When Swarthmore senior Lauren Robson ’26 ran the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 2, she felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and pride. “Crossing the start line felt like the culmination of months’ worth of quiet work,” she said, “and crossing the finish line felt like proof that I could see something through entirely on my own — from the decision to sign up to the final step in Central Park.”
Behind race day was months of preparation. Robson signed up for the marathon over a year ago, and started a fourteen-week training plan in August. An average week of training consisted of three runs and two strength sessions, with cross-training implemented throughout. Easy base miles and short hill strides were pushed with harder tempo runs and interval training to build endurance and speed. Eventually, Robson reached twenty-mile training days. Throughout this time, she practiced good fueling and hydration habits before, during, and after runs.
The preparation wasn’t just physical. Robson signed up for the marathon to set a personal challenge and trained alone, taking full accountability of her progress. She mapped routes and had only herself to push through the quiet moments of a run. “Mentally, training alone was its own marathon,” she said. “I learned to break long runs into small goals. I focused on just getting to the next mile, the next water stop, the next song.”
She also joined NYRR Team for Kids, an official charity of the NYC Marathon that supports youth to “build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running” by providing accessible exercise programs. In moments of fatigue, especially in the August heat, Robson found motivation in participating in a purpose bigger than herself.
However, the biggest challenge of training was balancing it with the other important things in her life, from schoolwork and extracurricular commitments to spending time with friends. Marathon training is especially difficult because of the hours of time and energy devoted to it in the span of a day. Fitting long runs and recovery around classes, club meetings, and social plans was difficult. At times, Robson was faced with tough decisions about how to prioritize her time. To manage the training load, Robson learned how to thoroughly plan and adapt the day to her needs.
“Sometimes that meant waking up extra early to run before class or moving a workout to a different day if I knew I had an exam or event. I also learned to be flexible. If a run didn’t go perfectly or I needed an extra rest day, I didn’t beat myself up. Most importantly, I made sure to still see friends and do things I enjoyed, even if it meant shorter runs sometimes. Finding that balance kept me motivated and reminded me that training was supposed to add to my life, not take it over.”
By taper week, the final period of training before competition, Robson felt ready.
The NYC marathon was Robson’s first full 26.2-mile race. The day began with a 5 a.m. wake up to take the ferry into Staten Island, the starting borough of the course. While waiting to board, Robson met a group of three women dressed in panda onesies to keep warm in the early morning cold. Laughing at the silliness of the moment calmed race-day nerves, making the morning feel less daunting. On the ferry, she took the time to watch the sun rise above the city skyline, mesmerized by the view. It finally hit her: the day she had been training for was here. Breakfast was on the commute and kept simple. She ate a banana and bread with peanut butter and drank water with electrolytes to keep fueled. Robson and the fellow runners around her took a bus into the start village, where thousands, bundled in layers, waited to begin the race.
To spread out the nearly 60,000 runners, participants were sorted into heats to stagger starts. When her wave was called, Robson made her way to the starting line, taking a deep breath to inhale the experience around her. Then came the gunshot sound, and just like that, her race began. “My heart was pounding, but mostly from excitement,” she recalls. “I felt ready, grateful, and so eager to start the run I had spent months preparing for.”
For Robson, running the marathon was an experience of a lifetime. The energy shared by thousands of people of all backgrounds working towards the same goal “made every mile feel special.” However, the course was still difficult, especially on bridges, where steep inclines and lack of supportive cheering crowds posed physical and mental challenges. Despite this, the Queensboro Bridge that connects Queens and Manhattan, on a difficult 3.0% average incline for nearly three-fourth of a mile, was her favorite part of the course.
“The bridge itself was tough and quiet. You can really hear your own footsteps. It was that silence that made the explosion of sound at 59th Street unforgettable. Turning off the bridge and seeing First Avenue open up with rows of spectators, signs everywhere, music, DJs, bands, and a rolling wave of cheers, was the most amazing feeling. I high-fived my way up the avenue and let the crowd carry me.”
Around mile eighteen, Robson felt her legs fatiguing, but kept them moving forward; waiting at the finish line were friends and family that had come to New York City to celebrate her race.
Cheering for Robson were her parents, who flew out from Los Angeles, and her friends from Swarthmore and high school. They moved along the course, encouraging Robson at multiple parts of the race.
“Every time I spotted someone I knew, it gave me a huge burst of energy. I also used an app called Rally, where friends and family left voice messages that played during the race. Hearing their voices at tough moments made a huge difference. It gave me something to look forward to each mile. Knowing how many people had shown up for me, both in person and virtually, was the biggest motivator to keep putting one foot in front of the other until I crossed the finish line.”
Robson also got support from spectators she had never met. With nearly 2 million spectators lining the streets of New York City, Robson was energized by strangers shouting “Go Lauren!” and “You’ve got this, Lauren!” It was this sense of community, from loved ones and passerbys, that served as a reminder that the race was a celebration of joy, not a timed test. To cross the finish line happy and proud was to win the marathon.
After 26 miles of running, Robson had the last few hundred meters through Central Park to reflect on herself.
“As the finish line came into view, it hit me that all the early mornings, long runs and sacrifices over the past few months had led to this exact moment. I remember smiling through exhaustion, feeling this huge rush of emotion. It was half tears and half laughter because I had actually done it.”
Then, the race was over. She ran across the finish line, victorious and exhausted. Though physically drained, Robson realized what she was capable of when she stayed consistent and patient.
“If you stay positive and keep going, even when it’s hard, you can push past limits you didn’t think were possible.”
Post-race, Robson celebrated her accomplishment with family and friends. They took pictures, ate a big meal, and shared their experiences of the day.
With sore and heavy legs, walking down the stairs still poses a minor challenge to Robson. But it’s all worth it.
“I signed up for the NYC Marathon wanting to have fun, and it turned out to be one of the most exciting, community-driven days of my life. The energy from the crowd, the support from friends and family, and the shared determination among thousands of runners made the whole journey feel special and deeply human.”
Robson looks forward to taking up another marathon or running challenge in the future, and will carry with her the experiences from her first. Regardless of the activity, “I want to keep setting goals that challenge me and keep me active,” said Robson. “And [goals that] remind me of how rewarding it feels to accomplish something you once thought was impossible.”
