In the early morning hours of Marathon Sunday, the nerves hit me even before I donned the shirt I made for the race, with “ALY” across my chest in hot-pink glittery letters. I’ve toed the lines at over 100 races, but nothing makes me as nervous as the Best Big City Marathons.
It’s not a race for the faint of heart. The first mile-plus of the course is an uphill on the Verrazzano Bridge, spanning from Staten Island to Brooklyn. The entry points into Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan? Those are bridges, too. This course doesn’t let up until you cross the finish line in Central Park.
Every marathon is hard in its own way, of course, but even while NYC can be at its most brutal, there is an electricity to it I’ve never experienced in any other race I’ve run. What makes the NYC Marathon different is the relationship between runner and spectator. You could be first, you could be last, but one thing is the same: Along the course, there will be thousands of strangers screaming the name you have written across your chest, pushing you to realize the dream that started months ago when you first laced up your shoes and started training.
New Yorkers have a certain reputation 364 days of the year. They’re heads-down and don’t have time for you. But during the marathon, the heart of the city is on full display. Erin O’Brien, a spectator from Queens, said, “I think people not from NYC often assume we’re angry and mean, when really I would say we are focused. Come to the city for the marathon—it’s a different vibe!”
Why do thousands of people line the streets to clap, yell, and play music for thousands of people they don’t even know? “I like representing our city and being a part of making it welcoming and positive for the runners from all over the world,” said Laura Fry, who’s been coming to support the marathoners for over 20 years. “It’s one of my favorite days in NYC.”
The spectators’ signs made for a delightful distraction on race day. Some were funny, like the many Taylor Swift–themed “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 26.2” signs I spotted.
Some were runner-specific, like the sign my husband made for me, which featured Survivor’s Jeff Probst saying, “YOU GOTTA DIG DEEP!” And some are timely, like the sign that stopped me in my tracks. It read, “Michigan Stole My Other Sign” (a reference to the college football team’s sign-stealing scandal in the 2023 season). As a Wolverines fan, I couldn’t help but laugh and yell a hearty, “Go Blue!” Erin O’Brien was behind that sign.
After the race, I tracked her down on Instagram to ask her about it. She said, “I try to come up with something related to current events. The best reactions are seeing the runners who have no facial expression but spot my sign/make eye contact, get a big smile on their face, and throw out a thumbs-up. Seeing a smile creep onto a runner’s face because of a sign or screaming their name is the best.”
All of these people flood the streets, cheering until they’re hoarse. They yell thousands of names throughout the day, and while they will never remember most of them, to those runners, it makes a difference.
There are places in Brooklyn where the mass of spectators is so deep that they flood the streets, creating what feels like a scream tunnel. There are places in the Bronx where the crowd is on the street with you, ready to dole out hugs and high fives. There are the 60-some run clubs with members stationed along the route who, as fellow runners, just get the pain you are feeling and know exactly what to say to get you through it.
To every person on the route who screamed my name and told me I could do it—I did! And not because I’m an elite athlete. Because on a Sunday in November, I stepped out of my comfort zone and you also stepped out of yours, and together, we made magic.
