NYC Marathon 2023!

About a year ago my child called and said “can I ask you a question”? They wanted to know IF I would run the NYC Marathon with them. Obviously YES! I’ve run many Marathons and Triathlons with barely any reason, much less the honor of accompanying them! We had run one 5K together many years ago but Alex was never an enthusiastic runner even during the 10 years they played soccer. But this is Alex’s last year at NYU and they wanted to experience the Marathon.

The NYC Marathon has gotten much more difficult to get into since I won the lottery 20 years ago on my first try. It has increased from 40,000 to 51,000 people but Marathons in general (and especially the Abbott Series ones; NY, Chicago, Boston, London, Berlin, Tokyo) have gotten more popular. Despite the nation and world’s populations growing there is a limit to how many people can be accommodated even in the world’s biggest cities. And there are less lottery spots for NYC now as they allot some spots for people with “qualified times” as Boston does.

NYC was my third Marathon. My time seems so slow compared to how fast I run now, but back then I was working 60 hours a week and with Alex just a year old my training time was limited. All my marathons after NY were sub 4 hours (except the 4:30 ones as part of Ironmans). As I learned about speed training, Yassos, cut down to half-time work 10 years ago and now 1-2 days per week, better nutrition and, newer shoes; I had a PR (personal record) of 3:40 in London in 2021.

As the chances of both of us getting in via the lottery were very low we signed up through the NY Roadrunners Team for Kids Charity. It has a fundraising requirement but guarantees entry to race and one gets to train with the group, take a dedicated volunteer ferry and have special tents before and after the race. I told Alex that they should not start any fundraising until after completing the half. I planned to just do my own donation to cover my entry and then also cover any gap if Alex didn’t reach the required minimum.

Alex’s plan was to train for the Buffalo Half-Marathon in May as a warmup/test race. Alex and I had for many years volunteered at mile 2 of the Buffalo Marathon at the Buffalo Triathlon water stop. I’ve actually never done the Buffalo Marathon, maybe someday, but I know it is lonely out there as only a few thousand do the full distance, most do just the half.

This year I was out of the country on a medical mission on Memorial Day weekend but Alex had a college friend come home with them as a Sherpa/Fan for the race. Although they didn’t train perfectly for the race they did put in a lot of time and had no problem finishing the half in 2:55.

I made a big point of telling Alex after the half that although they did decently with less than perfect training they would need to do more for the full distance. I printed out a 16 week “first” marathon training plan from Runners World magazine and took them to a local running store to get a pair of the new high tech marathon shoes.

Alex told me that based on the half-marathon they would not want to run with me but just be together for the start and meet up afterwards.

After my half-Ironman triathlon in Cassadaga at the beginning of September I started a marathon training plan aimed at just doing a comfortable sub-4 hour time. I also thought it might be fun to run in a costume for a marathon (I had actually run a few Halloween races in a costume) as long as not going all out.

Here is my training plan. If going for a best time I would have done more midweek runs and less of the biking and swimming.

One of my favorite Marathon stories was from a friend in residency who said he had run one marathon in college but decided it was not his sport after he was passed by someone in a giant Gumby costume.

Alex had a Sharknado themed party in the summer and it got me thinking about a shark costume. This one was awesome and only $39!

I also got a few cool shark hats. Once it got close to the race date and I read the runners guide I learned that (I guess since the Boston Marathon bombing) only simple costumes (Superhero’s, skirts, etc) were allowed. Not allowed were any that projected beyond the body profile, so no Gumbys, Dinosaurs, etc. I ordered a fin to go with my hat, it was only $10 so I was willing to risk being asked to take it off.

The week before the race Alex asked if I would run at least the early part of the race with them and I said of course. I told them I would be happy to stay with them all the way until they finished as long as we got to the finish line by 6:30pm (to get our post race clothes bag before 7pm at the Charity tent).

Friday, November 3rd. RACE EXPO!

The Marathon Expo and number pickup was at the Javits Convention Center on the west side. It ran from Thursday to Saturday. Saturdays are always the most crowded day so we were glad we could get there on Friday morning. It was very well organized and after about 30 minutes in line we got inside and there was zero wait to collect our number bibs and race shirts.

The New Balance “store” that one had to pass through to get to the rest of the Expo was mobbed! We each got one shirt/sweatshirt. Alex was superstitious and avoided anything that said “finisher”. I had already ordered a few shirts on line as I had a 20% off coupon. I told Alex they could pick the ones they liked and I would keep the rejects.

After paying and escaping the New Balance section the rest of the Expo was full but not crowded. We snapped some cute photos and collected some free snacks and merchandise.

We found our names on the Wall. Alex counted and there were 14 Shapiros running! Alex let me know at the expo how little they had trained (less than for the half!). It made me nervous but Alex would soon show what can be accomplished with just youth and determination!

Saturday, November 4th: BAG DROP!

