A convergence of curiosity about the event, the venue and a young, middle-distance runner from NYC’s suburbs brought me for the first time to the Armory in Washington Heights for the 108th Millrose Games Saturday night.

I went to the prestigious track and field meet in upper Manhattan primarily to see 18-year-old Mary Cain of Bronxville, NY attempt to defend her Wanamaker Mile title won in thrilling fashion a year ago when she was just a senior in high school. The Wanamaker is a world famous mile race that attracts the best US milers and sometimes entrants from other countries. The women’s and men’s races are run separately a half-hour apart.

Cain (wearing a red ribbon in her hair for Valentine‘s Day) ran just behind the pacesetters for all but the final three laps before fading to an eighth place (of ten) finish. Cain looked disappointed after crossing the line but one of her coaches later told a reporter that big race experiences like this one will serve her well once her conditioning and strength improve.

30-year-old Shannon Rowbury of San Francisco won the Wanamaker by three full seconds but prompted the big crowd to gasp through her final ten strides or so when it appeared she lost control of her body‘s movement. Rowbury’s upper and lower limbs flailed wildly and weirdly down the stretch which led the on-site P-A announcer Ian Brooks to express alarm over whether she was hurt. Immediately after the race, Rowbury told a television reporter for NBC that her legs “disappeared” in the final 30 meters. Later, on Twitter, Rowbury told her followers that she was physically fine but had suffered what she called a “lactic monkey.”

Cain’s finishing time was 4:31:31, seven seconds slower than Rowbury and about three and half seconds slower than her winning Wanamaker time from a year ago. It should be noted that Cain is trying to juggle training with her first year of college. She’s studying chemistry at the University of Portland.

I bought a $20 standing room only ticket about a week before the event and roamed the venue throughout. A concession stand sold 12-ounce glass bottles of Corona for $7.

The Armory has a rich history. It dates to 1909 and initially served to house military functions. During a stretch in the 80’s, it was an 1800-bed homeless shelter. Now, it hosts track events and after-school fitness and fun activities as well as community-based gatherings nearly year-round. It’s a jewel of a place given its size in a part of the city that lacks space for much of anything like this.

When I first approached the venue, event participants were running up and down snow-covered streets and sidewalks on 168th and 169th streets to warm up or cool down. You had to watch your step walking the Armory’s long hallways because athletes were using the corridors to execute short wind sprints.

I thought it was cool how the Millrose schedule of events included several races dedicated to high school athletes including a special 4 by 400 meter relay for both boys and girls from New York City public schools.

I took the 1 train to 168th Street there and back. As you may know, that station is so deep underground, the only way to get from the platform to the street and vice-versa is via a large freight elevator.