I can’t believe tomorrow marks a year since I ran the NYC Marathon. Ultimately, I’m happy with my decision to not run it again this year, but there’s a tiny bit of me that feels sad I won’t be participating.
Can you spot the Kayla?
Running the NYC Marathon will forever be one of my proudest moments, maybe tied with when I received my acceptance letter from NYU/Tisch. As a non-runner who used to walk the mile run in high school, working my way up to 26.2 miles was a big freaking deal.
If you’re running the marathon this year, the hard work is over. You’ve trained for 12-20 weeks. Now all that’s left is carb-loading (YUM!), tapering and enjoying 26.2 miles around the greatest city in the world.
With a little less than a week to go until this year’s NYC Marathon, I thought I’d compile all the necessary details that were helpful for me last year. I’ll be honest, I’m not rehashing those usual tips like don’t eat anything new on race day. Shit like that should just be common sense, you silly marathoners 🙂
You can also check out some additional info in my marathon recap post from last year.
Everything You Need To Know About the NYC Marathon
The Expo
Yes, the lines are long. Sadly it is what it is. I tried to go during “off-peak” hours in the middle of the day and it was still crazy. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t wait on the HUGE line for gear… but because it was my first marathon I couldn’t resist commemorative t-shirts.
Leave yourself a ton of time and be prepared to stand. Yes, it sucks considering you’re tapering to run a marathon.
Preparations Beforehand
Get a cheap portable charger beforehand. One of my biggest concerns for the marathon was my phone dying. I wish I was kidding.
I got a cheap, portable charger at K-Mart that I ended up throwing away before the beginning of the race. On the journey to Staten Island, I used my phone a lot to SnapChat and amuse myself. Starting the race with a full battery was comforting to me and was more than enough to get me through the race.
Buy some throwaway gear. Even though NYC was my first marathon, I’ve always been a fan of buying cheap throwaway sweatshirts and sweatpants for races. It was chilly when I woke up so I was grateful for the extra layers, which I shed before starting the race.
Put your name on your shirt. DO IT! People will legit chant your name and you will feel like a ROCKSTAR even though you also feel like a hot mess.
My dad ended up getting my name printed on a cheap tank top which I then cut out and pinned to my shirt. This was a great option because I wanted to run in a familiar tank top I knew wouldn’t chafe or bother me… but I also didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good Lululemon tank.
Other options include: duct tape or writing your name with a sharpie on something else and pinning that to your shirt.
Make a list of where everyone will be. I was surprised at how many of my friends would be on the course cheering. I made a list in my Notes app of where everyone would be. Make sure to ask them what side of the street they are on, it’s harder to find people than you think!
Hugging one of my sleep-away friends and one of my trapeze buddies mid-race gave me such an energy boost.
And of course, my parents and Jeremy were amazing and chased me around NYC.
Suggestions: My parents + Jeremy were able to see me 3 times– around mile 3 and 8 in Brooklyn and then at mile 22 in Manhattan.
If possible, have them waiting for you at a mile you’re worried about. I was SO paranoid about hitting mile 22 since it was the unmarked territory for me and where I fell apart on my final long run. Knowing I would see my parents and Jeremy then kept me positive about hitting mile 22.
This photo legit cracks me up. Just casually chatting with Jeremy at Mile 22 🙂
Give them extra fuel and water. I had Jeremy carry extra peanut butter sandwiches and apple sauce in case I needed them mid-race. I didn’t end up eating anything if I recall correctly, but knowing it was an option eased some anxiety.
I ran the race with my handheld water bottle and stopped at most water stops because it was hot for November at 60+ degrees. I was happy my family had extra water for me to sip when I saw them at mile 22.
Getting There
Take the ferry. Trust me. I was originally supposed to take a charity bus to Staten Island. Taking that bus meant I would’ve had to get to the bus stop at 5:45AM. YIKES.
This sounds dumb but one thing I was really worried about was getting caffeine before the race. You bet I wasn’t risking a caffeine headache in the midst of a marathon. I only drink Starbucks (I know, I know) and was legit concerned about Starbucks not being open that early on a Sunday.
