Jonathan Brunot, Marathon Runner

4 hours 49 minutes 20 seconds.

That was Jonathan Brunot’s time in this year’s New York City Marathon. Today’s New York Times details how his race went:

Jonathan aced [the NY Marathon] Nov. 2 on his first attempt in 4 hours 49 minutes 20 seconds, including timeouts for a slight tantrum at Mile 22 (he refused to drink his PowerGel beverage), a slight leg cramp at Mile 23 (payback for not hydrating) and a slight fumble near the finish line (he paused to wave and scream and applaud himself when he caught sight of his tearful mother, Olga, in the bleachers).

Jonathan doesn’t know he didn’t quite nail Mr. Del-Cid’s goal of 4:30. He also doesn’t know Mr. Del-Cid’s goal for 2009 is for Jonathan to run the marathon in under four hours. Time and goals are irrelevant concepts to him. But he will surely recognize the race: It’s word No. 14 in his lexicon. “Vincent,” and “to run” are words Nos. 11 to 13.

Jonathan dressed himself in running gear and bolted down two bagels before the race, and he heard, parroted and retained a complicated new word: marathon. Or, as he gleefully mispronounced it the other day, “Malathon, malathon,” while squirming self-consciously next to his coach on a sofa in the home he shares with his oft-exhausted parents. They double as his 24/7 caretakers. Though he is much less exhausting since running liberated him and, in a sense, them.

(”Maraton” ’s the name of a Korean movie based on the true story of Bae Hyong-Jin, who’s autistic and who’s a marathon runner.)

And, Jonathan’s father, Dr. Verlaine Brunot, is “so convinced of the marathon’s positive impact on Jonathan that he is training him for the bicycle phase of an Oyster Bay triathlon.”

Think Charlie may have to join Jonathan in training for that someday—–he and Jim were out on their bikes for over 2 hours today (minus the time for a snack stop).