My husband and I went to 4th Avenue and 25th Street in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday, November 1, 2009, to watch and cheer for the 40th annual New York City Marathon runners.
The entire New York City Marathon course totals approximately 26.2 miles, and winds its way through all of the five boroughs that comprise New York City. It begins in Staten Island, then continues through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, up to the Bronx, then back to Manhattan, where the finish line is located in Central Park.
We arrived too late to see the early elite runners, who had already passed this spot, but we were there for two hours to see a large portion of other marathon participants as they ran by.
There were runners for as far as the eye could see! Many streets were closed, to allow them to run the course without obstacle.
There were an estimated 43,000 participants this year, many from different countries.
The 2009 winner for the men, Meb Keflezighi from Mammoth Lakes, California, with a time of 02:09:15, and for the women, Deratu Tulu from Ethiopia won with a time of 02:28:52.
In the wheel chair division the top man was Kurt Fearnley from Australia, and the top woman was Edith Hunkeler from Switzerland.
We noticed that most runners had their names somewhere on their shirts, which made it fun to call out a personal encouragement to them as they ran by.
We also noticed many running for a good cause, and they were wearing shirts that announced that fact.
A distance shot of volunteers in orange ponchos handing out cups of water to the runners as they passed by.
There were many spectators with whistles and bells and signs cheering on the runners. It was really exciting to watch and we hope to do this again next year, and be there earlier to see the elite men and women in the beginning.
As the slower runners began to pass by we saw some unusual sights, such as this runner from France who was running as the Eiffel Tower!
He got a lot of attention from both participants and spectators.
This obvious native New York couple ran by, both in baseball uniforms; he was a Met, she was a Yankee!
This man was constantly juggling as he ran!
Someone was running in a clown costume.
This man was running barefoot!
He was also carrying a flag, but he ran by so quickly I couldn't make out what it was.
It was so inspiring to see all these determined participants, both young and old. My husband told me that he wanted to begin training so he could run in a future marathon........
.....and after seeing these runners, heading up the stragglers at the end, I think there actually might be a chance that both of us, with enough training, may be able to do just that!Here is a short video that shows what the race looks like from start to finish, and has a map of the course:
To see more participants in "Outdoor Wednesday," please visit Susan at A Southern Daydreamer today!
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