2017 NYC Marathon Recap

At this point, loyal readers are probably sick of hearing about my marathons and the recaps. I know —  I get it, in the past 4 years, I have completed 9 marathons — and in the last 7  months, THREE! There is not much more to say that is different about each race, and yet, this race is different. The NYC marathon is the most incredible marathon on the planet, and this year, when I gave up any expectations and ran to enjoy myself, was even better and more successful than imaginable. Giving up expectations, having no pressure, and just relaxing in to the moment made all the difference. I soaked up every second, looked at the views, talked to people, applauded my fellow runners, and truly enjoyed every minute.

 

Good or bad, I decided that my outfit for the marathon was going to be the exact same one that I wore a month ago for the Chicago marathon — yes, much colder temperature wise in NYC (my mistake in Chicago) but the shirt was a success in Chicago, so I went for it again in NYC. And man oh man, SUCCESS it was. Literally, once a minute, someone in the crowd would yell “Go Mama” — and I would yell “Thank you” and wave my hand up. It made me feel connected to the crowd and all their energy and positive vibes definitely helped.

Logistically, the marathon in NYC is very difficult. My start time was 9:50 am. But I had to be at the ferry by 6:15 am to get to Staten Island so they could close all the bridges and roads. This meant, waking up at 5 am, taking an uber (memorable driver with a dark story from the night before), and then taking the ferry to the bus.

Even the ferry has a buzz — it is all runners and everyone is nervous and excited. I befriended a Louisiana couple who were running their second marathon ever, 1st in NYC.

The views from the ferry — no turning back!

Once the ferry landed, there were long lines to a bus and then the bus was a 20 minute ride to the village of the start. Yes, a village. It is literally a VILLAGE. I talked to a young couple from Brooklyn in the bus ride, although they were not too into talking with me…..

But my craziest story of the day was that once in the village, I went to the bathroom 400 hundred times, ate some food, and then at 8:50 am, went to my corral to get the marathon started. Since it was an hour of wait time once IN the corral, everyone is seated and hanging out. I looked to the left of me on the sidewalk and said “HEY I KNOW YOU. WE RODE THE BUS LAST YEAR TOGETHER from Staten Island to the start.’ he said “Yael?” Literally, I am not joking. This guy, my friend Luke, from London, and I hung out all last bus ride and start of the marathon (he had a better memory of it all then I did — oops, I just talk). So here we are, 50,000 runners, and he is next to me! It was so great and I love the running community!

I loved the race and enjoyed every minute, although I didn’t take a single picture. This was after the race when we got the blankets and walked out.

Me and the poncho. Not a good selfie, but I was freezing and had to walk another 2 miles home.

Celebrating after the marathon! Nachos, tequila, hot bath, and fun!

 

So there you have it. No more marathon recaps (until April 2018). This was a special marathon for me; truly enjoyed the experience, the people, the community of runners, the crowd, and all the spectators. Truly the best day in NYC, and maybe the best day of the year no matter WHERE.

Anika Yael Natori, aka, The Josie Girl

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4 Comments

  1. Love the shirt & the post celebration!! Looks like you had a lot of fun!

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