“I want to be a part of it, New York, New York”

When I woke up last Friday, the first thing I did was read an article about how amazing the New York City Marathon is.  The event is apparently a HUGE citywide party, and I immediately wanted to experience it.  So after calling and messaging a ton of people, I was finally able to convince a friend to head down to NYC with me for the day. =)

We got on a bus at 10pm Saturday night, arrived in New York at 8am Sunday morning, partied for 15 hours straight (thank you daylight savings for the extra hour), before boarding our Toronto bound bus at 10pm that night.  Now I know this sounds completely insane (especially since I was at work by 10am Monday morning), but it was honestly one of the funnest, craziest days of my life!!

For hours my friend and I cheered, danced and partied in the streets of New York City with 2 million other people!  We followed the marathon route from Brooklyn to Queens, to Manhattan, to the Bronx, then back to Manhattan in Central Park where runners crossed the finish line.  (Unfortunately they don’t allow spectators at the starting line which is on Staten Island.)  This legendary course passes through all five boroughs and provides an incredible view of New York.  It was absolutely amazing getting to see all the diverse neighbourhoods and cultures of the city!

Unlike other marathons, the majority of runners aren’t super serious.  They realize how big of a party it is, and aren’t concerned with times or personal bests.  I was actually really surprised to see hardly anyone wearing watches or listening to music.  Instead, the runners were smiling…yes smiling!!  They were holding video cameras, they were dressed up in costumes, they were dancing, they stopped frequently to take pictures with the crowd, and some were even drinking beers that spectators were handing out! 

There was a live band at every mile, all of the stores were handing out free stuff, and everyone had some sort of noisemaker.  The bars along the route were packed, signs of encouragement could be seen for miles, and I must have high-fived at least a thousand people.  The vibe was just incredible!!

As you can see the NYC marathon isn’t just another race, it’s huge event!  It attracts runners of all ages and skill levels from all over the world, and to race through it without soaking it all in would do it a huge injustice.

So I got back in town Monday morning absolutely exhausted; feet killing, head pounding, but with a huge smile on my face. I met a ton of cool people, got to see parts of New York City that I had never seen before, and experienced what many call the greatest marathon in the world! 

Honestly, if you want to be a part of something big and crazy, then you definitely have to go to NYC on “Marathon Sunday”. 

=)

Rachelle

At the NYC Marathon finish line.  We made it!!