Bloomberg wants marathon to go on

[Andys Delight]

Can you believe this?  People out suffering without homes, without power, without heat, waiting in 5 mile lines to get a couple gallons of fuel for their generators....People that moved into hotels in downtown manhattan being kicked out to make room for the joggers.  You have got to be kidding me!   

Man I'm an easy going guy but man this pisses me off.  If I had to try and go in circles around this thing looking for some way to get to a fuel station I'd go postal. 

[BigAl13]

They said the "athletes" make people smile Name someone in the marathon besides Boomer

They also say it will help to generate lost revenue . Theres no RR no way to get there, Battery park is under water. Just what NYC needs is hundreds of cops protecting the "athletes" instead of looking for missing people in SI or patrolling stopping looters. Idk maybe its just me 

[Andys Delight]

They said the "athletes" make people smile Name someone in the marathon besides Boomer

They also say it will help to generate lost revenue . Theres no RR no way to get there, Battery park is under water. Just what NYC needs is hundreds of cops protecting the "athletes" instead of looking for missing people in SI or patrolling stopping looters. Idk maybe its just me 

Imagine this-there are people in SI and LI that do not have water to drink at the moment, and we'll be handing some nice refreshing cups of gatorade to joggers.  Pathetic.  They should send these joggers right off a bridge.  If they're lucky maybe they'll land in one of the floating unattended boats out there. 

[IrishAyes]

Just shows where the priorities are in this country.

We have no problem paying an athlete millions of dollars a year for their 'work' but bitch that we have to pay cops and firemen $90,000 a year for 'loafing'.   

I don't see any of these high paid athletes doing any search and rescue at the devastated sites caused by this storm.

Must be something inherently wrong with my thinking. 

[Andys Delight]

Just shows where the priorities are in this country.

We have no problem paying an athlete millions of dollars a year for their 'work' but bitch that we have to pay cops and firemen $90,000 a year for 'loafing'.   

I don't see any of these high paid athletes doing any search and rescue at the devastated sites caused by this storm.

Must be something inherently wrong with my thinking. 

No you're right Joe.  I'm sure some pro teams will do a scheduled "help" event for a day to look good, but otherwise these guys ain't doing squat.  The only way I'll have any respect at all for these runners and the event planners is if they line up, then turn around and start helping the cleanup effort.  Otherwise they should just run right off the Verrazzano Bridge. 

[bugmannj]

Maybe Bloomburg should donate all the revenue generated to the victims of "Sandy" or send the runners with water and food to Breezy Point.

[Andys Delight]

They'll also have pasta stations for the runners the night before so they can "carb load" for the race.  I just watched a reporter in SI talk about a woman who went to an empty deli with 4 kids looking for food. 

[BigAl13]

How about the 10+ generators they need to run this thing

[IrishAyes]

Some of the teams and leagues will donate money for assistance. Seems that is all the 'elite' know, throw money at it and we'll look good. Heck, they can throw a million dollars at it and it won't hurt their bottom line one bit.

[captainbailey]

 

I'm all about moving on, but I don't think government $ and personnel should be supporting anything but Sandy. 

[IrishAyes]

 

Life does go on but we do need to prioritize what needs to be done before what we would like to do.

[Still Running]

It's been cancelled

[bugmannj]

Just came over TV, Marathon cancelled!! guess someone has a brain.

[IrishAyes]

They must have read this post. 

[captainbailey]

  they're watching us

[Treebeard]

Just came over TV, Marathon cancelled!! guess someone has a brain.

Actually.. if they cancelled it,  was for the same reason they where going to run it.. money... I heard earlier on the financial news that most of the sponsors wanted no part of it in light of the devastation and where pulling out.. Bloomberg should be ashamed to even consider it.. he keeps talking about Guiliani running it after 911.. yea.. 3 months after.. not while the concrete was still falling for gods sake... 

[BigAl13]

I heard it was cancelled after there were rumors of people protesting it and saying the were going to form a militia to make it impossible to run either way those resources could be used way better than running a race glad that explicit explicit got it in his explicit head that ot wasnt a good idea

[Ms Fish]

I heard it was cancelled after there were rumors of people protesting it and saying the were going to form a militia to make it impossible to run either way those resources could be used way better than running a race glad that explicit explicit got it in his explicit head that ot wasn't a good idea

Ditto... this morning on the news I heard the runners felt guilty running it when there is so much more things that need attending to so it was agreed to xo it. I'm glad they did for I was angry that at this time anyone can be that selfish. Maybe a few months down the line, run it or run something but alllllll proceeds should go to any relief programs that are in place.     

