Last weekend I had the pleasure of being on the sidelines during the biggest and one of the most popular marathons: The NYC Marathon! A long-time friend and run coaching client was running his first marathon, and I promised (especially after bailing on him for the Staten Island half) that I would be out there to support. Lucky for us, it was a beautiful day and we probably would have gone even if he wasn't running!
Some things to know:
The marathon starts in waves, anywhere from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Our runner wasn't starting until 11, so we took the opportunity to watch the elite runners finish on TV before heading into NYC.
The app rocked my world (hello, runDisney, can we get in on this?!?!?). The tracking was incredible and the maps were perfect. Of course, NYC is easy to get around with it's simple grid layout. The app let us pick the best places to watch as we were riding the train into the city.
Central Park is pretty much off limits unless you pay, so you'll have to decide which end of the map to cover.
We took the Metro North train and got off in Harlem. It's the perfect place to see your runner twice without much travel for yourself. We got to spectate at mile 19 and at mile 23.
All in all, it was a fun day. I'm glad we decided to just plan to see my friend, since it's tough to be in NYC with a baby in the cold (you know, with trying to breastfeed and change diapers--those things are much more comfortable when it's warmer). If you start with the elite runners and plan to stay until the end, it would make for a very long day.
Of course, I would have loved to run too! This race has been on my bucket list for years, so I'll just keep throwing my name in the lottery and hoping for the best.
Is NYC on your bucket list? What are your tips for spectating a big race?
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