New York City Marathon: Decision to race causes controversy

The New York City Marathon will be run as scheduled on Sunday, and that decision is being met with criticism by many. Many areas of the city are still without power, and mass transit schedules have been interrupted by the storm.

Staten Island borough president James Molinaro doesn't agree with the decision to run, he had the following to say about the event going forward as planned, via ABC news:

"What we have here is terrible, a disaster. If they want to race, let them race with themselves. This is no time for a parade."

Despite Molinaro's comments on the matter, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg believes that the race will be good for the local economy, also via ABC news:

"You've got to believe they would want us to have an economy and have a city go on for those who have been left behind."

Mary Whittenberg of the New York Road Runners agreed with Bloomberg on the matter. While the decision to carry on with the race belonged to the mayor, Whittenberg backed up his comments about the race helping the city recover, via The New York Times:

"This isn’t about running, this is about helping the city. We’re dedicating this race to the lives that were lost and helping the city recover. We want to raise money and awareness."

The race will begin Sunday, Nov. 4, with the Men's wheelchair division taking off at 8:30 a.m. ET in advance of the top runners getting on the course at 9 a.m. ET. The race is expected to draw about 47,000 runners, some 9,000 volunteers and staff, and just over two million spectators. The event can be seen locally on ABC7 and will be shown nationally on ESPN2.