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New York City Marathon Runner Comments
Back to New York City Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 4.9
Number of comments: 604 [displaying comments 211 to 221]
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M. Y. from Chicago
(7/7/2008)
"Great course and crowds; could use help organizing" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The crowds are unbelievable - it's an awesome feeling to see so many people cheering you on! The start area/bag check was very disorganized - people were literally at gridlock and couldn't move for several minutes at a time. It took us 30 minutes to go literally 200 yards. However once we got to the start, it was an awesome race! My suggestion - get there early, check your bags, use the bathroom, and find a spot near your group to hang out until marathon time. | |
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W. M. from Oakville, ON, Canada
(6/26/2008)
"Hard course, great race" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run the NYC Marathon 3 times. It was my first and my fifth marathon and I plan to run it again this year. It is by far the hardest course that I have run. But it is the best in terms of organization and dense crowds. Getting breakfast at the start is a huge plus of me. Chicago was my second marathon and I showed up there expecting breakfast and was told, "What do you think, you're in NY?!" (By the way, Chicago is an amazing race.) I ran NYC first at 35 and last year at 40. Wow, what a difference! And quite honestly, all my other times have improved - I'm a better half-marathoner now at 40 than I was in my 20s. But NYC is such a hilly, challenging course. Respect it! | |
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K. K. from Morrisville Vermont
(6/2/2008)
"New York is a BIG City!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 NYC Marathon was everything that I expected and more. I absolutely LOVED the NYC Marathon and all things associated with it (the city, the subway, the expo, the marathon, the spectators, the finish)! When I was in school at Columbia a few years back, a friend convinced me to watch the marathon in Central Park with her. Never did I dream that I would one day run that (or any) marathon! The spectators called out words of encouragement, the bands that played were varied and unique, and the sights of New York City were priceless. Frankly, I don't remember the "death march" after the finish, probably because I was already brain dead by the time I reached the finish line. I do remember telling a friend that I had to walk to Canada to reach the UPS truck containing my bag, but that was just an exaggeration, since it was really only 10 blocks from the finish. Yes, the fact is, this is the largest marathon in the world and New York is a big city, so you must expect a big-city marathon experience. But that big-city marathon experience is one that cannot be replicated elsewhere. It is a memory that I will always cherish. | |
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M. A. from Boston, MA
(5/13/2008)
"First Timer and I'm hooked!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Great experience! I highly recommend this race for a first timer! The spectators were amazing! Some posts say this course is challenging, but after training on New England's terrain, I think it was tame. Only 2 drawbacks: 1) It took a long time to get to the starting line, after riding on the subway, then the ferry, then waiting in a crowded bus station for a bus, and then slowing walking to the start. It was a lot of work! 2) At the finish line (after a midpack finish) we were packed in again, because there was only one way out of the park! We couldn't even walk to cool down because we were so packed. I'm not kidding. People naturally wanted to get out, so they would try to hop the little rope fence only to get yelled at by some sort of security. I realize they have to keep order, but they were very rude. These things are minor setbacks compared to the overall experience. I can't wait for my next marathon! | |
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N. b. from Baton Rouge, LA
(3/9/2008)
"DO THIS ONE 1ST! YOU WILL LOVE IT!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 1st and there is only one way to go - DOWN! I just don't think you can get better than this! The support crowd was AWESOME! Without them I just don't know if I would have made it. The views were spectacular! I did, however, hate the extremely early ride to the start line just to sit and wait for a few hours. I saw people with blowup mattresses - now I know to bring mine! The fitness expo was awesome, with a lot of fun things to buy! As much as it hurt to get out of bed the next morning it was worth going and getting my medal engraved - DO THIS. It makes you soooo proud and wear your medal all day. You won't be the only one wearing it the next day! Don't forget to pick up the paper after the race - your name might be in it! The pasta party was fun but go back to see the restaurant without all the tents and people. The course was difficult due to the inclines, but once you were on top of the bridges, the views were one of a kind! THIS WAS THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE THUS FAR! | |
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J. R. from Tinley Park, IL
(2/10/2008)
"Great experience - run this once in your life!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 There are very few marathons of this size so everybody needs to experience this one time. I will do my comparisons to Chicago and Marine Corps. Chicago has far more exhibits and free stuff at the expo (even the Marine Corps seems bigger). I arrived 15 minutes before the start of the pasta dinner, and so avoided the crowds. I thoroughly enjoyed it but did see the unbelievable lines outside when I was leaving. I liked the experience of taking a bus with other runners to Staten Island. I took the New Jersey bus, which left later than the Manhattan buses and had no problems. The start needs improvement. My number was in the 12,000 range but it still took 7 minutes to the start and I was passing people walking right from the start. They need to copy Chicago's preferred start corral system that is monitored to keep the faster runners in front. I was passing bib numbers in the 30,000 range for the first few miles. The weather, course and spectators were great but I think Chicago's are louder and more supportive. It is a challenging course, but the most difficult part of it was that I never got out of traffic. I was dodging runners the entire run. I also thought the water stops weren't marked well. Chicago has big Gatorade signs so you know the stops are coming up. I didn't see these water stops until I was on top of them. A lot has been said about the finish. I finished in 3:38 so it wasn't too crowded to move but I did have to walk to truck 56. I thought I'd never get there. I know it's a problem but don't have a solution. Overall, the logistics are so much easier in Chicago but I do think everybody should run New York at least once. | |
