New York City, dubbed “the city that never sleeps”, played host to yet another successful marathon weekend. The NYC Marathon is the worlds largest with over 50,000 finishers from 130 countries, cheered on by over a million New Yorkers.

On Nov. 1, I was lucky to have experienced this iconic race first hand and, with unabashed enthusiasm, enjoyed the 42.2 km run that wounds its way from Staten Island to Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and finally Manhattan.

Marathon aside, New York was in extremely high-energy mode. In addition to the usual throng of tourists, the 42nd annual Halloween Parade as well as the World Series all happened to converge over the same weekend. It truly was a time when the entire city seemed to unite in the most magical way. The runners, the spectators, the volunteers, baseball fans and international visitors — everyone was in very high spirits. It was most certainly the place to be!

As much as I love this city, it is very easy to get seduced and swept away by everything New York has to offer. Therefore, if you come to NYC to run the marathon, first and foremost, pace yourself!

Marathon Do’s and Don’ts:

• Do – Indulge. Enjoy the sites, walk, take the metro, hydrate and take plenty of sit-down breaks.
• Don’t walk a half marathon before the marathon! Respect the distance. L
• Do – Get to the race expo early, if possible. With fewer crowds, you can enjoy the experience at a leisurely pace.
• Don’t bring a large group of family and friends with you without establishing a meeting point and time. You’ll be setting yourself up for disaster!
• Do – Aow for a minimum of three hours to get to the Staten Island start.
• Don’t meander over to the ferry thinking that your spot is held for you then arrive late and miss your wave start.
• Do – Take it all in and enjoy every minute! Admire the scenic route through each borough, be in the moment while running across each of the bridges, appreciate the volunteers with warm genuine smiles handing out water and Gatorade, notice the cheering spectators and the music along the course, all meticulously arranged for our entertainment.

Marathon Highlights

Each race that I have had the opportunity to run has, in some form or another, captured moments that have resonated with me. To follow are a few of my special “New York State of Mind” marathon moments:

• ‘If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere’ – the iconic voice of Frank Sinatra crooning over the loud speaker for our race start send off
• Camaderie of runners – met some amazing people that I will never forget! Shout out to Christine from Washington D.C.
• Running on 1st Avenue and looking down upon a sea of thousands upon thousands of brightly colored racers – very surreal!
• Approaching the entrance of Central Park, close to the finish line, there was a deafening welcoming crowd of spectators
• Receiving the ultimate finishing medal placed over my head by a volunteer along with a warm poncho around my shoulders, whispering a word of congratulations

Thousands of runners rose to the challenge that weekend along with the volunteers and spectators. In the long run, everybody won. A big Thank you to New York for hosting a World of runners.

Happy Running!
Annie