NYC Marathon Race Report
Everything I heard about the New York City Marathon is true – it’s an amazing course, with amazing spectators and amazing runners. I met so many different cool people from all over the world, before, during, and after the race. The spirit of the race is so exciting that you can’t help but smile* most of the time. Everyone is so giddy that you feel giddy too. When the canon goes off to start your corral and they play Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” you sing along and cheer*.
I’ve never seen a marathon with this kind of energy – not even Chicago. Run NYC if you get the chance.
And the other part I heard is true too – the hills on this course make it incredibly difficult. The biggest hill – 150 ft in 3/4 of a mile in the first mile – was not that bad. You’re just starting the race and you have a lot of energy. Plus, you are surrounded by so many people that you can’t really tell you are running up a hill. But the rolling hills in the rest of the race got to me. I made up a mantra “You’re not running out of energy, you’re just running up a hill” and would repeat that to myself. But after the Queensboro Bridge at mile 14ish (100 ft incline over 3/4 of a mile) I couldn’t take the hills anymore. I still ran them, but very slowly.
So I guess that’s my general overview. The race is truly amazing, but the course was very difficult for me. I have a lot to say, and will break it down in to “before,” “during” and “after” the race below, but if you want to skip all of that, I ran an awesome first half in 2:10ish, then bonked and ran the second half in 2:30ish. My overall time was 4:41:04 (10:44 pace).
Before the race
I went to the expo on Friday night with Gina and my sister Christina and her boyfriend Will. Race pick-up was extremely easy. They didn’t make you walk pass millions of booths to get your bib and shirts – it was all right there in the front. And there was no line when we got there at 6:45. I really like the race technical long-sleeved tee, which I wore after the race.
On Saturday we ran the Dash to the Finish Line 5K then chilled for a few hours, before running errands, getting dinner, and going to a stand up comedy show in Manhattan. One of our very important errands was getting a balloon for my spectator crew to carry. I was hopeful that them carrying a balloon would make it easy for me to spot them, and boy, did it ever. I would see the balloon a few blocks before I saw them, making it easy for me to get over so they could see me. Overall, I saw them three times – at mile 8, 14 and 24 and I was so so excited to see them.That was truly the best part of the race. I felt so honored that Christina and Will came all the way from Iowa to watch me race (and hang out in NYC) – I kept telling random people about how they came all the way out. And Gina and Steve were so incredibly supportive and excited for me. And Steven – well, you all know he’s my #1 fan! They all made me feel so special.
So… I highly recommend getting a balloon if you are spectating at a really crowded race!
On to race morning (see, this is getting really long). I was scheduled to take the Staten Island Ferry at 7:00. I knew from other blogger’s race reports that you can really get on any ferry you want (it’s okay if you miss yours) but I wanted to get to there early so I wouldn’t feel stressed or rushed. I woke up at 5:00 am, ate cereal, got dressed, vasolined up, and got on the Subway. I made one transfer and got to the ferry at 6:43. Good timing! The subway was full of other marathoners, so I had a fun time talking to them.
The ferry station was crowded, but I got on within a few minutes and sat outside to take in the great views.
The ride was not long, then we got off and got on buses to take us to Fort Wadsworth. All this time, I was amazed at how easy everything was. Sure, there were tons of people everywhere, but I never felt like I was getting pushed around, or waiting too long. And I felt like I always knew where I was going and what to do – I was never confused.
I think I got to Fort Wadsworth around 8:00 then started making my way to the Orange (bib color) Village.
I forced myself to eat a huge NYC bagel (that I brought with me) with peanut butter and two bananas. I talked to a lot of people (guys from Germany, Americans from Florida and California) then checked my bag. I went to the bathrooms a few times (hardly any lines – that was great!). I talked to more people. I generally tried to be chill and not use too much energy, and keep drinking water. I ate another bagel (there were free bagels, coffee and so on). Our corrals opened around 10:00 so I got in line for that. I met people from the Chicago suburbs and talked to them. I ditched my jacket. Then we inched our way toward the start line on the Verazzano-Narrows Bridge…
The Race!
