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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 351 to 361]
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Eliot Collins from Raritan Borough, NJ
(11/7/2006)
"Great Experience - No Other Marathon Like It" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ New York City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had a great day at the NYC Marathon, mostly talking to a bunch of slow foreign runners who had no idea what I was saying. My goal was to enjoy the crowd and have my picture taken with a finishing clock time of exactly 6:00:00. I got to the finish line about 90 seconds too early. By the way, this was my 100th marathon. | |
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A. G. from Guttenberg, NJ
(11/7/2006)
"AWESOME!!!!!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 WOW!! OMG!! The NYC Marathon was my 6th marathon... and it was the most fun race I've ever done! I've run the NJ Marathon, San Diego Rock n' Roll, Baltimore, Shamrock and the Flying Pig. The other races were all fantastic... but this is like a whole new world!! Crowds 10 people-deep cheering the whole way!! I usually run with music... and I only put on the headphones for four miles. So many people to talk to along the way from all over the world! It was a long time waiting for the start... but the time went by pretty fast. Bring a blanket to sit on. If it is cold, wear LOTS of layers!! I wore five layers before the start... then ran the race in a singlet. Do this race!!! Plan ahead for hotel room fees and such (I live in NJ, so this wasn't an issue)... but it was so worth it anyway!! RUN NYC!!! | |
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R. M. from New Jersey
(11/7/2006)
"New Yorkers are first-class. Great experience." (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is what I had in mind when I decided to start running marathons. What spectacular crowd support. There is no place on earth like New York and there is no marathon like the NYC Marathon. Everyone should experience this once. This was a tough course though. I lived on 1st Avenue in Manhattan for a few years in the past and never noticed it was concrete. I notice now. It was my third marathon and by far the toughest. It seemed like it was all downhill until the 59th Street Bridge. That's when it got tough. The crowd helps. Brooklyn and Central Park were easily the highlights, in my opinion. Lots of fun. The marathons I've done have been small and I've driven up to them, stretched, then ran, but I didn't mind the bus and the 3-4 hour wait. It was fun being with so many runners. I said to my friend at the start that it's like Woodstock for runners. It was a huge event with Lance (he did a great thing for our sport) and Dean Karnazes, and we got lucky with such beautiful weather. I did a PR and qualified for Boston. It was a perfect day. | |
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M. K. from NYC
(11/7/2006)
"BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The NYC Marathon is not a race; it is one of life's greatest experiences. IF you are out to achieve your personnel best, forget it. The sheer magnatitue of 37,000+ people make that virtually impossible, not to mention the grave difficulty of the course itself. So just do it once for the experience. To properly tell the story of the NYC Marathon, one must always start at the beginning or before sun-up. Pre-Race: Best way to get to the start is to take the subway to the Staten Island ferry. I would recommend leaving about 6:30 a.m.; you want to be on the 7 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. ferry. Enjoy the 25-minute ferry ride (use the toilets on the ferry; they are much nicer than a port-a-john). From there you are directed straight to the FREE buses (make sure you sign up for the bus when you register) that take you to the staging area. This route is by far the quickest and most hassle-free. You will be at the staging area about 2 - 2:30 hours before the race, luckily the food provided is great; Dunkin Donuts bagels and donuts, coffee, tea, yogurt drinks, PowerBars, and more. Do yourself a favor and take extra food, wrap it in plastic, and store it in your belongings bag for eating after you finish - it is worth it. Good advice for first-timers: it could get chilly in the morning, so wear your running clothes and put some old sweatpants on top. Yes, you will look like a homeless person but you will keep warm. The ground is also cold and wet, so bring some plastic trash bags to sit on. Get in line for the port-o-potty even if you don't have to go; the wait can be up to one hour. After putting your belongings bag in the correct UPS truck, head on over to the corral area, and at this point you should be about 15 minutes before the start. This is when you take off your old clothes and toss them to the side of the road. Course: The course is very difficult; you have to climb and descend five bridges, and the first mile is a constant climb, made difficult by the many people. The number of runners makes it very difficult to move about, so don't get frustrated or take it out on your fellow runners. Note of caution: at mile 23 on Fifth Ave. there is a steady 1.5-mile climb that virtually zaps what energy you have left. Most of all, write your name on your shirt so the crowd can cheer you on. A few things to notice on the course.... Watch the Verrazano Bridge shake at the start (yes, it actually does), and see all the diverse neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Enjoy the peace on the Queensboro Bridge but prepare yourself for the loud roars of the crowd as you exit the bridge and make sure you acknowledge them. It might be the one and only time people will actually cheer for you, so bask in it. Listen to all the bands along the course. And check out your fellow runners - some have interesting costumes on. How they ran with that Rhino costume on, I will never know. Post-race: The exit area is a disaster (the only bad experience of the day); you are basically treated like cattle herded together. Get your medal (you earned it), take your picture and remove your chip (you can keep the chip but will be charged $35, but it is a nice keepsake), and after that you feel just like a part of a herd again. Looking for post-race food is basically worthless. You will receive a small bag when you retrieve your belongings bag. The food bag has possibly the WORST BAGEL ever made, which is very surprising since this is NYC, one NYS apple, and a PowerBar. If you were smart enough to put some food in your belongings bag, you will not starve, but be careful of the cold weather (it starts to get cold if you a five-hour runner). Overall: This is one of life's best experiences; you have to enjoy it thoroughly. | |