Also… I didn’t want to have a ton of time waiting on Staten Island. My wave wasn’t starting until 11:00AM. I was anxious enough as is, the last thing I needed was to waste 2 hours in the runner’s village while I was also worried about conserving phone battery. Also how to do you fuel for being awake that long?
So I made a game-time decision and decided to take the ferry. Best. Decision. Ever. I didn’t have to be there until 8:15AM which gave me plenty of time to eat, go to the bathroom a million times and yes, get my beloved Starbucks.
If you opted to take a bus and want to switch to ferry, it shouldn’t be a problem. My dad got me all paranoid that they wouldn’t let me on the ferry, so I went back to the expo Saturday to ensure this decision would be fine. Just double check when you go to the expo.
No one checked my bib or anything getting on the ferry. I think it was pretty obvious that I was there to run the marathon 🙂
The Main Event
Don’t listen to music the whole time. This was a tip my coach gave me. I always ran with music or podcasts during my training runs. You don’t want to be so tuned into your music that you miss the crowds and energy of the marathon.
I was amazed at how many bands there were on the streets — in Brooklyn I swear there was a new band on every block rocking out. The crowds are LOUD. There’s a lot to take in. And trust me, you won’t be bored.
I did listen to music, though, during the tough miles. For me that was mile 10 for some odd reason, and then again later in the race.
Create a playlist accordingly. Is anyone else super crazy about playlists? For races, I like to plan my playlists according to what mile I’ll be on and where things might get tricky. Even though I didn’t listen to music for most of the race, it was great to have the perfect get pumped playlist of Green Day and Katy Perry ready to go for those final miles.
Don’t anticipate. I had read a ton of NYC Marathon recaps beforehand and was SO PUMPED for the sound wall after the 59th Street bridge. Uh, it was dead silent. I was pretty disappointed.
It can be easy to get caught up in race recaps and anticipating for every hill and bridge. While I do recommend being familiar with the course, don’t anticipate that the 59th Street bridge will suck… because it didn’t for me but I was so paranoid it would suck.
The finish line wasn’t what I expected. It’s hard to explain, but this is something I’ve still struggled to come to terms with, even almost a year later. I had envisioned what it would feel like to cross that finish line during every single long run. I got weepy thinking about it.
Actually crossing that finish line felt like a huge let down. I can’t full grasp or explain why. It was quiet. No one was cheering. And I was so freaking tired.
I wish I hadn’t built up that final moment in my head so much.
Afterwards
Yes, the finisher chute takes a while. I was really nervous about this part because I was forced to choose bag check (I wanted that pancho, damnit!)
Sure, it’s a longer finisher shoot than any other race I’ve run, but it wasn’t terrible. They give you some food and water. The volunteers are the nicest human beings ever. And you get to feel like a badass burrito in your heat sheet. I swear putting on that heat sheet felt like the warmest hug of my life.
I loved looking around and seeing everyone doing this awkward zombie walk with the most bewildered look on their face. Dudes, we just ran a marathon.
Have a plan with your family for after the race. My dad ended up parking his car in a lot close to the finish line Saturday night before the race.
After the race I knew exactly where to meet my family. Okay, walking 2 blocks over to where they were parked felt like the longest walk EVER, but it sure beats walking down the subway stairs after running 26.2 miles.
Bring flip-flops. All I wanted was to take my shoes off post race. Putting on flip-flops felt AMAZING.
You’re probably going to be a miserable person afterwards. Running a marathon is draining. That should go without saying. Unfortunately the shower in my apartment decided to not work that evening (I can’t make this shit up) when all I wanted was a hot shower. I had to zombie walk over to my parent’s apartment.
I spent much of dinner with my head leaned on the wall mumbling to myself. Lucky Jeremy had to deal with me. It wasn’t a pretty sight. And this is coming from someone who had a great marathon experience 🙂
More than anything…
Enjoy it. You are running the biggest marathon in the world which also happens to take place in the greatest city in the world. You’ve worked hard and trained for all these weeks. Now is your chance to enjoy it. I swear, the marathon felt like one giant birthday party for myself an a couple of other thousand runners. Bask in that glory and ENJOY.
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