I guess I will be one of the first one to explain why I like running the NYC Marathon.

This is going to my third NYC Marathon (last one was in 2002), and my fourth overall (did the Pocono Marathon last May). I ran the Pocono Marathon kind of a tune up for NYC, and to give me an idea of what kind of shape I was in. The biggest thing I came away with was how different two marathons can be.

Here is why I like NY:
- Cost isn't that much higher than most other marathons, especially considering what you get for your money (solid Expo, race timing that is phenomenal, drink stations every mile, Gatorade every other mile, quality finish support, etc.).

- I think the course is good (except for the portion through Harlem). You really see all of the five boroughs (good, bad and ugly). It would be nice if it ran through lower Manhattan, but it is what it is (I guess that is what the NYC HM is for).

- Logistically speaking, if you have 35,000+ runners, Fort Wadsworth is pretty much the only place you can put everyone. If you are from the tri-state area (as I am), traffic and road hassles come with the territory, so getting to the start and then out of the city aren't all that bad.

- Yes, the field is crowded, but that is also the amazing part of the race. Just being a part of something so big simply amazes me. There is always someone to look at or to pass if you feel like you are running too slow.

Other things that are good:
- The on-course support is great (medical, security, etc.)
- The crowds are the best in the world. Coming over the 59th Street bridge into Manhattan is the most amazing experience a runner can have, along with the run up 1st Ave. (plus, running through Central Park and the last .2 miles near the Columbus Circle)

To contrast, the Pocono Marathon had very little crowd support, the water stations were every other mile, with so few runners, you were sometimes running "alone" for long stretches, the course was extremely hilly (as one might imagine).

It was a good marathon, but I would much rather run the NYC Marathon if i had a choice.

This year the appeal is Lance Armstrong.

quote:<HR>Originally posted by lstall:
Does New York have any kind of "preferred/competitive" start system? I hope to do it also, someday, but right now targetting Bpstpn 2007<HR>

New York has 2 types of competitive starts preferences. Sub 2:35 get sub-elite status and start at front of one start corral (there are 3). Local competitives start at front of another corral. But for that you have to be a member of a NYC-area club. For men's open, the time standard is 2:50. For 50-59 it's 3:20.

LOL...Run it and find out...I did last year...<AWESOME>

quote:<HR>Originally posted by kameele:
I If it takes you 10-15 minutes to get to the start line if you don't start in the "prefered start", won't that give you a worse time?<HR>

Most people who aren't an elite consider their chip time their official time for the marathon, especially in larger marathons where it takes time to cross the start line.

The chip time is the time from when YOU cross the start line until you cross the finish line. The Boston Marathon accepts the chip for the qualifying.

Watching the start on TV, it appeared that once people crossed the start line, it was thinned out enough for them to start running at their pace without being boxed in.

I ran NYC yesterday. My first marathon. My impressions confirmed the negatives you mention. Ft Wadsworth is torture, the course is crowded (it never really thinned out to where I could run without weaving) and dirty (very slippery at the fluid stations), and the finish is poorly organized. Having said all that, it's New York, and I enjoyed it immensely.