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Apr 27, 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 51 to 61]

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c. a. from Dallas, Texas (11/5/2013) "Great Experience" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 It was a long 4 years of waiting and or training before I finally was accepted and able to run the race. Personally, this race stands out as the best of 6 marathons i have completed. Simply put, NYC is one of the most fascinating places to visit. Overall, everything about the race and organization were very good. If I had any beefs or notes for people its a) at times the volunteers didn't know what was going on. Its a huge race and it requires tons of volunteers. On average they do a great job, however sometimes their little mistakes impact participants in a big way. For Example, the start corral supervisor (corral 18, wave 1 green) shut the gate 10 minutes before the stated closing time (Stated clearly on a sign next to the corral and in all materials race issued). He did this in reaction to a presumed error made by someone over his walkie talkie/loudspeaker. Instead of checking with the higher ups, he just outright refused to let people in leaving people furious that they could not get in their wave and corral even though they arrived in plenty of time ( I lucked out, as i mistakenly had gone to 18 instead of 15 where i was assigned. After ~5 minutes of listening to the guy at 18 say he is not letting in i realized i was not at 15, so i ran there and they were still letting people in as they were supposed to) b) streets beat up your body, lots of sewer caps, uneven pavement, etc. Perhaps this should be expected in NY. c) from time you get on the ferry to the time you get to fort wadsworth, it takes about an hour. Always allow a little extra time of course d) there are port-a-pottys within the corrals e) the race needs better marathon for-purchase clothing options. for the most part, its ugly and or didn't even state clearly the race was for 2013.
N. K. from Murnau, Germany (11/5/2013) "Absolutely one of the best events of the world" (about: 2004) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Wonderful, crazy, unbelievable
Colton Aho from Santa Barbara, California (11/4/2013) "A once in a lifetime experience, but difficult" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a race! The adrenaline rush you get at the beginning is unlike anything I've ever felt in my life. The spectators are amazing supportive and in large numbers. You truly get to experience the entire city in a unique way. All of this said, it isn't a cake walk. For one, getting to the starting line is a hassle. For me it entailed, a subway, a ferry, a bus, and several hours of waiting in the cold. While the sights along the course were captivating, the terrain proved difficult. There are many subtle grades throughout long stretches in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and the multiple bridges were downright brutal, both due to the incline and the wind. After crossing the finish line you are forced to walk over a mile out of the way to escape the baggage zone and reunite with your family. The final verdict: I am so glad I was fortunate enough to run this marathon, but I don't think I would ever do it again.
C. S. from SF, CA (11/4/2013) "Should be on the must-do list for every marathoner" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I waited five years to run the NYC marathon - 3 years losing out in the lottery, then last year finally getting guaranteed entry only to be canceled, and actually running it this year. It was worth the wait. First, the course was fantastic, taking the runner through all five boroughs of NYC. For the non-New Yorker, this was a real treat to see the different communities. Crossing a bridge to each borough was a nice touch as well as a challenge with the upward slopes of the bridges. The run through Central Park at the end was a nice touch of green after all the asphalt roadways. Next, the crowds. For the first two-thirds of the race, the crowds were phenomenal. However, the last third into Manhattan was sparse, probably because most spectators had gone home before the slower runners got there. It would have been nice to have more cheers during that last push. Last, the organization at the start was good. However, getting to the start was a challenge for the dedicated buses. It took almost 2 hours to get to the start from the Midtown pickup. Luckily, the pickup time was really early. Now I know why. Getting to the corrals was a bit of a hike. The expo was also good, but could have used a bit more signs and/or volunteers to direct runners, particularly to the expo hotel bus pickup locations. All in all, an enjoyable experience. The NYC marathon should be on the must-do list for every marathoner.
P. L. from Oakland, CA (11/4/2013) "Bring a lot of clothes to throw away." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Prepare to freeze in Staten Island for several hours before your start time. Be careful at water stations, the area constricts and people will happily push and trample you, then slow immediately down. Not the friendliest race. I believe it suffered from the common misconception by tourists that New Yorkers are rude. We aren't. Spectators were great, but since I've never seen spectators as awesome as the ones at the Oakland marathon, only four stars. Getting away from the race was difficult. I'm not really sure how they could have done it differently though. Its just a super crowded race.
J. S. from Kring van Dorth nederland (10/27/2012) "This is à once in a life time experience" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 We have had à great time in New York, THE marathon was perfectly organised.
D. M. from Owensboro, KY (6/26/2012) "Great experience" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my fifth marathon overall and first time running NYC. I made the mistake of walking way too much on Friday and Saturday before the race. My family and I took advantage of being in the city for a couple of days and went to see everything we could. This sightseeing had quite an adverse effect on my legs. Because of the tightness in my calves I decided to abandon the pace I'd trained to run. My goal leading up to the race was 3:15. I limped in around 3:48. All that said, it was a thrilling moment to cross the finish line in Central Park. Prepare yourself and do some research on things like how to get to the start and where to go after the race. An experience that I highly recommend to any marathoner.
R. K. from Minneapolis, mn (6/3/2012) "Good experience, but not up to hype" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Do not get me wrong this is a race I am glad to check off my to do list. I have run all the big us races and I am a 3:40 marathoner, so I usually get a good starting spot. But for NY, they asked what time you will finish in ( and I was starting in the same corral with many runners who were slower and never ran sub 4 hours but NY allowed them to put in a faster time to get a good slot which is not fair to the faster runners), which makes you expend too much energy at the start. In addition, the finish was awful (did not get water right away, had to walk many blocks to get drop bag and not much food at the end). Worth running once, but not again if you like organized well run events. Very disappointing from a major marathon.
N. N. from Toronto, Ontario (5/2/2012) "Moat memorable experience of my life" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is an amazing experience that is if you are lucky enough to get in. The race is relatively flat expect for the all 5 bridges are hilly and can be windy. Do take caution that the last 4 miles of the race had a steady undulation. Pros: starting line is incredible experience crowd support phenomenal race entertainment great great tshirt great medal amazing expo well well organized plenty porto-potties throughout race lots of water/gatroade/bannana/wet sponges post race and pre race festivities fun cons: cost (seriously NY over $255 just to run) charge $11 just for applying (whether you're in or not) hard to get into the race takes about 3 hours to get to the start bit slow walking through central park to get bags
J. H. from Chicago, IL (1/10/2012) "Great Race, Amazing City" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 New York City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The marathon is great but it's the city that makes this such a tremendous experience. A long weekend in NY is always a fabulous time. I got to run through the five boroughs, the weather was great, the fans were spectacular, and the course was challenging (I didn't expect all of those bridges). It wasn't perfect - I could have done without the long bus ride followed by hours of waiting for my wave to start. And it's not fun having to slowly shuffle out of Central Park with the masses immediately after finishing to find the UPS truck holding my gear. The logistics aren't ideal but with such a large group of participants, they do the best they can. I'm glad I picked 2011 to cross New York off of my 'to-do' list. While it would be nice to run NY every year, now that they've raised the entry fee by $60, I'll try other marathons before I return for this one. For the price of one NY marathon (travel costs, exorbitant hotel prices, higher registration fee) I can do two other marathons this year and cross a couple more states off of my 50/50 list. But I do recommend every marathoner try to run this race once in their lifetime.

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