New York City Marathon in Central Park

The New York City Marathon is an annual rite of passage for New Yorkers in two ways – for a select few it is running in the marathon, but the second kind, which is most definitely the category I fall into, is as a cheering squad that stretches along the 26.2 mile marathon route. My preferred viewing spot is in Central Park, which is always so beautiful with the fall colors shining through, clouds notwithstanding. I mean just look at this –

I got to the marathon route on the east side of Central Park around 1:30pm, and it was just amazing to experience all the runners that were being cheered on all the way through –

There were a number of runners that were running with guides that were wearing yellow T-shirts as you can see in the picture below –

New Yorkers were out in full form with signs to encourage and entertain the runners –

At one point in the Marathon Route, which was marked with flags, there was a photo op which had everyone cheering as they passed –

There were lots of dogs that were patiently sitting by the marathon route while their owners were screaming their lungs out –

There were stands providing hydration along the way, and I wondered if the cups littered on the road were a tripping hazard in any way for the runners that followed.

There was one scary moment as I saw one of the runners just fold over a wooden post, and then fell back and hit his head on the road. A couple of people ran to get a paramedic they had spotted earlier, and I called 911 as he definitely needed help. Luckily the paramedics came right as I got through to 911, and he was wheeled away. I saw a couple of people that needed help along the route, and there were always paramedics at hand to help.

It really is always amazing to experience so many people realizing their dream of running the New York Marathon, and the inner strength they find to make it to the finish line.

#gottalovenewyork