Checking my emails one night in January I noticed one from a running magazine saying that entries had opened for the New York marathon. Out of curiosity I checked to see what the qualifying time was. It was only a few minutes slower than my London time. However, it also said that only qualifying times achieved in the New York Road Runners organised races would be guaranteed entry. Once these guaranteed places had been allocated, qualifying times achieved in other races, including London, would then be given on a first come basis for any places left over. At that point I had no idea how long the entry had been open and how quickly it would fill up. So really on an impulse I filled in the application not really expecting to get in and not thinking on how it would clash with other events I had planned to do. I also thought I'd better check with Mandy to see if she had any plans for us in November. I said to her that I'll probably not get in but in the unlikely event that I'm offered a place would she be up for it? She thought about it for about half a second and said YES PLEASE.
Two weeks later I got confirmation that I was in and panic started to set in, as I'd not really thought it through. My "A" race of the year was always going to be the European Triathlon Championships in Glasgow, which was now going to be right in the middle of marathon training. Plus I also had the European Duathlon and Aquathlon Championships in Ibiza, which finished a week and a half before New York. I tried to work out a training plan, but it was always going to be a compromise. I was really excited about the European Triathlon champs. Qualifying for a home championships, especially at Strathclyde Park, where I spend half my life training was always going to be special and would come first. The rest would just have to fall into place.
I worked out a 20 week training plan, also based around the Scottish/British Triathlon champs and warm up events for Strathclyde Park. Generally my training consisted of an intense, long Sunday run, which was mainly at anticipated marathon pace. Then an easy bike and swim to recover on Monday, followed by a steady bike on Tuesday. On Wednesday I had just about recovered from my Sunday run. So I would do fast interval runs ranging from 1 to 3 minute efforts as preparation for the 5k triathlon race runs. Then Thursday would be a tough swim and Friday was an eyeballs out bike time trial or intervals around the Strathclyde Park bike course. I then had Saturday off. Basically this meant my marathon training consisted of only two runs a week, which I wasn't convinced would be enough.
For the first time I can remember I managed to tick off every planned training session smoothly. It included my 4 longest runs being 20 miles or over. So training had gone as well as I'd hoped although, because of the races in Ibiza, my last long run couldn't be later than 5 weeks before New York, which probably wasn't ideal.
I didn't have any expectations for New York. I felt prepared but knew I had compromised and just wanted to enjoy the experience. A decent time would just be a bonus. Naively I also thought the New York course would be flat. I knew there were a few climbs over the Bridges but how hard can a bridge be? It was only until I spoke to a guy on the bus on the way to the start that I realised it was going to be tougher than I thought. He casually said that he previously got his best results by walking the bridges. I started to think that they must be a lot harder than I was expecting.
Race day started with a 5.30am queue in midtown Manhattan along with thousands of others waiting for the convoy of buses to take us to the start in Staten Island. The race has 3 pick up points, the other options being the Staten Island ferry or a New Jersey pick up. For me the bus from Manhattan seemed the most convenient and comfortable option. And Mandy very kindly got up at 4.30am with me to wave me off at the bus pick up point as spectators weren’t allowed at the race start. It was about a 60 minute bus journey to the starting village. I was looking forward to a relaxing trip enjoying the views and just chilling with my pre-pared bowl of porridge. However, it is the USA and everyone is chatty. The guy next to me was a New Yorker, so he was always going to be chatty, especially as they love the Scottish accent. He was actually great for pre-race info as he'd done it 5 times, and even mentioned that he was having a post-race party. I'm sure we could've blagged an invitation if I'd been up for it.
The starting village in Fort Wadsworth was huge as it had to cater for up to 60,000 runners. Due to the bus timing schedule I had no choice but to be there over 3 hours before the race start. I think it was just Russell karma, getting me back for all my late race turn ups over the years. Thankfully the village was very comfortable with free tea/coffee, bagels, fruit, energy drinks/gels and Dunkin Donuts beanie hats to keep you warm. There were even hand warmer packets and, as it was only 7 degrees, I stuffed a few into my gloves and socks. They definitely kept the chill off. That along with my throw away clothes. The race organisers are understandably not too keen on transporting 60,000 bags from the start to finish lines. So they tempt you to forgo this option. Instead they would give you a very nice warm lined waterproof souvenir poncho at the finish. By doing this you have to discard your warm up clothes in charity boxes at the start. I had searched through my cupboard and found a 2006 Rouken Glen race T shirt, a 2007 National cross country long sleeved shirt, a pair of 90's Ronhill leggings complete with toe straps and a View From shell suit type running jacket (at least I was easy for Mandy to spot in the bus queue!! It seemed like a good swap to me though. The only downside was looking like an extra from Miami Vice (the Don Johnson one) in the starting village until just before the starting cannon went off. There were loads of these charity donation boxes about the village in the unlikely event that someone wanted my cast offs.
The race organisers seemed to have thought about everything in the starting village. There are even therapy dogs walking about to de-stress anyone who needs calming down at the thought of running a marathon. I have also never seen so many portaloos. There were virtually no queues until an hour before race start. Even then, the starting pens were opened about 25 minutes before the start. The portaloos in there were also virtually empty when I had a late pit stop. The only queue that caught me out a bit late on was for coffee to get that last minute caffeine boost, but by then I was on my third cup.
About 15 mins before the start there was an approx half mile walk/jog to the start line, which was really ideal as a final warm up. This eventually got me about 100m from the elite starting line, which was just close enough to hear the introductions. As we were waiting to start, people started looking about to check out other runners near them. One guy said to me, "Hey man, where are Calderglen Harriers from?" Not surprisingly that was the only mention of my Harriers vest for the day. Although it did help Mandy spot me on the course.
