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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 121 to 131]
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Heather Sturrock from Dundee Scotland UK
(11/20/2009)
 "The single most exhilarating experience of my life" (about: 2001)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I trained hard in a wee town called Dundee in Scotland. (I'm a married mum of three.) I thought about 9/11, and how awful it was. i wanted to show solidarity with the American nation, and flew across the ocean to run this race. At 42, it was my first marathon - a big deal for me. I came across alone, met lovely people, ran my wee heart out, and felt honored to have been able to do it. When I'm lying in my bed, as an old woman, it will rank up there as one of the best things I have ever done on this earth. | |
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J. P. from Guatemala
(11/17/2009)
"The best event I've ever run" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Excellent organization. I'm impressed with how they manage all of the resources and people. Amazing quantity of spectators, and they give support along the entire course. It's the best event I have run. | |
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C. S. from Raleigh, NC
(11/15/2009)
 "Spectators were great; but, not worth doing again" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 This was my first time at NYC. The pre-race book said it best: "A once in a lifetime experience." I am glad that I did it, but see no need to ever do it again. I do not rank this among the top 20 marathons that I have done. The good: The course was easier than all of the pre-race discussion. The spectators, especially in Brooklyn and Manhattan, were terrific! They are the only reason to run this race. The international attendance was really neat - far more diverse than Boston. The negatives have documented by several others: Pre-race transportation and waiting times, crowded everything, etc. The worst and most unexpected was the post-finish line logistics, which were absolutely horrible. To be unable to sit down for a few minutes in the midst of Central Park is unbelievable. If you are going to do NYC, follow the advice in some previous comments: Ignore the race's directions about getting to the start. Use your own sense of time and common sense. I wish that I had. | |
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D. o. from Ireland
(11/15/2009)
 "New York, New York! So good they named it twice!" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Hello!!!! That was my first marathon, and running up 5th Ave, I swore I wouldn't run again (because my feet were getting hot and sore), but the pain faded and all changed when I made it to the park. I loved this experience so much, and these days I am going around with a permanent smile. And so everything was fantastic except for my feet. The crowds were amazing - right down on top of you shouting, cheering and carrying you each and every step (except near Williamsburg). One thing is the long walk to "get out"... hmmm! For me it was fine, as I was staying at East 83rd St., and my bag was in the fifth-last UPS truck, so I had to walk up the whole way, but it certainly would have helped if participants, who had collected their bags, would have been allowed to exit sideways into the park a little earlier. And this would free up the road for the others and perhaps allow a slightly faster walking pace. With that said, the helpers on the way out were fantastic (as was everyone who was involved). Where do you get your energy?!?! And the post-race bag - nice, but perhaps not enough. Maybe a second PowerBar and another bottle of water or Gatorade would help. So, well done, New York! I hope you will let me in again next year and the year after and the year after!!!!! I certainly will love coming back for this again in the future - all of the way over from Ireland. Until then, bye, bye!!! | |
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David Shumate from Clinton, MS
(11/14/2009)
"First time to New York; what a marathon!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my seventh marathon, and there is no greater marathon thrill than New York. Everyone was encouraging and the crowds never ended. I brought my 16-year-old daughter and bought her a bleacher seat on the finish line with friends. Pretty special stuff, because she too is a runner. But only this marathon could make it such a special trip for us to make. | |
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L. R. from Manasquan, NJ
(11/12/2009)
