Warning: the following words and images will allow you to vicariously see the world with the eyes of Sultan. Read at your own risk. The name Sultan has many meanings, but derives from the peak Sultan Mountain in Silverton, CO!


Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Five bridges, five boroughs, and more than two million spectators make the ING New York City Marathon a race like no other.

Ok, I’ve had enough asphalt for 2007. Two marathons in two weeks really pushed my asphalt capacity.

Sunday was a beautiful crisp fall day. Although I had to get up before the sun did, and had to wait until about 10:20am to actually start running, I was in a good mood. My mind was set on doing what I had planned. Run and see the city for what it has to offer. Travel thru all five boroughs of New York City by foot.
Me and 39,000+ other runners started on the Verazano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island. Not much time spent in Staten Island at all. When I crossed the bridge, I was Brooklyn. The sheer number of the runners running in unison was amazing. More amazing than this was the number of people that came out to support the run in Brooklyn. This was something I have never experienced before. For the next 12 miles or so I ran North thru the borough of Brooklyn on 4th Ave. From there I crossed another bridge to enter Queens. The crowd again was vibrant and encouraging. I knew that I didn’t want to run a fast marathon because of the number of people that were on this run, and because my body was a little fatigued from the previous runs in the last few weeks. So I ran a 1:55 half. From Queens I crossed the Queensboro Bridge to enter Manhattan; I was on the Upper East Side of the island. I was cold and windy. Traveling North for a few miles I entered The Bronx. Only running about 1 mile in The Bronx, I continued back South into Manhattan. Running thru Harlem and down the side of Central Park. I knew that the finish was close when I entered the park. Masses of people for the last two miles filled the sidelines of the park. The crowd was cheering every runner. I pulled into the final stretch, and finished in 4:11. Although I expected to finish in a slower time, I didn’t expect it to be over 4 hours. The experience I had in NYC was fantastic, and I would recommend this run to anyone to try at least once if they can get in.

More than 2 million spectators came out to support this run.