(NECN: Eileen Curran – Hopkinton, Mass.) - One casualty of Hurricane Sandy that won't be going on as planned this weekend: the New York City Marathon.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg reversed course on Friday, canceling the event -- and it's a decision that many runners agree with.
New mom Julie House loves playing with her son, 8-month-old Galen, but this isn’t exactly how she planned to spend this weekend -- in her Sharon, Mass., home. She was supposed to be in New York City, running the marathon.
Destructive weather is the reason why she, her husband and son are not in New York as planned. Even before the city cancelled the marathon on Friday, House decided she couldn’t go -- for emotional as well as logistical reasons.
“Emotionally, I just felt like it wasn’t the time to be celebrating my own personal triumph,” House said. “It didn’t feel right to be handed water when someone nearby probably needed the water.”
Boston Marathon organizer Dave McGillivery is in New York. He goes each year to check out the competition and told NECN by phone that this is the risk they all take with big outdoor sporting events.
“None of us can control the weather,” McGillivery said. “On the management side, we can prepare as much as possible, but if the conditions are such that it’s unsafe to conduct the event or inappropriate, we have to be prepared to take a pass.”
Some runners are angry the city waited so long to cancel, but House is putting it all in perspective: Her family is safe, she’s happy and healthy and there’s always next time.
“There will be other races,” House said. “Let’s just enjoy a quiet weekend at home.”
