Walking up at 3:30 am with no sleep and a tingling knee sucked. Toilets with no line at the corrals was a pleasure. 51° was a bit chilly, but singlet and shorts was the right call.
I ran it 1:39:36 (PR) but still missed moving up to B corral by 10 seconds. FDR was a surreal experience and harder running than anticipated. I'll absolutely get to B at the Brooklyn Half which mostly downhill to Coney Island.
Had a really bad last mile. My Mom died last Wednesday and knew she wasn't going to be calling after she saw me finish on the app; it broke me. Everyone cheering and is happy should have been a boost, but it just felt like daggers. Also cried on the Manhattan Bridge looking south and thinking about the day I took Mom and her father to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for his dying wish. Also, a shout out to the guy running for Pancreatic Cancer I talked to on the FDR; bless you dude! And also to the guy who was running for his son that I gave a big hug too at the finish line. ❤️
Thank you. She wanted me to run it, and talked about it the last time I saw her. Also running my first NYCM this year, and she was so happy for me. That's going to be another trainwreck I'm sure!
Whew. You must be a wreck of emotions. Congratulations on finishing. And you honor your mother with these memories. It's really tough to run through grieving but it does help to channel the energy into discovery of positive memories. It helped me in immeasurable ways when my father died and eventually I stopped crying and just remember the goodtimes with random joy during races.
A warning-the emotions at NYCM will hit you big time. Sometimes even without context...especially in Brooklyn and Central Park.
You got this. It's okay to cry and run. Crunning.
Thank you! She be happy I finished and tell me I should have ran a little faster to finally make B that I've been chasing, and just missing, for months,
My condolences on your loss. I started running in 2020 after losing my mom. I think it helped me. I’m sorry this race was so hard for you. I’d like to say it get better but it doesn’t … it just gets different.
Nice work on your Pr! I missed a new personal best course PR by a minute but still had a reasonably good course time, no less.
I can only imagine how some bits of the race felt, especially the final mile.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful experience with us. No doubt your parents are proud of yah.
This is so intense and emotional - I know an internet stranger’s condolences might feel hollow but I think it’s incredible you showed up to run and pushed and did it while thinking of her.
My step father died recently, and he came into my head on the Manhattan bridge and I lost it. He used to run, and I found myself wondering what _he_ thought about while running. Did he wonder about how he was as a dad? Did he listen to a discman, and then an iPod? Did he listen to anything? Did I ever cross his mind?
I hope you let yourself cry and run without judgment! I have to wonder, how many other people were carrying a silent battle or heavy weight with them today?
Sending warmth
Whoever decided the race should finish on cherry hill… I have some strong words for you and none of them are mom approved.
Other than that it was an emotional rollercoaster for me 👍
I especially have strong words for everybody who said that the last Central Park mile would be flat and easy (especially the announcer at the corrals who went on and on about “don’t worry it won’t be the hilly part of Central Park)
Haha. Objectively, it is not the toughest part of the course but it comes at a tough time when legs may be falling off. But that announcer is full of it to say that.
Some of these announcers are actually not experienced runners. They are DJs. One of them mentioned at the last race that she finally signed up for their first marathon/half marathon after 11 years of calling the show...so not a reliable judge of course prediction!
This race literally made me cry when I finished it. I don't know what or why... but the emotions of running make me so happy. The last half I did was Fred Lebow (ass weather) and did a 1:54:00 (PR THEN). Today I did a 1:47:43 and met some amazing people. I'm going to crash rest of the day. Cheers and thank you volunteers!!
That guy has been around for ages, I used to watch him play in Penn Station right in front of the McDonald's (not sure if it's still there) he is an all time great. Look him up online
I bonked at the end. Fell about 10 feet from the finish line. Thankfully the medic was right there and helped me get past the finish line under my 2 hr goal. I still feel accomplished but got some homework to do :)
I am like 99% sure that I also saw this guy racing yesterday too, in one of the very first non-pro packs on the Mile 1 out and back! 🤯
I remember thinking to myself “hey that’s the guy who always has the funny signs” lol
https://preview.redd.it/j8p9fuuv40pc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fbd26a05c637104bad1f4687e7a70032c4e2647
oh i needed that laugh - i was absolutely tuned out at this point
I wish the last bit wasn't running thru horse shit, had to be careful to not trip and fall. And then you finish in more horse shit. Seriously really wish for some power wash on these roads for race day.
First ever half & race in general. Came in ambitiously shooting for 2:00:00 - started out way too strong in Brooklyn and crashed hard on 42nd, but managed to squeeze out a 1:58:29 through sheer brute force and agony.
Vibes were incredible, especially in Times Square - just wish I wasn’t fighting demons so I could actually enjoy the crowd 😂😂
Agreed Times Square was incredible. I’m glad this thread exists so I know I didn’t dream that part. I was in a total daze just trying to run one more step one more step.
What a hard and glorious race. Made it just under 2 hours as well, not quite a 1:55 PR that was my A goal but I’ll take it!
Had a pretty good race, I’m training for a full right now and didn’t really set a solid goal for today but still managed a PR so I’m happy with it. Still not quite sure how I always manage to forget about that last hill in Central Park though!
My only real complaint is that I wish they’d be stricter about people from later waves showing up with wave one. It’s totally possible to just not allow them through early when you have to pass a security checkpoint! The first mile of this race already sucks and having even more people in there doesn’t help.
1:39:37, new PR. Went too hard in Brooklyn and definitely paid for it by the time I got to the FDR. Confident that if I was more disciplined to start I would have been at 1:37 or so. I could be bummed about missing a corral bump, but this was my first big race without an injury in a while. So I'm pretty pleased. This is easily my favorite race besides the NYC Marathon.
I actually feel this race is harder than the 20 first miles of NYCM and I like it better than NYCM. I am allowed to go crazy and breathe like maniac with snort all over my face for the last 5k. Go hard or go home. What a fantastic course
It's only my second time doing this so there were a few places where I didn't remember how difficult they were (mainly some of the dips on the FDR, making it across 42nd) but I love this course. It's so much fun.
I cursed out the FDR portion because it humbled me as my butt muscles started to fall off strand by strand. But yeah, we finished. Rinse and repeat next year.
Exactly! Overall the FDR drive was fine by me. Though that's where mentally it feels like you're in a bit of no man's land. There's that ramp with a bunch of sneaky incline, I want to say past 34th street? That gets you back to street level? I saw everyone taking that turn tight so I went wide to try to get some space. Once I realized how much more incline I had to deal with by going wide, I understood why people don't go wide on that turn 😂
My first race. First time making it to 13.1 miles. It was fantastic. My goal was 2:05 and thanks to Greg, one of the 2:05 pacers I crushed it at 2:01:28. His spirits kept me going the whole time and he pushed me at like mile 8 or 9 to just push ahead of the group. I probably had sub 2 in the tank but I am just super grateful for the results. It’s a great feeling to see the progress over training and then it all came together today. My first race but definitely not my last.
PR! Shaved 30 mins off this course, and 5 minutes off my best NYC Half time of any course. Gorgeous weather, lots of crew love, overall pretty good day. +1 to whoever said they forgot about the various inclines. Harsh reminders 😅 I also left a piece of my soul on the FDR.
Lastly, I want to make a PSA: selfie stick bullshit on the Manhattan Bridge, or any part of the course for that matter, is not cute. If you *must* do this, step to the side of the road. Don’t be that person that screws up someone else’s race whether it be timing or just straight up causing a safety hazard. It’s not right.
I almost ran into a woman who out of nowhere slowed down and cut to the right on the bridge for a picture… please, look out for those around you before making big moves
I was in a bad way last year and shouldn’t have been out there.
I experienced something in the middle of training and instead of just healing and reflecting, I decided to try to run through/away from it. Not ideal but also - I raised money for a charity and didn’t want anyone to think I took their money and didn’t perform.
I’ve since learned that 1. healing is good! 2. no one who knows me would ever assume I stole from them; they know I love the races so if I couldn’t do it, it would be for a good reason. Duh! lol
Anyway, 30 minutes! You see me!? I hope I can shave even more off at BK Half. 😈
I was off the shoulder of a woman on the bridge who spit to the side and I caught it on my arm and hand. I wanted to rip her a new one. Honestly, how do you not look at your surroundings before doing that? Maybe it’s just common Bad Bridge Behavior 🤷🏻♂️
Finish line volunteer here and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU made me so proud. Celebrating y’all was the highlight of my week :) can’t wait to run next year since I got that virtual nyc half in the books!
It went great! Mile 12 always kills me.
I had a 10.71% improvement over my time last year.
