ABSOLUTELY, AND THEY SHOULD and I applaud them for that and I support their efforts. But I wasn't referring to those who are willing to do something. I am refer to those who just sit on their couch and watch TV.


.

---

.........................__0.............0
...................._.-\ <,_.........</\_
.....~_.o^,....(...)./.(...)......._/\...

Yeah, that sucks. Even for Lower Manhattan it is shit as it could take over an hour to walk that far unless you manage to get a cab or bus (there's a lot of people wanting them at the mo). That will be a decent length bus ride as well to the start...can't use the Battery Tunnel either.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/...195426#ixzz2AzmeLpst

Staten Island Councilman James Oddo: 'Idiotic' to divert cops to New York Marathon right after Hurricane Sandy.

“If you saw what I saw in South Beach, Midland Beach & New Dorp Beach this morning you would know how idiotic it would be to take even one asset away from people in dire need,” Oddo wrote.

Desperately needed food, water and generators were being rushed Thursday to Sandy-ravaged Staten Island while local leaders blasted the city’s “idiotic” plan to stage the New York City Marathon in the midst of the crisis.

Staten Island Councilman James Oddo urged Mayor Bloomberg to reconsider, especially while rescue efforts are still underway on the hard-hit South Shore.

"The notion of diverting even one police officer, one first responder, one asset away from this carnage is beyond irrational,” the Republican lawmaker told The Daily News.

"The mayor said to me, 'We're not going to diminish what is happening on Staten Island.' You know what happens on marathons - you put a cop on every corner. How are we going to have enough resources?"

The marathon takes an incredible amount of resources from the city. Police, ambulances, etc... The marathon also gives a lot back to the city in terms of charity, tourism $'s etc... When the city is operating under normal circumstances the event is a huge boon for the city and has a very positive impact, but right now NYC is a MESS. Drawing resources away from those who need them most for a running race is a mistake. The city's citizens and service people are stretched thin already and the strains of the event outweigh its benefits right now.

The marathon should be rescheduled.

I agree but like I posted three pages back, the cancellation announcement should have been done LAST WEEK!

Let me ask you how you intend to inform 10,000 foreign runners who are at the Javits Center now and 20,000 family members in various hotels around the city, PLUS the 5,000 other people coming in tonight and tomorrow and saturday from all 50 states and 50 countries that the event is cancelled? If I were Bloomberg or Wittenburg and I gave you this ONE single task I would be curious as to how you would do it.

Once again my question is serious.


.

---

.........................__0.............0
...................._.-\ <,_.........</\_
.....~_.o^,....(...)./.(...)......._/\...

Andy Potts is going to be there and to support Asics and NYC, so says his Twitter! I'd say do it support the city, maybe stay a bit after help clean up? Or go in early (tomorrow) do some help and roll with it. Know that it might not be the best experience, but have fun and for reals saying you ran NYC is a feat, saying you ran it after Sandy, huge! Saying you helped out after it, massive! If you're travel arrangements and staying support it, I'd say go.

---

_______________________
Beyond Aero

"Grind it til' you find it..."

Pretty interesting story and tangentially related to the NYCM
http://www.theatlantic.com/...ricane-sandy/264337/

pigeons

NY has lots of them


Tim

---

---

Tim

I am on the record that they should have cancelled the race and it was a very poor decision to move forward with it, but agree that it is beyond the point of cancelling for the comments you made.

What I would do is reduce the course size and not mandating it go in all the boroughs thus reducing the amount of emergency services and volunteers needed (which they desperately need it appears).

Take the start away from Staten Island given all the logistical issues.

Even going back to the beginning with 4+ loops in Central Park (it is suppose to open to the public on Saturday)

Different states different licensing so no, not quite so simple as you suggest

Actually, Facebook would be a better option. Except for me, everyone in the Earth, Mars and Saturn has a facebook account which they check every 50 seconds from either an iPhone or a Galaxy phone (neither of which do I own.)

.

---

.........................__0.............0
...................._.-\ <,_.........</\_
.....~_.o^,....(...)./.(...)......._/\...

a notification popped up on my iphone while i was checking my facebook status saying you responded to this thread......

i still think pigeons. they are a far to underutilized asset of the city. i remeber when they tried to get them to run the "street meat" carts but they refused due to union restrictions.


