Did you enter the NYC Marathon lottery for 2024 unsuccessfully? If you did, you were one of the 94% of lottery entrants who didn’t get a place, including me. If you didn’t get in, perhaps you’re now considering other options. While I love in-person races, with the expo, crowd support, and post-race celebrations, if your schedule isn’t as flexible as you’d like, you could consider signing up for a virtual marathon instead. When I originally heard about these types of races, I didn’t really see the point and couldn’t imagine signing up for one, but as I’ve outlined below, I had a wonderful experience running the NYC Marathon’s virtual option, and would highly recommend it to other runners.

A couple of years ago in 2022, I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. It would’ve been my first marathon in four years. Not only was it a race that had been on my bucket list for a while, but it was also in my hometown, so logistically super easy to get to. Given that I hadn’t covered 26.2 miles for a while, I decided to run the Marine Corps for enjoyment, not for a specific time, as I wanted to prove to myself that I could still run the distance and manage race conditions. I was excited for the race, and my training had gone well. I’d been consistent, built up slowly, and had the miles under my feet.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks before the marathon, I got sick, and I had a terrible cough that lingered and lingered. My training pretty much ended, and I didn’t feel that I could run Marine Corps and have a decent race. Although I wasn’t running for a specific time, I did want to enjoy myself and have my confidence boosted by a solid run. Given that this wasn’t looking like a likely outcome, I decided to pull out.

I was really disappointed that I couldn’t run the race. I wallowed in self-pity for a few days, annoyed at the coworker who had passed on their germs to me, and then I started to think about what I could do with all my training. I looked for races a little later in November, but I couldn’t find anything that worked with my schedule or budget, so then I moved on to consider virtual races. I hadn’t thought about doing one before, and I didn’t really know what they entailed, so I did some research.

Virtual marathons started to become popular during the pandemic when traditional races were canceled. A virtual marathon is a race where participants complete the marathon distance (26.2 miles or 42.195 kilometers) on their own, typically within a specified time frame and using their own chosen route. Unlike traditional marathons where runners gather at a specific location to run together, virtual marathons allow individuals to participate from anywhere in the world. Participants usually register online, receive a race bib, and sometimes other swag such as medals or t-shirts, and then track their own progress using GPS devices or running apps. Once they complete the distance within the designated time frame, they submit their results online. Virtual marathons have become increasingly popular since in-person events were limited or not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and even though race schedules are almost back to normal, they are still proving to be of interest to runners.

I did a simple Google search to find out which virtual marathons were happening in October and November, and discovered that the New York City Marathon had a virtual option, as did several others. I did some additional research online and discovered that there were hundreds of people who had run virtual marathons before, in particular, the NYC option, and had loved it. After much thought and many Google searches, I decided to sign up for the race. There seemed to be many benefits such as:

• You could run the race when you wanted, as long as you ran it within the time window.
• Location didn’t matter. You could run the race wherever you liked – perfect for me in Washington, DC.
• There was an option to add a medal into your race entry if that’s important to you (I learned from this experience that the medal is important to me).
• The cost of entry was cheaper than a regular in-person marathon.
• A really active Facebook group full of runners supporting each other and cheering each other on.
• The option (if purchased) to receive guaranteed entry into the NYC in-person marathon.

To run my virtual marathon, I had to sync my Strava account to the NYRR club, which was easy (if you get stuck there are lots of people who can help). I then decided on the date I wanted to run and prepped as I would for a regular marathon. My preparation involved:

• Planning my 26.2-mile route so that it was long enough and would officially ‘count’.
• Working out my taper plan.
• Ensuring that I had my hydration and nutrition figured out along the route as I wouldn’t have the usual aid stations.
• Making sure I knew where the bathrooms would be along my route.
• Planning the all-important race-day outfit.

The NYC Virtual Marathon Facebook group was really helpful as people chatted about what they had planned for their races and shared tips and tricks with others. They also cheered others on and congratulated runners who had completed the distance. I was really surprised by how active the group was and how supportive and genuinely happy people were for each other.

On the day of my marathon, my husband drove me to my chosen starting point in Bethesda, Maryland. I then ran down the Capital Crescent Trail into Washington, DC, across the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge into Virginia, back into DC, and around the Lincoln Memorial and Hains Point to end at the Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin. When I finally finished, I was able to buy a snack and Gatorade from the little tourist refreshment stand and wait for my husband to pick me up.

I can see how running a marathon by yourself might seem daunting, but for me, that wasn’t an issue. I really enjoy running alone, so I just made this race into an extra-long run. If you like company though, you could easily run your race with a friend, or get different people to join you on segments of your race. You also could incorporate a group run into part of it. The one thing I missed during my marathon was the crowd support, especially at the end when I was really tired. There were many moments I’d wanted to stop, but slowed down instead. I think if there had been some people cheering, I would’ve likely run a little faster, buoyed by their encouragement.

I treated the end of my virtual marathon like any other. I went home, refueled, showered, and went out for lunch with my husband to celebrate. My goals for the virtual marathon had been:

1. Run 26.2 miles and prove to myself that I could still cover the distance.
2. Run a smart super long run, getting nutrition and hydration right.

I felt that the NYC virtual marathon option gave me the opportunity to practice and achieve both of these things, for which I was very grateful. All my training for the original Marine Corps hadn’t gone to waste at all. In fact, I was even more motivated to run another marathon the following year with my added confidence.

After I uploaded my run to Strava, I saw my results get verified in my NYRR account. About a week later, a little parcel arrived in the mail with my medal and keychain. I was really surprised by the package. It was thoughtfully put together with a little note of congratulations from the NYRR. I hung the medal on my rack near the treadmill and can honestly say that I’m as proud of it as all the other marathon medals that hang there. It wasn’t a traditional race, but it represented a long training cycle and a lot of hard work in the summer heat, as well as a commitment to achieve the goals I’d set out back in the late spring.

If you didn’t get into the NYC marathon, are looking for another race, and can’t find one that fits your schedule, I can highly recommend the New York Marathon virtual option. It exceeded my expectations, and I would definitely consider doing it again.

If you’ve got a fun virtual marathon story to share, or a race to recommend, please add it below, along with any tips for fellow runners.