NYC Marathon 2012 (Read 2541 times)

Biking Bad


finnegan begin again

    Agreed.

     

    Whether or not the race runs through neighborhoods on Staten Island, it seems to me to be in unbelievably poor taste to hold the marathon. I'm not seeing how continuing to have the race shows "resilience" when, as Joe pointed out, people are still right in the middle of suffering.

     

    If resources are being diverted from meeting the immediate needs of Staten Island than I agree. Would it be better to cancel the marathon? Does that benefit the city more than holding the event? I don't know. But I doubt it. 

     

    We're a country full of 'poor taste'. That's never stopped us before.

    "... the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value..."  Thomas Paine Dec 23, 1776 The Crisis 

     

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    jfa

      I wish Mayor Bloomberg  could simply postpone it for a week or two.

       

       

       

       

       

       

      Slo


        Not that my opinion matters but I am with those who think it should be postponed. Only a couple of weeks...That was my gut reaction from the beginning and as more and more news comes forth that feeling has only been reinforced.

          A couple of thoughts on this topic: 1) a destination marathon with 40,000 participants can't be postponed. Folks with plane tickets let alone all those with hotel bookings cannot just reschedule their trips. You run or cancel the event.  2) Having run NYC, the main problem I see is getting to the starting line in Staten Island. How on earth are people going to arrive at the start? The logistics are tough on a regular Sunday morning. I'm just not seeing how this goes well for the majority of people involved. If folks can figure out a way to make it work then I'm otherwise fine with it and see all the gloom and doom as a bit over done.


          jfa

            Postpone it and give deferments to those who can't make it.

            The people who live within walking distanceto the start line don't think the gloom and doom is overdone. They think it's a slap in their face. I wanted to run this as a happy sense of accomplishment. Instead people will think the runners are  like scabs crossing a picket line. I hear them on the radio shows, very few new yorkers support it.

             

             

             

             

             

             

              Instead people will think the runners are  like scabs crossing a picket line. I hear them on the radio shows, very few new yorkers support it.

               

              Yeah, listening to WFAN the last few days has been rough. They're finally talking about our sport, and not in a good way...

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              Why is it sideways?

                Delicate topic. As this thread shows, people have different intuitions about the rightness of it. 

                 

                No one likes the idea of folks doing a leisurely, fun activity while they are fighting for power, food, gas, etc. So, I can see why some folks in that situation would see it as a slap in the face. But I don't think that is the intention of the people who are running. 

                 

                Runners/marathoners have a rap for being overprivileged folks in the first place, which we probably are in general. That probably doesn't help the dynamic. But are people just latching onto this to vent their anger? If it weren't the marathon would it have been something else?

                  https://www.facebook.com/CancelThe2012NycMarathon


                  I am a NYC 911 paramedic. I have been at work since Saturday and was not able to go home yet since my car was flooded by this storm. I have worked countless of hours this week. I have climbed more than 300 flights of stairs these last few days. Myself and my co workers are exhausted beyond belief, because the people who change shifts with us either lost theirs homes/cars, do not have gas, or any means to get here into manhattan. I have run out of clean uniform, have been showering in cold water because the hospitals are running low on generator power. All the hospitals below 40th street have taxed their resources and running on fumes or have been evacuated. Ambulances are running low on diesel and gas.

                  To have this marathon this weekend is beyond any energy that myself or that of my coworkers have. All the water and blankets and food that are given to these runners can be better utilized to those who lost everything and to shelters. I understand that 45,000 people from around the country and the world have come here for this, but I am sorry, NYC is beyond disaster. Just because north of 40th street looks as if nothing happened, downtown looks as if a nuclear bomb went off and only left standing infrastructure. To have this marathon is selfish, and dangerous. Your EMS/Fire/Police personnel are beyond exhausted, mentally and physically.

                  Thank you,

                  An exhausted paramedic who just wants her bed (and wants her car back)

                  Runners run

                  Seanv2


                    I've been one of the people on this thread and elsewhere saying the marathon should go on.  I don't think this is a zero sum game where if the marathon is canceled then more resources will go to the communities still hurting from the storm.  But that said, many, many people who are in hard hit parts of the city are extremely upset about this.  I can't ignore that. 

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                    xhristopher


                      Will closing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge cause any logistical problems for the recovery efforts?

                        I cancelled my entry the AM. I am local. Why? Because I didn't like the way the sentiment about the race was going. I pray that the people of New York don't take it out on the runners. I don't care if no one shows up to cheer for them, but I hope no one does anything to the runners. They aren't the cities enemy.

                         

                        I'll be off to Harrisburg on the 11th.

                        Seanv2


                          I hope no one does anything to the runners. They aren't the cities enemy.

                           

                           

                           

                          I'm worried about this as well.

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                            I have lived in the NYC area for most of my life.  I live in CT now.   I also know quite a few small business people in the NYC region that have been devastated by the loss of business Sandy has caused due to transportation, power and other issues.  Many need this race to bring them business to help alleviate their current plight.  You cannot postpone a race like this.  It is either goes off on its scheduled day or does not come back for a year.  The NYC area has tens of millions of people in it.  While the resources going into setting up the marathon may look large on TV, they are nothing for a region with this large of a population.  The people in Staten Island are mad.  Maybe rightly so.  But, killing the marathon will not bring about a faster recovery for them.  (At most you will see a couple of people on TV making a big deal about now being in Staten Island to help.  But outside your TV the impact will be trivial.)  Cancelling the race will however add to the serious financial damage already inflicted on many businesses in the city and lead some to close shop.  Dropping the marathon is not some act of kindness for these entrepreneurs and their employees.

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                              Man my grammar is awful. Cities???

                              OK, NYRR blew this one. They did. They have forever damaged this great race. I'll admit it. Stupid. The mayor blew this one too.

                              I'll head in on Sunday to watch the race as I have friends still running. Maybe I'll be the only one?

                              However, as runners how were we supposed to know how bad it was on Tuesday or Wednesday? News travels slow.....

                                I have lived in the NYC area for most of my life.  I live in CT now.   I also know quite a few small business people in the NYC region that have been devastated by the loss of business Sandy has caused due to transportation, power and other issues.  Many need this race to bring them business to help alleviate their current plight.  You cannot postpone a race like this.  It is either goes off on its scheduled day or does not come back for a year.  The NYC area has tens of millions of people in it.  While the resources going into setting up the marathon may look large on TV, they are nothing for a region with this large of a population.  The people in Staten Island are mad.  Maybe rightly so.  But, killing the marathon will not bring about a faster recovery for them.  (At most you will see a couple of people on TV making a big deal about now being in Staten Island to help.  But outside your TV the impact will be trivial.)  Cancelling the race will however add to the serious financial damage already inflicted on many businesses in the city and lead some to close shop.  Dropping the marathon is not some act of kindness for these entrepreneurs and their employees.

                                 

                                These people need to speak up then, but they won't because they'll be torn down by the vitriol of the other side. Running or not running the marathon is not going to get these people what they need any faster.....

                                 

                                I'm glad, however, that I got this weight off my mind....