"Fun 5k through midtown and into Central Park. Has a great marathon-week vibe, with runners from all over the world warming up for the big day.

Packet pick-up at the Javits Center is a pain, especially given the marathon crowds, but understandable for those doing both. Coming from Bkln and

There is always a great turnout and course with views of the city. family friendly and well organized. The race is for all experience levels but broken up by average mile so you are not cluttered together.

"Having failed to secure a spot in the NYC Marathon (the only marathon I've run -- and only once), I looked for a race that would be close to home, and have good crowd support. I read up on Philly, saw that it was fairly flat, and that there was