The NYC Half-Marathon was yesterday. It’s a testament to how hard it is to book all of Central Park, Times Square and the West Side Highway that they have to hold it in late July, possibly the worst time to hold a distance running event. It was in the high 70s (lucky it was that cool, a week earlier, it would have been high 80s), and 90% humidity. Lining up at the start was even delayed because of lightning strikes at 6 AM.
It was not a good event to push yourself in. I passed one guy who looked like he was about to go down, but could still explain how he was just doing a fun run and was going to walk for a bit. Around mile 12, I saw a woman slumped up against the concrete barricades talking to a group of police. I wasn’t so sure how I was doing given the humidity. After mile 10, I walked for three minutes once a mile just to check in and make sure that the chill was just sweat and crappy clothing and not heat stroke. I didn’t win the genetic lottery that lets you run all day in the heat. I won the one that makes you start to walk the fine line between complete dehydration and possibly dangerous overhydration.
Good things about the race: running through Times Square was cool, almost surreal. The NY Road Runner volunteer (or staff member?) who kept the 97th St entrance at bay during the lighning was a model of courteous restraint and patience.
Bad things about the race: Central Park is way too crowded and narrow for a 10,000 person start. It was a mosh pit. It was a slow start for a lot of people and just one big traffic jam in the back. Painful and almost made the race not worth it. There weren’t enough obvious medical stations for people towards the end. I spotted one. In a race that hot, I would have liked to see more medical staff up against the path checking people out and giving out advice.
Despite that, the organizers did a great job given the difficulty of putting together a massive event in Manhattan at the worst time of the year.