There’s a lot of opposition to city leaders deciding to go ahead with the New York City Marathon in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The NYC Marathon course is printed above.

Use this Google map link to look at the distances between the marathon and Breezy Point, Far Rockaway, and the Jersey Shore.

Would Louisville cancel the Kentucky Derby because of, say, the Henryville tornadoes? Lots of government and self-funded church and civic group volunteers are in the affected areas.

The marathoners cannot bring gasoline with them. The 40,000 marathon participants have trained for 6 months, have spent (and will spend) a ton of money in NYC to boost the economy, many of them are running for charities to raise money for them, and New York needs to see that it is not defeated. Resilience and the pursuit of challenges (marathon completion) are testaments to the greatness of America. For those in the sphere of each participant, a marathon quest pays dividends in leadership, fitness, and the improvement of our nation’s woeful health habits.

The marathon staff is working with reduced support because of the storm. Everyone with an event in the northeast agrees that reduced security is required while recovery continues.

GOOGLE MAP: http://tinyurl.com/au9bkgd

UPDATE: Marathon cancelled amid outrage; severe economic plunge for NYC