“I ran it twice,” said Melo. “The people push you. All the dancing, the groups, the music, that’s what motivates you. When you’re running and you’re in pain and tired and thinking of giving up, the people just lift you. They help you get through.”

Lifting people up is part of Melo’s daily work with Nick Ferraiolli and Christian Vargas, both named in bold on his sign. The three men work together at FDNY EMS Station 8, a Kips Bay location of Bellevue EMS. Melo seemed to cheer so hard that he lost his balance when they passed by, but marathon encouragement isn’t the only way he supports his coworkers. Melo has served for 31 years and mentored countless young folks in the FDNY.

“They are great guys. I want to come out and support them,” he said, smiling toothily.

Melo lives just around the corner from his 13th Street and 4th Ave cheering outpost, but he hails from Bogotá, Colombia. The marathon is a favorite slice of NYC culture for Melo, and whether or not his friends are running, he and his wife come out every year. 

“A couple of years it has been very cold,” Melo said, before a toddler in pigtails and a pink puffer wrapped her arms around his legs. “We still come,” he finished, “it’s the community.”

In fact, neighbors surrounded Melo, often roping him into their cheers and throwing their arms around his neck. He joined in chanting “Ben!” over and over for a friend of a friend, and his sign swayed in the bright sky as he turned to watch the runner pass. The community aspect of the NYC marathon is what brings Melo back year after year, to stand out in the sun or bluster.

 “Go New York, Go New York, Go New York, Go!” he shouted, cheering on the whole city.

“We don’t do it for the elite people,” Melo said, looking at his wife. “We like the fact that there are people with struggles in their lives, and they triumph in this. They achieve this.”

Whether they are battling hunger or cancer, says Melo, trouble at work or with the family, folks come out to the marathon to do something. To run the marathon, he implies, is to be good at it, and that is the magic of the day.

Melo chuckled, “They’re doing it; it’s great,” he said. “They’re doing it for whatever cause they can.”

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The bar is a Liverpool Football Club “official” fanbase, and there has been an uptick in excitement towards the sport over the last two years. Owner Vinnie Evans is a New York transplant from Liverpool, but has been in the city since 1999. He opened the bar in May of 2012 and has watched it grow in popularity, especially over the last two years. 

Vinnie Evans is originally from Liverpool and has watched the team grow in popularity over the last two years. Photo by Laurel Poole

Evans said that the English Premier League, including teams like Liverpool, is different from others because of the sense of loyalty and community. 

“It’s easy to see why people are becoming Liverpool supporters because we have the best history, the best fans, and ultimately the best community anywhere,” Evans said. 

With a slogan like, “You’ll never walk alone” it’s not hard to imagine why people are becoming Liverpool fans following a year of isolation. Many take the slogan quite seriously, with some people saying it to each other solemnly as a friend leaves the bar. 

People like Michael Busa, who help to run the Liverpool FC Brooklyn branch think the audience has grown ever since their 2020 Premier League championship.

“It’s hard to say whether this is people becoming fans of the club since COVID hit, or since we started winning games,” Busa said. 

Tom Farrell was walking down the street with his two year-old daughter in 2014, when he described seeing a wave of red heading into the Monro. After wandering in, the two became regular visitors and fans of the club. Farrell noticed a big difference in people’s attitude towards the club in the last two years.

“A decade ago they wouldn’t even show these games on TV, no one would have been here,” Farrell said. “But during COVID, people would reserve seats in the backyard just to sit outside in 30 degree weather. There were more people reserving seats and coming in just because they wanted the community of it [The Monro].” 

A close opportunity for Liverpool to score hits the sidebar and gets fans hopes up at the Monro Pub in South Slope. Photo by Laurel Poole

With shows like “Ted Lasso” rising in popularity, American audiences are intrigued by the global soccer community. The series is an Apple TV comedy detailing an American football coach becoming accustomed to coaching in the English Premier League. Echoing themes from Liverpool’s slogan, the show details how a sport can bring people together. 

Demian Knott has worked as a bartender at the Monro Pub since November of 2019. He said that stay-at-home orders actually caused a spike in interest.

“You know, because of the time difference, games are on from like 10:00 am to 5:00 pm which was difficult [to watch] before,” Knott said. “But with everyone working from home, it was like perfect to have on in the background.

Slowly, Knott believes people started finding their team affiliation and the Monro. Or the other way around. 

Demian Knott has been a bartender at the Monro since 2019. Here he is pouring drinks before the game starts, while everyone finds their seats. Photo by Laurel Poole

According to research from Nottingham Trent University, being in community while going through a crisis has major mental health benefits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, soccer allowed people to connect over traditions they don’t even understand- like memorizing the ending anthem of each Liverpool game. 

No one in the bar seemed to know where it came from or why they sing it (along with many of the other songs), but they threw themselves into the lyrics,

“When you walk through a storm

Hold your head up high

And don’t be afraid of the dark”

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Christopher Neal Rommelmann, 50 of Brooklyn Heights, cheers on runners alongside mile eight of the course at the NYC Marathon. Photo by Reuben Jones

Bundled up in a scarf, jacket and black beret Christopher Neal Rommelmann, 50 of Brooklyn Heights, took the job of cheering on runners in the NYC City Marathon pretty seriously. He’s run 20 marathons all over the world, but a recent injury sidelined him today.

Standing alongside mile eight of the course, near Park Slope, Rommelmann said this is the part of the race where runners start to lose some of the initial nervousness and begin to start “hitting their stride.”

According to Rommelmann, the hardest part of the race is the beginning, but the end result is very rewarding.

“It’s euphoric, you feel like you can do anything,” Rommelmann said, “[You feel like] all the other problems in life you can conquer.”

Rommelmann said this year’s run is special because of the recent memories of the Boston Marathon bombing.

“Everybody is all in support because of Boston,” said Rommelmann, “We will bend, we will not break.”

The NYPD beefed up security for the race this year after the Boston Marathon bombing last April that killed three people and injured over 250 . Police used baggage screenings, helicopters, surveillance cameras and bomb-sniffing dogs to make sure the 26-mile race that featured more than 47,000 runners went smoothly.

Rommelmann said for people watching, the marathon is an experience that should not be missed.

“You gotta bundle up a little bit, but it’s so worth it,” he said.

Jennifer Henry, 46 of Park Slope, cheers in joy after she runs a few steps with a fellow “Aussie.” Photo by Reuben Jones

The screams of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” from Jennifer Henry aren’t hard to hear even over the band, the voices of the crowd and the runners’ footsteps hitting the ground one by one.

Henry, 46, has been a resident of Park Slope for five years, but it’s clear she hasn’t forgotten where she is from.

Decked out in an Australian hat and holding high her home country’s flag, Henry said one of the reasons she comes to watch the New York City Marathon is to support her compatriots.

“Thought it might be nice for them [Australians] to see something they recognize,” said Henry, “They will see the flag and find me.”

It wasn’t hard for runners to spot or hear Henry. As one runner passed, she joined him for a few strides down the street and let him knew loudly there was another Australian in the crowd.

Henry, who works for a scientific non-profit and came to the United States because of her job, said she has never run the race, but the joy for her is watching those people who might be running their first or last marathon.

“You can see all walks of life going past,” Henry said, “Inspiring to see people who have had a journey.”
She was referring to those runners in the race who might have or are overcoming injuries.

Henry said she had not missed a race since she moved to the States and is motivated by wanting to help those runners that need more support.

“Makes me feel good,” she said.

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