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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 561 to 571]
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A Runner from Indiana
(11/5/2002)
 "THE perfect choice for first timers or veterans" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 1st marathon and I heard it was special, but it can't be truly appreciated until you experience. This should be a pilgrimage for all marathoners. Who said New Yorkers are all jaded & tough, crowd support is amazing! Millions of fans line the streets, I felt like a superstar. How fun is it to high five fans in Brooklyn, or come up Central Park South near the finish? I'm telling ya, this is an absolute must at least once in your life. | |
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A Runner from Baltimore, MD
(11/5/2002)
 "Poor organization for a huge marathon." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Long lines for registration. Long lines for carbo-load dinner. Long lines for coffee. Long lines for toilet. Long wait at the start area (3+ hrs). By the time it was time to start, my legs felt like they had already done a marathon from the long hours spent on my feet waiting and waiting. Food quality at carbo dinner and post-race refreshment was unbearable. After 33 years, the race organization should be able to do better than this! | |
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A Runner from A runner from Texas
(11/5/2002)
 "Simply the Best!" (about: 1998)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my seventh marathon and my first trip to New York and I must say that it was truly overwhelming. I ran Chicago in 2001 and can honestly say that the two races aren't even close in my opinion. Just the mystique of all the pre-race hype from the start to the finish, with all the crowds and the city's support is truly unbelievable. The only negative about the race was the pounding in my feet and knees that the terrain of the course doled out. I've run six others and never was so tired in my lower half. Coupled with the three mile walk from the finish line to my hotel I felt like I deserved another medal! All in all, it was the experience of a lifetime-- I'll never forget it. My thanks to all the the NYRRC and to all the volunteers who make this event what it truly is... The best marathon in the world! | |
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A Runner from Worcester, MA
(11/5/2002)
"The KING KONG of Marathons" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Look out Boston, NYC ROCKS! The crowds, the noise, the course, the PR, the Queensboro Bridge (ugh!). What an assault on the senses. I did Boston, Chicago, NYC in 2002 and start spreading the news....NY...NY...NY. Hints: get in the front of the start coral, take the Staten Island Ferry so you're not caught in the pre-race crowd, even stay out of the Army Base as long as you can (the porta potty lines are small), the first 8 miles is slow due to crowding, the race starts after the 59th St bridge, First Ave and Central Park create lifelong memories, you'll need a jacket waiting at the finish. If its a total experience you want, try NYC on for size...it might be too big for you to handle! | |
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A Runner from NYC BABY!
(11/4/2002)
"Simply Amazing" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and though I blew my thighs out in the 9th mile, I ran the whole thing from the adrenaline and the fans and the course are one word: wow. I'm definitely coming back next year. And my thighs are fine just wear long pants in cold weather! | |
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A Runner from Miami Beach, Florida USA
(11/4/2002)
"The best for a First Time marathon." (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As this was my first marathon, I have been thinking about it for years and volunteering for 5 years at mile #20 in the S. Bronx. It was a picture perfect day and hot for NYC (65degF). The crowd was wonderfull and you travel through the city and see the changing demographics. Truely we were united in running. A memory that will stay with me forever. However ten minutes after the finish, my mind shifted to 'I can do better than that'. So the training continues. Sorry for the stop at the top of the Verazzano Bridge, but it takes over an hour to line up and that is too long to wait. Suggestion: Be certain you are on the top of the Bridge as it rains on the bottom level even when it is sunny. {Get it?}. | |
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A Runner from Pottersville, New Jersey
(11/4/2002)
"What makes this a tough course." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The NYC Marathon is not particularly hilly, the amenities and crowd support are second to none, yet the times tend to be slow. The reason this course is tough is because of all the cold, hard concrete: the bridges are bad enough, but that run up First Avenue beats up every joint from the hips to the toes, and it comes late in the race, when runners are more vulnerable to hard surfaces. Concrete especially affects heavier runners and those who otherwise plant their feet hard. The NYRRC should re-route the course up any of the other streets from 59th to the Bronx which are predominately asphalt. A strip of carpet on the Queensborough Bridge would likewise be welcome. Otherwise, the NYC Marathon is a beautiful race, and the contestants see more of the city in a few hours than most visitors ever do. | |
