There is a crisp chill in the air. The clocks turn back and the sun goes down an hour earlier. Many streets are closed and traffic is stopped everywhere. It’s the first weekend in November, and visitors from across the globe come for the New York City Marathon. The weekend kicked off with fireworks in Central Park Friday evening! The 53rd running of the Marathon then took place on a 46 degree sun-splashed Sunday, November 3.
Living on First Avenue, I have a front-row seat to one of the greatest events in the world. In the morning, I begin to hear the crowd cheer as the elite runners quickly pass by. In the early afternoon, the crowd begins to swell, and it’s fun to stand along the edge of the street and cheer on the runners as the pack thickens.
This year the winners of the race were Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands, who won the men’s race with at time of 2:08:12 and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya, who won the top spot in the women’s category with a time of 2:24:35. The wheelchair division also saw impressive wins this year with Daniel Romanchuk of the US taking first place in the men’s race and Susannah Scaroni, also from the US, winning the women’s race with a time of 1:48:05!
The marathon has become a cultural phenomenon in the city. This year marked a world record with 55,646 people from around the world participating in the five-borough race. Whenever marathon time comes around, restaurants and bars throughout the city are packed and excitement is everywhere. Cowbells ring, music plays from street corners and spectators line the route holding banners and passing out bananas and sports drinks to runners. The camaraderie and enthusiasm from the crowd is transparent on this bright day.
It’s one of those days that reminds me of the city’s spirit and how proud I am to be a New Yorker!
