I was hoping to run this race back when the course was only through Manhattan. (Now it starts in Brooklyn.) And I had entered the lottery several times in the past but never got in.

I finally time qualified for a guaranteed entry and ran it in March 2019.

I qualified again for 2020. Due to the Pandemic, it was cancelled and so I ran it virtually with two friends. I opted for a refund instead of a deferral.

I entered the lottery in 2021 and 2022 but didn’t get in. Instead I paid to run the Virtual NYC Half Marathon in 2022 so I would have a guaranteed entry into this race for 2023.

Then during my February vacation in Florida, I broke my foot.

It was mostly healed by race day but I wasn’t trained and so I decided to cancel and spectate my friends who were running it.

Then in 2024, I had badly sprained my ankle in December. It was healed by race day but I really didn’t feel adequately trained… and I struggled during the race.

I didn’t register for the race in 2025 (and Sherry & Stan deferred their entry).  Instead I ran the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in DC.

So, I signed up for the 2026 NYC Half Marathon for several reasons:

• I got a guaranteed entry (from my 2025 H2H finish time).
• I love NYC.
• I had almost enough pts for one free hotel room.
• It’s such a prestigious race. How could you not?
• I wanted a healthy re-do from 2024.
• For a limited time, this course would be going over the Brooklyn Bridge (this was my main reason).

Half Marathon Training:

Sickness. Freezing Temps. Snow.

Yup, these were all my excuses to not being adequately trained to run this race.  I even wondered if I should skip it…. I didn’t want to jeopardize my half marathon the week after.

In the end, I decided that since the train and hotel were booked and there was no refund if I canceled the race, I’d join Sherry and Stan.

There would be walkers finishing behind me, right?

I could just take it slow and enjoy the experience of my LAST NYC half marathon.

At least, I somehow got my long runs (9, 10, 11, 12) done..

with a taper of a 10k race.

I  didn’t get in many miles in during the work week …

So I guess I’d have fresh legs…

Pre-Race Activities and Preparations:

On Saturday I took an early train to NYC with my running friends Stan and Sherry who were running the race.

We were all staying in the same hotel (in the Financial District.)

After checking in, we had quick bagel lunch and then headed to the expo to pick up our shirts/bibs.  This year for the first time, the expo was held at the Javits Center (like for the NYC Marathon.) There were to be over 30,000 runners. Holy cow!

We were in and out in no time.

The obligatory wall pic:

And the shirts were lavender/light pink!?

We still had lots of time before dinner so I strolled along the East Pier.  The sun was shining brightly (and besides gusts of wind) it was a beautiful day.

Finally it was time to carb load on pizza or pasta. We took the subway to:

I don’t normally do this before a big race but we had drinks with dinner. (This was going to be a fun race, right?)

Since our restaurant was near Times Square, we got tix to the new One Times Square viewing platform.

Then we headed back downtown to our hotel to get ready for the next day.

#flatme:

Race Day:

I brought my usual race breakfast of oatmeal and coffee with me and got up around 6:00 am. I quickly put on my race outfit… Added two jackets & DIY arm sleeves as throwaways.  We decided that we’d be warm enough with the foil sheets after the race and not to check a bag.

At dinner the night before, we decided that we would take the #2 or 3 subway.

So we met in the lobby at 7:00 am and walked to the subway station which was minutes away.

We didn’t have to wait long and as you would expect the subway was packed but we all squeezed in.

This year there were 4 waves instead of 5 and we were all starting in wave 4 (the last one). We were told to get off Subway 2/3  at Grand Army Plaza and arrive by 7:20.

First you had to go through security and then find the corral entrance. Waves 2 & 4 went through security in one place and waves 1 & 3 in another (Their subway stop was 2 later, Franklin Ave).

The lines were long and they didn’t move.  I mean we stood there for almost an hour.  And it was COLD!!!!! (Everyone complained and I’m sure they will change this for next year). The only thing good was that we good to see the wheelchair racers and the elites go by as they started the race…

Our wave (4) was scheduled to open at 8:10 and close at 8:25. We made it in time.

There were tons of port-a-porties with no lines.

