Race Strategy for the New York City Marathon

The New York City Marathon is largely considered one of the hardest of the six major marathons with complicated start line logistics, long bridges that feel like mountains, and the rolling hills of central park hitting you when you’re most tired.

But NYC also has some of the best crowds in running. After leaving Staten Island and covering the first two miles of the Verazzano Bridge, you’ll be greeted by nearly nonstop racous cheering, which each neighborhood trying to outdo one another.

Mile 0 - 2

You’ll line up on the bridge itself, right on the edge of Staten Island, as you wait for Sinatra’s sultry voice to roll over you singing New York, New York - the signature kickoff song of the race.

The first mile is all uphill with an elevation gain of 140 feet and a grade of almost 3%. It won’t be hard though. Fresh legs trained to run 26+ miles make this stage easy, but also dangerous. Go out too hard and you’ve burned a match too early and tired legs may haunt when you need them most. Stick to your race plan, don’t get caught up in the moment, and enjoy the camaraderie.

The first mile is all uphill with an elevation gain of 140 feet and a grade of almost 3%. It won’t be hard though.

Helicopters overhead, the Atlantic to your right, and the Hudson emptying from the left. It’s really a beautiful part of the race, and this is one of the few times the Verazzano is open to foot traffic, so be sure to revel in this rare opportunity to see the city from a unique vantage point.

You’ll crest the bridge and be greeted with an equally long downhill that brings you right into Brooklyn. This isn’t a Boston start where you have to worry too much about your quads later in the race, so take advantage of it, it’s the biggest elevation drop you’ll get.

The race splits into three different routes for the masses to ease congestion as you come off the bridge. Don’t worry, you’re all running essentially the same race and you’ll converge soon. As you enter Brooklyn, get ready for the party.

Mile 3 - 12

The Brooklyn segment of the course is relatively flat and you’ll be running through some narrow streets with trees that are in full fall foliage. You’ve got a straight shot up 4th ave that is best described as a tunnel of people, the crowd support already multiple levels deep. Now is the time to focus on your pacing to level out your race strategy after the first bridge. You’ve got time, keep it even. This is the most even keeled part of the course as you prepare for your next big bridge and cross into Queens.

Mile 13 - 15

The Pulaski Bridge marks the halfway point of the marathon and is your entry part into Queens. You’ve got less than two miles in the neighborhood, so those who represent it pack into the relatively short stretch to catch a glimpse of runners going by. You’re about to hit another bridge with the second big incline of the race. Check your fueling, check your pace, it’s about to get raucous in the last ten miles of the race.

The Queensboro Bridge

My favorite part of the race. The Queensboro bridge will have you cross from Queens to Manhattan and is another mile long climb, almost 130 feet. It’s covered, long, and quiet. You no longer have the cheers from the start or a view out of either side, it’s just you and the sounds of a hundred other racing shoes pounding next to you.

The Queensboro Bridge is divided into two halves by a divider. One side is open to runners, the other side is closed. I found that a ton of people used this opportunity to puke over the divider to avoid doing so in front of the crowds.

Coming over the top of the Queensboro is when you start to hear it. A low humming, almost imperceptible. You’re at 15.5mi and about to enter the most densely populated, busy city center in the United States. That hum isn’t construction, it’s thousands of fans screaming as loud as they can, the bridge echoing their voices into a cacophony of sound. It’ll give you chills as you come back out into open air where you’ll have crowd support for the remained of the race.

Mile 16-19

The run up first ave has a few rolling hills, but is otherwise flat. The energy coming off the bridge stays strong and will carry you through your first stretch of Upper Manhattan. Fuel. Right now. If you forget to down something at the start of this stretch, thinking you can ride the energy through the end, you’re making a mistake. Don’t. forget. to. fuel.

Mile 19-21

A small bridge and you’ve crossed into the Bronx. It has it’s own contingent of crowds, but it’ll be relatively smaller than what you just experienced through Manhattan. Those of you who ahem forgot to fuel will hit the wall here. You’ll see runners dropping left and right as you pass the busiest med tent of the race besides the one at the finish line. If there’s heat in the day, you’ll feel it here. If you’ve underfueled, you’ll feel it here. If you haven’t been taking in water, you’ll cramp here. Two miles and you’re out the other side, one last stretch towards Central Park.

Mile 23-25

As a wave 1 runner, Central Park was brutal. Thin crowds and rolling hills are your worst enemy at the end of a race.

You’ve arrived Central Park, home of the finish line! But you still have a few miles to go as it covers over 100 city blocks. This is the toughest part of the race - tired legs meets rolling hills. If you’re coming in as part of wave 1, crowd support is sparse at this point. You’ll need to focus and lock it in to stay steady through these miles.

Mile 26

Two turns and one final climb to the finish reintroduces the crowd support that you can now use to your full advantage to burn everything you have left getting to the finish line. Good job, you’ve made it!

The Finish

Smile, cross the line, stop your watch, get your medal, puke on the street. Whatever your finish line celebration is, it’s just a small part of the journey you’ve just taken.

I thought I was being sneaky and on brand by puking into a storm drain. The "lifeguard on duty" (seriously, a volunteer in a lifeguard stand) spotted me and directed another volunteer to escort me to the med tent.

You’ll have another quarter of a mile to stumble through to make it out of the corral and back to any supporters you have waiting for you. Stock up on food and water to refuel, grab a picture with your medal, and please ask for help if you need it. The volunteers are fantastic and here to support you. The med tent will be on the left if you need it, like I did.

You’re finally done, congratulations.