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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 541 to 551]
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A Runner from Brooklyn
(11/20/2002)
"Rewarding challenge" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 5th NY Marathon (I've run two others), and it's a tough course - it really feels like a Marathon. But the crowds, especially in Brooklyn, Harlem and Central Park (1st Ave. is overrated IMO), will keep you coming back. The first mile or two is a mess because of the slow runners lining up in front, but otherwise organization is great, especially for such a huge race. Just expect long waits and long lines, and go with it for the experience! | |
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A Runner from Midlands, England
(11/19/2002)
"Brilliant" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I thought it would be my only one, but hey, I have to come back next year, it was so much fun I wouldn't dream of missing it. As one of the slowest runners - it was dark when I got back - it might have been good to set me off earlier rather than have the dreadful queueing at the start, especially for the loo. However, I loved New York and the crowds were fantastic. I'll be back! | |
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A Runner from London, England
(11/18/2002)
"Well done New York City!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I don't agree with some of the posting. If you want you can achieve a PB in New York. I improved my PB by 50 minutes down to 3:09! The crowd was fantastic, that huge noise from the supporters if you come down the Queensboro Bridge was overwhelming. Running along 1st Avenue among millions of supportes is clearly an experience of a lifetime. The spirit along Brooklyn was amazing. I was running a good pace and had lots of space after mile 2. I never had problems on aid stations. Perfect organisation, well done New York City. A must for every serious runner. Love to do it again! | |
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A Runner from Mississippi
(11/14/2002)
"Great experience!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon is a must. I don't know why people complain so much about the organization. The organization is great (how do you expect them to manage 32,000 runners?), the volunteers are very helpful, the water stations are plenty, the course is inspiring and the crowd is constant and lifts you (You should be able to give them 6 stars!! They are great). I was able to run the final hills at 26 miles thanks to the cheers. The bands thru some neighborhoods provided nice diversion. The cultural experience is also good. You run with people from all 50 states and from 100 different countries. My hint: don't take the bus at the Public Library. Sleep well, wake up around 6am, have a good breakfast, and take the Staten Island Ferry at 8am... ahhh... and don't cry (as I can see in some of other fellow runners comments) if you have to wait a couple of minutes without moving after the official start. Hello! This is NOT a marathon to SET a PR, there are 32,000 runners with you! It is a marathon to enjoy it and have fun! My only complaint was the food after the finish line being real poor, just one banana and a horrible tasteless bagel hehe!! | |
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A Runner from Brooklyn, NY
(11/14/2002)
"Want the best marathon experience? NYC" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I am a marathon veteran and just completed my sixth consecutive NYC Marathon. In reading some comments on the race posted here, I am a little dismayed. In a nutshell, the NYC Marathon is the marathon experience of a lifetime. Bar none! Yes you will wait out in the cold for a couple of hours, yes it might take upwards of 10 minutes to get to the start line, and yes you will walk a half mile after the race to exit Central Park, but keep in mind, there are in excess of 32,000 people running the race! Considering the amount of entrants, I think the race is very well organized. If you want a marathon where you can wake up a half hour before the race and stroll up to the start line and run, enter a sanitized corporate marathon like Disney, Des Moines or Duluth. But for a full running experience go to New York. The entire experience is a metaphor for New York itself. You will have to wait in the cold for a couple of hours and deal with crowds of people doing the same. But dealing with adversity is what New Yorkers do, and it makes the experience that much more rewarding because once the race begins, the crowd takes over. Where else will you get the opportunity to run through, and be enthusiastically supported by, the most culturally and economic diverse neighborhoods in the country? The views are spectacular, the course is tough but the crowd is what brings you home. If you want to set a PR go elsewhere, but for the best overall marathon experience, see you in Staten Island on November 2, 2003! | |
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A Runner from LA, CA
(11/12/2002)
"I can do better than THAT!!!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Great course, great crowds!! After reading here the last couple of years about not even shooting for a PR here I'd decided that I'd just do it for the heck of it! NEXT TIME I'll go for time :) | |
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A Runner from Maryland
(11/12/2002)
