With over 50,000 runners, the 42,195 kilometre race around and through Manhattan is probably the most famous marathon in the world. In an interview, Laura Cacioppo, a motivated runner and 2017 New York City Marathon finisher, tells me how she prepared, what the race means to her and motivates you so that you too can cross the finish line in Central Park next year.
"For as long as I've been running, I've always dreamed of taking part in the big, famous New York Marathon. Many say that just taking part is already worth the USD 500 entry fee. I love competition and just taking part for the sake of taking part has never interested me: if I go, it's to give my best. Finishing the race in under four hours would make me the happiest person in the world."
Running is living
How to get there
Sometime before the start
The crowning achievement - the TCS New York City Marathon
When I'm not stuffing my face with sweets, you'll catch me running around in the gym hall. I’m a passionate floorball player and coach. On rainy days, I tinker with my homebuilt PCs, robots or other gadgets. Music is always my trusted companion. I also enjoy tackling hilly terrain on my road bike and criss-crossing the country on my cross-country skis.
When I ask the friendly woman from Ticino about the origins of her running career, her eyes start to sparkle: "For me, running means being free. Stress at work? Relationship problems? Friends who behave like idiots? No worries at all. As soon as I put on my running shoes, I'm in another world. My world. And I start running. My legs take me wherever I want to go. It's not just to enjoy the beautiful scenery, the fresh morning air or to get some exercise. Nor is it to prove anything to anyone. When I run, I don't think about anything."
She stops talking for a moment, looks into the distance and smiles. "This feeling is indescribable. I don't know how to explain it. I leave everything behind and I'm at peace with myself. I don't run away, on the contrary. When I run, I always have a goal. And the best thing about it is that I'm the one who defines it. If my legs feel good, I do my best. If I'm lazy, I go out anyway, but I walk. And at that point, that's all I need to be happy."
She started running relatively late, she continues. But she doesn't mind, age doesn't really matter: "I don't run for a country, for a contract or for family. I run for myself. And if I try to run faster, it's because I want to. There's no age limit to enjoy running" I'm beginning to wonder if she isn't a little lacking in ambition. She seems to be able to read my mind and adds: "If you think I'm running now without timing myself, you're miles away. For me, running means living, yes. But I want to improve and I make high demands of myself. Without the will and desire to overcome your inner demons, nothing is possible. If I have a race, I'm also going to run in the wind, the rain and the cold. For me, hesitating is already having given up mentally."
She had already started running at school - forced to run like all the other children. It was also because of this that Laura didn't want anything more to do with running for a long time. Until a friend begged her to go running with her. But running, shoes as her only equipment and the indescribable feeling of freedom that Saturday morning never left her. "Of course, it's possible that the sunny weather, the crystal-clear Maggia and the fresh Ticino air had something to do with it. But since that day, nothing has ever been the same for me. I often accompanied my girlfriend when she trained and took part in my first race with her. It was the Hallwilerseelauf, a wonderful race. I'd recommend it to anyone."
Training and taking part in races are not enough to prepare for New York. The right diet also plays a decisive role. As does the way you train. Laura believes that "just running helps you prepare, but it's not the only way to achieve your goal."That's why she visited an old high school chum who now runs his own personal training studio at the University of Geneva. Gabriele Guzman, founder of Raimi Performance and Personal Trainer, put together a targeted training plan for Laura to prepare for the New York Marathon. This included not only the ingredients for her meals, but also interval training, strength training sessions in the gym and rest days. "The body needs time to recover and process what it has done. You can't walk to the end of the world and still be in great shape. The body needs breaks. "Laura's voice gets louder as she says these words.
Correct equipment is also important: "A good shoe is the essential foundation of every race! With the right shoe, you can easily run on any ground, whereas the wrong shoe can completely ruin your run. "For this reason, Laura also benefited from the free analysis offered by Galaxus, in collaboration with New Balance. Here, specialists helped her find the right shoe. "I take my hat off to the New Balance team: they recommended one of their shoes for shorter races and agreed that my Asics were the best choice for the marathon. Which I found out for myself during an hour-and-a-half training session. Anyway, the honesty and professionalism of the New Balance team impressed me. Well done!"
In the final week before New York, we had to eat pasta to fill up on carbohydrates. "Originally from Ticino with an Italian passport, I love pasta. I don't even need sauce. Pasta on its own is enough - but only if it's good (I attach a lot of importance to that). My nonna fed me pasta from birth. Maybe that's why I took up running. During the preparatory phase, it was mainly foods containing eggs, vegetables, fruit, red meat and pasta that featured on the diet plan. "But there were also days off. At least, I allowed myself a few. But definitely don't repeat that to my coach."
