Member Profiles

Angela Conte

" The difference between great people and everyone else
is that great people create their lives actively,
while everyone else is created by their lives,
passively waiting to see where life takes them next.
The difference between the two
is the difference between living fully and just existing." 
Michael E. Gerber  

When the ducks in Clove Lakes Park swiftly flutter out of the lake and waddle toward the parking lot, Angela Conte has probably arrived. Laden with a large bag of duck food, she happily chats with her “boys and girls” as they greedily chow down. Some of them even have names-like Buddy. No one knows what happened to “Geraldo” the handsome rooster that graced everyone with his “cock-a-doodle-doo” in the early morning hours. Ask Angela and she’ll tell you that someone took him to the zoo to live. We all miss him, but Angela most of all. Someone joked one day that the ducks in the park should be claimed as dependants on Angela’s tax returns. Obviously a huge animal lover, Angela is a warm and friendly person who seems to know everyone. If you run with her in the park, the greetings from other park patrons are abundant.

With its tough hills and intense heat, all runners on Staten Island know how strenuous the Pepper Martin course can be. Imagine that this is your very first road race.  Your family is on the sidelines with handmade signs to cheer for you. You are running right in front of the police vehicle bringing up the rear. That was in 1982, the year Angela began running at the age of 40. She’s come a very long way since then, with 21 marathons under her belt and hopes of running the New York City Marathon in 2007 when she will be 65. A walker at first, Angela tried running with a friend and “fell in love”. In 1984, less than two years after she started running, she ran her very first marathon in New York City . Her most memorable moment in running was in 1990 when she ran the San Francisco Marathon . Her husband Bill surprised her the night before the race when he flew out to meet her. After he ran the marathon, he waited at the finish line for Angela who clocked her best marathon time – 3:58:00.

Like most runners, Angela likes to cross train by going to the gym where she works on her upper body and rides the stationary bike. Early morning runs in the park during the week and long runs on Sundays are her typical training schedule.  With the half marathon distance as her favorite to run, Angela’s favorite race is the SIAC weekly fun run. She has been married to Bill for 44 years, has 3 sons and 3 grandchildren.

Running on Staten Island is all the more enjoyable when you go to Clove Lakes Park and see Angela, cup of coffee in hand with a big smile on her face.

Written by:  Lisa Rigolini