Before October 2018, I hadn't run a marathon with over 9,000 entrants, let alone a world major. The 2018 edition of the NYC Marathon became my second massive race, in a month. My only frame of reference to this is the Chicago Marathon, and New York did some things better, and some things not as good. Here we go.

I stayed in Queens for Marathon weekend, although there are no shortage of places to stay in New York City. Some would be closer to the start, finish, or shuttles for sure, but I went for cost effective. The weekend really starts with the expo, and I was about a 20 minute train ride away directly to the convention center. Perfect.

I got to the expo early on Saturday morning, since I was also manning a booth. Lines already began to form before it opened at 9, but they were very organized and moved very quickly. There is security, so if you are bringing a bag that might take some extra time. The check in process is super quick: grab your bib, go down to grab your shirt, and then head through the official merch area to get into the rest of the expo. I really liked the flow of the New York expo, and it didn't require you to weave through the exhibitors to get your bib and/or shirt.

And let's talk about the shirt. I love it! I had been told be fellow BibRavers who had run NYC in the past that the race shirt was very good. And it was! This year, the shirt was a dark blue (like almost every race shirt in 2018 it seemed), and long sleeve with the logo on it. I'm a big fan. Obviously, if you want more NYC merch, pick some up at the expo, or grab the race jacket like I did.

Fast forward to race morning. I had elected to take the ferry to Staten Island, and due to getting into the race late, I only had the option of the 5:30 ferry. So yes, it was an early morning. I was warned there would be no coffee at the start village (there was) but fortunately, there was coffee at the ferry to get to the island. So if you need your coffee fix before running, you're set if you take this option. There's security at the ferry as well, but just make sure you aren't bringing anything illegal and that you use the clear bag the race gives you.

The ferry ride is mostly uneventful, as it's literally a boat of runners chatting about their life and the race. The views of the harbor were pretty neat, since my ferry caught the sunrise over the city. After getting off the ferry, we walk through the terminal (or whatever you want to call where the ferry docks) and back outside over to the bus that takes you to the start area. It was a little chilly in the morning, but being on the first ferry meant my line moved pretty quick. Still, it took about two hours to get to the start village.

Once at the start village, there's more security to clear before going to your assigned color. Runners are either Green, Orange, or Blue waves. The start village has food, coffee, bag check, bathrooms, and some cheap but comfortable Dunkin hats. The big hurdle here was killing time. I had about 3 hours before race start.

Fast forward to the corral. The race is strict about getting into your corral, and you get a 35 minute window to do so. You can keep your throwaways on all this time, as there are donation boxes to toss them in the corral. There are also bathrooms in the corral. Clutch.

Once the corrals close, runners begin their walk to the bridge and to the start. I didn't expect that, but you walk another solid half mile before lining up to start the race. I checked my watch in the start area and had already accumulated about 4 miles worth of walking in the morning. And no, the race wasn't started yet.

Once the race gets going, congestion is more of an issue than I experienced at Chicago (it should be noted I started further back at NYC). The Green wave runs the bottom of the first bridge while Orange and Blue run the top before splitting. All three waves run a bit different the first 5k before coming back together in Brooklyn.

Much like Chicago spends almost the entire first half on the north side, New York spends almost the entire first half in Brooklyn. But it's worth it. The hills are minimal here, and the crowds are spectacular. Queens comes next, but only for a few miles before ascending the iconic (for the race at least) Queensboro Bridge. Be ready for this ascent, and then descent into Manhattan.

The crowds going up 1st Ave are spectacular again, but the key word is "up" 1st Ave. The second half of the race is where the hills take hold. First Ave is gradual ups and downs, and you still have bridges into the Bronx and Harlem to go. After getting through Harlem, runners take on 5th Ave, and an absolute grinder of a hill before entering into Central Park. While Central Park is mostly downhill, there are some tricky uphill segments here as well. You'll briefly exit the park to masses of crowds before coming back in for the iconic finish.

Once you finish, be prepared to walk. Regardless of if you go with the poncho option or the gear check option (this is what I did) it's almost a mile walk to the end of the finisher's chute. Then it's another walk out of the park. Fortunately, the chute spits you out right by the subway. That means stairs, but also easy commuting since there's a zero percent chance of getting a cab or Uber anywhere near the finish.

The only negative I had about the race was actually the Aid Stations. Not that the Aid Stations were bad, not at all; in fact the volunteers at NYC are AMAZING. But I've never seen so many runners WALK through the AS right next to the volunteers. It makes it incredibly hard to grab something. At Chicago it's preached to grab and go, but apparently not at New York.

All in all, running the NYC Marathon was an incredible experience. I liked it way more than Chicago in terms of the experience of a world major. Although, with the crowds of runners, I'm not 100% certain I'd want it as a goal race. That being said, there are a lot of things I would do differently leading into the race had I been planning to run for time.

If you get the chance, run the NYC Marathon. Do it.