Typically, I try to avoid the end of the year races because I hate running in cold weather. Unfortunately, I always screw up during year and I have to run this race to qualify for my 9+1 entry into the the NYC Marathon.

In this race, you will take two loops through Central Park - 4 miles for the first loop and 5.2 miles for the second loop. This year there was a chance that the race was going to be cancelled due to a snow storm, but the NYRR was very diligent in updating the runners by 5:30 am (three hours before the start of the race). I secretly wanted to the race to be cancelled and just get the 9+1 credit but that was not the case. There were a little under five thousand finishers this year and the cold weather definitely made for some PRs. The first two miles of the race were a little annoying, because the pack was very congested. Like normal, I believe some runners were in the wrong corrals. I do not know why people do not go to higher corrals if they are injured or know that they will walk most of the race.

The post race was the typical sort - bagels, apples, water, and a see you next year. Oh, this year, finishers were provided with heating sheets, which I never can wrap properly. Since this race is a 15K, it is a great way to gauge where you are and what training you need to do for the NYRR Fred Lebow Manhattan Half in January or the United Airlines NYC Half in March