The gun went off and the crowd of people started to run up the bridge. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is the longest bridge span in the Americas and the 11th in the world. When it was built in the ’64, it was the longest in the world. We were on the bridge for close to 2 miles. Because over 50,000 people ran, they had people running on the lower level as well as the top. I was lucky enough to be on the top. It made for an amazing view. The wind of course got worse on the bridge and I was glad that I still had my sweater and gloves on. I only spent a little bit of time on Staten Island before we worked our way over to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn was a very welcoming community. People were everywhere on the sides lines cheering us on and welcoming us to Brooklyn. Kids were everywhere with their arms stretched out waiting for a high five. When I reached out to give them a high five, the smile that they got on there face was one of absolute excitement. It made them feel special, but it also made me feel special. For a few moments, I felt like the kids thought I was some body. They didn’t care that I wasn’t famous, not that I ever want to be, but they just thought it was cool that an athlete would reach out there arm to them. Yes, I could tell all of that with just that look and smile on their faces. The policemen, firefighters and other adults even stretched out their arms for a high five. It was the best encouragement from a stranger. Most of Brooklyn was like this. We were in Brooklyn for several miles before heading over the bridge into Queens.
Queens was not much different then Brooklyn, but less people came out to cheer us on. I got the feeling that people in Brooklyn were very proud of where they lived. I had been feeling amazing running. Breathing was amazing, my legs felt great and I thought for a moment that I might actually be able to PR or get close to it. I hit the half way point and just started to feel tired. Back in my head, I knew this was going to happen. Even though the first have was going great, I had a rough training season and I walked 14 miles the day before. It was bound to happen. I did have it in my mind that I just wanted to finish. I was slightly disappointed, but that didn’t last long. Even though I slowed down when I hit Queens, I was still enjoying the energy of the race.
We quickly left Queens and ran over into Manhattan. This was our first of two stints in Manhattan. I had one more borough to go! The Upper East Side of Manhattan was beautiful. I really liked how clean it looked. Plus, I was running in a part of Manhattan that I hadn’t explored yet. The crowds of people on the sidelines increased in size and was now over powering the amount of people in Brooklyn. The energy from the runners and spectators grew as we ran throughout the streets.
Starting after mile 3, there were aid stations every mile. This meant I could fuel on water or gatorade whenever I wanted. Most races have aid stations about every 3 miles or so depending. It was great to have that available every several minutes. When passing through these stations, there were cups littering the street. I have never seen so many cups before. The 100 plus feet of the aid station was also covered with water and gatorade. It got a little sticky at some points.
We headed into The Bronx for a short moment. There weren’t too many people they, but the few that had come out were very excited to see us. On my way into The Bronx at the beginning of the bridge, there was a guy getting wheeled away on a stretcher. He didn’t look too well. Then on the other side of the bridge, there was a guy laying on the ground screaming of his pain. There were people there with him getting him help. To have come within the last 6 or 7 miles for it all to fall apart is so sad. I felt so bad for those guys. Even though I was running slower, I was just thankful that I was still running.
We quickly headed back into Manhattan. A guy from Greece tapped me on the shoulder and asked if he could run with me to the finish. Of course I said yes. He was looking pretty tired. It was nice to talk with someone for a little while. He told me all about the original marathon that he had done several times. It was fun, but didn’t last long. He decided that I was running faster than he thought and he said goodbye. The last 3 miles I was on my own. This is when we started to be along side Central Park. It was still fall in New York and the colors were amazing. What a great place to finish the marathon.
I was counting down the miles and the minutes till the finish line as I was exhausted. I was excited that it was almost over. I rounded my way through the corners of turns of the park finally seeing the finish line. I crossed and was overcome with emotions. They corralled us through different areas of the finish. We first got our medals, then our food recovery bag, a foil blanket and then a long walk. It took about 30-40 minutes to walk out of the finishers chute. At the end of the chute, I got a fleece lined poncho because I chose to not check any baggage. It was well worth it. The poncho was so warm and comfortable. It made the continuing wind almost forgettable. I finally made it to where Brent and Krista were waiting for me.
The race was over, but it is definitely an unforgettable journey. If I didn’t want to keep running marathons in new states, I would run this one again. It was well worth it. The 50,000 plus people running wasn’t bad. I could create my own pace and not feel like people were getting in my way. Ya it was windy, but that wasn’t something that could be controlled. Go out there, get your run on, get your New York on and register for that marathon.
