Had a bit of a rough time this year. The heat definitely took its toll on me,and I ended up running about 15 minutes slower than I wanted too.
Did any of you meet to the right of the bandstand yesterday? I was planning on it,but due to heavy traffic,I didnt get to Staten Island until 9:10 A.M.
The wheels fell off for me yesterday. When the first mile took my 10 minutes I re-evaluated my goal of 3:15. I was actually feeling good and enjoying myself until about mile 18. In the weeks leading up to the race I had been having some strange chest pains but had an ekg and a chest x-ray and everything seemed normal and since I was still working out and it never acted up while I was working out the doctor thought it was probably gastro (more tests to follow) and I should be fine with the marathon. Well around 18 I drank some water and that triggered the chest pains. At the next station I drank some more water and that triggered some vomiting (much to the horror of some spectators). So I shuffled along but given that I can’t eat before races and I had vomited up whatever was in me I was bonking bad so at mile 22 I thought I’d go with some gatorade. Vomited again. The race was no longer about making sure I beat a guy from work who was rubbing in his PR from the Niagara Falls marathon but about just getting the damn thing over with. I usually have some adrenaline kick in the last couple of miles but that just wasn’t happening. I just kept repeating in my head, “Each step you take puts you a step closer to finishing” and kept going. I’ve never felt like such crap at the end. No pride in finishing just relief. Once I was done I tried to drink again because I knew I was dehydrated but yacked again. I probably should have gone to the medical tent but had a 5:00 flight I had to catch. Drank some fluids again before getting on the plane and luckily they stayed down. I’ve done New York before and it was one of the best racing experiences I’ve had but yesterday was the worst. Right now I’m torn between trying to find another race to redeem myself or never doing another marathon again (except for the one at the end of IMLP next year).
What an amazing finish! I read in the NYT that the guy who just finished second ran a 4:22 mile 17 in an effort to break apart the field. He didn’t quite suceed. Those guys were unbelievable…
HI!!!
I was just gonna post to ask you the same!
I went to the banstand in the morning. Everything seemed so spread out b/c they divided us up by color in the morning. I think I liked it better when everbody was grouped together, so you could really get a sense of how many peeps are there, (not that we would’ve missed that fact when squished together trying to run over the bridge, or in Brooklyn)
So, I went to the bandstand for a little while, but then got nervous about the ever-growing bathroom lines, so I went back to the orange section.
Sorry I missed you guys!!!
I had one of my slowest times ever. But, considering that my little injuries all summer that kept me from training as much as I normally would have, I was happy just to finish in one piece.
Congratulations to everybody!!! 
I’m not sure what the exact number is,but a coworker of mine told me there were more DNF’s this marathon than any other NYC marathon.
I’m just hoping that next year the temperature is a bit more seasonable.
Congratulations to all!
I ran 3:51:58
Hot and hilly course. Even so I improved vastly on my Richmond Marathon.
Course support was awesome, crowd support was incredible.
I didn’t run, but I followed the progress of Viktor Roethlin, who I met by chance on a flight from Sydney to Bangkok after Ironman New Zealand 2002. I could tell he was an athlete - maybe a footballer judging by his sweatsuit, or maybe a runner - and we started chatting.
He noticed my IM bracelet and kept telling me how incredible it was that I had done an Ironman and run so “fast” after swimming and cycling all that distance. When we compared marathon PRs I felt like quite a dork when I learned that he’d run 2:09 and was the Swiss marathon world record holder! It was nice to see him hang with the leaders most of the way in New York and end up with a 7th place overall after injuries ruined his 2004 season.
I did pretty well considering I only volunteered and watched! Actually, felt like I did a workout from leaning over the fence for three hours in Central Park!
I was stationed in the orange section and tried to keep people from going in the section with the faster women. Athletes sure can be cranky…that’s why I never volunteer to massage at races anymore…grouchy athletes. I’ll stick to herding 'em instead!
Anyway, congrats to all that finished in spite of the heat. I hope to be running next year. I haven’t run further than 14 miles in many years, so we’ll see…
Joyce
3:30:22 marathon. Took a chance to give my gf a kiss in the bleachers before the finish. That kiss cost me the sub-3:30 but time was never a goal in this race for me being that I’ve did well in NYCM before.
But I have to admit, this race was much tougher than my first time. Granted, I did the GFT Full two weeks prior to this one but never went through this much pain to finish a marathon. I was in more PAIN after this marathon than after my first IM. Wheels came completely apart after Mile 18 as I lost a minute off my pace. After that, it was more like a nice jog than a run to finish… but happy with the marathon nonetheless!
Super Irondeb, Felicitation!! You did it! DNF was not an option!!
Pierre
Actually - I like it hot - seems like that’s been the scenario the last 3 years. But that’s such a subjective thing.
Lotta DNF’s? That sucks. I saw a lotta people waaaaaaaay back by me in the later miles that looked like they were hurting pretty bad.
I knew it was gonna be one of my slowest - so went out ultra conservative. Seriously, I’m just thrilled to have finished this time!
Are you doing NYC next year? I didn’t do any Qualifiers, so I probably won’t be there.
Congrats again on your race!!!
Bonjour Pierre!!!
Ca va?
Thanks so much!!! Yeah - I’m happy I finished.
I’ll train MUCH harder next year!!!
*I definitely plan to go to LP in May to ride!!!
D
<Are you doing NYC next year?>
I’m doing Ironman Arizona in April of 2006,so if by some miracle,I qualify for Hawaii,I wont do it.
If I dont qualify,I will definitely be doing NYC again!
3:47 which sadly is a marathon PR for me. I am still truly amazed at that race and the crowd support, it’s like a 26.2 mile adrenaline rush. It was my first time in New York but I’m thinking of making this an annual race.
Go get 'em, girl!!!1
.
What’s going on here… you’re talking about a race you did and you don’t post times??? I WANT TIMES!!! 
Three big races in 8 weeks: IM Wisc 11:52, Chicago Marathon 3:23 and NYC Marathon 3:32. NY was awesome. People told me about the crowds and excitement and the race exceeded my expectations. I would love to do it again. The start wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. I feel sort of lost now. What to do next?
Deb,
Were you responding to my post?
If you were,I’m a guy,not a girl. 
I had a rough run too – 35 minutes slower than anticipated due to a bad cold and the hot weather. Hard as it was, I still had a great time!
Have to say, I was super annoyed by all the bottlenecking at the finish line – maybe I was just more irritable than usual because of the tough day but during the eternity that it took to get through central park, pick up the baggage and to the family reunion area, I was cursing NYRR for letting so many people into the race. Every year they make the announcement that “this is the largest field ever!” – perhaps they see that as a marketing strategy, but I think they really need to cap the number of entrants.
Finished in 3:24:23. Felt great the first 1/2, then the wheels fell off around mile 20. Heat took a toll on me. Regardless, I had a great time and the cheering crowds helped me through the tough points in my race. Guess it’s back into the lottery for me next year…
-Mark