Sunday, May 23, 2021. 6:52 AM
The news went a bit unnoticed, but the organizers of the New York Marathon announced this week that their event will take place on November 7 with no less than 33,000 runners at the start. It is therefore the most recent marathon of importance to confirm that a certain semblance of normality is on the horizon. A message of hope that many runners will cling to.
At first glance, 33,000 runners on the streets of New York may seem like a huge crowd. However, this is a cautious post-pandemic recovery since the 2019 edition had welcomed 20,000 additional runners (the 2020 edition had been canceled), which then made it the most important marathon on the planet in terms of inscriptions.
The 2021 edition will therefore be cut by a third of its participants, but will still remain the biggest gathering of runners in America since the sad appearance of COVID-19 in our lives.
Every year, many Quebec riders take part in this prestigious race. However, some of them may be disappointed as it is far from certain that they will be able to participate. Official registration opens on June 8 and will be reserved for a few groups of runners, especially those who have completed the race at least 15 times! It was already difficult in normal times to obtain a bib due to the high demand so that a lottery is organized annually.
I had the great pleasure of taking part in the New York Marathon and I have wonderful memories of it. In preparation, I had followed to the letter a plan proposed on the website of the event. I had also read a lot about the history of it.
Humble beginnings
We have to go back to 1970 to witness the birth of what will become one of the most important marathons on the planet. 127 participants had paid a single small dollar to register for this first edition. In 2020, we required 358 US dollars from foreign runners to take part (295 dollars for Americans)!
Forget the current route which stretches through the main New York boroughs, the 1970 edition consisted of several loops run in Central Park. Barely fifty riders had completed the event including the winner, Gary Muhrcke (2:31:18).
The New York Marathon quickly gained popularity and became a victim of its success so much thatin 1976, the organizers decided to design a more modern and less monotonous course. It would now meander through the five districts of the Big Apple. It would all start on Staten Island near the famous Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. (I still clearly remember the memory of running in the middle of thousands of other enthusiasts like me on this bridge completely closed to traffic.)
The route would then pass through Brooklyn before heading to Queens, then Manhattan and the Bronx before ending with a final loop in the legendary Central Park! (The passage on the very long First Avenue gave me chills since tens of thousands of spectators are massed there to encourage the runners).
In 1977, Hollywood came to help enrollment with the release of the movie Marathon Man. We follow Thomas Levy (Dustin Hoffman) who is training hard to participate in the New York event. There could be no better publicity and participation is exploding!
On 1977, the Norwegian Grete Waitz smashes the women’s world record in New York by finishing in 2h32: 30. This great lady of athletics will participate in 11 marathons in New York and will win it 9 times!
The 2020 edition was not the first to be canceled. This was also the case in 2012 due to the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. It’s hard to imagine a race being held when hundreds of thousands of residents were without electricity, water or heating.
Not a quick ride
The New York route is not very fast because of the many unevenness experienced by the runners during each crossing of many bridges. And the last five kilometers in Central Park, when you hear the screams of the crowd and the music at the finish, are the most treacherous. A runner may think he is approaching the end when he still has about 30 minutes of racing left. Leg cramps are numerous on this last section of the route.
For your information, the male record belongs to the Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 (2:05:06) while the female mark is that of his compatriot in 2003, Margaret Okayo (2h22: 31).
It is therefore with great joy that we must welcome this good news of the return to the New York Marathon calendar. He is not the only one of Major to come back. But holding such a mass event in a city that was hit so hard by the pandemic sends a strong signal of hope. The one that the finish line points to the horizon and that we must not let go!
Good race!
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