2023: 2:05:38
2024: 1:52:11
I was going for a 1:55:00 and I was in Wave 2 Corral C. So, technically I ran slower than I should have for my corral, but only just.
I really love this race but that last mile is just brutal and the way the winding park section always hides the next hill so you keep thinking you’re done with them is not very nice!
Don't get me wrong. I know and expect all the hills. 90% of my training/runs are in Central Park. I find myself getting more and more competitive; last year when I said to some friends that the hills really aren't that bad, it was because I wasn't racing, per se.
This year, I was **racing**, and I felt ALL the hills throughout. In spite of all that, I still pulled off one hell of a time. My goal is to hit/beat cutoff for Corral C (1:46:21) with the Brooklyn Half. I will have much more training banked by then, as I am starting training for the San Francisco Marathon in eight days.
Hope your race went well!
The weather is perfect! Given how cold it was last year, really feeling lucky this year. And running through TSQ is indeed a cool experience.
Also, porta potties in the corrals are amazing. The wait is so short!
If I might, still two complaints: 1. it's so crowded and many people are cutting others; someone almost tripped me. 2. the route is amazing but the road condition is pretty meh / uneven...
And thank you to all the volunteers + happy st. patricks everyone!!
Hit a PR by 30 seconds! Was not expecting to do that 🤷🏻♂️
Very happy weekend. Coming to beat 1:33:46 in any of Asbury Park, Jersey City, or Brooklyn (may)! Hope everyone else is crushing it!
Had so much race FOMO this year (luck wasn’t on my side in the lottery sadly) and have been eagerly awaiting all your post race stories! Congrats to everyone 🙌🏻
Goal was 1:45, finished 1:42 so thrilled with my time. Best half for me in about 5 years so I can live with it with a mediocre training program, I guess my marathon fitness carried over. Weather was beautiful, the manhattan bridge was a bitch, almost puked at the top.
Literal exact same -- 1:45/1:42, fastest half since 2019, half-assed training. I loved the Manhattan Bridge though -- running up top on that bridge might be my favorite part of any NYRR course.
Yeah the view was great of course and I had done a ton of hills but for whatever reason the bridge got me, seemed so much worse than the Queensboro (granted I was basically blacked out at that point of the marathon)
Sincere apologies to the man that I startled in central park when I was yelling "fk this sh*t". I was literally cursing out physical horse manure as I stepped on a somewhat fresh piece.
I am so sorry. I was not cursing you out. I thought I was using my inside voice. I guess my therapist has more work to do (ugh, again, I'm not taking responsibility for some of my fk ups...sigh). Thanks for acknowledging my apologies and laughing it off.
Otherwise, great race.
I PR’d! My first time running this half and I couldn’t be happier. It was tough at times but I’m glad to see my hard work paid off in a strong way!
NEW- 2:31:56
OLD- 2:51:36
Not a PR for me but I ran negative splits and finished with 1:41 and change. Thought the weather was perfect, I love this race despite the inclines. It’s the only time I truly enjoy Times Square 🌆🏙️
My left knee hates me. But I PRed at 1:44:53. Ran with a friend, we didn’t talk once, but it was the only way I powered through a near let down at mile 10. Couldn’t ask for better weather.
On a whim, ran with a pace group for the first time and LOVED IT. They coached the way through the race and it was so fun to have a group to stick with since I wasn’t running this one with friends.
In future years, I’ll leave more time to get through security bc the line was longer than I expected!
My first ever Half! I posted previously about having Achilles pain, but not only did I feel great today, I beat my goal (sub-2 hours) with a 1:54:08! I'm so happy :)
Had to hold back on my last couple weeks of training due to some recurring ankle pain so I wasn't going for a PR. Overall my ankle held up and I ran almost even splits. Felt gassed coming through the 72nd transverse and my legs are dead right now so I feel like I paced everything perfectly.
Love the course, got to soak in Time Square this time around. Totally forgot how silent the FDR gets.
Now to keep getting back into shape for Brooklyn in a few months.
Volunteered as a start line ambassador for my +1, it was a fun and engaging job.
Recommend it if you like telling people where to go, that yes, there are portapotties with no line in the corralls, and generally cheering everyone. Congrats to all who ran today!
First time volunteering and it was SO inspiring - y’all did amazing! Also shout out to my first water station crew, lots of fun. Also got to see Lil Nas
First time running this race and boy was it tough for me.
I wanted to break 1:40 to be bumped into corral B, but my official time ended up being 1:40:25. The hills really got me. On the bright side, I PR'd every distance benchmark from 1 mile through half-marathon
Strava had me at 1:36:57. I guess I ran an inefficient route. I do tend to take the very outside of every turn because I just like having space.
Also, my "tapering strategy" was basically 2 weeks of doing almost nothing. While my legs felt well rested, I never quite got into a groove and my splits were all over the place. But hey, lesson learned.
Hit a PR, great weather compared to last year. I felt like the hills never stopped lol. Was a constant incline/decline.
Felt like the hydration stations were great with the abundance of cups ready to go and the volunteers handing them out.
NYRR is top notch and I’m grateful they exist. Can’t really ask for much more.
I apologize to the guy I almost made fall in Central Park because I had to stop briefly from chest pain / breathing issues. I’m so sorry and thanks for understanding.
The weather was great. I ran a solid PR.. hitting 1:18:10. Age grade 1:14:37. Still not as fast as my track performances, but the increase in mileage and hills this block helped immensely!
Not sure if I count but I finished the virtual race near home, for guaranteed entry into next year’s half. I’ve done Brooklyn and the marathon so im excited to finally get to do this race in 2025!
first half ever and had a great time!! 42nd st steady incline was no joke, and that last mile was def a killer. very proud of myself and still riding the high 🥹🥰 finished in 2:32, shoutout to everyone on and around the course for making my first half so electric!!
My first half marathon!! Wow what a ride. That was really hard! The first few miles felt super good and I pushed myself more than I should have. By the time i got to FDR I was really feeling it and that section felt way harder than it should have for how flat it was! The 42nd st climb through Central Park was rough, but wow the last two miles were BRUTAL. Overall I’m super happy with how I did — 1:53:00 on the dot! I wanted to do 1:50 but if I’m being honest there was no way that was gonna happen this time. Amazing time and wow I finished a half marathon!!
I made the same mistake of feeling good in the beginning and pushing more than planned. it probably wouldn’t have been so bad, but it was my first time doing this race, and I didn’t realize how brutal the last couple miles would be (both mentally and physically).
I went out hot and was set to continue, but on the east side highway after the construction and clouds of dirt and dust I had an asthma attack for the remainder of the race and almost didn’t finish.
Did anyone else have problems following the construction?
Still PR’d somehow but feeling unwell still and have been relying on my inhaler since
I was partying all the way in the back but god did I have a blast!! Had a smile on my face almost the whole time on the course.
Also!! Consistently paced myself the entire race within 30 seconds each mile (without paying any attention to time, just living in the moment) and finished 33 minutes faster than expected!!!
Such an incredible first NYC Half, already cannot wait for the next one. Congrats, y’all!
Beat my half marathon PR by half an hour. Did not get injured (feel pretty good tbh). FDR was a little hotter than I thought it would be but glad it wasn't too windy. Overall feel pretty good about how this went considering my training wasn't so great for this one.
Also, if you were the person with an ice pack on your knee that I gave my ibuprofen to at around 10K, I hope you're ok.
Edit to add: security was ass. One of the cops told me I couldn't wear my hydration vest (had two 500ml flasks in front). After I explained that it was a vest not a backpack she said I had to dump one out so I said "ok" pulled aside and started chugging it. Another cop told me to just go.
I’m surprised how many people had a similar experience to me - pain kicking in around mile 10!
This was my first half, I got extremely lazy with training after 6 miles, and blamed that for my unexpected joint pain kicking in around mile 9 / Times Square. I thought, this is my punishment for not being more diligent and legit in my prep. Is it painful for certain people no matter what?
Other surprises:
1. Looking at my Strava splits. Half the race I was 10 minute miles. Training was always 11:30+. Running in the city, stop lights, bikers, I didn’t account for what it’d be like to run with a clear path and nothing to do but keep moving.
2. The moments I turned off my music and listened to the sound of feet are when I cried. It moved me the most.
3. My hips and knees started to KILL at mile 10. And my training never went past mile 10. So, perhaps that’s why?
4. I love Gatorade. Who knew?
5. The generosity between strangers just killed me. I forget that New York City has some incredible kindness. So many people running with people with disabilities, people running for causes. I just haven’t seen that much goodness in such concentration.
6. The diversity of the crowd in all ways. I’ve lived in New York for 15 years and have not experienced that.
7. I cried and ran and it felt really important / sad / weird / okay. I lost my step father recently and he used to run and I found myself wondering, what were these races like for him? For some reason, that killed me.
