I'm in the local competitive start which is at the front of the green corral. Was happy to see Mary Wittenberg admit in the linked post from 2004 that indeed there is less elevation gain from this start. Nowadays NYRR very much toes the party line of "there is absolutely no difference between corrals". I've been on the top of the bridge in the past so am happy to take less gain up the Verrazano this time.
Watch the broadcast of the men’s elite start any year and you’ll also see a wave of cops and firefighters hamming it for the cameras. Some years they give a bit of a delay before starting blue wave 1 but the cops and firefighters of all speeds are going to be there no matter what. Just don’t get stressed and let the congestion clear before settling into your goal pace. It’s really easy to start off too fast going up the bridge so just take a moment to enjoy the view.
Clarification: sub-elites are orange.
The front of the blue is the elite field, the front of the orange is the sub-elite field and the front of the green is the local-competitive field.
Just Average wrote:
CorralCurious wrote:
OK, cool. Nothing like a race to the start of the race.
And will do re. warm clothing. I'm doing the bag drop, but figured I'd need some throwaway stuff to keep warm once I've checked my bag.
As officials lead runners from the staging area down to the bridge there's always a few aggro runners who rush forward to try to get as far front as possible but honestly it doesn't really matter. I mean, are you Eliud Kipchoge going for a sub-2 hour time?
Slowing down a little the first 1-2 miles is not going to make or break your race. Don't zigzag. It's a waste of energy. If you want to run a 5-minute mile save it for Central Park, not the Verrazano Bridge.
The bigger issue, besides not freezing to death out there, is the long, annoying trek down to Fort Wadsworth. Either the bus from Midtown or the subway-ferry-bus. Neither are a great experience. Lots of waiting, and more waiting, then some more waiting.
Final pro tip: if you're taking the subway afterward get a Metrocard in advance, or have someone do it for you. There will be long lines of runners waiting to buy them post-race.
Yeah I'm not too worried as I agree - I plan to run the first mile 30s slow, especially going uphill. If I'm targeting 6min - 6:10 pace I plan the first mile to be 6:30-6:40, then fly a bit on the downhill and settle into pace at mile 3 or 4.
There's a vid of the race from 2013 and I think I started it at the right time
https://youtu.be/-Pqd7MHZKco?t=1249You can see all the NYPD guys and there and they're mostly off to one side.
Cops are on one side in blue and firefighters are on the other side in red.
For sure. Not too worried about a slow first couple of miles. And won't waste energy stressing the start.
I think the biggest thing will be staying warm and limber in what sound like less than ideal conditions, i.e. sitting around in the cold early in the morning.
And good point about the subway. Fortunately I'll be meeting the family at the museum -- after I trek up to 85th to get my bag. Assuming it's open. The 'Runners Only' zone seems to extend to Columbus. Will have to check.