New York. Big city, bigger marathon

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Being in New York for marathon week has been quite the experience. I fully acknowledge I’m not impartial, given the entire reason for our trip to New York is so I can run the marathon, but this is a city that really embraces the race.

Wherever you look, you’re reminded that the race is coming up. As race day approached, there were more and more people out, getting in a final shake out run or two on the streets of Manhattan, often in newly-purchased NY Marathon merch - of which, there was plenty.

The US is the home of free enterprise and boy, was that on display at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo presented by New Balance. We got there on Thursday a few hours after it had opened and it was already comfortably full of people stocking up on shirts, jackets, hats, gloves - pretty much anything you can think of that could have the logo slapped on it in some way.

It had been pouring rain outside and as we moved through rail after rail of marathon apparel, the roof of the convention centre that was hosting the Expo started leaking, with rain pouring in. Not exactly the start they were looking for! But thankfully the weather cleared later in the day and Friday and the weekend were both fine.

Despite the indoor showers, the wheels of commerce were well and truly greased with 90 checkouts in operation at the Expo. It was all action with free checkout operators waving their numbers overhead, shoppers being directed by a queue management team and the ubiquitous clanking of mini-cowbells (branded, of course).

The cowbells were pressed into action by the checkout folks every time a New York Marathon first-timer made a purchase, accompanied by a shriek of: “First-time runner!” It was the morning of day one of the Expo, but the enthusiasm dial was turned up to 11.

I also collected my race bib and posed for the obligatory photos in front of various NY marathon branded backdrops. We wandered around the Expo’s many exhibitors, but I must admit to becoming somewhat overwhelmed (so much to look at), so we left.

Unfortunately I’d neglected to collect my bib for Saturday morning’s Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5k race that I’d entered, so I had to return to the Expo Friday lunchtime. By this stage, there was a 10-minute wait in massive queues outside the venue just to get in.

Thankfully once inside I was able to go straight to the registration desk for the 5k race which meant I was in and out pretty quickly. I can only imagine how crazy it would have been inside the actual Expo itself, judging from the queues of people who’d picked up their bibs and were waiting patiently to get in to spend their money.

Earlier on Friday we’d checked into our hotel on 37th Street not far from Times Square. I was only able to enter the marathon via one of the many International Tour Operators (ITOs) - in my case RunFun Travel - and the hotel room was part of the package.

Like most runners, I’m never going to be fast enough to run a qualifying time to gain automatic entry into a major marathon, and the ballot is such a long-shot that the only realistic way to ensure a place at an overseas major is through an ITO (or as a charity fundraiser).

There are lots of advantages to travelling with an ITO. Being with RunFun meant I was with a group of other Australians running the race. The centrally-located accommodation made race-day logistics easier. And tour hosts Fran & Dave were able to provide lots of advice about what to do when in order to make the most of the event.

This was really useful on Friday afternoon as we headed off to the marathon’s Opening Ceremony and Parade of Athletes, which I’d been selected to take part in. There were a number of others in our group who’d also been selected, and others - including my wife Caron - who were coming along to watch.

The ceremony was held at the finish line and the parade involved people from every nation represented on the start line marching from beyond the finish line back through the finishing funnel past the grandstands where supporters could watch.

I must admit I was a bit dubious about this, it sounded a bit twee, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. We arrived in our spot at the allotted time to find a stash of Australian flags ready for us to wave. A number of us also had bigger Australian flags to carry - so there was no guessing where we were from.

Others had gone above and beyond in terms of dressing to impress. There were two people in koala suits, one inflatable croc carried by a runner from Port Fairy wearing what could only be described as a koala bonnet and at least two inflatable kangaroos. But my favourites were the two dressed in full Raygun outfits - the official uniform of the Paris Olympic breakdancing team. Outstanding.

We were kept waiting for some time in the marshalling area while the Opening Ceremony was taking place in front of the grandstands, so there was plenty of time to chat.

Amongst the RunFun contingent were Craig, a pilot who was hoping to break 2:50 in the race, and Elisa, a US-born Australian who was running the race with her husband Adam. Ironically, she was selected to represent her new country and Adam, born in Australia, wasn’t.