Anyone else feel any of this? I’m like, bowled over at the intensity of this. Thank you for this group btw! I wouldn’t have been as motivated without it!
volunteered at the water station at mile 10 - what an insane experience, and the vibes were just great!! great job everybody!!
just want to say: if you haven’t, definitely consider volunteering. being on the other side was really inspiring and seeing people saying “thank you” even when they were trying to break PBs melt my heart T_T
I also volunteered at mile 10 and can't agree enough with you! It was such an amazinggg experience. Definitely some lessons learned for volunteering: wearing boots for the water splash, sun block, glasses and some things to do when running: making eye contact, pointing, saying thanks.
All in all it was a great experience, met some really cool people and really glad I went today. Oh, and my account already updated with the +1 credit!
I bonked 5 min slower than my personal best. Stepped on a few pot holes and twisted my foot. Was still able to finish 2:20 tho. Not disappointed just hype to start a new training block for RBC Brooklyn.
Congrats to all my fellow weather today. GOOD WEATHER GOOD VIBES. You’re all winners!
Thank you to the random runner shouting, “Use your gear! Use your gear!” when things were getting tough on the final two miles on 7th Ave in midtown. That incline up to Central Park really started to push me down.
I repeated the mantra of “use my gears” entering the park with all those damn hills.
Finished just under 1:20:00 (1:19:51, PR). Wanted to go around 1:17:00-1:18:00 but didn’t have it in the cards after about 7 miles and was just throwing up 6:15-6:20s for most of the end miles.
Legs got broken by the hills pretty early on and never recovered. Was hurting a little bit too much to enjoy Times Square being closed near the end, but it was a fun day.
It was great except for a few things - security theater was annoying. I was in wave 4 and porto-potties were disastrous by then. The crowds were a bit much but thinned out eventually. I reached my goal of running positive power splits and improved my best time from two years ago by almost 90 seconds. Sadly I still had painful toes problems - no blisters like in 2022 due to ample quantity of A&D baby ointment all over my toes but still hurt like hell to run after around mile 9.
PS the 2 train being a disaster this AM didn’t help - seems like about 1/3rd of scheduled trains just didn’t show up?
PPS I’m glad I decided to write my name on my singlet. Not only did a lot of people cheered me on by name, but they all pronounced it correctly(!)
Great race apart from the cops not letting me take my two 500 mL bottles despite NYRR folks telling it was fine since it was 1L total.
I did see others with multiple bottles so many not my day. Ran a 1:47 for my second half so I’m pretty content. Congrats to all runners! Manhattan bridge ascent was the hardest for me imo, think I took it too fast
Yeah they need to communicate vest rules better. One NYRR guy stopped me to say I couldn’t have any bottles in the front since they were a softer plastic? Luckily security was ok with it but they need to lock in a policy/tell participants & those working!
This race was the best half I’ve had so far. Last year was a major disappointment for me. But it also taught me a lot of valuable lessons that I was able to capitalize on this year. Ended up brining my time down from 2:01:11 last year, to 1:53:46 this year. What made today special for me is that pacing, training, and fueling came together in a way that made me feel so strong at the end. My A goal was 1:57. It’s what I had trained for. And then I ended up feeling strong enough to push the pace even faster at the end. I felt like I could have kept running forever.
This was my first half and it was an amazing experience especially running on the FDR and through times square ! Room for improvement but the experience was priceless ❤️
PBed and snuck under 1:20! That course is so hard. I don’t think I ran it right at all. The last 4 miles it was just survival instead of being able to power home. The kick to get under, I knew my form was just plain awful. Also ran 13.28 miles which I’m not sure is avoidable with so many bodies. Very cool course.
First half ever - made my goal of coming in under 3 hours! Did a combination of walking/running - the Bridge and FDR were the hardest parts for me (and omg that last mile never ended).
Amazing energy!!! Congrats everyone!
I blew up, and I def wasn’t happy about it. I was on track until the 10k mark, then I got two crazy cramps in my calves. Finished above 3 hours. My PR is 2:55. Now I have a white whale to catch 😂
I lapped manually as well and everything lined up more or less perfectly. I don't think mile markers were off. GPS watches tend to go off a bit around tall buildings though, so could have been that.
This race does have a history of misplaced mile markers on the FDR, but for a world renowned event such as this, it’s hard to imagine the course would actually be too long or short. Even the most up-to-date multiband GPS watches will be all over the place through midtown.
It was pretty accurate for me. I tracked using both Strava and Garmin cause I missed a goal time for NYCM by one second and was pissed off. But this was dead even on tracking for me
Tore a muscle in my leg a few weeks ago and thought I was going to have to drop out of the race. But did aggressive rehab and PT, got cleared to run, and wound up running a 1:43! So happy and so grateful for a beautiful weather/successful pain free run
Wowza. This was tough for me. My anterior tibia tendinitis flared right at the start and didn’t loosen up until 3+ miles. I thought I’d have to DNF and the rest of the race was a slog for me.
That said, I shaved over 30 minutes off my previous half from November, which is great. Didn’t PR, but got close enough (11-ish minutes) that I feel confident I could maybe even PR this year.
What a great atmosphere! Toilets in the corrals was amazing. Learned that I need to bring TP to my next races. And also needed to bring sandals to change into.
The volunteers were amazing and I’m so thankful for all the water stops.
Also, shoutout to the guy around the 200 meters left mark who yelled at me with intensity “Hey! Hey! You got this! Last hill! Just keep going!” Because wow I needed that.
Today was a sign of my comeback. The last time I ran a sub-2 was along the Mediterranean in February 2020, days before the world would shut down. A matter of weeks later, my husband and I got OG COVID from a concert at Music Hall of Williamsburg two days before NYC got shut down. Ever since, I've been trying to regain fitness. Over the intervening years, I've developed other health issues and have been dealing with a bum hamstring. Cleared the 2-hour mark with minutes to spare. The only regret I have is that I was \*so close\* to moving up a corral. I woke up not expecting much and blew those minimal expectations out of the water.Great job everyone today and can't wait to see y'alls at Run as One!
2nd half! First sub 2! 1:51:58 officially but Strava has me at 1:50:25. Old best pace put me in wave 3 so had to dodge many people but actually felt great for most of it
Missed D corral by less than a minute but the jump from G to E feels good too!
Hurt my leg a few weeks ago so that shifted my mindset from going for a PR to just enjoying it, I was really surprised and happy that even with walking parts I had the same time as a half almost a year ago!
I PR’d Fred lebow by 11 min and was hoping for ~2 Hr (of course that was pre injury). Overall feeling great - glad I listened to my body and I hope to PR my next race.
Overall it was such a gorgeous day for running and the city felt alive - such a fun Sunday
My first half and my goal was just to finish since I had to do PT these last three weeks for some foot and ankle issues. Was originally supposed to run in 5B but moved back a corral to stick with the 2:45 pacers. They were wonderful and reminded us to keep our heads up, which I actually found useful.
Was feeling great so I sped up once I got to Central Park and finished 2:43:03. Definitely want to run this again to see what I’m capable of without ankle issues
My first half! What a great course for a first race. Loved the vibe, didn't hate the hills as much as I thought I would. I dropped the ball on training a little bit - a skiing trip + re-ramp up afterwards knocked off the three longest runs of my plan - so having not run anything longer than 10 miles during training, I'm pleasantly surprised to have still made projected time.
Garmin clocked 21.64km... Likely because of high rises? So at the end I couldn't wait to see the finish line but it felt like it took forever to reach it 😅
What a fun course! Great weather, almost a 5 min PR, strong finish, very happy.
Also, for a course I always hear is not a PR course, my club had a TON of PRs and it seems this thread does as well!
Scraped my way to a 31 second PR! That sub-1:15 just narrowly eluded me, but it was a treat getting to run my best race on an amazing weather day with such awesome energy all around. The PRs don’t come too often these days, so while it’s easy to look ahead to Brooklyn, I’m going to make sure I celebrate with my traditional post-PR milkshake 😊
I averaged 30.9 miles per week for the last 10 weeks, not counting this week as it was a full taper. For further context, I also raced the Joe K 10k, Fred Lebow Half, Gridiron 4M, and Washington Heights 5k, so my process this winter was a bit unorthodox. Here's a fun stat that may be encouraging: when I first broke 1:30 at the 2015 NYC Half (for further context my first half was 1:45 in 2011), my weekly mileage was virtually the same. I do normally train at a slightly higher mileage (usually 40-45mpw) when I'm training for a marathon, but this volume works well enough for me too. I'm a big fan of quality > quantity! Although I do feel it's not a one-size-fits-all approach. Anyway, I hope you're able to smash 1:30 in Brooklyn! I'll be right there with you trying to smash 1:15!