There was such a fun energy in the start of the race. People were just itching to run (after waiting for so long – I had been up for almost 6 hours already!) and were really pepped up. Right away, I noticed we didn’t have any pacers in our wave. I was in the very last wave – wave #3 – the 10:40 am start. I am not sure if the pacers were with another bib color in our wave (we all started in different locations on the bridge and our courses did not converge until mile 8), but I never saw any, and that was kind of a disappointment. I had a bunch of pace bands on though, and my plan was to try to run 10:00 minute miles for as long as I could.
The start on the bridge was crowded, but to me, I felt like that was the only truly crowded part of the course (sure, I got elbowed and stuff a few times later on, but I felt like I had plenty of space). It was a huge uphill but that didn’t bug me, since I had fresh legs. I got to my pace and felt good. However, I was immediately sweating in the full sun. It was a great day to spectate – maybe in the upper 50s, low 60s? But I was so burned when I finished. You can see it a bit in that picture above of me with the Champagne bottle (Gina had that champagne with her all day in her backpack!). My face is red. And my back is crispy (not pictured).
The energy on the bridge was great, and the view was amazing but two miles on a bridge without spectators is kind of a bummer way to start a race. I was excited when we got off the bridge in to Brooklyn and had spectators. There were tons of them along the entire course and tons of bands too!
Once we got in to Brooklyn, I found the blue tangent line and stuck to that as closely as possible (I was really surprised more people didn’t follow it). I only veered off to get water, use the bathroom (more on that later), see my spectators, and take walk breaks.
I felt decent the first few miles, but never strong. But never like the pace was difficult either. I was enjoying the run, but it just wasn’t one of those super easy ones. The first few miles did fly by though. I kept hearing people cheer for someone named Theodora and I turned over to look at her and thought she looked familiar. I asked if she was a blogger, and indeed, she is!
There were water stations at almost every mile starting at mile 3, so I would stop and walk to drink the water. Later on in the race, I would drink some and pour some down my back. I was incredibly hot the entire time.
I really liked running through Brooklyn, but I was anxious to see my spectators! Steven texted me to let me know where they were, and I saw the balloon right away! I felt such a rush of energy when I saw them, I sped up, and the next three miles were the best ones (8-11). I felt on top of the world and incredibly strong.
But I knew I was going to have to go to the bathroom to make it through the race without crapping my pants. My stomach was cramping up. Must have been that last bagel! I waited until I saw bathrooms without lines at mile 12. I dashed in and out and still was under my time goal (I had banked time).
Right before the Pulaski Bridge, going in to Queens, was when I really started using the “bridge” mantra. When I passed the 13.1 mark in 2:10 I was excited and still felt good.
But I must have been fading already. Because you can see it in my face and posture from these pictures when I saw my cheer crew at mile 14.
Then I think it all went downhill (not literally, unfortunately). I went up the Queensboro Bridge. The only nice thing is that there was a crosswind that cooled me down, but blew me all around. I was so happy to run the downhill portion (I felt my downhills were pretty good, despite my worry). I was really excited for 1st Avenue, which is supposed to be the loudest part of the course! But I just kept running and running (and walking to drink water, eat GUs, etc.) and thinking “I have to run up this, through the Bronx and back down 5th Avenue and in to Central Park?!” I kept telling myself “Only 10 more miles!” And “Only 8 more miles!” But it wasn’t working. I faded hard between 16-18, just like at Milwaukee. What a bummer. I ran as much as possible, and didn’t do the march of death (yay for that!), but my running became so slow. I need to figure this out – why I am hitting the wall so early. I drink a cup of water at every stop and Gatorade at the end. I ate a Gu at 4, 8, 12, 16, 19, 24. This method is not working for me.
So the last 10 miles felt awful (sore back/no energy, but no muscle pain) and I just wanted to finish. I was really looking forward to seeing my spectators around mile 19, but they couldn’t make it. Gina and Steven both called me and gave me wonderful pep talks. Bobbi was sending me awesome motivating text messages. It all really helped. Without that, I am not sure I would have finished when I did.
It’s also true what they say about walking – the spectators will tell you to pick it up and keep running. So I did, but not very fast. I just thought, “I need to make it to mile 24 where my spectators are, then I can walk the last 2.2!” (Yes, this is what I thought in my delirious state of mind.)
