NYC Marathon Course tips from people who have ran

The only brutal hill is the one you barely notice any time except during the marathon, mile 22-23 entering the park. Oh and also the hill you have to walk up after the race is over.

Queensboro is still early enough that unless you were running too fast, is not a big deal.

you will likely run the first hill (verrazano, mile 1 marker basically right at the peak) way faster than you should. First 5K is net downhill though.

There are many undulations along the way in brooklyn on 4th avenue and up lafayette, don't pay attention that much to individual mile splits, i'd tune in every 5K during the first half

The half-marathon point over pulaski and the 20 mile point over willis st, arent so bad.

queens is flat

manhattan the first time is flat, maybe slightly downhill at start and slightly uphill leading to the willis bridge

bronx is flat

manhattan the seocnd time is flat until you get to hill mentioned above

central park has some rolling hills

If you're in the blue corral try to switch to the first corral in a different color. They trot 300+ police and firefighters out in front of you after the pros take off. Most of them are walking in the first 100 meters spread out across the road taking selfies.

The bridges aren't too bad if you just get into a rhythm and don't try to run them too hard. NYers will tell you the bridges are brutal because they don't actually know what a hill is.

The last hill on 5th ave towards the park is probably the hardest just due to where it is in the race.

The past participle of run is run.

The hills and bridges in NYC are no big deal. They are pretty spread out. I managed to run near identical 5K splits through the entire race with no change because of bridges. So strategy wise just go for consistency and don’t go out too hard.

I have only run it once, and it was a crazy weather day (2015) with 20-25 mph winds, so my experience may not be representative of others' experiences.

As noted, the Verrazano is all uphill that first mile. You'll remind yourself to not push it up (and then down) it, but you'll probably do it anyway.

Once you come off of the bridge it is a straight and mostly flat shot for a really long way - several miles. In my opinion, the crowds on 4th Avenue were the best crowds I've experienced in my 4 marathons (Boston and Chicago twice were the other three).

At some point after 4th Avenue you will enter into an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. The residents don't acknowledge you at all and it is eerily quiet, especially after coming away from huge and vibrant crowds. This is a pretty cool thing and it's own way, so try to appreciate it.

Did you go over a small bridge before getting to the Queensboro - that one isn't a big deal. The Queenaboro is a big hill. Sure, it's early enough that it isn't awful, but it will slow your mile pace down down by :20-:30.

You come off of the bridge and wrap around a little bit before you hit First Avenue, which gets the most hype as Supplying great crowd support. I don't think it beats Fourth Avenue, but it is still great, especially after the silence on the bridge. Most of the first Manhattan stretch is flat to gradually downhill.

Then you curl through the Bronx. It is crap - no crowds because you are mostly in an industrial area. It's only a short stretch though. The little bridge out of the Bronx isn't bad, but it is late enough that you might feel it a little.

You eventually make your way to 5th Avenue. The slight uphill nature of this part of the course along with it being at the point in the race where you might really start struggling anyway makin it deceptively tough. The race has really begun now.

You enter the park and it is all rollers until you exit the park. Not a ton of fun if you don't have a lot of experience running hills, and even then it isn't much fun because they come so late in the race.

You exit the park and run along the southern border of the park - I was in no man's land when I got here and had a headwind - it is a half mile or less and I felt like it went on forever.

The. You turn into the park for what should be a short finish. I was riding the struggle bus at that point and it felt like it took forever. The crowds are thinner and more subdued here than you would expect. A tough way to finish.

Then exiting the finish area is a nightmare.

A really great experience overall, and you'll love it, especially if you are ready mentally for the challenging parts.

Have fun.

Thank you so much for the great write up Smoove and everyone else! Definitely helpful!

I was fortunate enough to get Orange Wave 1 Corral A so I shouldn't have to worry about the crowds too much.

It sounds like the consensus is to really try to just stay consistent and smooth. I'm used to training on all of my runs with quite a few hills and run lots of workouts on hills so I think I should hopefully be good to go there.

I am super excited for the run! Never been to NYC and figured this would be a good way to see the city and be sick for a couple hours after!!

I'm just going to be praying for that super common November south wind......

NYC Newbie wrote:

I'm just going to be praying for that super common November south wind......

Pray for no wind. If it's 20 mph winds in NYC, they're going to swirl and it's going to be in your face at times even as you run north.

Noted, I'm glad you told me this because if I saw south wind I was going to be pumped!

Having run it last year, biggest word of advice is really resist the adrenaline that you're going to get for miles 3-13 in Brooklyn. Really easy to run faster than what you're shooting for, and if you're shot by the time you reach the Queensboro Bridge, it's going to be a very long last 10+ miles.

NYC Newbie wrote:

I was fortunate enough to get Orange Wave 1 Corral A so I shouldn't have to worry about the crowds too much.

Hmm. I'm in Blue Wave 1 Corral A with a number in the 1XXX's, but if I had put a slower time I suppose I could have been in Orange Wave 1 Corral A with a number in the 2XXX's. This would have allowed me to avoid the Fire/Police types, but I'd be more on my own in terms of pacing.

What's the ideal corral for a male in the 2:35-2:50 range? Is local competitive (green start) a better place to be than blue?

Ran last year and was in blue corral a. I will say that the start experience was pretty miserable. They lock you in your corral about an hour before and then move you up to a couple of different stages every 15 minutes or so. I was in a bathroom that was in the corral, got out, and they had let us up to the next point so I got stuck behind some folks. There was nowhere to warmup and no bathroom for the 30-45 minutes or so after getting to the next staging point. I don't know if the orange corral will be exactly the same but try to plan for what I would think is a less than ideal pre race situation.

