Lots of have been said about whether the NYC Marathon should be held this weekend. I personally do not think it should be held. I know you will say it brings in tourist dollars to the city that are much needed, that people have trained for months/years to compete, that the race course is fine and not effected by the storm.
Yea, that's all well and good, but I'm thinking about the people who LIVE IN NYC. I'm thinking of the people who have lost everything. Those whose jobs may be lost due to storm damage. Those whose homes were destroyed, cars demolished. I'm thinking about the subway system that isn't up and running yet and there's not real idea of when it will be working. I'm thinking of the first responders who have been working their butts off this week to keep the city safe and will now be asked to help on race day.
I'm a runner. I understand the excitement and anticipation of race day. I ran the AC Race Series the weekend before Sandy. A post from the AC Marathon folks on Facebook said that mile 16 of the marathon course was under water. If AC was scheduled for this weekend I would sure as hell not be upset if they canceled. There are more important things than racing. People are more important. Lives are more important.
It's my opinion and obviously not one shared by Mayor Bloomburg or NYRRC. I wish everyone who can get there luck Sunday. But, I pray for those whose lives have been devastated by Sandy and her aftermath.
I agree 100%
ReplyDeleteHa! Why don't your share your opinion on YOUR blog???
ReplyDeleteI can see both views. I have friends in NYC who trained for it and would love to run the race to show they are strong and it isn't so easy to bring down the city. But I also think, running the marathon shouldn't be the main focus in the days after the hurricane.
ReplyDeleteI understand the training, but NYC is just a city. People, in my opinion, are more important than any message a "city" wants to send. I've seen comparisons to running the NYC race after 9/11. Ok. I see that, but the race was 6 weeks later, not 6 days. Priorities should be people, not races.
ReplyDelete