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May 20, 2024

New York City Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.7

Organization 4.3

Spectators 4.9

Number of comments: 604 [displaying comments 101 to 111]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 9 10 11 12 13 .. 61 > ]

L. K. from Birmingham, AL (11/10/2010) "Best day ever" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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.
C. B. from Allentown, NJ (11/10/2010) "Memorable - the good and the bad" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
G. M. from Michigan USA (11/9/2010) "This is THE ONE to run!" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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!
R. F. from Ann Arbor, MI (11/9/2010) "Put NYC on your "must do" race list!!" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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!
B. O. from Ireland (11/9/2010) "Very high among the 99 things to do before you die" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
Martin Rowe from Brooklyn, NY (11/8/2010) "A truly magical experience" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 4-5 New York City Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
J. V. from New York (11/8/2010) "NYC SPECTATORS ARE THE BEST! TOO MANY RUNNERS!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ New York City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 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.
Lonnie Rattner from Delray Beach, FL (10/26/2010) "This is not to be missed!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ New York City Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
M. M. from Daytona Beach, FL (7/24/2010) "Great for back-of-the-packers, too!" (about: 2004) 3 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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!)
A. W. from Kennesaw, Georgia USA (7/16/2010) "This event ranks second to the birth of my son" (about: 2009) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.

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