When I finally got to mile 24 and saw everyone, I stopped and gave Gina a big hug (and she gave me some Swedish fish). She got the crowd cheering for me, saying “Look at this marathoner!” That gave me some energy to run, but I shortly stopped to eat my fish. Then a French guy named Oliver saw me walk and he turned around and gave me a look then motioned that I had to stay with him. Let me tell you – I would have finished in over 5:00 if it had not been for Oliver. We ran the entire last 2.2 miles together. And we couldn’t even communicate – I don’t speak French and he barely spoke English! I gave him a big sweaty hug when we finished. Then I started crying a little bit. And called Steven. And Bobbi to thank her for her awesome texts. And Erin to say I wish she had been there.
I felt so happy to finish. I wish I would have PR’d (and run under 4:30 so my name would be in the paper), but I was just happy to be DONE! And excited to have participated in such an amazing race.
I felt very proud despite my awful last half.
I wish I could remember more details of the actual race to share with you, but I cannot right now. But the spectators and volunteers were AMAZING! It is louder than Chicago. If I remember more this week, I will share.
After the race
You get your medal and space blanket immediately, but then you have to walk through Central Park forever to get your baggage and exit. I should say hobble, instead of walk. I was definitely hobbling. My feet were killing me for the last 10 miles. A volunteer stopped me to ask if I needed medical attention. I was surprised – isn’t that what everyone looks like when they finish a marathon?! Ha ha.
I got my baggage, talked to some other cool people, and finally made it out of Central Park to see my spectators. I was very bad and did not drink or eat anything until an hour+ after the race. I didn’t feel like I could!
I was so happy to see everyone! I gave big sweaty hugs (I should note, I was sweating from the beginning and smelled DISGUSTING) then took off my top and cleaned off a bit to put my Team Kimbot shirt on.
And I put flip flops on. I had blisters on almost every toe and one was bloody. Eww! Gina had some Gatorade, Swedish Fish and vegan cookies for me. Christina had some marathon presents for me! We hobbled our way to the Subway – marathoners ride free on race day! – and began the long journey back to Queens.
I had fun talking to them and hearing about their race day adventures. That could probably be a blog post of its own! I cannot express how grateful I am that they were all there, and did so much to see me and support me. It truly made the day for me. It would not have been the same without them. Knowing I would see them kept me going and made me feel like I could finish, even when I just wanted it to be over!
After we made it home, we took a quick group pic then everyone told me I had to shower or leave.
I knew I had incredible amounts of chafing on my upper body and some lower body. Luckily, my shower was not awful. I should have reapplied vasoline! I think I sweated it all off before the race started!
We ordered Chinese food and I gobbled mine down. Then Gina and Steve had another surprise for me – vegan cupcakes! They really are too nice to me! I am lucky to have such amazing** friends.
I didn’t think I could eat an entire one, but they were so good that I did. And we had champagne too! It was the perfect way to end the night. I should note, I hobble around all night and have swollen feet, but I feel okay.
Conclusion
Reading through this, I feel like I missed a lot of detail and did not capture the spirit of the race well. But this is all I have in me right now. I will try to remember more later.
I think I need to take time off from running marathons and focus on losing weight. Running is so much easier for me when I am lighter. I feel like I have so much more in me, but am not taking care of myself very well. That will be my focus now. No more marathons for awhile.
Thank you for all of your support during my training and all of the “good lucks” before the race! I was thinking of many of you!
*Well, I actually tried to hold back the smiling and cheering to conserve energy.
**How many times did I use the word “amazing” in this post?
Themocracy
Kim, congratulations! Reading your report makes me tear up – despite the hard second half you did wonderful, I am so proud of you. And I can totally understand how you feel about your spectators meaning so much to you. I really do think marathons are a metaphor for life, in so many ways.
Take it easy and hopefully you’re not too sore the next few days!
Hugs
Thank you Amy! 🙂 And especially for all your support when I was training 🙂
I am so darn proud of you! You are my running inspiration! Still working hard on the Couch 2 5k but seriously chick, you kick butt! Those cupcakes look YUMMY!
Thanks Felicia! How is C25K going? Training for your first 5K is a lot of work! There is so much endurance to build up 🙂
Way to go, Kim! I was thinking of you and tracking you yesterday. I bet the temperatures made it that much more difficult! At MCM it was perfect but this past weekend was much warmer.
I LOVE the Team Kimbot shirts! Your sister did an awesome job. Love the robot on the back. 🙂
I can’t imagine starting a marathon at 10:40! That seems so late!