[Bucktail]

Runners volunteer to help Sandy victims in NYC

Nov 4, 2012 2:07 PM ET | By Rachel Cooperman
Special to espnW

Sometimes you need to see the worst to appreciate the best.

The annual celebration that is the New York City Marathon was canceled before it started this year, a historic first that no one seemed quite sure how to handle. But runners from as near as the five boroughs and as far as planes could fly in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy are making the most out of an unfortunate situation.

When Monday's hurricane swept the Northeast shores and left destruction in its wake just days before one of the largest marathons in the world was set to occur, everyone had an opinion. Public outcry led to a weeklong guessing game: Would the marathon go on?

Some rallied for a unifying event, a source of inspiration for a city whose spirit had been crushed; many opined that the sole focus should be bringing the five boroughs back from the brink. What has occurred in the nearly two days since the race was canceled has validated both schools of thought.

Redirecting efforts

Tens of thousands of runners no longer had plans on the first Sunday of November; they had no outlet for their energy, endurance and months of training.

"It was insane," said Jordan Metzl, a New Yorker, longtime marathoner and sports physician at Hospital for Special Surgery. "As soon as it was canceled, I started emailing with friends. We created a Facebook page for runners like us who, instead of asking for money, could run on Staten Island with things that could be donated."

The #SupportStatenIsland hashtag came to life.

The same synapses were firing all across the city for the race participants. Jaclynn Larington and Sarah Hartmann started NYCMore2012.org, a relief effort site compiling volunteer opportunities in hard-hit communities around the city. A news release on Friday called it "a central communication outlet for the various organizations that are sending their messages from a variety of sources."

Marathoners, most of whom were already going wild on social media, started passing messages of community service to one another as well as spreading the word via chat boards and Twitter feeds. "The response has been amazing," Larington said Friday evening. "I think a lot of good will come out of this."

Delivering relief

When Craig and Julie Lewis heard the race was canceled and saw posts about volunteering on Staten Island, the husband and wife team left their hotel in a cab to South Ferry the very next morning, took the recently restored free boat to Staten Island, where Sunday's race was set to begin, and followed the crowd to the hard-hit Oakwood section on the Lower New York Bay.

"I've never run the New York City Marathon," said Craig as he raked refuse out of someone's yard across from Cedar Grove Beach. "This was the last time I'd qualify with [guaranteed time] standards." But it was a no-brainer for this couple from London, Ontario. "It was kind of hard to get the information and get out here. But we heard that people were coming from all over, so how could we not?"

Metzl's Facebook page had more than 4,000 "likes" as of Sunday morning.

"We'll have hundreds of runners, with group leaders, maps and signs, to help them distribute supplies to hot zones in Staten Island," he said. "Let's be sensitive to what locals need. We all need to be flexible tomorrow."

He advised his fleet-footed friends to be prepared to split into smaller groups at the ferry and promised options for participants to do up to 14 miles to get to some of the hardest-hit areas.

In an age when social media is often driven by ads and product offers and used as a sounding board for personal gripes, the comments posted on both recently created Facebook pages were overwhelmingly positive, including calls for national media to cover Sunday's efforts. Staten Islanders were also using them to get across news of dwindling supplies and areas that needed the most help.

Those who have already seen the devastation in person, like Mike Sawa, a runner who arrived from Indianapolis on one of the first flights to LaGuardia Airport after it reopened Thursday, have their own take. "I made six new best friends here," he said. "I got more than I gave."

Staten Island seemed the obvious place to help after he watched news reports Friday night.

Volunteers from around the world and down the street are working together for one purpose: to piece together people's lives and try to get communities back in order. Instead of one day of running, many people will help in multiple ways, from donating goods and services to giving money for disaster relief.

"I came here to run the race," Sawa said. "This was much more rewarding than any race."

Rachel Cooperman is a freelance journalist in New York City.

Below:
(Pic 1) Photo/Laura Gentile
Hundreds of runners lined up Sunday to take the ferry to Staten Island to help Sandy victims in the area.

