The 2026 TCS NYC Marathon was my 7th time running New York, my 20th marathon overall and my first marathon of the year. It was not my A race. It was a training long run inside a build week for CIM on December 6, my next serious swing at a marathon PR.
I finished in 3:25:10 at 7:50 per mile, with a gun time of 3:26:04. I ran the second half 6:30 faster than the first, which on a course like New York still feels a little crazy to me.
Where this one fits
My first marathon ever was New York in 2018. I ran 3:56:18. Since then New York has been the race I keep coming back to:
- 2018: 3:56:18, marathon #1
- 2019: 3:32:16, marathon #3, my first race with power
- 2022: 3:38:36, marathon #8, the deferred 2020 entry
- 2023: 4:05:56, marathon #13, my slowest, after an injury following Chicago
- 2024: 3:17:06, marathon #16, a course PR
- 2025: 3:14:52, marathon #19, a course PR by 2:15
- 2026: 3:25:10, marathon #20, a training run for CIM
Twenty marathons, seven of them here. Along the way came Berlin, London, Chicago, Tokyo and Sydney, and my marathon PR of 3:07:00 at Chicago in 2023.
The results
- Official time: 3:25:10 (7:50/mi)
- Gun time: 3:26:04
- Overall: 5,821st of 61,062
- Men: 4,695th of 31,989
- M35-39: 817th of 4,668
- From India: 19th of 327
- Age-graded: 59.93%
- Team: New Jersey Maniacs
- First half 1:45:50 (8:04/mi), second half 1:39:20 (7:35/mi)
The build and race week
The week before, I ran 75 miles, including a 20 miler at 7:53 pace. Race week was a normal training week: six days of running and 49 plus miles before Sunday. The one workout was Wednesday, 10 x 3 minutes at threshold. Thursday was a very easy recovery run, Friday was a rest day at the expo, and Saturday was 9 easy miles. No 3 day carb load this time, just more carbs on Saturday.
I slept 8 to 9 hours a night all week. My HRV had been unusually low for a couple of weeks, which for me usually only happens in a taper. I did not let it bother me. After three easy days I felt relaxed and fresh, and I thought the plan would be easy to execute. Little did I know. This is New York, and 26.2 miles on this course at the end of a training week is not easy by any means.
The plan
Coach Sandi's plan: run the first half easy at 8:15 to 7:55. In the second half, settle in at 7:20 to 7:30, then progress toward 7:00 per mile if I felt good. Even if I could not hold that, it would still be a solid training run for CIM.
Race morning
I woke up at 3:30 and took a hot shower to bring my core temperature up for a cold morning. Breakfast was an everything bagel with vegan cream cheese and vegan butter, black coffee and three Medjool dates. On the drive to Staten Island I finished a 500 ml bottle of water with LMNT.
We reached the drop off near Lily Pond around 7:00. Security was quick. I had half a cup of Dunkin black coffee, caught up with people I have run with in New York over the years, met some new folks, and had a pack of sweet and salty crackers around 7:30. I got into my corral in the Blue village around 8:10. Start bags were not allowed in the corral, so everything went into my pockets: seven gels, Precision Fuel and one Maurten, with caffeine in the mix.
One mistake: I drank water in that last hour, which I usually avoid. It caught up with me.
The race
Start to 10K. I started in Blue Wave 1, Corral B, and crossed the line at 9:11. The first half mile up the Verrazzano was crowded, as always. I let the downhill flow rather than braking and settled in around 7:57. I felt calm and fine, though my heart rate was already in the 160s.
The restroom stop. After 10K I needed a restroom. At mile 7 they were all full, so I got back on course. At mile 8 I squeezed through the crowd and under the barricade tape. It cost me about a minute stopped, plus a few seconds getting in and out. I was trying the Race Screen app on my watch for the first time, and its finish estimate moved from about 3:28 to about 3:32. I am glad I stopped. I felt better right after, and holding it could have meant drinking less and cramping later.
Mile 8 to halfway. My heart rate data dropped out a lot in the first 10 miles, maybe from the crowding as the waves merged. Around mile 10 it was showing the 170s and 180s at about 7:55 pace, and I wondered how I would run 7:20s off that. I did not feel it was that high, but the first half was easy to moderate, not easy. My mind was fresh, but my body had the week's miles in it. Brooklyn's crowds were amazing. I kept focusing on fueling and the LMNT bottle in my hand, and went up the Pulaski Bridge at halfway with short strides.
Second half by effort. Off the Pulaski I switched modes. Instead of chasing 7:20 to 7:30, I ran by effort with one goal: a negative split. For some reason I felt better right away. At mile 15 I refilled my bottle at the Culligan station and mixed in my spare LMNT while running, then ran the Queensboro Bridge strong.
First Avenue was so loud and electric. That is the best part of the New York City Marathon. I was trying to stay focused as it was a training run, but I really enjoyed it. I pushed every downhill and held effort on the uphills. I looked for friends around 95th and 103rd Street but could not spot them.
Heading to the Willis Avenue Bridge my quads got a little tight. I took sodium tabs and felt good again. At mile 21 a volunteer filled my bottle with plain water. Back on Fifth Avenue I ran the hill strong to Engineers Gate at 90th Street, then put the hammer down for the last 3 miles, just as Coach Sandi had suggested.
Fueling
- Morning: bagel, coffee, three dates, LMNT bottle, crackers.
- During: 6 Precision Fuel gels and 1 Maurten gel, including caffeine gels. Three gels in the first half.
- Fluids: LMNT bottle in hand, refilled with LMNT at mile 15 and with water at mile 21.
- Electrolytes: 5 servings of Endurolytes.
The data
My Garmin epix Pro logged 26.49 miles, an average heart rate of 169 (max 189, with dropouts in the first 10 miles), average power of 235 W, an average cadence of 174 steps per minute and 981 feet of climbing.
Mile 1 up the Verrazzano was 8:28 and mile 2 down the other side was 7:17. Through halfway I was mostly 7:50 to 8:00. In the second half I sat mostly in the 7:40s and 7:50s, with a 7:17 at mile 17. Past 20 it kept coming down: 7:37, 7:36, 7:26, 7:42, then 7:01 and 6:53 for miles 25 and 26, my fastest of the day.
How I felt after
I felt great at the finish. It did not feel like an all out race where everything hurts. I walked with my friend, got the medal and poncho, met friends for lunch and got home late. A very successful day.
What I take to CIM
- No extra water in the last hour before the start.
- Carry extra gels, or learn which gels are on the CIM course and where.
- Take LMNT and sodium proactively and carry spares.
- Trust the effort. A 6:30 negative split on New York, closing out a 75.5 mile week, gives me confidence for December 6.