This past Sunday, November 3rd, marked the 53rd annual New York City Marathon, which is hosted by New York Road Runners on the first Sunday of November every year. With over 51,000 finishers this year, the marathon is a huge event across NYC, and is considered by many to be the biggest marathon in the world.
But one of the reasons that this marathon is so special is that NYC shows up and shows out to cheer on every single runner that attempts to conquer the 26.2 mile course. The course takes runners through all five boroughs of NYC and ends at Central Park, where runners can celebrate crossing the finish line. And there are supporters there to cheer you on every step of the run.
The streets of NYC throughout the marathon are lined with supporters holding signs, playing music, handing out snacks and drinks for the runners, and cheering their names. The signs are the perfect mix of hilarious and supportive, and always include some references to iconic pop culture moments. Some of the best ones that I saw this year included ones that said, “All this for a little attention,” Rats don’t run this city, you do,” and “On a scale of 1-10, you’re a 26.2.”
But I think that the most special part of this race is how inspiring it is to watch all of these runners, and how heartwarming all of the support and love feels. There are so many supporters their watching their loves ones run the race, and cheering for them at multiple spots during the race. And people even flew in to surprise their loved ones on the course, and the videos are absolutely adorable.
The support that comes from these crowds is honestly just so heartwarming to watch. And it’s so cool to watch people cross the finish line and see the looks on their faces when they accomplish a major dream. I just think that it’s the coolest thing to watch, and I look forward to these kinds of videos every year. Especially after the tumultuous election season, I think it’s awesome to watch people come together and support people they don’t even know. If you see me running the marathon next year, you’ll know why!