NYC Marathon is tomorrow, Nov 1 - best free spot to watch if you have never spectated before?
The TCS New York City Marathon is tomorrow, Sunday November 1, with more than 50,000 runners crossing five boroughs from Staten Island to a Central Park finish, and around two million spectators expected. I have never spectated before and I want to go out and cheer, but I have no idea where to stand. Guides point to Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, First Avenue in Manhattan for miles 16 to 18, and Fifth Avenue at 110th Street near the Central Park entrance. If you have done this before, what is the best free spot for a first-timer, what time do you actually need to get there, and is the subway the only sane way in?
1 answer
- First Avenue, miles 16 to 18
First Avenue, miles 16 to 18, and get there by 10am. The crowds there are the loudest on the course, the 4/5/6 trains drop you right on it, and runners are still strong enough at mile 16 that it feels like a race rather than a survival march. Skip the Central Park finish area for a first time: the standing area is first-come, it fills early, and you will spend more time queuing than cheering. Do not even think about driving; half the streets are closed and the Verrazzano does not reopen to cars until about 3pm.