"Thrilled" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A dream come true! What a joy picking up my number at the expo. The ferry was wonderful. What a way to start hearing, "NY, NY." Brooklyn policemen were joking with runners who stopped at the end of the Verrazano. Hearing my named called the first time from my shirt brought tears to my eyes. Little kids were in BedSty quietly cheering while their parents watched in silence. Crowds in Brooklyn are off the sidewalk and in the road cheering you on! The signs fans hold up in Queens are hysterical. Hearing the roar of First Ave. is a blast, only to be compared to the roar of Central Park. Firemen are cheering you on in the Bronx when you need it most. The different bands along the course are amazing. You can meet your family no problem if you plan ahead. For those with constructive thoughts, try to remember this may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of the runners, myself included. Thanks to the fans, I never hit a wall; rather, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. I never thought, "Ugh, 13.1 miles to go." Rather I thought, "Oh no, only 13.1 miles left of this thrilling experience." Thank you to the people I met, the volunteers, the fans, and my friends and family. | |
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M. S. from Midwest, USA
(11/11/2009)
"It's got its problems, but it's still NYC" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I guess I'll start with the negatives first. I know it's a major undertaking to move 40,000 people to Staten Island, but there's no two ways about it; having to hit the subway at 4:45 a.m. to make it to a race at 9:40 SUCKS. I don't know how it could be improved, but if you haven't run NYC before, be aware that you are in for a long, long morning before you even start running. Even Boston, where they have to bus tens of thousands out to Hopkinton, isn't this bad. Also, at least for the first wave, the corrals closed absurdly early. I had to abandon a port-a-potty line and sprint a quarter-mile to the corrals when it was suddenly announced - almost 40 minutes before the start - that the Wave 1 corrals were closed. Luckily the volunteer let me in anyway, but I passed several other corrals where people didn't seem so fortunate. We stood around for 20 minutes anyway before heading to the start, so there seemed to be no point in locking people out so early. Also note that at least for my group, there were banks of port-a-potties in each corral which were barely being used, in contrast to the inevitable long lines in the staging area. Wish I'd known beforehand. Third, the death march through Central Park after the finish is real pain in more ways than one. Those of us with four-digit bib numbers get herded (literally - I stopped a couple times to chug my Gatorade and both times a volunteer was all over me within seconds, telling me to keep walking) a mile-plus up to an exit at 85th Street, past several other exits. What a joy that is after running 26.2. On the plus side, it's New York; it's an incredible city and an incredible course filled with incredible fans and, for the most part, pretty excellent volunteers as well. If I could give the fans six stars I would. I thought I was fairly jaded, but it was still staggering to come off the long haul across the empty Queensboro Bridge, make a u-turn, and suddenly find that you're in Manhattan with cheering New Yorkers packed eight-deep on both sides of the street. Awesome. I know that a few drawbacks like these aren't going to keep anyone from running the race. Heck, if I can run a qualifying time again, I wouldn't mind coming back myself. But just be forewarned that as legendary a race as New York City is, and as much positives as there are, you more than likely will face some hassles that you wouldn't at a smaller race (or even at many other big races). | |
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D. P. from Hernando, MS
(11/11/2009)
"It's NYC. Just as promised." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I loved this race. I liked the course and spectators. NYC is the best. All of the gripes are true. Perhaps next year it should stay at 43,000. My only plea for change involves the finish area. All I want is to walk or sit down. Shuffling in a crowd for 25 minutes was hell. The crowds getting there, at the start, and during the race were fine, and at that point I enjoyed the espirit d'corps. After 26.2, I wanted space. On well, I will run this one as many times as I can afford it. | |
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C. H. from BC,Canada
(11/10/2009)
"Awesome!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What an amazing race. I am in awe of how well organized this was. I am so glad my girlfriend said we should do it (we qualified in Vegas). The congestion at the end just can't be avoided, and the volunteers were FABULOUS. Imagine running with 43,000 people! Thank you, New York; this was an experience of a lifetime! I highly recommend it. Don't expect a PB at this one, but I was still pleased anyway. Hey, it was my 10th marathon! Happy anniversary to me! | |
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D. S. from US
(11/9/2009)
"I'm glad I did it but I won't do it again." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New York City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed this race except for a couple of things. I needlessly worried about getting to the start. I used my own common sense (not their directions) and got there by subway, ferry, and bus with no problems. Bibs weren't checked until you got to Fort Wadsworth. The end was a mess. I hope they open up the park more for runners in the future. It was hard to meet your family afterward because of all of the congestion at the end. |
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