NYC marathon race week and weekend is full of events and opportunities to do cool running related stuff. If you can make the trip to the pavillion in central park definitely do so. I arrived Friday night and got to the expo when it first opened on Saturday morning. This was great because it was not crowded at all and I hardly had to wait in line for anything. After leaving the Javits center I spent the day socializing and carboloading (lots of opportunity for this in NYC obviously) but definitely tried to limit time on my feet.

Race day fell on daylight savings time, which is great because I found myself restless about the race and had a little trouble falling asleep—the extra hour was appreciated! I woke up at 5:15 to get ready and make my way to the buses at the New York Public Library/Bryant Park area. I was staying in Harlem and took the subway with little difficulty. I arrived at about 6:25 and my bus was scheduled at 6:30. To my surprise there was a line spanning several blocks of people even to get on the bus to Staten Island, but it moved pretty quickly and we were boarded by 6:45. I had resigned myself to a morning of waiting anyway knowing that my wave didn’t start until 11 am. There is an excitement, a buzz, nervous smiles all around so it’s really quite a pleasant environment to be in anyway. I talked with a few people around me and pal’ed up to a gentleman who was also running the race alone. Great opportunity to swap recommendations for races in different parts of the country.

It was about 50 degrees, so not too cold though I had prepared for worse. I brough a couple trash bags and wore a bathrobe (which was a conversation starter). I wanted layers that would be easy to get rid of. There are blue donation bins where you can leave clothes and blankets that you don’t want to race with or bag check. The start village also provided free breakfast, which was great: plain bagels, power bars, water, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. I also appreciated the big screen where runners can watch the start of the other waves/catch progress on the race. There are plenty of porter johns in the start village. There are also porter johns in the corral area before you arrive at the start the line.

I was in the wave 4, orange, corral A, but somehow accidentally ended up in the green section to start the race. My previous race times had been 5 hours, so it was useful to be placed in corral A (the head of the start), because my goal time was 4:30 for this race. Though I missed out on pacers for that group because of my wave start time. The singing of the National Anthem was super emotional and a great way to start the race.

The Verazzano bridge is pretty quiet, no spectators and just a few like..public works people I want to say. I noticed right away that thoughtful ‘run-positive’ messages were painted on the lanes like “Go” and “You can do it.” Very cool. The crowds in Staten Island are pretty light, but I was so excited to actually be running the New York City Marathon that it didn’t matter. Brooklyn was literally a block party for the whole 10ish miles. The crowds are amazing and 4th avenue gave me chills. Coming into Manhattan off the Queensboro Bridge was everything everyone made it out to be and I tried to be very cognizant of not going too fast at this point either. I definitely recommend a conservative first half race strategy.

As someone with a small bladder, I appreciated the plethora of porter potties along the course, though I did try to go earlier in the race. I hit the first ones available in Brooklyn and waited only about 30 seconds to get in. I noticed some had longer lines than others throughout the course and tried to be strategic about where to stop.

I had read about the crowds being thin in the Bronx, and comparatively they were, but the people who were out were really loud and live, and it’s only a few miles before crossing back into Manhattan. The last miles between returning to Manhattan and entering Central Park I found mentally very challenging. There are plenty of hydration and nutrition opportunities there and throughout the course. There is an incline leading up to Central Park which is very noticeable at that point in the race, but if your pacing, hydration and nutrition are coming together (as mine were that day) it’s manageable. I wasn’t expecting what I felt were somewhat rolling hills in Central Park, but my perception of them may have been skewed given how tired I was. I PR’d by 40 minutes over my last marathon time.

As far as race wrap up, there is plenty of medical assistance available. They hit you with a recovery bag and heat sheet as soon as you cross the finish line. The crowds are large to get out of Central Park, it probably took about 40 minutes to reach the exit. I opted for the poncho option (as opposed to the checked bag) because you get out of the park sooner. The poncho was super warm/lined with fleece and is a nice souvenir. I didn’t try to get a taxi or uber back to where I was staying because I imagine with road closures it would have been difficult. I ended up taking the subway at 81st street, as I was staying in Harlem. The most difficult part was walking all that way up to the subway—almost makes me wish I had stayed closer to Central Park, but I lived to tell the tale!

If you’re trying to get in on the lottery, keep trying. I was rejected two years and won a PowerBar contest to get in on my third try. It is absolutely worth the wait and truly an amazing race in one of the greatest cities in the world.

The Marine Corp marathon amazed me with the volume of the crowds and also the ease of the logistics. It was an emotional race for me and I think many others which makes it a particularly unique experience. In terms of logistics, I came in on a Friday and headed to the expo by mid-afternoon. While I didn’t have to wait to get my bib or long-sleeve shirt (which is one of the nicest race shirts I own now), I did have to wait in a long line to check out some socks I bought and overall found the expo too crowded.

Race day I was stressed because the I had to wait about 25 minutes for the metro. This is absolutely the recommended way to get to the start because of traffic and road closures, but I wish I had left myself more time because I found myself anxious about being late for the start. Luckily I didn’t miss my start time. The course is beautiful and I found it much more interesting than a previous marathon I had run in DC (organized by a different organization). The monuments of DC, scenic views of the Potomoac, cheering crowds, and the blue mile are unbeatable.

One criticism I do have is that I had to wait in line at least 5 minutes to use a porter john at an early part of the race, and this was after bypassing previous opportunities because of lines. I’m not sure if this is an anomaly or not, but it was kind of annoying.

Crossing the finish line and having the coolest medal bestowed upon me by a marine was definitely the highlight of the race and a unique experience. I definitely recommend taking the time to chat and thank the service members who make the race possible.