Photo Courtesy of Brenna Cumming
There were 61,146 finishers in the New York City Marathon this past weekend, through all five boroughs spectators cheered on friends, family, and strangers. Every year, Marathon Day in NYC showcases the human race at its best.
Every November, the streets of New York City (NYC) flood with people from all walks of life, united to complete what many cannot ever fathom doing: running the 26.2 miles of the NYC Marathon. While thousands upon thousands of runners take on the challenge, the spectators make it even more special. Lining the streets across the five boroughs, cheering on friends, family, and strangers, they create an atmosphere unlike any other sporting event.
The hope for humanity experienced on the first Sunday of November in NYC is not often found in sports or in the world. Marathon Day is truly one of the most uplifting and beautiful experiences a person can have. Whether one is running or cheering, it really is the human race at its best.
This past Sunday, the fifty-fifth NYC Marathon had 61,146 finishers, the first marathon to exceed 60,000 finishers and the most finishers for a marathon for the third consecutive year. Among these finishers were people very near and dear to my heart: my mother Kathleen Cumming and her childhood best friend, Christy Pace. It is not often that you can witness your mom do what some people can only hear and applaud the idea of doing, actually do it—but she did.
Just to put it into perspective, here is the course. Runners start in Staten Island, run across the Verrazzano Bridge into Brooklyn and Queens, then cross over into Manhattan. From Manhattan, runners cross into the East Side of the Bronx, then come back into Manhattan, where the final portion of the course takes runners through Central Park, right through the finish line.
Just writing that made my leg muscles atrophy, but most runners do not complete this race just to say they did. It is almost always for a bigger purpose: running for a charity, running for a loved one, running for a cause greater than themselves, or proving that they are capable of achieving something that once seemed impossible.
Watching runners go by wearing their why, you cannot help but smile, cheer, and maybe (no, definitely) shed a tear. It seems that now that I am older, it is easy to get caught up in the state of the world and focus on everything that is out of our control. Yet, on this very special day, people from different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences can come together and witness how much good still exists.
It is definitely a tough but fulfilling day for empaths; besides the crying and cheering for strangers, one of the best parts of the day is the signs. For my mom, my siblings and I remade the signs we created when she and Christy ran a half marathon in 2012. While ours were sentimental and funny for those who remembered the originals, those were only a small part of the creativity on display that day.
Now, let me describe a few of the standouts. One woman next to us at mile 17 told her husband, who was running, that she was expecting their first child. There were a few “power-up” signs scattered every few miles, as well as a few well-behaved dogs next to “pet me for good luck” signs. In typical New York fashion, there were a couple signs reading “Knicks in five, you in 26.1.” I could keep going on and on, but you just needed to see them for yourself. Good thing there is always next year!
All this being said, I am feeling a slight urge to run the NYC Marathon, and I know I am not the only person experiencing this after witnessing this amazing side of humanity. According to marathon runners everywhere, all you have to do is decide to do it and just do it. The number one thing is taking that first stride and committing to the process.
Thank you to all 61,146 finishers this past Sunday for restoring my faith in humanity. But most importantly, thank you to my mom for teaching me that the key to life is simple: work hard, be kind; that is all.