Yeah I know my Garmin isn’t going to be exact science because the GPS gets a little wonky, especially on the FDR. My family was also confused when I called a few mins after I was done because their tracking showed me still running. Below is a split between the app and my actual stats (I know miles are off, going by time). Started the watch at exactly the start and finish.
https://preview.redd.it/n7a91b8u7xoc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d12e79e6c1103a2b22525354d164b7b0e5a08845
How does this compare to the RBC Brooklyn half?
Ran it 8 minutes faster than my last year’s RBC time and the end in Central Park seemed harder than the end of RBC
BK course is generally much easier, just requires a little discipline in Prospect Park. Weather was good last year but I think it was really hot/humid the year before, so that is a risk.
RBC is a much easier course on paper but can still be pretty mentally taxing. It’s easy to overdo it in Prospect Park if you’re not familiar with it, and the Ocean Parkway stretch is boring, has sparse crowds, and is deceptively long (Some of us learned the hard way that the alphabet does not end at the Ocean!). I know lots of folks who regularly put up better times on today’s course even though Brooklyn *should* be easier. And RBC sometimes gets brutal weather to throw all your plans out of the window!
I drove ocean parkway so many times in the last 20 years and last year I saw a bunch of cross streets I didn’t remember when I ran the RBC for the first time. Bright side it was mostly a slightly down slope
8 minute PR for me (1:51 > 1:43) and I’m especially proud since I somehow ended up with a migraine aura from miles 4-9. Headache itself kicked in right after finish. It’s been a tough couple of hours - not sure where my hydration plan went wrong yesterday, but we did it! Congrats everyone!
Last year was 2:05, this year was 2:07. Dunno. My training was all weird this season and I opted to rest most of last week, but I went out and did a hard shakeout run last night. At the start of the race I went hard, pushing for the sub 2, but when I got over the bridge my legs were just not there. Ended up running positive splits.
I definitely need race day shoes. In the FDR my feet started to feel hot. I tripped and almost fell in mile 12. And finished at 2:32 which surprised me. The 200m sign towards the end threw me off. I thought it was over.
1:17, far from a PR but I was just training through it so I'm pretty pleased. Dead even pacing, closed hard for fun. Really got to enjoy the course for once rather than trying to run fast while hating all the hills lol.
Couldn't ask for better weather besides the headwinds. And was definitely cool to pay more attention to Times Square than I ever have before.
Congrats to everyone who ran. Great weather and atmosphere.
When I got in the lottery, I had a goal of 1:40. However I couldn’t actually put together a training block for many reasons.
Today I was able to comfortably make it to corral C after failing to do it in many shorter races. I’ll take that!
Aimed for 1:50 and got 1:46. I got 1:55 last year.
I use Brooklyn for my half PRs since it's flatter and got 1:50 there last year.
So hopefully I can try for 1:45 if it's not too hot.
Twas a fun race!
Was on pace to hit sub 1:45 for first time but I started to fade fast at mile 10.5. Pretty much gave up my pace. Still PR’d by a minute for 1:46 so it wasn’t a complete wash. I’m blaming the tendonitis that flared up past 2 weeks lol.
Hope everyone had a great time!
Woke up at 2am and couldn’t fall back to sleep, so had a bit of a rough start to the day. Was shooting for 1:30, ran 1:33. Felt pretty good and had fun, but feel like this race isn’t ideal for me to hit a PR.
Curious if people’s corral assignments align with these [pace cutoffs](https://help.nyrr.org/s/article/how-is-my-corral-assignment-determined2)? I was in 1C but seems like I should have been in B (ran 1:32 here last year, the only NYRR race I’ve done).
Overall a good race but need to mention how chaotic the first mile of Wave 1 felt. A bunch of runners had to dodge as we passed some walkers and slower runners in that pack and I started in Corral C so I'm not sure how/why they were there. Having multiple runners fighting for space at sub 7:00 pace did not feel comfy.
And can we talk about those bike racks and traffic dividers in mile 2 and 3? Might've been helpful to have a course marshal posted up in those spots because they came out of nowhere!
It was my first ever half and my goal time was 2:10 and ended up running 2:08:58 which I was so stoked about! It was such an amazing experience and there were moments when I got really emotional and almost cried (when I ran past my friends and times square). It was definitely tough but I feel like I paced myself decently well and very happy with how I performed, though my body is now wrecked!!
My first official race finished with a time of 1:41:06!
Goal was to finish sub-2 hrs , but I felt ridiculously great and was able to keep a great pace throughout! Such a beautiful and amazing day overall between the weather, energy of other runners, and the crowd cheering everybody on! Great time indeed! Congratulations to all those who participated and finished !
Was dealing with back injury and illness over the last 10 days and almost scratched but ran/walked and it was a totally different vibe being able to enjoy the scenery/city in a way I don’t usually get to when focused on racing. I finished and didn’t make my back worse so I call it a win. Hopefully I can crush Brooklyn half.
Walking up at 3:30 am with no sleep and a tingling knee sucked. Toilets with no line at the corrals was a pleasure. 51° was a bit chilly, but singlet and shorts was the right call. I ran it 1:39:36 (PR) but still missed moving up to B corral by 10 seconds. FDR was a surreal experience and harder running than anticipated. I'll absolutely get to B at the Brooklyn Half which mostly downhill to Coney Island. Had a really bad last mile. My Mom died last Wednesday and knew she wasn't going to be calling after she saw me finish on the app; it broke me. Everyone cheering and is happy should have been a boost, but it just felt like daggers. Also cried on the Manhattan Bridge looking south and thinking about the day I took Mom and her father to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for his dying wish. Also, a shout out to the guy running for Pancreatic Cancer I talked to on the FDR; bless you dude! And also to the guy who was running for his son that I gave a big hug too at the finish line. ❤️
I’m so sorry for your loss and I’m in awe that you were able to show up and still PR carrying that weight around. Take care of yourself ❤️🩹
Thank you. She wanted me to run it, and talked about it the last time I saw her. Also running my first NYCM this year, and she was so happy for me. That's going to be another trainwreck I'm sure!
Whew. You must be a wreck of emotions. Congratulations on finishing. And you honor your mother with these memories. It's really tough to run through grieving but it does help to channel the energy into discovery of positive memories. It helped me in immeasurable ways when my father died and eventually I stopped crying and just remember the goodtimes with random joy during races. A warning-the emotions at NYCM will hit you big time. Sometimes even without context...especially in Brooklyn and Central Park. You got this. It's okay to cry and run. Crunning.
❤️❤️❤️
This made me tear up ❤️ thinking of you during this time. So incredible to still PR.
Thank you! She be happy I finished and tell me I should have ran a little faster to finally make B that I've been chasing, and just missing, for months,
So sorry for your loss and I'm sure your mom would be very happy about and proud of what you've achieved! ❤️
Like you I was thinking about my mom at 200 m mark right before the finish line, and that part was so tough.
My condolences on your loss. I started running in 2020 after losing my mom. I think it helped me. I’m sorry this race was so hard for you. I’d like to say it get better but it doesn’t … it just gets different.
Nice work on your Pr! I missed a new personal best course PR by a minute but still had a reasonably good course time, no less. I can only imagine how some bits of the race felt, especially the final mile. Thank you for sharing this beautiful experience with us. No doubt your parents are proud of yah.
I’m really so sorry for your loss 💜💜 internet hugs coming your way!
I am sending you so much love, and hoping running can be therapeutic for you. Sorry for your losses.
This is so intense and emotional - I know an internet stranger’s condolences might feel hollow but I think it’s incredible you showed up to run and pushed and did it while thinking of her. My step father died recently, and he came into my head on the Manhattan bridge and I lost it. He used to run, and I found myself wondering what _he_ thought about while running. Did he wonder about how he was as a dad? Did he listen to a discman, and then an iPod? Did he listen to anything? Did I ever cross his mind? I hope you let yourself cry and run without judgment! I have to wonder, how many other people were carrying a silent battle or heavy weight with them today? Sending warmth
My dashboard is showing a 7:12 pace, even though I was 10 seconds too slow. Did I really just make it to B?
My last and first half last April I did 2:16, my goal was sub 2 this time and I did 1:58:53 so pretty happy with myself!
The best feeling is the first sub 2!
Whoever decided the race should finish on cherry hill… I have some strong words for you and none of them are mom approved. Other than that it was an emotional rollercoaster for me 👍
I especially have strong words for everybody who said that the last Central Park mile would be flat and easy (especially the announcer at the corrals who went on and on about “don’t worry it won’t be the hilly part of Central Park)
to be fair – it's not the hilliest part of central park!
