Running Manhattan with Inspiring NYC Runner Chris B

May 2

By Marnie Kunz

Running Manhattan along the whole perimeter is no easy feat - the distance is longer than a marathon and includes a wide variety of terrain. Inspiring NYC runner Chris B. recently ran over 33 miles around the island of Manhattan. Along the way, they were fueled by determination, their father’s memory, and a love of running. Here is their story:

Running Manhattan: Tackling the Busiest Island

RS: What gave you the idea to run around Manhattan?

Chris: I was aware for a while that local NYC ultramarathon runners consider running Manhattan as a loop a “fun run” since it is mostly flat for the entire loop, with a few hills, mostly up in Harlem and Inwood. The idea for me to run it came from a Prospect Park Track Club teammate who expressed an interest in running the loop. I started to think about running it because I had to defer the NYC marathon last fall for personal reasons, and it had been too long since my last marathon distance (Nov 2021), and even longer since my last ultramarathon distance (May 2018). I've lived in New York City for just about 15 years now - I moved here at the end of April 2008.

RS: How long was your run?

Chris: Officially, running Manhattan took 5 hours and 38 minutes, 14 seconds, including bathroom and water station breaks. My total distance was 33.6 miles starting and finishing in Battery Park in Lower Manhattan.

RS: What was your training like? How long did you train?

Chris: I started training back in January. Even when I’m not actively training for races, I like to keep my base weekly mileage at around 30 miles (5 days a week). I only ended up doing three long runs for this ultramarathon, and the longest was only around 22 miles. However, it’s probably generally better to be a little undertrained than overtrained to avoid the risk of injury. During my run, things started to get hard around mile 28, and my quads were on fire by that point.

RS: How did your father play a role in your run?

Chris: So my father Harry passed away in early February from complications relating to frontotemporal dementia (FTD). He was diagnosed with it a decade ago. Naturally, his death had an impact on my training schedule and run date. I ended up delaying my run, which was originally slated for mid-March by a few weeks, and really thought that my reasons for running this epic course have shifted into a run to honor him. I thought a lot about him during my training long runs as well as on the day of the Manhattan perimeter run. He was there with me in spirit when things started to get tough after the 28th mile.

RS: What was the hardest part of the run?

Chris: I would say it was really hard after mile 28, with 5.6 miles still left to go. At this point, we're all on the West Side Greenway heading back down toward Battery Park. The big problem is that none of the water fountains were working so we had to rehydrate by other means (with spectators meeting us with bottles of water and purchasing water from a vending machine at Chelsea Piers).

RS: How did you feel at the end?

Chris: As soon as I finished running back down in Battery Park, by the Korean War memorial, I had two emotions almost simultaneously: I was exalted and relieved to have finished, but also in a state of total disbelief that I had just run around the entire outer perimeter of the island of Manhattan.

RS: Do you have any words of advice for runners who are thinking about taking on a big challenge such as running Manhattan as a big loop or doing an ultra marathon?

Chris: My advice would be to let other people know you are doing it to help you be accountable, but also get some other people involved in the race, as cheer support, as pacers (I had two track club teammates run with me for 20 and 12 miles, which made a huge help in finishing), or even just friends who will follow your progress during the race and send you encouraging texts during your run. I had Garmin LiveTracking enabled so that people could follow my progress over the course of five and a half hours and send messages of support along the way. It made a huge difference in my mental state, especially when things got tougher later. My biggest advice is to work up to running this distance. It could take eight months or more if you're not a regular runner with a base to build on. I've also run four ultramarathon races of various distances in the past, which helped prepare me mentally insofar as what to expect during the training cycle, and the run itself.

RS: What’s next for your running?

Chris: I'm running the Buffalo Marathon at the end of May. It will be my first marathon since 2021, and my 11th marathon overall. I recently ran the NYC Runs BK Half two weeks after running around Manhattan, and then just last week I broke the non-binary finisher tape for the Orchard Street Runners Bread Route Race (OSRBRR) at 3 am on a Friday morning.

I've run enough races now that I know that I need to back off a little bit and let my body recover between now and race day at the end of the month, with one 18M long run before then.

RS: Where can people follow your journey?

Chris: People can follow me on Instagram at @paradox.of.causality.

RS: Anything else you’d like to add?

Chris: I am probably going to run the perimeter of Manhattan in the spring as an annual tribute and memorial to my father, but would love others to join for all or part of the route, either in person or virtually. I will probably start planning next year's run (to take place in April) at the end of this year.

RS: Thank you so much Chris for your time and for inspiring us all by running Manhattan! What an incredible journey. Runners, you can check out Chris’ route on Garmin Connect and start planning your own run. And don’t forget to join in Chris’ memorial run next April.😊

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach, Brooklyn resident, Akita mom, and the founder of Runstreet.

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