This weekend the ING New York City Marathon was thrown into a very large quandry because of the devastation created by Hurricane Sandy. Although the race course isn’t affected specifically, those pulled from tasks in the relief efforts could be taxed as millions turn out to support those running. The city services that normally support the race have been diverted elsewhere, and perhaps the hardest hit portion of New York City…Staten Island…will be inconvenienced even more as thousands descend on the Fort Wadsworth area in the early morning. Yes it will be a spectacle and will raise millions for charity, but this weekend is it really worth it, even with a new ESPN audience on a national level? could it be diverted a week? As of Friday, Race officials and the City say no, so the race will go on.
Those choices will pale in comparison to the ones that the NYC Marathon’s “little cousin,” the New Jersey Marathon, will have to make a decision at some point. The race, which has grown to record numbers throughout Shore communities, has never been about elite runners and record times. it has been about fun, the human spirit and exposing people from around the world to the beauty of the Jersey Shore. Now due to Sandy, the Shore, and much of the race course along with those who run, volunteer and staff have been dealt a horrifying blow. The race is still scheduled to be run on May 5, with a fitness expo at Monmouth Race Track with a course that winds through communities and ends up along the beach in Long Branch. It has local stories, great leadership in race organizer Joe Gigas and a national partner in U.S. Road Sports. But with such devastation and disruption can it even be run in May?
While for sure this is the least of the worries to all those hurting on The Shore right now, here’s hoping it does, even over an augmented course this spring. The race has sponsors, but not the mega-ones on New York. It has thousands of runners but not hundreds of thousands. What it has is a great sense of unity and community, something which is needed now than ever more. It has steadily become a shore tradition, and as the official New Jersey marathon is has the blessing of the Governor and other state officials. It brings people not just for the beach but for the event, people who will come back again and again and leave with a positive feeling of the area, perhaps for the first time. It is about healthy lifestyle, and more importantly it is a landmark fundraiser for so many who compete. Those funds raised, for schools and clinical research, for local charities and national ones, provide a sense of purpose and pride for all involved, and could create a huge void should the race leave.
Now given the devastation in some communities, along with the loss if key areas of boardwalk which will be hard-pressed to be replicated by Memorial Day let alone early May, the race will take its lumps and will have to undergo some major adjustments. However as a rallying point to get the shore back on track, as a fund raising element and as a great harbinger of better times to come, it is hoped that the New Jersey Marathon does stay on course with its date and becomes a great feel good story like never before. A little big race that could, and can now rally a community that will be hurting and rebuilding through the winter and beyond. Marathons, after all, are perhaps one of the greatest triumphs of the human spirit, and The Shore Area has always been about endless possibilities, now at its darkest time, more than ever.
C’mon back runners, sponsors, and businesses at the right time…in the spring to raise awareness and dollars and spirits when the bright lights of the media have gone on to other things and the devastation won’t be an international story still. At that point the race can provide a great beacon of hope and inspiration for many when they may need it just as much as they do today.
