After so many years of hearing from runners of all experience and speed levels how great the TCS NYC Marathon is, I finally got to experience it first hand. Have to say, it didn't disappoint.

My experience will be skewed a bit because I was lucky enough to be on a VIP bus for transportation to Staten Island, so a lot of what many people cite as a downside of this race was really easy. Even still, it was almost a 2 hour ride to the start which is pretty intense by any measure. I was definitely thankful to be on a coach bus for this ride.

Starting area was very large but extremely well-marked and I had no trouble finding my corral with plenty of time to spare. Start line was a bit weird - I was in A Corral, and though we did enter the corrals according to our letter, at the front they simply combined A and B to all mix and start as one. Usually the point of lettered corrals is to avoid having faster runners stuck behind less fast runners and cause a lot of congestion. But by starting A and B together, that's what happened. Didn't affect my race at all because I was not gunning it from the start, so I wasn't bothered. But logistically it seemed strange. And I'll readily admit that this could be due to some unavoidable logistical constraints given the start on Staten Island, etc. that I'm just not aware of.

Everything else about the race was great - aid stations were top notch and managed beautifully. Crowds were a lot of fun although a bit subdued at times (most likely due to the misty/rainy conditions). Course elevation and difficulty were actually a lot easier than expected, but that's only because I was expecting it to be an absolutely BEAST of a course, given so many cautionary tales.

Make no mistake, it's hilly, and some of them are long climbs. But the downhill finish in Central Park was long and luxurious, and I felt like I was flying by then. Again, but not racing the course outright, I know I didn't have the full experience of how hard it can be. But I definitely pushed for the last half and found the course to be interesting, challenging but reasonable, beautiful and exciting! I really loved the finish in Central Park - SOOO much energy and just a cool setting.

Fleece-lined poncho with a hood at the finish line was so, so clutch! It's a long walk out of the park and if you don't have dry clothes (ahem, this guy), that poncho is a life-saver. I walked a few blocks west of the park (1-2) and easily caught a Lyft back to my hotel.

Medal and T-shirt were both top drawer - really nice long sleeve top with lots of sizing options, and the medal is big but not gaudy with a really sharp design.

My race was great, didn't think I'd have much fitness but was able to run conservatively for the first half and push harder and harder the second half. Misty and rainy off and on, but with temps around 60 that mist was perfect to bring down temps but not soak you through and invite chafing.

This race is worth the hype. Everything about it felt BIG and well-run. Highly recommend!