The historic cancellation of the New York City Marathon kicked up a wave of emotion from runners who had planned to compete in the annual road race.
Some out-of-towners were bitter they wouldn’t get to traverse the city’s five boroughs after spending big to get here, but others — especially New Yorkers — hailed the decision in light of the ongoing suffering inflicted by Hurricane Sandy.
“I was hoping it would be a pleasant distraction for a few hours for everybody . . . but on a personal level I’m really disappointed after all the training I did,” said Patrick Adams, 53, of Los Angeles.
But Adams, who qualified by a clocking a 3-hour, 19-minute time in his hometown last year, added: “I’m not going to second-guess the mayor or anyone else.”
Neil Freilich, 37, of Manhattan, said canceling the race was “the right thing to do,” but he blasted Mayor Bloomberg and New York Road Runners CEO Mary Wittenberg for standing firm for so long.
“Bloomberg and Wittenberg are idiots because earlier they said city resources wouldn’t be diverted. So what changed?” he said.
“It was either the bad p.r. or they’re lying. I think it was both.”
Diane Grosskopf, 38, of Toronto, groused that the cancellation was “a political decision,” adding: “I don’t think it’s going to benefit anybody in Staten Island.”
“This is admitting defeat,” she fumed.
At the Javits Center, where thousands of runners had lined up for registration, the crowd suddenly thinned as news of the cancellation spread via cellphone calls and e-mail messages.
Hard-nosed marathon bosses later said runners should not expect a refund.
Artur Quante of Munich, Germany, said he was “very sad and angry, because if I would have heard yesterday I would have canceled my holiday.
“This is very expensive for me and my family,” said Quante, 42, who said it cost him $3,000 to visit the Big Apple.
Irene Kuehnhammer, also from Munich, said she had been looking forward to the race for the past year.
“It was supposed to be for my birthday,” said Kuehnhammer, 51.
Gary Munk, 55, of Hastings-on-Hudson, had been planning to run the race for his 32nd time, but said canceling was “the right decision.
“This crisis is current, it’s not in the past tense yet,” he said.
Nora Friedman of Wayne, Pa. — who placed second in her age group last year — said she had very mixed feelings.
“We were thinking that as always in New York, the show must go on, but then we saw the gas lines coming up here and we saw Staten Island,” she said.
“In the long haul you can always go for a run. You can’t always have your dignity and your life.”