Here’s what it’s like to run in the annual New York City Marathon

On November 5, some 50,000 runners from around the globe will once again pound the streets of the Big Apple – those who manage to secure an entry, that is.

Fiona Harper

Oct 23, 2023 – 5.00am

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″Hey folks, you people need to move along, there’s no loitering in the Bronx,” barks a uniformed officer as we run over the bridge into his neighbourhood. ‘This ain’t like those other boroughs!’ he smirks cheekily.

Despite my exhaustion I couldn’t help but laugh. We were at the 20-mile mark of the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon, fatigue had set in, and my focus had narrowed to little more than putting one foot in front of the other. In my trance-like state, numbers were all I could concentrate on as I computed how far I’d come. And how far I still had to go.