This article is the fourth of six detailing my personal experiences from Week One of Training to finishing the 26.2 miles of the 2013 ING NYC Marathon. For the previous posting, please click here.
Staten Island (i.e. The Verrazano)
The first two miles of the race were probably my favorite. Everyone is fresh and pumped up, the views of Manhattan from the top of the bridge are mind blowing, and NYPD helicopters set the pace. For me it was my first taste of what it’s like to be surrounded by thousands of runners all with the same goal and who have all overcome significant challenges just to get to Staten Island. It’s really easy to go too hard here and my fastest mile did end up being the one coming down the other side of the bridge, but I settled down stepping into Brooklyn and got into a pretty good rhythm as I turned onto Fourth Ave.
Brooklyn
You spend more time in Brooklyn than any other borough and while it lacks the shear masses of people cheering in Manhattan, the streets are much tighter and less organized, providing plenty of excitement to feed off. There is also a great band playing on just about every corner down Fourth Ave and my one complaint is not getting to enjoy them for more than a block or two a piece. I heard everything from ACDC to Sublime to Marching Bands and Gospel. It was awesome. For me Miles 2-8 flew by and the icing on the cake was seeing my wife and friends waiting for me as I turned left onto Lafayette Ave in the Clinton Hill neighborhood. You’d be surprised how much you look forward to visiting your friends and family along the route. It helps to break up the race into smaller pieces and especially in the latter miles, gives you something to push towards when you start wearing down.
The next 5 miles through Williamsburg into Greenpoint were more of the same with crowds on top of you, great little unique neighborhoods, and rocking music. It was also cool to go from one cultural feel to another from Hipster to Hispanic to Hassidic…with all of the people and scenery, the race was never boring. Kind of like sitting outside at a coffee shop on a crowded street, except you’re not sitting but running for four plus hours.
During this stretch you also got a feel for the pure magnitude of people running with you. One of my few complaints about the organization of the ING NYC Marathon was spacing. Spreading 50,304 runners over only four waves often left things cramped on some of the smaller streets, especially through the water/Gatorade sections…conversely, at some point I imagine adding extra waves could dilute the energy of the race and I definitely wouldn’t want to further limit the number of people because this event is something that every avid running needs to experience sometime in their career. Plus I’m pretty proud to have been a part of what is currently the largest marathon in history!
Queens and The Queensboro Bridge
The First Tour of Manhattan
For me another pick up was the thought of seeing my wife and friends again waiting for me at 96th St. Again, it was helpful to break the race up into more digestible portions and I was counting down blocks from 60th St on. About the time I got a few high fives and hugs from my personal cheerleaders, I started to feel the weight of the distance beginning to tire me out. This was Mile 18 and for most, it’s where you approach your longest training run and where the crowds thin out leading up to the Willis Avenue Bridge and the Bronx. Regardless, I found that crowds are only helpful to a point; the rest is up to the runner.
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