The entry fee is almost $300 and that will be the cheapest part of the race (unless you live in NYC).
There is only a 15% chance you will get in through the lottery.
Unless you go through a travel group, you must take the ferry/bus or just a bus to the starting village.
It can be a VERY long day if you are in the last wave.
It is a mile or more from the finish line until you can meet up with family.

So after all that, why should you run it? This is one of THE marathons. You see all five boroughs and (with the exception of bridges) there is not a moment where spectators are not cheering you on. There are no other distances or relay runners so everyone around you is tackling the same 26.2 mile distance.

The weather in 2017 was in the 50s and drizzling almost all day. Decent for runners, but horrible for spectators. Despite the bad weather, the crowds are so thick at some points that it almost chokes off the course. As you cross the 59th Street Bridge, you can hear the crowd erupting from down below as they wait on you. You will see parts of NYC that you never knew existed and could probably never find again if you tried.

I have never enjoyed NYC, but found myself getting emotional when I went by the finish line the day before the race and many times over as I passed all the police and firefighters who were out there showing their support.

Be warned though, NYC is anything but flat and you have to focus on YOUR race. I took off too fast and was about 10 minutes ahead of my pace by mile 8. I paid for it in the end. There are a lot of slow, gradual climbs and then Central Park is just up and down. I scoffed at people when they said you need to do hill training for NYC as the elevation gain is minimal, but those long climbs wreaked havoc on my legs.

Would I do it again? In a heart beat... if I get in through the lottery. I have already checked it off the bucket list so there is no need for me to go the travel group or charity route, but I will enter the lottery every year from now on.

Link to this review