Conditions were almost ideal, about 8 degrees at race start time and quite calm. There was a rendition of star spangled banner, then the extra loud starting cannon fired and we were off. Frankie boy was belting out New York, New York as I passed the start line. Unlike London at the start, it seemed to take ages to get moving and cross the start line. It was obvious that hundreds of runners in front had no idea of a realistic predicted finish time. If in doubt they must have just put down 3 hours. It wasn't long before the first climb of the day. A few metres after the start you are on the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge. It's a huge suspension bridge connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn. Similar to the Forth Road Bridge but longer. It is a one mile climb to the midpoint, then one mile downhill afterwards. It was very congested during this stage and you were forced to jog for most of the climb, which probably wasn't a bad thing. If you got a bit of space then you were constantly passing the runners who had started too near the front. I even saw one runner walking up the climb. He was ahead of me, so must have predicted a sub 3.10 time??
You just have to accept you will lose a minute or so to your predicted pace in the first 2 miles. The race only really gets going when you arrive in Brooklyn. Then it is pretty flat for the next 11 miles. Every now and then you would feel it getting slightly tougher and you knew you must be on a slight incline, although it was hard to tell visually. Then at the half way point you cross the Pulaski bridge into Queens, which had approx 400m of climbing. From mile 2 until this point I had been virtually going my predicted pace of 7 min miling. I felt comfortable and was just counting down the miles, but this bridge definitely had my legs complaining. I did recover on the downhill and was then back into my zone of 7 min miling. Then at mile 15-16 came the Queensboro Bridge from Queens into Manhattan. A beast of a bridge, just coming at the wrong time. This one had about 800m of climbing and my legs were seriously starting to suffer. Again the downhill gave you some recovery. Then it was onto the best part of the course, flat for about 4 miles along 1st Avenue in Manhattan, where the crowds were big and loud.
My pace was starting to drop a bit on this section to approx 7.15. Pre-race I had arranged with Mandy for her to spectate around about the 17 mile marker, so I was then scouring the crowds for a bright pink jacket. It all went to plan and we spotted each other for a much needed hug and words of encouragement. Then I was back in the zone until the next pain in the butt bridge at 20 miles going from Manhattan into the Bronx. Again this was another tester of about 400m climb. My legs were really struggling and just didn't recover on the downhill. I was in serious bother, six miles to go and my legs were just about packing it in. There was another bridge at about 21 miles from the Bronx back into Manhattan, but my head was so down I can't even remember it. Pace was now down to 8.30 and I just wanted to walk. We have all been there and you just tough it out. I managed to keep this pace going and then from about miles 22-24 we were into 5th Avenue alongside Central Park. At the race briefing we were told there was a slight incline from miles 23-24. SLIGHT INCLINE, by then even going over the timing mats seemed like a mountain. So this 1 mile climb was like Everest. Mandy had made her way to mile 25 and apparently was cheering as I ran by but my head was down and I didn’t hear her. After what seemed like an eternity I summited the climb and turned right into Central Park. That initially gave me a lift, but my head was quickly down again as more climbs appeared. There must've been downhill's, but I never noticed them. It was all pretty much rolling from there until the finish. Amazingly, as happens to us all, I was into the last half mile and feeling OK again. Why does your head do that to you? From mile 26 until the finish there was another tough climb, but the grandstands just pull you up and across the finish line. I pushed up the final hill to make sure I dipped under 3.20.
Finish time was 3.19.39. This was slower than I'd hoped, but on reflection the course seemed like a brute to me. Although the elites make it look flat, mind blowing how good they are. Maybe I had compromised a bit too much with other events and my lack of running strength was found out on the hills. I'm certainly not disappointed, my main goals were to enjoy the experience and survive injury free. It also still gives me qualifying times for London, Boston, Chicago and New York if I want it again.
All in all it was a fantastic experience. It was a privilege to take part in the world’s biggest marathon. From race build up to post race celebrations, the event just felt huge. Bigger than anything I've previously experienced. You always felt you were taking part in something special.
It was inevitable that I'd make comparisons to London. Once you are out on the course ticking off the miles, both are quite similar, with the crowds, music and general atmosphere. Both courses are iconic and spectacular. Pre-race Expos are also about the same size and organisation in both is exceptional. The starting village and security in New York were much bigger and the race itself felt bigger. Also the New York race start going over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and seeing the Manhattan skyline from the top was breath taking………but give me a flatter London course any day of the week. London also wins in value for money. New York is expensive or maybe it is just that New York is good value, as you can see where the money goes, and London is exceptional value. Another London plus is that race nutrition is given in bottles and, selfishly, much easier to drink out of on the move. New York liquids are given in paper cups, which you can never completely master, but are obviously an environmentally friendly option. A good tip I was given is to squeeze the cup together at the top to create a funnel. A lot more then goes in your mouth than up your nose.
New York, New York, so good they named it twice. Hopefully one day I'll do it twice. For now I'm still on a marathon high. I was checking the Abbott 6 major marathons of the world series at the Expo. I've now ticked off 1/3 of these races and I'm now seriously tempted to tick off Chicago and Boston in the next year and a half. I'll take it from there as Berlin and Tokyo could be harder to get in. Gerry McParland was telling me that the qualifying time for Berlin is seriously tough, 2.55 in my 50-59 age group, so that will be a big issue. He did rub it in by saying that he's already got that qualifying time. I can only tip my hat to greatness.
Finally many thanks to my amazing support crew in Mandy, she definitely ticked all my boxes.
Martin
