New York Marathon 2019 Corrals

CorralCurious wrote:

Looking for some current/insider/helpful info on the New York start corrals.

Blue Wave 1. Good? No good? Hoping to run 2:40.

Seems like the Blue runners go out a little wider coming off the bridge and then rejoin the Orange runners at 95th and something.

Also, anyone know of a more detailed course map than the one on the NYRR site?

Thanks!

It's 15 years old but this post from former NYRR prez Mary Wittenberg will give you plenty of good info on how the corrals are divided up:

This other blog post from 2 years ago will give you a good map of the runners' village:

What letter are you in?

Green starts off under the bridge (less photogenic, announcers are above bridge) but otherwise there's nothing "better" about being in Blue.

The elites and sub-elites are in Blue Wave 1 but you're not going to be hob-knobbing with them, they have their own area.

Your biggest concerns should be getting to the runners' village on time (major pain in the a**) and then staying warm while waiting foreeeeeever once you get there.

A few miles in to the race it won't matter what your color or corral was.

I got peed on in 2009! Be careful out there!

Thanks for the reply!

I'm in : Blue Wave 1 Corral A

And thanks for the links. I'd seen that old thread but hadn't got to Mary's post, so thanks.

And that Dirty Sneakers post looks helpful.

Seems like I'm in a decent group.

Ha. Thanks. Will do.

CorralCurious wrote:

Thanks for the reply!

I'm in : Blue Wave 1 Corral A

And thanks for the links. I'd seen that old thread but hadn't got to Mary's post, so thanks.

And that Dirty Sneakers post looks helpful.

Seems like I'm in a decent group.

If you're in Blue 1 A you're just behind the pros. Try not to get caught up in the hoopla and sprint the first few miles. You can't win the race on the Verrazano bridge.

The main thing is to wear throwaway sweats because it will be as cold as a reindeer's balls out there. Which corral you're in won't matter so much.

Good luck

I did this last year.

It's misleading to say you'll be right behind the elites. The elites go, then there's a pause, then the blue corral goes, and most of the people at the front of the blue corral are VIPs and hobby joggers, fire and police, etc. There might be a couple thousand people between the front of the corral and the average 2:40 marathoner, and they're not 2:40 marathoners. I think it took me 30-40 seconds to get to the starting line, then the slow runners on the bridge cost me another 30 seconds, but after a mile or so (definitely by the end of the bridge) you'll be free to run unhindered. So just be prepared to ignore your first mile split or two (the second mile is downhill) and try not to get flustered by the start. There are so many people running your pace that you won't have trouble finding a group to run with.

Also, last year it was quite warm. But I agree you should bring throwaway clothing. The corral has a bit of space to warm up (like a 40 meter stretch) and there will be a couple dozen people taking advantage of that (which was fine with me).

I'm blue wave 1 corral A as well.

What's your goal time?

That sounds cold!

But thanks for the info. Appreciate it.

Thanks, David.

Getting held up early may not be such a bad thing--for me. Better than getting carried away and going out too hard.

2:40. Or a little under if things go well.

Same, although I'm currently flucked over with a freak SI injury - so let's hope I make it to the start line healthy as I've now missed a week and a half.

Bummer! And good luck. You cross training? If so you shouldn't lose too much, right?

It's the Achilles for me. Run-ice-massage-repeat atm. Getting there though.

Are you sure about this? I was there last year too on the upper deck of the bridge, and there were no slow hobby joggers before me. I wasn't slowed down on the bridge at all. In fact, I ran a little too fast and ended up having to walk a little bit in Central park.

Were you Blue or Orange?

Yeah my mistake, I was orange I think.

CorralCurious wrote:

Were you Blue or Orange?

Yes, I'm sure. Blue 1 Corral A. You might have been on the other side of the bridge (orange or green or something)? Or a different corral? I was on the top right side, maybe you were top left?

You could usually zig zag through them, but there were a lot of people trying to do this and sometimes I just didn't have anywhere to go and got stuck behind the slower runners. There were also a couple of families of 4 or 5 people who tried to run side by side and took up most of the road. It was annoying but I knew it might be an issue from past race reports.

As the corrals are released from the holding/staging area, there will be a lot of people pushing their way up to the front. You'll have a fairly aggressive walk from there to the start line. Be alert. If you are easily off-put by slow runners in front at the start then be aggressive. I find that the best place to run on the Verrazano bridge in the Blue wave is on the left near/on the median well away from the right side. Much less impedance by other runners there.

And heed the warning to bring plenty of warm throwaway clothes. It is cold early in the morning waiting for several hours. Consider something waterproof even without the threat of rain to stay dry on the damp ground

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.

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.