Thursday, October 29, 2009

thousandmilers are rebounding

Well, the fundraiser went beautifully, and was a lot of fun. We raised over $2500 for the MWCT. Edward and the Maasai showed up, and Edward and Brian spoke, and everyone was joyous. Raffling was exciting and the food and drink was lovely. Thanks to our sponsors, especially the Ainsworth for having us.


The dudes in the photo are all runners, including Brian himself, Edward Norton, and the Maasai: Samson, Parishi, and Sunte. Luca, in the middle, runs things for the MWCT in Kenya. Greg Sauter, far left, is an AECOM team member with us. Many thanks to Steve Guyer, who did the event photography, which can be seen here:

http://www.steveguyer.com/maasaimarathon/

We have all recovered from our hangovers/event burnout, now, and are super excited to go out and support Brian on Sunday... just a couple days away!!! We'll be in a few locations over the city, in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. I think tomorrow we may get together and make posters to wave around in his honor while huddling together in the morning of our post-Halloween daze... better not make this Halloween too much of a wild one.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

MWCT Fundraiser Today!

Attention Bleeding Hearts, Lushes and Celebrity Gawkers, alike...

The Fundraiser is today at the Ainsworth here in the Flatiron, and it's going to be a good one... with appearances by the Maasai themselves, Edward Norton, and some others, plus the open bar, your $40 contribution to the MWTC will be well worth it. Show up by 6:30 for the opening ceremonies led by Brian, and look out for the special guests.

Purchase tickets at the door, or here.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

About the Thousandmilers

We told you all about Brian Field, our bold and gracious runner, a couple months ago. Here's the rest of us.

Brian Goldberg
(Un)Official Starter and Official Photographer for Weekly Training Runs; Coordinator of the AECOM Marathon Initiative; Neutral-Clad Warrior of Peace and Consensus; fan of asphalt inlay

Brian serves as the (Un)Official Starter of the Weekly Training Runs, counting all the participants and announcing when it is time for us to start running. Seconds before announcing the start, Brian takes the photo of the training run team and share it with the thousandmilers blog.

Brian also helps coordinate the overall AECOM Maasai Marathon effort, liaising among the Maasai Trust, AECOM runners and the AECOM Marathon Committee. He has led AECOM’s pro-bono planning assistance for the Maasai Trust, including facilitating a two-day strategic planning workshop; producing a marketing and business plan for the Trust’s ecotourism lodge, Campi ya Kanzi (www.maasai.com); collaborating with Google to prepare a baseline mapping framework and working with Yale to explore carbon finance payments.

Shaun O'Rourke
Team Captain, Organizer, Mystery Man

Shaun doesn't like to write bios. But he does like Vermont, and time off.

Erika Matthias
MasterBlogger, Mutineer; Grey Sky Enthusiast

Hailing from Seattle, a year of New York City living has Erika straddling the East/West Coast divide. An idealist at heart, she finds herself baffled at the high presence of A-type personalities here, and the low (though increasing) presence of recycling receptacles in the NYC public realm, while also finding herself in love with good bagels and the refreshing openness of the New Yorker spirit. A landscape architect and environmental educator, she is passionate about creating places that inspire and connect people to the places they inhabit.

When she is not covering marathon/Maasai-related events here, drafting construction details or revising Public Design Commission submissions, Erika enjoys writing, laughing, arguing, and taking photos. She lives in the East Village, USA. Her personal blog can be found at mindseye-ea.blogspot.com.

Alejandra Marambio
Chilean Cheerleader; Cross-cultural Diplomat; not a fan of lines or profiteering

Alejandra is a landscape designer with a background in architecture focused on responding to environmental, cultural, and historic contexts. She has a particular interest in promoting landscape design in developing countries (notably, Chile!!!). Alejandra spent her formative years in New York City and moved with her family back to their native Chile at the age of ten. She recently transferred from our San Francisco office to return to New York roots.

Alejandra has been focusing her energy in the effort toward fundraising, notably using her Chilean connections to reach out and help support Brian and the trust. In the actual training she serves more as more of an observer (due to a knee problem) but takes to channeling her positive energies for morale and riding her bike in support.