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J. D. from NY, NY
(11/7/2006)
"Simply the best marathon in the world!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As if this race needed any more kudos - it deserves every bit - even reading the universal 5-star ratings doesn't do this race justice. In addition to the Sistine Chapel and Fenway Park, this is the 3rd thing in life that actually exceeded expectations. | |
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M. R. from Jersey City, NJ
(11/7/2006)
"THE BEST MARATHON IN THE WORLD" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was such a great experience. I cannot wait to do it again in 2007. The fans were amazing. I was bringing up the rear, and the crowds were still out after 4+ hours. If possible, I would try to go to the expo before Saturday, as it was extremely crowded on Saturday afternoon. I live in New Jersey and therefore went to the Continental Arena for pick-up the day of the marathon. That allowed me a little bit of time to sleep in, as I didn't have to get there until 7:00 a.m. There was plenty of water/Gatorade along the course. The spectators also offered bananas, pretzels, etc. The 59th St. Bridge was tough, but once you're half-way over the bridge, you can hear the fans on First Avenue. It's so wonderful to experience the diversity in every borough. I recommend that everyone do this marathon at least once. | |
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C. S. from California
(11/7/2006)
"Nearly Perfect!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am a barely-above-the-middle-of-the-pack runner of six marathons, so that puts my comments into perspective. My other really big race, in terms of number of entrants and spectators, was Chicago (which I thought was wonderful). New York was an amazing experience - there are people everywhere and the organization is insanely impressive. I am so glad I did it and I will remember the experience forever. That said, if I did it over again, I would have brought a sleeping bag or blanket with me to Staten Island for the three hours you have to wait before the race. It was colder than normal and I found it to be quite uncomfortable - if the weather calls for cold, definitely bring something to keep you warm! I didn't get coffee because it was going to be provided at the start, but the 40-minute wait was too long (because we also had to wait really long for bathrooms) - so get your coffee before you get on the bus. Also, make sure you really go over the game plan with any friends/family you have trying to find you on the course. For example, the guide suggested mile 8 as a great place for spectators to watch for the runners, but because we were split into two separate groups at that point, there was no easy way for the spectators to know which path we'd be on. Have people stand on a specific spot (NW corner of a particular intersection) rather than just "mile 8." But these are all suggestions to make the great experience even greater - I don't want to take away from the excellent organization, crowds, or fantastic course (which really shows off New York). There are a lot of marathons that are a lot simpler in terms of logistics, but there is only one New York City Marathon and it is certainly worth the extra effort at least once! | |
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L. C. from New York City, USA
(11/7/2006)
"Fantastic at every mile" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Before the marathon, I'd heard everyone say how bad the Bronx was going to be - that it would be devoid of fans and depressing. I was pleasantly surprised when we were greeted by loud music and throngs of people as we passed into the Bronx. Over the entire course, I don't think more than a block went by without crowd support. This was my second marathon, and I would definitely run NYC again. | |
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A. C. from Los Angeles, California, USA
(11/6/2006)
"OMG! Run NYC!!!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This has to be one of the best experiences of my entire life. I mean, it's NYC, the greatest city in the world (I'm biased, having lived there for 8 yrs). The crowd is AMAZING and very supportive. I loved hearing my name, as I made sure to put it on my shirt -- it seemed to propel me forward every time I heard it. This was my second marathon, after Los Angeles, and what a fantastic run. I would recommend this marathon to anyone. Having a fear of bathroom breaks, the port-o-potty situation was not a problem, especially farther away from the start. And the water/Gatorade stops seemed more frequent towards the end (perhaps b/c that's where I really needed them). I didn't check baggage, but it seemed fairly organized. My only complaint -- terribly weak post-run goody bag. Tip: save up energy for the wall at Mile 21 in the Bronx, it's a tough one. That being said, do this marathon! | |
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Chuck WImer from Coatesville, PA
(11/6/2006)
"A RACE TO BRING TEARS TO YOUR EYES!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It took me three years to get into this marathon and it was well worth the wait. The people of New York made this marathon the greatest athletic experience of my entire life. As a veteran of many marathons, this is by far my favorite. It is run by a top-notch organization. The expo was crowded but well maintained (one sad note, how do you run out of XL shirts???). The course management was superb (plenty of fluid and first aid stations, even for the slowpokes like me). The NYPD was extremely friendly and made sure all runners were safe and free to go about the business at hand. Fireworks at Central Park the night before were a nice added touch. The Sheraton in New York (located in Manhattan) was supportive, informative and so genuine. If you do one marathon in your life - you've got to do this one. Keep in mind, you've got 37,000 runners - so you must exercise some patience (i.e. the three and a half-hour wait before the start and bus loading to the start can be tedious). If you need crowd support, this is your race. If you need memories of a lifetime, this is your race. If you want tears of joy - THIS WAS MY RACE!!! |
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