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Who says you need public transit to get from Hoboken to Lower Manhattan? For Christian Miller, a five-hour training run turned into a 27-mile adventure through New Jersey and New York City, starting at his front door in Uptown Hoboken and ending at the Statue of Liberty Lookout. Christian, who moved to Hoboken a little over a year ago, runs triathlons and ultramarathons and documents the process on his Instagram account. Keep reading for more on his recent Hoboken-to-NYC adventure.
From Uptown Hoboken to Lower Manhattan
“I think that one of the best things that I love about running is really the places that you can go. You can create your own adventure,” Christian said. “It’s really just the best way to see a city on foot.”
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Christian had previously run from Hoboken to Little Island on the western coast of Manhattan, but the idea of doing an extended interstate run came together spontaneously. He was already planning to run for approximately five hours as part of his training, and when he invited his friend, Doug Baker, to join him, Doug asked if they could stay close to home as he had plans in New York City later that day.
“I was like, ‘maybe we could just run to the city,’ kind of as a joke,” Christian said. “And then he was like, ‘no, actually, that’s a good idea. Let’s just do that.’”
The pair started in Uptown Hoboken around 5PM and conquered one of their toughest challenges early on, when the route climbed through Fort Lee.
“There is like this crazy long hill,” Christian said. “You could probably reach your hand out straight and touch the hill in front of you.”
Christian and Doug then headed north and crossed the George Washington Bridge. They continued south through Manhattan before parting ways. Christian had never visited One World Trade Center, so he decided to keep going downtown. After spotting the Statue of Liberty Lookout on Google Maps, he decided to make it his destination.
“The route itself is fantastic because once you get into New York, there are so many little shops that you can stop in if you need more water, if you need to grab a Gatorade, whatever it is,” Christian said. “And it just keeps you so entertained because there’s so much going on in New York.”
The run covered 27 miles. Including stops, the outing took roughly five hours and featured Hudson River views, a sunset, the Manhattan skyline, and a nighttime view of the Statue of Liberty.
“It was a cool way to finish in the dark and see the Statue of Liberty right there and be like, ‘Wow, this is really cool to go all the way from my door, all the way through Manhattan.’”
After reaching the lookout, Christian turned around and ran two miles back uptown before taking the PATH from Christopher Street back to Hoboken. The adventure then ended the only way it could have: with two slices of pizza.
Hoboken’s Running Culture
When he’s not running across state lines, Christian spends much of his time running around Hoboken. The waterfront is his favorite route, particularly near Stevens Institute of Technology and Pier A.
“The running culture around Hoboken is fantastic, and I’ve met a lot of awesome people in run clubs in Hoboken. People who’ve done super similar races or other 100-mile races and just kind of feed off that energy,” Christian said. “I feel like there’s people for everybody here, and I’ve met people who do these races, and they inspire me to do more.”
His favorite Hoboken spots to refuel between runs include Kikilu Gelato, Gotan Hoboken, Tacoria, Springbone Kitchen, Alfalfa, and Fiore’s House of Quality.
“Running and eating go so hand in hand, because when you’re working out that much, it’s like you’re always hungry,” Christian said. “So I’m always eating around Hoboken, and there’s just so many fantastic spots.”
From 26.5 Miles to 100+
The run to NYC was part of Christian’s training for an upcoming backyard ultra-marathon in Maine, where runners complete a 4.2-mile loop every hour until only one remains. Christian’s goal is to complete 24 laps, totaling more than 100 miles. He’s attempted the format before, making it 63 miles, or 15 laps.
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“People will sleep during it, and it gives you a lot more flexibility, basically, about how slow you’re going,” he said. “But this one is very interesting because you need to maintain a faster pace to be hitting those hour cutoffs and to be allowed to continue to go.”
Eventually, Christian hopes to run the New York City Marathon and is currently looking for a bib. Until then, he’ll keep creating his own New York-New Jersey running routes, even if they’re slightly longer than a marathon.
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