Hello New Yorrrrrrrrrk! The beginning of my second jaunt to the greatest city in the world starts with a very unconventional and healthy breakfast at Manchester Airport. I have become so accustomed to that 5am airport beer that a super healthy smoothie just felt wrong. The flight passes without a hitch and soon we're in the thick of a Brooklyn traffic jam. GoPros are in operation trying to soak up every last sinew of New York delight.
Then we see it........the monster that is Manhattan. The Empire State, new World Trade, Chrysler, Roc, UN....they're all there.
First problem, the hotel room we've booked is unavailable so we're given a double room with the option of upgrading to a 2 bedroom for $100, PER NIGHT! We baulk at this and settle for the double room. On inspection, we rapidly come to the conclusion that the bed is minuscule for 2 burly men so definitely too small for us. Thus not giving us ideal sleep prep for the big race on Sunday. Plus they want to charge us circa $50 for wifi. We make the executive decision to upgrade and it is the best decision we ever made. The new room is a palace with a huge lounge, conference room, 3 flat screen TVs, free wifi, you get the picture. It's epic. Delighted.
Next up, Grand Central Station
Times Square.
Authentic American Diner with waffle fries, delish.
Madison Square Garden for the Knicks!
The Knicks game is crazy. There is an incredible graphics montage set to music on the court floor before tip-off showing all the players. It was mind-blowing. At regular intervals the game would stop and ridiculously enthusiastic kids would charge onto the court with guns that fire out t-shirts into the crowd. Why? Probably to detract away from the Knicks getting 'their asses handed to them' on the court. A quote from a fellow Knick fan. There was even special timeouts for kids doing rather exuberant acrobatics, the New York City Dancers and of course, cheerleaders. I know Americans eat a lot but my god, the size and sheer volume the guys around me consumed was inhumane. Gluttonous pigs I though as I sat there sipping my bottled water. There was even quite a few celebrity fans in the crowd. David Duchovny, Kate Upton, Ed Burns and Jimmy Fallon. Our evening was complete with a walk past the Empire State Building to our temporary abode at the UN.
Fri 30th Oct
First stop, Grand Central Station to grab the Subway down to Battery Park for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Not without a hearty breky from an authentic American diner. Gorgeous French toast with spicy sausage and English tea are just the tonic for a great day.
Got to go up to the pedestal but that's pretty pointless, the view is virtually identical.
Next stop, the new World Trade Centre observatory. The tone of the experience is the future. There is only 1 reference to the twin towers, which I guess is understandable. The lift ride is fantastic with a graphic that surrounds you and has a time lapse film showing how the New York skyline has developed over the last 130 years.
Ground zero.
Wall Street.
Brooklyn Bridge at sunset.
Red velvet cheesecake. Unbelievable.
Sat 31st Oct
Off to the marathon Expo to pick up our entry pack and most importantly, race bib. The scene is a plethora of middle class affluence chewing up every possible commercial ounce the corporate behemoths have to offer. There's a pleasant atmosphere and us 2 marathon virgins can start to feel the excitement building. Damo falls in love with some snazzy Brooks trainers with a commemorative 'NYC 2015' logo embossed onto them.
$163, cheaper than in the UK and exclusive to the US so a bit of a steal.
The afternoon consists of a substantial journey north and off the island of Manhattan to the Bronx. *cue dramatic music dun-dun-dunnnnnnn* When we arrive at Yankee Stadium there's a definite edge in the air and you suddenly don't feel as safe. The stadium is virtually deserted and there's very little activity in the club shop.
So we make the executive decision not to hang around much longer and get the hell outta dodge.
And so to our evening before the big race. This consists of a 'pasta party' and longing through the windows of bars filled with revellers celebrating Halloween. Going home and getting an early night was 1 of the most difficult things I've had to do but sacrifices are the name of the marathon game.
