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Sep 20, 2024

New York City Marathon Runner Comments

Back to New York City Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.7

Organization 4.3

Spectators 4.9

Number of comments: 604 [displaying comments 251 to 261]

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S. T. from Montreal, Quebec, Canada (11/9/2007) "Once in a lifetime for any marathon lover!" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Few comments: - Incredible crowd! Two million spectators! Wow! I just enjoyed it! It made the first 20 miles go so fast! The last 6 are always tough, even though there are so many supporters! - The most difficult course that I've run. You can easily add from 3 to 5 minutes compared to a flat course. Especially from mile 22 until the very last yard! Nevertheless, I was able to make a PR of 3:08:53 by more than 4 minutes! One piece of advice that someone else wrote, which I agree with: run your first half-marathon faster because this is surely not a course to do negative split. Those last miles will just kill your hope! :-) - Queensboro Bridge (going up about 1.5 mile starting from the mile 16 approximately) was not so terrible! If you train on a hilly course like I did, it really helps! - Indescribable mess with the baggage check right before going to put myself in starting position! I started from the blue corral and I had to follow people dropping bags to the orange corral and crossing those going back from there. Same thing when I wanted to exit the blue baggage checking area where we had about 15 feet wide to move! I arrived right on time to place myself a the right spot. Five or 10 minutes later and I would have had to start way of my bib number allowed me to go. A few weeks before the race, I came to Marathon Guide to read all comments (if you're reading this, here is the place to be!)! So I knew exactly what to expect! Overall I cannot really complain, especially because I was among the fastest runners. The first mile was a lot slower than my pace, but after that, it was just pure pleasure! Certainly worth running at least once in a lifetime for any marathon lover!
Wiliam Tichenor from Dallas, Texas (11/8/2007) "Glad I did it... once." (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I was amazed at the sheer size of this race! The wait at the start is a real bummer, but can't really be helped. I was also driven nuts by the number of walkers, especially in the last five miles. The staggered start was also very little help, with the accordion-like stop and start. Very difficult to keep a pace. The start area was challenging at best.
B. B. from Indianapolis IN (11/8/2007) "great event - must do once" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 New York was a great expierence. I have run Boston and Chicago and the crowds here are the best of any. The race offers great views of the city and the aid stations and support on the course are what you would expect from a big event. One of the best things about the race is the way the whole city gets behind it. From the signs everywhere to the blessing of the runners at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Saturday evening, it feels like the whole city is involved in the marathon. Also great is the international field. It was fun to talk to runners from all over the globe before the race. The only negatives about the event were the bag drop and long lines at the finish area, which have been described at length in other posts. I would think that NYRR would be capable of doing a better job with each of those. I was also disappointed with the pace group leader. I tried to keep up with him over the first bridge only to discover that we were running 45 to 60 seconds per mile faster than we should have been going and weaving in and out of the crowd. After a few miles at or above my tempo pace I backed off, but by then my goal time was a distant memory. When someone tells you the worst thing you can do is go out too hard in a marathon, listen to them. It was miserable struggling through the last 15 to 20 miles after blowing up, but it is a lesson that won't be soon forgotten.
D. P. from Atlanta, GA (11/8/2007) "Great race but very crowded" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was a good race but was extremely crowded, which took a lot of the fun out of it for me. From the second I got on the subway to the moment I emerged from the finish in Central Park, I was surrounded by throngs of runners. I don't say this to criticize the organizers, but you should know what you're getting into. The Cons: - I took a subway, a ferry, and a shuttle bus to get to the start. Between each of those, I waited 15-20 minutes. It is impossible not to do much of this on your feet, which zaps precious energy before the race. I got up at 6:15 a.m. and didn't start the race until almost 11:00 a.m. (staggered start times). My adrenaline was just about gone by the time we started. I don't think the organizers could do this any better, but you should know ahead of time that it makes racing conditions less than ideal. - The course is extremely crowded. I did exactly what I was not supposed to do, which is weave in and out of people. I spent way too much energy trying to get out from behind somebody or halting my pace because I was just stuck. For somebody like me who is impatient, it is very tough. The runners on this course do not share my norms of walkers on the right, runners on the left. People were walking all over the course the entire time. Runners with family/friends on the sidewalk would frequently just stop when they saw someone they knew, which nearly tripped me up several times. - Do not underestimate the hills. I trained in Atlanta, which is much hillier, but the NY hills are longer. I thought I was going to pass out on the bridge at the 15th mile. The ING sign at the 16 mile mark - 'It just gets easier from here, if easier means 10 miles!' - didn't help. :-) - The roads are full of potholes and uneven pavement. You will spend almost as much time avoiding potholes as you do trying not to run into other runners. Keep that in mind as you think about a time goal. - The end of the race was the only place I have a real gripe with the organizers. It was awful. It took me a full hour to go from the finish line to the baggage truck, and it was so crowded on the little path they made us follow that we often just stood still for minutes at a time. The cops and organizers would not let finishers off this one path. People were passed out, sleeping, or throwing