Alumnae `a part of it` in NYC Marathon

A woman who lost her firefighter husband in the 9/11 attacks stood next to group of Scottish men in kilts who stood next to two best friends, in a sea of about 38,000 people from around the world on Staten Island, waiting anxiously. When the cannon blasted, the 38,000-voice choir roared. Start spreading the news I`m leaving today I want to be a part of it New York, New York The journey for which some of them had been preparing for months had begun. Welcome to the New York Marathon, a 26-mile odyssey through five New York boroughs. And in the thick of it all were Britt Cosgrove `00 and Natalie Hawwa `00, those two best friends, New York roommates, sisters since kindergarten. "[Running a marathon] was always something I wanted to do on my checklist of life," Natalie said. Both she and Britt, two inexperienced long-distance runners, threw themselves into training when they decided to enter the race. "I became obsessed with it," Britt said. "We bought books on training, researched it on the Internet and spoke with people who had run it before." The two, who trained separately, adopted a New York Runners running schedule and spent months running three to six miles four or five times a week with long-distance runs on the weekends. "While Natalie and I didn`t train together all the time...our training charts were side-by-side in the living room, so, in a way, we were always pushing each other to stay on track and work hard," Britt said. But with everything they had done, they had no idea just how amazing the marathon would be, emotionally and physically. "Running 26.2 miles seems near impossible...and then you find yourself on marathon day running and counting down the miles and doing it, and you can`t help but be proud of yourself," Natalie said. "There are people [at the start of the marathon] as far as the eye can see and you really have the overwhelming sense of being a part of something that is bigger than yourself," Britt said. For most of the race, the two coasted easily. Natalie hit "the wall" around mile 18 or 19; Britt felt the strain after mile 21. "I no longer cared about my goal time or looking good." Natalie said. "I just wanted to finish. I had to tell myself in my mind, +óGé¼-£You can do this. You`re doing great` over and over again to get through the last miles." And when they did finish? "Crossing over the line was exhilarating...," Britt said. "When I saw the finish line, I almost cried I was so happy," said Natalie. And though the race was grueling and Britt admits she couldn`t walk for two days, having conquered one of the toughest courses in the world of marathon running leaves them looking to the next challenge. "Natalie and I have already discussed running in Tokyo!" Britt said. It shouldn`t be that much of a challenge, because as the song goes... If I can make it there I`ll make it anywhere It`s up to you New York, New York