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A Runner from Wisconsin
(10/13/2002)
"The Best, And Most Significant Race Of All" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my fifth NYC Marathon. As a native New Yorker I find running through the Five Boroughs to be an absolute blast! Crowd support is fantastic, although it does diminish in East Harlem and the Bronx. It resumes in West Harlem and for the duration. Every runner needs to do this race! | |
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Lisa originally from New Jersey and now in DC from Washington, DC
(5/7/2002)
"This was the best!!!" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The New York Marathon was my fifth marathon (Marine Corps Marathon twice and the Maui Marathon twice). This was by far the best marathon that I've done. The diversity of the runners and each of the boroughs was spectacular. As a native New Jerseyian, I still had never seen the diversity of New York until I ran the marathon. The fans make you feel like a million bucks, there are thousands of kids who all want to slap you five and keep you going even when you have no energy left. The fact that the race still went on and still had the energy that radiated from it after September 11th was amazing. The weather was great and the volunteers were very organized. I'd recommend this race to the slowest and fastest runners. You'll never feel such a feeling of community as you do running the New York Marathon. Don't let the challenging parts discourage you. | |
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A Runner from San Francisco, California
(3/25/2002)
"The most moving marathon I've ever run..." (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It's interesting to read the takes many runners have on the 2001 NYCM. Unlike a previous runner, I AM affiliated with the sport and have worked hundreds of finish lines. I've probably visited every major marathon expo in North America. I'd say it might be a good idea to cut the NYRRC a little slack for any delays with the expo, and particularly with the pre-race staging. No event in the history of marathoning ever had to cope with circumstances like this one. A week before the marathon, nearly 7,000 runners dropped out because the Attorney General of the US announced that another terrorist attack was imminent. There was always the imminent threat that this mighty marathon might be called off. One reason the expo did not match other events or previous years was that the US economy, after the 9/11 attack, crashed and burned, and vendor companies aren't much different than many of you are. Many of them were scared off by the circumstances and the uncertainty. The attack occured in mid-September, and the expo site was usurped by the disaster forces dealing with ground zero so with just a few weeks to adjust, the NYRRC had no idea where the expo would be held. But Allan Steinfeld and his stellar staff and former Mayor Rudy Guliani and his, found a new site to process the nearly 30,000 entrants. Of COURSE there were glitches. The miracle was that this City, this Mayor, and the NYRRC's leader, Allan Steinfeld, did not flinch. They staged the best marathon I have ever participated in, and I've been running since 1955. The energy in NYC on that day was electric. The crowds seemed to need us as much as we needed them, and the interaction was moving and nearly overwhelming. The roar coming off the 59th St. Bridge was the loudest I have ever heard it...like coming into the Olympic Stadium in the lead. And believe me, I was really a long way back for this one. Given all they had to cope with, particularly regarding security and last minute shifts and changes over which they had no control, I think we all owe the NYRRC some respect. Some of the folks making the negative comments may have forgotten to weigh the circumstances as they considered their ratings. For any marathoner considering any of the Marquee races (NY, Boston, Chicago, L.A., Marine Corps, Disney and the like), enjoy the big marathons for what they are; extravaganzas, happenings, be-ins, huge moving block-parties. If you want to run a PR, choose an event with about 5,000 runners and a nice, wide start and finish, with moderate terrain. If you want one of the most moving personal experiences of a life time, this is the one. Find a way to run this marathon at least once in your life. The hardest thing to learn about marathons is what your expectations should be. And remember that the marathon is a metaphor for life. On any given day, just about anything can happen, and you just need to figure out how to go with it. Hopefully, the folks who publish this Marathon Guide will fill a void left by a great publication that has gone out of print. There isn't any great guide to marathons that novice and veteran alike can turn to in choosing each race. |
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