New York, New York...

Just to follow on from an earlier post about changes to the entry procedure for the New York City Marathon, I came across this video clip from the organisers. I know a lot of runners from Cork and Ireland will be heading there and the video gives a flavour of the occasion and the sheer scale of the event...

Video HERE
During a news conference with marathon officials on Wednesday at the finish line, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the event was a "major boon" to the city's economy and called it the "highest-grossing single-day sporting event in New York." According to marathon organizers, the run is expected to generate $350 million in economic activity; some $10 million in tax revenue will be generated for the city alone.

Bloomberg said the marathon served as a huge opportunity to market the city to the spectators and runners coming from all over the world to watch and participate in it. "An awful lot of these people come to New York, some for the first time, bring their families in many cases, and they stay for the week," he said. "It really has an enormous impact."

If it's a big city Marathon you are looking for then they don't get any bigger than this.