“I was frightened it would get too dark before I finished, and it would be hard for me to get back to base, so after 30km I stopped.”
And after vowing to better his own mark 12 months on, Barfoot lived up to his word and got the job done at the second time of asking.
Barfoot can now add New York to the list of more than 30 marathons and Ironman triathlons he’s completed in his lifetime.
Throughout his hundreds of hours of racing, the indefatigable endurance athlete revealed what he thinks about on course.
“I think about doing all the things my Pilates instructor has told me to do, be tall.
“She says try to put your head through the roof of the tent - don’t slouch.”
Born in May 1936 - three months before the Berlin Olympics where New Zealander Jack Lovelock struck 1500m gold - Garth went on to carve out a hugely successful career in real estate.
However, in the second half of his life, he has embraced endurance sports.
In 1990 he completed the first of his 18 Rotorua Marathons - crossing the line alongside his wife, Judy - a race which provided many vivid memories.
Barfoot was believed to be the oldest runner in the history of the New York Marathon, however that tag is now understood to belong to former US Marine Jonathan Mendes, who completed the same course in 2016, at the age of 96.
Colin Thorne is the oldest New Zealander to complete the New York Marathon, after doing so in 2013 at the age of 89.