Having just returned from the 51st edition of the New York Marathon, which I completed in a time almost an hour slower than my personal best, I’m here to share the reasons behind the success of one of the world’s most popular sporting events… Cyclist, triathlete, runner, or simply a challenge-seeker, here’s why this unique marathon might interest you.

By Jean-François Tatard – Photos: All rights reserved

The New York Marathon in numbers

$415 million: the economic impact of the New York Marathon

$82 million: annual revenue for the New York Road Runners association, which organizes over 50 races per year in addition to the marathon.

$40 million: the cost of the event.

$2.75 million: the bill sent by the New York Police Department (NYPD) to the organizers. 35,000 police officers are deployed on Sunday. That’s more than the entire FBI…

5 million: the number of spectators supporting the runners along the entire course, in a unique atmosphere that contributes to the global aura of the New York Marathon.

1.3 million: the number of participants who will have crossed the finish line since its creation in 1970, after the 2022 edition.

$825,000: the total prize money for the top finishers, not including bonuses for breaking records.

500,000: the number of water bottles distributed along the course + another well-known energy drink, as well as bananas, are also provided free of charge.

105,184: registered for the lottery to get a bib. With a 7% increase compared to pre-Covid – the 100,000 mark has therefore been crossed.

$100,000: the winnings for the male and female winners, with parity being the rule in all categories. Second place will receive $60,000 each, $40,000 for third… down to 10th place, which will guarantee a $2,000 prize.

47,745: the number of runners who crossed the finish line this year. This is a record number of dropouts (7,255 dropouts in 2022) since the existence of this exceptional event – undoubtedly linked to exceptional and therefore very difficult weather conditions.

80%: the record and completely exceptional humidity level that spared no participant in 2022 (23 degrees at 9:10 am – start time).

26,538: the number of male runners who finished (and therefore 21,207 women) – we are not far from parity.

12,000: volunteers over the week.

1976: the year the marathon moved beyond Central Park to cross New York’s 5 major boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Manhattan, a formula that largely contributes to its immense success.

1,500: the number of portable toilets, including 400 along the course…

500: the number of New York schools involved with NYRR, whose mission is to encourage people to run or walk. Over 800 across the United States.

$400: the registration cost for French participants in 2022 (+ an additional $75 to extend the validity of the pass for those who registered before Covid and had to cancel their trip in 2020 and 2021).

$255: for American NYRR member runners.

200: the number of NYRR employees, all mobilized for the event, but also handling other races throughout the year.

68: streets blocked for the race, mainly for security reasons.

40: the average age of participants is generally in their forties.

41% of foreign participants in 2022.

23: emergency medical stations deployed along the course.

5: the number of bridges to cross – and it’s uphill!

88: the age of the oldest participant in this edition. American Rosalie Ames finished the 42.195 km in 4h10’03’’ – just under 6 minutes per kilometer.

4h40: the average time taken by runners to complete the 42.192 km. It was around 4h in the 80s (when its popularity exploded) and around 3h30 during the first edition (with only 55 participants, all men).

2h08’41’’: the time of the 2022 edition winner, Kenyan Evans Chebet. The 33-year-old Kenyan had already won the Boston Marathon in April.

2h23’23’’: the time of Kenyan Sharon Lokedi who won among women.

2h05’06’’: the course record, held since 2011 by Geoffrey Mutai, with the three best times in history set that year.

$1: the entry cost for the first marathon, which took place only around Central Park, in 1970.

Why the New York Marathon?

I have already participated in several French championships and even European championships and other great races, both running and cycling. I have also won over a hundred events across all sports, but the New York Marathon was a childhood dream, and I return from the Big Apple with this four-word phrase: this race is (definitely) incredible, and decidedly unique in every respect. It was the hardest of my 15 marathons, but those three and a half hours flew by too quickly…

“Nothing is impossible!”

More than 55,000 runners, from 120 different countries, pounded the New York pavement for 42.195 km on that first Sunday in November, under the eyes – imagine – of more than 5 million people spread along the entire course who literally carry you to the finish line. The kind of indescribably powerful energy that pierces your body with a galvanic current. Something that puts a smile on your face no matter the level of difficulty and pain. But beyond this amplified strength, New York also has many other dizzying numbers. What I take away from this race is the New York spirit. People truly encourage all runners throughout the entire race. You cross the first bridge that takes you from Staten Island to Brooklyn, right after the start, and you already feel like you’re in an Olympic stadium on a summer evening of a leap year, with Usain Bolt setting the track on fire in the 100-meter final – except it lasts for 40 kilometers. I’ve been lucky enough to travel and run marathons in different countries, but here it’s truly incredible; I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else. There isn’t a single spot where you’re not encouraged. For 99.99% of participants, we are not champions, but the public gave us that illusion. Here, we are all superheroes…

What I take away from this race is the New York spirit. People truly encourage all runners throughout the entire race.

