Of the 62,000 people who are granted entry in the New York City Marathon each year, between 20 to 30 percent never make it to the start line. NY1's Health reporter Kafi Drexel has been training for months for the big race, and filed the following report on last-minute professional advice for marathon runners.

After months of working out and running hundreds of miles during training, the marathon experience boils down to 26.2 miles of pretty much nonstop running. Right before I run my first marathon, every expert I have worked is preparing me for a day that will stay with me forever and giving practical advice to avoid blowing the run.

"Runners right before the marathon want to avoid doing anything new. By the time you've trained and you are ready for the marathon, everything needs to be tried and true," says New York Road Runners coach Gail Kislevitz. "You don't want to have any new foods, you don't want to do any new [exercises]. Everything that you've been training to do is what you do."

Keeping that advice in mind, I quickly skip over to nutritional coach, Lauren Antonucci of Nutrition Energy. Throughout training, she's made the message clear that without sticking to a long distance diet, you won't go very far. The three main things to keep taking in on the course are water, salt and carbohydrates.

"The salt is really important, it also helps keep you hydrated. It's going to help keep your muscles contracting the way they need to be and prevent muscle cramping," says Antonucci. "The carbs are your energy. So you're going to be running 26.2 miles, you want to take in energy in the morning and you want to keep drinking that sports drink along the course."

At Finish Line Physical Therapy, my physical therapist Danielle Napolitano also has some great race day tips. Throughout training, I developed tendonitis around my right knee, or "runner's knee," and Napolitano's been working to make sure I stay on track.

She has done everything, from loosening up soft tissue around the knee with sports massages and stretching, to working on my core strength and glutes and even training me on an anti-gravity treadmill all to help with mobility.

Napolitano also has taught me a special way of tying my shoes, by lacing them all the way through the top holes to take pressure off my ankles, during what's likely to be more than four hours of running.

"When you start to feel tired don't look down, look up. Look at the people in front of you," says Napolitano. "I want you to engage your core, find your legs, keep those knees up and keep going."

Most importantly, all marathon runners should savor the moment.