The Most Amazing Trip to the TCS New York City Marathon

Here at Sports Tours International we take thousands of runners, all over the world, each year, as they fulfil lifelong dreams, and take on various running challenges. None of these however quite compare to the TCS New York City Marathon. The race, organised by the brilliant team at New York Road Runners, goes through the 5 famous boroughs of New York City. Starting in Staten Island, before venturing through Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, before finishing in the iconic Central Park in Manhattan. With over 53,000 finishers, and over a million people lining the streets of “The Big Apple”, it’s fair to say our runners experienced one hell of an atmosphere on their trip. Here’s a summary of the best bits of our time in New York City.

Numbers

We took over 1200 people to experience this iconic race in 2019. This includes, not only runners, but also their own amazing supporters who were there to cheer them on! Our four different packages (Full Travel Package, Flight and Entry Package, Hotel and Entry Package and a 5* VIP stay) had something for everyone, to ensure that they got the most from their experience. Our experienced team were also on hand, to help our runners throughout their stay in New York City. Hopefully, we’ll see even more runners with their friends, fans, and family in 2020 for the historic 50th edition of the race next year. We think our experience will make yours!

Will you be joining us in 2020?

The Expo

2019 was our first year exhibiting at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo, which takes place at the Javits Center. The venue itself is perfectly suited to hosting an expo, situated on 11th Avenue, between 34th and 40th street. It was easily accessible, on the subway, from Central Manhattan. Over 100,000 people visited the expo, over the weekend, and they had travelled from all over the world to be there. It was great to chat with so many passionate runners about our trips, and how we can help them achieve their running dreams, with our trips to marathons in over 20 different countries.

 

The start

The marathon begins in Staten Island, at the Western end of Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. There are four start waves, designed to stagger the sheer number of runners, as they pass through the streets of New York City. Each wave is welcomed by booming music, as the atmosphere builds for the start. The runner’s faces are a picture. It’s clear, as they head over the start line, that they realise they are part of something special. Click below to watch our video from the start line

Running through New York City

It’s not a myth! There really are over a million people lining the streets of New York City and cheering on the runners throughout the race. There isn’t really anywhere where the atmosphere dies down, it’s a constant noise, and constant encouragement, with fans cheering and bands playing music. New York City is a city that never stops, and it was fascinating to see the thousands of runners take it all in and enjoy the atmosphere. One of the best spots to soak up and experience this atmosphere, we found, was on 5th Avenue, just before Columbus Circle, as the runners head towards Central Park. The crowd noticed that this was where many runners needed that extra boost to get them through Central Park and to the all important finish line. It was fascinating to see just how many people were lifted by the crowd and got a second wave of energy.

The finish

The perfect setting, with the famous Manhattan skyline in the backdrop, and thousands of people cheering, clapping and making as much noise as possible; the finish line of the TCS New York City Marathon is truly iconic. As the runners come around the final bend, the finish is insight, and the noise just gets louder and louder. Looking on from the grandstand, while you try to spot your friends and family on the final stretch, it’s impossible not to be blown away and emotionally moved by the sheer numbers of runners, as they head towards you in their masses. It’s like a tidal wave crashing to the finish line. The relief and joy was painted all over the faces of the runners as they eventually crossed the line, and it was incredible. 26.2 miles of brilliant marathon running, topped off by a world famous finish line. It was clear to see how ecstatic the runners were made by this experience.

 

The feedback

We love hearing feedback from our runners, here are just some of the comments from people who travelled with us in 2019!

 

So, do you want to experience one of the world’s most iconic marathons, in the city that never sleeps? Click here to join our notification list for the 2020 New York City Marathon. This will be the 50th edition of the race and it’s sure to be an even better atmosphere!

If you ran the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon, we’d love to hear your thoughts on your experience. What were the highlights? How did you find the atmosphere? Will you run the marathon again? Leave your comments below or share your story with us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

 

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