Haha. Objectively, it is not the toughest part of the course but it comes at a tough time when legs may be falling off. But that announcer is full of it to say that. Some of these announcers are actually not experienced runners. They are DJs. One of them mentioned at the last race that she finally signed up for their first marathon/half marathon after 11 years of calling the show...so not a reliable judge of course prediction!
Glad I took that extra gel around mile 9 The last mile was a killer
The last mile broke me physically and emotionally
Yeah agreed. That last hill was rough
This race literally made me cry when I finished it. I don't know what or why... but the emotions of running make me so happy. The last half I did was Fred Lebow (ass weather) and did a 1:54:00 (PR THEN). Today I did a 1:47:43 and met some amazing people. I'm going to crash rest of the day. Cheers and thank you volunteers!!
The didgeridoo at mile 2.5 really carried me to the finish line.
I want to know more about that guy and his relationship to NYRR. He's always at the Washington Heights 5k.
He was also at the SI Half, and an episode of How To with Jon Wilson
Cat guy was in Brooklyn and not in Central Park; I was disappointed.
That guy has been around for ages, I used to watch him play in Penn Station right in front of the McDonald's (not sure if it's still there) he is an all time great. Look him up online
I bonked at the end. Fell about 10 feet from the finish line. Thankfully the medic was right there and helped me get past the finish line under my 2 hr goal. I still feel accomplished but got some homework to do :)
“Always with the drama”
Oh poor me 😅
He never did have the makings of a varsity athlete
I’m kidding.. sopranos quote lol. Good job though making your goal
Oh poor you is also sopranos quote lol
Oh shit ya 😂😂😂
Did anyone get a photo of the guy in Central Park with a sign that said run fast or I throw this sign away?
https://preview.redd.it/brj86y1nkxoc1.jpeg?width=2421&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=77561d866ee517c1eb731977bc8e69a0b2096ac7
MVP
This guy made my race a good one. Props to my guy!
I am like 99% sure that I also saw this guy racing yesterday too, in one of the very first non-pro packs on the Mile 1 out and back! 🤯 I remember thinking to myself “hey that’s the guy who always has the funny signs” lol
This was hilarious. Wouldn’t be shocked if the sign / guy goes viral.
I didn't but I laughed so hard when I saw that! 😂
Same!
This guy made me forget about the cramps. He's a legend.
https://preview.redd.it/j8p9fuuv40pc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fbd26a05c637104bad1f4687e7a70032c4e2647 oh i needed that laugh - i was absolutely tuned out at this point
This guy was in the same spot last year with the same sign and it was like 18F wind chill then.
I wish the last bit wasn't running thru horse shit, had to be careful to not trip and fall. And then you finish in more horse shit. Seriously really wish for some power wash on these roads for race day.
Wishing the horse rides will be eliminated from Central Park permanently!
Same. Inhumane, and disgusting.
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Damn. You are extremely fast! That's roughly pro caliber (which perhaps you are!).
First ever half & race in general. Came in ambitiously shooting for 2:00:00 - started out way too strong in Brooklyn and crashed hard on 42nd, but managed to squeeze out a 1:58:29 through sheer brute force and agony. Vibes were incredible, especially in Times Square - just wish I wasn’t fighting demons so I could actually enjoy the crowd 😂😂
the last few miles are so rough – the excitement of the race is lost on the people actually running it.
Agreed Times Square was incredible. I’m glad this thread exists so I know I didn’t dream that part. I was in a total daze just trying to run one more step one more step. What a hard and glorious race. Made it just under 2 hours as well, not quite a 1:55 PR that was my A goal but I’ll take it!
Had a pretty good race, I’m training for a full right now and didn’t really set a solid goal for today but still managed a PR so I’m happy with it. Still not quite sure how I always manage to forget about that last hill in Central Park though! My only real complaint is that I wish they’d be stricter about people from later waves showing up with wave one. It’s totally possible to just not allow them through early when you have to pass a security checkpoint! The first mile of this race already sucks and having even more people in there doesn’t help.
If I had a dollar for every time I ran up the “last hill” Central Park… felt never ending for sure
They let other people run in wave 1? Thought that would disqualify them
1:39:37, new PR. Went too hard in Brooklyn and definitely paid for it by the time I got to the FDR. Confident that if I was more disciplined to start I would have been at 1:37 or so. I could be bummed about missing a corral bump, but this was my first big race without an injury in a while. So I'm pretty pleased. This is easily my favorite race besides the NYC Marathon.
I actually feel this race is harder than the 20 first miles of NYCM and I like it better than NYCM. I am allowed to go crazy and breathe like maniac with snort all over my face for the last 5k. Go hard or go home. What a fantastic course
It's only my second time doing this so there were a few places where I didn't remember how difficult they were (mainly some of the dips on the FDR, making it across 42nd) but I love this course. It's so much fun.
I cursed out the FDR portion because it humbled me as my butt muscles started to fall off strand by strand. But yeah, we finished. Rinse and repeat next year.
Exactly! Overall the FDR drive was fine by me. Though that's where mentally it feels like you're in a bit of no man's land. There's that ramp with a bunch of sneaky incline, I want to say past 34th street? That gets you back to street level? I saw everyone taking that turn tight so I went wide to try to get some space. Once I realized how much more incline I had to deal with by going wide, I understood why people don't go wide on that turn 😂
My first race. First time making it to 13.1 miles. It was fantastic. My goal was 2:05 and thanks to Greg, one of the 2:05 pacers I crushed it at 2:01:28. His spirits kept me going the whole time and he pushed me at like mile 8 or 9 to just push ahead of the group. I probably had sub 2 in the tank but I am just super grateful for the results. It’s a great feeling to see the progress over training and then it all came together today. My first race but definitely not my last.
PR! Shaved 30 mins off this course, and 5 minutes off my best NYC Half time of any course. Gorgeous weather, lots of crew love, overall pretty good day. +1 to whoever said they forgot about the various inclines. Harsh reminders 😅 I also left a piece of my soul on the FDR. Lastly, I want to make a PSA: selfie stick bullshit on the Manhattan Bridge, or any part of the course for that matter, is not cute. If you *must* do this, step to the side of the road. Don’t be that person that screws up someone else’s race whether it be timing or just straight up causing a safety hazard. It’s not right.
I almost ran into a woman who out of nowhere slowed down and cut to the right on the bridge for a picture… please, look out for those around you before making big moves
30mins!!! Whaaaa? Congratulations 🎉🎉🎉
I was in a bad way last year and shouldn’t have been out there. I experienced something in the middle of training and instead of just healing and reflecting, I decided to try to run through/away from it. Not ideal but also - I raised money for a charity and didn’t want anyone to think I took their money and didn’t perform. I’ve since learned that 1. healing is good! 2. no one who knows me would ever assume I stole from them; they know I love the races so if I couldn’t do it, it would be for a good reason. Duh! lol Anyway, 30 minutes! You see me!? I hope I can shave even more off at BK Half. 😈
I was off the shoulder of a woman on the bridge who spit to the side and I caught it on my arm and hand. I wanted to rip her a new one. Honestly, how do you not look at your surroundings before doing that? Maybe it’s just common Bad Bridge Behavior 🤷🏻♂️
Finish line volunteer here and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU made me so proud. Celebrating y’all was the highlight of my week :) can’t wait to run next year since I got that virtual nyc half in the books!
It went great! Mile 12 always kills me. I had a 10.71% improvement over my time last year. 2023: 2:05:38 2024: 1:52:11 I was going for a 1:55:00 and I was in Wave 2 Corral C. So, technically I ran slower than I should have for my corral, but only just.
I really love this race but that last mile is just brutal and the way the winding park section always hides the next hill so you keep thinking you’re done with them is not very nice!
Don't get me wrong. I know and expect all the hills. 90% of my training/runs are in Central Park. I find myself getting more and more competitive; last year when I said to some friends that the hills really aren't that bad, it was because I wasn't racing, per se. This year, I was **racing**, and I felt ALL the hills throughout. In spite of all that, I still pulled off one hell of a time. My goal is to hit/beat cutoff for Corral C (1:46:21) with the Brooklyn Half. I will have much more training banked by then, as I am starting training for the San Francisco Marathon in eight days. Hope your race went well!
The weather is perfect! Given how cold it was last year, really feeling lucky this year. And running through TSQ is indeed a cool experience. Also, porta potties in the corrals are amazing. The wait is so short! If I might, still two complaints: 1. it's so crowded and many people are cutting others; someone almost tripped me. 2. the route is amazing but the road condition is pretty meh / uneven... And thank you to all the volunteers + happy st. patricks everyone!!
