Hundreds of fans gather on First Avenue to warmly welcome runners to Manhattan. The noise of the crowds under the bridge can be deafening.
Some mega screens on First Avenue provide details of the race in progress. At this point in the competition, many runners who had started with wave 1 (and therefore immediately after the elite runners) can already find out who won the competition among the top runners, as they’ve already reached the finish line. The men's record was set by Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya) in 2011 and stands at 2:05:05. The women’s record, held by Kenyan Margaret Okayo, stands at 2:22:31 and dates back to 2003.
The noisiest stretch of the entire NYC Marathon route is First Avenue. It is estimated that the 7,500 spectators, who gather on average along a single block, are able to produce noise above 127 dB (the engine of a jet is approx 140 dB).
Runners run a total of approximately 17 kilometers in Manhattan in two phases of the race in which they cross the neighborhood. Manhattan is the only borough that is touched twice during the race.
Runners run a total of approximately 17 kilometers in Manhattan in two phases of the race in which they cross the neighborhood. Manhattan is the only borough that is touched twice during the race.
In total, runners run about 6 kilometers of the race on First Avenue, crossing the well-to-do Upper West Side and the extremely working-class area of East Harlem.
Relatives and friends gather on the edges of First Avenue to watch the runners pass, join the party and cheer their favorites. Being able to see a specific runner requires some preparation (and clearly visible signs), due to the huge number of runners that stream by.
As the kilometers go by, the help of the public and volunteers assumes more strategic importance for runners as fatigue sets in.
The Foco Azul Band welcomes and accompanies runners in the last stretch of First Avenue around the 30-kilometer mark of the race.
The nineteen-mile marker, just before the feared 32-kilometer point, is the dreaded physiological barrier all runners face during the marathon. Hitting the “wall”, as it is usually called, corresponds to the depletion of glycogen stored in the muscles by the human body. The effect, when it occurs, leads to a sudden and substantial deterioration of performance and almost unsustainable tiredness.
The Willis Avenue Bridge takes runners past the 20-mile point and The Bronx. During the NYC Marathon race runners face five bridges, and always changing borough. A total of 4.5 kilometers of race are run on bridges.
The runners cross the Willis Avenue Bridge, climbing over the Harlem River, and temporarily leave the island of Manhattan to descend towards The Bronx.
