They say if you ever lose faith in humanity to visit the arrivals area at an airport to witness the reunion of loved ones. Running the New York City Marathon with some friends also does the trick.

This past weekend, thanks to our pals at New Balance, the Citius Mag team was able to suit up to run the five boroughs together in what was a truly memorable day for all of us. Like every one of the historic 61,146 finishers, each member of our squad had a unique story and their own challenges in getting across the finish line. Being able to experience some friends celebrating their first New York finish made it even more special.

In my personal journey, this was one of the roughest start lines I have ever had to make. A few months ago, my intention was to really send it in Chicago with a marathon training plan guided by Coach Galen Rupp and then to double back and run this one “just for fun.” Training for Chicago brought a spark back to running that had been missing for me. Some time in late July when I was waking up early to sneak out for a structured long run, I was reminded that the weekly rhythm of a training plan was a net-good for my life.

Instead, an injury derailed that vision and following six weeks of frustration and cross-training, I got a Hail Mary cortisone shot into my plantar in hopes of still making it to Staten Island. For the last two weeks leading in I ramped up my training aggressively through a return to running plan that involved plenty of walk breaks. Despite the sage advice of my closest advisor (my wife), a 50-minute run a few days before gave me enough confidence that I’d at least limp across the line. For the first time in my life, a race goal was no longer about a specific time—I just wanted to finish.

As a fan and commentator on the sport, the majority of my attention has historically gone towards the elites racing at the front of the race. In the middle of our own race on Sunday, the Citius team was sharing texts and split updates of what was happening in the lead pack—of course we had the stream up on a phone! And while so many of our think-pieces focus on how to get the middle of the pack to care about the front, I have not personally thought enough about how to get the front of the race to appreciate the middle.

Over the past five years, the depth of marathoning has exploded. In 2022, the 100th fastest man in the world ran a 2:07:14. Since then we have witnessed Kelvin Kiptum break Eliud Kipchoge’s world record, and then Sabastian Sawe’s successful limboing below the sub-two hour barrier. In 2025, the 100th fastest men’s time was 2:06:48. This year, with two months of marathon season left to go, that same benchmark has been lowered to 2:06:10. We haven’t even been to the mythical land of Valencia yet!

But all that has really been made possible because of the commercial explosion led by the everyday marathoner—the ones who are hitting the “Power Up” signs in Queens, and eating free pickles in the Bronx. A new report from Brand Finance estimates that the top 50 marathons in the world generated $6 billion for host cities, and many millions more for themselves. Because of that, it has become financially possible for more races to offer more incentives for the really cool stuff up front to happen.

Naturally, as the money goes up, so does the opportunity to take advantage of those financial incentives. As a perpetual optimist, it has always been my default to believe in an athlete’s performance, no matter how great, until proven otherwise. It’s the only way to truly enjoy the sport without driving yourself crazy. But that doesn’t mean the constant wave of top marathoners receiving suspensions hasn’t also taken its emotional toll on enthusiasm and fandom… even for me.

If it has been difficult to cope with as a fan, then I can only imagine the impact it has had on many of the clean athletes who have been directly hit by such news. My advice to them—and to anyone whose love for the sport has taken a hit recently—is simple: run a marathon with your friends in the middle of the pack. It may just restore your faith in humanity.

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