There are many hundreds of Marathons around the world every year but few of them have the aura surrounding them that the ING New York City Marathon attracts. Starting from humble beginnings in 1976 with a just over a hundred runners and a few laps of Central Park it has grown to be one of the premier Marathons world wide. This year there were tens of thousands of runners of all levels running through the five boroughs of New York and into Central Park for the grand finish.

I am not a particularly fast Marathon runner nor am I a particularly prolific Marathon runner; I am never likely to get a preferred start and I am certainly never going to step onto the winners podium. Even so I am keen enough that the 2007 ING New York City Marathon was my fifth race in six years and it was by far the biggest Marathon I have participated in.

OFF TO NEW YORK
After a very limited training regime, a pulled right calf muscle and a trapped nerve in my back I had thought that I would probably have to withdraw, but after planning the trip for almost a year I just couldn't bear the thought of arriving in New York as a spectator.

My wife Mari-Mar, 10 month old baby daughter Emma and I, after a brief holiday in Chicago, met my brother-in-law and his 6 year old daughter as well as my mother and father in-law (excellent race-day babysitters) arrived in New York on the Wednesday prior to the race.

For those that have never been to New York let me start by saying that it is a huge city. The tall buildings are really tall and the pace seems so much faster than Sydney. There are people everywhere you go, all seemingly trying to get somewhere as quickly as possible. That is not to say it is unfriendly; the people that I met were very friendly indeed, the sights were all that I had thought they would be and there really are taxi's everywhere just waiting for you to stick out an arm.

We took in a show at Madison Square Garden, took a ride on the "Hop-On, Hop-Off" topless double decker bus (great way to see a big city and help get your bearings), saw the Statue of Liberty, went to Times Square, did the obligatory ascent of the Empire State Building (which offers one of the most amazing night-time vistas I have ever seen) and rode the subway during the morning rush hour; all experiences I will treasure. This is truly a city worth seeing.

THE MARATHON EXPO
The Marathon Expo is an obligatory trip for all Marathon runners as you must attend to register and get your race number. It is by no means a chore though. It was excellently organised with plenty of volunteers on hand to guide and assist through the lines that inevitably formed with 38,000 runners registering. What was quite an eye-opener though was the sheer scale of the entire operation. It was similar to a couple of Australian Expo's I have been to (the Gold Coast springs to mind) but on a much larger scale. For those that live in Sydney imagine one of the main halls of the Sydney Convention Centre full of merchandise and exhibitors all actively vying for your attention.

Asics, who are one of the main sponsors of the Marathon, had a "runners" shop that would not disgrace an entire floor of an average sized department store; there were radio stations, clothing manufacturers, sports drinks and gels and a whole multitude of different fitness related products The expo was worth spending at least half a day exploring. One tip that I would mention is to try and register on the first day of the Expo. We went on the Thursday afternoon and had no trouble getting all our gear but when we paid another visit on the Friday it was significantly more crowded.

THE INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP RUN
The Saturday before the race there is an International Friendship Run sponsored by the United Nations. All of the international entrants are encouraged to either run or walk and it is quite a spectacle, with all the different flags of the different nations being held aloft. The run this year was cut short due to the Men's US Olympic Trial Marathon being run through Manhattan so the walk was only 3km (normally it would be 5km)

We took Emma with us who happily sat up in a baby backpack and had a great time talking to other runners and walkers. A camera is a must as many of the runners wear national dress. I have a great photo with the three of us surrounded by a dozen "Uncle Sam's".

That evening we went to a "meet and greet" hosted by Travelling Fit in a traditional New York bar which was a great way to chat to some of the other Aussie runners. We spent a few hours swapping stories and expectations and this set me up perfectly for the Marathon the following morning

RACE DAY
The day starts off very early indeed. As I was with the Travelling Fit tour group we had our own private coach to get us to the start. You can also get one of the many hundreds of public buses that are on hand to take you to the start but this can mean standing around for quite a while as part of a long queue in pre-dawn New York - a very cold experience indeed.

We left the hotel at 5:30am and arrived at the starting line at around 6:15am. This was because the Varazano-Narrows bridge, the start of the race, is closed to all traffic other than official buses.

The starting area is huge (as it needs to be to accommodate the volume of runners) and is split into three areas - Orange for the first 9000 women and blue and green for the rest. We were in the Green area which also housed the baggage drop-off vans, tents with enough free bagels, water, coffee, tea and sports bars for a small army (which we were) and more portable toilets than I though existed. There was also a large stage with live bands playing so we were well entertained.

I should mention though that waiting around at the start can be really cold. I had on my running gear, a long-sleeved top and two additional "throw-away" tee-shirts as well as gloves and a cap. I also spent most of the morning wrapped in a bin-liner to keep warm, not always successfully.

However, soon the wait was over and the five boroughs were awaiting.

STATEN ISLAND
The first borough is the race start itself. We were in the Green coral and our numbers were designed to separate people into groups of approximately 2000 people and ordered by our expected finishing times. Due to construction work on the Varazano Bridge we were marshalled to the start line group by group and it was with a mighty cheer that we set off approximately 20 mins after the leaders hit the bridge.

