Pre-NYC Marathon

In case you haven't noticed, the NYC Marathon is tomorrow. I would say don't forget to come out and cheer, but if you live in the city it will be hard to miss. The course spans the entire city and millions are expected to come out to watch the runners. If you are not a New Yorker, yet still would like to join in on the fun NYRR TV might be helpful. The pro field is considered to be one of the best.

Last night we had the first opening ceremony for this event. It wasn't a big glamorous organization like the Olympics, but I am sure it was the best ceremony a single distance running ever received. There was a parade of nations, punctuated by dances from participating countries such as Indonesia, Russia and South Africa. Nations with more runners had their names announced separately. Those with less runners passed as a group and their names were read as a list. My home country, Turkey, was in this second group. I caught this blurry image while they were passing. My question now is how do I get to do this next year?

After the flags, German Silva from Mexico received his Abebe Bikila award and Fred Lebow and Grete Waitz became the first two members of the Hall of Fame. The night ended with fireworks. By the way, here is a dialog I had with a colleague earlier in the day:
Me: Don't miss the fireworks tonight!
Colleague: Fireworks? Why? It is not a holiday.

You know what, I think the marathon day is almost like the one of the major holidays in NYC and it was time it was celebrated like one.

Anyhow. Don't miss the race tomorrow. It is going to be fun. I will be out there, first on the First Avenue, then in the Park. I will cheer on the finishers as long as I can. And if you need a bit of extra convincing, here is an excellent video starring Alec Baldwin, who, point of interest, recently has done a great job convincing people to donate money to our radio station WNYC.

NYC Marathon Alex Baldwin prorez from Marc Beroza on Vimeo.