About the Start

Important Information for 2009
Since the day after last year's race, NYRR has been hard at work to ensure that the ING New York City Marathon 2009 is better than ever. Here is the key information you need to know about the Start.

Wave Starts: In order to alleviate congestion at the start, along the course, and at the finish; reduce waiting time prior to the start; and enhance runners' overall race experience, there will be three wave starts. Instead of releasing close to 42,000 runners at the same time, each wave will release approximately 14,000 runners in 20-minute increments. Assignments will be posted on the Entrant Login page and in the entrant database and will be printed on runners' registration cards, which will be e-mailed in October. [Wave Start FAQ]

The Corral System: There will be seven corrals (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) per color within each wave start. Runners will be organized into corrals according to the projected finish times that they provided on their marathon applications. [Corral Chart]

Official Transportation to the Start: To ensure a timely arrival to the start, NYRR strongly encourages marathoners to take official marathon transportation. [Getting to the Start]

Start Villages
Runners assemble in their start villages in Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, on race morning. The start villages are outdoors and may be damp and cold, so warm, water-resistent clothing is recommended.

Runners will be organized into three start villages/zones -- blue, orange, and green. The base color on your race number (the color underneath the number) indicates your start village assignment. [Start Map] [How To Read Your Race Number for Runners]
[How To Read Your Race Number for Wheelchairs and Handcycles]

Only officially registered entrants and guides are allowed in Fort Wadsworth and the start area. You must have your race or guide number and chip visible to enter.

The main staging area is in Fort Wadsworth adjacent to the start line.

Wheelchair and handcycle athletes will be advised of the location of their staging area.

When you arrive at Fort Wadsworth, assemble in the start village -- blue, orange, or green -- matching the color bands on your race number. Breakfast, toilets, medical expertise, and photography will be available in all three color-coded areas.

There will be more than 1,500 portable toilets available in Fort Wadsworth. Portable toilets will also be available in each corral on the bridge. NYRR strongly suggests that runners use the portable toilets prior to walking onto the bridge. The bridge will house electrical equipment, and urinating on the bridge is extremely dangerous to you and your fellow runners. NYRR reserves the right to disqualify anyone who does not use a portable toilet.

Please use the appropriate containers for trash and recyclable items.

Baggage
New York Road Runners, the National Park Service, and the NYPD reserve the right to inspect any bag entering Fort Wadsworth. UPS (United Parcel Service) will be handling your checked baggage and transporting it to the designated area north of the finish line for you to claim after the race.

You must use the clear goody bag that you will receive at the expo to pack any belongings you wish to have available at the finish. Do not place a personal bag inside this bag. Personal bags will not be accepted.

Affix your baggage label (also distributed at the expo) to your clear bag.

To check your bag, take it to your assigned baggage truck at the UPS baggage trucks in Ft. Wadsworth. Trucks will be labeled in increments of 1,000. Your baggage truck number corresponds to your race number. To avoid congestion, NYRR advises that you drop off your bag no later than 90 minutes prior to your start time.

Athletes with disabilities (and their guides, if any) in any wave starts should place their bags in the truck marked "AWD/Guides." These bags will be taken to the finisher area for athletes with disabilities.

Wheelchair / handcycle entrants should place their bags in the trucks in the wheelchair / handcycle staging area, which will also accept spare chairs for delivery to the finish.

Do not check anything valuable or fragile. New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon, the City of New York, UPS, and all sponsors are not liable for loss of or damage to items or bags placed on the baggage trucks.

For security reasons, your belongings must be visible inside the clear baggage bag given to you at the expo. Please refrain from bringing any additional bags, as they will be confiscated.

Start Schedule

Breakfast
A breakfast consisting of tea, Poland Spring Natural Spring Water, Gatorade Endurance Formula, bagels, PowerBars, and Dunkin' Donuts coffee will be available free of charge from 5:30 until supplies run out in all three start villages.

Photos
brightroom will snap participant photos in all three staging areas. Look for the balloons with the camera icon.

Entertainment and Warm-Up
There will be live music, entertainment, and announcements beginning at 6:00 a.m. at the stages within Fort Wadsworth.

Religious Services
Christian and Jewish religious services are provided by marathoners, for marathoners, at 8:15 a.m. in the open area in Fort Wadsworth.

Medical Expertise and Massage
A full medical staff will be available in each start village. Feel free to ask questions while you warm up and stretch.

Discarding Clothes
The start area may be cold, wet, and/or windy, so we advise that you wear extra layers of "disposable" clothing to keep warm and then discard just before the start in the marked bins. Because you will check your baggage well before the actual start of the race, do not check this clothing in your baggage. We will collect this clothing and donate it to needy organizations.

ING DIRECT Pace Teams
If you are running with a pace team, look for your leader in your corral. Leaders will wear "ING DIRECT Pace Team Leader" shirts, carry signs color-coded to their start, and carry balloons printed with their goal finish time.

Apply for 2010