Jill from Ballarat came and introduced herself to us. She was marching in front of the national groups as part of the “Streakers” - runners who have run more than 15 NY marathons. Jill has run well north of 20 (I think she said 24) and New York is like a second home for her.

Then there was Bryan Lip. Bryan was very much the hype-man of the Australian contingent (every group needs one). When the big Argentinian group in front of us got a bit boisterous singing their national song, Bryan (repeatedly) set them straight with a short sharp “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, Oi, Oi.”

And when we started to march he was out front, with one of the Rayguns, proudly holding the Australian flag. He also told us he was running a marathon a week for a year. So a week after New York he was off to Allentown in Pennsylvania before leaving the US to head to, among other places, Shanghai.

In January 2024 Bryan hadn’t run a marathon. New York 2025 was his 35th including all seven majors. He’s well on his way to his goal of a marathon a week in the lead-up to his 52nd birthday. Quite the achievement.

Anyway, the march was a hoot. Caron and my sister in law Heather watched on from the grandstands in the finishing funnel and once I’d finished marching we headed off to do some carbo-loading.

It was also Halloween which, like everything in New York, seemed to be supercharged in the city. It’s morphed from being a pagan festival focused on death to the biggest, most drunken costume party imaginable. So that was a spectacle worth seeing too as we wound our way through Manhattan’s streets.

Warm up

On Saturday I was up bright and early to take part in the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line, a 5k race held as a marathon warm-up. It was a beautiful morning with blue skies and just a few wispy white clouds racing across the sky, propelled by a brisk - and chilly - breeze.

Like the Sydney marathon, I was struck while walking to the start line by how international these World Marathon Majors are. At one point I fell in behind a huge group of Italians, all decked out in matching kit. There were also lots of French runners and, as you’d expect, plenty from Mexico. The international flavour of the competitors definitely adds to the atmosphere.

The race itself started outside the UN headquarters on 1st Avenue. We then took a left and headed west on 42nd Street before taking a right and heading north on 6th Avenue.

We entered the park at the south-eastern corner and wound along its paths for about 1.5k before finishing by crossing the marathon finish line where we were presented with a goodie bag - pretzels, a Gatorade, a bottle of water, a very bruised apple and a Maurten Solid energy bar. That was sustenance for the 25-minute walk back to the hotel.

I’d been in two minds about whether to run this race. Even the day before I had considered ditching it in favour of resting up, but in the end I was glad I ran. It gave me a chance to try out my race strategy of sticking to 7-minute kilometres, and to get an idea about how cold it might be for the big race itself.

Running 5k the day before a marathon is not for everyone, but if you treat it as a shake-out run and, like me, you’re in it for the experience more than the time on race day, then it’s well worthwhile. After the opening ceremony the night before, this felt like a logical next step in prep for the race.

So, having dashed to the finish line, all that remained was prep for the big race. Which, for me, involved a day of sightseeing with Caron and Heather. We took in expansive views of the city from The Edge - a relatively new viewing platform 100 storeys up overlooking the city. And we tramped around Bryant Park markets before I left the sisters to it and headed back to the hotel to put my feet up and get my race day kit organised.

In the evening I had spaghetti and meatballs at an authentic Manhattan Italian restaurant, Tavola, washed down with a couple of Samuel Adams October Fest beers (never neglect your hydration).

To be honest, at this point I still had no idea what to expect on race day. I was going in with my “CRAP Legs” strategy, but I knew completely rested legs would only get me so far. I was pretty confident the heart would be okay, because my aim was to run the race slow and steady. But there was uncertainty there too.

Mostly, I was concerned that it could take me a VERY long time to finish. And that would be hard on my body, but also hard on my five-person support crew who’d committed to traipsing around New York to support me. A seven hour time for me would also translate to a very long day for them.

But whatever lay ahead, I was determined to enjoy it.

Upcoming Events

There are way too many events for me to list everything that’s happening around the country, but here is a selection of upcoming races (with a bias towards South East Queensland).

The Running Calendar website is a great source if you want a comprehensive understanding of what’s available around Australia.