We started moving not long after we entered the corral but it took awhile to get to the start line being at Corral D..

I’ll do my best to recap the race below. (Warning: it’ll be long…)

My plan, as usual, was to stop and walk briefly at every water stop (so I wouldn’t get dehydrated). And of course, walk up all the hills.

Anyway, here’s how the race went.

Miles 1-5:

I immediately threw away my outer jacket and kept on the other one.

Of course, the start was very crowded and slow going at first.  In fact, I was surrounded by runners the whole race – the benefit of a big race with over 30,000 runners.

The start line was in the middle of Center Drive. We started by heading east and after a slight downhill on Center Drive, we took a sharp left onto East Drive.  We quickly reached the main hill, commonly known as “Prospect Park Hill” or “Battle Pass Hill.” I had run quite a few races in this park so I was familiar with the hill(s).  And I was feeling strong at this point but still I didn’t want to waste my energy so I ran/walked up it. I stopped at the both water stops but forgot completely about eating a my Gu.

Though I was freezing while waiting to start the race, as soon as I started running I was warm.

We exited the park at Grand Army Plaza and took some sharp turns onto Flatbush Avenue.  We were on Flatbush for the next 4 miles.  First there was a downhill along the park and then we returned back up Flatbush, through GAP, and onto a long downhill.

Eventually I did throw away my jacket and ran the rest of the race in just a long sleeve shirt (It was perfect).   I rolled down my arm sleeves and took off my gloves.

There was timing mat at 5k point and happily I couldn’t really tell my pace (since it was time that the race had started).

The tail end of mile 5 was the beginning of our approach to the Brooklyn Bridge and—yep, it went uphill. But it was the part of the race that I was looking forward to the most…

Miles 6-7:

This was the beginning of what made this race so scenic and iconically New York. It was hard. Probably the hardest part of the course. I seemed like we went uphill forever and minimally benefited from the downhill.

But the views from the bridge were amazing. I tried to focus on all my surroundings – Freedom Tower, Empire State Building, etc. to get me over this bridge.

 

All of a sudden, I realized that I had never eaten my Gu (I usually eat one every 3-4 miles) so I ate one at the next water stop.

When we got off the bridge, we had finished more than 6 miles. The hard part over, right?

Not quite.

The start of mile 7 included two sharp turns: first onto Canal Street and then immediately onto Allen Street, where we hit the 10K timing mat.   Allen Street was surprisingly downhill as well as scenic, and this portion of the course gave us a perfect view of the bridge we just conquered.

At the end of Allen, we turned left onto South Street and ran for half a mile before merging onto FDR Drive.

Miles 8-10:

At Pier 36, we began our 8th mile and merged onto FDR Drive. This 3-mile stretch was mostly flat but included some up/down ramps. Compared to the sections both before and after, this stretch was a welcome reprieve from serious changes in elevation.

Around this time (mile 9ish), I took my second Gu at a water stop.  I walked again for too long.  I had been stopping at and walking briefly at almost every water stop.

This was only part of the course without much crowd support. The crowds were awesome throughout the race. NYC running fans rock big time!!.

The signs were awesome as well.

I loved FDR Drive for its scenic views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines as well as the UN building. Every time I see this building, I recall my childhood dream of working there someday (Even my majoring in languages in college did not get me that job.), But boy, did it seem long….

We crossed our next to last timing mat at 15k.

Finally we turned onto 42nd street.  It was uphill too. Ugh.  My legs were starting to get weary. The highlight of this section was at 3rd Avenue with the iconic Chrysler Building just ahead.

Miles 11-12

The beginning of the final 5K started a gradual uphill climb all the way to the finish! There were some ups and downs. But I focused on taking in all the sights around me -—the Chrysler building, Grand Central, the New York Public Library, and Bryant Park, etc.

When we turned right onto 7th Avenue, we were running down the middle of Times Square, a magical and memorable experience. While this was also steadily uphill, I didn’t mind. The energy was positively electric.

The highlight was that Cari and her friends were there… and although I was dragging while running down 42nd, my energy level rose just in case I spotted them in the crowd on 7th Avenue.