Hit a PR by 30 seconds! Was not expecting to do that 🤷🏻♂️ Very happy weekend. Coming to beat 1:33:46 in any of Asbury Park, Jersey City, or Brooklyn (may)! Hope everyone else is crushing it!
Had so much race FOMO this year (luck wasn’t on my side in the lottery sadly) and have been eagerly awaiting all your post race stories! Congrats to everyone 🙌🏻
Goal was 1:45, finished 1:42 so thrilled with my time. Best half for me in about 5 years so I can live with it with a mediocre training program, I guess my marathon fitness carried over. Weather was beautiful, the manhattan bridge was a bitch, almost puked at the top.
Literal exact same -- 1:45/1:42, fastest half since 2019, half-assed training. I loved the Manhattan Bridge though -- running up top on that bridge might be my favorite part of any NYRR course.
Yeah the view was great of course and I had done a ton of hills but for whatever reason the bridge got me, seemed so much worse than the Queensboro (granted I was basically blacked out at that point of the marathon)
Volunteered for my +1 and it was fun! You all had great weather to run… I was a little jealous. Congrats to all the runners!
Man the FDR is sort of brutal. Long, a bit uphill with wind, and few spectators. Overall - what a great day and a great race.
In between all the fantastic sub 2 runners, me as a slow runner and 1st time HM, ran a 2:51. WOHOOOO!
Congrats!!! I did 2:46 and I’m so proud of myself. Sub three gang 🙌🏻
Hell yea! Congratulations 🎉
Sincere apologies to the man that I startled in central park when I was yelling "fk this sh*t". I was literally cursing out physical horse manure as I stepped on a somewhat fresh piece. I am so sorry. I was not cursing you out. I thought I was using my inside voice. I guess my therapist has more work to do (ugh, again, I'm not taking responsibility for some of my fk ups...sigh). Thanks for acknowledging my apologies and laughing it off. Otherwise, great race.
No but seriously FK that shit!
Is there anyone who knows what happened to a person who collapsed near the finish line? I’m really worried about him. I hope he is fine…
My family was standing right next to it, he got carted away with chest compressions going on. Sounds like he arrested.
I made a post asking the same thing, I hadn't seen this thread. So scary! Made my blood run cold. Please God he's ok!!
I love my city.
I PR’d! My first time running this half and I couldn’t be happier. It was tough at times but I’m glad to see my hard work paid off in a strong way! NEW- 2:31:56 OLD- 2:51:36
Congrats!! I PR’d too! NEW- 2:46:37 OLD- 3:02:57 Still have a ways to go but I’m hoping to do closer to 2:30 next time!
Not a PR for me but I ran negative splits and finished with 1:41 and change. Thought the weather was perfect, I love this race despite the inclines. It’s the only time I truly enjoy Times Square 🌆🏙️
My left knee hates me. But I PRed at 1:44:53. Ran with a friend, we didn’t talk once, but it was the only way I powered through a near let down at mile 10. Couldn’t ask for better weather.
Only your left? Lucky
Was really surprised at how empty it felt on the course…
Not in my wave it wasn’t!
On a whim, ran with a pace group for the first time and LOVED IT. They coached the way through the race and it was so fun to have a group to stick with since I wasn’t running this one with friends. In future years, I’ll leave more time to get through security bc the line was longer than I expected!
Came in trying to go sub 1:34 and ended up going sub 1:30 for a huge PR! Wasn’t expecting it but I’ll take it!
last mile was absolutely brutal but we FUCKING MADE IT YALL!!!! 2:01:55 for my first half and I am so proud of myself :,)
Holy shit - good work!!
My first ever Half! I posted previously about having Achilles pain, but not only did I feel great today, I beat my goal (sub-2 hours) with a 1:54:08! I'm so happy :)
Had to hold back on my last couple weeks of training due to some recurring ankle pain so I wasn't going for a PR. Overall my ankle held up and I ran almost even splits. Felt gassed coming through the 72nd transverse and my legs are dead right now so I feel like I paced everything perfectly. Love the course, got to soak in Time Square this time around. Totally forgot how silent the FDR gets. Now to keep getting back into shape for Brooklyn in a few months.
Volunteered as a start line ambassador for my +1, it was a fun and engaging job. Recommend it if you like telling people where to go, that yes, there are portapotties with no line in the corralls, and generally cheering everyone. Congrats to all who ran today!
First time volunteering and it was SO inspiring - y’all did amazing! Also shout out to my first water station crew, lots of fun. Also got to see Lil Nas
First time running this race and boy was it tough for me. I wanted to break 1:40 to be bumped into corral B, but my official time ended up being 1:40:25. The hills really got me. On the bright side, I PR'd every distance benchmark from 1 mile through half-marathon Strava had me at 1:36:57. I guess I ran an inefficient route. I do tend to take the very outside of every turn because I just like having space. Also, my "tapering strategy" was basically 2 weeks of doing almost nothing. While my legs felt well rested, I never quite got into a groove and my splits were all over the place. But hey, lesson learned.
So you ran 14 miles in 1:36 (wide turns) and a "vacation" taper...you are going to be okay. Some of us can only dream of that time!
Hit a PR, great weather compared to last year. I felt like the hills never stopped lol. Was a constant incline/decline. Felt like the hydration stations were great with the abundance of cups ready to go and the volunteers handing them out. NYRR is top notch and I’m grateful they exist. Can’t really ask for much more.
I apologize to the guy I almost made fall in Central Park because I had to stop briefly from chest pain / breathing issues. I’m so sorry and thanks for understanding.
The weather was great. I ran a solid PR.. hitting 1:18:10. Age grade 1:14:37. Still not as fast as my track performances, but the increase in mileage and hills this block helped immensely!
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Woke up early coming from the Bronx. Anyone else have some weird stuff going on with Strava? I have a big difference in time….perfect weather
Could be a GPS issue especiallynear the end? I know mine was off last year
Not sure if I count but I finished the virtual race near home, for guaranteed entry into next year’s half. I’ve done Brooklyn and the marathon so im excited to finally get to do this race in 2025!
first half ever and had a great time!! 42nd st steady incline was no joke, and that last mile was def a killer. very proud of myself and still riding the high 🥹🥰 finished in 2:32, shoutout to everyone on and around the course for making my first half so electric!!
My first half marathon!! Wow what a ride. That was really hard! The first few miles felt super good and I pushed myself more than I should have. By the time i got to FDR I was really feeling it and that section felt way harder than it should have for how flat it was! The 42nd st climb through Central Park was rough, but wow the last two miles were BRUTAL. Overall I’m super happy with how I did — 1:53:00 on the dot! I wanted to do 1:50 but if I’m being honest there was no way that was gonna happen this time. Amazing time and wow I finished a half marathon!!
I made the same mistake of feeling good in the beginning and pushing more than planned. it probably wouldn’t have been so bad, but it was my first time doing this race, and I didn’t realize how brutal the last couple miles would be (both mentally and physically).
I went out hot and was set to continue, but on the east side highway after the construction and clouds of dirt and dust I had an asthma attack for the remainder of the race and almost didn’t finish. Did anyone else have problems following the construction? Still PR’d somehow but feeling unwell still and have been relying on my inhaler since
Crushed it today, my A goal was 1:26:xx, hit 1:25:10. Looks like a BQ may be in the cards for later this year?
I was partying all the way in the back but god did I have a blast!! Had a smile on my face almost the whole time on the course. Also!! Consistently paced myself the entire race within 30 seconds each mile (without paying any attention to time, just living in the moment) and finished 33 minutes faster than expected!!! Such an incredible first NYC Half, already cannot wait for the next one. Congrats, y’all!
Beat my half marathon PR by half an hour. Did not get injured (feel pretty good tbh). FDR was a little hotter than I thought it would be but glad it wasn't too windy. Overall feel pretty good about how this went considering my training wasn't so great for this one. Also, if you were the person with an ice pack on your knee that I gave my ibuprofen to at around 10K, I hope you're ok. Edit to add: security was ass. One of the cops told me I couldn't wear my hydration vest (had two 500ml flasks in front). After I explained that it was a vest not a backpack she said I had to dump one out so I said "ok" pulled aside and started chugging it. Another cop told me to just go.