They also put a large block of charity runners right on the start line about 5 minutes before the race went off. Nothing wrong with charity runners but it's not safe for everyone. I spent the first mile on the bridge wasting time/energy almost running into people walking or going a lot slower. I almost split an 8:00 mile when I wanted to go 6:00-15ish (so without all that more like 6:30-45 over the bridge).

Aside from that mile 2 is super fast. I ended up hitting a 5:30ish. It was a weird way to start the race. There's an uphill around 8 or so but the first half is pretty fast other than that. I came through halfway in 1:20-flat after a slow start. The Verranzano killed me. It's a pretty good climb so be ready. I was able to maintain pace once I crested it and got the crowd support but the legs were gone shortly after. You want to feel as good as possible because the hill at 22-23 is a beast and then the course rolls into the (uphill) finish.

So my perfect NYC would be a conservative first two bridge miles. I would have gone slower on the downhill. Hopefully that keeps the legs feeling fresh. Conserve energy on the mile 8 climb. I hit it at goal pace. Conserve over the Verranzano. Then let loose and get into a good groove from the backside of that hill until 22-23 where you just need to grind from there to the finish.

Good luck!

When you get to the park and think it's over, it's not !

Don't underestimate the extent of the PIA nature of getting to the start. It's horrendous.

Until age 8, I lived on 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn and just 3-4 miles into the race, you pass the Catholic school I attended through 2nd grade. I remember standing on 4th Avenue and cheering for my uncle as a kid. I mention this because it explains my strong affinity for the NYC marathon.

There was no question that if I were to ever run a marathon, it would be the NYC Marathon, because if I only did one in my life, it had to be that one.

But now that I have done it, it would be really hard to convince me to ever do it again. And that has nothing to do with the fact that it is a tough course. The logistics are just so bad that it makes the whole experience way too stressful, and I was lucky enough to be in the sub-elite field, which meant I got bussed from midtown down to the start, had a separate warm up area and then got brought up onto the bridge just before the charity runners get brought up and released as mentioned above. Basically, I had it about as easy logistically as any non-pro could and it was still pretty miserable.

The only marathon that I have repeated has been Chicago, and I would run it a third time if the situation was right. Heck, even Boston has better logistics despite the starting line being so much farther away from the finish line as compared to NYC (in part because of the later start time).

But that is a pain in the butt before the race, and certainly after the race; but during the race, it is simply a great, great running experience, with incredible views on the bridges and, for my money, the best crowd support in American marathoning.

I ran it when I was 13. And I'm from a very hilly river city in the Midwest. Which, when I was 13, I just viewed as ordinary.

At NYC, I only noticed the hill I guess is at 22 miles. Just because there really aren't any other hills. The only others I noticed tended to be the bridges, and I was all "wow" at the views on a few of them. It's an easy course, though, because so much is going on around you. Even moreso than in the 70s, I'd presume. And there's always someone to focus on, with so many running, so that can be a positive.

I've seen it on TV dozens of times since, and it looks a lot harder than I recall.

almost everything has been said already. I ran it last year, it was a great experience. the long transport didn't bother me too much, I enjoyed the excitement on the ferry. just make sure you have a good nutrition/ hydration plan pre race taking into account that the last time to pee may be 30-45 minutes prior to the start -- well, some people pee right before the start next to everybody, so that's a worst case option.

I went out slowly at almost 8:00 pace uphill and with the crowds (overall targeted and ran 6:50 pace), that was a good decision I think. get into the race nice and slowly. down the V. bridge I ran quite fast, maybe 6:20-6:30 pace (maybe too fast, but I wasn't punished for it; this part feels super easy).

If you pace yourself optimally, the slightly uphill stretch on mile 22 and mile 23 will be where it gets really tough. But if you're fine until then, you'll make it.

It's a great course, I think. Not the easiest, but does not slow you down too much, and has some great variety.

I read similar things to this before last year, and almost did the same.

Decided not to at the last minute, which would have been a big mistake.

What they don't tell you is that once the firefighters/police/charity runners flood in above your starting position, there is no control from making sure you don't move ahead of them. These runners don't seem to mind if you just kind shove your way through and right behind the elites. A few of us did it last year....perfect starting space with no crowds to deal with.....

Some pretty good responses. The only thing that I will add is bring plenty of clothes to wear and discard before the start. You get there a long time beforehand and the cold just saps your energy. The crowds are great and make it my favorite marathon. Done it 3-4 times and never had a good race. Last time was in 2011 I believe and swore I would never do it again. Will probably sign up for the 2020 version though as it will take me that long to forget how much the start sucked.

I have run NYC 5 times. I liken it to an XC race. There are a lot or turns, ups and downs. Some flat areas, straight aways, and unless you are well under 3 hour pace, crowded. The course can beat the crap out of you. It isn't one particular hill or area that does it, the beating is cumulative. If you are having a bad day, the last stretch in Central Park is a death march. I set my PR the first time I ran it, but the worst I have ever felt after a marathon in the hours and days after, is always at NY. Try to start as close to the front as possible. I used some connections and started up front with the firemen and cops in 2002. They used to let all of them (several hundred start right behind the elites). In 2003, it was cut to 50 firemen and 50 cops. Guest members, etc. weren't allowed to start. I used the same connections again but only found out on race day I would have to start with the masses since I wasn't either. Not sure if they ever reversed it. Still, there are people all over stopping and taking selfies, even at the start. When I did in in 2015, some idiot dropped his cell while taking pictures in the first mile and was running back against the wall of runners to try to retrieve it. Total dummy. Good luck. The crowds are great and lots of bars in the vicinity of the finish to get beer at. A lot of them will give you a free one for running.

Dude ran it once and he's an "expert" give me a break.