Marathon Recap 2: What goes up does NOT always come back down!

Okay, here are the race day highlights

Getting to the start: Basically, I was herded like a cattle for about an hour. I was assigned an 8am ferry to Staten Island. To avoid a mad rush, the race tries to stagger you to the start line. The problem is that a lot of people don't really follow their assignment. (And the race people don't really check.) So, while I was there on time, there were people with 5 and 6am ferry times taking the 8am. This meant that it was very crowded while waiting for the ferry. As I was leaving the hotel, a gentleman named Tom got in the elevator. I was planning on walking the 10 minutes to the ferry terminal, but he was running the race and taking a cab. He let me hop in the cab without splitting the fare. I ended up talking with him the entire time to the start. He was from Denver and had just had a 12 week old daughter. He had her picture pinned on the inside of the bib.

From the ferry, you are immediately herded onto a bus for the 10 minute ride to Fort Wadsworth. Again, met several nice people along the way. (Including many first time marathoners. I can't imagine this race being your first). After getting off the bus you are then herded up to the holding corrals.

Several people said to make sure to eat something before starting. (The time it takes to get there means extra time goes by than normal). I somehow lost the granola bar I had put in my pocket but they were giving out bagels. Grabbed one and some water. By the time I ate and hit the port-a-john. It was already time to get lined up for the start.

The Start: Now, this is apparently only the 2nd year that they have used the staggered starts. I was assigned to wave #2, meaning I was scheduled to start at 10am, instead of 9:40 or 10:20. Now, the one thing the NYRR didn't do well was communicate to us where we had to be and by when. I saw a sign signaling I should have already been in my start corral. I happen to be standing next to someone who had volunteered the previous year while we were waiting who told me not to be concerned, we would get to the start. In the meantime, I saw others freaking out and trying to jump the fence.

The Race: The race starts on the Verazaano-Narrows Bridge. Basically it goes from Staten Island over to Brooklyn. It is also pretty much uphill for the first two miles. I was lucky and got into a group that starts on the top of the bridge. The views are fantastic and there is no change that I would get peed on (which I did see people doing). While it is the largest marathon in the world, even on the bridge, I didn’t think it was overly crowded, probably because for the first 8 miles you run a route based on your color. This kept the crowds to a minimum. (Which is good b/c I have a funky running motion and my arms tend to swing wide. I had no issues during the race)

I have to say that New Yorkers are a great crowd. They are also very nationalistic in their cheering. Nearly ½ of the runners in the race are not from the US. Many also wear singlets representing their country. As a result, a lot of the crowd would cheer for the country, e.g., “viva Mexico!” I was wearing my TNT jersey, which meant I had people cheering my name. I loved that New Yorkers pronounced my name correctly, instead of in Columbus, where I often got “Misty.”

Brooklyn definitely won the award for best borough. The residents were out in mass. The course also narrows slightly so you definitely feel the energy of the crowd. They were predominantly through miles 8-10, about when I needed to get into my rhythm. They definitely helped.

I also have to give NYRR props for the set up. Besides all pre-race activities being very well organized, they had water stops and toilets at every mile after mile 3. The toilets came in handy for me at mile 5 (which surprised me), but it was comforting to know that I knew exactly when to expect the next stop.

The thing that really surprised me about the course was how uphill it felt. I don’t think there was a flat part of the course that lasted longer than a mile. On top of that, with each uphill, I felt that a corresponding downhill did not exist. A few of the hills that are worth noting. One was the Queensboro Bridge. This comes between miles 15-16. It doesn’t look that taxing initially but it runs uphill for over a mile. Plus, it’s at that point in the course where the wall might soon be approaching. The other uphill of note is the one leading into Central Park. This comes at around mile 23, when you REALLY want to be done. Yoshie stationed herself at two points in the course, one around mile 16 after the Queensboro and the other at this point in Central Park. I was looking for her when I arrived at the park and totally missed seeing her. Her comment to me afterwards was that I looked like I was concentrating very hard to get up the hill.


Getting to finish in Central Park was a really neat experience. The crowds are great and can really help through those last miles. After finishing, I was almost immediately handed a mylar blanket, my medal, and a goody bag with Gatorade, water, a bagel, apple, and energy bar. I initially had to resist the urge to vomit when I had finished. Also because of my funky running motion, my pecs were very tight. My left arm had actually gone numb b/c my pecs had tightened to the point that they had cut off circulation.

It took nearly 30 minutes to get from the finish to the finishers area, where I had to meet Yoshie after which I promptly went the wrong direction. So, I called her and told her to meet me. She eventually came with dry clothes and my subway ticket. On a side note, if you showed your bib or medal at the subway after the race, they just let you on.

After the race and overall impressions: I would highly recommend doing the race. It is truly a unique experience. Be prepared to wait around a lot, particularly to get to the start. Now that I have done it though, I am happy to say that it's over.

I returned to Columbus the next day, still tired and sore. The day after that, I went to get a fully body massage. I tried the LMT from the Columbus Running Company and I have to say that she was fantastic. She totally understands a runner's body. She is also very reasonable ($75 for 75 minutes). I recovered just enough to have to leave again. I am writing from Vancouver as I am now here presenting at a conference and will be here until Sunday. As my mom said, I'm becoming a flight attendant.

Hope you all find this helpful. Feel free to ask any other questions you may have about the race.