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K. A. from New York
(2/6/2008)
"Best Race I've Ever Run" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've never experienced a race so organized and charged with energy! I literally ran the last two miles with a dopey grin on my face. :) | |
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Mike Rosner from Ogden, Utah
(2/6/2008)
"New York City Marathon" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First, after reading many of the previous comments, I want to say I had a great time and I'm sorry everybody didn't enjoy themselves as much as I did and I hope they can laugh about any bad experiences now that it has been over for months. Congratulations to NYRR for doing an excellent job of organizing such large groups of runners, volunteers, spectators, etc. I'm sure Fred Lebow was watching and was very proud. I want to thank the employees of the Tudor Hotel for making my stay in NYC enjoyably comfortable. I am still in awe of the expo. Even though I have run 70+ marathons, this was far and away the biggest and best expo I have ever attended. I forgot my entry post card but a gentleman was able to give me another one in less than a minute. I was on one of the first buses to the start area where I spent about 4 hours talking to other runners. A Luxembourg man told me he had run Boston and London and that NYCM was best. I was in the green area, where there was very little trouble at the clothes drop relative to the other areas. When I went to the wrong starting corral, a lot of runners yelled at me not to go back behind them but forward to the right corral. The start was unbelievable. I was surrounded by Italians, Irishmen, Belgians, Orientals, Bulgarians and more - many of whom were smiling and yelling, "WELCOME TO AMERICA." During the early miles of the race, I high-fived so many people that my hands and arms got tired. There were supposed to be a million spectators but I think that was a very conservative estimate. After running across the finish line I was surprised that not only was I given a warming wrap but volunteers were there to tape it closed so both my hands were free to carry things. Just another example of how they take care of runners at the NYCM. I had a 4-mile walk back to my hotel, which was long but actually a blessing in disguise because I wasn't very sore the next day. I stopped at a couple places and gobbled down some of NYC's fine hot dogs. Many times people I didn't know and would never see again congratulated me while I walked. If you haven't run the NYCM, you should. If you do, I hope you have as wonderful an experience as I did. | |
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A. W. from New York, NY
(1/20/2008)
"Unfortunate Start to a Great Race" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I have run the ING NYC Marathon before. The course is challenging but amazing, as are the millions of fans, spectators and fellow runners. My only complaint on the race is the finish. It is a disaster. I nearly passed out trying to collect my bag. Unfortunately for me... my last name starts with a "W." So it took a mile to reach my bag in a crowd of runners that were just not moving, and what it worse was that park officials would not let runners onto adjacent walking paths to ease the congestion. I have yet to write NYC ING race organizers on the incident I plan to describe next, but hopefully, they pay mind to these types of websites to learn and appreciate from their race participants. Even though I live in Manhattan, I choose to ride the race-provided bus to the start. It was one of the later buses and hit a lot of traffic on the Verrazano Bridge. It was uneventful to say the least until a runner sitting at the front began pleading with the driver to let her out of the bus to use the bathroom. At this point, we were safely in Fort Wadsworth. We had entered the unloading station, but were not allowed to unload yet. The girl pleaded several times and was to the point of tears and crying and complaining of pain. The driver was relentless and maintained that he could lose his job if he let her out. To let this girl exit the bus would not have put her or anyone else in danger. The surrounding buses were at a standstill or crawling. The results of the driver-runner standoff were horrific. The girl ended up urinating on the front steps of the bus. Even after this and the girl's partner and several other runners - including myself - tried to intercede, the driver would not open the bus doors. As a nurse and a runner, this is the last thing this girl needed before embarking on 26.2 miles. I hope that she had a change of pants or running tights. I cannot imagine the pain and chaffing of running with urine-stained tights. The humility and the stress of the ordeal were unnecessary. The driver's lack of human spirit and common sense could have resulted in something more serious. I hope that race organizers inform their volunteers and workers of the importance of rules and knowing when it is okay to break those rules! | |
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C. C. from Los Angeles, CA
(1/18/2008)
"Now this is an Amazing Race!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 After 2 years of no luck, I finally made it into ING NYC 2007. I really have no complaints about this race - what's been said is true: "You Must Run This Race In Your Lifetime." It was great running through all the boroughs of the city and the crowds had so much energy. Next time, I am definitely putting my name on my shirt - I really missed out. Pre-event, that's another story. The pasta party at Tavern on the Green was so so frustrating: I don't know what I could have done differently, but it took almost 2 hours of waiting in line to get a couple scoops of pasta. I would much rather have just gone to any ol' Italian restaurant... but, it's all in the experience. I would say that it was all VERY WELL ORGANIZED. |
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