Pulling into town concerned me as most things are still closed for winter, however the race did not disappoint. The race is held before the official start of the season (March 24 this year) so a lot of the landmarks attractions and some hotels are not open. That being said, it provided a great atmosphere because almost everyone in the area was there for the race.

The expo was decent, but do not go in expecting to find the latest and greatest at steep discounts. I believe the local Fleet Feet took up half the expo. There was plenty of free beer and food at the expo which is always a plus. The shirt and free tumbler were top notch compared to some races I have competed in. Be sure to get your shirt size right upon registration as there is no switching at the expo.

The race starts early (6:30am). As someone who typically hits the road at 5:30am, that was much appreciated compared to the 10 or 11am starts. I did not stay at one of the official race hotels with a shuttle, but rather at the Hampton Inn which is a half a mile from the start/finish. That was the perfect warm-up and cool-down distance and I would certainly stay there again.

One thing I would ding the race for is the lack of port-o-potties AT the start line. I made it through all the gates and check points to get to the start line, only to find out the port-o-potties were halfway back to the hotel. There are a lot of them in that area, but they are about a quarter of a mile from the starting point and before you get to security.

The start was almost a sunrise start. The sun was up as we hit mile 1, but it was not a dark start. The 5k runners go off early while the half, full, and relay runners all go off at the same time; no corrals, single start. It was a little crowded to get through the main starting line, but opened up quickly.

The course itself was fairly nice. It is almost completely flat and you have a few opportunities to see the faster and slower runners where the course loops back on itself. It was never crowded after the first mile, but you were never alone either. I ran one marathon where I counted 4 other people along a stretch of road late in the race. I usually had at least 10-15 people within 50 yards of me the whole time. One drawback to the course is the road condition. The pavement is very rough in sections of the course. It is not broken or full of potholes, but can feel like you are running on cobbles in certain parts.

The half vs full split is clearly labeled with volunteers calling out directions. You are not going to miss that turn. I was not running the relay, but it seemed fairly organized. It appeared they had shuttle vans that would take you to and from relay points which much have been nice. The last relay I ran, runners were on their own to find a way to the start and finish.

Due to the season and time of year, there are a not a lot of spectators on the course. If you need that motivation, this may not be the race for you. That being said, the volunteers were amazing! It seemed like they had volunteers at every turn and throughout the course. If they weren't directing, they were cheering on the runners. It was great to see that level of support.

You never know what the weather is going to be like this time of year. At the start of the race it was in the high 30s and by the end it was mid to high 40s. The wind was the killer. There were sustained winds around 16 MPH and gusts by the hotels of 40-60 MPH. This was the first time where I have been running and my legs were blown into each other. Despite the heavy headwinds, I managed a 30 minute PR. Water stations were about every two miles for the first 20 miles and then it seemed like they were every mile to the finish. This was great because all of those volunteers were pushing the racers on.

The post race area was by far one of the best I have experienced. More food than you could imagine, beer was still there (which is rare for me after a marathon), good music, and plenty of space to meet with family and friends. To give you an idea how good it was; when I got to the beer tent/music area, there were still 5k people hanging around (and I ran the marathon). Everyone received a race specific medal and had access to the festivities.

Would I do it again? Most likely. The price is relatively inexpensive for the experience. The swag is nice and the course is never really boring. The race itself is certainly not a world major, but the volunteers and post race group make you feel like you just competed in the biggest race out there.

If you have the chance to run the NYC Marathon: DO IT! I'll get the bad stuff out of the way and then tell you why you still need to run this race.

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.