I may be biased (I live in NYC), and it was my fourth year running it, but I think this marathon is a miracle of logistics, goodwill, and international cooperation. Yes, you have to get up very early to get to the start, and it's cold and dark. But once you begin running and NYC opens itself up before you, you realize not merely the possibility of personal achievement, but what we could all do if we worked towards a common goal. If you can, run it; if you can't, cheer on those who can. But experience it.

My 15th NY, and 43rd overall. Why do I keep coming back? The crowds - welcoming, wonderful, encouraging, fun.

HERE'S WHAT YOU DON'T GET FOR HIGHEST FEES IN WORLD:

1. Shirt: Could it have been any uglier? NYC is the fashion capital of the world - surely you can have some contest or something. The color was so drab the graphic nondescript.

2. EXPO: Less interesting every year. If you have to drive in, parking even blocks away from Javits is $50.00, Giveaways? None. The amount of Gatorade poured in a cup? One sip. Asics merchandise was expensive (obviously not for Europeans who were buying up a storm) and not too interesting.

3. START: The start was horrendously crowded. It was cold and windy and people were clamoring for coffee served in espresso-size cups and for that you had to stand in line AT LEAST 20 minutes. Runners were forced into very small corrals and we felt like cattle.

4. FINISH LINE: Absolutely no directions online or in provided material as to where you exit the park and where to meet people - big omission. It took at least 20 minutes to get to any ice, in a very slow, crowded march. People were vomiting. No room, and finally after about 45 minutes, you were released.

THE NYRR Club can and should do better; they have had 41 years to work on this.

I have run New York myriad times (first time in 1978) and it only gets better and better. Last year's introduction of using the Staten Island Ferry was wonderful. By the time you take the train to South Ferry, wait in the warm terminal, wait in the warm ferry, and travel on the warm bus to the start, you only have an hour to kill on bathroom lines. Not bad compared to 3-4 hours of waiting in the cold before the race.

The course is as usual - just great. The sights, sounds and smells with over 2 million spectators - just terrific.

As a back-of-the-pack person, I have to recommend this race to everyone who has considered doing a marathon but is not sure they can manage it. The emotional support is wonderful, even for those of us who arrive at the finish line long after the big party is over. If you're a walker, as I am, just be sure to stay out of the way of the runners so you don't get trampled and they don't get tripped. But go for it! I came in after dark, the 13th-from-the-last finisher, and found the spotlight still on, the sweet young lady with the medals still there, and the clock still running. All along the way, pedestrians and drivers would call out encouragement, even though the big mob of viewers was long gone. I have only one word for the ING NY Marathon: Fabulous! (I will be back!)

I currently live in Georgia, but grew up in Brooklyn, NY and loved the idea of a marathon going through my neighborhood. My parents, however, disagreed, because it made it almost impossible to get around on the first Sunday in November. I would get excited just to see the blue line on the streets, charting off the 26.2 miles for the marathon route. The NYC Marathon had become part of the city's heartbeat. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined being a part of the thousands lined up on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge waiting for the gun to start the event; but in 2009 I was there. Me, a relatively inexperienced runner from the streets of Brooklyn, WOW... running a marathon. Now I have the marathon bug, and I want to do one each year. This experience ranks second after the birth of my only child - I will remember it forever. I feel blessed to be a part of such a New York institution.

This was my first marathon - one that I had been dreaming of doing since I started running and since I had watched it year after year. Being that I'm from NY, it made sense logistically, too. Plus, the 9+1 guaranteed entry was a great way to get a spot in the race.

For someone from out of town, the tour of the city doesn't get any better because you'll see places you normally wouldn't as a tourist; I even saw new neighborhoods and snapped pictures of the highlights. The spectators were all very supportive along the way.

Getting to the starting villages took awhile, but it wasn't any more of a hassle than you'd have on a normal day on NYC subways. There were too many people to chat with, too much energy, and too much adrenaline to be concerned about it. At the start, there were bagels, coffee, enough porta-potties, and organized baggage collection, although the corrals closed a little early.

Getting into the corrals is a whole different matter. I had no idea where I was going and there were no signs. It was just a mass of unknowing runners following the next guy.

The course is a little hilly because of the bridges, but it's fairly smooth otherwise. It had plenty of fluids along the way, Power Gel at around mile 16, spectators passing out snacks and towels, massage spots, emergency aid.../

The only really major complaint I have, which I know others agree with, is the finish - it's a narrow, slow, tiring walk out of the park. You just want to sit, but can't. And there's no getting the baggage/exit line to move any faster. If that can be improved in the future, I'd give the race 5 stars for organization.

The medal is cool, the food bag at the end was sufficient for me, and I really appreciated the heat sheet, too. Finally, I loved the exhibit beforehand. There were lots of good freebies, and the long-sleeve tech tee was a cool souvenir.

It is hard to describe running this race; it is just an amazing life experience, and something that any aspiring marathon runner will never forget. Here are some tips and thoughts on the race.

1) Pre-race - The expo was pretty awesome, in a huge expo building on 34th and 9th Ave. or so. Easy to pick up numbers. The main confusion was how to organize getting to the start line, but you can pick up a bus ticket there.

