After a one-year hiatus and a 728-day wait between races, the New York City Marathon returns Sunday (9 a.m, ABC, ESPN2), amid the memories of Hurricane Sandy that forced last year’s cancellation and under the specter of the Boston Marathon bombings in April.
The former left millions powerless and 60 dead in New York and New Jersey, and the latter left Boston stunned and in a citywide manhunt on April 15. Runners impacted by both will be among the 48,000 who will toe the line Sunday and test themselves over 26.2 miles through the streets of New York.
The two bombs that exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed three and wounded more than 260. To honor them, New York Road Runners President and CEO Mary Wittenberg said the Department of Transportation will paint a 400-meter-long yellow line from Columbus Circle to the finish in Central Park, accompanying the traditional blue one that guides runners from start to finish.
“This year’s race had a whole other meaning,” Wittenberg said this week, “and that meaning was to carry on and celebrate and honor Boston, and to preserve the beautiful essence of what these marathons are all about: The coming together of our communities to celebrate the triumph of the human spirit.’’
Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai ran a 2:05.06 in 2011 to shatter the course record by nearly 2 ½ minutes, but didn’t get a chance to defend his crown when Sandy washed out last year’s race. But he noted the redoubled security this time around.
There will be thousands of police along the route, 43 bomb-sniffing dogs, plainclothes officers in the crowd, helicopters in the skies, boats in New York Harbor and the East River, backpacks and some other items banned and mobile cameras filling in the gaps.
Double world champ Edna Kiplagat and London winner Priscah Jeptoo are the women’s favorites, trying to catch non-starter Rita Jeptoo for the World Marathon Majors 2012/13. But 2011 winner Firehiwot Dado and Bronx resident Buzunesh Deba will contend as well.
“New York is … I don’t know, I don’t have any words,” said Deba, an Ethiopian émigré who trains on Van Cortlandt track. “I love New York. New York is my second home, and I’m so happy [to] run again in the New York Marathon. I’m excited.”
“When I came here I arrived in New York in the Bronx the first time, and I love the Bronx, and I love the people. I love the place.’’
The men’s race features Mutai and London winner Tsegaye Kebede battling Olympic and world champion Stephen Kiprotich for the $500,000 WMM crown. But there’s also U.S. star and 2009 champ Meb Keflezighi, Martin Lel, Stanley Biwott and ex-Boston champ Wesley Korir, whose story is more compelling than most.
Korir — the first independent to become a member of Kenya’s parliament — won last year’s Boston marathon and ran fifth this April, already in his hotel by the time the explosions went off at the finish line.
“My hotel was right at the finish line, and I heard the blast. I got out of the shower, looked out, and I could see everything,’’ Korir said.
“The first thing I did was to make sure all the Kenyan elite athletes were safe because as a member of Parliament I needed to know. … The second to go and find out what’s going on. So it was terrible. But we learn from it.
“We come here and see the security improve. It’s not fun … but it’s something that’s a wake-up call that we live in a world that’s going somewhere that we don’t like.
“All I can say is terrorists are doing the wrong thing to attack runners, because we’ll run more and more and more to prove them wrong. They’ll never defeat us, they’ll never intimidate us. They’re targeting the wrong group of people.’’