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ING New York City Marathon

1 lurker | 31 watchers
Aug 2010
9:12pm, 3 Aug 2010
377 posts
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superflyguy
Hi I am seriously thinking of giving this a go next year 2011 as a first marathon. Is this a good idea? Are sports tours recommended by anybody do they accommodate single travellers, Any tips ideas would be much appreciated
Aug 2010
10:22pm, 3 Aug 2010
1,989 posts
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MoscowFlyer
I went with Sports Tours as a single traveller, they were fantastic. You have to room with another runner unless you pay extra for a single room, but the organisation was pretty much spot on, I'd definitely use them again.
Aug 2010
10:47pm, 3 Aug 2010
10,118 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Scott - very much envy you. I think NY would be the marathon experience of a lifetime. I hope to get in 2011 or 2012. Hoping to get in on Good For Age, GFA, which I think is either 3:15 or 3:10 for NY. I have a 3:12 so far, so if it's 3:10, I've got a bit of work to do! Enjoy it all of you who are in this year! *jealous*! :-)G
Aug 2010
11:02pm, 3 Aug 2010
10,119 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
It is 3:10 GFA, but also 1:30 half. Qualifying dates are from 1 Jan the year before to 31 Jan of the year of race and you must be required age by the day of your qualifying race e.g. for Nov 2011 M40+ qualifying time of 3:10 mara or 1:30 half must have been achieved between 1 Jan 2010 and 31 Jan 2011 being at least 40 yrs old by the date of your qualifying race. In my case, I need to do my 2009 times again then! :-)G
Aug 2010
4:03pm, 4 Aug 2010
18,559 posts
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Mrs Jigs (Luverlylegs)
We went with 209 events, couldn't fault them :)

Really would love to go back and do it again :)
Feb 2011
11:18am, 19 Feb 2011
4,816 posts
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BlueWombat
hmm, just checked on their website and I discover I have guaranteed entry for this year ... having failed in the ballot three times in a row. Time for a serious chat with Mrs Wombat about plans for November.
Feb 2011
4:35pm, 19 Feb 2011
4,818 posts
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BlueWombat
that's it .. I'm in. Guy Fawkes sorted for me.
Feb 2011
8:17pm, 19 Feb 2011
19,960 posts
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Foxy Davy
great choice for marathon number 1, I did my first there in 2005 - I ran for Breast Cancer care so ther did all the booking but was through Sports tours & was great - I have looked at returning with Sports tours but it's costly.

NYC would cost £2000 - I'm doing Chicago this year - entry flights & accom for £645 (entry £110).
Feb 2011
12:25pm, 22 Feb 2011
362 posts
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Scott S
Did it last year after the 3 rejections and most enjoyable. Slow going though as it's rather crowded - didn't really get any pace until the Queensboro' Bridge.
Lots of long, neverending bits that just go on and on......some places especially along 5th Avenue are very narrow what with the crowds ledaving barely one lane free for runners and it doesn't helping having tourists wandering across the road with their luggage!

THe start was fun though. Left my hotel in Queens around 5:10am (about 200m from the bridge). No problem getting the subway with other runners. WEnt to cvhange train and over an hour later, not one train had come along, no signs, announcements etc. Eventually we all piled onto another train going elsewhere a couple of levels above and eventually made it to the ferry. Loads of runners waiting for the half hourly ferry and 2 sets of doors which had a 50/50 chance of being the ones to open. Mad rush once they did and as soon as they started to close the doors, everyone surged forward - luckily I got carried onto the ferry a second or two before they closed the gates. Didn't seem to matter which ferry you caught as my bib said 6:15am and I'd missed that by well over an hour.
Great photos on the ferry assuming you get one with loads of outside space and decks.
Finally got dropped off by the bus near the VN bridge around 9:10am! At least that meant I wasn't standing around in the cold for hours.
Quickly walked the 10 mins to the runners' area, dropped my fleece etc off in the baggage truck and found some bagels and coffee. Got a photo taken and then joined the mass of runners trying to get into the starting pen through a gap big enough for one person at a time whilst someone checked bibs.
Made it into the pen just before it closed around 9:45am. Another 10 min walk to the bridge and off on time with people cheering from various buses etc.
Breezy on the bridge and some gaps where segments join.
As said earlier, lots of long straight bits that go on and on. Plenty of crowd support and music being player although I would have liked more.

Finish isn't too bad. Usual photos as you cross the line, medals and goody bags ertc afterwards. Long walk to the baggage trucks - lower your number, the further you walk. Mine was in the 30000s so probably half way along. You're supposed to carry on to the exit but I passed one about 100m back so just went through that. Bit of a jaunt back to Columbus Circle though as there are people everywhere - bit quicker to pop up a side street. Nice getting people walking up to you and saying "well done".
Some of Columbus Circle and Central Park South (49th St) are closed off for the race so you might get diverted across the road behind the Trump Tower.

AS for getting your medal engraved, if you go to Central Park on the Monday, expect a lot of queues so go early! There is one queue for the medals and one for finisher merchandise which is frankly crap - seems to avoid mentioning anything connected with the marathon so if you're wearing it, it doesn't tell people that you ran and finished the NYC marathon. Bought a $120 dollar blue Asics jacket at the eXpo that says NYC Marathon 2010 and that wipes the floor with the finisher stuff.
Medals cost $20 CASH ONLY to get engraved (had $18 on me after buying a t-shirt and found this out when I got to the front of the queue!)
If you queue for medal, you then have to queue again for the merchandise tent (it was raining quite a bit this year so an umbrella might be good).
If you pop over to the ING shop near Bloomingdales, there is no queue for medal engraving and it costs $10 (they were giving out leaflets for this in Central Park and a few people assumed they gave half price engraving there). Few items of clothing from the Expo too (these items don't appear in the finisher merchandise tent).
Feb 2011
8:47pm, 22 Feb 2011
4,823 posts
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BlueWombat
useful tips there Scott, thank you

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