Getting to start - This is the main issue with the New York Marathon for me. Due to the closing of the roads, you have to catch a bus or boat at about 5 a.m. We got to the start line at 6 a.m., which meant 3 and 1/2 hours sitting in the cold... though luckily it wasn't too bad. I would really recommend taking a very warm coat that you don't mind throwing away. There is talk of other ways to get to the start; the bus was easy, but bear in mind that it's a long wait.

Course - The start is just amazing, with "New York, New York" blaring out, and a view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as you head over Verrazano Bridge - an amazing sight, though it's a long incline to start the run. The course then winds its way through Brooklyn and Queens - nice and flat and with a great crowd. Then it turns onto Queensboro Bridge at about the 13 mile mark, and as you come off the bridge and turn up First Avenue, the best part of any marathon I've been in occurs - seeing the crowd for the first time, and they are awesome! However, it is then a long 5-mile grind up to the Bronx, which is quite daunting, as you can see right up the road. Through the Bronx and Harlem it's still pretty flat, and then as you come down back into Central Park, the crowd really lifts you. But be warned: the hills are deceptive and proved very tough in the last few miles.

Finish - This was the worst part of the whole day; you have to walk about 1 mile to get out of Central Park, which after running 42K is no easy feat, and the chute was littered with people being stretchered away on motorized buggies. I guess there is no other way, but was a very brutal way to finish.

However, those are small complaints. It was just an epic, amazing day. These are just observations - and not criticism of one of the greatest events any normal human has the opportunity to participate in!

After three unsuccessful attempts to enter the marathon through the lottery, I was guaranteed entry in the 2009 race. It was so worth the four-year wait.

I was assigned a spot on the ferry to Staten Island for the start. The ferry was packed with runners from all over the world, all of us buzzing with excitement. Everyone was smiling and having fun, admiring the beautiful views of New York from the water.

In Staten Island, we boarded buses to the start area. There, I enjoyed bagels and coffee and an atmosphere that was simply electric. I almost couldn't take the anticipation any longer as we were assembled into our starting corrals to await the start.

As excited as I was, I was also scared. Had I trained enough? Would I have to walk a portion of the race? Those feelings were brushed away quickly as a recording of Frank Sinatra's voice was broadcast over the loudspeakers, "Start spreading the news...." I was overcome with joy, almost to the point of tears. I wasn't the only one.

My first exposure to New York's legendary fans came as I arrived in Brooklyn. The crowd was assembled three-, four- and even five-deep on both sides of the road for the 11-or-so miles of the Brooklyn portion of the race. They were loud and friendly, waving flags, banging on pots and pans and giving us high-fives. Some handed out cookies and brownies, others fruit, and some handed out paper towels (which were very useful, by the way). At least a dozen bands played all kinds of music along the course. Even a choir dressed in robes bellowed out inspirational tunes from the steps of a church. The character of the crowd would change as we crossed from one ethnic neighborhood into another, but all were united in celebration of this great race and of everyone who ran it. Running through Brooklyn was nothing short of spectacular.

The second half of the marathon began in Queens. It was a bit quieter than Brooklyn, but still exhilarating. Almost as soon as we entered Queens we were leaving it behind. The race proceeded on Queensboro Bridge before entering Manhattan.

More than 40,000 people ran in the 2009 marathon, but as I entered Manhattan, it felt as though the roar of the crowd was all for me. With about 10 miles to go, I still felt good and I drew even more strength from the excellent crowd support on First Avenue. I drew most of my inspiration from one fan, in particular. My beautiful wife, pregnant with our first child, waited for me on 95th Street (about mile 19) with a bright orange sign which read, "Go Carlos... Way to Go!" I stopped briefly to give her a hug and a kiss before continuing the race.

As I ran out of Manhattan, the fear that I had not prepared enough or that I would have to walk part of the race became more and more distant. It was replaced by the thought that I might finish under 4:00! That had seemed impossible just a week before, as I wrapped up my training in Miami.

After a brief trip through the Bronx, the race returned to upper Manhattan, on its way to Central Park. I'm sure the crowds and scenery were magnificent, but I was too focused on the increasing pain in my legs and my feet to notice. As we entered Central Park, I knew that I would finish the race in less than four hours. That wonderful realization did little, however, to diminish the agony of all those hills in the Park and of my aching feet. After what seemed like an eternity of running up and down those hills, the finish line was finally in sight. I finished the race just as I began it: overcome with joy.

After exiting the Park, I found my wife and our friends. I was so happy and so tired. I wore my medal the rest of the weekend. Everywhere I went, people congratulated me and made me feel really special.

That weekend was one of the best weekends of my life.

While watching the 2007 marathon, I was at the 15th-16th mile waiting for my wife and friends to come around the corner. While waiting, we saw all sorts of people - tall, short, fat, thin, black, white, abled, disabled, in costume, in pain - and I said to my mate that in two years I was going to do this. At the start of 2009, I began walking; then, after a few weeks, I ran 300 yards and thought, "What on earth are you thinking, Dave?" I carried on, and even entered a 5K race. It was when I got home from that race that my wife told me I got into NYC. After months of training, I went to NYC and completed the run. It's a life-changing experience that will be with me forever. Now I run three times a week and hope to do NEW YORK again one day soon. If i were a rich man, i'd buy a charity place every year. Thanks to NYC for the memories!

First marathon. "If I can't run my first in NY,  I don't want to run." That's what I thought since this is my favorite city in the world. I don't know how I knew this, but it was true! Unbelievable energy and support.... This city never lets me down. The people are great....