1. From midtown or wherever,
take the R (yellow) train to the very end in
Brooklyn. Get off on 95th street. This is around
mile 3 of the marathon BUT you
have to know whether your runners are in Green, Blue, or Orange start
to know
where to go wait for them. Hopefully, they are Blue or Orange
because the Green start
is some distance away from the 95th street stop. For Blue and Orange,
you can just
walk up the subway steps and you are right on the marathon course.
If they are Green start
you will need to get off the subway at Bay Ridge Avenue
and wait around mile 4.
2. When the runners go
by, get back on the R train, take it north to the
Atlantic Ave/Pacific St station. Get off, that is
around mile 8, where the
three starts converge.
3. When the runners go
by, get back on the R train, take it to Lexington
Ave/59th street. Walk over to 1st avenue (around 61st street)
and catch the
runners as they come off the 59th street bridge and make the 270 degree
loop
onto 1st Avenue - around mile 16. Advise going up a few blocks, maybe
to 63rd
or 64th as it is very crowded coming off the bridge.
4. Walk back over to Lexington
and take the 6 train (green) north to 110th
or
116th or however far your time lets you make it and catch
the runners around
mile 18-20 (depending on where you get off). This is the toughest
part, if your
runners are fast and the subway is slow you may miss them!
5. Get back on the
6 train and come south to 96th street. Walk
over to 5th
avenue and see your runners just before they get into Central Park
- this will
be between mile 23 and 24 for them.
6. Now you have a problem.
You may not be able to cut across the park and make
it to the finish line before your runners. Depends on how fast YOU
are! You
need to figure this out ahead of time - you may want to skip #5 and
instead
take the 6 train down to 59th street, then walk (run)
across on Central Park South to
see your runners as they make the last turn at Columbus Circle or
even stand
behind the fences just before the VIP stands.
7. Whichever option you
choose in #6, you will meet your runner at the Family Reunion
area
on Central Park West, between West 73rd and 85th
streets. Family reunion is arranged alphabetically by last name.
A-H will exit at 77 street and go south. I-P will meet their families
between 77th and 81st streets.
And Q-Z will be from 81st to 85th street. Of course, if more than
one runner is in your group, be
sure you know which last name to use for the meeting point!
Here
is a link to a map of the Family Reunion Area from the 2006 NYCM
website.
If
there are any confusing points I'll be glad to answer via email.
THREE MORE THINGS
-
1. Have your Scream Team
wear bright colors or have a bright sign or something.
It's easier for the runner to see them than for them to see
the runner!
2. Always agree where the Scream Team will stand - Runner's left or
Runner's
right. Don't just say "we'll be between mile 16 and 17".
Pick a cross street if
you can, but at the least pick the side of the street. Trust me -
I've tried -
a runner in many places can NOT see through all the runners to the
other side
of the street!
3. All of this is much easier if you do like a runner's Mom did one
year - hire
a limo! He drove her everywhere and she saw her little boy all 5 times
and the
finish!