Sun 1st Nov - THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON
The BIG BIG day is finally here, 33 years in the making. Today we take on the biggest challenge of our lives. All those weeks of long runs, no alcohol and no social life is the culmination of what will happen today. It starts with a delicious 5am alarm, in a strange stroke of good fortune the clocks went back an hour so it didn't feel as horrific as it could have done. Bags packed, race gear on, lists checked, twice, thrice, time to start our epic journey to Central Park.
First up, a taxi ride to the very south of Manhattan to the Staten Island ferry terminal. Ferry boarded, Hudson crossed, now it's time for a bus to the Runners' Village. Then the long wait begins, 2 hours in the cold with no entertainment and only our own nervous thoughts. Strong minds required.
Finally we are called to our start coral. Unfortunately our running top seems to attract a very strange gentleman from London. He says some odd things and rather out stays his welcome but we lose him before the start line thank god!
The MC really gets the crowd going and there's some party tunes blasting out. This is the New York marathon! And we're off! The first part of the journey is 2 miles over the Verrazano bridge, it's quite steep and we even see someone collapse after 1 mile. Scary stuff.
Mile 2-13 is Brooklyn. The people are wonderful, extremely enthusiastic and very encouraging. There's bands, gospel choirs, people handing out sweets or bananas. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Mile 13-14 is Queens. Fantastic welcome from the people of Queens. Short but sweet. 14 miles in, feeling great, just behind our target time by a few minutes. Then it all begins to go wrong.
Mile 14-16 The Queensborough Bridge which takes you into Manhattan for the first time. The first half of the bridge is very, very steep. It seems to go on forever and ever. This kills me. Whoever said New York was flat has never run it. Believe me, this incline on the bridge is massive.
Mile 16-19 The run down First Avenue is incredible, the sheer volume of people is amazing. However, after the bridge I'm starting to struggle. With 10 miles still to go, my feet are really starting to hurt. Every step I take is now a PB, I'm now in un-chartered territory.
Mile 19-21 The Bronx and another 2 bridges with substantial inclines. I walk for the first time, I can't do any more running uphill. The people are incredibly lively and the music is probably the best on the entire course.
Mile 21-23 Back on Manhattan running down 5th Avenue. The crowds are enormous, I'm giving it everything I've got but I'm in serious trouble.
Mile 23-26 We enter Central Park and I run out of gas. I can't run any more but I will not accept defeat so I push on. Running every now and again. The cheers from the crowd can't inspire me, it's just me and the uncompromising road. It's the most excruciating pain I've ever been through and I hit the wall.
Mile 26-26.2 The home stretch, the final furlong, the last hurrah, the end of my cruciate knee ligaments? I calculate it is now only 320 metres (difficult in my current state) until this ordeal will be over so I give it every last ounce of blood, sweat and tears in order to run across the finish line. Damo like a true hero and friend stayed with me the entire time even though he could have run faster. WE MADE IT! It's over, it's over, it's finally all over.
Now at the end, you would expect it's all fun and games. No, this is where the pain really kicks in. All the finishers are funnelled into lines to pick up their respective bags and replenishment. It seems to take an age and there's nowhere to sit. Most of the roads are shut so this leaves us with the much less desirable option of the subway. It's quite a complicated way home and the signs are confusing. An NYPD officer takes pity on us and let's us on for free. You would think the journey would be over by now, not a chance. There's still a taxi through terrible traffic from Times Square before we can put our feet up.
No more running ever!
That's enough for 1 day. Oh no, we still had time to party like rock stars. Dinner at Dos Caminos for sumptuous guac and cactus margaritas. Then on to the Ink Hotel and the Press Lounge rooftop bar. It's incredible and just what we wanted.
Prosecco at the ready boys, it's party time!
Mon 2nd Nov
You would think after a marathon and night on the town that this day would be all about recovery. Not so. After a final American breky of pancakes, ham and scrambled egg we manage to squeeze in a trip to the very top of the Empire State Building.
Burgers and authentic Brooklyn Lager in a sports bar along 5th Ave and a trip to see the Flatiron Building or for Spider-man fans, the Daily Bugle.
Then alas, it is time to head to JFK and leave this wonderful city that we temporarily called home. Perfect trip. Thank you New York, you've been wonderful.
