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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 261 to 271]
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J. D. from Denver, CO
(11/7/2007)
"The Greatest!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What an amazing, wonderful experience! A+ to New York City....running this race was the thrill of a lifetime! Thanks to the wonderful people of New York who make 'Marathon Sunday' so special for all of the runners. I am still enjoying torrents of goosebumps thinking about the fantastic crowd support for this race...you will never experience anything like it! I saw on the NBC special that over 100 countries were represented in the field and I keep thinking: AMEN! They got to see a fantastic representation of the best qualities of the people of the United States: 2 million perfect strangers cheering wildly for them. Bet that those kind of impressions don't generally end up in their local papers.... Sorry to see so many commenters have dirty diapers...certainly there are challenges when it comes to to logistics for 38K runners, but I was fully impressed w/ the organization and general ease with which things were pulled off. Yes, some things occurred more slowly, but there is plenty of info on this site and the official website to prepare you for this ahead of time. As for the 'don't run NYC for a PR, run it for the experience' idea...just know that you can do both! I was fortunate to better my PR by 17 minutes...yes, there were times that I had to rein in my desired pace a little owing to hitting a bottleneck of runners, but it rarely lasted more than a few seconds before I was able to pass. Like any marathon, you have to take what the race gives you... Further, I was totally impressed w/ the organization ON the course. Big cups of Gatorade and water available EVERY MILE for the second half of the race, and many red cross/aid stations offering Vaseline and other necessities throughout the course. Post race does require a bit of walking (which is good to get the lactic from your legs) to get to the meeting area, but again: there are 38000 runners, something we are all aware of when we sign up. So yeah, maybe it's not the most fun to wait 3 hours or so to start the race (bring old, warm clothes to peel when you startthey will donate them to charity), and maybe the expo isn't all that great, and yes the bagels pre-and post-race aren't hot out of the oven. The RACE trumps all that! I wish everyone could experience it one time. Truly fantastic! THANK YOU NYC!! | |
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J. T. from Plano, Texas
(11/7/2007)
"Perhaps a bit overrated?" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The New York City Marathon is definitely one to do, although now that it's crossed off my list, I won't be back. 'Why?' you may ask? The pre-race logistics and organization make this a real difficult race from the runner's perspective. Now I realize that logistically speaking, trying to start 38,000 people from an island with no parking and maybe 1 route to get there (not counting the ferry) is a logistical nightmare. But that doesn't excuse the shoddy organization at the race site itself. At the blue start, where ~15,000 runners were starting, to get from the UPS trucks to the starting corrals, you had to go between two trucks that had about 15-20 feet between them. Talk about a traffic jam! Luckily, I ducked behind a French fellow who wasn't shy about shoving himself through the crowd to get to the starting corrals! It really was ridiculous that there wasn't a flow planned for all these runners - half the people were trying to go one direction, half the other. Terrible. The logistics to get there are unavoidable if you want the race to be in 5 boroughs, but they are considerable. For me it was: walk to the subway station, take the subway to the ferry, take the ferry to the island, take a bus to the fort, and then get stuck in throngs of people at Fort Wadsworth because of the poor planning mentioned above. Some things I did enjoy: -The preferred start corrals with their own port-a-johns. Well done. -The crowds in Brooklyn - you guys made the Manhattan crowds look really lame because of your enthusiasm! -Although I didn't run my best race, I didn't have a problem with the bridges or hills. It's a tough course, but not so much if you're prepared. -Finishing in Central Park. -The people I met before, during and after the race. I especially enjoyed meeting all the international runners. In summary, it's a good race, but not a great one. I ran the London Marathon this year, and they really outdo New York as far as the two Marathon Majors I have run. | |
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P. R. from Florida
(11/7/2007)
"Great Experience" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first NYC Marathon and it lived up to all expectations. I PR'd by 34 minutes and the course was manageable even with almost 39,000 runners on it. I didn't like running on the lower level of the Verrazano and feet that should be eliminated. Otherwise the course was great, the crowds amazing and the overall electricity inspiring. No problems with the organization because I cannot think of what could have been done better. This is a must-run for anyone who loves BIG excitement. | |
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c. d. from nyc
(11/7/2007)
"fabulous" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ New York City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was really impressed running this, my 14th NYC. Lots of improvements at the three camps, plentiful porta-potties, etc. HOWEVER, what freaked a lot of us out was what it took to put baggage into the UPS trucks - gridlock. | |
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S. B. from Charlotte, NC
(11/7/2007)