up all along the way. It was like nothing I had ever seen. They have got to find a way to route people through the park more efficiently at the end. The Pros: - Despite the transportation gripes, it was exceptionally well organized and the starting area was great. Plenty of snacks, drinks, and toilets. Baggage was easy to arrange, plenty of room to stretch or relax. - Lots of water and Gatorade on the course. I never lacked for hydration. Bathrooms on the course were as plentiful as one could hope, and people of course just used nature's bathroom at many points. - Exceptional views of the city, beautiful neighborhood course, anything but boring - Exceptional spectators - it was amazing how many people came out and how vocal and supportive they were My overall opinion is that it was a fun marathon to do once, but I am very unlikely to do it again. My #1 thing to pass on is that people are not kidding when they say not to hope for a specific time on this course. The problem is that not only does the crowd/course prevent you from running a fast race, it also zaps your energy and diverts it to other things (like not running into the two walkers two inches in front of you). If you can deal with that, have fun. If you're impatient and competitive... Think long and hard about it.
J. E. from New York (11/8/2007) "A Great Experience - Just Know What To Expect!" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 New York City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I don't understand some of the previous comments about suffering from claustrophobia at the finish line. Why would you register for a race with 39,000+ if that was a concern? The dreaded death walk after the finish is well known and has been beaten to death as a subject so anyone registering for this race should have been well aware of this in advance. Same thing goes for running room. We all know with a race this size (and I'm sure NYRR has no intention of decreasing the size since money counts a lot more than race experience to them judging how they put on the local races)so you should once again expect that. Simply do not register for NYCM or any other megathon if you have a fear of crowds or will complain about not being able to run your pace for 26.2 miles. Register for a smaller race. Now the things that could have been prevented this year was the baggage check fiasco (a.k.a. the mosh pit) for the blue and orange bibs. Not exactly brilliant planning deciding to put the UPS trucks in an enclosed fenced-in area with only 1 narrow entrance and no exit! It took me almost an hour to simply check my baggage where in years past, it took me less than 3 minutes. It was so bottlenecked at the Baggage Check that there was a real danger of people getting trampled on. The things that were improved this year were the amount of porta potties at the staging area. They also had a bottle of Gatorade in the goody bags at the finish and it was given to us earlier than in previous years. How can this race improve? Move the Baggage Check to its previous open location, improve the finish line experience and make it a bit more relaxing and festive. Would be nice to downsize the field but beggars can't be choosers. So if you know what to expect, you'll have a great time. The crowds are enthusiastic and relentless. It's a great tour of some very diverse areas of the city. It's not an easy course so a bit of hill training would be beneficial. NYC truly embraces the race and supports it like no other city. While the race has become a marketing machine driven by money, it's still an unique experience and you'll certainly enjoy it once the cannon goes off and you take things in stride.
Carol Heinick from Norwood, NY (11/8/2007) "An absolute thrill, in spite of some logistical pr" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 New York City Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my 3rd NYC marathon and I can't wait to do it again. The spectators were incredible - they helped me to forget my aches. My only problem was that I was in the green corral and it took an hour to get to the starting line. I was sore right from the start. My husband was in the blue corral and he said the baggage drop-off was terrifying. But all in all, I had goosebumps the whole way - and not just from the cold!
P. D. from Long Island (11/7/2007) "Overall a great race, with a few quirks" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 New York City Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 4th NYC marathon, and as someone from the suburbs, I have an idea of what to expect I will list the Pros and cons: Pros 1) Race has almost a celebrity feel about it, it is one you can tell your non running co-workers about. Everybody in the area knows it. It is a big time event. 2) Crowd support is fantastic, from Brooklyn, 1st Avenue, Central Park, The cheering masses are great. Unequaled in any of the other marathons that I have done. 3) Plenty of Porto potties at the start, this was not a problem Cons 1) As mentioned here the Baggage check in the BLUE area was very poorly done, it was a very DANGEROUS condition as runners could not get to the baggage area around 9 AM as it was too crowded trying to get there . Fortunately the fence was moved, and that helped a little. Also because of this, I lost the team I was supposed to running with. 2) The starting area, perhaps it is not possible because of the number or runners involved, but I think that getting to the start FOUR hours before the race goes off, no matter how hard you try may affect performance and it is crazy when you think about it. Of the 11 marathons I have completed, 3 or the slowest are NYC, I believe that between the start, the hills and the unpredictable weather ( 2 years ago it was 70 degrees) makes it hard to set a PR here or a BQ, but it is still a great race 3) The finish area, This too, should have not been so crowded. again getting to your bags 4) finally, from what my family told me waiting at the finish, that the PA announcer was constantly reading advertising. (this was until about 5 hours in) Is that really needed ? Overall it is a great race and really enjoyable experience but I would hope that the few 'cons' could be corrected and that would make this great race even better.
