My name is Sven Andersson and I
work as a consultant in embedded
system design, implemented in ASIC
and FPGA.
In my spare time I write this blog
and I hope it will inspire others to
learn more about this fantastic field.
I live in Stockholm Sweden and have
my own company
Contact
You are welcome to contact me
and ask questions or make comments
about my blog.
It is a chilly morning on Manhattan when we board the bus at 6 am that will take us to the start of the New York City Marathon on Staten Island. I am one of 35000 runners that is going to run the race. I have had a good breakfast at the restaurant Manhattan Diner and I am ready for the 26.2 miles through five different boroughs; Staten Island, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Manhattan. The bus takes us to Fort Wadsworth, which is located on Staten Island just south of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Then there is a long wait before the start at 10:10 am. As a New York City Marathon runner, you'll pond more streets in more parts of the city than many natives get to in a lifetime. The start of the race, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is one of the highlights. The bridge was opened in 1964 and it remains the longest suspension bridge in North America, with towers half as tall as the Empire State Building. The top of bridge is also the highest point of the race, 250 feet above see level. On the other side of the bridge is New York's most populous borough, Brooklyn, home to more than two and a half million people. With more than 11 miles of the marathon in Brooklyn I have plenty of time to enjoy its size and diversity.
From the top of the bridge it's downhill. The tension is gone, the body starts to warm up, the sun is shining, there is no wind and the temperature is 10C. It is a perfect day for a marathon. We descend into Brooklyn and Fourth Avenue, which is a wide boulevard, lined with small stores and apartment buildings, with a church, synagogue or mosque seemingly on every corner. Running is easy and I have plenty of time to watch the surroundings and my fellow runners. I stop at every fluid station to drink. In the beginning I drink only water and after half the marathon a mixture of water and Gatorade. After 10 miles we reach Williamsburgh, one of the world's largest Hasidic Jewish enclaves. Much of Williamsburgh is going through a hipster-artist boom and many new restaurants and cafés are popping up. The Pulaski Bridge will take us to Queens where we stay for only 1.5 miles. The climb over the almost mile-and-a-half-long cantilevered Queensboro Bridge, completed in 1909 gives me a great view of the Manhattan skyline on my left. We enter Manhattan on First Avenue and hundred thousands of cheering spectators. My wife waits for me at 69th Street. A short stop a hug, a kiss and time for taking a few photos.
The neighborhood is now full of restaurants, stores, and modern apartment towers. Some older brownstones and tenements remain north of 90th Street. At 96th Street we enter East Harlem. We'll pass under the Manhattan approach of Moses's Triborough Bridge at 125th Street to cross the Willis Avenue Bridge, a truss swing bridge that dates from 1901. This brings us to the borough of the Bronx and mile 20. I am still in good shape. My legs are a little bit stiffer but there is no pain and no blisters. We stay in Bronx for only one mile and the Madison Avenue Bridge will take us back to Manhattan and Fifth Avenue. The avenue seems to never end and it is small ascent for several miles. At 110th Street the Central Park begins and on the left is the beginning of Manhattan's Museum Mile. When it is two miles left the course enters into the park. The park is hilly and it is up and down all the time. Now all of a sudden my legs start to give up on me. I have to run slower and slower but I force my self not to start walking. When I hear the people cheering at the finishing line I get some extra strength and I cross the finishing line with a big smile. I made it. I finished the New York City Marathon. I get my medal and I am covered with a big warming aluminum blanket. I am so tired and so happy.
All runners have a data chip mounted on one of the shoes. This chip will be read at automatic timing pads and your time will be recorded every 5K. All your split times and your finish time are stored and can be found on the New York City Marathon result page.To see my results, enter my start number 31363.