In the past the runners would have a labeled bag that we would drop off at a numbered truck as we headed to the start corrals. To improve safety? Or just logistics? And help environment? The current system required me to go to Central Park and hand in our post race clothes bag on Saturday. All it had was 2 sweatshirts and a phone charger. Nothing we would miss if it got lost somehow. The drop off was very well organized.

I snapped a few photos of the finish line on my way out of the park.

After my pre-race dinner I prepared all my race day gear ….

Sunday, November 5th. RACE DAY!

Until the week before I didn’t realize that the clocks turned back race weekend. An extra hour of sleep was probably a treat for most people but I would have preferred to keep the extra hour of light for the end of the day.

Alex and I were assigned to the 7:45 charity ferry and had been told to get there at least 30 minutes early. I left my hotel at 5:45 and walked the 15 minutes to their apartment. We spent 30 minutes going over final race plans, a meeting spot if we got separated (and phone service poor), stuffing our pre-race bag with water, gels, my costume , etc.

It was just a mile walk from Alex’s to the ferry dock. We walked past a large fenced in garden and park and I wondered what nice apartment building (right on the East River) it belonged to only to see that it was part of Bellevue Hospital. I peeked in the front glass doors and saw that it was a large atrium and the front of the original building was a hundred feet back and very impressive. It is the oldest hospital in America (1736).

https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue/history/

NYU hospital was just north of it and then right at 34th street was NYU children’s hospital.

The earlier ferry was just starting to load and the line for ours was just a few dozen people. I told Alex to sit (and REST the legs) and gave them my jacket to sit on the ground.

A beautiful sun was rising over Brooklyn and the East River. It was in the upper 40s and not windy so really fairly comfortable. I wore some throwaway old gloves.

There was a quick security screening and then onto the ferry. I told Alex we needed to sit on the starboard side to get views of Manhattan and The Statue of Liberty. 🗽

The seats were very comfy and the boat very stable. It seemed like a great way to commute from the Upper East or West sides to lower Manhattan.

It was only a 30 minute trip to Staten Island and then a few blocks walk to the bus loading area. Last year apparently the bus loading was a disaster with mobs pushing to get on. This year it was perfectly organized with corrals directing people to the next available bus and volunteers counting as people boarded.

But it was a much longer bus ride than I expected, about 30 minutes. Who knew Staten Island was so big! 20 years ago I had taken a bus from midtown to the race start but it had to leave super early (before the Verrazano bridge was closed) and I had to spend 3 hours sitting on the ground in the Race Village.

This was only the second time in my life that my feet touched Staten Island…I was disappointed not to see Pete Davidson or Colin Jost 😉

Once off the buses we all got wand screened by security (our bags weren’t really checked at all). We had Team for Kids volunteers with signs held aloft lead us all the way through the huge athletes village in the park. The line for the porta potties on the main path were long but later into the village they were shorter and no lines at all in the Team for Kids area.

There was a large heated tent and we went inside to get some bagels and coffee and bars. As the weather was nice we found a nice grassy spot to relax for an hour in the sun and get ready at a leisurely pace. If it had been very cold or wet though it would have been a huge advantage to be in the comfy tent until our start time.

I had Alex take a photo of me once I put on my costume and had someone take a photo of us together. When I went to try to post it to Instagram though I saw that as predicted there was very limited cell service due to 15,000 all being in a normally tranquil park all at once and ALL trying to use phones!

Alex was a GREAT Sherpa for me and my friend Mark at 2021 Ironman AZ (when I had serious case of bronchitis, not Covid! on 4 tests) so I was completely happy to carry all of their gels, house keys, some phone charges, and a liter water bottle in addition to all my own gear. I had a front and rear fanny pack 🙂

About 20 minutes before we were supposed to walk to our corral a TFK volunteer led a brief warmup and stretch session and then we slowly packed like sardines into our assigned areas.

About 10 minutes before our start time the ropes between corrals were dropped and several thousand of us slow walked up the ramp and onto the end of the Verrazano bridge. The bridge is so wide that there was not the extreme crowding at start like for some other marathons. There was an announcer on loud speakers amping up the energy and playing music.

I checked my phone just before the start and saw I had already walked 9000 steps 🙂

Here is a one minute official video:

At exactly 10:55 they fired a Howitzer and we walked to the starting mat and were then off and running. Our bib color (pink) were on the lower deck of the bridge (20 years ago everyone was on top deck) which had the advantage of a less steep hill but less scenic. We still had views out the left side of Manhattan far in the distance. The top and bottom decks exit the bridge in different directions, at mile 3 all the groups merged again.

Once we emerged from the shaded lower deck the sun was bright and it actually felt quite warm as the temperature was close to 60 now that it was 11. After a few miles of brisk running Alex took a short walking break and I (dedicated Sherpa) handed them the water bottle I was carrying for them. I also checked my phone and now that in Brooklyn and spread out more my phone was working fine and my Instagram post went through.

