New York City Marathon On; NYC Marathon will proceed as planned: Bloomberg---The New York City Marathon, one of the premier U.S. distance-running events, will take place as planned on Sunday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday, as the city struggles to recover from heavy flooding caused by massive storm Sandy.
Proponents of allowing the race to occur argued that it would mark another step in the city's return to normalcy, while critics said it would divert vital resources, such as police, from assisting those still suffering from the storm's impact.
"There's tens of thousands of people who come from around the world here to run. We've decided the marathon will go on. We expect by Sunday most of the power will be back if not all of it," Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg, who announced the decision at an afternoon press conference to update the status of recovery efforts, said many of New York's small businesses rely on the boost from the thousands of out-of-town visitors who come for the race.
"Some people said you shouldn't run the marathon," Bloomberg said. "There's an awful lot of small businesses that depend on these people."
The race draws tens of thousands of participants, including some of the world's elite distance athletes. It starts in Staten Island and winds its way through all five of the city's boroughs over the 26.2-mile course. In 2011, more than 47,000 runners finished the race, according to the event's website.
"The marathon has a huge positive impact for the city, it's greatly valued," Mary Wittenburg, president and chief executive of the race organizer, New York Road Runners, said earlier at a separate press conference. "The economic impact has been estimated at $350 million."
Ahead of the decision, dozens of people posted messages to the club's Facebook page, many urging it to reconsider holding the race on Sunday.
"Please think about the people in Breezy Point and Staten Island who could dearly use the assistance of first responders over this marathon," read a posting from New York resident Michele Axt, referring to areas hit hard by Sandy.
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