N. M. from NYC (11/7/2007) "The things to know about NY from a New Yorker" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 New York City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 1. I have no love for Mary W., but regarding the complaints below: a lot of the logistics of the baggage and the start are out of her control. This is a point to point race that has too many people running with physical barriers that limit the flow of people. (That said, how could there be construction at the start that blocked a lane for the green start. They have got to work this out with the DOT). Even with a great starting position, you arrive way early, sit around in Staten Island and line up at around 9:30 for a 10:08 start. As one of the faster runners, I have found that a real warm up is out of the question. Starting up front, my experience was atypical (for approx 95& of the field) as I was at marathon pace at mile 1. Mary, if you are listening, you need to go to wave start with a hard cap on the corrals where prior times are checked, with NO exceptions. This should be done like Boston. If your PR is 3:10 then everyone around you and certainly everyone in front of you should be sub 3:10. You cannot start someone who runs a 3:30 ahead of someone who runs 3:00 no matter what their age graded numbers are. 2. I found that there were a ton of volunteers eager to help at the h2o stations etc. The bands and fans are AMAZING. Each year there are fewer and fewer desolate spots. 3. The course is deceptively tough. This is NO Chicago. If you are trying to hit a time goal (i.e., sub 3 or a BQ), to have a chance, you must go out aggressively. The second half is very tough on the body. It is a combination of hills and slow inclines, with bridges. This is not a negative split course. ie To run sub 3, most people need to run about 1:27/1:28 for the half. The odds of going out conservatively and gutting out a fast second half are slim. However, running a good time, is not impossible. 4. I know this is nit-picky, but do you think they could put something thicker than that crappy carpet down on the Willis Ave/Madison Ave bridges. After tearing up my legs on the unforgiving concrete of first Ave, frankly those rails ain't pleasant. The NYC marathon is NY at its best, so despite its problems enjoy it!
Russell Mayo from North East Texas (11/7/2007) "Just plan on enjoying the day, not going for PR" (about: 2007) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. I expected based on my summer workouts in the heat of NE Texas to be around 4 hours. Since I am 50 y/o and was running 20 miles in less than 3 hrs, I thought that was reasonable. But I gave out from not drinking enough fluids. I was used to 80 degree weather and thought that I wasn't losing fluid. I shivered so much in the pre-race wait that my muscles were tired at the start. And after the 8 mile mark, the course was just too crowded to make a good time. Obviously, I learned a lot!! But....with all that said, it was an experience of a life time. The crowds were fantastic. The volunteers were great. There had to have been participants from at least 100 different countries, which explains why it is difficult for US citizens to get in. But...that was cool,too. Just come and enjoy NYC, the crowds, and a marathon that everyone should enjoy just once. Don't look to break your PR, but just enjoy the sport of long distance running. Just HAVE FUN!
m. m. from buffalo, ny (11/7/2007) "a spectacular event - thanks to spectators!!" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 This was only my second marathon. The first was a small one (1000 runners). I've always heard about the spectator support, and I feared that it could not live up to the hype. Well, it exceeded my wildest dreams. The fans were absolutely amazing. I must have given 3,000 high fives in Brooklyn and queens, and I enjoyed every one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed my self so much that I feel badly mentioning these negatives, but they are so detrimental that I feel that they need to be pointed out. First, the start and finish areas are unbelievably pitiful at best! Why the need to be there so early. I understand that they must close Verr bridge early, but can't they leave it open for official marathon transportation? Secondly, why encourage everyone to be even earlier than necessary. Our midtown bus got there in no time at all. The finish - It's a complete disaster! I can't believe that intelligent, experienced runners could have designed it this way and felt that it was acceptable. As a claustrophobic person, I feared checking a post race bag, so I had my wife carry it for me. I figured that I would cross the finish, exit the park, see my wife and get my recovery drink right away. I never imagined that it would take me over an hour to get out of the park. It was so claustrophobic that it was dangerous. I was in a panic and trying to get out of the park. When I saw the congestion ahead of me, I decided to retreat. Well after I got all the way back to the bleachers, I assumed that I could exit like the spectators did. Well, some nit wit told me that I was not allowed to go that way, and he tried to force me to go all the way back towards to family reunion area. I had to sneak around in order to get out there. I think that it is shameful to put people through that after they've endured such a taxing event. Why not finish on the streets, so people can filter out wherever they'd like? At least have enough sense to not cage people in such a confined area of the park. I couldn't get to my recovery food in enough time for it to be as effective as it should have been. Lastly-the expo. Maybe I should have known this, or at least expected this, but I could not believe that by the second morning of the expo that I would be hard-pressed to find and XL. Men were almost fighting over jackets. You would think that after so many years of doing this, that they would realize that when all is said and done they have a heck of a lot of smalls and mediums left, and they did not have enough XLs. Why not even one XXL? Not all runners are 6'1 and 145 lbs. As a matter of fact, with a field that large, you wind up with a lot of normal-sized people. For me, the positives (neat course, spectator support) made this an awesome experience! I feel like the negatives really need to be mentioned, so others could plan properly. The negatives would not keep me from trying again, but I would certainly have to make some changes in my plans. Trust me, next time I would buy my own Championchip, and I'll be jumping the fence to get the heck out of there. The cops were awesome!! So, I doubt they'd chase me!!! The fans are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's worth doing this race just to experience the fan support!!!!!!!

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