New York Marathon Canceled Because of Sandy

The New York Marathon has been canceled amid complaints it was diverting city resources from the relief effort after Hurricane Sandy.

The event was to have aired on ESPN Sunday, when the network planned to air PSAs calling on viewers to donate money to the Red Cross.

"We have decided to cancel the NYC marathon," Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office tweeted Friday afternoon. "The New York Road Runners will have additional information in days ahead for participants."

It was a difficult decision: The race brings money into the city from runners resting up in hotels, carbo-loading in Little Italy, and celebrating their personal records after. But it also requires police, electricity, and other resources that could also have helped New Yorkers who are still without power.

"ABUSE OF POWER" announced the New York Post's Friday edition, with a photo of two generators being used to power a media tent in Central Park, near the finish line. The paper reported that the two generators -- along with a third, backup generator -- had enough juice to "power 400 homes in ravaged areas like Staten Island, the Rockaways and downtown Manhattan."

Also Read: Hurricane Sandy First-Person: The Storm That Split New York in Half

A spokesman for the New York Roadrunners, which organizes the race, said they were privately funded and were not draining any city resources.

But many were still offended by the idea of runners consuming thousands of gallons of water and downing countless energy bars while some people were unable to return to their homes.

Before the cancellation, the marathon was dubbed a "Race to Recover" and visitors to its website were asked to donate to Hurricane Relief.

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