The TCS New York Marathon is one of the six Abbotts World Marathon Majors and is a bucket list entry for many runners who want to run through the five boroughs of this iconic of cities. I had entered the ballot on a number of occasions, although there are a number of other routes to securing a place such as via the charities or tour companies. I finally got my place in 2015 and was thrilled to get the opportunity to run in the Big Apple.

After arriving at JFK on the Friday afternoon I went straight to the Expo at the Jacob J Javits centre on W34 on 11th Avenue. It's a huge venue and the expo had everything you'd expect including some race strategy presentations plus the usual stalls from a wide range of suppliers. I picked up my race pack and t-shirts for the marathon and the Dash to the Finish line 5k the day before. I recommend signing up as this is great way to deal with any pre-marathon nerves and good for helping with the jet lag.

The Dash to the Finish line 5k was an early morning start over at E47 Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue which takes you past the United Nations building before turning right onto E42 Street. You run past the beautiful Grand Central Station on your right, then passing Bryant Park on your left before turning sharp right onto 6th Avenue. You're now facing Central Park and a decent opportunity to stretch your legs before you turn right onto 59th Street to take you into Central Park. You pick up West Avenue and you're actually now on the marathon route heading towards the marathon finishing line which is great for visualising what's to come the following day. It's fun event and well worth signing up as part of your marathon planning.

New York City hotels can be expensive, so I'd check out the usual hotel booking sites early to get the best deals. I opted to stay in midtown so I'd have a short walk from the end of the race, although if you don't mind stretching your legs then there's plenty of other options.

The pasta party on the Saturday night takes place at TCS New York City Marathon Pavilion in Central Park at West 67th Street, just off Central Park West. My advice is get there early because the queues are huge. The food is pretty good, if I recall it comes from Tavern on the Green which is next door.

The big decision most people grapple with is how to get to State Island for the start of the marathon. There are pros and cons of bus versus boat, I took the bus which was stress free but very early as the Verrazano Narrows bridge has to be closed as it's actually the start of the race and the roads need to be closed. The boat option means a later start, but I did hear tales of people being delayed when waiting to get the bus from the boat to the start line which would not help with the mental preparations.

Arriving at Staten Island early I was keen to find some where to relax and wait for my start time. The runners village was quite a sight with lots of people wearing multiple layers as everyone was looking to keep warm. There are 3 different colours that depict which holding area you need to head for. The previous year was bitterly cold and wet and mercifully it was wet or too cold. As the clock ticked down I made my way to the start pens. The atmosphere at this point was only heightened by the playing of Frank Sinatra's New York, New York. The cannon goes off to trigger the start of the marathon and I was soon chomping at the bit to get started.

As my wave came through and the race got underway I was in awe of the Verrazano Narrows bridge as you look up at the amazing structure. It was absolutely rammed (and uphill) and so my pace was much slower than planned, but I did look for the location on the bridge that featured in Saturday Night Fever (probably showing my age here). The first few miles take you up through Bay Ridge in the South of Brooklyn and there's plenty of support from the crowds immediately. The course is very flat in this phase of the marathon and it's no surprise that statistically Brooklyn is the fastest borough in the NYC marathon.

Around about mile 6 there were overhead gantries with photographers so don't forget to wave. As you get to mile 8 the three different starting colours finally merge into a single course. Getting into Central Brooklyn the decibel levels went up a notch as the crowds are much larger and more raucous - having your name on your shirt really makes a difference as got a huge boost and surge in pace with all of the positive energy.

As we got towards Williamsburg at around mile 10 - 11 you run through some of the Hasidic Jewish communities who are totally going about their normal business in spite of c50,000 people running by. I still recall watching a guy trying to sprint across the road in front of me in his traditional attire which didn't seem to me to be the best kit to wear for a run but boy he was quick.

The halfway point soon approaches before a climb up of the Pulaski Bridge, before you enter Queens which is the third borough of the five you'll run through. As you approach mile 15 you're hitting one of the toughest tests - the Queensboro Bridge (otherwise known as the 59th Street or Ed Koch Bridge). The course takes you up to the lowest level of the bridge, which happens to be uphill and no crowd to drag you along - lots of people walked but I was determined to grit my teeth and keep going at all costs.

The good news is that as you come down off the bridge you're now in Manhattan and the crowds are absolutely amazing, I felt like I was floating along for the next mile or so as you're now on 1st Avenue. As you look up you see thousands of runners as far as the eye can see (well actually about 4 miles). This whole stretch felt hard as the sun had come out and I was now throwing water over my head to keep cool.

As I approached the Willis Avenue Bridge there was a very large priest / vicar / minister who was bellowing out to every runner "welcome to the Bronx", which was super friendly. One of my highlights from the run arrived in the Bronx when a gospel choir were singing a pitch perfect rendition of Alicia Keys Empire State of Mind (who was coincidentally running the marathon that day too). The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up and I was genuinely choking up a bit, but it was truly unforgettable experience. The crowds in the Bronx were also fantastic and before you know it you're hitting mile 21 as you re-enter Manhattan and you're in Harlem. More great crowds and atmosphere which really helped as the legs felt a little fatigued by now.

After a few turns you hit 5th Avenue which starts out quite flat but by the time you hit mile 23, boy does is climb. I, along with many others, were struggling to maintain any real rhythm. Around about mile 24 you finally make it into Central Park and at this point I thought I should try and kick on. This proved to be the wrong decision as the terrain was anything but flat and so I was really trying desperately hard to maintain my pace. As you hit South Central Park and head towards Columbus Circle and mile 26 the painful truth is that the last 385 yards are up hill - who would do such a thing when designing a marathon course. Those last few strides really benefit from the crowds in the temporary stands to get you home.

I crossed the line and got my medal, goodie bag and most importantly, my super-hero cape. One of my strongest memories is taking that walk out of the park and down Central Park West with an army of blue caped crusaders. Whatever you do, order the cape - you won't regret it.

To summarise, the TCS NYC marathon is a must do event. The organisation and logistics are first class, everything worked like clockwork and I had a brilliant experience. I know it's tough to get a place and with flights and hotels it's not cheap, but if you get a chance - go for it!