Jaffe

2006 New York City Marathon

Yesterday, around 37,000 people ran in the The ING New York City Marathon. I've been lucky enough to have seen the Boston Marathon and the London Marathon a couple of times, and even ran in the Philadelphia Marathon in 1994 (read what my friend Buck wrote about it here), but there's something about the New York Marathon that is different. Maybe it's that the course goes through all 5 boroughs, or that I can just walk to the end of my street and watch the runners as they head up 1st Avenue. Whatever it is, it's a really special event. Here are a couple of video clips of the race:

The wheelchair event is often overlooked in marathons, but the athletes are no less impressive. In addition to the more 'normal' race wheelchairs...



one guy made it the entire way on a skateboard!



The elite women started about half an hour before the elite men, so the races were essentially separated (although the lead men caught the slowest of the elite women).





One runner I didn't get a picture of is 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. I think what Lance has done with his celebrity status is amazing - his foundation, which funds cancer research, raised over $500,000 at yesterday's race - but the attention he attracts borders on the ridiculous. Before the race he said he was "just like any other 35 year-old" and that he wanted to "break 3 hours". First of all, most 35 year-olds aren't even thinking about running a marathon, let alone breaking 3 hours. Second, the ones who run the marathon don't have people like Alberto Salazar, Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Hicham El Guerrouj running with them to help them along, making sure they're properly hydrated, and giving them a little food along the way. They also don't have the "LanceCam" with us (although "JaffCam" is pretty catchy).

Everyone who ran the NYC Marathon yesterday should be congratulated. Running (or even walking) 26.2 miles is an incredible feat. A lot of the runners raised money for a number of foundations, and the city did an amazing job of hosting the race. If you're thinking of visiting New York next fall, I highly recommend scheduling the visit so you can catch the race - you won't be disappointed!

posted by Aron @ 9:14 AM