The New York Marathon is the marathon of all marathons. Despite there being near 47000 runners, the start was incredibly organized! They split you into three start times, according to your expected finish time. Then each start splits in two, with half the runners starting on the top of the bridge, and half on the lower bridge. Each start has a different course for the first 8 miles, then joins w the rest of the race. The start made it so you were not overly packed, and by the time that you joined the main race, the race had already spread out. The best part of the race though is really that the whole city comes out and cheers! They literally tailgate and there are spectators the entire course!! The city gets so amped for the race, that you cant help but smile and push through. There are several bridges that make up for some ups and down, but its also a moment when you get actually a break from all the cheering to refocus. I qualified for Boston with the new times on this course, and although I attribute it to hard training, really the spectators are what pulled me to the finish. I’ve done the LA marathon twice, which is a big race too, but nothing really compares to the NY marathon. Its like no other!
