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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 531 to 541]
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K. P. from Sarnia Canada
(2/17/2003)
"An amazing experience" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first and thusfar only marathon, in fact it is the first organized run I have ever done. I felt the course was awesome and the fan support is unbelievable. The start sucked and as a runner without a previous time I was surrounded by slower runners (and thousands of them) I decided early on to enjoy the experience and forget about my time. I agree with several of the other comments I have read about the start. I understand the sheer size of this race makes waiting inevitable however if you are educated you can save yourself some grief. Do not get to Staten Island to early the wait is long and very very cold. (I was extremely envious of the runners cuddled up in their sleeping bags.) I was shivering and laying on the ground in the fetal position for a couple of hours desparately trying to stay motivated to run. Once 11:15 finally rolls around the actual race is fantastic, and the fans will motivate anyone to the finish line. A great way to see a great city. Hope to be back in 2003 | |
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B. K. from Kincardine, Ontario, Canada
(1/21/2003)
"Excellent marathon to remember" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 It was my first NYC marathon, after three attempts to win the lottery. The organization was excellent, the course was not as flat, as I had thought, the spectators were spectacular. A few suggestions for improvement: 1. The waiting time at the Staten Island was too long. Cut it down as much as possible. 2. Please, install more portable WC's at the start area. The line-ups were endless. Just after the start so many people decided (were forced?) to stop at the Verazzano Bridge, that from below it must have looked like Niagara Falls. 3. Combine bags pick-up with chip removal, just after the finish line. Thanks for the great run. | |
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J. B. from Fort Worth Texas
(1/19/2003)
"Can you get over the fans?Unbelieveable turn out!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Everything was great -especially the fans! I hated the morning wait time-the organisers did make it bearable with the live stage and bands. At this marathon you really feel like you are a part of something BIG-very exhilirating. | |
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M. B. from New York City
(1/12/2003)
"Can't get much better than this.." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 1st time running NYC and it was top notch in all aspects. I can understand some concerns about how early you need to to arrive to catch the bus to the start & long waits in Staten Island, but this is to be expected with such a large event. I also disagree that you cant get a PR at this race, as I ran a PR by far & qualifed for Boston. While the start is slow, the amazing crowd support more than makes up for it & the crowd motivates and pushes you to greatness. I highly recommend this event for everyone, just know in advance what you're in for and plan accordingly. Enjoy! | |
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J. S. from the Midwest
(1/11/2003)
"Do this one once and go somwhere else." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is one of those marathons you do so you can say you did it but you don't necessarily want to do again unless you need that big crowd, marathon hype to make you run better. If you're a veteran runner and can run on your own without the hoohaa or you don't want to spend a kings ransom for lodging, food, cabs, etc, go somewhere else for a better time. The course isn't flat and fast. It has many bridges with a few of them being somewhat difficult. If you're a 4 hr or less marathoner I'm sure you can have a PR. It's NYC's marathon and they let you know it because they sure don't make you feel real welcome. The on-line marathon store took forever to get me my orders. They lost one and you don't get a live voice when you call. The 3 hour start wait is a travesty in planning and really unnecesary. I want to personally thank the UPS girl at truck 47 for having such an lousy attitude because she didn't want to be there. How do you think I felt as an out of towner having to wait 3 hours for a marathon, running the marathon, then getting the thrill of walking a mile to see your mug in order to get my gear and then finishing the day with a few more miles walk to my hotel because there's no transportation back from Central Park? It's almost an ultramarathon with all the gyrations you have to endure to participate in their event. This isn't the same town I remembered going to visit family when I was younger except that the subways have less graffiti on them now. I'll be somewhere else next November. | |
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M. A. from Didcot England
(1/9/2003)
"A very enjoyable hard slog" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 A great start a great finish and a great city | |
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Rachel from from Columbus, Ohio
(1/5/2003)
"Overall a great experience but..." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my ninth marathon and there were some good aspects and some bad aspects. Some thoughts: How can you go wrong with NY city - what a fantastic town. The fans were phenomenal. More impressive than Boston, which is really saying something. The bag return system at the end of the race was exceptional. I really liked the medals, shirts (although they were definitely girlie), and certificates alot. The course was far more difficult than I anticipated, with a lot of long inclines (the bridges). A friend of mine started toward the back of the pack and she said that the start was very chaotic and disorganized. The expo was impressive in its size but not terribly 'user-friendly'. Line after line after line. After the race, I walked off to the side of the stream of people to put on my warm clothes and actually got yelled at by a volunteer 'Keep moving. We can't have 35,000 stopping.' I ordered something off of the online marathon store and never received it, sent three emails and left two telephone messages without ever receiving any sort of response. I'm also not really a fan of getting out to the start of a race 5 hours beforehand and sitting around in the cold. Although, in all fairness to the race organizers, I knew that was part of the deal going in so I can't really say I didn't voluntarily sign on for that. Overall, it was a good experience and I would recommend doing it once but I don't think I'll be returning. I hope this helps someone. Happy running! | |
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A Runner from Yardley, PA USA
(12/6/2002)
"Life Changing Event" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I never expected the high that I got from the NYC experience. I ran the marathon solo and I was a bit concerned about doing so since it is suppose to be a hard course. However, the crowds were amazing i felt like a running rock star with them cheering on the runners.It was truly the most amazing experience of my entire life. A few great points: Comming over the Verazano into Brooklyn at the start was great. Running through Brooklyn and seeing all the ethnicity. Running over the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan hearing the roar on 5th ave was amazing. Crossing from the Bronx into Harlem was awesome and then the final three miles in central park just knowing that you are about to complete the best Marathon in the world. The race is crowded so run it for the experience and you will get so much out of it. I can remember hitting the 20 mile mark saying man I dont want this feeling to end in 6 miles and I want to keep on going. All I could think of it was: what 20 mile wall? The crowd takes you through the whole race it was a life changing event! | |
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A Runner from New York City
(12/2/2002)
"Great Marathon" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 No marathon can beat the NYC Marathon! The pure thrill and adrenaline you get while and after running it keeps you coming back year after year. The fans and spectators on the whole course, except on the bridges where they can't be are WONDERFUL. Truly they push you along and make it the best marathon. Thank You! This is my fifth marathon running and true this past year there where some minor glitches, running out of goodie bags and Gatorade, long lines at the expo, but really those are not big deals. And can be resolved. And just to let you know you don?t have to be at the starting area three hours ahead of time. Maybe being a New Yorker I am spoiled for I know what train to take to the ferry to arrive at the starting line just in time to pack my bags in the UPS truck and head to the starting line, just as the race is beginning. | |
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A Runner from Plainview, NY
(11/30/2002)
"Unbelievable!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first time ever running a marathon. The organization of this event was amazing! 32,000 runners and very little went wrong! I noticed that a few people complained about the first two miles and how slow people started too far up, but I really did not find this to be such a big problem. Surprisingly, there was a lot of room to move around these people, despite the enormity of the race. The spectators were great! I would say that there was unbelievable crowd support for 23 of the 26 miles. The only places that lacked some support was the Bronx right after mile 20, and of course the bridges, which no spectators were allowed on. Overall, the crowd really helps push you on this race! The course itself was beautiful! I'm a native New Yorker, but to see so much of the city by foot in all 5 boroughs was great! Definately do this race if you want to see the true diversity of the people and the landscapes of NYC!! Overall, I would recommend this race to anyone! Definately a great first marathon, despite it being a little tough with the hills! Use the energy of the crowds to get you over the wall and just enjoy running the greatest city in the world! I hope to be back for 2003! :-) |
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