Athletics: Sisters' first marathon famed NewYork event

These sisters like a difficult challenge. They have opted to run their first marathon in the 40th annual New York Marathon on Sunday.

Fifty-seven-year-old Annette Sinclair (nee Philip) and sister Carol Patterson (49) will join 37,000 runners in the world's most prestigious marathon.

"We like to get out of our comfort zone," Sinclair told the Otago Daily Times.

"We have waited for this chance for the last 30 months. It's exciting but also scary."

The sisters decided 12 years ago to do something special each year.

They were joined by their middle sister, Christchurch-based Lynn (55), for other adventures, but she is not able to go to New York.

"This will be the biggest venture of our life," Sinclair said.

They do not intend to run the full marathon.

"We will run and walk but we will get there in the end," Sinclair, a Dunedin taxi driver, said.

Patterson, an Alexandra administrator, is not apprehensive.

"I'm stoked," she said.

"It will be an awesome experience. I'm rapt to be part of the atmosphere."

It is not easy to gain entry to the New York Marathon and the sisters had to be patient before their entry was accepted.

"We searched the internet two years ago and found a travel agent who had been allocated places in the race," Sinclair said.

The sisters put their names down and were put on the backup list for the 2007 and 2008 event. This year, they were lucky.

The sisters are not expecting miracle times in the race.

"I would like to break six hours," Sinclair said.

"If we broke five hours we would get our name, place and time printed in the New York Times."

Patterson, the younger sister, is confident of breaking six hours.

"If I ran 5hr 30min I'd be thrilled," she said.

"But my aim is just to complete the distance."

Both sisters have competed in the Dunedin half-marathon five times and they walked the Otago Peninsula Challenge this year.

Sinclair completed the half-marathon in 3hr 04min last month and Patterson in 2hr 40min.

She ran a best time of 2hr 28min in the Christchurch half-marathon in June.

Sinclair found it difficult to run outside during the cold Dunedin winter and did a lot of her training on a treadmill in her lounge at home.

She also worked with hand weights, a skipping rope and a Swiss ball.

Patterson had trouble with blisters on her feet on her regular run from Clyde to Alexandra and back.

"Over the last two months, I have maintained my fitness by mixing running, cycling, work in the gymnasium and playing squash," she said.