ING New York City Marathon - welcome to the NYC experience.

"Running the NYC marathon ? The course, weather, experience and of course, the training tools."

The ING New York City Marathon has lately taken the seat as the main marathon in the world, together with London, Chicago and Berlin marathon. Here are info-scoops on the NYC marathon program - the schedule, course, registration, weather (can be hot and humid) photos, video (they have excellent services for that).

Plus, some views on the

• accommodation,
• hotels
• and the general New York tourism experience.

And last, but not least (of course !)

• The best New York Marathon Training to prepare yourself for the big day.
• What elements to have in the best marathon training schedule for the "Big Apple Marathon", a plan - a practical guide to go by.

NYC Marathon, from a small start to a World Class Event.

"For a big city, New York's marathon had a humble enough beginning"

It's not even the oldest in America (that prize goes to the Boston marathon), but it is certainly the biggest, with over 100,000 runners apply to be in the most recent race.

The run got its start back in 1970, when little more than a hundred athletes raced around and around Central Park in order to log the required twenty-six mile distance.

They each only paid a dollar to be in it, and only fifty-five crossed the finish line..

Well, today, things are quite different.

With the New York City Road Runners (NYCRR) in front, the marathon has developed into a great special event ; featuring a number of celebrities such as

• Lance Armstrong,
• Katie Holmes
• and Puff Daddy.
• Plus 9 time winner Grete Waitz as one of the forerunners of the many charities and foundations that has been focused on in the marathon lately.

In addition to that, you of course have the top runners racing for the big prize money awards with the Kenyan stars in the front-chase for a total prize money award of a whopping 600.000 USD in prize money for the winners and top finishers.

"The Marathon Course, a Route of Beautiful Scenery"

If you want to run the New York Marathon, you cannot find a more special route.

The course starts on Staten Island right at the Verazano-Narrows Bridge, and then snakes through all the boroughs of the city; passed Dyker Heights and Sunset Park in Brooklyn; through Prospect Heights, Boerum Hill and Clinton Hill, and then through the two Williamsburgs.

After that, a quick swing through Queens, and over the Queensboro Bridge onto Manhattan. While the end is in Central Park, the route loops up through the Bronx, and then down through Harlem in order to get the required distance.

To be honest, some people were less than enthusiastic about the new course.

There were concerns about traffic jams (always an issue in the city), and public safety.

After all, how would it look on the world news if marathon runners were shown being mugged on the streets of Queens or the Bronx?

Of course, if you think about it, what in the world does a runner have that's worth stealing, their shoes? :)

As it turned out, the new route was a sensation.

The first year of the new course - 1976 - just over two thousand people entered the race.

Also, the presence of television, radio, and the crowds on the streets cheering the runner on served to boost interest in the race.

Two years later, over nine thousand people were running in it.

Of course, when you consider the location, and the time of year, it is easy to see the attraction of the race.

Want to see the course mile by mile ?

Check out the New York City Marathon course video right above.

" Is New York Marathon a marathon for You ? "

Considering New York for your next marathon ?

These are (some of the) the Pros and Cons for the New York Marathon - for you to consider :

Pros,

• The fantastic course experience. New York City Center throughout.

• Extremely well organized marathon. From start till the end.

• New York as a city adds to the whole marathon. A marathon and holiday.

• The time a year, you can find plenty of half marathons, 10k and 5ks as the fall has plenty of these in the "buildup"

• New York THE # 1 marathon in the world currently (sorry London..)

Cons,

• The rough course (but problem can be "eased" with proper training!"). Must add 5-10 minutes to finishing time.

• The entry difficulties, with lottery (100.000 applied in 07) /or qualification times (sub 3 for men).

• Costs of New York accommodation,hotels.

All this is explained below.

Let us start with the training for New York Marathon :

New York City Marathon Training - and how to prepare well.

" Training for New York, is training with hills added in there!"