Jenny Hamann
Girl Friday, Cheerleader, Boilermaker; Most Colorful Attire

Jenny, a landscape designer, has been at EDAW for almost two years. A sprinter by nature, she cannot imagine ever having the desire to run a marathon. Her experience running is strictly on track and never running more than 400 meters. Even so, she still enjoys joining the team on training runs to help achieve our thousand miles.

Jenny's role in the thousandmilers effort is often to channel her social nature toward fundraising and looking for way to increase participation across our global offices. Some little known facts about Jenny are as follows:

-Huge college football fan. (team, Boilermakers; conference, Big Ten, although she also loves SEC games)
-Jenny also has about 60 pairs of shoes, many of them sneakers with flair.
-Lesser-known fact: loves musical biographical movies. Favorite likely the 1998 made-for-TV movie “The Temptations”
Laurel Hunter
Gracious Green Taskmaster; Compost-Worshipping Sun Goddess; costuming

Laurel is an amateur worm farmer and urban gardener who lives in Brooklyn, NY. A southern Californian transplant, Laurel enjoys fresh produce, sunshine, and the beach. She also likes to travel, read, photograph, sketch, build, cook, eat, smell, run, laugh, plant and talk. Touch is her favorite sense. She is a free-spirited person stuck in the body of a compulsive German Scot.

At EDAW, Laurel is on the resorts team and has been involved in the Parking Day and Green Roof charrettes, the Green Team + Sustainability Core Group, the CAD committee, and the Design Core Group. Most recently, Laurel chaired NYC’s LEED study group, producing 15 new LEED AP's in the NYC office. Which to anyone who doesn't think about building stuff like we do all day, means Laurel helped cheer on 15 people to become more knowledgeable and capable of creating environtmentally-friendly, energy-efficient buildings and landscapes.

Laurel keeps the thousandmilers in check, keeping track of the miles we run, our calendar, and fundraising data, and coordinating our running outfits. She will serve a crucial cheering section hostess in Brooklyn on marathon day.

In The Wings
these people have helped us immensely so I'll tell you a little about them.

Katti Yamashita
Fundraising Liason; Shaman; "Knows People"

Katti is really pregnant. She recently injured her rib coughing too hard. Though these things cannot and should not be ignored (in that order, respectively), Katti runs the administration of our office and serves in aiding our fundraising efforts, generously offering her resourcefulness, savoir faire, mad cuisine skills, and industry connections.

Anthony Blanco
AV Club; Wants to Take Your Picture; English, not just British

Anthony does our motion pictures, and is making a star of Brian in the process. To make a living, he is in charge of video for AECOM and does graphic design. He has helped direct movies and has worked with important people. He has two small children. He finds pirates fascinating.

Karen Appel
Fundraising Warrior; Queen of Compliance; Protector of Marshes

Karen juggles two hats at our firm; quality assurance and control for the office, and restoring the natural systems of the Northeast. No small feat. Karen was raised and lives in New Jersey but often travels around the country saving the environment and making sure everyone has crossed their T's and dotted their I's on official documents. She has helped us in coordinating fundraising for the marathon effort.

Friday, October 23, 2009

The Big Event!!!


Join us at The Ainsworth Tuesday, October 27th 6:30-10PM (122 W. 26th St. between 6th and 7th ave.) to celebrate “A Night for the Maasai”. it's going to be a great time with lots of great prizes being raffled off. Sam Adams provided us up with plenty of beer along with some great wine from Pasanella and sons. So pass this along to all your friends and make sure you buy your tickets in advance. I hope you all can make it.


Please RSVP at the link below for advance discount tickets! Tickets will also be available at the door. View the invitation below for the full details. http://forthemaasai.eventbrite.com/






Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Maasai in NYC

The three Maasai Warrior's are in the city. Read about some of their experiences so far on Edward's twitter page. I can't wait to meet these guys.

Edward Norton on the Marathon and The Cause


Sunday, October 18, 2009

MWCT recues lost young elephant

Read this amazing story about a recent elephant rescue on the Kuku Ranch. If you haven't had a chance to make a donation yet please do. Any amount will make a huge difference. Your donations will go directly to the MWCT so they can continue to make incredible efforts such as this. Thanks to all who have already donated!!






