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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 241 to 251]
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M. D. from California, US
(11/12/2007)
"Great course, great spectators, awful organization" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I loved the course, the volunteers present, the spectators, music, and crowd support. I hated that that it seemed like I was trying to be sold something all the time, that getting to the start was extraordinarily complicated and involved non-stop standing (including on my $20, 3-mile bus ride) for about 2.5 hours, and that the corrals and start were so terrible. To those who comment, "Deal with it," I will probably choose not to: Boston knows how to make its whole weekend "The Greatest Weekend in Running" without the hassles and problems. | |
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L. D. from Tampa, Fla.
(11/11/2007)
"I LOVE NY!!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 After 3 years of waiting for the lottery to give me a YES, I finally got in! I prefer smaller marathons, and while I loved the course at Chicago, the constant spectator noise for 26.2 miles was just too much. That said, I LOVED NY!! I hope these comments are as helpful to future runners as the previous years' comments here were to me. - Try the Hotel St. James near Times Square. No frills, but very clean, and cheap, even for NY. - Train for hills. The first 20 miles aren't too bad (even for a Floridian like myself), but the last 6 can do you in. Don't expect a negative split. Do enjoy the scenery - imagine: a beautiful park in the middle of Manhattan... how wonderful is that!?!?! - My friend and I bought a 7-day metro pass and took the subway to the 7:00 a.m. ferry. Got off the ferry, walked through the terminal, and onto a city bus (metro pass is good for buses as well) that dropped us 1/4 of a mile from the start. Saved the $20 and NO WAITING in long lines. Bus driver was great!! - I am a 5:00 finisher, starting in the orange corral. The start is crowded, but you're not packed in like sardines, and porta-potty lines were maybe 15 minutes at most. I passed the time at the interdenominational church service, in a tent, out of the cold. That, and meeting other runners, helped the time go by really fast. - Crossed the starting line 12:00 after the gun went off. No big deal - I was not expecting a PR here, so I was planning to enjoy the journey and not focus on the finish line. I am, after all, going to get the same medal as a sub-3:00 runner. Got swept in to the mass of runners, not at all claustrophobic, and before I knew it, I was 5K into the race. - VERY GLAD I decided to enjoy my journey. Otherwise, I would have missed NY's finest PD, sitting on the roof of their patrol cars, waving and clapping. I might have missed NY's finest FD, hanging over the road in their basket trucks, sitting on top of the trucks, and standing on the curbs, waving and cheering me on. I wouldn't have noticed the gentleman running with one leg and a prosthesis, the woman with her arm in a cast, or the older man with only one arm. I would not have taken the orange slices from the girl in the Bronx, or the Milky Way from the boy in Central Park. I wouldn't have taken the time to thank the policemen for making the course safe for me to run, thanked the volunteers at the water stops, or told those at the med stop on the lower level of the nasty bridge just how much my calves appreciated the Icy Hot they were giving out. I would have missed high-fiving thousands of folks taking time out of their Sunday, hanging out for the 5:30 finishers like me. The millions of spectators, bands, choirs, instrumentalists, etc., make this marathon an incredible experience! - It's true, the finish area is poor, at best. Once you get your medal, it would be nice to have your chip removed, get your snack, and then pick up your bags. This is not the case, as you are herded down a narrow path, made worse by the really long line of UPS trucks full of checked bags, and those clogging the area even further by changing into their other clothes right then. After another hundred yards, it's chip removal, then another block or so for the snack giveaway. If you have read any of the comments on this website, you have an idea of what to expect. Whether or not it will fulfill or even exceed your expectations is up to you. This can be the marathon of a lifetime, and it's definitely worth doing at least once! | |
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Y. C. from Washington, DC
(11/11/2007)
"NYC got me hooked" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is my 1st marathon ever. I was trying to finish in under 3 hours, but finished injured in 3:27. I agree with some of the previous comments about the starts. Additionally, the predicted times were not accurate at all. I was disappointed in the merchandise. There were very few options for small (in this case extra small) or large women. The extra small free shirt I got fit my mom, who is 150 lbs (I'm 112 lbs!!!). There were very few options at the expo on the second day, and the finisher's merchandise options were worse. Overall, I am glad NYC was my first one. I can't complain about my time, because I still qualified for Boston and am now hooked on the whole marathon experience. That being said, I don't think any city can offer the same fan support. | |
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J. E. from Ontario, Canada
(11/11/2007)
"Incredible - the best marathon ever!!!!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 10th marathon, and it was the most amazing race of them all. The excitement started building when I got my race confirmation, and then the "daily tips" were something I looked forward to and read faithfully. Then it was race day - it was an early start, but how else do you get 39,000 people to the start line on time? The staging corrals were so organized, there was everything you could possibly need there - food, water, medics, shelter, thousands of people to talk to and share stories with. Then the start.... The gun went off and the race began. The crowd support was unbelievable - even better than Boston. Coming into Manhattan and seeing and hearing the tens of thousands of screaming people all along First Ave. was a sight I will never forget; their support just pulled you along - amazing!!! I was feeling so tired when I came to Central Park, but the fans once again made you dig deep and find the strength to push through the pain and finish. The volunteers at the finish line couldn't have been nicer - I have nothing but praise for each and every person that helped in any way with this marathon. This is a race that I will definitely do again, and maybe again and again. Loved it!!!! | |
