I think it would be grossly irresponsible and tasteless to continue with the ING New York City Marathon this weekend.
The Start Line. Let's start at the start (line): Staten Island. The borough where the marathon commences, which has been hit harder than any other section of New York City, is nothing short of a disaster zone. Many have lost their homes and the damage is unprecedented. Are we to simply look away, so we can comfortably celebrate an athletic event?
Resources. Executing the marathon is a tremendous undertaking by multiple city agencies and the mayor's office. With power still out, and with massive clean-up and restoration necessary in large sections of New York City, is this really where resources should be allocated?
Transportation. With gridlock and limited public transportation already crippling the city, is it really the time to start shutting down NYC's largest and most used thoroughfares?
If you're like me, the answer is a definitive "no." I believe the alternative is to simply hold the marathon one week later, on Nov. 11, 2012. A Twitter hashtag campaign, #NYCM1111, has already been started to hopefully garner the attention of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the marathon's organizing body, New York Road Runners.
Video to New York Road Runners and Mayor Bloomberg
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