Dan's Papers - May 23, 2008

When Dan Rattiner founded the Potatohampton race in 1978, it was for the sake of the East End's exercise elite. Initially a 10k run, the Potatohampton was intended as an event for the then not-so-expansive clique of avid joggers who didn't get enough opportunities to explore the Hamptons vistas and scenery on their feet. For the first few years, Rattiner led a growing number of runners, but still only around 100 or so, from his car, around Ocean Road, and they took the action seriously. Many were training for the New York City Marathon, which itself was only eight years old (and initially only had 55 competitors) and was the Potatohampton's urban counterpoint. The Boston Marathon, the world's oldest annual marathon (modeled after the Olympics in the late 1800s), was the nation's most established running race at the time. Whereas the New York City Marathon was a stamina-draining 26-mile trail around New York City's five boroughs and the Boston Marathon was a hilly and serious maze around New England, the Potatohampton offered a more tranquil path with extensive views of the East End's potato fields, the origins of the race's title. The Potatohampton was for Hamptonites or nationwide joggers who were serious about running - and, in 1978, any regular jogger was considered serious about running - but enjoyed the dash through Bridgehampton's then even less developed natural agricultural terrain. But like the potatoes on the farms that the competitors sped past, the race began to grow.

Today, the Potatohampton is a relatively light 5k race and a celebrated Hamptons event. With turnouts of 250-plus runners, thousands of spectators and sponsors like Town & Country Real Estate, the race is as much an early marker of the summer season as it a form of exercise. The race garners thousands of dollars for The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, a 12-acre farm with a playground, classroom and athletic facility for local children from low-income families. Dan Rattiner still leads packs of runners in his car, but the packs have grown by the hundreds of people. The event has grown, in part, out of its accessibility - made even more accessible four years ago when its length was chopped in half. But the race's growth is also a marker of how running and exercise have become established aspects of the East End culture. Over the past 30 years, jogging especially has become an activity for otherwise exercise-avert Hamptonites. One no longer needs to be a "serious jogger" to be in a race like Potatohampton or Ellen's Run, the 5k race in East Hampton.

My own origins as a writer at Dan's Papers began in Bridgehampton at the Potatohampton. I began running the race four years ago, having taken to my parents' treadmill as a way to burn calories, increase endorphins and kill time. Because the Potatohampton was a non-threatening 5k race, I agreed to run it alongside my father - a friendly on-foot competition. I was nervous before the race; awkwardly scoping out some past patrons from the country club I had quietly served drinks at the previous summer. But as the race got underway, I felt a sense of connection both with the terrain - as one often does when jogging in Bridgehampton - and with my fellow joggers and East Enders. It was a communal exercise that paid homage to the land that - while slightly more developed, largely with mansions, than it was in 1978 - still created a breathtaking, wide-angle view path. After the race, I was encouraged to introduce myself to Dan Rattiner, in his iconic all-white outfit and safari hat. Four years later, I had become a better runner and writer, and I famously waved goodbye to Justin DeMarco, former Dan's Papers editorial assistant, then my co-worker and running rival, as I passed him on the third mile of the Potatohampton.

The Potatohampton has come to represent the modern Hamptons - aesthetically pleasing, health-conscious, and, while populated and high profile, still retaining a hometown feel. This year's race, set for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend at 9 a.m., will start on Ocean Road just south of the Bridgehampton monument, with pre-regsitration starting at 7:30 a.m. There will be trophies in nine categories, including last to walk across the finish line. If the metaphor can be made that it also brings to light the East End's competitive side, than that's apt too - but it's a friendly competition, and not too long of a race!