Good morning from New York City!
It’s a clear and sunny New York morning, around 60,000 runners are gathering on Staten Island. Ahead of them lie five boroughs, five bridges, and one of the most famous finish lines in sport.
Among them is Giles Ashton-Roberts, preparing for marathon six of seven in support of the MND Association.
For many runners, simply reaching the New York City Marathon start line is an achievement. For Giles, the week started with another.
Earlier this month, he was selected as one of just 26 members of Team Inspire, a group chosen by New York Road Runners to represent the stories that sit behind the race. His seven-marathon challenge was recognised as one of the journeys that embodies the spirit of the event.
"The Team Inspire recognition means a huge amount because it shines a light on the cause as much as the running. New York is full of extraordinary people doing extraordinary things, so to be chosen as one of those stories is a real honour. At the heart of it though, the reason I'm here hasn't changed. Every mile is still for my mum and for everyone affected by MND."
They are underway!
The cannon fires.
Frank Sinatra’s classic anthem New York, New York gives way to the sound of 60,000 pairs of running shoes. Warm-up layers are tossed aside as runners cross the start, destined for collection, and donation rather than a Staten Island pavement.
And suddenly, New York is moving.
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge rises out of Staten Island and stretches towards Brooklyn, carrying an entire marathon field across New York Harbour. Below, ferries cut through the water. Ahead, the Manhattan skyline waits on the horizon.
Earlier this week, Giles told us this was the moment he had been looking forward to most. It's easy to understand why.
For a few extraordinary minutes, before the crowded streets of Brooklyn, before the climb of the Queensboro Bridge and before Central Park comes into view, the city reveals itself all at once.
Behind him are five marathons, countless training miles, and a cause that has carried him across four continents.
Ahead lies New York.
Brooklyn takes over
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is still disappearing behind the runners when Brooklyn takes over. And Brooklyn takes marathon support personally.
Street by street, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, the race acquires a soundtrack. Music spills onto the course. Spectators lean from windows.
At Mile 8 the Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School band playing the theme from Rocky. If ever there were a day when repeatedly playing Rocky in public was entirely justified, this is probably it.
Entire communities appear to have reached the same conclusion: if 60,000 people are going to run through your borough, the least you can do is make a bit of noise.
The remarkable thing about the New York Marathon is that the city doesn't watch it. It joins in.
The quietest place in New York
New York spends the first half of the marathon showing off.
The skyline. The crowds. The neighbourhoods. The energy.
Then it sends runners onto the Queensboro Bridge and removes all the distractions.
For a few minutes the city stops entertaining and asks a simple question: How much do you really want this?
For Giles, who has already crossed finish lines in Paris, Boston, London, Sydney and Chicago this year, the answer is fairly well established by now.
Still, the bridge has a way of making everyone negotiate with themselves.
The reward comes immediately afterwards.
A left turn onto First Avenue.
And the sort of crowd noise that helps people discover they still have something left to give. For Giles, every mile is carrying him towards Central Park. More importantly, every mile is carrying the message that brought him to New York in the first place.
First Avenue
The reward comes quickly.
Giles emerges from the Queensboro Bridge and turns onto First Avenue.
And New York erupts.
The noise is extraordinary. Spectators line the avenue for what seems like forever, creating a corridor of encouragement stretching deep into Manhattan. After the isolation of the bridge, it feels as though the entire city has turned up to deliver a much-needed reminder that the finish line is getting closer.
This is the point where many runners find something extra.
Not fresh legs. Nobody is handing those out.
But belief.
The sort that comes from seeing thousands of complete strangers willing you forward.
Brooklyn is behind him.
Queens is behind him.
The Bronx and Central Park still lie ahead.
The Bronx and Central Park
The New York City Marathon has a curious habit of changing scale as the miles pass. This morning, the city felt impossibly large. Five boroughs. Nearly 60,000 runners. A route stretching all the way from Staten Island to Central Park.
Now the challenge feels much simpler.
Reach the Bronx.
Reach Central Park.
Keep moving.
The Bronx arrives briefly, but memorably. The crowds haven't lost any of their enthusiasm. If anything, they seem determined to make sure runners have enough momentum for what comes next.
And what comes next is Central Park.
For most of the day, it has been the destination everyone talks about.
Now it is finally appearing ahead.
The autumn colours are beginning to replace the skyscrapers. The roads are more familiar from television coverage. The crowds sense the finish getting closer and their energy rises accordingly.
So does Giles's.
And across the line...
Central Park has a habit of making everything feel possible.
The crowds are deeper. The noise is louder. The finish line is no longer a distant concept somewhere on the other side of New York. It's real.
And then, finally, it appears.
After five boroughs, five bridges and 26.2 miles, Giles crosses the finish line of the TCS New York City Marathon. New York is done!
We caught up with Giles shortly after he crossed the finish line. "That's six done. New York was special. Team Inspire was special. But crossing that finish line knowing why I started this challenge in the first place means even more. I'm exhausted, but very happy to be standing here."
Six marathons completed.
One remains.
Mumbai is next.
But for now, there is a medal around his neck, a finish line behind him, and the knowledge that every mile has helped raise awareness and support for people affected by MND.
New York delivered everything it promised.
If you can, please support Giles's fundraiser for the MND Association.
Support Giles's fundraising challenge
