Posted in Blog, Featured, Running.

October 23rd, 2023

How to Pace the NYC Marathon

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by Jimmy Williams, PT, DPT, FAFS

The big day is here. It’s the New York City Marathon race day. You’ve been dealing with the taper tantrums for the past two weeks and now you’re going to see why that was so important. This race is challenging but if you put in the work, you’re about to be rewarded. My personal opinion is that NYC is difficult to negative split due to the nature of the course, so this advice is based on attempting to run more of an even or slightly positive split. 

How to approach racing a marathon depends on your goals; how long you have been running, what your training cycle has been like, if you’ve had any injuries, and if you have a realistic marathon pace (that you have practiced) or a dream marathon pace (something that feels like you’re racing a 5k).

The Marathon Before the Marathon:

The New York City marathon is one of the best races on the planet, but it is logistically tricky. Most of us have to wake up 4-5 hours before the race even starts to take a ferry or bus to the start line, and then sit in the grass or concrete for hours. Some tips I have for before the race include eating a meal first thing upon waking and then eating your normal, pre-run meal whenever you usually eat before starting your long runs, which most likely means you will have to pack this to take with you to the start. This will make sure you have enough carbohydrates stored in your body for the marathon because you don’t want to start hungry. Also keep in mind that if you’re cold at the start, shivering burns calories and this could set you into even more of a deficit before the race. Bring throw away clothes and snacks to the beginning, but make sure that you’re willing to throw away or run the entire 26.2 miles with whatever you bring, as there is no bag check at race start. I DO NOT recommend doing any type of running before the marathon other than jogging in place or some simple dynamic warm-ups.  Our dynamic lunge matrix is one of my favorite drills to do to stay loose before a race. 

I like to approach this marathon in three separate 10’s: two 10 milers and a 10k. 

The First 10 Miles

• This should be about gradually getting into the run. If you have a goal pace, now is the time to run that pace or slightly slower than that pace. If you go out too fast in the first 5 miles, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A BAD DAY. Conserve your energy, let the crowds sort themselves out and don’t waste time by trying to run around people (and extra distance) just to save you a few seconds.
  • Mile 1: Running Up the iconic Verrazano Bridge.
    • This is where to get your warm up. This is the greatest elevation of the entire course so make sure to go out conservatively to not burn your hypothetical matches too early. Ideally, run this mile somewhere between 20-45 seconds slower than goal marathon pace to loosen up a bit.
  • Mile 2: …and then down the Verrazano.
    • Now is where you make up a little bit of that time from going conservative at mile 1. Keep the effort relatively the same and run down the bridge approximately 10-20 seconds faster than goal marathon pace. You worked against gravity for mile 1 and now gravity is gonna help out at mile 2. Don’t go down too fast and risk burning your quads out too early. 
  • Miles 3-10: Welcome to Brooklyn, fuhgeddaboudit!
    • This portion of the race is relatively flat and a lot of fun. Brookyln has a fierce roar as you run through the streets. Try to stay right on that goal marathon pace within +/- 5 seconds per mile and don’t burn any extra matches (I’ll explain what this means later). Enjoy the crowds but don’t get caught up in the hype and start running any faster than goal marathon pace as this will cost you later. 

The Second 10 Miles

• This is when you check in with yourself. If you kept your goal pace, this is when it should start to feel a little bit harder to hold but there is no cramping occurring and you shouldn’t be seeing stars… yet. Continue to hold that goal pace since now we’re gonna get into some rollers.
  • Mile 13.1: The Pulaski Bridge
    • This is the mid-way mark of the course, and your reward is a slight uphill. This is a great time to see where you’re at time-wise. Ideally you should be exactly at that halfway split for your goal marathon (Example: Goal is 4:00, halfway mark is about 2:00). This is a small bridge but as with all the bridges in this race, slow your mile pace down on the uphills by 15-30 seconds to reap the downhill benefit after. 
  • Mile 15ish: The Queensboro Bridge
    • This is where you go from screaming crowds the entire race to nothing but the pitter patter of marathoners’ footsteps. Same rule applies here, slow down the pace but keep that relative effort the same (should not see a spike in heart rate here) or else you’ll really burn those matches. 
  • Mile 16: Down the Queensboro and through the Crowd Tunnel
    • Coming off of the Queensboro bridge might be one of the greatest sensations you will ever experience. I compare it to being a player running out of the tunnel at a college football game with the stadium packed with tens of thousands of people. It is bone chilling, in a great way.. This is where, just like in Brooklyn, emotion can get the best of you. Stay steady with that goal marathon pace and don’t run any faster as the emotion from the crowd can give you a surge of energy unlike anything. 
  • Mile 19.5: That Sneaky Little Bridge into the Bronx
    • Everyone barely mentions this guy but any uphill after mile 19 is worth mentioning. This one is only about 50 ft of elevation gain but I swear it felt hard when I ran it, so just be prepared.

The Final 10K

• This not-so-fun 10k is where the legs may start to hurt. You might notice the legs feel heavier or tight and that’s okay and completely normal at this part of the race. Remember, you’re not trying to go faster at this point, you’re just trying to not slow down. Hold the pace the best you can, dig into the crowd, throw your arms up and see if the cheers can help push you on to that Finish Line!
  • Miles 20-22: Into the Bronx and back into Manhattan
    • This part of the race is what you’ve been training for. Marathon pace should start to feel difficult but hold strong and focus on the path in front of you. Keep one leg turning over the other and focus on your nutrition and hydration.
  • Mile 23: The 5th Ave Hill (your favorite PT clinic will be cheering here)
    • Get ready because a gradual, 1 mile hill spanning only about 100 ft of elevation will never hurt so much in your life. I swear I blacked out during this portion of the race in 2021, so try to find that pain cave to really dig deep and hold on to that effort, it’s okay to be a little bit slower than GMP at this point, just keep the legs moving! Use whatever mantra, curse words or happy thoughts you need to make it up this damn hill. 
  • Mile 24: Down Cat Hill
    • If you’ve ever done a race in Central Park, you know this infamous hill. But look, for once it’s here to help you! That slight 50 ft decline can help gain a few seconds back from going up the 5th Ave hill. 
  • Mile 25: Out of the Park
    • After running briefly on the east side of the park, you then exit onto Central Park South (W 59th St) by Grand Army Plaza and across to Columbus Circle. This is slightly uphill but you won’t notice due to the roar of the crowds. Stay calm, focused, and think “smooth form”. Another trick is to focus on your exhale (breathing out) rather than gasping for air. This will help calm your nervous system down a bit.
  • Mile 26: The Finish
    • YOU GOT THIS! 0.2 to go and for some reason it’s the only uphill where you don’t get a downhill afterwards. HOLD ON HERE. You won’t have anything in the tank so just keep those legs moving until you get to that finish line!!!

Bonus: What do the matches mean?

In exercise science and coaching, we talk about a “lactate threshold”. This is typically the maximum at which you can run for 1 hour. This is highly individualized and can be a different pace for everyone. Tempo pace is what your body can hold for several hours at a moderate intensity and is usually thought of as “marathon pace”. Now, if you are running your “marathon goal pace” at a lactate threshold effort, you’re most likely going to bonk early and get cramping or extreme fatigue before the finish. This is the analogy where you “hold” your lactate threshold effort aka matches, until later in the race and not burn them too soon.