NYC Half Marathon

0-2.5 miles: You start on Washington Ave. There's a right turn very quickly after the start and then another sharp right onto Flatbush which you run up and then straight back down again and into the park. This section of the course will be congested, and you can be 10-20s a mile slower than your goal pace to account for the crowds and the uphill sections. Don't expend too much energy trying to nip through gaps etc. The road opens up a lot after Grand Army Plaza so you'll be able to run a lot more freely then.  If you know people in the same wave start, the double back on Flatbush is a good place to try and spot them.

2.5-4.5 miles. This is almost entirely a gentle downhill. Use it, but don't go crazy. It's very easy to feel good at this stage and sprint down the hill, but you want to keep energy in the tank for later. No faster than 10-15s/mile faster than your goal pace.

4.5-6 miles. You run over the Manhattan Bridge and down again. The bridge will be tough. You go over the upper car lane, so it's a fair slog to the top. Enjoy the views, they will be amazing. Don't worry about losing time over the mile - you'll gain it back going down the other side and going down onto the FDR. Once you're off the bridge you turn sharp right, run a few hundred meters and sharp right again. All of this is flat or downhill. There's normally a gel station on the last slope down to the FDR.

6-9.5 miles. Up the FDR. This has a couple of small undulations as you go over flyovers but it's pretty flat. This is where to settle into your goal pace. There aren't many crowds in this section, so keep yourself occupied by counting down the streets on the exit signs. Try and run on the right if it's windy. 

9.5-12. This starts with a hill that feels worse than it looks across to Grand Central. If you're feeling good up there, that's your signal to start increasing your pace for the rest of the race and negative split. If it feels tough, know that you've not got too far to go, enjoy the crowds and try to stick to your race pace. This part of Manhattan is really beautiful as well. Once you get to 5th you get a little downhill. Running through Times Square is fun and the kids races go on at the same time. There's a little hill up to the park, then you turn right and get a nice flat/downhill to the SE corner. 

12-13.1. Now's the time to empty the tank. There's a hill going into the park - it's short but it will feel long. If you're feeling good you'll be going past a lot of people here, try to pick them off. Through the rest of the park the course undulates but you also get countdown markers from 800m so the finish is within reach. And you're done!