3:50 PM
Workers construct the Finish Line on Friday as preparations continue for the 43rd New York City Marathon.
Workers construct the Finish Line on Friday as preparations continue for the 43rd New York City Marathon.
Timothy Clary /AFP/Getty ImagesThe New York Marathon, one of the most storied and respected road races in the country, is shrouded in controversy this morning.
Take the top headline in the New York Post this morning: "This is no way to get us up & running."
The headline refers to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision to allow the 26.2 mile run through all five New York City Burroughs to go on despite the damage and destruction wrought by Superstorm Sandy.
The Post points out that the marathon has set up five 800 kiliowatt generators in Central Park to power things like the race's media tent and crews delivered thousands of bottles of water.
"I am from Coney Island where everything is flooded and underwater," Yelena Gomelsky, 65, told the newspaper. "I live 1 block from the ocean where everything is floating. "[Seeing the generators and water] makes me feel so bad. People have no food, no water, nothing.
"They should make all of these runners bring food and water to people's houses who need it," she added. "They should bring all of these generators to buildings where old people live and give them power."
New York Road Runners defended the decision to go on with race.
"I understand the controversy completely and respect all the views on this, but any decision that was made by the mayor would have been controversial and to call off the race would have been equally as controversial," George Hirsch told The New York Times. "By Sunday afternoon, there won't be any controversy. People will view it as an early step in the city's recovery."
The New York Marathon is largest in the world with 47,000 runners. On the one hand, canceling a race like this is a big deal. Think about it: Many runners wait years for spot in the race and they then spend at least 14 weeks training for it. Many of them travel to New York from far away places.
On the other hand: The race starts in Staten Island, which was pummeled by Sandy. At least 19 people were killed on the island and this morning there was a grim discovery: The bodies of two brothers, 4 and 2, were found in a marsh in South Beach, the Staten Island Advance reports.
Also, remember that putting on a marathon means a huge security presence and the closing of many streets.
Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal weighed in.
"Is this race really in the best interest of a damaged city?" he wrote. "This is not a playoff game at Yankee Stadium â€" it's a sprawling, cross-city undertaking."
He goes on to quote State Senator Liz Krueger who said on ESPN: ""If we take one police officer, one ambulance or one fire-department staffer to put them on the marathon rather than doing the emergency-response work they are doing, it is not just an outrageâ€"it is an abuse of their responsibilities."
What do you think? Should the marathon proceed?
