NYC Marathon planning moves forward despite Sandy

PanARMENIAN.Net - The 26 miles might be the easy part.

The biggest challenge for this New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4 could be getting to the start, not the finish, The Associated Press reported.

The mayor of storm-battered New York says the race is still on, but flying in runners from out of town will be tricky, and there may not be a subway to get everyone to the starting line.

Superstorm Sandy shut down transportation, closed airports, flooded streets and left scores of neighborhoods without power – formidable obstacles for the organizers.

"The marathon has always been a special day for New Yorkers as a symbol of the vitality and resiliency of this city," New York Road Runners President Mary Wittenberg said in a statement.

The 26.2-mile route through the five boroughs mostly avoids the areas hit hardest by flooding. Organizers were expecting nearly 50,000 runners before the storm hit. However they have no idea how many will actually make it to start the race.