Glad to have run this as my first marathon. The course and the crowd are beyond words. It was the thrill of a lifetime. Traveling to the start and waiting at Fort Wadsworth aren't nearly as bad as many report - the time will fly. Big word of advice - get to your corral as early as possible because this is where all chaos ensues. As anyone will tell you, the post-race death march through the park is terrible, but this is pretty much unavoidable unless the course is reconfigured. Enjoy this once in a lifetime experience!

This is it. This is the one. It was my first marathon by design, and if I never do another I will remain thrilled and content. You just get carried along by the enthusiasm and wit of the crowd. And if you love NYC, this is the cherry on top. Do it. Find a way.

My 2nd NYC, and I love it. Considering the logistical challenges of a race this big, you can't ask for much more. Very exciting to own the streets of New York City for a day. The weather was near-perfect. The diverse crowds of spectators and volunteers are out in force all along the route.

A few things that could be better:

First, there were about three sections outside of the normal starting line crowds where the congestion impacted your speed, especially where the waves converged around Mile 8.

Second, I would like to see a better finish line. They shuttle you out of the park as quickly as they can to make room for more runners crossing the finish line. I'd like it better if they would put aside a large portion of the park for a more "traditional" post-race. After attending last year's party at the ballroom that evening, I passed on this year's.

Would I do it again? You bet!!!

Cons:
- Pre-race you sit around for up to 4 hours
- Logistical hassle to arrive at the start areas
- Post-race walk of about an hour
- Short water stations (possibly due to wave starts)
- Need much more toilet facilities in the wave corrals
- Javits Center Race Expo is a pain to travel to
- Race expo - VERY CROWDED

Pros:
- Strong organization
- Largest expo, with plenty of boutique race items
- Enormous race support, community involvement and fan crowds
- Incredible course and scenic views
- Unrivaled energy throughout the day

Comments:
Having done Boston, Chicago, Miami, Austin and all other large-city marathons, NYC has by far the most incredible running experience. It's the one day of year that all of NYC comes out to celebrate runners and life in general.

The course is tough. This year, it seemed that winds on the Verrazano Bridge were particularly tough to start with. In addition, water stations seemed "shorter" and bit more chaotic (take a look at Chicago, which has longer water stations and a bit more racer-friendly). I'm used to the long march at race end and still hoping racing organizers can fix it one day.

But the day belongs to the runners. The fellow runners' support and the crowds are unmatched. Chatting up fellow runners from France, Italy, and GB prior to the race added to the festivities. Lots of anxiety before the race, but once it started, everything went pretty much as expected.

If you want to race, do Chicago. If you want an experience, do NYC. Both races are really well run and the two best large0city marathons in the world. But there is a reason why NYC has a lottery selection: because everyone wants to run it and run it more than once.

There's not much more you can ask for in a marathon. The course was fantastic that provided inspiring views of the NY and a great passage through all 5 boroughs. The fans were seemingly everywhere (except the bridges) and gave amazing energy and support to us runners. The organizers did a fine job in providing detailed instructions, and the ferry transport to Staten Island was a true pleasure. The expo had all the things you can ask for to gear up before race day, although for such a large place, the Javitz Convention center still seemed cramped with the sheer number of people. The worst part, although it has nothing with the course or run itself, was the long, painful bag retrieval and walk out of Central Park. They had all thousands of us runners go through an additional half-mile (I think) in the frigid cold in a pathway no wider than an alleyway. By the time you got out of the park, you were frustrated at being put through that. Certainly other large-city marathons such as Chicago provided easy exits and reunion areas for the runners. Strange that though NY is well organized, they didn't note the ire people may feel at being put through that. But overall, the race is an amazing experience that is among the best marathons I've experienced.

I ran the 2010 NYC Marathon as my second marathon, and it honestly was the most fun I've ever had. The crowd support was tremendous pretty much the whole way through. I had suffered two different injuries while training so I was worried about finishing, but the support, views, bands, everything carried me through to the finish with no trouble at all. The only reason for giving 4 stars for organization is the "death march" at the end - a logjam of people in Central Park that brought everyone to a complete halt for about 30 minutes, freezing of course. Other than that, it couldn't have been better.

