Whether you’re running or cheering the New York City Marathon on November 2, 2014, these simple tips from NewYork.com will help you enjoy the big race -- from start to finish.
Runners exit the Queensboro Bridge in Manhattan and turn toward the roaring crowds along First Avenue in the 2013 New York City Marathon. (Credit: Courtesy NYRR)
FOR RUNNERS
Last Minute Training
- New York Road Runners club offers training packages to get you into tip-top shape as well as a virtual trainer online program, with goals and nutritional advice
- Marathon Training Program at the Running Center, highly experienced coaches create specialized daily training schedules. And of course, there are running trails all over town for solo training.
Booking Rooms
To accommodate the huge influx of runners (and their fans), hotels throughout New York City are offering New York Marathon packages.
- Hilton New York has a Marathon deal with rooms from $469, which includes complimentary access to the fitness center and runners’ specials in the hotel restaurants.
- The Sheraton New York Times Square (from $369) is throwing in complimentary guestroom internet as part of its marathon offer.
- Of course, for many runners, proximity to the Marathon is coveted. Top spots include the elegant Hotel Belleclaire, the trendy The Quin, the luxury JW Marriott Essex House and the relatively affordable Salisbury Hotel.
Sporting Needs
Paragon, near Union Square, is a sporting goods superstore that has pretty much anything you may have forgotten or need to replace -- whether its insulated tights, cushioned socks, a wide array of shoes -- even palm bottle holders and an impressive selection of shoelaces.
Marathon Memorabilia
- MarathonBlankets.com, if you want to order extras
- New York Road Runners for marathon-themed t-shirts, outerwear, headwear and accessories
FOR SPECTATORS
Top Places to Watch the Marathon
- Mile eight, while the runners are still juiced up and the mood is electric, the cheering zone at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Fulton St. and Lafayette Ave.) is very popular
- Mile 14 has a prime spot just over the Pulaski Bridge in Queens
- The 16- to 18-mile stretch is by far the most dense location (along First Avenue from East 59th Street to East 128th Street in Manhattan)
- Columbus Circle (at 59th St.), when the route takes a quick detour out of Central Park before turning back in and heading to the finish line a few blocks north
Bathrooms on the Route
There are portable toilets for runners at every mile beginning at mile three (in Brooklyn). Some portable toilets are also open to viewers, including in the Bronx at mile 20 (E. 135th St.).
- Madison Avenue Bridge at East 139th Street in Manhattan (mile 21)
- Queens Boulevard (mile 15)
- Nassau Avenue (mile 12)
ABOUT NYRR
Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to run for life. NYRR’s premier event, the TCS New York City Marathon, features an estimated 50,000 participants, from the world’s elite athletes to a wide range of recreational and charity runners, and is part of the World Marathon Majors, an alliance of the world’s six biggest marathons that determines each year’s top male and top female marathoner. To learn more, visitwww.nyrr.org.
This article was provided by NewYork.com for EllenBarone.com. Photos courtesy NYRR.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".