12/02/2022
Just wanted to share my NYC story that I wrote for the LRRC newsletter. Thank you Ted for giving me the opportunity to share my story!
NYC Marathon 2022
A Race Like No Other
By Meg Berry
What can I say about running the New York City Marathon? Run through all five boroughs of the city, it is one of the largest marathons in the world, usually drawing over 50,000 runners. It is said it is watched by over a million spectators, and that is not an exaggeration. It was a dream come true. Running NYC had been a goal of mine for over two years. I was so thrilled to learn that my name had been drawn in the lottery and I was accepted to run the 2020 race in late February. I quickly began making race trip plans with my sister Beth. I applied through the Athletes with Disabilities (AWD) program due to my visual impairment and this allowed me to bring a sighted guide for the marathon. I have a visual impairment that limits my vision to one eye and requires me to have a guide in large races to compensate for the lack of vision in the other eye. Without a guide, I could miss turns and run into people and things on my right side. Of course Beth was my first choice. I knew I wanted to run NYC with her ever since we ran the Chicago Marathon together in 2019. Beth had guided me in several races including the 2019 Little Rock Marathon, 2019 Chicago and several half marathons so aside from her being my sister, I knew she was the best person for the job.
I was so excited and ready to finally get to go to New York. But then that pesky COVID hit and the 2020 race was canceled. I kept running that year (a little too much) and ended up with hip and hamstring tears which forced me to stop running towards the end of 2020. I decided to defer my race entry to 2022, and I took lots of time off during 2021 to rest and recover. And, oh yeah, I had a couple of hospital stays that year too. Let’s just say that 2021 was a rough year for me.
Fast forward to this year, my “comeback” year. I started 2022 strong by running the Boston Marathon. That was an incredible experience, but the best was yet to come in NYC in November! This was my very first trip to NYC. I have always wanted to go to New York since I was a kid in high school. Beth had been several times before, and she knew how much of a big deal this trip was for me. She took me all around the city, and we literally did “all the things”. We walked about ten miles a day, and that’s not easy when you have a marathon thrown in the middle of your trip.
On race day it was unseasonably warm with highs in the 70s. We rode the busses to the holding area on Staten Island (the first borough) where they keep the Achilles athletes and other athletes with disabilities. Beth and I were in awe of these athletes. It was so inspiring to just be with them and to watch them get ready for the race. When they began leading our group to the start corral we walked past other runners waiting in their holding areas. As we walked past, the runners all cheered for us, and it was truly heartwarming. Runners are just so very kind!
Because it was so warm, Beth and I planned on just having fun and not worrying about making a specific time. Things were very quiet going up the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in mile 1 but then we were in Brooklyn (the second borough) surrounded by people. Of course we hear people yelling “welcome to Brooklyn”! I was so ecstatic and couldn’t believe I was finally running the NYC Marathon after waiting so long. In the beginning miles we had plenty of room but eventually we merged with the other waves of runners, and things got pretty crowded. Beth was absolutely amazing as my guide. She was working constantly to make sure I wasn’t going to run into anything or anyone. Running a marathon alone isn’t an easy feat but guiding a blind person in the biggest marathon in the world has to be extremely exhausting. I just cannot imagine how Beth was feeling throughout the race.
We had so much fun through the entire race. It was hot and humid but that didn’t bother us one bit. The crowds were incredible. This race is like one giant block party with live music and people having fun all over the place. We took countless pictures and videos to memorialize our experience. Every borough we entered was incredible and so full of energy and the race volunteers were amazing as well. I remember the Queensboro Bridge, which is covered and has no spectators along it, was eerily quiet until you come up on “Thunder Alley” when entering Manhattan (another borough) from Queens (also a borough). The sound of the people was unbelievable. And we were lucky at that point in the race because it had started to rain. We were so grateful for the rain and cloud cover.
One of the toughest parts was at mile 23 just outside of Central Park. We had been warned that mile 23 was tough because of the steady incline. We pushed through it with the help of the screaming spectators.
Running the last bit of the race in Central Park was beautiful and so exhilarating. Marathons are definitely not easy, but seeing and hearing those people kept me going to the finish.
This was a race I will never forget. I am forever grateful and overjoyed that my sister could share this experience. I want to thank my friends, family and our amazing running community for all of your support and encouragement. But most of all, thank you Beth for being my inspiration and for helping make my dream come true. I truly hope and believe that every marathoner should get to experience the New York City Marathon. A race like no other.