I don’t know if you already mentioned this already, but were you on the top portion of the bridge? or bottom?
Thanks Kandi! A lot of people were saying the temps were perfect for them. Not for me. But that just shows I need to get stronger! Or run a colder marathon. Ha ha. I would probably still bonk.
I was on top of the Verazzano-Narrows 🙂
You ran a once-in-a-lifetime race and, just like after Milwaukee, I bet it will be awhile before it fully sinks in. Congrats on pushing through the difficult parts, You are stronger than you know.
I wish I could have been there, too, but it sounds like your spectators were amazing!
P.S. I love your new tank top.
I am definitely more excited as the days pass, but trying to be more realistic about what my goals for the next year should be 🙂 I do hope we get to race together more though!
And thanks! I really liked the new tank. The chafing was all my fault (not the tank’s) for not reapplying vasoline 🙂
Kim – thank you for one of the best weekends ever! Being your spectator was a huge honor and I would do it again and again in a hearbeat. Seeing you run in my home town was the biggest thrill and simply awe inspiring. I will never look at a subway map or the Queensboro bridge the same again! Saying that you were amazing falls short. Better than amazing! I know that you can do anything you set your mind to! As I ease into running, I will follow your example. Congratulations on a fantastic run!
Thank you Gina! You are such an awesome spectator and AMAZING SUPPORTIVE friend! I know I keep saying it – but how did I get so lucky to have you in my life? 🙂 I hope we get to run more together in the future?
And you DIDN’T carry the champagne all day?! 😛
PS, I have to admit that I didn’t carry around the champagne the entire day. I got it when I went to get the baby wipes. : )
AWESOME!!!!! Sounds like an incredible experience – love love love the pictures! Congrats on the finish!
Thank you Megan! 🙂
Congratulations!! I was addicted to looking up everyone updates during the race. You rocked it!! This recap makes me want to run the race a million times more 🙂
Thank you! 🙂 I would definitely do this race again, even though it felt so hard this time! It’s too awesome not to want to do it again! 🙂
Congratulations on the NYC marathon! I bet it was really exciting to be part of it. I love the balloon idea. I’ve only been to one big marathon and didn’t have to look for anyone in the crowds but I’m sure it would be really difficult without something like the balloon!
Thank you abbi! I think this is the most exciting marathon I have ever run! I wonder if anything else will ever compare! 🙂
Kim- Congrats! I was thinking about you all day yesterday…trying to send you positive energy! It sounds like an amazing* race. Once again, all these race reports make me sign up for one right now!
*I like the word amazing. 😉
Thanks for thinking of me Jen! I have been thinking of you, and telling Gina how excited I am to meet your little girl! How are you feeling?!
WAY TO GO!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! I think you did capture the spirit of something in this post because my eyes almost started to tear up, but I’m at work so I have to keep it together 🙂 Anyway, despite wanting to quit, you didn’t, which is amazing, and you had amazing support! 😉
Aww, Maggie, thank you 🙂
Way to go Kim, it is wonderful to read your blog and know that you have accomplished a huge achievement.
Thank you Christina! 🙂
Congrats Kim!!
Thank you!
Congratulations on completing the NYC Marathon!!! What a humongous accomplishment!!!
Thank you Etta! 🙂
Even if the second half sucked, you ran a freaking marathon. That is amazing. 🙂
Thanks Leah (for putting it all in perspective – it’s hard for me sometimes!). 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! I loved following you along the route yesterday! New York knows how to do a race right!!!
Cool! Thanks for following me! It sounds like it was a lot easier for people to follow me who weren’t actually in NYC – the marathon app didn’t work at all 😉
Good job, Kim!!!
Thanks!
If it makes you feel better, NYC was (by far) my worst marathon! I don’t think anyone could’ve prepared me for the course (oiy, the hills!) let alone the energy (I swear having to wake up so long before the race really zaps you of energy!). I CLEARLY remember coming off one of the bridges to a ROAR of cheering that I couldn’t hear. The course circled around to go underneath the bridge and that’s where the source of the cheering was … crowds 10 people deep screaming at the top of their lungs. It gave me chills. I also remember meeting an older woman about a mile or two before the finish. We were both have less than stellar performances, but we ran with each other to the end. It really helped to have someone else when the going was rough. And you totally reminded me of how far we had to walk after the finish line before we could see our cheering sections. Insanity! I’m so glad you go the chance to run this race – it’s definitely one for the history books! Congrats!
