Our NYC Marathon Story: Chapter Two

RACING.

Oh yeah, the race. The very "raison d'être" of our trip to NYC. Race day started very early for Hubby. Runners were being bussed to the start line from various locations around the city. Our hotel was only a couple of blocks from one of these bus pick-up zones (at 42nd & 6th), so Hubby was able to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep. It's all relative though - that meant waking up around 3:45am instead of 3:30am. Busses started leaving around 4:30am and it was suggested that runners target a 5am departure. Did I mention that the actual start time for the NYC Marathon was 10:10am?!

I considered going to the bus stop with Hubby to see him off, but that would have meant getting out of bed, putting on clothes, walking to the pick-up location, walking back to the hotel, peeling off the clothes and climbing back into bed. When I stopped to think about it honestly, only the last item on that list really appealed to me. Sooo, I ended up watching him walk over from our 18th floor window. :-) I'm not a parent, but I felt what I imagine a parent might feel watching their child leave on the first day of school. Weird. There was Hubby, wearing his brand new sweats (that would keep him warm during the long wait ahead in his corral, but would later be tossed onto the road as the race began), carrying his race bag and excitedly walking to catch his bus. I was nervous for him... excited for him... proud of him... all those emotions without even being fully awake!

I was pretty much on my own from that point on. I had considered taking the subway to Brooklyn in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Hubby, but I wasn't at all familiar with the area and wasn't sure where I would pop up when emerging from underground. I decided to stay within my comfort zone. I watched the race start on TV. The local NBC affiliate had great coverage starting at 9am.

As I watched the start, it dawned on me that, although Hubby & I had confirmed that we'd meet up in the designated Family Reunion Area, we hadn't been very specific. His last initial fell somewhere within the "I - P" 4-block span... but we hadn't chosen an exact location. I got the brilliant idea to make a sign that I could hold up while walking through the crowd. Luckily, there was a Staples one block away, so after a quick stop there to buy bristol board & markers, I started crafting a sign that I knew only he would understand. (As it turns out, the family reunion area was so well organized, even within the ranges, and Hubby & I found each other within about 10 minutes of his arrival. Then again, maybe it was because of the sign after all!)

By this time, Hubby had started running... I had signed up to receive email updates every 5km; that way, I knew where he was on the race route. I headed off to 1st & 63rd, just after the 25km mark. I became part of what is known as "the wall of noise". After crossing the Queensboro Bridge (a.k.a. the 59th Street Bridge) in complete silence, runners turn north onto 1st Avenue and are greeted by thousands of cheering spectators lining the street. I waited... and I watched... I know Hubby ran by while I was there because of the email updates I was receiving. But try as I might, I didn't see him. I kept on scanning the hundreds of runners that went by, looking for the cap that I thought he was wearing. My brain was in overdrive as it scanned and eliminated hundreds of faces.

Once I received notice that he'd crossed the 30km mark, I knew I'd missed him, so I headed back towards Central Park and tried to find a spot on 59th St., just at the bottom end of the Park. There, the miracle happened. I saw him!! He was on the other side of the street, and I yelled his name as loud as I could, but to no avail. But, against all odds, I saw him. "Good Man.", I said to those around me, and off I went to the next stage: the family reunion area.

I decided to take the subway to avoid having to walk through a gazillion spectators. The map clearly showed that the B train running along Central Park West would drop me off exactly where I wanted to go. What the map didn't say was that the B train wasn't running that day due to maintenance work on the tracks. Sigh. I spent close to 25 minutes waiting for a train that would never come. I approached two of New York's finest, and asked them about alternate options. They pointed me in the right direction and I hopped onto the D train. I reached my destination, finally, and after only 15 minutes or so, found my Hubby. Oh happy day!

It took Hubby approximately one hour from crossing the finish line to his arrival in the Family Reunion Area. After waiting around a bit longer to connect with a friend who had also completed his first NYC Marathon, we headed back to our hotel. Upon entering the lobby, the security guards and the front desk staff all broke out into applause! It was quite a moment...



Hubby was pretty psyched. He has already received numerous emails from friends & family following his progress on the web. He sat down in the hotel lounge to send out a few emails... I went for a quick shop (topic of next chapter :-)) and we opted for an evening in Times Square: dinner & movie. All in all, an unforgettable day.

PAX,