New York, NY
November 6, 2011
4:16:39
I have been trying to get into the NYC Marathon for years. The race is so popular, that unless you were an elite runner, you had to get in through the lottery or a charity. My number finally came up in the lottery for 2011.
The NYC Marathon was the fourth of the so-called "marathon majors" that I have done. A record 47,000 runners started the tour through the five boroughs. It was an incredible experience. I trained hard for the race and hoped to break four hours. For much of the race I was on track to do so. My half marathon split was just under 1:58. I lost my pace on the 59th Street Bridge, but quickly regained my momentum when we entered Manhattan and ran down 1st Avenue. I still had a chance in the Bronx, but I bonked at mile 20. That, along with my recurrent IT band issues, slowed my pace the last 6 miles. I finished in 4:16, but the energy from the crowd dampened my disappointment.
Conditions for the race were perfect. The sky was clear, winds calm, with temperatures in the 50s. Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai shaved nearly 3 minutes off the previous course record, clocking an NYC record time of 2:05:06.
I'll never run on the field at Memorial Stadium or stand on stage at a rock concert, but I doubt either experience can match the energy and intensity of 2.5 million spectators cheering you on while you run through arguably the greatest city in the world.
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