My name and my country’s colors were on my outfit. Dressed in Aerth – Patrick Daniels’ new hexagonal brand that represents chic French style. And not forgetting the French Navy beret with its famous red pompom adorning the precious headwear. A (very good) idea from my daughter who chose the bachi to complete the ensemble. This attire was also visible enough in case the sailor fell overboard.

Constantly, I heard “Vive la France!“, “Go Marin’s!“, “Strength to you Sailor!“. Imagine with the accent. You really feel supported, it’s galvanizing. This energy that infects us is unique. Ultimately, even in suffering, those three and a half hours really fly by too quickly. I truly wished it would last longer. I savored my last two kilometers so much. I probably must have slapped at least 1000 outstretched hands on the other side of the barriers.

A difficult course

3h29’19’’ after starting, I crossed the finish arch… I think I would have had the right to be disappointed with my result, I who have already run 7 marathons between 2h34 and 2h39, and who was “just” hoping for a sub3 here in New York, but I quickly put my performance into perspective. Moreover, I had this thought, while we were moving in a convoy with three of my French friends who shared the same time ambitions, alone without telling them anything and in the middle of the race. Indeed, I remember having a discussion with myself very precisely at the 10th kilometer mark. What memory did I want to keep of this day?

Ultimately, even in suffering, those three and a half hours really fly by too quickly.

With Elisabeth, Guillaume, and Julien, we were ahead of our predictions, but I was suffering, and my body, battered by years of abuse, urged me to be cautious. At that precise moment, Churchill’s quote inspired me most: “Success (the only true success) is not going from failure to failure without losing any of your enthusiasm?” And besides, beyond performance, if each of the 55,000 other participants had a good personal reason to embark on this completely exceptional adventure, welcome to the school of humility – because the toughness of the event is sufficiently unparalleled that we all found an absolutely formidable accomplishment just in finishing it. The course proves more selective than it seems. The route is particularly difficult, with a lot of elevation gain. Especially towards the end where there is a big climb that is more than 3 kilometers long. There, you dig deep into your reserves, and friends who had already run it had warned me, but I don’t think I was ready for it to that extent; many people stop or walk to cope. And there again, I remember the unwavering support of New Yorkers.

I had already lined up for marathons like Chicago, Paris, Florence, Lausanne, Berlin, Beaujolais, Mont Saint Michel, Barcelona, but this was nothing like them. Generally, on the side of the road, people are more there out of curiosity. They just watch the runners pass, but here: THEY SCREEEEEAM!!! and they encourage non-stop. When you pass through the slightly poorer neighborhoods, you also experience very touching things. People offer you sponges, ice packs, or water bottles. In the Jewish quarter, mothers have even prepared small cakes that children offer us in exchange for a smile or a high-five. They do everything to help you, it’s truly magnificent. This solidarity is wonderful. To help us wipe our sweat-covered foreheads, I even saw a homeless person offer us paper towels he must have “borrowed” from the McDonald’s next door…

The lucky ones

An incredible experience that I was able to share with other French people. But if you haven’t obtained your bib through the strict and ambitious time qualification criteria imposed by the organization, it’s quite a journey to get the precious pass. In total, each year, France has 2500 bibs, making it one of the most represented nations on the starting line. However, places are expensive. And in every sense of the word. There are several ways to get a bib: either by going through the city of New York, but that can take up to more than 5 years of waiting, knowing that you must have already run a marathon, or, what most French people do, by going through France Marathon, or another tour operator that offers packages, and even then, not everyone can get one; there are so many of us that it’s by lottery and in exchange for 2500 euros. But the price is quickly forgotten. It’s the experience of a lifetime…

To conclude

Because I tell myself more and more often that it is absolutely imperative to cherish every memory and that we will never relive them in the same way twice anyway, I invested all my emotion in the accomplishment of this rather unique event. And that’s how I woke up on that first Sunday morning in November 2022 – with a crazy desire to build a memory so precious that it would forever be etched in my mind. Being happy is good; staying happy is better. And when you meet other people who have run New York, it’s always the same thing. This feeling of joy lasts as long as their lives do. So yes, everyone dreams of running New York! And indeed, yes, the most prestigious and fantasized marathon on the planet truly lives up to its reputation!

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