NY Flyers Eric Vermilya wins the first ever "One Lucky Guy" contest.

Who better to represent the first ever One Lucky Guy than Eric Vermilya?

In a hotly contested drawing involving hundreds of eager male runners wanting in to an All Women's race Eric Vermilya had THE lucky ticket.

Eric just about fell off his chair when I called to tell him he had won. He went on to explain that some women runners from his club may want to come up and run with him as his entourage. He explains "As you can see, I’m a member of the New York Flyers which I consider my second family. We happen to be the largest club in New York City (with approx. 700 members.)"

Eric now lives permanently in New York City with his new girlfriend, Uli. He has gone back to school full-time to major in finance, and is in his senior year at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT.

No novice when it comes to running. He has captained Vamos a la Play a NH Reach the Beach Relay team, run 26 half marathons and nine marathons since 2003, including Boston BQ’d at the 2005 Chicago marathon, with a time of 3:26:31 (PR). However, since I’ve run Boston and started back to school I‘ve cut down my mileage a lot. Now I mostly run for the social aspect, to be with my friends and run with Uli, though lately I’ve been getting the itch to start training seriously again. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll run this race for time or run it with Ulana. I think we’re also trying to work on getting some other NY Flyers to come up for the race, but it’s going to be short notice for a lot of people.

Editors advise... - You better run with Uli if you want a ride home.. !

More on Eric. . . .

OCT. 2005 New York Flyer Article on Eric Vermilya

I f you look around at every weekend race or training run
taking place in Central Park or around New York, you're almost sure to find Eric Vermilya. This is how dedicated he is to running, his friends, and the Flyers. But what one doesn't realize is that Eric drives over 80 miles each way whenever he decides to come to the city. Not to mention how early he has to wake up to be on time for the races
or runs. Once you understand the lengths that Eric goes
to in order to be an active member of the Flyers, you begin
to have a better idea of his dedication. In addition,
you can also begin to understand how he managed to
build his impressive record as a runner over the past
three years.

Eric Vermilya was born on Long Island and lived in Massapequa until he was thirteen. He then moved to Brewster,New York, where he lived until he left for college.
While Eric has always been involved in sports, running
only recently became his primary activity. During his high
school years, Eric ran no more than four miles at a time,
just as part of his training routine for wrestling and other
activities. Later, he resumed running, but only to get himself
back in shape from the extra pounds that he gained
over the years. His knees always seemed to start hurting
after a couple of weeks of training, making him believe
that he would never be able to run more than what he
was already running. During this entire period, Eric only
managed to run a single 10K race.
It was after Eric joined a 5K race about three years ago in
Hartford that the running bug finally bit him. Feeling he
would not run faster than a 10:00 minute per mile pace,
Eric not only got excited but also hooked on running
when he realized he finished the race at an 8:30 minute
per mile pace.
Still reluctant because of his knees, Eric felt that there
was no way he could ever finish a marathon. But,
through self-coaching, and reading books and articles
about running, Eric learned that his knee injuries were the
result of improper training: I still find it a sobering fact that you can talk yourself out of so many things if you rationalize enough.
Since then, Eric has, in a period of less than two years,
participated in five marathons across the United States
and Europe. These include Hartford, Zurich, New York,
Miami and Madrid. As he points out, combining vacations
with marathons is a great way to get to know a city.?
More impressive, however, are Eric's improvements.
From his first marathon in October 2003 to the last one in
April 2005, Eric was able to bring down his finish time by
almost 40 minutes, achieving a 3:39:55 PR (8:23 pace).
His PR in a 5K is now 19:55 (6:25 pace). Both PR's are
below the 8:30 pace in that all-important 5K he ran three
years ago. For these and all other accomplishments, Eric
was recognized by the Flyers as the Best Male Improved
Performance in this year's Awards Party, an honor of
which he feels very proud.

 

 

 

 

 

Eric joined the Flyers a few months after the milestone 5K race. He was already then working towards completing the nine NYRR races that would guarantee his entry into the New York City Marathon.

Living far from the city, Eric looked for a way to hang around prior to driving all way back home right after the races. That's when he decided to join the Flyers, only to then learn of our tradition of being one of the most social running clubs in New York.

Eric has since then become a very active member of the club. He is one of our Apparel Coordinators and also ran for Vice President last year, losing in what he jokingly calls ?a rigged election? while smiling at me. Captain Eric also led Vamos a la Playa, the Flyers team in this year's
Reach the Beach relay, and actively participated in last
year's Hood to Coast and Reach the Beach events. Eric strongly believes in giving back to what he belongs to, whether it means giving back to our club, the community, or the country, and he is always looking for new opportunities to volunteer.

As to whether he will run for a position with the Flyers next year, Eric leaves us wondering and speculating, but he does let us know why he remains a Flyer: ?I?ve stayed with the Flyers because, to me, they represent what is best about running. I view us as goodwill ambassadors
for the sport of running, who love to run and love to compete,
but also love to see our friends succeed. And if our friends happen to beat us, that's all the better.?

Article courtesy of NY Flyers News on the Run Oct. 05 edition.

Email info@locorunning.com
Questions call MIKE - 603 659 2824