Tuesday, October 13, 2009

It's all downhill from here

This past Sunday signified an important milestone in my training. It was the last of three long runs( 20 miles or more) and will be the start of the long awaited taper down to the marathon. Below is a chart from Hal Higdon that I have been following to train for this marathon. I'm on week 16.




I started off my long run this past Sunday in Staten Island with 6000 other runners in the Staten island half marathon. It was nice to be running with so many people and also served as a practice run for the marathon. I think it is good Idea to get out there and run a race leading up to marathon to get used to having so many people around you.

The route was out and back along the water that had excellent views of Manhattan. I was bit surprised by the hills but it was good to get some in. The halfway point of the run took us under the
Verrazano bridge where I know I will be returning in three short weeks.

I finished the half, resisted the temptation to stop with the others and kept going to do the course again. I ran out past mile 4 and turned around to finish the day at 21 miles.
All and all it was a great run.

Monday, October 12, 2009

as seen on the subway

Here it comes...! Marathon ad in the Metro this morning

This spectacular photo was taken this on the R train as it was pulling into the 28th street stop. Which isn't easy, with an iphone, while trying to hold onto the pole and not fall over while trying to avoid creeping out the people sitting in front of the sign and brushing elbows with you.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

The Google Android goes for a run



Thanks to Google we have been given the opportunity to test out the Android powered Google G1 Smartphone. I’ll be taking the G1 with me on some of my training runs and will be using the application "My Tracks" to track my runs and upload the information to Google Maps. I took it out and tested it for the first time on our weekly team run in central park. Matt Seybert and Jenny Hamann joined me on the run.

The Android mapped our route while recording very useful information about our run including pace, elevation, and distance. More information about our run was uploaded and saved in Google Docs. With the built in camera I stopped and took a photo looking out over the reservoir. The blue pin on the map indicates where the photo was taken. In addition to using it on training runs we also hope to see how the Android powered phone can benefit the projects we work on. I'd like to thank Karin Tuxen at Google for giving us the opportunity to test out the Anroid powered phone.




View The Resevoir Run in a larger map

If you would like to hear more about the capabilities of "My Tracks" click on the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBmjJrgUGdE

Company Press


Check out the article written in our company newsletter about the cause and AECOM’s involvement with the MWCT. It also introduces the three PDD(Planning Design + Development) runners including myself and Brian Goldberg. Brian has been leading AECOM’s pro-bono project work with the MWCT and has been working to promote the fundraising efforts for the MWCT. He has been a crucial part of keeping the marathon team organized and aiding runner’s fundraising efforts. http://www.exemplaryenvironments.com/volumeI_issue3/people.aspx

Monday, October 5, 2009

Photo Shoot

I have finally gotten around to posting some of the photos of Brian's photoshoot with Edward (Norton) and some of the other Maasai Marathon runners on our Flickr page. They were taken in August for use to promote the effort.

If you like athletic glamour shots, or would like to revel in some Edward Norton glory, check out the flickr uploads. We just ask that you donate to the Maasai Marathon effort via Brian's account in direct correlation to the amount of excitement you derive from the shots. ;)



go, brian go!!! look, he's winning! he's winning!!!!!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

New York, a small city?

Well Not exactly. Not in terms of the people that live or the density and the scale of the buildings that tower above the city streets. But from a runners point of view. A runner training for a marathon and needs to plan out a 20 mile training run. So what does a 20 run look in Manhattan. The loop in red is what I call the double out in back. I leave my apartment at the South St. Seaport head north to 34th along the east river and then back down around battery park and then up the Hudson and turn around at 72nd. I try to avoid out in backs when possible but sometimes they are most convenient. Also the run is along the water the entire time so there is a nice freshness in the air compared to the interior of the city. The route in blue is also a 20 mile run but a loop. I have never attempted this route before but will check it out for my next long run.

I completed the red route this past Sunday and decided to throw in an extra mile at the end to test my limits to make it 21. Felt good. Well good for someone that just ran 21 miles.

bfield