What an incredible race! Besides the shear size of it, what stands out most to me is how well organized it is. This should be the gold standard. Communication is great. The expo was huge. Bib pickup was organized, well staffed, signage and information was available throughout.

We took the ferry option and it was a wonderful way to start off the day. After a short ride and numerous picturesque selfies we arrived in Staten Island. Was happy to find numerous food options available and we hung out for a bit before heading out to the shuttle buses. The bus ride was a good 35 minutes. Lots of people waiting. But again, plenty of volunteers and everything seemed well rehearsed and orderly.

A few other races recently had huge snafus with regard to security. Long lines, huge backups, etc. But the NY Marathon handles security the way it should be. Entering the ferry terminal they had many officers with dogs that professionally and efficiently processed runners with just a quick sniff. Then after the buses arrived I was surprised to see that each drop off was cordoned off and staffed by 3 officers with metal detecting wands. They quickly screened everyone as they came off and entered the village. This was genius! With at least 4 start times and multiple points of entry they were able to screen everybody in an orderly fashion. No choke points or long lines!

The start village was huge. Portable potties galore all easily accessible. Basically no lines. And I know they had more than enough because I was in the last wave and you could be within a few feet of them and no smell anything unpleasant at all :) There was still plenty of free coffee and snacks. Garbage and castoffs were piling up and looking a bit unsightly but I saw plenty of volunteers tackling it.

The only little negative I encountered was that my sister and I wanted to run together. We consulted 3 different staff at the expo who told us one thing only to have the person screening the corrals tell us something different. Not a biggie but a bit of last minute anxiety I could have done without.

As for the course itself, it was beautiful and iconic. Support tables were plentiful. Even in the last wave and with a 12:00 pace there was plenty of water, Gatorade, Gu and fruit available. The bridges were amazing especially the Verrazano. The crowd support was amazing. So many people playing music, offering high fives, offering tissues, shouting encouragement. I loved seeing all the diversity and support. The bridges as expected were a bit tough to run...especially the Willis Bridge. One supporter to my amusement was yelling "One last damn bridge!"

I loved that there were many timing mats all along the course. My family loved being able to see my progress. The app was wonderful and easy to use. I loved that there were plenty of cameras...it's nice to have photos as a momento of your accomplishment. The medal was beautiful, the goodies were fine and the poncho is something I'll probably keep forever. It was a long walk from the finish line to the exit. But I was impressed that they had medical spotters in the crowds insuring that everybody was well.

This was my first full marathon so obviously it's going to be memorable. But I'm sure it'll still stand out for me no matter how many others I do. I highly recommend this as a must do in your lifetime race! HF#12739