This is easily the worst organized race I have ever been involved with. I have raced in about 10 marathons, and NYC is defecient in the following: (a) Packet pick. One must wait and go from one holding pen to the next (supposedly Fire Code did not allow so many persons inside of Jacob Javits Center.) Excuse me, but are there not over 30,000 runners registered ?!! (b) A start line with last bus pick-up at 7:00 am for an 11:15 START !!! wait, wait and wait. (c) Finish Line was crazy. THis is not a 26.2 mile race it's a 29.2 mile race. You have to walk for 1.5 miles to 81st. to get your bags and then walk back 1.5 miles to 67th. St. to get to Tavern on Green were the specatators you paid $150 bucks to see the race are waiting for you ! Chicago Marathon with over 37,500 persons is 10x better organized. Will never, ever run this race agin !

The NYC Marathon is truly a wonderful race. However, it is filled with first time marathoners, and with that in mind you shouldn't be looking for a fast time. My only criticism of this race is the complete lack of control exercised by race organizers in the starting corrals. I got in my proper corral, and I was amazed at the number of people with seeding numbers in the ten thousands, twenty thousands, and even very high twenty thousands that were in the corral pushing their way to the front. I saw zero personnel from the race organization monitoring the corrals and trying to keep the seedings somewhat in tact. If you've run one of these large marathons before, you know that when the seeding system goes to hell, the first several miles are a nightmare. I think I spent more time running sideways than I spent running forwards. It was very frustrating to have to expend that much energy early just to get close to my goal pace. The race organizers need to be far more diligent in keeping the seeds organized in the proper corrals.

Someone else commented about the hardness of the course causing injuries. I don't know about the hardness of the streets, I tend to think the weather this year got colder as the race progressed and I had problems with a calf pulling. I also saw many other runnes struggling with injuries late in the race. I blame the weather.

If you do NY, do it for fun and throw your time out the window. That's the only sane way to do this marathon. Enjoy it...slowly!

The thing that definitely makes this marathon so great is the spectators.Must have heard my name a hundred times when running the course.Some tips: print your name on the front of your shirt, stay at a hotel near the finish line (its almost impossible to get a cab when you finish), make sure you have dry clothes at the end as it can be cold (UPS does a great job with your bags), don't bother with the pasta dinner (the line was a mile long and moved very slowly),have an alternative plan to meet your family at the end. Enjoy everything New York has to offer we were lucky enough to see The Lion King and would highly recommend it.
This was my 6th Marathon. Have done Vermont City, Mystic PLaces, Myrtle Beach, Sugarloaf and the Air Force Marathons. This was one of the best.Finished New York in 4:43 and would recommend doing it at least once.

What a blast ! Spectators are just fantastic and soooo supportive. I just fed off their energy. I think the course is great - including the bridges and different running surfaces - as the variety is just another unique element. I can't wait to do it again next year !

There are only 2 good things about this marathon - real New York bagels and seeing the sights in NYC. Otherwise it is a poor marathon for a number of reasons. You have to catch a bus to staten island and wait till 11 AM to run thus running through lunch. By 11 AM you are done with most other marathons. The fact that they can get 30,000 people to the start line shows great organizational skill. If only the water and gatorade stops were well staffed. They weren't! Mostly unsupervised kids, you had to wait for someone to pour you a cup of water. You had to stop and wait to get a cup of water! CRAZY! There was gatorade at maybe half of the stops. Each stop consisted of 6 to 10 tables. Certainly not enough for 30,000 runners. Finally at the end you had to walk a mile to get your bags and the chip removal area was even further away. The T-shirt design 'Love it' is the absolute worst T-shirt I have ever seen and I have been running for over 20 years. There is nothing about the shirt that even hints at NYC. The course is relatively flat except at the start and at the end before going into central park. The crowd was great in manhattan and spotty elsewhere. This wasn't a marathon I would repeat. Chicago or Cincinnati where much better courses, better organized, better T-shirt, better medal, etc. The temperature was great for running but then the race director didn't have much to do with that.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!