I had the great pleasure of running the New York City Marathon again last weekend. It was a hot and humid day by NYC standards, and I sweated a ton during the race, and had to walk quite a bit in the final six miles. I was just glad to be there.
The race is increasingly difficult to get into. I got in after purchasing a guaranteed slot last year, contingent on my completion of a virtual NYC marathon, which I did on a rainy day here in the Skagit.
Race day started at 6 AM or so, by catching the 1 Train from Columbus Circle down to Battery Park, and then catching the Staten Island ferry. I had great views of the Statue of Liberty on the way over, with a boat full of runners. The wait time for busses to the start line took too long, but finally I made my way over there, and got to the start line with the last wave of runners to go, at 11:30 AM. The winners had already finished by then, as per the messages on my phone from the NY Road Runners application.
After the anthem, our waves went, and the first two miles in on the Verrazano bridge, quiet, far above the Hudson. From the bridge, if you know what you're looking at, you can pretty much make out all of New York City and the race course itself. You can also look elsewhere, and see things like Coney Island, the Statue of Liberty, the Trade Center, and boats, planes and copters, everywhere. The NYPD presence was strong too.
Then, twelve miles through Brooklyn, most with people out cheering everywhere, bands playing, stereos bumping, etc. My favorite part was up in Williamsburg where both sides of the street were narrowing the lane for runners, and the spectators were yelling, "NO SLEEP IN BROOKLYN" along with the Beastie Boys, super loud. As tired as I was from the heat and sweat, moments like this tended to get me pumped up.
The Queensboro Bridge was a quiet climb, but then it the crowds started up again, around mile 15, and were there most the rest of the way. I was just shuffling by this point, but taking in the sights of Manhattan. The Bronx section was short, but loud and proud for people of the Bronx. Then, the final five or six were back down through Manhattan and into Central Park. I was ready to finish by the end, but the Central Park ending was terrific.
The finish was around 64th Street or so on the west side of the park. There's a long walk after that, and it took me over a half hour to make it through all the post-race sections, but finally I met Deb. After a few cramping experiences, we had a post-race Italian supper.
The NYC marathon is quite the production. It basically takes 4 or more hours to get to the start line, and there's an hour on the backside as well, more or less. It is way worth it, as there's nothing quite like this event. New York comes out for it, and the runners are from all over the world. I feel fortunate to be able to have toed the line--my second time now. I find this one pretty special.