Arriving in New York, the marathon atmosphere in the air was already palpable on Friday evening. Everywhere, runners were covering their last few miles in preparation for the race of a lifetime on Sunday. "I have to say that I should even have arrived on Thursday. With the delay, the countless barriers to entry and the time difference, one day wasn't enough time to acclimatise. I'd recommend everyone to get there as early as possible. Because everything is different. The weather forecast for the marathon was also favourable: cloudy, 19 degrees. Only the possibility of morning showers left wrinkles on his forehead. Saturday morning followed the last short training session in Central Park, the marathon finish area, and Saturday evening the last plate of pasta. After that, we went to bed early. A final check to see if our equipment was complete and ready. Because the next day, Laura's big dream was finally to come true.
5.15am: wake up, shower and sports kit
5:16am: a look outside - yes, it's overcast and, no, it's not raining
5:45am: bus ride to the start on Staten Island, just in front of the Verrazano Bridge
7:00: arrival at the start area, security check with metal detectors, etc.
8:00: breakfast, warm-up exercises and small talk with other participants
8:45: I'm slowly getting fed up with waiting, getting impatient
9.20am: the elite Women leave (after 40 years, it's once again an American woman who wins)
9:50: the elite Men start (Switzerland's Tadesse Abraham finishes fifth)
10:30am: after feeling like I've been to the toilet 100 times, I get nervous and wish I could finally run
10.45am: and the starting signal for my category is finally given (we start running, but only slowly)
11.45am: we're now in Brooklyn, I've already run 10 kilometres, I've found my rhythm and I'm feeling good
12:45: I'm past Brooklyn, running towards Queens, still feeling good
1.45pm: I've overcome a moment of difficulty that occurred at mile 30 in the Bronx by taking a sip of water and some energiser gel, I still want to keep going
2:20pm: I've already got 35 kilometres in my legs, I'm now in Manhattan and I'll soon be arriving in Central Park. I've never run such a distance in one go - and I can feel it. My legs are heavy, my stomach hurts a bit and my thoughts aren't as free as they were at the start
2:50pm: I've just passed mile 40 and all I want is a hot meal, a nice bath and to elevate my feet
2:57pm: I've done it, I've crossed the finish line after 4 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds, and I've just achieved my dream. Tears are streaming down my cheeks and I'm so happy I can't find the exit. The security staff gently push me towards the exit
3:35pm: I'm finally back at the hotel and in the shower - it's still too top notch to realise what I've just achieved. I've just finished my first marathon and what's more it's the New York marathon
"The next day I had a sumptuous breakfast, but not a balanced one at all: with pancakes, waffles, syrups, cornflakes, bagels, doughnuts, muffins and all the rest, even though I'm very careful about what I eat. But it doesn't matter, it was a well-deserved breakfast. And it did me good. Surprisingly, I didn't feel my legs until Tuesday... the famous 48-hour rule for marathon runners, as I found out later. But my performance on Sunday carried me like a cloud through the streets of New York."
I ask her if she's disappointed not to have reached the goal she set herself. "Although I didn't manage to finish in under four hours, I'm more than satisfied with my performance. The many metres of ascent and descent, the different ground conditions and the climate didn't allow me to set a better time. And it was my very first marathon! As a token of my triumph, I wore the finisher's medal all day on Monday. And, as is customary in the United States, strangers congratulated me in the street, shop assistants talked to me in the shops and tourists wanted a photo of me or to be photographed with me. A small woman, big for a while. I could get used to it." Once again, she smiles and looks up at the sky. And adds: "Can I confess something to you? Shortly before the finish, I said to myself: this is the first and last marathon of my life. But after what I've been through since then, I can't wait to get ready for my next goal." She anticipates the answer to my next question: "I don't know where or what it will be yet."
One of the most important pieces of advice she wants to give to future runners is very simple: "Never give up and challenge yourself. You don't have to prove anything to anyone but yourself." The tailored training and diet programme has also helped her, she says. As did an understanding and patient environment. She holds up her index finger: "If you really want to, you can train anywhere, anytime. If you find excuses... it's because you're in the wrong sport", and finally she adds: "Stay positive, believe in yourself and set yourself a goal. That way you can prepare and train for something. That's what motivates."