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G. M. from Manhattan
(11/9/2007)
"ROCK STAR!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It's my favorite day of the year. You head down to Staten Island, hang out with 37,999 of your fellow runners from all over the world, then are greeted by millions of fanatic fans through one of the greatest cities in the world. Okay, I live here, but I still think I'm being objective. You HAVE to do this one at least once. I'll see you there next year. :) | |
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D. S. from Denver
(11/9/2007)
"The Best" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 2 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Go out and have fun. Give the millions of fans along the course high-fives. Enjoy the over-100 bands along the course. Encourage the hundreds of disabled runners that you will pass. This is NYC at its best. Don't expect a no-hassle, uncrowded race. That is not NY, and it's not possible with 39,000 runners. No other race compares. | |
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L. P. from Toronto Canada
(11/9/2007)
"Wow!" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I have not come down yet. Yes, yes, all of those comments about the bag drop are true, and I am suffering PTS disorder from it, but I have gotten over it. The race was the experience of a lifetime. It is slow though. But worth it. I'll try to pick up the pace in my next (smaller) marathon. | |
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j. m. from Michigan
(11/9/2007)
"Great race but 2 Big Negatives" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The experience was wonderful, but WHY $20 for a 3-mile bus ride, when the city bus only cost $2? Also, I could not get into the proper corral position, even though I went to the starting line 45 minutes early. | |
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A. S. from Texas
(11/9/2007)
"Start logistics can improve" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I shot for sub three. Crashed and burned with a 3:09. Course was harder than I expected and I should have had more hill preparation. However, the start logistics were definitely a factor and could improve with a few easy modifications. I started in the green corral (3000s). Due to construction and lane closures, each corral segment of 1000 was held until the road was clear to prevent congestion. The result was that I started the race 3 minutes behind the gun. When the corrals joined up around mile three, I was trying to run 6:40s against runners who were running 30-60 seconds per mile slower. I tried my best to go in a straight line to get through traffic, but weaving was inevitable and took its toll on me later in the race. Hopefully this won't be an issue in the future once construction is completed. The baggage check in the green corral went well. However, I do not understand why they greet groggy early rising runners with 4 plus hours of constant announcements and pre-race 'entertainment' blasting away. KEEP THE START AREA QUIET SO WE CAN REST!!! Only make announcements when needed. And no one needs to listen to a blues band at 6am!!! I like running in the large marathons because there are a lot of quality runners to help pace the run. I usually end up running alone in smaller races by mile 16-18. But large marathons need to take responsibility for managing the flow of runners at the start. New York needs to set corrals based on actual marathon times like Chicago does. Even in the green start, I passed runners in the first two miles that had absolutely no business up front. In fact, I would even set corrals purely based on time, with no special times for women or masters. Runers who have worked hard to run fast times should be rewarded, not burdened, at the big races. Then, for those who are in the middle to back of the pack, stagger their start time like in Boston. This will ease the pressure on pre-race transport as half the runners will start 1/2 hour later. And will ease the traffic congestion on the course. Otherwise, I would run this race every year if NYC hotels and food weren't so expensive. It is a tough course, but that just challenges you to work harder in preparation. And it is a thrill to run the same course as the likes of Lel and Radcliff. | |
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Joseph Kolinsky from Bronx, New York
(11/9/2007)
"3rd Time a Charm" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First of all, I want to say thanks to the New York Road Runners and Mary W. - the effort that it must take to basically shut down NYC for a Sunday morning is way beyond my comprehension. But you pulled off another glorious race, and you all deserve a world of credit. To the volunteers - your enthusiasm was amazing. As a runner, I cannot thank you enough. And to my fellow New Yorkers: you once again turned this race into a 26.2 mile block party. For the past 3 years I've run this race, and I glow with pride from within as I see 2-3 million spectators yelling and screaming for total strangers for hours at a time. Running a marathon is not easy - if it was, many more people would do it. To have a city open its arms to 38,000 runners and push us all along as the pain grew made all the difference in the world. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And let's quickly address the complaints that I've read for this race: 1) 'You have to get to the start hours before the gun goes off...' Yes, you do. Deal with it. There are people from over 100 countries at the starting line, and NYC is being shut down so you can go for a run. So stop whining and introduce yourself to people from all over the world. 2) 'The finish area is too congested....' YES, it is. But let's face it - everything cannot be perfect, although NYRR shoots for perfection annually. Instead of standing at the finish complaining about congestion, savor the fact that you just ran though NYC on one of the world's biggest stages. 65 million people just watched a race that YOU ran in. You want to experience congestion? Ride the #6 train at 5pm on a weekday. 3) 'The organization is 'iffy'....' It that's what you think, I suggest you read about this year's Chicago Marathon. I ran that one as well - try not having water for 9-10 miles on a 87 degree day while running a marathon. THAT is 'iffy'..... If you enter this race, be ready to wait 3+ hours at the start. Be ready for congestion. Be ready for 38,000 runners and 2-3 million screaming New Yorkers. And be ready to experience a life changing event. Thank you NYC. |
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