"Do it for the experience- NOT for a PR" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I ran NYC with no finishing time goal and I?m very glad I made that choice. Ran with several running buddies (including one first timer) and we had a blast. We treated the race like a 26.2 mile moving party with 33,000 new friends. I had a great time and I highly recommend everyone do once for the experience. With that said, here are some of the cons. Packet pick-up was poorly organized. You wait in corrals to be admitted into the bib pick-up area while volunteers stand around with nothing to do. The 3-hour wait on Staten Island is cold. Worlds longest urinal is great- if you are a guy. I recommend NYCM add a female urinal for us gals who ended up peeing between UPS trucks. If you are a 4+ hour marathoner- bring your own Gatorade- they ran out of it completely after mile 14. And finally, pack a warm set of cloths and something to eat in that UPS bag for the cold finish. When we finished (4:50- I said we were having fun!) they had run out of food and all I got was a single banana. | |
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A Runner from Wyckoff, New Jersey
(11/12/2002)
"THE BEST!!!! What A Thrill!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and after experiencing all the NYC has to offer, I am hooked on marathoning. I cannot wait to register for the lottery again next year. I am just hoping that I get chosen again. I may even join the New York Road Runners and complete their 9 race program to get automatic entry for 2004. That's how great this was! I don't ever want to be shut out of this marathon! I would run it again today if they would let me! The BEST part of the whole experience was the crowds. Early on I made the decision to enjoy the race and the entire experience. As such, my time was not a concern. (I finished at approx. 4:20). It was also my first marathon, so I did 'just want to finish!' Along the route, I must have interacted with tens of thousands spectators. I must have given 45,000 'High Fives' along the route. The crowd was spectacular! They cheered us and encouraged us! The crowds were the best in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but were supportative the entire way. In spite of being in the middle of the pack, the crowd made me feel like a professional athlete. They were great. Of course, with any large scale event, there were negatives. Yes, the wait at Staten Island was long, and cold. The lines for pre-race refreshments and the port-a-johns were very long. Yes, it's true that the Pasta Dinner the night before wasn't great. But, these minor negatives do not by any stretch dimish from the overall positive experience of the event. The Expo was terrific. It was extremely well organized. And the race itself. Ahhh, the race itself. The New York City Marathon. 5 boroughs, 5 bridges...What an experience! I WISH IT NEVER ENDED! It was the experience of a lifetime. I plan to run many more marathons, but I am sure that none will ever compare to this. My first New York City Marathon. 'Love it!' I did! | |
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A Runner from Boston, MA
(11/11/2002)
"So much fun!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 NYC is a must! You just need to think of it as tour more than a race. I have visited NYC many times but I had never been to all the boroughs and it was a great opportunity to get a taste of all the city?s neighborhoods. Yes you do need to get there very early for an 11:15 start but we were warned in the literature the organizers sent out. And it is not hard to do the math! You did have to walk a lot at the end of the race and I didn?t appreciate the hill but it is understandable with the number of people. My family commented how easy it was for spectators to get around (unlike the Boston Marathon). I do have a few complaints the beginning was not organized as far as letting people into the respective corrals. Many of the fueling stations were out of Gatorade or if they did have it you actually had to stop and get in line to get it. Overall if you prepare yourself properly bring warm clothes and a blanket to throw away at the beginning of the race, use the UPS bag for warm clothes at the end, and do NOT expect a PR!! I didn?t feel that I ever got to run my pace because there were so many people and I was ?bobing and weaving? for at least the first 5 miles. ! I still prefer Boston were the city basically stops for the marathon, in NYC there is some much going on the marathon is one more addition. But NYC comes in a close 2nd! | |
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Elisabeth from Atlanta GA
(11/9/2002)
"Either be ELITE or be HUMBLED" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you are an elite runner and going for money and ellusive time, then join the race as such and you wont run into troubles like some have mentioned. Everyone else should join this race as well, for the pure enjoyment of the race and the sport - forget the times. I have never had SO much fun and CRIED so much on a course in my life. Granted I jog a standard 6 hour marathon, but even in the back of the pack there was no 'sorry, I am out' or lack of ANYTHING, certainly not fan support. For this reason alone it is by far my favorite marathon to date. It is also an easy race to find a 'running partner' along the way, as I did for half the race (thanks Cleah). NYC, argueably the greatest city in the world, made the race one to remember FOREVER. The sights, smells and sounds of the great city kept me going MILES longer than my mind wanted to. The peaceful hush on the bridges (no spectators allowed), and the sight of hundreds of little girls (OH THOSE LITTLE GIRLS), lining the streets of Bedford Sty all added to the memory for me. I couldnt even imagine doing this race and only pushing for time and missing THE RACE. Go ready to run, but also ready to be in awe. Sure there were minor 'inconveniences', but in a race this size they are to be expected. The 4 hours prior to the start were some of my favorite hours. I took that time to look around and to meet a few other first time NYC runners (way to go Michael and Mary, I saw your times!!!). The race is what you put into it, so take your patience and a heap of humbleness and you will run away with the best experience of your life - bar none. |
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