Tim

---

---

Tim

yes, you're right, that red tape might really get in the way.

of course there is also staten island and brooklyn.

they are both NY

http://www.businessweek.com/...ew-york-needs#r=read

---

_______________________
Beyond Aero

"Grind it til' you find it..."

While I think the optics of this race are going to remain controversial at best we need to consider that we don't really know what resources are available to the NYPD, fire services and other emergency authorities or how they're being deployed. I commented on staffing earlier in this thread but since then I've heard of several NY firemen who haven't worked since the Hurricane. My assumption wass that every worker in the city would be pulling doubles until everything is fixed but, it turns out, that just isn't the case. I'm not saying I know there are enough police in reserve to cover the course I'm just flagging that I don't know and, I suspect, neither do most expressing outrage here. The optics will still suck though.

Maybe there are tweaks to be made to the course but it's really a good course as is given what they have to work with. 4 loops of CP won't work - it becomes dangerously crowded and difficult to police when they put on a 2 loop half-marathon for 6,000 so four loops for 30k is a non-starter.

I will be volunteering at 12 miles on Saturday - I wish there was something substantive I could do for the victims of this Hurricane but there isn't. I couldn't get to them right now even if there was. So I, and hundreds of others, will be at the marathon

---

"Are you sure we're going fast enough?" - Emil Zatopek

Continuing with the Marathon might also give the city a lift and a sense of normalcy.

The participants will need to be patient and understanding: no complaining. That would help the situation.

OK Slowtwitch I need your help once again. We are going tomorrow. My train from DC (0930) is still canceled according to Amtrak so we are going to drive. I'll have 3 in my car. What's the best route to go from Northern VA? Up I-95 or North on 15 to I-78E (thru Allentown)? Most importantly, how far out from NYC should I get my last tank of gas?

also driving up from DC with the family tomorrow to support the marathon.

take 95 north and take the NJ Turnpike. Get gas before you get on the turnpike. Depending on where you're staying you could take the GW Bridge to go uptown or the Lincoln Tunnel to get to midtown.

Pretty easy and don't forget your EZ pass.

if you need any help, feel free to message me.

I'm a big fan of avoiding I95. Stay away from the coast.
78 through Allentown is a really good plan.
I'm in central jersey, and people are driving out to Allentown area to buy gas because there is not much here. (intersection of 78 and 287).
4 hour lines are normal when you actually find one that has fuel.
So buy gas before you are out of PA.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring extra fuel with you in a gas can if you aren't going anywhere where it would be illegal to do so. (Tunnels and such??).
Hopefully the situation improves soon.

Holland Tunnel is busses only at the moment. So it's Lincoln Tunnel or GWB to get to Manhattan tomorrow. (unless things change).

I'm also signed up to run. I work in Manhattan (but there's no power at my office). I think getting to packet pickup is going to be more difficult for me than the race.

Good Luck

my wife has volunteered three years in a row, twice at aids stations in Queens and once at the the finish line helping blind runners from the Achilles group. She will do the race next year. This is what her experience has been: many "volunteers" just show up to get some coffee and donuts, a free hat, t-shirt and poncho and then they leave after one hour of "hard work".

Many thanks! The route you suggested is 30 miles shorter. I was just worried that I would need to gas up further away on this route but coming from the west I could get a tank in Bethlehem or maybe even a tad closer?

I vote for "North on 15 to I-78E." Its a more scenic route.

Have a good race. NY Marathon was a fun race for me. Hope all goes well.

i drive up to NYC at least a dozen times a year, this is the route we always take, much more direct, lots of rest areas to stop at, definitely not as scenic but it's faster. I'm planning on getting gas in DE at the DE Welcome Center (probably one of the nicest rest areas you will ever see), once on the turnpike it's only 2 hours to NYC (~120 miles) so I should have more than enough gas to make it to NYC and back to the DE border to refuel again.

Where are you in NoVA? Unless you're out west towards Leesburg 15N-78 is WAY out of the way in my opinion. Another consideration, I think if you go 95N straight, you have to get through Philly which can have traffic depending on when you get there.

Was just watching CNN and they were interviewing Staten Island residents who are outraged that the marathon was going forward. They said with all the looting and lack of resources to take even 1 policeman away from helping them to patrol a marathon is wrong. From the RDs perspective they say many charities benefit from this race and it would hurt them not to continue. Any thoughts?