"Experience of a lifetime!!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first NYC marathon my second ever and I was very impressed with the entire event. All events went smooth for me, packet pick-up, bus to race, start and finish. The bag drop off was very congested because everyone waited until the last minute. The walking at the finish was good for me, it gave my legs time to recover from the run. The crowds were unbelievable from start to finish which gave me a new respect for the city. The key is to do things early and avoid the crowds so you can relax and enjoy the event. Incredible event, I'm still emotionally high! | |
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a. a. from usa
(11/7/2007)
"post-finish line insanity" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 After crossing the finish line near the 4 hour 30 minutes mark, I was treated like a lemming to the sea. A concentration camp death march took me an hour down the finisher's chute to reach the baggage trucks on the other side of Central Park. All of the mylar heat blankets on finishers in the chute billowed up and made it hard for me to see down to the ground, where many finishers lay passed out or were puking. It was hard not to step on these fallen finishers. Medics were unable to attend to the fallen finishers, due to the tight squeeze of bodies in the chute. I think the race director owes us an apology for a bad idea gone horribly wrong. Honestly, stepping on fallen finishers in the chute because we can't see them due to the billowing mylar heat blankets and tight squeeze? C'mon, that's barbaric, inhumane. | |
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s. j. from Nyack, NY
(11/7/2007)
"It's great if you know what to expect!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my fifth NYC Marathon, and it took me five times to finally get it right, taking 56 minutes off my first NYC Marathon, and a half hour off of my last one. The comments on the funeral procession after the race are right on, and they really should come up with a check list for all the pitfalls you can face with the NYC Marathon. I do like the idea of two waves, but since the slower runners would start later, that would require the first wave to go somewhat earlier to allow the 7 hour finishers to finish in daylight. | |
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C. D. from Columbus, OH
(11/7/2007)
"Great Event" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 If you are a marathoner, this needs to be on your list at least one time. It is a well run event. Pre race logistics work well considering the start location and number of people. The course gets very narrow after the 8 mile merge point, and you will lose time. Overall, it is a long day so do this for fun, and save your intense efforts for smaller races. There is one negative and I agree with other comments. The finish area needs to be changed. It is crowded and you are in it a long time. Several people were in a state of distress. Perhaps they could finish on Central Park W and better have exits to the streets to the west. Get to the expo early. If you are planning on using the subway for the weekend, allow plenty of time to get from one point to the other and make sure you are up to date on weekend service outages. | |
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K. O. from New York, NY
(11/7/2007)
"38,000 People + NYC = Plan Accordingly" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Previous comments regarding the green start, the baggage check and the finish are true and definitely can be improved. But if you want to run in all five boroughs, maximize the number of participants, finish in Central Park, and peacefully coexist with everything going on in the City unrelated to the marathon there has to be trade offs. This is a fantastic experience, but you have to expect bottlenecks. Turn in your bag early, bring throwaway clothes that can keep you warm in the interim, and pack food in your bag for afterward. As someone else mentioned, this is not a good race for first timers because of the logistics involved. If you read about the race here in advance and plan accordingly, you will have the right mindset to deal with what is ahead of you that day. And you will be able to enjoy all that is great about this race. | |
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C. C. from Mississippi
(11/6/2007)
"Run it for the NYC experience not for time." (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 New York City is an experience even for a hometown boy who grew up in 'The City'. This is not billed as the fastest course nor the easiest course. It is known for the largest number of spectators, participants and finishers. In fact it's quite tough with an uphill start and finish. Unless your name is Meb, Lance or Deena, don't look to this course for a PR or BQ. If you hold NYC as an experience, you will not be disappointed. The number of fans and musical bands were INCREDIBLE! Take advantage of your pre and post events that come with the price of admission. Take in a Broadway musical or stroll down Times Square. Runners from all over the world come for this event simply because it's New York City. I've run both smaller marathons of 800+ people and larger marathons of 38000+ people and I love them all. A native of New York City, I didn't mind being a tourist on this occasion. I felt like a Rock Star!!! This is the Disney World, Hollywood, Rock n Roll of road races. I entered New York City for the experience and still managed to run away with a PR! Save your time, money and energy for a BQ in a flatter, smaller race. The attraction to this race is the location. Plan early, get to the expo early, get to the race early. (Remember, there are 38,000+ people here on top of the 20 million residents.) I agree that the expo handouts were meager and finish line refreshments could have been better provisioned but if you took advantage of the pre-race pasta dinner and post race party (something that are extra dollars at other races if it's even offered) you were taking advantage of the price of admission. New York really came out to make runners feel welcomed. Even the Empire State Building got into the act by lighting it's top floors with the official colors of the race, orange, white and blue. |
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