(Pic 2) AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Staten Island residents are still recovering from Sandy and are without power. Nineteen people from the borough died because of the storm.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/more-sports/8592408/espnw-new-york-city-marathon-runners-redirect-focus-volunteer-help-sandy-victims

[Andys Delight]

Runners volunteer to help Sandy victims in NYC

Nov 4, 2012 2:07 PM ET | By Rachel Cooperman
Special to espnW

Sometimes you need to see the worst to appreciate the best.

The annual celebration that is the New York City Marathon was canceled before it started this year, a historic first that no one seemed quite sure how to handle. But runners from as near as the five boroughs and as far as planes could fly in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy are making the most out of an unfortunate situation.

When Monday's hurricane swept the Northeast shores and left destruction in its wake just days before one of the largest marathons in the world was set to occur, everyone had an opinion. Public outcry led to a weeklong guessing game: Would the marathon go on?

Some rallied for a unifying event, a source of inspiration for a city whose spirit had been crushed; many opined that the sole focus should be bringing the five boroughs back from the brink. What has occurred in the nearly two days since the race was canceled has validated both schools of thought.

Redirecting efforts

Tens of thousands of runners no longer had plans on the first Sunday of November; they had no outlet for their energy, endurance and months of training.

"It was insane," said Jordan Metzl, a New Yorker, longtime marathoner and sports physician at Hospital for Special Surgery. "As soon as it was canceled, I started emailing with friends. We created a Facebook page for runners like us who, instead of asking for money, could run on Staten Island with things that could be donated."

The #SupportStatenIsland hashtag came to life.

The same synapses were firing all across the city for the race participants. Jaclynn Larington and Sarah Hartmann started NYCMore2012.org, a relief effort site compiling volunteer opportunities in hard-hit communities around the city. A news release on Friday called it "a central communication outlet for the various organizations that are sending their messages from a variety of sources."

Marathoners, most of whom were already going wild on social media, started passing messages of community service to one another as well as spreading the word via chat boards and Twitter feeds. "The response has been amazing," Larington said Friday evening. "I think a lot of good will come out of this."

Delivering relief

When Craig and Julie Lewis heard the race was canceled and saw posts about volunteering on Staten Island, the husband and wife team left their hotel in a cab to South Ferry the very next morning, took the recently restored free boat to Staten Island, where Sunday's race was set to begin, and followed the crowd to the hard-hit Oakwood section on the Lower New York Bay.

"I've never run the New York City Marathon," said Craig as he raked refuse out of someone's yard across from Cedar Grove Beach. "This was the last time I'd qualify with [guaranteed time] standards." But it was a no-brainer for this couple from London, Ontario. "It was kind of hard to get the information and get out here. But we heard that people were coming from all over, so how could we not?"

Metzl's Facebook page had more than 4,000 "likes" as of Sunday morning.

"We'll have hundreds of runners, with group leaders, maps and signs, to help them distribute supplies to hot zones in Staten Island," he said. "Let's be sensitive to what locals need. We all need to be flexible tomorrow."

He advised his fleet-footed friends to be prepared to split into smaller groups at the ferry and promised options for participants to do up to 14 miles to get to some of the hardest-hit areas.

In an age when social media is often driven by ads and product offers and used as a sounding board for personal gripes, the comments posted on both recently created Facebook pages were overwhelmingly positive, including calls for national media to cover Sunday's efforts. Staten Islanders were also using them to get across news of dwindling supplies and areas that needed the most help.

Those who have already seen the devastation in person, like Mike Sawa, a runner who arrived from Indianapolis on one of the first flights to LaGuardia Airport after it reopened Thursday, have their own take. "I made six new best friends here," he said. "I got more than I gave."

Staten Island seemed the obvious place to help after he watched news reports Friday night.

Volunteers from around the world and down the street are working together for one purpose: to piece together people's lives and try to get communities back in order. Instead of one day of running, many people will help in multiple ways, from donating goods and services to giving money for disaster relief.

"I came here to run the race," Sawa said. "This was much more rewarding than any race."

Rachel Cooperman is a freelance journalist in New York City.

Below:
(Pic 1) Photo/Laura Gentile
Hundreds of runners lined up Sunday to take the ferry to Staten Island to help Sandy victims in the area.

(Pic 2) AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Staten Island residents are still recovering from Sandy and are without power. Nineteen people from the borough died because of the storm.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/more-sports/8592408/espnw-new-york-city-marathon-runners-redirect-focus-volunteer-help-sandy-victims

This is how it should have been all along.  Glad they got it right