The New York Marathon was cancelled because of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. The event was cancelled just two days before the actual race even though most of the runners had already picked up their numbers. People who had flown in from all over the country had to beg airlines for refunds due to the poorly handled cancellation. Granted, this wasn’t necessarily the most important issue at hand with all the other devastation going on in leu of the hurricane, however, I feel it would have given the city a sense of empowerment for the race to be continued as schedule.
Although we can’t control mother nature, we can show her how resilient the human race is when it comes to bouncing back from disasters like Sandy. If the race were to continue as usual, it would’ve also helped the survivors of the hurricane by gaining world attention that we, as people, are continuing on with our lives. It would also bring more coverage to New York, therefore, bringing more donations to help out the people of New York whose homes and businesses were destroyed. To have a “show goes on” attitude is far more beneficial in a time of crisis to resume life as normal than it is detrimental.
In regards to the marathon itself, it raises millions of dollars for the city every year. Many of the runners also run for charity also raising millions of dollars. Not to say that they won’t still raise this amount of money, if not more, but I think it would be more profitable for New York to continue on with the race at a time when they have the national, or international, spotlight at the time of crisis. On an international level it shows countries how unyielding we are when it comes to things like this.