New York City Marathon, Løpet

Om løpet

Sunrise for the Marathon day is 6:29am and sunset is 4:49pm.
Put you name and / or the flag of your country on the shirt. The crowds will really cheer you on using it.
Don't use earphones. It is allowed, but you miss the cheering from the fantastic crowds and the many live bands all the way.
If you want to take a look at the whole course, I have made 3 course videos. One is a video made from Google Street View images. You see how the course looks from the street level. The other is a 19 minutes video "flying" the whole New York City Marathon course in Google Earth. Both videos contain running altitude information along the course. Both also contains real New York music. I have put the videos with high quality on my website for download. You can watch them full screen on your phone, tablet or PC, its GREAT! Also, if you have download them, you don't need to be connected to the Internet anymore to play them.
- You download them by going to my web site (https://runarweb.com/nycm_e.php). You switch between Norwegian and English language by clicking the flags in the upper right.
- I hope that you like them :) Please leave some comments on Facebook or in the guest book on the web site!
Here is a map of the first miles of the course where you can see the different colors. You can click on the map to get a larger map. Click on the bottom right on the zoomed map to go back to normal view.

The first miles

Don't be stressed if you think you are running slowly the first mile because of all the people. DO NOT start to run zigzag to pass people. You may gain 10 seconds doing that, but it may cost you 10 minutes in the end of the race because of the energy you waste in the start. It opens up after the first mile, so no stress!
As said earlier, the crowds are great. They want to greet you, take you in the hand, high 5 etc. That's great, but all experience show that it can take a lot of energy if you start doing that from the start. So be careful, don't overdo it.
Each mile is marked.
Each 5 kilometer is marked.
Half Marathon is marked.
Each 5 kilometer, Mile 20 and halfway have big clocks. The clocks start running from the start of wave 1.
Do not trust a GPS watch for accurate pacing! The reason for that is that the GPS signal is bad on parts on the course. Examples of that are the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge (for Pink start) and the Queensboro Bridge (all runners) where you run on the lower level. And where there are tall buildings next to the course, especially on 1st Avenue in Manhattan. That give the GPS problems with determing the correct location. Take a look at the screen shot below. That is from my GPS watch coming off the Queensboro Bridge turning on to First Avenue. It illustrates the Problem very well.
The only way to pace yourself correctly is to use a stopwatch and check your time at each mile marker. You can bring with you a pace band where you have written the times for each mile.
Here is the illustration of the GPS problem. You can click on the map to get a larger map. Click on the bottom right on the zoomed map to go back to normal view.

GPS problem

Purified water (not Flow Alaline) will be available at the start, at official fluid stations every mile beginning at mile 3 (except mile 5, 7, 9 and 26) and after the finish.
Gatorade® G Series Pro Endurance Formula™ Lemon / Lime will be available at official fluid stations every mile beginning at mile 3 (except mile 5, 7, 9 and 26).
Fluids will be dispensed in recyclable cups. There will be tables on both sides of the course.
The tables are long and the first half is always Gatorade and the last half is always water. Most runners stop at the beginning of the table to get Gatorade and right after the half to get water. That leads to lines and waiting. So don't do that. If you want Gatorade, wait until almost halfway to get it. And if you want water, wait until close to the end. It makes it much easier.
The aid stations are very close to the mile markers, but can be A LITTLE before or after. Be aware that the mile 15 station is about 0.4 miles before the mile marker and the mile 16 station is about 0.3 miles after the mile marker. That makes the distance between aid stations at mile 15 and 16 much longer than the rest, about 1.7 miles. The reason is the Queensboro Bridge.
SIS Gels will be available at mile 12 and 18. It will be separate stations, not at the regular fluid stations. The flavors will be Caffeinated: Citrus (75mg of caffeine), Isotonic: Orange, Lemon-Lime, Tutti Frutti, and Tropical
Bananas will be available at miles 21 and 23.
Medical aid station will be located at approximately every mile and at the finish.
Toilets are located at every mile from mile 3. The lines for the toilets are usually much longer in the beginning of the race, so wait if you can.
Drink at each drinking station. It's often too late to start drinking when you feel thirsty. On the other hand, it's not good to drink too much. That can cause hyponatremia. It can dilute the sodium content of blood to abnormally low levels. I drink a little at each station, never more than a cup, often less than full. I also use to mix Gatorade and water.
A sweep bus runs at 7:00h Marathon time after the last wave. After the bus passes the streets open for normal traffic. The aid stations will also start to close. You are allowed to finish using the sidewalk.
The official end of the Marathon is 8:00pm. You are allowed to finish after that. You will be an official finisher. You will receive your medal, recovery bag and poncho, but probably not an official finishing time.
Move over to the side before walking. If you just stop in the middle people may run into you.
- Watch before moving over to the side. People are coming behind you!
Here are 2 pictures that I took on the course. The first is from Brooklyn, the 9th mile. The second is from First Avenue, Manhattan, the 17th mile.

Many people talk about the Wall. But remember that he wall is in only in your head. Of course you are getting very tired. But don't even think about dropping out. Tell yourself all the way that the only option is finishing! And this is very true: "The pain you are feeling is just temporary, but the pride of finishing last forever!"