The good: Crowd support the best I've ever seen. Take the noise and crowd from your favorite marathon finish and stretch it out for a good 20-22 miles! The few sparse areas are just that: sparse and short. Definitely need the support for the challenging, windy, long uphills of 1st and 5th Avenues. Outstanding expo and pre-race communication. Volunteers were plentiful, friendly and very helpful. Did not want for water or Gatorade; gels were offered at mile 18 but I brought my own (some banana or orange slices on the course would have been nice). The iPhone app worked great; it allowed my family to find me at mile 7, 16 and 25 via the subway with perfect timing. (The Athlete Alert text message system however was worthless, as the texts most often came late. Don't bother with it.)

The bad: Spent the day NOT running more than running - 3.5 hours freezing cold, despite multiple layers, hand warmers, gloves and a blanket, huddled against a dumpster to try to block the wind made for a horrible start. Shivering for that long just taxes the muscles before you even begin. The too few tents that were in the start village were filled to capacity on my 6:15 a.m. arrival for a 9:40 start time! Some brave, and smell-deficient, people locked themselves in port-a-johns to escape the elements! There was no need to wait so long to start, especially unprotected from the cold and wind (thank goodness it was not raining). The one-hour long death march chute immediately following the finish is horrible. The organizers were wise to put volunteers on platforms above the throng as they encouraged us to keep walking to our respective baggage trucks for our change of clothes; they at least had the volunteers' safety in mind as the crowd, though exhausted, was angry! I have never started a race so cold and finished it even colder. The memory of being so cold will last as long as the view of the city from the Verrazano Bridge... too bad.

First-timer who ran the 2010 NYC Marathon. What an awesome experience!! I love this town, I love New Yorkers, I love this race, and I love NY! Logistics were superb - they seem to have figured things out well. As a 4:50 target runner, I was scheduled for the 3rd wave, the 10:40 a.m. start. Received an 8:15 a.m. time on Staten Island Ferry from south end of Manhattan. Manhattan subways, the ferry, and shuttle buses were well timed, with no delays or pushing/shoving required. Waited at Ft. Wadsworth village for a reasonable amount of time before corral was called - plenty of bagels, water, tea available. Village was not overly crowded and had plenty of room to move around and plenty of time to eat, set my watch, use the toilet, etc., before the race. Walk to bridge plaza was good with little delay until the starting cannon at promptly 10:40 a.m.!

And I was off with 45,000 of my closest friends for the next 4:48:37. Great crowds and sights. Only hitch was Runner Alert for text messages to supporters - long delays in getting info out earlier in the race, though it seemed to get better later on. Was able to find my supporter (spouse) at only 1 out of the 4 spots we picked before the race (though part of the problem may be a small "directionally challenged" handicap). A great event that I'm very glad that I was a part of. Honestly, if I never run another marathon again it would be OK, because I ran in NYC!

Full disclosure - the weather was perfect on race day, I ran a PR, and I was at Ft. Wadsworth for less than two hours before Wave 3 started.

I can't say enough positive things about the awesome NYC fans! There couldn't have been more than a mile (other than the bridges, of course) where someone wasn't cheering us on.

The course is exactly as advertised - challenging. The incline on the bridges is less than 5% but they take a toll by the end of the race. Train for it and you'll be fine. Most importantly don't forget that you are running through one of the greatest cities in the world - take it all in!

The post-finish-line march to 77th St. is just wrong but I don't have a good suggestion on how to improve it. With 43,000+ finishers, the organizers simply cannot allow people to linger at the finish line. I can only assume they have a good reason for directing everyone north as opposed to east/west.

My supporters were disappointed with the fact that the Athlete Tracker did not work - apparently the volume of traffic overwhelmed NYRR's servers. I'm sure they will improve it for 2011, but have a backup plan if progress reports are important for your supporters.

Overall, a great race with awesome fan support. A "must do" race that lives up to the hype!

New York was my 7th marathon, and before going I had decided this was absolutely, definitely, totally, certainly the last one I would ever do. I was assigned the Staten Island ferry at 5:30 a.m. One piece of advice is to prepare for the cold - it really was extreme in the holding areas, despite the unlimited, free bagels and coffee, so wear plenty of layers that you can discard at the charity collection areas. Fellow runners were incredibly friendly and the time to the start passed quickly.

There were 3 waves of starters and I was in the first. We were immediately into our running stride and there was no congestion along the route at all. We had a bright, clear day - perfect running weather - and the views over NY Harbor were outstanding. The course was perfect, organization impeccable and the support was beyond belief - very personal on occasions. A runner in front of me with his name on his vest stopped to walk. The crowd began to chant, "Brian, we didn't come all this way to watch you walk." Poor Brian dug deep and got going again.

This was my most enjoyable marathon ever and I have decided that there are a few in me yet.