New York Marathon threatened by Hurricane Sandy...

No doubt, many of you who have been watching the news will be well aware of the flooding in New York City due to Hurricane Sandy. The question now arises what impact will all of this have on the New York City Marathon which is supposed to take place next Sunday?

Flooding at LaGuardia Airport in New York due to Hurricane Sandy

As of Tuesday 30th, all of the airports in New York are closed due to flooding on the runways. The Los Angeles Times said the following........."While the course through the five boroughs mostly avoids high-risk flood areas, transportation appears to be a major issue, with nearly 20,000 amateur international runners needing to get into the country and another 30,000 American participants having to find their way to the Staten Island starting line. In addition, family and friends of the runners will be seeking to get to their viewing spots and the finish line. All of the above will be difficult or impossible if the airports, public transit and river crossings are still closed Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, it was unclear when any of those would reopen."

The New York Times said......"More than 5,700 flights have been canceled on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cancellations caused by the storm to 15,500. Travel experts said it could take several days, or even into next week, for passengers to be rebooked."

Update Wed 31st Oct...BBC News....."JFK and Newark Liberty - two of the New York area's three main airports - were scheduled to open for a limited service on Wednesday, but severe delays were expected after the cancellation of more than 18,000 flights across the affected area."

On Tuesday, the race organisers said that the Marathon was going ahead despite the face that the starting line is on Staten Island and about half the entrants normally would take the ferry and others would take buses through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Both are closed due to flooding.

Update........The New York Marathon is now going ahead. The organisers are giving people the option to cancel if they are unable to get there..........“We are going to give everyone the time to get here and if they have to cancel, we will give them the chance to cancel up to Saturday,” . Runners who can’t get to New York in time for the race will be given automatic entry into the 2013 race. The entry fee for 2012 will not be refunded.