Famigletti Leaves Flagstaff, Returns to Humble Roots Among NYC homeless
Upset by his finish at the USATF XC Championships, Anthony Famigletti left Flagstaff to be closer to Fam's people - a handful of homeless living in Central Park.
Olympic steeplechaser Anthony Famiglietti was spotted sleeping on a bench in New York City’s Central Park earlier this week, a fact many have speculated is a direct result of his poor finish at the USATF XC Championships in February.
Famiglietti, or “Fam” as he prefers to be called by his friends, had been training with track and field guru Jack Daniels in Flagstaff, Arizona until his disastrous finish at the XC Championships. A recent flotrack.org video of him and Mr. Daniels shows their communication breakdowns with Fam rambling for minutes about training and a passive Daniels responding with robotic nods and trembling advice. Further review has led many in the psychology world to conclude that Fam displays signatures of acute mental illness: (1) incoherent responses; (2) delusions of grandeur; (3) natural ability to frighten the elderly.
In recent years, Fam has established a cult following among track fans for his sometimes brilliant, oftentimes erratic career. A native of Long Island, where close to 60 percent of strange people are born, Fam’s outlandish behavior has been a welcome surprise in a sport desperate for personalities. His eccentricity is perhaps best exemplified by a RunnersWorld.com poll, in which 71% of voters were “not surprised” to find out Fam currently resides in Central Park. This reporter, sensing an impending tragedy, embarked on a mission to learn exactly why Fam’s life has dropped off so precipitously since early February.
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Approaching Central Park’s sheep meadow one could smell the pungent odor of a man who hasn’t showered in weeks, despite running upwards of 12 miles a day. His park bench – covered in aluminum foil to “ward off the government spies” as Fam later put it – had a Starbucks cup half-filled with change and a lone dollar bill next to it. After waking the startled Fam and conceding to numerous conditions – (1) Spandex Saucony clothing must be worn at all times during interview period; 2) Allen Ginsburg’s seminal Beat poem, “Howl” must be committed to memory; (3) I must promise to bookmark RunFam.com on all computers I ever use – Fam let me accompany him on his morning task of collecting cans and loose scrap metal in the park.
Q: First off, thanks for letting me come with you. But, I have to ask, why recycling as a source of income?
Fam: First, recycling just makes good sense [Fam chuckles]. But more importantly, I am literally starving. And those $.05 deposits really add up. A lot of people say New Yorkers are ruthless and sure, they can be. But so can anybody, even those stretchboy Whartons who ripped me off in Flagstaff. [Fam takes deep, wheezing breath] Most of the time, New Yorkers are great people. Just last week, I did a tempo run around the park that finished by Columbus Circle. I hadn’t eaten for a few days and ended up passing out in a snow bank face down. When I woke up a few hours later, there was about $5 in change around me. I used that to go to a Fishbone Reunion Tour concert that totally rocked shit. [Fam hears something and inches closer] What is jangling in your pocket? Do you have a few quarters to spare? I promise I won’t use it for concert tickets, painting supplies or razors.
Q: Sorry Fam, those are my house keys. Do you really survive on this measly income? How can this be a good training environment?
Fam: Yes, and no David. After USATFs and, even more so after the Olympics, I decided I needed to win at something, anything. Most Kenyans live on less than $10 a day. I live on around $4.50 so I am beating them in one category. Was I also tired of being surrounded by the running-centric community of Flagstaff? Yes. The food up there was great, but all that eating was making me heavy. I slept wonderfully at the high altitude center, but all those blankets and pillows were making me too soft. I couldn’t afford a one way ticket to Eldoret to live like the Kenyans, so I did the next best thing – commandeered a bench in Central Park.
Q: How has training been since the move? I mean, most runners would pay good money to have access to Central Park.
A: It’s definitely one of the benefits of going homeless, Gunther, and let me explain why. First, I’d say I run 90% of my mileage around the reservoir. There was some talk amongst my bum-mates and I that the Manhattan Project had actually implanted a top-secret particle accelerator underneath the reservoir. I did some research at the library and found that this wasn’t true, so I just want to apologize for the recent digging. The truth prevails.
But the actual training is going well. My weight is back in check. Funny anecdote: I was on the Q train performing my latest song “Sandstorm in CP Square (Part two)” for tips the other day and some little girl looks over at her dad and says “Daddy! Is that the man from ‘Into the Wild’??!” because seriously, I’m that thin. After I passed out last week, Dr. Bob, one of the guys I share a blanket with, says I should really get my iron levels checked. He’s not really a doctor, but he uses a lot of medical supplies, so we call him Doctor.
Central Park’s also great because it is a perfect venue for my true passion – street performing. Did you know I could juggle? On easy days I’ll run up to pedestrians juggling my hairbrush, my dead bird Lou and an old racing spike. It’s really a hit. The Gothamist was thinking about writing about me. I think the headline was supposed to be “Talented Beardo Juggles Birdo for Money in Park.” If you have $1, I can show you.
Q: No thanks, I’ll just use my imagination. Do you have any upcoming races?
A: Yeah, you know Larry, I’ve always run well at the USATF 8K Championships, so I think I will hop into that. I’ll have my homeless brethren all along the route, even Muleface, my friend by the horse carriages said she’d take the morning off from frightening tourists to cheer me on. I really want to make it worth her while.
Q: A lot of people still go to your web site (www.runfam.com). Living in Central Park must make it hard to keep it updated? Do they have wi-fi access in the park?
A: No, surprisingly the Nazi New York City bureaucrats didn’t want to install free wireless internet in the park because they were concerned some of “us”, the housing challenged, would use it to promote “anti-social” websites like www.bumfights.com and www.runfam.com. You’ll notice the sarcasm in my voice, Clarence, because corporate America really chaps my taint. Luckily for me, the good folks at the New York Public Library hooked me up with a membership. If it wasn’t for them, I would not know what day it was. It’s hard to train properly when you don’t know when your next race is. Props to Mildred, who OK’ed my application form, even though I listed my primary address as the putrid dumpster behind Tavern on the Green.
Q: Did you actually live in a dumpster?
A: No I, uhhh, [Fam looks to his right and sees three bums approaching.] Oh! Well look what we have here… These are my guys! …We call this guy [Fam points to tall white guy with grey beard] “White Bill Russell”, the guy in the middle is Bob-O [middle-aged gentleman wearing 1980s blue Mets hat and tattered Long Island sweatshirt], and this Canadian gentleman with the missing teeth is “Oatesy” nicknamed after legendary hockey player Adam Oates.
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The three invite Fam to the Open Door homeless shelter for lunch, an offer Fam accepts. “My stomach sounds like a Hyundai with a roll of quarters in the engine,” Fam points out. The interview will resume next week with lunch with Fam and then detailing his afternoon workout at Randall’s Island.