 

I did not but they did me.  I heard someone yelling my face so I turned and waved.

We hung a right onto Central Park South as we finished up mile 12 and entered the park at the southeast corner—the same corner you exit in the final stretch of the NYC Marathon.

I was glad that they eliminated most of the hills from the end of the race – No Harlem Hill or 3 Sisters. Still, my legs were toast by this time. I couldn’t wait to be done!

Mile 13- 13.XX:

We turned on the 72nd Street Transverse and would finish at the same spot as the NYC Marathon, between Sheep Meadow Park and Tavern on the Green.

There were still minor ups and downs, particularly at Bethesda Fountain,  Well, actually they all felt like ups. I walked a few extra times trying to save up enough energy to sprint through the finish line.

800m to go…400m  … 200m – it seemed endless. I kept mumbling “WTF is that finish line??”

Excited but dying…

Dead…

Yes, I dragged those legs across the finish line.

Post Race Activities:

I immediately got my medal and posed for a quick pic.

I kept walking and texted Stan (who had already finished) where I was. We met and waited for Sherry who finished just a few minutes later.

We all headed for the exit and grabbed a bag of food (filled with water, Gatorade, apple, pretzels, protein bar, etc) and a foil blanket.

It was an easy walk out of the park to Columbus Circle where we hopped a crowded subway to our downtown hotel

After a very long HOT shower, we went out for a stroll (with Stan’s son and granddaughter).  It felt great to be walking around.

And later we met for drinks (and medal pics…)

and then dinner where we celebrated with Italian food, wine and desserts.

We all agreed that it was a great day…

Additional Race Reflections:

It took me awhile to start this recap.  I wanted to make sure I focused on the positives.

Now looking back on race day, besides getting sick, missing a NYC 10k and weeks of running, I wouldn’t change a thing.

I enjoyed the day before the race.

Remember my lower back pain that had disappeared… well, it reared its ugly head right from the first step (and ended when the race was over.) I doubt that it had any negative effects on my race time but it did affect my mood.  I tried throughout the race to run with correct form but… it still ached no matter what I did…

Perhaps I shouldn’t have cancelled that last Chiro and PT appts. (Lesson learned??)

I walked at the water stops as I had planned and ran/walked all the hills (and it seemed to be mostly uphills). I tired during the last 3 miles and walked often but such is life.

The weather was perfect for sightseeing while running the course.  I didn’t miss a thing because I wasn’t concerned about my finish time.

And sharing a race with friends was the best!!!!!

And no, I have zero desire for redemption and will not run this race again!!!

It obviously is not in the cards to having a good training cycle.

The Good:

• Easy packet pick-up. Organized expo. Not too large and overwhelming.
• Bus from Mid-town to the start (if desired)
• East access to the start by subway.
• Many porta potties at the start.
• Bag Check.
• Water and Gatorade stops at almost every mile or so.
• Gels (SIS) available at several water stops
• Many porta-potties along the course.
• Music at various points along the course.
• Awesome crowd support (except FDR Drive, obviously)
• Well marked course.
• Clocks at 5k, 10k, 15k, 20k
• Pacers (useful only if you started in the correct corral). The 2:30 one was using run/walk intervals
• Gender specific long sleeve tech shirts.
• No lines for post race refreshments (gave you a bag immediately)
• Foil blankets after.
• Lots of photos (through MarathonPhoto)
• No blisters or foot pain.
• Good running weather.

The Bad:

• Time waiting on Security line!!!
• Cold early morning temps
• Long Brooklyn Bridge climb
• Hills at the end in Central Park
• Lower Back pain
• The course was LONG (at least on my Garmin))

The Ugly:

• Nothing 🙂

Would I recommend this race?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Do it if you can.  You won’t regret it.

No, it’s not an easy course. More than 30,000 runners are there so it is crowded. But running from Brooklyn to Manhattan is such a memorable experience (maybe I’m biased?)

Try to do it before the Brooklyn Bridge is replaced by the Manhattan Bridge…

Final Stats:

Next Up:

Happy Running!! Have you run this race?  Do you prefer big races or small ones?  Pleases hare.