The New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world, and its unique course makes it a bucket-list event for many runners.
With its enormous field of runners and spectators, New York’s high energy requires logistical planning to have a successful experience. Calming your pre-race jitters to optimizing your post-race celebration are important!
When it comes to navigating the logistics of the New York City Marathon, there are few people who know it better than Richard White. Richard is a fixture of the NYC running scene and a 17-time finisher of the race. After more than 4 decades of racing, Richard will be going for his 18th NYC finish and his 60th marathon finish this weekend.
Richard is passionate about the race itself as well as its history, and he’s an invaluable resource on all aspects of the NYC Marathon. In this episode he’ll let you in on some of the useful tricks he’s learned from his 17 NYC finishes, including:
- How to segment the course to make it more approachable.
- Making the most of the energy from other runners and spectators.
- COVID-related changes that make this year unique.
- Tips for tackling the most challenging parts of the race.
- The physical, mental and emotional aspects of the course.
- Suggestions for navigating the post-marathon crowds.
How to Navigate the New York City Marathon Course
With more than 2 million spectators coming out to cheer on both elite and amateur runners, the energy of New York is unmatched. If you’re looking for a quiet course, NYC is not the place to find it!
In the podcast, Richard talks about the importance of managing that energy. To avoid feeling frantic on race day, NYC requires more logistical preparation than most marathons. Planning your pre-race strategy involves mapping out a route to your starting corral, dressing to stay warm in the hours before you start running, and being intimately familiar with port-o-potty locations!
Richard’s familiarity with the course provides so many useful ways to navigate the New York City marathon, whether you’re a new or seasoned marathon runner. In our conversation we discuss:
- How knowledge of the course details will help you run a smarter race
- The importance of managing your effort in the early miles
- How to approach the 3 most notable hills on the course at miles 1, 14 and 23
- Digging deep and using mental strength to help you through the final hill on 5th Avenue
- Breaking up those last 10 miles into manageable chunks
- Why expecting the worst is sometimes the best strategy!
Whether you’re running the New York City Marathon this year or plan to in the future, this episode is full of useful insider information you won’t want to miss!
Subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or Google Play.
Links & Resources from the show:
- New York City Marathon website
- Boston Marathon Course Guide
- 2021 Boston Marathon Overview
- Philadelphia Marathon Course Guide
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