BY ROBERT ELKIN | Lisa Shemie is expected to be one of more than 20,000 runners entering into the Manhattan Half, conducted by the New York Road Runners Club, this Sunday morning, Over all, there will be four separate races. The New York Road Runners is expected to field an international showing but most of the athletes will, as usual, come from the tri-state area.
The same women’s race will feature elite athletes, such as Megan Hogan, Caroline Lefrak and Caitlin Phillips, all from the metro area. Anyone could win the race on a given day. But it likely won’t be Shemie.
The 46-year-old Shemie, originally from Canada, has been a Chelsea resident for 10 years.
Her best half-marathon time is 2:05, turned in last year on the same course that the upcoming 13.1-mile event will be contested on Sunday morning, when she would like to break this time.
“My strategy in the race is to take it easy and to try not to go out fast,” she said, during a break from training at Chelsea Piers and along the Hudson River Park running path. Many runners of all ages work out in Hudson River Park, which has become one of the city’s top jogging routes.
The race will start in Central Park on the East Drive near 72nd St., then go down through Times Square, and finish by the intersection of Wall and Water Sts. in Lower Manhattan.
In addition to competing in half-marathons, Shemie also runs in full marathons. She competed in the Montreal marathon, finishing with a time of about 4:20.
Sunday’s other races include a professional wheelchair division, which starts things off at 7:05 a.m., followed by a professional women’s race, a professional men’s race, a general participant race and — a new addition — a Times Square kids race.
Meanwhile, a local runner headlines the met area runners in the field, but probably won’t go in as an odds on favorite.
One of the top local talents in the professional men’s race is Brendan Martin, who competed on the Columbia University track team.
Martin’s personal best half-marathon time is 1:04.38.
Now competing for the New York Athletic Club, Martin is one of the best half-marathon runners around.
“I’m excited to compete against many of the world’s best runners right here in New York and in Central Park,” Martin said. “I went to school in the city, so I’ve always identified myself as a New York guy. During my four years at Columbia, I ran a lot of miles in Central Park, and it’s still one of my favorite places to run.”
