Of Heat and Hurricanes

Well, it's been quite the year, marathon-wise, that is. Between the heat in April for the Boston Marathon and now the storm in the northeast just before the New York City Marathon, you could say it's been...unpredictable, at least. And I won't even go into the injury side of the house...

Yesterday morning, on my 2-hour (!!) drive in to work (28 miles
should NOT take 2 hours, but that's another story!), I had plenty of time to think about Hurricane Sandy / Frankenstorm / Superstorm Sandy / Biatch Sandy, or whatever your choice name for her is at the moment. A friend who'd just run the Marine Corps Marathon as Sandy was moving in called to see what the latest on the status of NYC was. As of this writing, NYC is supposedly still a go, but we runners haven't received any official communication from the NYRR, the organization that oversees the race. They've been assessing the situation, so have been markedly quiet.

Both the NYRR and ING New York City Marathon Facebook pages are seeing tons of comments from runners literally from all over the world. Many of them are asking whether the race will still be held (understandable, as they're coming from different countries and have a long travel schedule ahead of them). Many others are commenting on their support for the region during in the aftermath of Sandy, and still others are weighing in on whether the NYRR should cancel or proceed with the race. It's interesting to read the myriad of various postings and opinions, and encouraging to see the support that everyone has for the people of New York.

Having grown up in "hurricane country" (i.e., the Gulf Coast), I experienced some real whoppers (here's one: Hurricane Frederick: http://www.southalabama.edu/meteorology/hurricanefrederic.html.) So, no matter whether I live in an area affected by hurricanes or not, I'm always drawn to follow them because of my experiences.

Now, after watching Superstorm Sandy barrel down on the northeast, comes the speculation about what's going to happen with the New York City Marathon this weekend. Will they still have it? Should they still have it? Will the participants be able to get there, and if we do, will we be able to get around the city (since the officials have stated that it will take at least four days to even pump the water from the subways)? And on and on the questions go...

I've adopted a wait-and-see attitude, because I can't control any of it. Watching the news special last night, however--and having lived through hurricanes myself--I've started to question whether, for me, running the marathon (if it's held) would be the thing to do. I trust the city officials of New York and the NYRR will make the decision they feel is best for the area and its residents during this difficult time.

Stay tuned...We're supposed to hear an official statement today....


Donna

Relentless Forward Motion, Ya'll...