Everything about The New York City Marathon totally explained
The
New York City Marathon is an annual
marathon road race run over a 42,195 m (26.2 mile) course through all five boroughs of
New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 37,850 finishers in 2006. Along with the
Boston Marathon and
Chicago Marathon, it's among the pre-eminent long-distance annual running events in the
United States and is one of the
World Marathon Majors.
The race is organized by NYRR (
New York Road Runners) and has been run every year since
1970. In recent years, it has been sponsored by the financial group
ING. It is held on the first Sunday of November and attracts professional competitors and amateurs from all over the world. Because of the popularity of the race, participation is limited to 37,000 entrants chosen largely by a
lottery system, with preference given to previous participants. Runners who are members of NYRR can gain entry by meeting the qualifications for guaranteed entry or via nomination from an official running club. Officially recognized running clubs are allowed two guaranteed spots for members who didn't make it in via lottery.
The Course
The course covers all five boroughs of New York City. It begins on
Staten Island near the approach to the
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The bridge, which normally carries only vehicular traffic, is closed for the event. In the opening minutes of the race, the bridge is filled with runners, creating a dramatic spectacle that's closely associated with the event.
After descending the bridge, course winds through
Brooklyn for approximately the next twelve miles. Runners pass through an enormous variety of neighborhoods, including:
Bay Ridge,
Sunset Park,
Bedford-Stuyvesant,
Williamsburg, and
Greenpoint. At 13.1 miles, runners cross the
Pulaski Bridge, marking the halfway point of the race and the entrance into
Queens. After about two and a half miles in Queens, runners cross the
East River on the dreaded
Queensboro Bridge into
Manhattan. It is at this point in the race when many runners begin to tire, as the climb up the bridge is considered one of the most difficult points in the marathon.
Finally reaching Manhattan after about 16 miles, the race proceeds north on
First Avenue, then crosses briefly into
The Bronx via the
Willis Avenue Bridge for a mile before returning to Manhattan via the
Madison Avenue Bridge. It then proceeds south through
Harlem down
Fifth Avenue and into
Central Park. At the southern end of the park, the race proceeds across
Central Park South, where thousands of spectators cheer runners on during the last mile. At
Columbus Circle, the race re-enters the park and finishes outside
Tavern on the Green. The time limit for this course is 8 1/2 hours from the 10:10 a.m. start.
History
The first New York City Marathon was held in 1970, organized by New York Road Runners Club president Vince Chiappetta and Fred Lebow, with 127 competitors running several loops around the Park Drive of
Central Park. Only about one-hundred spectators watched Gary Muhrcke win the race in 2:31:38. In fact, a total of only 55 runners crossed the finish line. Over the years, the marathon grew larger and larger. In order to accommodate the growing number of participants, co-founder
Fred Lebow redrew the course in 1976 to incorporate all five boroughs of New York City. The marathon grew in popularity two years later when Norwegian
Grete Waitz broke the women's world record, finishing in 2:32:30. She would go on to win the race an unprecedented nine times.
2003
A record 34,729 people participated in the race. The top male finisher was
Martin Lel of Kenya in a time of 2:10:30. The top female finisher was
Margaret Okayo of Kenya in time of 2:22:31, breaking her previous course record of 2:24:21 set in 2001. In recent years, runners from Kenya have dominated the event. The top Americans were Matt Downin (2:18:48) and
Sylvia Mosqueda (2:33:10), both of
California.
2004
The top female finisher was
Britain's Paula Radcliffe in a time of 2:23:10, beating Kenya's
Susan Chepkemei by 4 seconds, the closest finish in the history of this race. The top male was
Hendrik Ramaala of
South Africa with a time of 2:09:28.
2005
In the closest finish in New York City Marathon history,
Paul Tergat of
Kenya barely outsprinted
Hendrick Ramaala of
South Africa in the final meters of the race for a time of 2:09:30, beating Ramaala by one second. In the women's race,
Jeļena Prokopčuka of
Latvia won in a time of 2:24:41. Tops amongst the
Americans were
Meb Keflezighi of
California (2:09:56) and
Jen Rhines of
California (2:37:07).
South African
Ernst Van Dyk took the wheelchair race in 1:31:11.
2006
The top male finisher was
Marílson Gomes dos Santos of
Brazil in a time of 2:09:58, while
Jeļena Prokopčuka of
Latvia won the female marathon for the second consecutive time in a time of 2:25:05. Gomes dos Santos becomes the first South American ever to win the race.
Stephen Kiogora of
Kenya placed second, and
Paul Tergat, the 2005 defending champion and former marathon world record holder, placed third.
Seven-time
Tour de France winner and former
triathlete Lance Armstrong ran in the 2006 race, finishing 868th with a time of 2:59:36. He also ran the same year in the British 10K.
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee also completed the race in 2006, finishing in 5:33:43, and wearing bib #110, signifying the 110 pounds lost during his
weight loss campaign.
Amanda McGrory won the female wheelchair race in the time of 1:54:17, the male wheelchair division was won by Kurt Fearnley in a time of 1:29:22.
2007
The 2007 New York City Marathon was held on Sunday, November 4th. It was the final race of the 2006-2007
World Marathon Majors, a two-year series of elite marathon racing that also includes the
Boston,
Chicago,
London and
Berlin marathons.
However, there were very few elite
American marathoners participating in 2007 because they competed the day before at the 2008 USA Men's Olympic Marathon Trials.
Martin Lel from
Kenya won the men's race in a time of 2 hours 9 mins and 4 seconds, completing an impressive double of the 2007 London and New York Marathons.
The women's winner was the world Marathon record holder
Paula Radcliffe from
Great Britain in a time of 2 hrs 23 mins 9 secs, one second faster than her 2004 win.
Further Information
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