Information about training for New York Marathon can be found in the article specifically written here, New York City Marathon Training If you click and read this article, you'll find what aspects are in particular important when training for the New York Marathon.

For the "fast skimmers", a summary of it goes like this :

1. Throw in some hill work after some hard workouts.
2. Include downhill running..
3. Learn perfect pace judgment, treadmill if you must.

One of the main things in the preparation is to follow a marathon training schedule, program, that takes into consideration the hills and special demands of New York.

Like you can read in the article right above. So training for this race is quite different than for example the Chicago Marathon or London Marathon

It is also wise to put in there some half marathons as well, such as

• Atlanta half marathon,
• Dublin half marathon (if you are in Europe!)
• New York City half marathon,
• San Francisco half in your calendar

so that you have good marathon pace judgment before entering.

As the course is tough, you will need that extra energy as you approach the finishing part.

So how fast can I go on this course ?

Well...

For the "info-geeks-of-us" New York Marathon results 2005,2007,2008.

"Add about 5-10 minutes to your finishing time !"

The New York City marathon has always been very competitive.

Enclosed are the results for the years 2005 up until 2008. As you will see, running the NYC marathon makes you want to add about 5-10 minutes to your time in marathons like Berlin marathon or Paris marathon.

This is important, as you plan your training for New York.

The course is quite rough and as a runner you have to be smart in your training regime.

Some years the weather may also be a factor :

Weather in November and what to expect in New York November.

Usually one out of two.

Either,

• hot and humid, or
• nice and cool in New York November-time.

Average temperature for the NYC marathon is around 40-50 degrees F, that is 5-10 degrees C.

Which is in fact close to ideal for marathon running.

But it can also be up in the 60s and at that temperature you have to be very careful in your pacing strategy.

Especially as the sneaking hills will have an effect on your legs to a much greater degree in that kind of temperature.

ING New York City marathon, registration, application and entry. Lottery based or qualifying times.

To run the New York Marathon, you have two main choices :

• Run fast enough. That is, to qualify by a time (like the Boston qualifying rules)

• Lottery. Or you have to enter the lottery together with the rest.

• (plus a few others that are mentioned below)

For men, the automatic time was 2:55 for the 2007 race and women 3:23 (a bit slower if you are a master/veteran runner).

1. You can also be guaranteed entry if you have "lost" the lottery three years in a row,
2. have entered through one of the special charities/foundations in the marathon
3. or if you have run it more than 15 times before :)
4. for internationals you have to enter through a certified New York Marathon travel agency.

In 2007, a total of 103.000 people applied for a spot in the race.

This is the official page (linking out) for registration/qualifying information for the 2008 race : click here.

New York City pictures, photos and video. New York has it all.

Qualified and want to document your experience ?

New York has it all.

This is a marathon with excellent services when it comes to "documenting" your performance. All runners can buy tapes after the race with their personal passing points during the route to the finish.

I will add some more examples from the New York City marathon here in the future.

Hotels, accommodation and the City of New York. Besides the running.

"Add the New York experience to the Marathon experience"

The marathon is run in November, a beautiful time of year for New York; all the colors of fall - Central Park practically looks alit with a blaze of fire as all the leaves change to red, orange, yellow, and brown.

It is said that New York is the city that never sleeps, and it is quite true.

And, no matter your interests, you can probably find them here.

You have,

• excellent restaurants,
• and plenty of shopping opportunities.

Whether it is to buy a brand new pair of running shoes ,apparel or find the newest brand clothing.

There are also the,

• museums
• and art galleries - too numerous to list of New York tourism attractions.

The New York City guide seems endless - it doesn't matter what your interest, how many people are in your group, and what their ages are. There are enough things to see and do in New York to keep anyone busy for weeks.

Hotels to stay in for New York, should ideally be close to the subway system. This is much more important than a location "as close as possible to the starting line".

When so many people, runners and other enter the city ; this is the easiest way to get around.

Good luck with planning your New York running experience. Plan it well!

Check below for more articles about the different marathons.