New York City Marathon #10 – Marathon #102 (#111 including virtual)

This year marked my 10th time running the NYC Marathon, not counting the 2020 virtual edition. Every year, as race day approaches, I always find myself asking, Why? Why do I keep coming back to this marathon? The logistics are a nightmare—getting up at the crack of dawn, dealing with crowds, sitting for hours in the cold waiting for my wave to start. But despite all that, there’s something truly magical about this race. The moment the cannon goes off and the sound rattles your bones, the sea of runners surging forward, the crowds screaming your name—it makes the discomfort of those long, chaotic hours leading up to the race all worth it.

This year, Kim and I weren’t sure if we’d even be running. Kim was recovering from having a lower back issue, so he wanted to see how he felt after the 5K the day before the marathon. Thankfully, he was walking better and in far less pain than he had been. The hardest part of the day was dragging our suitcases from Grand Central to the Marriott Fairfield Suites, which was a solid six-block haul. Once we checked in, we headed straight to the expo. After having done four marathons in the past few weeks, I was pretty done with the expo experience. We grabbed our bibs and left. It felt like a big win not spending any money there!

Dinner that night was fantastic—we went to Trattoria Dell'Atre, where our friend Victor was bartending. He runs the marathon every year and then heads straight to work afterward. We’ve been friends with Victor since the first time we met him, and it’s always great catching up with him.

I also really enjoyed the Abbott Dash 5K—it’s like a mini version of the marathon, and it really gets you in the race day spirit. Kim and I took it easy and ran conservatively, not wanting to tire ourselves out too much before the big race.

For our pre-race dinner, we met up with our Fleet Feet family at Tony DiNapoli’s. The food was great, and the restaurant reminded me of Carmines with its family-style servings. Unfortunately, it was so loud that I could barely hear anyone except Emily, who was sitting next to me. We snapped some photos, said our goodbyes, and wished each other luck for the race.

Race Day:

Race morning was pretty much the same as every year—pack our food bags, throwaway clothes, heat shields, hand warmers, and nutrition. Kim and I wore our "Race for Chase" singlets, which we got the day before at the CMAK brunch, a special event Kim and I were invited to.

We walked to Bryant Park and hopped on a bus to the Athletes' Village. The weather wasn’t too cold, so the wait for the start didn’t feel unbearable. When our corral finally opened, we made our way to the starting line. The cannon went off, and it felt like it brushed against my legs. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to hear the iconic New York, New York by Frank Sinatra, but we quickly shook that off. Kim and I stuck to our strategy of not going out too fast and keeping a steady pace. Our first mile came in around 10 minutes, and the second was around 9:30. I felt great!

But as we continued, I turned to Kim and noticed the pain on his face. I asked if he was okay, and of course, he said he was fine. He’s one of the most stubborn people I know. We kept going, mile after mile, and stopped at medical tents where they lathered Kim up with Biofreeze. It seemed to help, as he kept pushing forward.

Around mile 13, we started taking walk breaks. Then Kim said, "I’m not stopping until we see Colleen around mile 17." When we reached her, we stopped for a photo op. After that, we headed to see our friends Catherine and Huy from the lake. Their kids were there holding signs, and they even had confetti bombs for us! It was such a special moment.

Our next stop was mile 19 where our friend Mario said he would be, via a message on Strava.  We met him and his wife at a restaurant in London after the marathon.  Sure enough, as soon as we approached the mile marker there, he was with his Biofreeze!  He even had 2 friendship bracelets, one of them said “I do hard things” which seemed appropriate.

Slowing down this year turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected. I was able to really enjoy the crowds, and even the bridges didn’t feel as daunting as I remembered. Unfortunately, Kim wasn’t feeling the same. Every step seemed like it was stabbing him in the back. But he was determined to finish, and we kept moving forward.

At mile 20.5, we saw Rebecca, Chase’s mom. I hugged her like she was an angel. We took some photos, she gave us bottled water and orange slices. It was just the boost we needed to keep going.

Finally, we made it to the last damn bridge, heading back into Manhattan and preparing for the final climb up 5th Avenue to Central Park. Kim, who had been pushing through so much pain, told me "I am not walking until I am in Park".

Finally when we got into Central Park I noticed another "Race for Chase" singlet ahead and ran over to see if it was Kevin’s son Brian. Turns out it was! I tried to talk to him, but he didn’t seem too keen on a chat. I quickly caught up with Kim, who had passed me. Finally, we hit mile 25. I could tell Kim was giving everything he had to finish. I thought I'd help, so  I started singing the “Ant Song” to him, trying to distract him. Kim looked at me and said, "It’s not working." Reminded me of Big Sur when I tried the same tactic with Reggie. I shut up and we kept moving.

Then his legs cramped up. At that point, we walked along the side of the road, and Kim had his eyes closed. I thought, Holy shit, he looks awful. Turns out, he had gotten Biofreeze in his eyes and was temporarily blind. I gave him my arm warmers to wipe his eyes, and he was good to go again. Finally when we saw one mile to go sign, Kim said "I am running at the sign and not stopping until we are done".

Finally, we crossed the finish line, got our medals, and met up with Brian, who was absolutely thrilled to be done. On the subway ride home, Kim turned to me and said, “You know, running a marathon today probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done.” I just smiled because, honestly, if I didn’t love him, I might have knocked him down!

But yes, we’ll be back next year. This marathon was Kim’s 9th race for the 9 + 1 program, that means he’s officially in for next year’s race. Here’s to another year of running the streets of New York!