I’m thinking of runninig the NYC marathon this fall, and would like to try and go sub 3 hours again. Years ago, this was not an issue. With age and injures, I am always just a few minutes or seconds under or over depending on the day, so I need all the factors working in my favour. I know at Boston, you get seeded in your pen based on qual times and usually the 3 hour crew can run “properly” within a minute or so. There is no impact on final times if you are in the ~ 2:55 to 3:10 pens. What happens at NYC. Do you have to spend the first 10 minutes on the course, walking the bridge before you move at all. If so, do you just go to “Tour” NYC vs race it ? Any input would be appreciated.
Great Course! You love it.
The key to NYC is to know what you are doing and not get caught up in the “herd”.
You will initially be seeded in a “holding que”. Ignore this and move your way all the way up to the front of the line. Once the release the “holding que” its a free_for_all to the Start Line-up.
If you are near the front of the Que and are quick to move once its released, you’ll be in good position for a clean start.
They are not strict in any sense as far as where you line up which is bad for those who are 3:00 or faster. Get there early. Move up front. Move quickly when they begin to release you to the start corral.
Enjoy the race!
Hightower,
How do they determine these “holding queue’s”. Is it randon, alphabetical, or based on previous times ? If it is alphabetical, I’m doomed to be way back with a “P” surname, unless of course, they start at something like M on one of the decks of the bridge, in which case your "strategy would be viable. Pretty rough to wade through to within a minute of the start line with 30K runners 
Dev
Upon registration for the race you have to put down your “expected finish time”. They use this time to determine your race number (and thus your race number determines where you line up in the “holding que”). If you put down Sub 3, you will no doubt be close to the front of the que anyway. The main thing to remember is that, once the “release” the que, its a mad_dash to the start line. So people behind you in the que CAN line up before you in the start, thus slowing down your first few miles. However, if you are quick and deliberate once the que is released you’ll be seeded quite nicely for a good run. Also, there are 3 separate starts for the race (each start with about 12000 people) which makes is nice for the first 4 miles. So its not as jammed as it could be.
There are no “line/corral police” telling slower runners that they can’t line up in front of faster runners, so it is important to just be on your toes.
Overall, most people are very easy going about the whole thing and its not a big deal.
One last note. If (for some reason) you did get behind in the “start line up”, it is really really easy to hop off line (out of the start line corrall) up actually walk forward and hop back on-line (back into the corrall) where you want to be. Like I said… no corral police
Good luck!