Ms. Nelson Takes on the New York City Marathon
Media provided by Emily Nelson
On Nov 2, 2025, Emily Nelson, Assistant Director of Athletics, joined more than 55,000 athletes who ran the New York City Marathon. As Ms. Nelson pounded the pavement through five boroughs, she saw people crying, laughing, cheering, and even falling to the floor, grabbing their legs. “I forgot that this is not a normal human activity,” she said a few days after the race. “It was insane.”
Ms. Nelson decided she wanted to complete a marathon when she turned 30, so in 2024 she began preparing. To qualify for the New York Marathon, runners must either fundraise three to five thousand dollars or run in nine local races with New York Road Runners — the official NYC Marathon organizer. Still, each of these nine races has an entry fee, and Ms. Nelson invested around $1,000 in the process.
This July, Ms. Nelson began her full training schedule, completing the prescribed workouts from the Runna app every day. During the school year, she ran in the mornings before work. “That was the hardest part because you have to be super consistent and you can’t miss any days,” she said. “I don’t know how anyone does it; it’s so hard to find the time.”
On the day of the race, Ms. Nelson awoke at 4 a.m. and suited up for the day ahead. The morning was cold as she boarded the bus rented by her running club, bound for the start in Staten Island. Up until 10 a.m., Ms. Nelson struggled to fuel up because of her nerves. By 10:20 a.m., she began her first-ever marathon.
“The first 3 miles were really fun,” said Ms. Nelson as she recounted the pretty views and Manhattan skyline from the Verrazano Bridge. The mile-long bridge would be the steepest and longest incline in the marathon, but “everyone was so excited, so we didn’t feel it.”
It became crowded as Ms. Nelson reached 4th Avenue in Brooklyn. “It was a fun energy. I was still feeling good at this point.”
Ms. Nelson said that the craziest part was right before Fort Greene. There weren’t enough barricades, so pedestrians were on the course, which was “a tad overstimulating.”
In contrast, the Queensboro Bridge was a full mile stretch with no fans. It was dead silent and “felt ghostly,” Ms. Nelson said. “All you’re listening to is people’s breathing.”
The hardest part of the race for Ms. Nelson was mile 23. The route around the reservoir at Central Park is all rolling hills, but she made it to the end. Crossing the finish line, “I was really proud of myself, I thought I was gonna cry, but I was too tired to cry.”
Alas! The race wasn’t over. After she ran 26.2 miles, she had to complete the notorious post-marathon marathon: the mile-long trek out of the park. “For ten minutes, I was like, everything hurts. This is awful. But then I saw my family, and everyone was really happy for me.”
Now, with the race almost a week behind her, Ms. Nelson is still over the moon about her accomplishment. “That was sincerely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” she said. “But I can’t wait to do it again.”
Fiona M. ‘26 is the Managing Editor for The Grace Gazette.