Mary Chung's Staging Area

What I will remember the most from this race is the painful recovery that took 4 days of limping around. My quads and calves were wrecked and I can’t see myself ever running another Revel marathon again.

Though let me make it clear that Revel puts on an amazing marathon – Utah’s Big Cottonwood had excellent organization, communication, swag, and volunteers. It’s a point-to-point marathon and they took very good care of all the runners. I chose to stay at one of their recommended hotels and they provided a shuttle to the start of the canyon and a breakfast bag consisting of a bagel, fruit, granola bar and water. Once at the starting line, it’s cold so make sure you bring throwaway layers. The porta potties are plentiful but like at most marathons, there were still lines but not too long of a wait. Afterward, I checked my bag, threw away my layers and got into my pacing group. The race starts promptly at 645.

The first 19 miles of the race is in the canyon. It is gorgeous and I was overwhelmed by how beautiful the scenery was. However, as amazing as the view was, this is not a marathon for runners who have never trained for a downhill. I had run 3 marathons prior to Revel and I bounced back from each one pretty quickly but not this one. The downhill takes a toll on your legs. I’m not experienced so I was trying to slow myself down on several miles. For the first 20 miles, I was actually on a BQ pace but once we got to the Utah streets, the temperature rise hit me hard. It was cool in the canyon and for several miles, it was actually raining lightly. But once we got to the out-and-back on Wasatch Boulevard, it was hot and sunny. Miles 21, 22, and 23 were a disaster for me. I watched so many people stop and start to walk. There’s nobody really there to cheer you on either so you really start to struggle. After I realized that this was not going to be my BQ race, I kind of broke mentally during these few miles and walked most of it. But once I finished the out and back, I started running to finish the race. Believe it or not, I had to stop and walk most of mile 24, which was a slight downhill. I would have loved to have it at the end of a marathon but by this time, my legs were so wrecked that I couldn’t run down without so much pain that I had to limp through that mile. Thank God, most of miles 25 and 26 were flat so I was able to finish the race with the last quarter of a mile sprint to the finish line.

Post-race, I collected my medal, collapsed on the grass and waited to get a massage. My legs were in so much pain and they stayed that way for four straight days. The day after was even worse, that I actually eyed a wheelchair at the airport. I realized as great as this marathon was, I don’t think I have the leg strength to run another Revel marathon.

Sidenote: Utah was beautiful. I did some sightseeing in Park City about 35 minutes away. The expo was small but I loved the swag, which included pancake mix and leg cramp pills, a godsend for me! This was a top-notch event and for runners who love downhills, this would be a great one for a BQ.

First the logistics: It will take a few hours and waiting in lots of lines to get to the Runners’ Village in Staten Island. I’m a New Yorker so I was going to take the subway to the ferry but the subway was delayed so two other runners – a Canadian and a Croatian – and I jumped in a cab together. Talk about the camaraderie on race day. We got to the ferry and were among the thousands of runners patiently waiting to get on the ferry. We managed to squeeze in and enjoyed the ride. Once embarking, we lined up for the buses. The lines were long but they moved pretty smoothly and we got on a bus that took us to the Village. Getting off the bus, we got our bags searched by security before finally entering the Village where we grabbed coffee, Gatorade and other freebies then we waited in line to use the porta potties. After all that, we were called to our corrals to get ready to run the race. Make sure that you wear layers that you can strip off once you get in your corrals.

The Race:
It was exhilarating from the start. The Verrazzano Bridge has an incline but you don’t notice it because of all the adrenaline and excitement of running your first mile. Once you get off the bridge, the screaming starts from the crowds and it never stops (aside from the Dead Quietness of the dreaded Queensboro Bridge). You run through the five boroughs and even though I live in NYC, it was a special feeling to run in your hometown. All the boroughs have their own unique quality. The first half flew by — most of it in a raucous Brooklyn and Queens. It was fantastic with people lined up handing out oranges and cheering you on. I was in great spirits until I realized I was heading towards the bridge. I have bad memories of this bridge from the marathon I ran 18 years earlier. This time I was determined that it wouldn’t set me back. It’s a tough bridge because it’s the longest gap without anybody cheering you on. It’s also an incline that starts to slow you down. This is when you start having to use your mental strength to get through that damn bridge. Once off it, you hear the crowds on First Avenue cheering the runners on. This was my favorite part, mostly because I live in the area and I saw my family. It was a great boost. I loved running in Manhattan. The Bronx slowed me down with another damn bridge, and I started struggling a bit. The bridges are no joke! But I felt another surge of adrenaline as we turned the corner to get back on another bridge to head back to Manhattan. Now we were in the home stretch but that damn 5th Avenue mile with its gradual incline, which wouldn’t have been noticeable on any other day really hurt after 23 miles of running but once I headed into Central Park, it was a great feeling to know I was almost done. Though this was the part that felt so crowded, especially for a 4-hour runner like myself. I felt squashed in and bumped into several people as we headed towards the finish line. That last half mile was amazing with music blaring, people screaming and the time clock so visible. Crossing the finish line was one of the enjoyable moments of my life.

Post Race: A volunteer put a medal around my neck and gave me a mylar blanket. I grabbed a recovery bag with water/Gatorade, pretzels and fruit and got in the line to get my poncho. I recommend everyone, if they can, to not check a bag and get the freebie poncho as a souvenir. It was warm and comfortable. I hobbled to the the family area, met my friends and rode the subway back home. It was amazing and I loved every second of it… even the damn bridges! Everyone must run NYC once. For me, I plan to run it every year until my legs give out.

On a side note, the expo and swag are great. Huge Expo at the Jacob Javits Center and nice shirt. So many amazing volunteers and living in NYC, I’m still in awe that every November the streets close for the marathon. If you only run one marathon, make it this one!