The Big Peach Ride + Run Podcast is hosted by Big Peach Running Co. Director of Marketing, Dave “D2” Martinez. This week “D2” shares his experience at the New York City Marathon, the largest race and most difficult to get into!
Hey Friends!
As stated in the podcast, several on our team got into the New York City Marathon through New Balance, one of the race’s sponsors. Huge thanks to New Balance and their team! This is my 5th and first major marathon; the experience was incredible! I’ve been spoiled, and I don’t think any other marathon can come close to the complete experience of the city and crowds on race day.
I flew into Laguardia Airport and stayed at a hotel on 45th Street between 5th & 6th Ave. in Manhattan. I wanted to be in the city and close enough to all the activities going on during the marathon weekend. After seeing that an Uber would cost me $90 to go from the airport to the hotel, I opted to use mass transit, which worked perfectly for me. I simply used the Google Map App, and it provided me with directions to the train stations and which train line to hop onto. If you have Apple Pay or some other form of payment option on your phone, simply tap your phone at the turnstile, and you’re good to go!
I wanted to ensure I had time to see the city and be a tourist. I hadn’t been to New York since I was probably ten years old, so I was excited and also intimidated by the size of the city, but once I arrived, Manhattan was very easy to get around, and I did a lot of walking and felt safe everywhere I went, even at night. I arrived Thursday morning and was scheduled to leave on Tuesday. Thursday was the day to settle in and get to the New York City Marathon Expo. I had been told to go to the expo early as things sell out quickly, especially if you want items to commemorate the race. The expo was at the Javits Convention Center, a quick subway ride from my hotel. The place is huge with large glass windows. I picked up my number and shirt with no wait or lines then headed into the main expo area with New Balance. This area was packed with plenty of items to purchase. I contemplated on what to buy and settled on several items including the shirt I would wear on race day.
Friday was what I’m calling “New Balance Day,” LOL! I met some of my colleagues and our New Balance Regional Sales Manager for the shakeout run, which ended up being about 3 miles long inside Central Park. We had some post-run breakfast and talked shop. We were all meeting later for lunch with the rest of our team, so we had some time, and I ran back to the hotel and got cleaned up. Lunch was at an Italian restaurant called Meatballs in Hells Kitchen, and I was able to carbo-load. After lunch, I did some sightseeing, checking out Rockefeller Center and Times Square. In the evening I went to a New Balance event with several athletes that included a panel discussion. There was also some karaoke that took place and a performance by rap artist, Action Bronson but I skipped out around 8 pm. I had a day of sightseeing on Saturday and I wanted to make sure I got a good night’s sleep. By the way, I was only drinking water. I stayed alcohol free for several weeks before race day.
Saturday was the day I set aside for visiting the 9/11 Memorial. I signed up for a tour, tickets for the museum, and access to the top of the Freedom Tower. The tour guide was a local, and he shared his experience as a child on September 11th. He still got a little emotional as he described the events of the day and the various stories of the people who perished on that day. I spent a few hours in the museum and visited the Freedom Tower for spectacular city views. I took many photos from the outside and inside, including the Oculus building. I realized I had lost track of time as I needed to drop off my post-race bag with a change of clothes by 5 pm. I headed back to the hotel, packed up my bag and then rushed over to Central Park by 4:30 pm. Then I needed to get dinner, get my race day gear ready and get to sleep.
I had to be ready to jump on the bus to take us to Staten Island by 5 am, which meant a 3:30 am alarm. I purchased a cinnamon roll at a bakery the previous night, a Maurten Solid bar, Clif Bar, and water. Once we arrived at Staten Island, I found my way to the New Balance VIP tent with coffee, water, bagels, and gels. I had a bagel and coffee while I waited for my start wave at 10:20 am. I made a quick trip to the bathroom before leaving the tent. I also had an SIS gel on my way to the start corral, but Maurten 100 gels would fuel my race. We made our way to the start line, and the view of the Verrazano Bridge was impressive. I’m so glad I got to experience it running on the top level. Some runners start and run on the lower level. I also realized at that point that not everyone runs the exact same course at the start. It starts split and merges around the 5k mark. I started slow over the bridge and took a few photos but once I was over the bridge, I picked up the pace but not too much and maintained a consistent effort through the rest of the race. I did slow down around mile 23 but we hit the hilliest part of the course but in no way compares to the hills in Atlanta. I felt strong throughout the race and started feeling some fatigue in the last two miles but better than I had felt in any other marathon I’ve done previously. I managed a PR and I was completely blown away by my performance. I don’t know how I did it but with my unconventional training and all the walking I had done in the previous days, I did not expect a PR.
Post-race ended up being a zombie walk out of the park. Exiting the park is probably a 1.5-mile walk from the finish line. The legs were tightening up, but I could still move fairly well. Once back at the hotel, I used the Theragun Mini to massage my legs, showered, and then headed downstairs for my post-race meal at an Irish Pub. I slept well that night and woke up the next morning with slightly sore legs, but the plan was to do more sightseeing. I knew the key to recovery was to keep the legs moving. The New Balance 1080v13 was my choice post-race as they’re really soft, cushioned shoes that would make walking comfortable. I went to the Guggenheim Museum, walked through Central Park, caught a taping of The Daily Show, and went to the top of Rockefeller Center for incredible views of the city at night. I flew out early the next morning back to Atlanta.
I would recommend the New York City Marathon to anyone and everyone who’s a runner. The crowds were amazing. They were everywhere and several people deep. The bridges were the only exception where it got quiet. I was spoiled by this race. I don’t think any other race has this amount of crowd support or the city’s energy. I would love to do the New York City Marathon again in a few years. I would train specifically for this and hold off the sightseeing until after the race to be well-rested and see how much faster I could get. For all the details about this race, listen to the podcast.
