This was my first marathon but a dream I have always had. I was nervous and nursing a knee injury for a while but was determined to run NYC. The crowd was absolutely unbelievable and so, so, so supportive and motivating that I got through 26.2 miles feeling no pain at all! New Yorkers really are the best! Thanks to all of you that came out to cheer us on.
Looking forward to next year!

This year was my 13th consecutive NYC Marathon. It may have some mishaps once in while i.e. too long lines and wait for carboloading dinner this year, but it's still the best marathon in the world. The city comes alive and treats you like celeberties. Long lines are a part of big marathons, besides it gives you a chance to meet and talk to marathoners from all parts of the world. NY is the BEST!

I was a little disappointed with NYC. The crowds were great, but I was not prepared for the temperature variances running over the five bouroughs. It seems like the temperature dropped 20 degrees every time you went over a bridge. The streets varied between brick, concrete and asphalt, and painful on the feet. The start was horrible. I had to get up and catch a bus in NYC at 6:00am and drive to the start of the race at 11:30am. You felt like cattle from the start to the finish line. The experience was memorable, but I wouldn't do it again.

Excepting that Patriot's Day race up north, there is nothing like New York. This year will be my fourth. 30,000 runners, over 1 million people on the street, screaming, yelling, stomping their feet....all for you. I ran the monsoon race of '97 commented on below and was blown away by the number of people that would stand in a cold pouring rain just to WATCH the runners!! True, more people come out on a sunny day, but, for example, the last four miles of the race had spectators at least 10 deep on both sides of the road. And all this when it was raining so hard the water was ankle deep on the road. Yes, the race is crowded and there are lines at packet pick-up and to get your gear at the end. But if people were less selfish, the lines would run more smoothly. In '97, I got my gear quickly from the UPS people, but I saw cranky, nasty people essentially storming some of the UPS trucks because they wanted their stuff NOW, and be damned with eveyone else.
Now THAT was the real shame of the '97 race.

I ran the race in 97 (the last 6 miles in monsoon conditions!). The course goes thru the 5 boroughs of NYC and finishes in Central Park. I felt a little bit let down that the race didn't actually live up to the pre-match hype regarding the crowd support and atmosphere. The organisation for the collection of bags after the race had finished was an absolute shambles! We stood in the pouring rain for over an hour whilst the bag-handler tried to find our bags. In the end the runners had to drag every bag from the vehicle and sorted thru them to find their own bags. I hope the race organisers have changed their procedures since then.
Apart from this it's a good race which I would like to do in better conditions.Simon.Cox@liber

This was my first marathon. I have since run 6 marathons and can compare the experiences. Definitely wear a good pair of shoes. NYC is paved with asphalt over cement (very hard on feet). The pre-race expo is great for meeting fellow runners. . . you have a long wait in line. But everyone is so friendly. Specators line the streets as you run through each borough. They show you a little bit of their 'culture' as you run. . . After running across the finish line, a medal is put over your head, and a special blanket is wrapped around you. The entire experience makes you feel like a runner!

This is a great marathon. From beginning to end there are lots of people cheering the runners. The organization is spectacular considering the quantity of people that run. You only have to take one precaution which is for the cold at the start of the race.