The standard Race Recap, Pros/Cons section is at the end of this post because there is something else I wanted to write about first.
This is picture after I finished the NYC Marathon:
When I prepare for race I figure out what I am going to wear awhile beforehand. If I'm traveling I prepare for cold, warm or rainy running conditions so I end up packing a lot. As I get ready for a race I also draw inspiration from different things and people. In the week before the race my wife sent me this article (it's fairly long but very well written): http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/9768224/the-marathon-their-lives along with the comment "Going though some old e-mails, I came across this article. Still gets me.". I read the article again for the I don't know how many time.
At this point I need to explain that in 2011 I ran the Chicago Marathon and even though I had an entry I decided to try and raise money for a charity. I selected the IAFFBF - International Association of Fire Fighter Burn Foundation (it's just the IAFF now) raised some money and was part of a team of 7 that were running. I never met any of the people beforehand because we were from around the country. We met the day before and had dinner together with our families at a local restaurant courtesy of the IAFF. The day of the race we met at a fire station near the start and had our pictures taken together. We were all going to meet up afterwards at the fire station. It was hot and humid that day so I didn't run my best race in that I finished in over 4 hours. I met up with my wife and sister afterwards and walked to the fire station, it was somewhat quiet but people were talking in small groups. One guy from the team who had finished came over and said Will (A member of the team) had collapsed near the finish and they didn't know what was going on but it wasn't good. Shortly after that I left to go back to my hotel and found out that Will Caviness had died on the news. Since that day I've never worn that shirt I ran in, in fact I didn't even like looking at it but I kept it in the back of drawer.
After I read the article again I started thinking about what I was going to wear. The IAFF as a charity does not have a team that runs NYC but what if wore this singlet for inspiration from Will (who was a fire fighter in NC) and also to publicize the work they do. In addition it would give me a good memory to go along with the bad one I have associated with it. I contacted the people at the IAFF to ask if it was okay if I wore this (they have changed the name since 2011 and there are some different people in charge of the fitness team) and they were very enthusiastic.
Due to the wind and cold I put on a compression shirt underneath it but I ran in that shirt and had an incredible race that I will always remember. I was slapping hands with any spectators that were out (including some cops and fireman) which I usually don't do. Even after the race I couldn't help but smile at everyone and was practically jogging to get my bag and head back to my hotel. Even as I sit here now writing this it still makes me smile because it is such a good memory. All I can say is that Will inspired me that day.
Race Recap
What can I say about this race that you haven't ready somewhere else? I was really looking forward to this race for a number of reasons: it is the 4th of the 6 world Marathon Majors that I have done and also it was the last marathon of 5 I did this year (so now I can rest and recover until 2015!).
Pros
- Race management is spectacular, with over 50,000 people running they do an awesome job.
- Lots of well stocked aid stations along the route.
- The course itself is not hilly, the biggest hill and toughest part of the whole race was the first 2 miles. Part of the reason was the 20+ mph wind and I was in a wave on the top deck of the bridge.
- The finish is well organized so when you are done you go get your bag (if you had one) or you got a poncho and left Central Park.
- The expo had lots of different vendors and it was easy to pick up your bib.
Cons (there are not many but these are things I noticed)
- The baseball hats they had with the marathon logo were made by Asics and they were so odd shaped I didn't buy one. Not many people did, in fact I didn't notice many people wearing them during the race which you usually see.
- With this many people be prepared for lots of breaches of running etiquette. People would stop in the middle of the road to walk instead of getting over, lots of people throwing cups that were half full all over with no concern for others and people not really aware of how to pass someone without bumping into them.
Overall this was a great experience and I am glad to finally get in and run it. The registration fee is expensive but to me it was worth it.
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