NYC Marathon still a go despite Hurricane Sandy
The New York City marathon might be a staple in the running world, but after Hurricane Sandy devastated New York Sunday’s race got knocked down a few spots on the list of priorities.
However, according to Stride Nation, both Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York Road Runners (NYRR) have announced the marathon will proceed. The race organizers also announced “this year’s marathon is dedicated to the City of New York, the victims of the hurricane, and their families.”
Keeping the race on in wake of a major hurricane won’t be easy, though, and NYRR said there will be susbstantial modifications to both the logistics and operations of the race, including the transportation plan, due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy. As of now the race start is in Staten Island, which requires runners to travel through lower Manhattan or the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel, both of which took big hits during the storm.
To make sure the marathon isn’t a burden on relief efforts, NYRR is “adjusting Marathon Day plans as a result of the storm’s impact on our operations and resources” and wants to “ensure that our planning doesn’t affect any recovery efforts.”
They’ve already canceled both Friday night’s Marathon Opening Ceremony and Saturday’s Dash to the Finish Line 5K due to the storm. To make it easier on runners traveling to NYC, they’e also extended hours for bib pick-up and have revised their cancellation policy, allowing runners forced to cancel this year due to travel restrictions left by the storm eligibility for guaranteed entry into the 2012 race.
