This weekend is the NYC marathon and almost 50,000 runners are really geared up for it (as well as NYC itself!). This race has been an annual tradition in the city since 1970 (with the exception of the cancellation last year due to Hurricane Sandy). Because the race did not take place last year, the energy will be significantly higher as the time for the start of the NYC marathon gets closer.
Multimedia
If you want to watch the marathon, it will be nationally televised for the first time since 1993! It will be on ESPN and will be on the internet for viewers domestic and international at ABC7. In addition, you can follow the race with Runners World and their live blogging team here.
Finally, in the multimedia department, check out this video of top American marathoner Ryan Hall (who had to pull out from the NYC marathon due to an injury). This treadmill has been driven around NYC and challenged hundreds of people to try and run at Ryan Hall’s marathon pace (4 minutes and 46 seconds per mile for 26.2 miles) as long as they can. The male record for this treadmill challenge is just over 8 minutes.
Here is another video of Ryan Hall from last year in the subway in NYC. Pretty incredible, hmm? 🙂 Now you get up and go run also (it sure makes me want to!)
Runners
If you are running the NYC marathon, congrats! Have a great time running through one of the greatest cities in the world (I know, many would call it the greatest, but I can’t have too much bias!) and enjoy each and every step. I have not had the chance to run it yet but have many friends that have and continually talk about the great rush of running the NYC marathon. Also: runners, if you would like to write a review about the NYC Marathon for the Running with Miles marathon review page, please let me know! E-mail me at charlie at runningwithmiles.com
Spectators
If you are in the city spectating, maybe as a family member or friend or you live there, enjoy getting to watch some of the world’s fastest marathoners take the streets of New York! On their heels will be 48,000 other runners that will be looking for encouragement from the crowds along the way. Give it to them! Believe me, it always helps to hear the yells of encouragement (no matter how hard I try to keep a steady pace, when I run through “scream zones” in a marathon, my pace really ratchets up!). But be careful – watching the faces of so many runners pass by you will begin to do something to you. You will begin to have thoughts about running one of these yourself one day. Embrace those thoughts and start training! 🙂 If you need help, let me know – I will be glad to help you on the marathon road.
If you would like to know what the course is so you can best situate yourself, you can find the course map here.
