Congratulations on finishing your first marathon! The first one is always special (I just finished #9 a couple of weeks ago). With respect to a first race (of any distance), I always tell people that time isn't important - it's all about finishing. If you decide to run another marathon, THEN you can try to improve upon your time.
"In general, the first 50 finishers for the men in any marathon with a large purse are Kenyan or Ethiopian – maybe one or two from Ecuador/Columbia."
This statement is simply inaccurate. If you're talking about the WINNERS, then yes. I checked the results for the top men at this year's New York City Marathon. Going by citizenship (not residence, as many Ethiopians and Kenyans runners live in the US but are still citizens of their native countries), 35 out of the top 50 male finishers were North American, South American, or European (the other 15 were from Kenya, Ethiopia, and Morocco). Out of curiosity, I also checked the top 50 women finishers at NYC. 40 our of 50 were from North American, South America, or Europe. http://www.nycmarathon.org/Results.htm
"Further, there are very few opportunities to find a ‘crew’ that is going to help you improve yourself – or encourage you to do something like this, or frankly anything because no one does anything to begin with."
You live in the NY area, right? I live in the DC area, and here there are TONS of running clubs, triathlon clubs, etc. to meet up with like minded people. I would imagine there are similar clubs in NY, no? Do a search on meetup.org. I know New York Road Runners is HUGE. If it's too inconvenient for you to hook up with a club (due to work, family, etc), look into the online forums at runnersworld.com, runningahead.com, etc. You'll come across plenty of people who are always eager to welcome a new runner, provide tips, encouragement, etc.
Congrats again. Started thinking about your second marathon yet? :-)
"In general, the first 50 finishers for the men in any marathon with a large purse are Kenyan or Ethiopian – maybe one or two from Ecuador/Columbia."
This statement is simply inaccurate. If you're talking about the WINNERS, then yes. I checked the results for the top men at this year's New York City Marathon. Going by citizenship (not residence, as many Ethiopians and Kenyans runners live in the US but are still citizens of their native countries), 35 out of the top 50 male finishers were North American, South American, or European (the other 15 were from Kenya, Ethiopia, and Morocco). Out of curiosity, I also checked the top 50 women finishers at NYC. 40 our of 50 were from North American, South America, or Europe. http://www.nycmarathon.org/Results.htm
"Further, there are very few opportunities to find a ‘crew’ that is going to help you improve yourself – or encourage you to do something like this, or frankly anything because no one does anything to begin with."
You live in the NY area, right? I live in the DC area, and here there are TONS of running clubs, triathlon clubs, etc. to meet up with like minded people. I would imagine there are similar clubs in NY, no? Do a search on meetup.org. I know New York Road Runners is HUGE. If it's too inconvenient for you to hook up with a club (due to work, family, etc), look into the online forums at runnersworld.com, runningahead.com, etc. You'll come across plenty of people who are always eager to welcome a new runner, provide tips, encouragement, etc.
Congrats again. Started thinking about your second marathon yet? :-)