I put together about ten minutes of photos and video from last year's race. Watch it here. If you are running your first NYC Marathon this year, this is what the weekend actually looks like from the inside.
It starts at the Expo
We all try to meet around the same time and brave the crowds together to pick up our packets, which have your bib number and all sorts of useful information for the race. Then we get on line to visit the clothing store. And we cannot leave without stopping at Fred's Team's booth.
Times Square before sunrise
Race morning we gather in Times Square in the dark and pose for the big team picture with the more than one thousand runners Fred's Team sends to the start. Then we pull a few FredsTeamMark shots of our own.
From there it is onto the bus to Staten Island and the Start Village. Last year we raised enough as a team to earn a spot in Fred's Tent, which means extra food and drink and our own private bathrooms. Fun. One last team picture, and then off to the corrals.
We march up to the bridge, listen to the National Anthem, and then Frank Sinatra sends us on our way with "New York, New York."
Brooklyn, and the signs
We spend a good amount of time in Brooklyn and the crowds are great. People yell your name. Bands are playing, and at one point the lead singer stopped the music to shout my name as I ran by.
The signs along the route are amazing. I included a few of my favorites in the video.
The bridge, and then the roar
Then through Queens and over the dreaded Queensboro Bridge, a long steep incline on the lower level with no crowd at all. But your reward is waiting on the other side. Manhattan's First Avenue has the biggest crowds on the course, and the video does not do justice to the roar you hear when you make that turn.
The block that matters
The best part of the race is a few blocks up on the right side. You run past MSK and there are doctors, nurses, patients, and friends waiting to cheer you on and take your picture. That is the whole reason any of us are out there, standing on a sidewalk in orange, waiting for you.
The wall, and the finish
You float the rest of the way to the Bronx, where you meet the wall at mile 20. This is where you summon your inner Rocky and fight to win. You are counting down the miles now, and you know you are going to make it.
After I crossed the finish line I was able to duck to the side and wait for some friends and my son to cross.
I hope you enjoy this snapshot of last year's race. I cannot wait to see everyone again in just five short weeks. If you want to help us get there, every dollar goes to cancer research at MSK — you can support the team here. And if watching this made you think about running it yourself next year, that is how most of us started. Come find us.
