In the lead up to the 2017 New York City Marathon earlier this month, I had the opportunity to volunteer my time to the TCS NYC Marathon Expo at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. As a dedicated runner, it’s truly a gratifying experience to give other runners a positive experience during their bib pickups and to put their minds at ease in regards to transportation, clothing choice and overall preparation.
The New York Road Runners offers a fabulous program for marathon hopefuls where you can run nine of their races in a year and volunteer at one event to receive automatic entry into the following year’s TCS NYC Marathon. For a race that’s a bucket list item on most runners’ lists this is truly a great privilege for us locals able to do this each year. My day started out with a training session with other volunteers. I was sitting in a room with other’s who would be running on Sunday like myself and those who were earning their volunteer credit for next year’s marathon as well. I’ve participated in bib pickups before but none as secure and structured as this. Before handing out bibs we were instructed to ask for a form of identification to verify the runner and then find their bib based on their confirmation details. I met runners from all over the world and even posed for pictures with many of them. All were very kind, anxious and thrilled to be there. When my time volunteering wrapped up, I was equally as anxious to receive my bib, take in the expo (AKA buy ALL of the race merchandise) and head home for some much-needed time off my feet.
Sunday’s race came quickly with nerves aplenty. I’d run a marathon before but nothing in comparison to the scale of the New York City Marathon. Over 50,000 runners made their way to Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island by ferry and bus. The anticipation and camaraderie at the start was incredible. Everyone was dressed in his or her extra layers (there are donation bins near the start for those who wish to shed old clothing they’ve used to stay warm) and there was coffee a-plenty. I heard the cannon go off and was able to watch the second wave run over the Verrazano Bridge, knowing full well I’d be doing the same thing in a half hour. A wave of pride washed over me – so many training miles logged in preparation for this one day. I felt such a strong sense of community with all these strangers that gathered beside me, bonded oby this common passion and (possibly masochistic) desire to test our limits on a 26.2-mile course through the streets of New York City. When my corral was finally called to line up we all found our way to the start line. It is tradition for Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” to play. I knew this moment was coming and when the song began tears welled up in my eyes. Before I knew it, my feet were moving and my heart was racing. We approached the Verrazano and started our trek.
Five hours later and countless mantras, praying, and Gatorade chugged along the way, I saw the finish line in sight and suddenly all the early mornings running before the sun came up and all the evenings running in my fluorescent vest as cars passed were worth it. Every doubt had vanished. I was officially a proud finisher of the New York City Marathon.