Added elements both at the start and along the course, in addition to various pre-race promotions, to make this year’s event memorable
New York, October 27, 2008—Wave starts, expanded split timing for all runners, more green initiatives, and added on-course entertainment are some of the featured new elements put in place by New York Road Runners for the 39th running of the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday November 2. More than 39,000 participants and millions of spectators are expected for the 26.2-mile, five-borough spectacle.
Celebrating 50 Years: Great Moments in New York Road Runners History
New York Road Runners will honor its past with the announcement of the top five Great Moments in New York Road Runners History. The moments were chosen by fan vote as part of a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of NYRR. The fans selected their favorite from a list of 15 NYRR Great Moments that had been compiled by a panel of journalists and NYRR officials.
A countdown of the top five Great Moments is taking place during ING New York City Marathon race week, with one Moment announced daily. Each announcement will feature guest appearances from running legends associated with the top Moment. New York Road Runners will also feature in each of the news releases the perspective of journalists who covered the races. All news releases will be available at http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/media.
Everyone can join in the 50th anniversary celebration at the annual Poland Spring Marathon Eve Fireworks on Saturday, November 1, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Spectators can enjoy a spectacular fireworks display choreographed to music, immediately followed by the number “50” in the sky ushered in by the singing of “Happy Anniversary to New York Road Runners.”
At the Start: NYRR Institutes Wave Starts; Opera Singer Neal E. Boyd to Sing National Anthem
In one of the most significant changes since 1976 when the race was expanded to all five boroughs, this year’s marathon will feature wave starts on the famed Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island. The new plan calls for three waves, each utilizing all three existing starting lines. The first wave of the open field will begin at 9:40 a.m. and two additional waves will follow at 10:00 and 10:20. The professional women will still begin the race before the rest of the field; this year they will start 30 minutes earlier, at 9:10 a.m. Runners in each wave are expected to clear the start in no more than six minutes. Complete information on the wave starts is available at http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/entrantinfo/startservices.php.
Opera singer Neal Boyd is sure to inspire all of Staten Island—and parts of Brooklyn as well—with his beautiful, yet powerful voice, when he sings the televised performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” prior to the start of the professional men’s race and the first wave of runners at 9:40 a.m. Boyd is a tenor who received 14 million first-place votes in the finals of this summer’s “America’s Got Talent” to win the $1 million prize. Complete information on all the ways to watch the broadcast of the race is available at http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/about/coverage.php.
Along the Course: On-Course Enhancements and Entertainment
For the first time ever, race organizers will track splits of all participants for the race’s final 10 miles, beginning at mile 16 when runners exit the Queensboro Bridge onto First Avenue in Manhattan, until mile 26, within sight of the famed finish line at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Split times will be captured via the ChampionChip® system and will be logged on NYRR’s Athlete Tracker application. Complete results will be available at http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/results.
The spectator experience has always been the centerpiece of the ING New York City Marathon. Now, the experience has just gotten better for a stretch in Harlem when runners are pushing through miles 22 and 23. New York Road Runners and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce have joined forces to expand on “The Harlem Mile,” incorporating entertainment zones and stages at three key locations along Fifth Avenue. The stage at 135th Street will feature live Gospel; the stage at 125th Street will incorporate the sounds of both the Motown and Stax eras as well as today’s R&B; and 117th Street will include Latin and Caribbean music.
The highlight of The Harlem Mile will be the first-ever grand celebration at Mt. Morris Park West between 124th and 120th streets. The area will have VIP seating for guests and live performances from a variety of artists.
More information on The Harlem Mile initiative will be available online at INGNYCMarathon.org.
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