Thanks Nilsa! I am happy someone else feels the same way I do – love the race, but man, is it tough. Isn’t it amazing how cool the other runners are though? 🙂
Kim- your NY Marathon post was amazing (I teared up a few times also)! I so wish that we could have been there cheering you on! I am so proud of you!!! Everyone looked so cute in their Team Kimbot shirts! I got a lot of looks at the grocery store and while we were out about town in my Kimbot shirt!! Luca is precious in his little orange hoodie- Gina and Steve are awesome!! Enjoy the rest of your trip!!
=^..^=
Thank you Courtney! I wish you could have been here too! I loved your Team Kimbot shirt. I want to do a post with everyone wearing them, once I get better pics. I saw yours and thought “Damn, Courtney has such nice legs.” LOL 🙂
LMwAO- apparently I had a “good” photographer- or maybe he was too far away so you can’t really see my legs!!
I am so glad my little texts helped you – I may as well have been there…I was thinking about you ALL day (John kept making fun of me, all glued to the computer)…and I was SO glad you called me!
First, what a FREAKING LONG DAY. It has to be tough to start so early and still be going mid afternoon. But what an amazing experience! You should be WAY proud of what you have accomplished this year – you are such an inspiration to me, I hope you know that.
For the record, miles 16-20 are always so mentally tough for me. You’ve gone so far already, but have so far to go still.
Balloon & shirts = AWESOME, and I love the picture of Luca in your medal 🙂
Congratulations! Now enjoy the rest of your time in NYC!!
You will probably never know how much your texts helped me. Thank you! When I got them and just knew people back home were rooting (right spelling?) for me it gave me a lot of energy. Thank you so much. And for saying I inspire you 🙂
I think you should enter the lottery for this race. I think it opened yesterday. Just saying 🙂
You are amazing, Kim. Just amazing. Congrats on yet another big finish!
Cupcakes are the best prize ever!
Thank you Amy!
You did awesome! NYC is such a tough course but great atmosphere! Glad you had a good time. As to the hitting the wall so early, I think maybe you need to first sit down and look at your training schedule and see if there is anything the same between this past one and your past marathons. The next step would be to increase mileage! Now I am not an expert but I do run with a lot of marathoners in my running club and they all run higher mileage. A friend just ran a 3:25 at Chicago and previously had run 4:15 twice. He kept hitting the wall at around 20 miles. He increased his mileage and he did much better. I think once you gain better endurance you will see better results. Marathons are so tough – and I know I have no experience in them, but this is just my advice! Hopefully you can figure stuff out to get to your goal!
I wonder about the mileage thing! I was averaging around 35 and had quite a few weeks at 40 or above. I am not sure if I can go much higher (free time wise). It would be fun to try though! 🙂 I think I would like to continue running long but not do a race for awhile 🙂
Congratulations – and thanks for the awesome recap! It seems like you’ve had a positive training season, so good for you. Two marathons in a year are two more than I’m planning on doing any time soon, so WAY TO GO! And it’s great that it was such a fun experience.
Hope you have a great week as it all ‘sinks in’.
Thanks Kristina! I did have a great season – hardly any injuries! Now I think it’s just time to have more fun with running 🙂
A race of a lifetime girl–you did it! I’m so proud of you! NYC is tough on a perfect day, torture when it’s hot. I love your orange top and your awesome cheer squad!
Yes ‘they’ say to run higher mileage in order to push that wall back but in my experience (I’m a notoriously low mileage girl) the faster I go out, the earlier I die. Maybe rethink your pace?? COngrats again!
Thanks Marcia!!! 🙂
Yeah… my pace was optimistic! I forget that when I could run that fast pace I was a lot lighter. Ugh… 🙂 I need to stick with being slow or lose some weight (imo)!
I was tracking and thinking of you all day yesterday. It sounds like it was a really tough course but you made it through!!
It’s crazy how late this marathon starts! My mom ran Disney last year and we had to leave the hotel at 3:30AM to make it to the start. I think they start around 5AM? Ack! That’s another extreme, ha.
Biggest congrats to you, Kim! So proud of you!!
Aww, thanks so much for tracking me Stephany! And for the congrats!
