that answers to that name. I know.

I have met Kaity Tsui, the young woman who is about to run her first marathon, and she’s a delightful, charming, intelligent person. When I met her, I told her to thank her mother for liking me so much she’d name a child after me. But at the same time, I apologized to her for the name, because it has caused me quite a bit of grief over the years. People are always mispronouncing it and misspelling it. Refer to my blog “My Name is Kaity. Ms. Tong if you’re Nasty.”

The way my name has been butchered over the years made me feel sorry that Kaity Tsui had to go through what I did. Though, truly, you just have to have a good sense of humor about it. I’ve been called everything from Connie Chung to Katie Dong and Witey Long.

My all-time favorite, though, is the fan letter addressed to me this way: Dear Tiny Tongue…..

I still have that letter somewhere.

Anyway, Kaity Tsui, good luck on your first NYC marathon. I know you’ll do our name proud.