Totally extraordinary experience. One of my favorite experiences of this city I’ve ever had. The mental snapshots are so fantastic, going through all the neighborhoods and seeing this river of people churning along against the city with massive crowds lined on all sides. It felt like this amazing transference of energy. Like we were the people running for the city and the city came out to pump collective energy into us to help us do something really hard which was, in turn, pumping energy back into the city. Really wild. I felt kind of like an ant.

We ran through Brooklyn and Queens and the crowds were thick the whole way but as we came over the 59th St Bridge into Manhattan you could literally hear this roar rising up from the whole city...I got shivers up and down my arms. It seemed like there was not a person in the city who wasn’t out on the streets or hanging out of a window. It kept you pumping and moving through the pain.

I had mentally prepared to feel good until 18 or 19 and have the hard part come at the end, but it proved to be miles 15 to 19 for me. My left hip and IT really tightened up coming over the bridge and going up 1st Ave I started to struggle. It annoyed me because I wasn’t tired and wanted to run and just couldn’t move my legs well. I had to stop and stretch it for 30 seconds three times and it was so tight I couldn’t hold pace. I kept moving though and downed a Gu pack and water and some Motrin and made an effort to really lift my knees and push harder. Just as we went into the Bronx, right before the Willis Ave Bridge, it all lifted and I started feeling great and loose again. As we came back over into Manhattan I felt great and that held up was all the way to the end. Last few miles I actually felt high and I felt great coming across the line.

I didn’t make my 3:30 goal but I still did okay. 3:48. I ran with my friend Ala the whole way and we were dead on pace for 3:30 the first 13 miles. But the 2nd half of that course is rough! I think a negative split for the 2nd half was definitely over-ambitious for me. But in the end it meant much more to me to feel really good and strong the last 6 miles.

All of our team did well. The Maasai guys said it’s the hardest thing they have ever done. Which is saying a lot cause these guys are tough.

Great experience. Can’t even process it all yet.

The collective energy is the most memorable part of the whole thing. Incredible.