I was talking to someone who did Disney and we were talking about how early it starts. I wish NYC starting so late meant I got to slept in but no! Is your mom training for anything now?
I was thinking of you all day!! Congrats! It may have not been a PR but its a tough course and it was interesting to hear how you compared it to CHicago 🙂 It is definitely a race I would love to do someday!!! Congrats on pushing through a tough 2nd half! You are so awesome!!
Thank you Kayla! 🙂
Congratulations!!! I loved reading your recap and like the others above, was thinking of you too! I was watching national NBC coverage of the race and they were showing one of the waves starting (with the NY NY music, etc) and I got all sorts of chills. Did you by any chance mug for a (video) camera coming out of the corral? There was a girl in an orange shirt and white visor and I thought, was that Kim? It was SO QUICK but that would be so weird if that was you!!
Thank you! I did run by a camera in the the third corral. I wonder if it was me. That would be crazy! There were probably a lot of people with orange and white! 🙂
Congrats on your marathon girly! I’m just so proud of all that you have accomplished this year…what 3 marathons? That is incredible. And the race sounded like such a fun race to run. And LOVE LOVE LOVED the Kimbot shirts!
Thanks Linz! This is an amazing race! I thought of you when I met a runner from FL and he told me about an Army marathon in Georgia 🙂
KIM! you are so awesome! i’m not a runner at ALL and i still teared up reading this (and seeing the picture of you hugging steven at the end)! i read the entire post, every word, and feel like you could easily write several more and i would read them all too 🙂 🙂
did you see / hear about the couple that got married during the race? like their officiant ran next to them and performed the ceremony while they were running!
Aww, thank you Alice. You are too sweet 🙂
I heard a little bit about that couple but have not had a chance to read the whole story yet! I think it’s so cool when people do that! 🙂
OMG what a crazy long post! But such a fun one to read! I’m so glad you had a great time even with the sun and all. NYC is a tough race.
Thanks Lauren 🙂
Congrats, congrats, congrats! I am soooo proud of you! I hear New York is pretty tough course. You did awesome!!! Let me know when I can take you out to lunch to celebrate your amazing success!
Thank you Molly! I hope we get to meet up soon! I will let you know when I have some free time when I get back 🙂 How is your running going?
Tell Steven he can add, crying while reading her daughters blog about the NYC marathon. So proud!
Aww, thanks Mom. Steven added it to the list 😉
Congratulations Kim!!! I loved reading your post. You are such an inspiration to me. Im so glad you got to have this experience with the NYC marathon. It sounds like it was incredible. You should be so proud of yourself!! I am always in awe of your running skills and dedication. I hope you enjoy your week and take some time to relax, you deserve it. Congratulations again!!
Aww, thank you so much Laura! I am definitely laying low this week!
Have you been running a bit? 🙂
Trust me, no details were missed on this post. This was an awesome read and all of the details you provided here prove you are an amazing person for wanting to complete the NYC marathon and be able to finish. Your part on your last 2.2 miles was pretty emotional… wanting to complete and finding support in some stranger who was willing to be selfless.
Congrats!
Aww, Marty, thank you so much for the congrats and liking my long sappy post 🙂
I owe so much to Oliver. I hope I can figure out a way to contact him and thank him!
wow kim, this is an amazing post and you have pumped me up to one day hit the nyc marathon! love the kim bot shirts, those have got to be the best team cheering gear that i have ever seen. the picture when you see your cheer crew and you are running towards them gave me goosebumps…i could feel the excitement that you were having when you saw them. oh gosh and that babe wearing the medal, that is adorable!
congrats on a great race, you did amazing and you have so much to be proud of!
Thank you! I hope you get to do NYC someday, Britt. You are probably fast enough to qualify and get in that way. I think you would really love the crowds. Maybe not the hills so much 🙂 But the pain is worth it.
Congrats on NYC! Such a great race, right? It was an amazing (and long!) day, but so worth it. I’m glad you got to enjoy the crowds, and how awesome are the runners at the end of the race? No less than three guys tried to pull me to the finish in the last two miles……runners are amazing. Hope you’re enjoying your time here, and we both deserve some rest after our two marathons this fall! Congrats again!
Thank you! It is a great race. I loved it. And it felt so different to me than Chicago – what do you think about the two compared to one another?
Hi! Nice to see you during the race, and glad you had a good race!