A marathon. 26.2 miles (or 42.195km for the metrically inclined) of solid running (and in our case some solid walking too). A great physical challenge where people push what they previously thought they were capable of. It is also an event that most of your non-running friends will think you’re crazy to do. Somehow, the NYC marathon encapsulates both that spirit of achievement and crazy perfectly.
The New York marathon is one of the world’s major marathons, attracting 50,000+ runners from around the world. The run takes in five boroughs starting in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx, before finishing up in the iconic Central Park.
We were “lucky” enough to get an entry in the annual ballot that is held for the NYC marathon. Ideally we would have loved to spend a week plus in the city that never sleeps, but as we were short on leave, we felt a long weekend would be just about doable.
We flew in Thursday from London, landing late Thursday evening. Our hotel was the fantastic Z hotel in Long Island City. The hotel is great and the views of Manhattan are amazing. The area itself needs a little TLC and isn’t as vibey as Brooklyn or Manhattan, but the prices are reasonable and you’re only ten minutes on the metro from central Manhattan.
Friday:
As we were there for a short time we had to pack a lot in. First up on the Friday morning was brekkie and we discovered the absolute gem of a bagel shop, Triple Shot World Atlas. The staff are friendly, the vibe relaxed and the bagels amazing! This is definitely worth the trip out to Long Island City.
Bellies full we made our way to the Jacob K. Javits convention center for the race expo. You pick your race number and kit here, and it is a massive commercial event. If you like buying loads of running souvenirs then be prepared to spend a few hours here.
The center is close to The High Line, a great outdoor space and walk through NY. After walking the paths taking in the autumn sunshine we decided to rest our feet and have lunch in Chelsea Market where there are loads of food options.
After lunch we spent a bit of time wandering New York but then went back to the hotel to take in sunset over Manhattan. For dinner we decided to get our trendy on and walk to this amazing ramen spot, Mu Ramen. Make sure to order the ribs for starters.
Saturday:
Days before a marathon are always tricky. You have time to kill but need to avoid spending too much time on your feet. We spent our day bouncing between Long Island City, Byrant Park where we had New York hotdogs for lunch from Coney Shack who had set up a stand in the park. We topped that with some “carbo loading” drinks of alcoholic hot chocolate at the South West Porch. We spent a little time in the NY Library before making our way to to hipster Williamsburg where we carbo-loaded for real on a delicious Italian meal at Oregano. Then it was early to bed as we had to be up super early the next day.
Sunday: Marathon day
We signed up for the early morning ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island. For first timers we whole-heartedly recommend this. Sure it might take longer than the bus transfer but nothing beats watching sunrise over Brooklyn and passing Lady Liberty.
Once we got to the start you have plenty of time to chill, eat the complementary bagels and bananas whilst waiting for your start time. We were lucky in that the weather was a gloriously sunny day, so there wasn’t much need for additional layers. If it is cold it is worth taking an old track suit that you can donate to the many charity bins in the start area.
Before we knew it we were running across the amazing Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and on our way. I’ve done a few marathons in my time and believe me when I say that nothing compares to the atmosphere you experience whilst out on the New York course. The crowds are incredible, the neighbourhoods diverse and the course hard. Queensboro bridge is especially tough, but the wall of noise that greets you as you come off it into Manhattan is special. It was late afternoon when we arrived in Central Park and got our finisher medals and poncho to keep warm. The ponchos are awesome and we recommend signing up for them as opposed to doing the bag drop option.
Dinner was a greasyly delicious pizza downed with a lager. What a day, a true bucket list event.
Monday:
We woke up tired and sore on Monday morning. The last thing we felt like doing was walking around but this is key to recovery. We headed back to Central Park, where we took in the fabulous autumn colours. We had lunch at nearby Red Farm, a yummy chinese fusion spot. We had just enough time to head to the World Trade Center to take in the memorial and admire the new buildings before we had to make our way back to JFK and home. Tired but very pleased with ourselves.
Itinerary:
h a m b a j a l a n 
Beautiful!
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