Rich Sparacin's Staging Area

This was my 7th marathon and my first NYC and though this was a much more tamed down version it still was ridiculously awesome.

The expo was clearly not as large as previous years and I’m sure in the future it will return to the much larger expo people are used to. The giveaway shirt was good and the New Balance section still had a lot to offer though very pricy.

The race itself was outstanding. The crowd support was great, the volunteers were perfect. There were definitely enough aid stations plus many unofficial aid as well.

The finisher medal was top notch. Thought they would have done something better this year with the Poncho since it was the “50th” anniversary (debatable.”)

Overall, can not wait to run this again!

This was a mostly flat course with a few rolling hills that ran beside the Mohawk River most of the race. There was one portion for a few miles that ran along a street that was not closed to traffic but traffic was light. Much of the race was along the Mohawk trail/path so there was not a big need for road closures.

Due to Covid, the aid stations were to refill your own water cup but I would expect that to change by next year.

Not much crowd support but with this race I never felt the need for it. Plus the weather conditions were not favorable for crowds.

It was about 45 degrees with a cold rain but it made the race easier to handle on Memorial Day Weekend. Looked like there could have been a decent after party but I think the rain prevented that from happening. The start and finish are right by a Brewery/Restaurant and Hotel/Casino.

I would recommend this for first timers and would probably run the 10 Miler course if I ever return to the area.

Philadelphia 2017 was my first Marathon that I had run so it is hard for me to compare to any other. With that said, This was a fun experience for me.

I thought the Expo was organized well, and easy to move around. A good place to buy those last minute Marathon needs.

Due to the heavy rains the morning of the Marathon, I thought the organizers did a good job letting people stay dry in the tents while waiting for the start.

The course itself was fun, mostly flat with some inclines that were manageable. I enjoyed the first half better than the second half. Running through the city streets past the historic sites was very enjoyable. However, passing the Art Museum (Rocky Steps) and then completing a 10K to Manayunk and looping right back to the art museum and finish line for another 10K was not as enjoyable. Of course the strong 35 mph wind gusts while running towards Manayunk that slowed my pace down may give me a biased opinion on that.

The crowd support was positive but I wish there would have been a bit more for a Marathon of this size. It was the crowd support in Manayunk that kept me going and I wish that kind of support would have been through out the race.

The after party was fun, but wish they would have given at least a free beer instead of charging. I didn’t feel like going to the truck right away for my bags as that was a lot further away.

I loved how they made a weekend out of it. The half marathon was the day prior so I was able to go out and support the half marathoners including my wife and she was able to watch my race.