Lesson #7: Research how to get around the city, be it by public transportation, race-provided shuttles, taxis, or personal or rented cars.
As early as possible after deciding to run a specific race and registering for it, start seeking out what transportation within the city is like. While getting to the city is likely easy enough to arrange (flying into the nearby major airport or taking a train in being the likeliest options that most will take), it isn't always obvious what you'll need to do to get to all the different places you need without a little digging.
Lots of marathons (especially the largest ones) are "point-to-point" where the start and finish lines are considerably far apart from each other. The main points you will need to research are where the expo will be held (which is where you will pick up your race bib and any merchandise), where the starting line is, and where the finish line is. The precise locations of all of these should be on the marathon's website and in various e-mail communications that you may receive. Ideally, the website will also provide you instructions as to how you can take public transportation to them (e.g., what stops on which line of the subway system are they), and whether there are shuttle bus arrangements to take advantage of. (For example, Boston has school buses they use to get racers from the baggage check by the finish line out to the starter's village out in Hopkinton. They provide plenty of detail on their website as to who should be on which buses at what time on race day.)
Knowing those main points and your price points for accommodations will help you determine where you will be staying in town, be it with friends or in a hotel or hostel, etc. Do you want to be close to the Expo? Do you want a short walk to the start line on race morning? Would you rather have a short walk from the finish line after the race? Is saving money on the accommodations more of a motivating factor, and you're willing to travel however long you need to in order to save what could easily turn into several hundred dollars or more (depending on the hotels being compared and the number of days in question). How far away from public transportation are you willing to be in order to get to your own subway stop? Your answers to these questions should help you narrow down which places you're willing to investigate.
There are lots of people with experience running the marathon that you're signing up for for the first time. Seek them out on Facebook. If you go to the Resources post, you will see several Facebook groups that relate to some of the world's largest marathons -- ones that I have raced and whose groups I stay in: World Marathon Majors (New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo, and London -- but others are also occasionally talked about), Marine Corps Marathon, and Walt Disney World Marathon being the largest of them. Before you post a question asking for advice on where to stay, how to get around, training, etc., look in the Files section to see if there is anything already written up for posterity. Or do a quick search with several meaningful keywords to find out what has been said on the topic before. These groups have so much collective history, wisdowm, tips, and tricks, use them to the fullest extent to make your life easier. (I'll tell you, being in the WMM group where there was discussion about the Tokyo Marathon and best ways to get around both for the marathon as well as for a longer trip to Japan were a godsend when I went for the 2019 marathon.)
Once you have figured out where you will be staying, do your best to plot out as broad-brush an itinerary as possible where it comes to traveling around the city. Figure out when you're going to the expo, what sort of tourist travel you are doing, where you'll be eating (don't forget reservations), and all the other steps in between so you can become familiar with the routes you will be taking to/from your hotel, what sort of transportation fare card is necessary, and the approximate time it will take for your travel. Most importantly, know exactly what you are doing, your timing, and costs for race morning -- you don't want to leave anything to chance about getting where you are going early. (Fun tip: there are some races that provide free race day transportation for those wearing a race bib. Know if you're in that sitauation and that you can leave your fare card in your room.)
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