Thousands of runners did laps of Central Park on Sunday, pounding its 6.1-mile perimeter instead of the 26.2-mile marathon route between New York City's five boroughs.
Vancouverite Linda Wong was there, caught in the contentious decision to continue and then on Friday, barely 24 hours later, cancel the ING New York City Marathon amid controversy, criticism and crippled city that could not host the event and ensure runners' safety despite the promised boost to morale and the economy.
The 36-year-old event manager and her friend from Burnaby, Greg Welwood, ran one lap of the park, a far cry from the race she had trained for but an experience she'll nonetheless never forget.
"New Yorkers came out and cheered us on, brought their own water and cups and pretzels and showed their support and love for the marathon. That was an amazing and unforgettable experience," she wrote the Courier. She knew not everyone was capable of such support for the on-again-off-again marathon.
Regions of the East Coast were gutted last week by Superstorm Sandy, an enormous hybrid weather system that cut off power, shut down transit systems and the New York Stock Exchange, chased thousands from their homes, left hundreds without homes to return to and killed more than 100 people in the U.S. and Canada.
On Monday, Wong and Welwood were in Staten Island to volunteer. They brought six bags of clothes to donate and purchased more fleece sweaters and batteries to contribute to the recovery effort.
Wong came close to deferring her race entry but last Tuesday made an emotional decision to travel and race. When she got the news of the event's cancellation, she was in LaGuardia Airport, just a few hours removed from arriving at a midtown Manhattan hotel.
"We did agree it was the right decision," she said, noting her feelings ranged from shock, frustration, disappointment and finally acceptance.
"I am disappointed by the NYC Marathon management. There are always contingency plans for different situations, and I believe it was their responsibility to assess based on the information they had. My disappointment also lies with the city as an event always partners with race organizers, especially of this magnitude, so the decision was a joint decision."
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg promoted the marathon as a symbol of the city's resilience, not unlike holding the race two months after the 9/11 attacks. "You have to keep going and doing things, and you can grieve, you can cry and you can laugh all at the same time," he said Friday morning, according to the Associated Press. However, many New Yorkers disagreed and the backlash swelled.
"His attitude was like Marie Antioinette's [sic] 'Let them eat cake,' as the peasants had no bread," wrote "a Jersey Girl in the midst of this disaster" on the Facebook group Cancel the New York City Marathon. "Seeing huge generators all ready to warm up tents [for runners] filled with vodka and pasta while Staten Island and all the boroughs are in dire straits was sickening."
Wong was reading posts like these but there were others that struck a more positive tone. "It was clear the city was divided on how they felt about the marathon," she said. "I was basically tied to the Facebook page for the NYC Marathon and the comments were being escalated on both sides. Frankly, I was unsure on how people would react if I encountered anyone from the city and told them that I was here for the marathon. Thankfully, everyone I met was great."
Among the runners themselves, Wong said she witnessed two predominant reactions to the cancelled race. There were runners who seemed to push forward to complete the marathon, running and equivalent distance around Central Park. "I was a bit mixed on how I felt about that," she said.
Then there were the runners who laced up for the recovery effort. "I think seeing the devastation of Staten Island opened their eyes to what really happened here," she said, noting the majority of runners are inherently compassionate because training takes sacrifice and because the sport draws people together. "Yes, a race is a way to 'measure' their training but it is also an experience that runners get to share with each other, uplift one another, and encourage each other. It is quite the bonding experience. Volunteering has now become their bonding experience."
Twitter: @MHStewart