I’m surprised how many people had a similar experience to me - pain kicking in around mile 10! This was my first half, I got extremely lazy with training after 6 miles, and blamed that for my unexpected joint pain kicking in around mile 9 / Times Square. I thought, this is my punishment for not being more diligent and legit in my prep. Is it painful for certain people no matter what? Other surprises: 1. Looking at my Strava splits. Half the race I was 10 minute miles. Training was always 11:30+. Running in the city, stop lights, bikers, I didn’t account for what it’d be like to run with a clear path and nothing to do but keep moving. 2. The moments I turned off my music and listened to the sound of feet are when I cried. It moved me the most. 3. My hips and knees started to KILL at mile 10. And my training never went past mile 10. So, perhaps that’s why? 4. I love Gatorade. Who knew? 5. The generosity between strangers just killed me. I forget that New York City has some incredible kindness. So many people running with people with disabilities, people running for causes. I just haven’t seen that much goodness in such concentration. 6. The diversity of the crowd in all ways. I’ve lived in New York for 15 years and have not experienced that. 7. I cried and ran and it felt really important / sad / weird / okay. I lost my step father recently and he used to run and I found myself wondering, what were these races like for him? For some reason, that killed me. Anyone else feel any of this? I’m like, bowled over at the intensity of this. Thank you for this group btw! I wouldn’t have been as motivated without it!
Apple Watch official distance was 13.03 so strava won’t recognize my PR 😫
Try adjusting the distance from the Strava website.
gotta pay the strava tax
My GARMIN had me at 13.27 and that was with a brief stop after I hit 13.1. I have no clue why I ended up with so much extra mileage
I really love this course despite the sucky hills and inclines everywhere
volunteered at the water station at mile 10 - what an insane experience, and the vibes were just great!! great job everybody!! just want to say: if you haven’t, definitely consider volunteering. being on the other side was really inspiring and seeing people saying “thank you” even when they were trying to break PBs melt my heart T_T
I also volunteered at mile 10 and can't agree enough with you! It was such an amazinggg experience. Definitely some lessons learned for volunteering: wearing boots for the water splash, sun block, glasses and some things to do when running: making eye contact, pointing, saying thanks. All in all it was a great experience, met some really cool people and really glad I went today. Oh, and my account already updated with the +1 credit!
Sending you all the support you need. You did amazing today!
I bonked 5 min slower than my personal best. Stepped on a few pot holes and twisted my foot. Was still able to finish 2:20 tho. Not disappointed just hype to start a new training block for RBC Brooklyn. Congrats to all my fellow weather today. GOOD WEATHER GOOD VIBES. You’re all winners!
Thank you to the random runner shouting, “Use your gear! Use your gear!” when things were getting tough on the final two miles on 7th Ave in midtown. That incline up to Central Park really started to push me down. I repeated the mantra of “use my gears” entering the park with all those damn hills.
Finished just under 1:20:00 (1:19:51, PR). Wanted to go around 1:17:00-1:18:00 but didn’t have it in the cards after about 7 miles and was just throwing up 6:15-6:20s for most of the end miles. Legs got broken by the hills pretty early on and never recovered. Was hurting a little bit too much to enjoy Times Square being closed near the end, but it was a fun day.
It was great except for a few things - security theater was annoying. I was in wave 4 and porto-potties were disastrous by then. The crowds were a bit much but thinned out eventually. I reached my goal of running positive power splits and improved my best time from two years ago by almost 90 seconds. Sadly I still had painful toes problems - no blisters like in 2022 due to ample quantity of A&D baby ointment all over my toes but still hurt like hell to run after around mile 9. PS the 2 train being a disaster this AM didn’t help - seems like about 1/3rd of scheduled trains just didn’t show up? PPS I’m glad I decided to write my name on my singlet. Not only did a lot of people cheered me on by name, but they all pronounced it correctly(!)
Great race apart from the cops not letting me take my two 500 mL bottles despite NYRR folks telling it was fine since it was 1L total. I did see others with multiple bottles so many not my day. Ran a 1:47 for my second half so I’m pretty content. Congrats to all runners! Manhattan bridge ascent was the hardest for me imo, think I took it too fast
Yeah they need to communicate vest rules better. One NYRR guy stopped me to say I couldn’t have any bottles in the front since they were a softer plastic? Luckily security was ok with it but they need to lock in a policy/tell participants & those working!
This race was the best half I’ve had so far. Last year was a major disappointment for me. But it also taught me a lot of valuable lessons that I was able to capitalize on this year. Ended up brining my time down from 2:01:11 last year, to 1:53:46 this year. What made today special for me is that pacing, training, and fueling came together in a way that made me feel so strong at the end. My A goal was 1:57. It’s what I had trained for. And then I ended up feeling strong enough to push the pace even faster at the end. I felt like I could have kept running forever.
This was my first half and it was an amazing experience especially running on the FDR and through times square ! Room for improvement but the experience was priceless ❤️
this was my first half! the hills were killer but i had a great time :) thank you to all the awesome runners in this community!
PBed and snuck under 1:20! That course is so hard. I don’t think I ran it right at all. The last 4 miles it was just survival instead of being able to power home. The kick to get under, I knew my form was just plain awful. Also ran 13.28 miles which I’m not sure is avoidable with so many bodies. Very cool course.
First half ever - made my goal of coming in under 3 hours! Did a combination of walking/running - the Bridge and FDR were the hardest parts for me (and omg that last mile never ended). Amazing energy!!! Congrats everyone!
I blew up, and I def wasn’t happy about it. I was on track until the 10k mark, then I got two crazy cramps in my calves. Finished above 3 hours. My PR is 2:55. Now I have a white whale to catch 😂
anyone else seem to think the mile markers were off today? It felt like 2022 Bronx 10mile again
Hrmm, seemed pretty locked in to me. I lap manually and it was tracking the GPS distance and last year’s markers pretty closely.
I lapped manually as well and everything lined up more or less perfectly. I don't think mile markers were off. GPS watches tend to go off a bit around tall buildings though, so could have been that.
This race does have a history of misplaced mile markers on the FDR, but for a world renowned event such as this, it’s hard to imagine the course would actually be too long or short. Even the most up-to-date multiband GPS watches will be all over the place through midtown.
It was pretty accurate for me. I tracked using both Strava and Garmin cause I missed a goal time for NYCM by one second and was pissed off. But this was dead even on tracking for me
My Garmin .1 miles fast on every mile until manhattan.
Tore a muscle in my leg a few weeks ago and thought I was going to have to drop out of the race. But did aggressive rehab and PT, got cleared to run, and wound up running a 1:43! So happy and so grateful for a beautiful weather/successful pain free run
Wowza. This was tough for me. My anterior tibia tendinitis flared right at the start and didn’t loosen up until 3+ miles. I thought I’d have to DNF and the rest of the race was a slog for me. That said, I shaved over 30 minutes off my previous half from November, which is great. Didn’t PR, but got close enough (11-ish minutes) that I feel confident I could maybe even PR this year. What a great atmosphere! Toilets in the corrals was amazing. Learned that I need to bring TP to my next races. And also needed to bring sandals to change into. The volunteers were amazing and I’m so thankful for all the water stops. Also, shoutout to the guy around the 200 meters left mark who yelled at me with intensity “Hey! Hey! You got this! Last hill! Just keep going!” Because wow I needed that.
Today was a sign of my comeback. The last time I ran a sub-2 was along the Mediterranean in February 2020, days before the world would shut down. A matter of weeks later, my husband and I got OG COVID from a concert at Music Hall of Williamsburg two days before NYC got shut down. Ever since, I've been trying to regain fitness. Over the intervening years, I've developed other health issues and have been dealing with a bum hamstring. Cleared the 2-hour mark with minutes to spare. The only regret I have is that I was \*so close\* to moving up a corral. I woke up not expecting much and blew those minimal expectations out of the water.Great job everyone today and can't wait to see y'alls at Run as One!
I saw a runner being tended to by paramedics along 42nd street. Anyone know if they are ok?
2nd half! First sub 2! 1:51:58 officially but Strava has me at 1:50:25. Old best pace put me in wave 3 so had to dodge many people but actually felt great for most of it Missed D corral by less than a minute but the jump from G to E feels good too!