Once we worked our way off the bridge’s highway ramps and onto the local Brooklyn streets (the first long stretch was north on 4th Avenue, a very wide road we took until making a right turn at mile 8), the crowds of spectators were amazing.

Running at a leisurely pace I got to spend so much time reading signs and high fiveing kids. Alex and I had written our names on our bibs and got lots of “go Alex”, “go Dave” screams. The shark hat and fin were VERY popular and I waved every time I heard “go Shark man”, “yeah baby Shark”.

There was someone in a giant Lobster costume cheering and I ran over to see him.

During the race a few runners asked if it was ok if they took my photo. I was ecstatic of course! One of them was wearing his Long Island Triathlon club’s shirt, “The Land Sharks”. I’ll definitely be wearing my Shark hat for any future runs (unless going for a PR) and it will be perfect for the run in Ironman Florida next November.

I also realized after collecting several Dunkin Donuts Marathon hats that my fin made a great storage space!

Alex did a great job running at their planned pace with just short walking breaks as we covered the long miles in Brooklyn.

Alex had 4 friends who were watching the race and they tried to contact them during walk breaks but we ended up only seeing 2 out of the 4. One was in Brooklyn and one at mile 25. As Alex’s official photographer as well as Sherpa I kept shooting video whenever we got close to where we anticipated seeing one of their friends.

After passing a tall beautiful bldg at Flatbush Avenue we briefly headed East into the huge crowds of fans in Clinton Hill.

Then we headed North through the Hasidic Jewish Williamsburg neighborhood.

After Greenpoint Brooklyn the route briefly cut through Queens in Long Island City.

We then reached the dreaded Queensboro Bridge with its steep hill at mile 15-16. Almost everyone was walking up it and many people stopping along it to get their photos taken with Manhattan behind them.

After midway on the bridge it was DOWNHILL and then into Manhattan. A short turn around and then we headed up 1st Avenue into the canyon of buildings and loud, supportive crowds.

Next was a 4 mile run North past the upper east side and Spanish Harlem until the Willis Avenue bridge took us into the Bronx!

The Bronx section was less than 2 miles and not residential but there were a good number of supporters out there even though it was getting late in the day. There was some good music and I got some treats. When running hard I never would have considered such a decadent snack, but at the easy pace it was all about having fun.

Once back in Manhattan at 5th Ave and 135th Street we only had 5 miles to go and knew we would have no problem finishing by 6pm. We ran 2 miles south thru Harlem and then were at the northern edge of Central Park at 110th street. I pointed out the Duke Ellington Piano statue to Alex.

It started to get dark out as we did the last parts of 5th Avenue but it was well lit. I put on my flashy rings, they weren’t necessary as no cars but FUN! I also had 2 small headlamps that I had brought in case we were still on the course very late but we didn’t need them.

At 86th street the course goes into Central Park and then comes back out by the Plaza Hotel before heading west on 59th street and back north into the park for the last quarter mile.

Alex got a shot of pickle juice from their friend at mile 25 and I took their hat and headphones and they sent me ahead as they wanted to finish on their own.

I sprinted the last half mile and then walked really slowly through the medal area, I was going to wait for Alex before the turn off to our TFK tent but they were fast and grabbed me from behind before I got there!

We collected our snack bags and got our AWESOME ponchos… fleece lined, inside hand pockets, quite nicer than the old basic aluminum wraps.

We knew that we would want to veer over to Central Park West at 72nd street to get to the charity tent area. Regular finishers had to trudge all the way up to 79th street before getting to exit the park (20 years ago I then had to walk ALL the way south past 59th street to get back to the east side hotel I had mistakenly picked).

A TFK volunteer actually escorted Alex and I out of the park and to the charity tent and then took photos for us while we had our official ones taken.

After a snack and some water at the tent we collected our post race bag and headed over to Columbus Avenue. We didn’t see any free taxis for a while and the Curb App failed to find one either so we got an Uber that showed up fairly quickly for the trip back to Alex’s place.

Very nice Medal!

Some of our official race photos!

The next morning I did a light workout in the gym and then had brunch with Alex before heading to the airport.

After 4 days of Blue Skies in NYC it was rainy when the plane landed in Buffalo. But Fifa was warm and dry!

The next day I got an email from Abbott about a lottery to get into the Tokyo marathon which is the only one of the 6 “majors” I have not done yet. I applied to run it in 2024 with a Marathon Travel company (their lottery is impossible) I could have applied to a charity but it seemed like a lot of effort with all the other stuff I have planned for 2024, Including Ironman Florida in November.

AND for some true inspiration, here is a video of the last 10 people to cross the finish line before they stop handing out medals at 8PM (assuming they were in the last wave they took 8.5 hours to finish), other people finish later but after then the roads are open to traffic and they must walk on sidewalk and no medal at end.