Anyone here entered in the big event today? I'm on my way out the door now and we have a nice spectator spot at a friend's apartment near E100th.
We have a good friend running today.
Today, pedestrians and bystanders will take over the Big Town, from the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Bridge to Central Park.
Back in 1978, pioneer days for the event that was being run through the city's five boroughs for only the third time, there were a mere 9,875 runners that year, though the spectator numbers already were being estimated to be beyond a million.
This year, to celebrate their 40th running - the first six were contested entirely within Central Park - race officials expect 40,000 runners. Two million spectators. And an impressive field of international pros, racing for a total prize purse of almost $1 million and leading the usual parade of engineers, teachers, physicians, students and other ordinary citizens who take on this 26-mile, 385-yard challenge just for fun.
Sixteen Olympians are entered, including 52-year-old Joan Benoit Samuelson, who in 1984 won the first Olympic marathon contested for women. And six world championship medalists, including current women's world record-holder Paula Radcliffe (2:15:25). And six who have held their national marathon records - besides Radcliff for Great Britain, Morocco's Jaouad Gharib, Brazil's Marilson Gomes dos Santos, America's Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi and South Africa's Henrik Ramala.
"The Americans are knocking on the door," said Bill Rodgers, the Connecticut native who won New York four consecutive times in the bygone era (1976-79) when the U.S. dominated the event. "But that's what I love about our sport; it's so international."
We have a good friend running today.
Today, pedestrians and bystanders will take over the Big Town, from the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Bridge to Central Park.
Back in 1978, pioneer days for the event that was being run through the city's five boroughs for only the third time, there were a mere 9,875 runners that year, though the spectator numbers already were being estimated to be beyond a million.
This year, to celebrate their 40th running - the first six were contested entirely within Central Park - race officials expect 40,000 runners. Two million spectators. And an impressive field of international pros, racing for a total prize purse of almost $1 million and leading the usual parade of engineers, teachers, physicians, students and other ordinary citizens who take on this 26-mile, 385-yard challenge just for fun.
Sixteen Olympians are entered, including 52-year-old Joan Benoit Samuelson, who in 1984 won the first Olympic marathon contested for women. And six world championship medalists, including current women's world record-holder Paula Radcliffe (2:15:25). And six who have held their national marathon records - besides Radcliff for Great Britain, Morocco's Jaouad Gharib, Brazil's Marilson Gomes dos Santos, America's Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi and South Africa's Henrik Ramala.
"The Americans are knocking on the door," said Bill Rodgers, the Connecticut native who won New York four consecutive times in the bygone era (1976-79) when the U.S. dominated the event. "But that's what I love about our sport; it's so international."
