New York City Marathon canceled
After mounting pressure from the general public, runners and politicians, city officials and event’s organizers have canceled the New York City Marathon in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, according to The New York Times.
This will serve as the first time since 1970 that the race has not been held.
Many critics said that it would be a poor decision to go along with holding the race when so many individuals in the five boroughs that the foot race goes through are still suffering from the impact of the storm. Furthermore, critics said that the city’s services should go toward those trying to recover from the damage, not to a marathon.
The main proponents for holding the marathon were New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Mary Wittenberg — the director of the marathon. They both said that they thought the race could create a morale boost, as well as an economic boost, in the area.
“The Marathon has been an integral part of New York City’s life for 4o years and is an event tens of thousands of New Yorkers participate in and millions more watch,” Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement. “While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division. The marathon has always brought our city together and inspired us with stories of courage and determination. We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it. We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event — even one as meaningful as this — to distract attention away from all the criticaly important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track.”
Many of the details involving the race remain unclear, such as how those who had expected to compete in the race on Sunday will be compensated, if they are compensated.
It looks like Mayor Bloomberg finally made the correct decision. Having people run through areas that were destroyed and damaged not even a week ago just does not seem right.