The Varazano-Narrows bridge itself is huge, consisting of two levels, and it is nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) from the start to the other side. We ran on the lower deck and whilst we didn't get the sunshine that those on the top deck enjoyed, the views from the bridge over Manhattan were simply stunning. It was almost worth running with a camera (and in fact many people did just that)

BROOKLYN
On the other side of the bridge Brooklyn was waiting and it was here that the sheer scale of the race really started to sink in. The first two or three miles are bridge and off-ramps but once we were onto the main roads the crowds started to work their magic. Every pavement had people cheering. On ever overpass there were families shouting encouragement and there were bands playing differing styles of music seemingly on every street corner.

Fourth Avenue runs the entire length of Brooklyn and we ran almost the entire length of Fourth Avenue. It is a fairly straight 5 mile (8km) stretch that sees you run through numerous neighbourhoods with all the colour you would expect. The street music also changes with the area, adding even more spice to what was already an exhilarating run.

At the 8 mile mark all the runners come together (there are slightly differing opening sections of the Marathon depending on your race colour) and we were off to Queens

QUEENS
The third of the five boroughs, Queens had an entirely different feel to it. We were still running along major roads but the crowds seemed somehow closer. There were still huge numbers of people along the sides of the road, however, offering all sorts of encouragement; from "high-fives" dished out by the thousands of children to offers of beer and other assorted "sports" drinks proffered by the adults.

Jelly beans, chocolates, toast, fresh bagels, fruit buns. It was all there if you wanted it and the few bits of bread that I accepted along the way tasted heavenly.

At around the 13 mile mark (almost half-way) is the second of the five bridges, Pulaski Bridge. Off to the left were some spectacular views of Manhattan and I have to confess that I did slow down (even more) to take it in. It was well worth it and midway over the bridge I even stopped and took a photo for a fellow runner of him on the bridge with the skyscrapers on the background.

After another couple of miles we found ourselves leaving Queens for our first visit to Manhattan via bridge number 3, the huge Queensborough Bridge

MANHATTAN (THE FIRST TIME)
The Queensborough Bridge gave me one of the most incredible memories of the entire Marathon. The bridge itself is huge, over a mile in length, and takes you from Queens, right over the top of Roosevelt Island and down to First Avenue. There are no spectators to speak of here and it is one of the few relatively quiet sections of the run. Coming off the bridge, however, is and entirely different experience. There is a 270 degree corner that takes you from the bridge, down and around until you are heading north towards the Bronx on First Avenue. This corner is simply amazing as it offers a great vantage point for spectators. So much so that you can hear the noise of the cheering long before you can actually see the people and it felt like I was running into a wall of noise and cheering. It was truly amazing and provided me with a real lift and left me with a huge grin.

First Avenue is a long, straight run all the way through the up-market Upper East Side and through Harlem. I didn't realise at the time but this part of the race is only a couple of blocks from Central Park, where I would be in a couple of hours time. There were still thousands of people at the side of the road and the music too was still at full volume.

THE BRONX
At the top of First Avenue is the Willis Avenue Bridge whose span is actually a metal grill. To my amazement one whole lane of the bridge had a green carpet laid specifically for the runners. It is not often you get to see carpet laid on a bridge! Half way over is the 20 mile checkpoint which was very welcome, and at the end of the bridge were yet more throngs of people, all cheering and screaming "Welcome to the Bronx". Welcome is exactly what I felt.

The Bronx section of the Marathon only lasts for about a mile and then it is over the last of the five bridges, the Madison Avenue Bridge, back into Manhattan and the finish in Central Park

MANHATTAN AND CENTRAL PARK
After leaving the Bronx we were once again in Harlem, this time right at the start of Fifth Avenue. We were greeted by a female hip-hop singer who seemed to be incorporating the names of all the runners she could into her music. Very clever and great to listen to. There was also plenty of gospel music on offer, ranging from one or two singers to full choirs. Another three miles down Fifth Avenue and there it was. Central Park.

The right-hand turn into Central Park is something else. There are literally thousands of people here, all held back by barriers and the fantastic NYPD. The noise is great and the enthusiasm infectious. And the best part is, you now know that you are only a couple of miles from the finish!

As I am not a particularly fast Marathoner, I get to see some of the more interesting costumes that people put on for the finish. I had seen the Blues Brothers at the start and I passed them again in the Park. I am delighted to say that I also managed to beat the Giant Carrot and I am actually faster than Superman over 26.2 miles (whoever would have thought).

Turning onto 59th Street is like running through a sea of people. There is less than a mile to go and the yards are counted down for you in decrements of 100. It felt obligatory to run this last mile, if even at a shuffle. My muscles were screaming and my legs were just about done but there were so many people urging me on I felt like I just had to keep going.

I turned the last corner and there it was. The Finishing Line. It was packed with people, all at least as excited as I was. I had completed one of the world's biggest running events and I felt fantastic. My medal was handed over and I felt like I had really achieved something great.

The shuffle after the finishing line to get our clothing bags seemed to take forever but there were plenty of volunteers on hand offering water, snack-packs and silver body wraps to keep us warm, and I found that the time it took me to get my bag was actually beneficial as it kept my legs moving long enough to relieve some of the lactic acid.

Mari-Mar and her brother Gus (his first marathon) finished ahead of me and were kind enough to wait for me (or maybe it was an excuse to sit down). we had a great reunion, all tired but proud of our achievements.

All in all, the ING New York City Marathon was an event that I will remember with a huge grin for many years. I would recommend it to anyone.