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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 291 to 301]
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f. u. from New England
(11/5/2007)
"Bag Pick Up - Another Fiasco" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 Is there no one at NYRR bright enough to figure out a way to avoid the one-hour logjam after crossing the finish line. Picture thousands of runners trying to walk through a narrow path in Central Park to pick up their equipment from the UPS trucks. Dozens of runners made it through the course without trouble only to pass out from the claustrophobic conditions. A disgrace. | |
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P. C. from Indiana
(11/5/2007)
"Once in a lifetime" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 NYC is a popular item on many runners to do list, mine is certainly no exception. Now that it is in the rear view mirror, I know that this is not just another marathon. Is it well organized? You bet. There were actually times when I was pretty sure I was being processed.(The pasta diner, the start line transportation, and the start areas and corrals, finish area) The route was good,interesting, and moderately challenging until the finish, which doesn't let you off easy. The spectators really do make the course great. Among the many on course highlights for me was the huge cheering crowd as we came off the Queens borough bridge. It is hard to beat the non-stop fan support. As other runners have mentioned, green start marathoners, of which I was one, got a raw deal. Running on I278 for 2+ miles brought very weak fan support, then we were dumped right into the middle of a significantly slower group, and it became an obstacle course for several miles. NYC could learn something from Indianapolis Mini organizers about starting a large field. The overall marathon experience, including watching the trails, made for a great weekend. First time marathoners should consider starting elsewhere, as there are enough logistic challenges to add a great deal of stress to the experience. I really felt like there were more runners who just stopped in front of me than I have ever experienced in other races. Water and Gatorade stops were ABUNDANT, I would say at least 1 per mile, and the volunteers; enough cannot be said. Not to mention the NYPD, security was top notch. NYC is a marathon that experienced marathoners should experience. | |
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J. L. from New England
(11/5/2007)
"Baggage truck fiasco a disgrace." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 There was a 40-minute line to drop my bag at my baggage bus. My number was in the 700's and I was supposed to be in the first corral. Almost missed the start, and had to start at the very back of the blue wave. Disgraceful. I'm going to be asking for my money back. | |
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G. H. from New Jersey
(11/5/2007)
"Overcrowded Course" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I agree with the comments made by B.C. from New York (11/04/07). It would be fair to give the serious runners a head start and an opportunity to reach a qualifying time for Boston. I'm sure the casual runners would support such an approach. They still could enjoy the course and spectators without interfering with the faster runners. Besides, we experienced a poor coordination between the race organizers and the NYPD. It was difficult to leave the maze of fenced off areas at the finish. Some of the police officers were uninformed and even impolite. | |
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L. K. from NYC
(11/5/2007)
"NYC was the experience I thought it would be!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I wish someone at the expo told me to bring a blanket and pillow out to Staten Island. I was made to think you needed to be on a bus out of Manhattan by 5 a.m. or you would never make it to the start on time. I got to Staten Island by 5:15 a.m. and had to wait until the 10 a.m. start - my toes felt like they had frostbite! But, finally race time came and it was an AMAZING experience!! This was my 2nd marathon and I was determined to break 5 hours... I ran a much "flatter and faster" Chicago Marathon last year, but had my PR at NYC this year! I couldn't have been happier with race (crowds are rowdy and awesome!) or my performance! I will definitely be back, but will have a blanket and pillow on Staten Island next time! | |
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W. O. from Connecticut, USA
(11/5/2007)
"Great first marathon" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 No complaints from me. Ok, it would have been nice to make it to the start faster than 35 minutes after the cannon went off. I kept getting the feeling the race was over before I started. Although, the bridge was surprisingly empty and I was able to start at the beginning of my wave. Some other details. The ferry ride was great. I got to the terminal just in time as I basically walked right onto the ferry. I spent the ride enjoying the view from the stern, then moved to the front of the boat as we docked. Port-o-potty situation at the fort was tolerable with never more than a 5 minute wait in the green corrals. Plus we had free roam after the gun went off. I planned ahead and didn't need to check a bag so that made the finish easier. I must have missed the food bags too, but some wonderful New Yorker was out on the street with hot pizza for runners. The long line to leave the park was a little frustrating, but then I realized there was a reason for this. The majority of medical problems happen right after you finish so they do this for our protection as there is a large medical crew on hand. Maybe they should tell people this before the race. As for my race....I finished. A man in Central Park had a helpful sign reminding that, 'not finishing is not a f*$@%&!g option.' First half went as planned but injuries incurred in the last month of training finally caught up to me. If you ever wanted to be in the Olympics, running the NYC Marathon is the next best thing. In fact, there is no other sporting event in the world where you can have 2 million people cheering you on. | |
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N. G. from New York
(11/5/2007)
"Green start NYC = BAD" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I completely agree with the comment below. After mile 3, I spent the entire race dodging people and trying not to trip or fall into the slower people in front of me. It was a disaster. I wasted so much energy that it really affected my mental state and overall time. I hope next year will be better! | |
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B. G. from Fairfield Ct., CT
(11/5/2007)
"A total mess and totally wonderful" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 New York City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 It is hard to believe that the organization of the waiting area and start process could be an more screwed up. They actually made it worse than previous years. Runners penned in between fences unable to more from one area to another. Crush of people trying to get bags to trucks and then moving to starting areas. The crowd was so thick that people started to cry! Then the race starts. Oh my. Running over the VZ bridge into Brooklyn. Cheering folks everywhere. The wall of sounds on First Ave. The people packed on the sidewalks along 5th Ave. The finish in the park. There is nothing even close to this course. The finish area is also a mess but not in the same league as the start area. Maybe someone from the NYRR should actually go to the start area and see what a nightmare they have designed! But, I am already counting the days until I can do it again. | |
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J. V. from N.Y.
(11/5/2007)
"Glorious NYC Marathon" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ New York City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 NYC spectators are tops - you must run this race once in your lifetime. It is absolutely New York City at its best. Though the race director claims that ING sponsorship improves the race, it doesn't do so for the rank and file. Aside from the nice technical t-shirt, the goody bag was completely devoid of goodies - other that a Sponge Bob hat. New York City is the Food Capital of The US... but the food at the finish line was a disgrace. Especially the bagel. Why not distribute the same quality bagels you do at NYRRC races? Participants deserve better. The expo has deteriorated over the years, with practically no giveaways... probably the result of the astronomical fees at Javits. Parking in the area is $40.00! Go back to the Piers. ASICS merchandise was very nice with great colors for women. | |
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B. C. from New York
(11/4/2007)
"Almost everyone in the green corral got screwed!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Was going great till mile 3, after which I spent 3 hours passing slower people because of "construction," which resulted in a "wave" start for the green corral. Race organizers surely knew about possible bridge construction, but did nothing to make the race fair for people in the green corral. Water stations were treacherous for the same reason. Large sections of the course were too narrow because spectators were not kept on sidewalks on the smaller streets (if the start was fair this probably wouldn't have mattered). Times for people in the green corral should be marked with an asterisk, indicating the 5 to 10 minutes they lost depending on how aggressive they were at dodging the 10,000 or so slower people in front of them. The starting area itself was well organized, the fans were great except when they reduced the course to one car lane, the course was a traffic jam almost from start to finish (except First Avenue, the Bronx, and the first 3 miles), and the finish area was unpleasantly crowded - but that's to be expected. The "goody bag" food was terrible and basically inedible. If I were to do it again, which I probably won't, I'll know to bring my own finish food. There were no bananas or juices. The bagel was factory/preservative style, and the granola bar and the sports drink were inedible products from the sponsors. |
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