A moving, energetic and magnificent marathon through the streets of New York.
I had been waiting for this race for several years. Ever since I signed up in 2019 and was going to run in 2020. Now it is so done!
I have run my first marathon in the USA and have completed my third World Marathon Majors race. IN marathon series, this was race number 19 and country number 10.
The quest for 40 marathons before the age of 40 continues and this time the New York marathon itself was defeated.
I had heard a lot about this race beforehand. I was promised a magical atmosphere, a somewhat difficult trail and cold weather. Two off three occurred.
For the first time in many years it was very warm. It was around 23 degrees and over 90% humidity.
One of the tour guides from Springtime said that the last time he had experienced similar weather was in the 90s.
In the app, there were constant messages about the weather and that extra drink stations should be set up.
Therefore, I adjusted my own expectations before the start so that I should enjoy myself and enjoy the experience, time and final result was secondary.
This was to be the most spectacular long trip of my life.
The plan was to run my first marathon in costume. The outfit was Wonder Woman and I was going to run with one teammate from ASICS, from Portugal.
Fabio was to be Spiderman, we were to run as superheroes and create a good atmosphere along the way.
Another teammate of ours from the Netherlands posed as superman and we ran parts of the race together, all three of us too, which made the audience absolutely wild.
Our costumes were a great success among the Americans and we received many cheers along the way. For 42.2 km I was «Wonder Woman»
«Spider Woman» eller «Super Woman».
I have never experienced such personal support during an entire race before. It was simply moving and gave a lot energy.
The whole experience culminated in me getting the medal around my neck from Meb Keflezighi himself, a very famous person American long-distance runner.
The race day started earlier than at other races I have taken part in. We were picked up by bus at 05:30 and started 09:45. Bus to ferry and then ferry to Staten Island where the so-called "Start Village" is located.
Relatively easy to find. Something I have never experienced before is a post with therapy dogs. Dogs you can cuddle with and calm your nerves before the start. This was something the animal lover in me particularly enjoyed.
Here there was access to many toilets and both coffee and food were served.
Furthermore, you can throw away clothes you take with you to keep warm before the race in your own containers. The clothes stay then donated to the homeless.
The trail goes through several districts. It offers flat, several "false" surfaces, easier climbs, harder climbs, bridges and some downhills. The race goes from Staten Island and continues through Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx and ends in Central Park.
Strava showed an ascent of 376 metres. Most people do not take this as a race, both because it is somewhat heavy, but also because of the surrounding atmosphere which is worth taking in.
The race has no time limit, which in turn can make this harmless for more inexperienced runners, there are many first-time runners making their debut in New York.
I have heard many people say that if you are only going to run a marathon, choose New York.
I support this claim, and rather add that if you run this, there is a danger that it will trigger the desire to do it again.
Unfortunately, it is not that easy to get a starting number for this race, it is not just about signing up.
Either can either qualify with time, take part in a lottery, run for charity or book a package tour through a tour operator who has purchased starting places (e.g. Springtime).
(+) Benefits
- Fantastic crowd and folk festival almost all the way from start to finish
- Well organized and good flow throughout the event despite approx. 50,000 runners
- User-friendly and informative app for participants/spectators, some to track runners
- Good sharing of information before/after the race
- Comprehensive expo with both clothes, equipment, info and stands
- Many drink stations, approximately every mile (1.6 km) with both sports drinks and water. All have gels and fruit too.
(-) Disadvantages
- Time difference of 5-6 hours, potential jet lag and fatigue before, on race day and after.
- Long waiting time before starting
- Many people sign up for faster pools than the actual end time, it gets crowded and some queues along the way
- Expensive both the trip itself, and for example the photo package from the race is quite a bit more expensive than for other races