This was much first marathon and it was an awesome experience. The course and crowd support was top notch from beginning to end. Water and Gatorade were plentiful.
I do wish the finishers medals were a bit more elaborate for such an elite world class event. At the finish line, runners

This is one of my favorite local 5K races in the area that is held on Thanksgiving day. With close to 2,000 runners it was a well organized event. Nice course with only 4 turns. First 1/2 mile was a gradual uphill climb. There were two more hills but the one

I've raced Coogans several times. NYRR is a great organization and the logistics of their 5ks like Coogans is impressive. Washington Heights has a lot of culture to be enjoyed during the race. Ft Tyron Park and upper Manhattan is fairly hilly, so this is NOT like racing