On Sunday the running world turned their eyes to New York City, as the 41st running of the NYC Marathon took place. In total, 44,829 runners crossed the finish line, almost twice the field of the Boston Marathon. However, for a marathon that markets itself as the largest and greatest marathon where the world comes together, there are certain areas where is falls short.
1. The start has some serious issues. Runners are forced to sit in the cold for 2+ hours and then stand in the cold for an additional hour. They also must check their bags hours before the start of the race, leaving them without their best warm clothing (because any clothes discarded right before the race is collected and donated to charity). The corals are not well managed and many runners would sneak their way into the lower corals and then push and shove their way to the front of the crowd. In Boston the corals are positioned at the starting line and divided with fences rather then ropes to keep people in their assigned starting blocks.
2. The fans aren't as loud as you'd expect. Maybe it's because the streets are so wide, or because it lacks certain "character" spots like Boston (Wellesley College, the fire station, Heartbreak Hill, etc.), but overall, NYC Marathon fans aren't as loud or excited as fans in Boston. Yes, there are millions of people watching and a lot of them are very supportive and cheer runners on, but there are also a lot of people that stand and watch the race silently.
3. After crossing the finish the next challenge arises. As runners finish the race tired, thirsty and cold, many are forced to walk a very long way (for some close to a mile) before getting their checked bags and warm clothing. However, once reaching the luggage truck some runners stood in line for close to an hour. That's a long time to go after a marathon without some warm clothing. Trucks need to be lined up on multiple streets (like Boston does) and have them circle around the block.
Beyond these three areas (the first and third of which are concerning for runners' health and safety) the NYC Marathon is a great race. It lives up to much of the hype and deserves its place as a marathon major. However, the Boston Marathon still stands alone at the top as the most character filled, unique and special marathon in the world.
Note: While NYRR has stated in official materials that the race start and finish were designed as a result of the large field, there has to be a way to make these areas of the race better. It's simply not possible this is the most efficient way to begin and conclude the marathon.
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