Two years ago I watched the marathon from the sidelines of Central Park West, 59th Street and Columbus Circle. The 2008 marathon was my first taste of a national running event and my first time learning about such an event in which runners begin in Staten Island and make their way across the five boroughs of New York City, toward the finish line in Manhattan's Central Park. Along the 26.2 miles that they run, participants get a chance to see so much of the city, which is great for the out-of-towners. From the views while running over the Queens borough Bridge around Mile 18, to the adrenaline kick from the cheering crowds as they enter 1st Avenue in Manhattan, to the relief when they make it to the scenic home stretch in Central Park, I'm sure it is an inspiring event, and as I Still Heart New York puts it, a very competitive event to get into.
My participation in the event was all about handing out free bananas to the runners around Mile 17 as they passed the Citibank building in Long Island City, and just before they get to the Queens borough Bridge. Agent J and I set aside our cameras for most of the day while we passed out around 150 bananas, claiming all the while, "Let's buy more next year!"
And from my friend Joseph's flickr photostream:
Another banana shot! At first people weren't taking them,
so we moved to various spots along them mile until we
could get a crowd interested in taking some!