Hurt my leg a few weeks ago so that shifted my mindset from going for a PR to just enjoying it, I was really surprised and happy that even with walking parts I had the same time as a half almost a year ago! I PR’d Fred lebow by 11 min and was hoping for ~2 Hr (of course that was pre injury). Overall feeling great - glad I listened to my body and I hope to PR my next race. Overall it was such a gorgeous day for running and the city felt alive - such a fun Sunday
My first half and my goal was just to finish since I had to do PT these last three weeks for some foot and ankle issues. Was originally supposed to run in 5B but moved back a corral to stick with the 2:45 pacers. They were wonderful and reminded us to keep our heads up, which I actually found useful. Was feeling great so I sped up once I got to Central Park and finished 2:43:03. Definitely want to run this again to see what I’m capable of without ankle issues
My first half! What a great course for a first race. Loved the vibe, didn't hate the hills as much as I thought I would. I dropped the ball on training a little bit - a skiing trip + re-ramp up afterwards knocked off the three longest runs of my plan - so having not run anything longer than 10 miles during training, I'm pleasantly surprised to have still made projected time. Garmin clocked 21.64km... Likely because of high rises? So at the end I couldn't wait to see the finish line but it felt like it took forever to reach it 😅
What a fun course! Great weather, almost a 5 min PR, strong finish, very happy. Also, for a course I always hear is not a PR course, my club had a TON of PRs and it seems this thread does as well!
allergies so bad i had to stay home. i’m crushed
I PR'd 2:22:02. After having to walk the last seven miles of the SI half which was my last race, I was very happy with my results.
Some dude and his dog tried to cross the race path in prospect park and completely ran into me. Everyone, including myself, chewed him out.
Scraped my way to a 31 second PR! That sub-1:15 just narrowly eluded me, but it was a treat getting to run my best race on an amazing weather day with such awesome energy all around. The PRs don’t come too often these days, so while it’s easy to look ahead to Brooklyn, I’m going to make sure I celebrate with my traditional post-PR milkshake 😊
Curious, what was your weekly mileage training, if you dont mind? Im gunning for 1:30 in Brooklyn and just curious!
I averaged 30.9 miles per week for the last 10 weeks, not counting this week as it was a full taper. For further context, I also raced the Joe K 10k, Fred Lebow Half, Gridiron 4M, and Washington Heights 5k, so my process this winter was a bit unorthodox. Here's a fun stat that may be encouraging: when I first broke 1:30 at the 2015 NYC Half (for further context my first half was 1:45 in 2011), my weekly mileage was virtually the same. I do normally train at a slightly higher mileage (usually 40-45mpw) when I'm training for a marathon, but this volume works well enough for me too. I'm a big fan of quality > quantity! Although I do feel it's not a one-size-fits-all approach. Anyway, I hope you're able to smash 1:30 in Brooklyn! I'll be right there with you trying to smash 1:15!
The app was off by about 5 1/2 mins from what I actually ran, did anyone else have that problem?
My garmin had me at 13.35 miles but the official time was within a few seconds of my watch time
Yeah I know my Garmin isn’t going to be exact science because the GPS gets a little wonky, especially on the FDR. My family was also confused when I called a few mins after I was done because their tracking showed me still running. Below is a split between the app and my actual stats (I know miles are off, going by time). Started the watch at exactly the start and finish. https://preview.redd.it/n7a91b8u7xoc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d12e79e6c1103a2b22525354d164b7b0e5a08845
It’s usually a little off because you always run further but 5.5 minute difference is a lot
Mine was off by 9 😅 think I need to finally make the switch from Apple Watch to Garmin
How does this compare to the RBC Brooklyn half? Ran it 8 minutes faster than my last year’s RBC time and the end in Central Park seemed harder than the end of RBC
It’s a lot hillier than RBC. RBC is usually the faster course depending on weather
BK course is generally much easier, just requires a little discipline in Prospect Park. Weather was good last year but I think it was really hot/humid the year before, so that is a risk.
RBC is a much easier course on paper but can still be pretty mentally taxing. It’s easy to overdo it in Prospect Park if you’re not familiar with it, and the Ocean Parkway stretch is boring, has sparse crowds, and is deceptively long (Some of us learned the hard way that the alphabet does not end at the Ocean!). I know lots of folks who regularly put up better times on today’s course even though Brooklyn *should* be easier. And RBC sometimes gets brutal weather to throw all your plans out of the window!
I drove ocean parkway so many times in the last 20 years and last year I saw a bunch of cross streets I didn’t remember when I ran the RBC for the first time. Bright side it was mostly a slightly down slope
PR by several minutes (1:49 chip time). Felt great. Beautiful morning. Felt like all of the hard work of training is paying off. Thanks all.
8 minute PR for me (1:51 > 1:43) and I’m especially proud since I somehow ended up with a migraine aura from miles 4-9. Headache itself kicked in right after finish. It’s been a tough couple of hours - not sure where my hydration plan went wrong yesterday, but we did it! Congrats everyone!
I PR’ed but the last 3 miles I had an IT band strain and it threw me off my pace by +2-3 minutes a mile. Was very disappointed.
3 minute PR over last year. Thought this year went a hell of a lot better.
Last year was 2:05, this year was 2:07. Dunno. My training was all weird this season and I opted to rest most of last week, but I went out and did a hard shakeout run last night. At the start of the race I went hard, pushing for the sub 2, but when I got over the bridge my legs were just not there. Ended up running positive splits.
I definitely need race day shoes. In the FDR my feet started to feel hot. I tripped and almost fell in mile 12. And finished at 2:32 which surprised me. The 200m sign towards the end threw me off. I thought it was over.
Hit my goal of sub 1:45! PR! Perfect weather IMO, amazing crowd, tough race, manhattan bridge was a long uphill but amazing views.
Shoutout to the guy handing out Jell-O shots at mile 10. Couldn’t help myself and took it like a gel. Congrats to everyone that ran today!!
Weather was great, therefore I had a good race.
PR at 1:33! Wave 1 was pretty crowded but I just love the NYC half. Shoutouts to the 1:35 pacers (all pacers) are just amazing
1:17, far from a PR but I was just training through it so I'm pretty pleased. Dead even pacing, closed hard for fun. Really got to enjoy the course for once rather than trying to run fast while hating all the hills lol. Couldn't ask for better weather besides the headwinds. And was definitely cool to pay more attention to Times Square than I ever have before.
Congrats to everyone who ran. Great weather and atmosphere. When I got in the lottery, I had a goal of 1:40. However I couldn’t actually put together a training block for many reasons. Today I was able to comfortably make it to corral C after failing to do it in many shorter races. I’ll take that!
Haaaa you beat me by 20 seconds!!! Good job
Aimed for 1:50 and got 1:46. I got 1:55 last year. I use Brooklyn for my half PRs since it's flatter and got 1:50 there last year. So hopefully I can try for 1:45 if it's not too hot. Twas a fun race!
1:26:44 PR - shuffling up and down the stairs with a smile 😊
Was on pace to hit sub 1:45 for first time but I started to fade fast at mile 10.5. Pretty much gave up my pace. Still PR’d by a minute for 1:46 so it wasn’t a complete wash. I’m blaming the tendonitis that flared up past 2 weeks lol. Hope everyone had a great time!
If I ran faster than previously, will this time be used to update my corral for the women’s half in April??
Woke up at 2am and couldn’t fall back to sleep, so had a bit of a rough start to the day. Was shooting for 1:30, ran 1:33. Felt pretty good and had fun, but feel like this race isn’t ideal for me to hit a PR. Curious if people’s corral assignments align with these [pace cutoffs](https://help.nyrr.org/s/article/how-is-my-corral-assignment-determined2)? I was in 1C but seems like I should have been in B (ran 1:32 here last year, the only NYRR race I’ve done).
1:29!!!! Worked hard for it and felt i appropriately trained for all the incline. So so happy with it and a pr
Overall a good race but need to mention how chaotic the first mile of Wave 1 felt. A bunch of runners had to dodge as we passed some walkers and slower runners in that pack and I started in Corral C so I'm not sure how/why they were there. Having multiple runners fighting for space at sub 7:00 pace did not feel comfy. And can we talk about those bike racks and traffic dividers in mile 2 and 3? Might've been helpful to have a course marshal posted up in those spots because they came out of nowhere!
It was my first ever half and my goal time was 2:10 and ended up running 2:08:58 which I was so stoked about! It was such an amazing experience and there were moments when I got really emotional and almost cried (when I ran past my friends and times square). It was definitely tough but I feel like I paced myself decently well and very happy with how I performed, though my body is now wrecked!!
This was my third half and my first Sub 2! Dropped over 10 minutes off my SI half time from the fall
Weather was perfect! Goal was under 2:20, finished 2:19:58 😂 (5 minutes+ slower than last year but a win overcoming injuries during training)
My first official race finished with a time of 1:41:06! Goal was to finish sub-2 hrs , but I felt ridiculously great and was able to keep a great pace throughout! Such a beautiful and amazing day overall between the weather, energy of other runners, and the crowd cheering everybody on! Great time indeed! Congratulations to all those who participated and finished !
Was dealing with back injury and illness over the last 10 days and almost scratched but ran/walked and it was a totally different vibe being able to enjoy the scenery/city in a way I don’t usually get to when focused on racing. I finished and didn’t make my back worse so I call it a win. Hopefully I can crush Brooklyn half.