With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, what the hell are you thinking?
New York City is a disaster area. Thousands are homeless or displaced, hundreds of thousands without power still in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The subways aren't fully functional. Our gas stations are out of gas.
Staten Island, where the marathon is set to "kick off" with celebratory fanfare, is screaming for more attention as they try to recover from the devastation to their neighborhoods.
And all told, nearly 100 people have died. Heartbroken residents of the five boroughs do not want to watch out-of-towners jog through their neighborhoods as they dig out of the wreckage. Nor should we be diverting much-needed resources away from the areas hardest hit here and in New Jersey to accommodate competitive exercise.
The race is scheduled to bring 47,500 runners to our city. That sounds like 47,500 volunteers to me. We should have them run to Seaside, NJ or Breezy Point, Queens and lend a hand. Look, the NYC Marathon is a great tradition. But we've got our hands full. Do the right thing, and postpone this race, Mayor Bloomberg.