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Our Very Own Richmond Rockets Patricia Mulligan is featured in Staten Island Advance: As a 'Model of Consistency' for All Runners! Please check out this Amazing article right here below.

Patricia is our Richmond Rockets Captain and is also a teacher who helps all the Running Community and Athlete gain scholarships by organizing the event with schools and our friendly running club. Go Trish! Thank you Trish for being an INSPIRATION to us all!  

STATEN ISLAND ON THE RUN: PATRICIA MULLIGAN IS A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
 

Article By Jeff Benjamin

Talk about an impressive resume!

She’s the head coach for the McKee/Staten Island Tech girls’ track team.
She’s a former president of the Richmond Rockets.
She’s a board member of the Staten Island Running Association.
She co-chairs the Staten Island Track & Field Association with Chris Mancusi.
And, year in and year out, Patricia Mulligan has been one of the borough’s top competitors on the racing scene, netting lots of age-group awards notably in Triple Crown races going back to the 1990s!
Catching up with Mulligan is no easy feat, but the Tottenville alum took the time to share her thoughts:

How did you get into running?

“I first got into running by my dad. He ran marathons and the local road races in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I would always ask him if I could go on his run with him when I was little. My first Saturday morning Fun Run was when I was 6. I also ran the Memorial Day and Pepper Martin kids races when he ran the 5 milers in the 80s and ran the 5 milers for the 10-and-under age group. I wasn’t competitive then. It was all for fun.”

Your HS and college performances?

High School Performances - Best 5k 20:32, 800 2:32, 400 hurdles 72.98
Favorite High School Performances - Senior Year - Brown Invitational 1995. “We won the Championship. It was a tie and I was the sixth runner and broke the tie.”
“Also senior year, I placed fifth in the NYC Champs Pentathlon. I wasn’t great at any of the five events but knew them all and could do them all well.
College Performances -- Best 5k 20:57, 800 2:29

What are your best local and NYC Racing performances?

NYC Marathon: 3:33:56 (best marathon Philly 3:26:58)
SI Half: 1:39:04
Memorial Day (at the beach): 26:21
Ronaldson: 20:47
Pepper Martin: 35:01
Best 5k: 20:07

Who are some of your Running friends/teammates?

“I really consider all of the SI running community my friends.”
 

 

Longtime friends and training partners Patricia Mulligan (L) and Brigid Howley (R).

How do you prepare for the S.I. Triple Crown season?

“I treat the Triple Crown season like my high school and college cross country seasons. I usually bring my mileage down in the winter and take it easy a bit. Then come February, I start raising my mileage and increasing my long run. In March, I start speed work -- intervals, and tempo runs. I always make sure to get in hills and definitely run the Pepper Martin/Arielle Newman course a few times prior to that race.”

Who have been important influences on your career?

“My dad got me started and my high school coach, Pete Whitehouse (at Tottenville) got me addicted. I just learned so much in high school about training both physically and mentally. We had a meeting every day in high school. Sometimes we talked about the workouts we were about to do and their purpose, sometimes we talked about the workout we did the day before and analyzed it. We talked about our races - what we did right and what we could improve on. We celebrated our successes. We got ready for upcoming races and visualized ourselves running them. These are all things I continue to do in my running - there are just not as many races or workouts now.”

What advice can you give other runners?

“For new runners, look for the small improvements. For regular runners, don’t just go for runs. Do speed work. It makes you faster and is a good change. For the masters, do your post run stretches and exercises. Basic strength training is important.
“I also love the Triple Crown series. I remember going to the Triple Crown/SIAC dinners as a kid and getting autographs from Steve Scott and Tom Fleming. Staten Island running is really very special. I have done every Triple Crown race since 1992 (when I was 13 years old). I ran all 18 Al Ronaldson races. I have run every Memorial Day and Pepper Martin/ Arielle Newman race since 1992.

 

      2021

   Richmond Rockets Scholarship Award Presented to High School Seniors of 

       Cross Country or Track & Field Team

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Congratulations to Athletes and our Scholarship Winners: Karen Choi from MSIT and

Katie Nigro from Tottenville HS.

On Tuesday May 4th the Richmond Rockets Presented our 2021 Richmond Rockets Scholarship Award Presented to High School Seniors of Cross Country or Track & Field Team. 🏃🏃🏃🏃😇

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Athletes Karen Choi from MSIT and

Katie Nigro from Tottenville HS received awards, Richmond Rocket t-shirts, and a monetary scholarship award going to their College of choice. We wish the best of Luck Success and Happiness on their college careers and cannot wait to see them grow on their Academic and Sports journey.

Thank you to all the Rockin' Rocket members who helped make this event a success! We had such a blast with the Scholarship Winner families in this fun social backyard event. Go Rockets! 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀

If you would like your Children or Students in High School to participate in yearly Athletic Scholarship awards, please send an email to teamrichmondrockets@gmail.com for more information.

Update: Due to his recent staff leadership and front-line assistance with COVID-19 affected patients, Richmond Rockets team member and hospital hero Dr. Francesco Rotatori recently received a promotion at Richmond University hospital in Staten Island - his new role at RUMC is Chief of Cardiology. Congratulations Dr. Rotatori for everything you have done for the community and patients!
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https://www.silive.com/news/2020/05/doctor-who-has-been-part-of-coronavirus-response-at-rumc-is-named-new-chief-of-cardiology.html
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Dr. Francesco Rotatori is not only a Richmond Rockets team member, but he is an Interventional Cardiologist at Richmond University hospital here in Staten Island. Dr. Rotatori was recently featured on ABC News Nightline Television during the crisis, as he and his amazing staff members rescued a COVID-19 female patient, who improved dramatically at The Richmond University Hospital. The patient, Edwina Cain, faced breathing problems and recovered in 3 days on a ventilator, improving quickly. At her time at the hospital, she expressed her gratitude and thanks to Dr. Rotatori and staff to with a dance and cheer. Dr. Roratori and his team also inspired Edwina to begin her medical studies in pursuit to become a hero and work in a hospital. Congratulations to her survival and fight against COVID-19, and thank you to all the doctors and nurses that risk their lives each and every day, including Dr. Francesco Rotatori and his miracle staff!
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Watch the miraculous and inspiring story of recovery and healing here: https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/covid-19-patient-reunites-doctor-helped-save-life-70300305

Hi friends! Please keep yourself and your loved ones safe by following the safety protocols in this link here - provided by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the leading national public health institute of the United States): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

We wish our best to our running community: In light of the recent news around COVID-19, PPTC would like to remind all members that the most successful runner is a healthy runner. Please use your best judgment when deciding to join groups runs and activities over the next few weeks.

- If you don't feel well, or suspect you've been in contact with someone who may have contracted the virus, please stay home and take care of yourself.

- Be diligent about washing your hands. If you cough, sneeze, or need to wipe your nose, avoid using your hands.

- If you have any respiratory or autoimmune issues, please consult your doctor.

Thank you for helping keep our community healthy!